Embarrassed by her words from earlier, Xiangqin’s face flushed crimson, and she dared not utter another word for fear of making another slip of the tongue.
After stepping out of Yixiang Pavilion, she slowly shifted into the form of a Cyan Luan.
According to legends in the Xuanfeng Dynasty, the Cyan Luan was said to be the descendant of the divine beast Phoenix in ancient times.
Yet through countless years of evolution, the Phoenix bloodline within the Cyan Luan had long since thinned to the point of being negligible, and the vast majority of their feathers had turned cyan.
However, Xiangqin was somewhat different.
Not only was her transformed form sleeker and more magnificent in appearance than that of other Cyan Luans, but nearly a quarter of her feathers displayed a beautiful scarlet red.
Once Chen Ning and the other two settled onto her back, Xiangqin spread her wings and took flight, soaring straight into the clouds.
Looking down from midair, the sprawling and magnificent Imperial Capital was laid bare in a panoramic vista, while the refreshing breeze whispering past their ears felt exceptionally cool and invigorating.
Enjoying the thrill of flight for the first time, Chen Ning turned to ask Murong Yu:
“Do you know if Confucianism has any Confucian technique that allows one to soar through the air?”
Murong Yu shook his head.
“I've never heard of such spells, but the academy's Grand Confucians once mentioned that if one can reach the Sub-Saint Realm, one can disregard certain laws, tread on empty air, and roam freely between heaven and earth.”
“The Sub-Saint Realm.”
Chen Ning could not help but feel a touch of anticipation.
At his current rate of progress, reaching the Sub-Saint Realm likely would not take much time at all.
Xiangqin flew at extraordinary speed. A distance of over thirty li passed in the blink of an eye, and soon, only a fraction of the journey remained.
Right then, Murong Yu recalled something and hurriedly asked, “By the way, Young Master Chen, have you figured out what the academy's Grand Confucians are actually testing us on?”
“Yeah, I've pretty much figured it out.”
Murong Yu’s eyes immediately lit up, and he urged, “Hurry, tell me! To this moment, I can only think of the intention to resist feminine charms. But no matter how I look at it, an assessment by those Grand Confucians could never be that simple.”
Chen Ning smiled. “You guessed right. The content of the Grand Confucians' assessment indeed isn't just one thing, but a full three.”
“There are actually three?!”
Murong Yu was thoroughly shocked, his eyes brimming with a thirst for knowledge. “Please enlighten me!”
Chen Ning said calmly:
“The first test is precisely what you just mentioned: not yielding to feminine charms. A Noble Scholar must maintain concern for both body and mind, yet need not completely shun the pleasures of romance and beauty. One may appreciate from afar, but never lose oneself in lust.
“As for the second, it truly demonstrates the wisdom of the Grand Confucians. What this trial tests is a Noble Scholar's discernment of good and evil, the clarity of their judgment. The Grand Confucians already knew that the demons in Yixiang Pavilion were coerced by Demon Cultivators. A Noble Scholar holds a measuring ruler in his heart and must use it to weigh good and evil. The key figure in this trial was Xiangqin. If we had indiscriminately slain her, even if we passed the first test of resisting beauty, the assessment would still have ended in failure.”
“So that's how it is!”
Murong Yu suddenly felt enlightened.
Although Water Cloud Academy's assessments had always been rigorous enough, he had never expected this one to be even more perverse than before.
The Grand Confucians used resisting beauty as a facade, preventing him from even realizing their true purpose.
“Wait... if both of those were tests, doesn't that mean I failed both of them?!”
At that moment, Murong Yu suddenly realized the gravity of the situation.
Thinking carefully, in the first test, he had carelessly fallen under bewitchment and been trapped in an illusion. In the second test, it was Chen Ning who discerned the Grand Confucians' intentions and took Xiangqin as a mount, which had nothing to do with him whatsoever.
It was over. Looks like he truly had to say goodbye to his status as a Noble Scholar of the academy...
“Don't worry, this brings us to the Grand Confucians' third test.”
Chen Ning gave a faint smile and patted Murong Yu on the shoulder.
“If I'm not mistaken, the third test is likely called 'Friendship.' If I had declined your invitation back then, you would probably have had your vital essence drained dry by now and lost your Noble Scholar status. But with my involvement, not only were you spared from danger, you can also barely be counted as having passed the test. Why seek many grinding stones when a single piece of jade surpasses ten thousand common pebbles? That is likely the final trial tested by the Grand Confucians—'Friendship.' Once we slay the Demon Cultivators here, we will have officially passed the assessment.”
...
“It's right there.”
A few minutes later, Murong Yu suddenly sensed something and pointed into the distance following the direction guided by Seeking a Steed by Its Picture.
Along the road heading toward the Imperial Capital stood an isolated little restaurant.
Hearing this, Chen Ning coated his eyes with a wisp of Purple Qi.
Soon, however, his brows furrowed slightly.
The little restaurant was not large, yet it faintly emanated an extraordinarily dense demonic qi and Baleful Qi!
“There truly is something strange about this restaurant...”
Murong Yu sensed it as well, detecting a foul and gloomy aura.
“Does Young Master plan to eat here?”
Xiangqin did not notice anything amiss. Once her red feathers transformed into clothing and she reverted to her human form, she asked with a trace of curiosity.
“Eat?”
Chen Ning pointed toward the entrance of the restaurant. “Can you see what is written on that sign?”
Xiangqin read it aloud:
“‘Braised meat, twenty wen a jin’... Compared to the Imperial Capital, this price seems considerably cheaper.”
Chen Ning gave a helpless smile. “A restaurant packed full of Demon Cultivators, built in such a remote location... What kind of meat do you think is inside?”
Thinking through the terrifying implications, Xiangqin’s face paled slightly after a moment.
...
Shortly after, the group walked straight into the restaurant.
The owner of the restaurant was a stout, middle-aged man with a full beard, dressed in coarse hemp garments.
When he first saw Qin Heng walk in, a flicker of vigilance crossed his brow. But upon seeing that following behind Qin Heng were two scholars and a young woman, he immediately looked at ease.
The bearded man stepped forward and took out a menu. “Our shop only sells meat dishes, clearly priced. Feel free to order with ease, esteemed guests. Almost every traveler passing by our establishment has nothing but high praise for our meat.”
“Is that so?”
Chen Ning took only a glance at the menu before promptly tossing it onto the table.
He asked, “However, I'm quite particular about how my meat is prepared. Can you cut the meat according to my instructions?”
“Of course.”
The bearded man rubbed his hands together, his fat face beaming with smiles.
“That's good, then.”
Chen Ning nodded and said:
“First, I want ten jin of lean meat, finely minced, with not a speck of fat on it.”
“Then, another ten jin of pure fat, with not a speck of lean meat on it, also finely minced.”
Hearing this, the man’s face instantly froze, a trace of fury seeping between his brows.
“What is this supposed to mean? You fucking came here looking for trouble, didn't you?”
“Congratulations, you guessed right!”
Chen Ning whipped out a kick, flipping the table straight into the air!
Rate on N.U.
