“Uh, it cracked...”
Although he had been mentally prepared, Chen Ning realized he still seemed to have underestimated the power of poetry and song in this world.
What a pity that the poet of the Du clan had not been born into this world; otherwise, with a Confucian heart devoted to the entire realm, perhaps his wish to shelter all the poor scholars beneath the heavens and make them beam with joy truly could have been realized here.
The two conversed for quite a while longer.
Murong Yu inquired about Chen Ning’s residence, mentioning that he would likely pay a visit soon to discuss Confucian scholarship and intended to bring Chen Ning along to Water Cloud Academy in the near future before departing in high spirits.
With the Lantern Riddle Festival now concluded, Chen Ning also returned to the inn with Qing Yan.
...
Three days later.
“There is nothing more visible than what is hidden, and nothing more manifest than what is subtle. Therefore, a noble scholar exercises caution when alone.”
【Ding! Morning reading detected from the host. System reward obtained: Noble Qi * 20.】
【Chen Ning】
【Noble Qi: 560】
【Worlds Apart in a Single Step (0/200)】
【Condemn by Word and Pen (0/800)】
【All Manifestations: Mountains and Rivers, First Layer (0/300)】
【Demon-Suppressing Pagoda (0/2100)】
【Divine Phoenix Bloodline, Third Layer (300/800)】
【Poem and Wine Sword Art, Blue Lotus Sword Intent (First Layer) (0/500)】
In the blink of an eye, he had accumulated quite a bit of Noble Qi lately.
After gazing at the system interface and pondering for a moment, Chen Ning spent five hundred points of Noble Qi to elevate his Divine Phoenix Bloodline to the fourth layer.
Instantly, he felt the meridians throughout his limbs ignite as if ablaze, continuously radiating searing heat outward.
Tightening his fists slightly, a sudden burst of popping sounds, like roasting beans, crackled from his knuckles.
This was precisely a manifestation of overflowing power.
The ultimate form of the Divine Phoenix Bloodline was rebirth from fire.
In other words, one had to withstand the heaviest onslaughts and take the most brutal beatings.
Unfortunately, since arriving in the Imperial Capital, Chen Ning had yet to encounter any resilient martial artist sturdy enough to let him thoroughly temper his excessively vigorous Divine Phoenix Bloodline.
So much so that at times, he almost felt an urge to throw a couple of punches into his own body.
Chen Ning then inspected his other Divine Abilities.
【Condemn by Word and Pen (0/800)】
During his clash with Murong Yu that day, the man had used this very technique to materialize sword blades.
However, the might of Condemn by Word and Pen did not seem limited to merely that.
Lifting his brush, Chen Ning slowly inscribed the character for “Rain” in midair.
The moment the final stroke fell, several raindrops shot forth from midair like miniature cannon shells.
Boom, boom, boom.
The wall struck by the drops cracked instantly, fine fractures spiderwebbing outward.
“Oops, I accidentally overdid the force...”
Chen Ning fell silent for a good while.
It seemed he would have to wait until Murong Yu visited again to ask if Confucianism possessed any techniques for repairing walls...
Still, this proved that the power of Condemn by Word and Pen was indeed formidable.
If the character for “Rain” could already achieve this degree of force, then what about “Flood”?
Fearing he might inadvertently drown the entire inn, he thought better of it and temporarily set down the brush in his hand.
Right then, his gaze happened to wander.
Chen Ning noticed that for some reason, Qing Yan was hiding in a corner in broad daylight, cautiously shielding her body beneath a quilt.
Although Qing Yan was doing her best to pretend to be calm, the occasional peek of her head as she stole glances in his direction completely gave her away.
This girl definitely has something to hide.
Chen Ning knew that guilty little look of hers all too well.
“Pure Breeze in Both Sleeves.”
With a sudden flick of his wide sleeve, a gentle breeze lifted the corner of the quilt without any warning in the very next second.
Qing Yan let out a startled gasp.
By the time she tried to pull the quilt back over herself, it was already too late.
Chen Ning had clearly seen that Qing Yan was currently holding her fox tail with one hand while clutching a wooden comb in the other.
So she had actually been hiding behind the quilt to secretly comb her tail...
Having been caught red-handed, Qing Yan’s entire face flushed peach-red with embarrassment.
“Young Master, weren’t you just reading a moment ago?!”
As a clean-loving fox demon, she naturally could not tolerate her tail being a messy tangle.
She had intended to seize the window while her young master was immersed in reading to smooth out her tail, never expecting an inexplicable gust of strange wind to blow out of nowhere.
“No wonder I’ve kept seeing white fur on the comb lately. I was starting to think I’d begun sprouting white hair at my age...”
Chen Ning smiled helplessly, then suddenly suggested, “How about I comb it for you? If you do it yourself, there should be a small patch behind you that’s rather difficult to reach, right?”
“Absolutely not!”
Qing Yan shook her head vigorously.
In all the world, there was surely nothing more utterly shameful for a fox than willingly handing over one's tail to someone else!
“Is that so?”
Hearing this, Chen Ning let out a slightly regretful sigh, feigning nonchalance as he said, “Ah, what a pity to have bought such a fine wooden comb only for it to go unused. In that case, I’ll just call Qiuyu over this afternoon and comb her hair instead.”
Qing Yan’s delicate frame suddenly trembled.
She looked toward Chen Ning, searching his eyes for any hint of teasing.
Yet Chen Ning had long predicted her prediction, keeping his expression utterly earnest.
For some reason, an inexplicable sour sensation welled up inside Qing Yan, much like biting into a tart lemon.
She stole a glance at Chen Ning, turning her head away to pretend she didn't care.
Yet soon after, she stole another glance at him.
And then another...
Finally, Qing Yan could not help lowering her head, her voice shrinking until it was as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito:
“If... if Young Master truly wants to, it’s not completely out of the question to let you comb it a bit. But you’re only allowed to use the comb! Absolutely... no touching, okay!”
For a fox demon, the tail seemed to be an exceedingly sensitive area.
Though he was intensely curious about what would happen if he gave it a squeeze, now that he had crossed this threshold, there would always be future opportunities.
Chen Ning picked up the wooden comb, gently stroking it from the base of the fox tail all the way down to the tip with an exceptionally delicate touch.
Just as he had expected, the fluffy tail was extraordinarily soft and sleek.
As the comb glided through, the fur was quickly aligned, gleaming with a bright, snow-white luster under the sunlight.
With her cheeks glowing faintly red, Qing Yan could not help letting out a soft sigh of comfort.
This sensation was indeed far more pleasant than straining her arms to awkwardly comb behind her back.
“Brother Chen, I’ve tracked down the locations of all the pseudo-god temples!”
Right at that moment—
Bang.
The door swung open, and Qin Heng pushed his way in holding a stack of documents.
Yet upon witnessing the scene before his eyes, he froze dead in his tracks.
Bang.
In the next second, Qin Heng took a step back out into the corridor and pulled the door shut behind him.
He stared blankly at the cold wooden door, questioning his very existence for a long while.
Did my eyes deceive me?
Yeah, that has to be it. I definitely saw wrong!
Rate on N.U.
