Chapter 18 His Revenge Plan
Heyan Academy is located halfway up Qimeng Mountain.
Ning Qi stepped down from the sedan chair and grasped the hand of Xiao Sui, who was dressed as a guard.
It looked as if he was supporting her, but in reality, she was holding his hand and leading him forward.
Xiao Sui's tendons and limbs have recovered very well. Apart from walking a little slower, no one can tell that there is a problem.
Ning Qi felt a little excited for some reason as she went out with him for the first time.
Headmaster Zhao of the academy came out to greet us. He looked to be around forty years old, with a long, flowing beard and an air of otherworldly elegance.
He was a very influential painter in Dayan, and his paintings were priceless. Ningqi also collected one of them.
He led her into the academy.
The academy is very large and full of the beautiful architectural style of the South. The potted plants and landscaping are very exquisite, and it is quite interesting whether viewed from afar or smelled up close.
"Please watch your step," said Zhao Shanzhang.
Ning Qi nodded and secretly pinched Xiao Sui three times to indicate that there were three steps.
He followed steadily behind him, leaving no trace of his presence.
"Why is it called Crane Words Academy?" Ning Qi asked after hearing about the academy's founding and development.
Master Zhao said, "This is actually my personal reason. I wonder if you have ever heard of the Immortal Venerable Yanhe of the Immortal Realm?"
Ning Qi raised an eyebrow. Of course she knew that this was the true form of the male lead, Yan Chongyan!
I never expected to hear about such a sage, praised by everyone, from this mountain abbot.
She nodded.
“I grew up listening to his stories, and what I admire most is that he was able to plug the rift that tore open in the Demon Realm with his own body, protecting the peace of the entire Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm. I hope that this spirit of sacrificing oneself to protect everyone can be passed down, so I slightly modified the title of Immortal Venerable and made it the name of this academy.” Headmaster Zhao’s face was full of longing.
"I see." Ning Qi nodded, thinking to herself that Yan Chongyan truly deserved to have the aura of a male lead, even this allowed her to meet a fanboy.
Unfortunately, he was about to miss out on meeting the immortal he admired.
After that topic was over, Headmaster Zhao led them to a secluded courtyard. "The academy's environment is simple, I hope you won't find it offensive."
"No," Ning Qi said.
She wasn't being modest; having a private courtyard was already a blessing. Everyone else had to share a room with another person.
"By the way, Prince Jing's courtyard is right next door, so it will be convenient for you to contact him," said Zhao Shanzhang.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness," Ning Qi said.
Disciples from various sects arrived one after another over the next two days. Most of them were settled in guest rooms not far from Ningxi Courtyard, about a hundred meters away.
Xie Xiyue even specially invited her to come over for a visit.
Bai Yueguang lived in a single room, with no one else in the room. It was certainly not as spacious as Ningxi's detached courtyard, but it was clean and tidy.
As the two were talking, Zhizhi came over and said to her, "Prince Jing has arrived and is waiting for you in your courtyard."
"My brother is here too?" Ning Qi thought of Xiao Sui and was afraid that he would run into his brother, so he immediately said goodbye to Xie Xiyue and rushed back to his own courtyard.
Ning Xuanzhou sat beside the jasmine flowers, holding a celadon teacup in his hand, with a half-smile on his face, his gaze fixed on Xiao Sui, who stood to the side wearing a black veil.
Ning Qi's heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward and sat down opposite him. "Brother, you've arrived too."
"Hmm." Ning Xuanzhou nodded and pointed at Xiao Sui, "When did you get a guard in your room? I've never seen him before."
"It's a new one I bought recently." Ning Qi forced a smile, afraid that he would notice something amiss, and said to A Ying, "Let him go back inside, I need to talk to my brother for a while."
Ning Xuanzhou's eyes, however, did not leave Xiao Sui. "Why is he wearing a veil?"
Ning Qi made up a story: "Because his face was disfigured, I made him wear it because I was afraid it would scare others. He just came here and is a bit dim-witted and doesn't know the rules."
"Why isn't he saying anything?" her brother asked again.
Ning Qi was really confused. Why was he pressing Xiao Sui for answers? Could it be that he had actually figured something out?
She continued making things up, saying, "Because the fire made my voice hoarse."
Ning Xuanzhou watched as A Ying led Xiao Sui into the house, his eyes filled with a meaningful look.
Ning Qi turned her head and pretended to be angry, saying, "Brother, you don't care about me at all. What do you mean by chasing after my guards and asking them all these questions?"
Ning Xuanzhou then withdrew his gaze and revealed a gentle smile, "Sorry, I was worried that there might be suspicious people around you, so I asked a few more questions."
"Hmph, you still don't trust my judgment? I can't go wrong with the people I buy."
"Okay, okay, of course I believe you, but it's always better to be careful."
Ning Qi quickly changed the subject, "Brother, are you going to participate in the competition?"
Ning Xuanzhou nodded: "Swordsmanship."
“That’s a very popular project,” Ning Qi said, stroking his chin.
In fact, the main purpose of the annual study tour is to allow disciples from different sects to learn from each other and exchange skills. This year in particular, it is to prepare for the sect competition held every five years and to let everyone know the strength of their opponents in advance.
The winners this time were basically the cultivators who had the most popularity.
However, no matter how outstanding his performance was, it was useless, because the male protagonist would shine brightly in the competition, amaze everyone, and show off his great skills, making all the other contestants mere foils.
This is also one of the main satisfying aspects of unlocking the male lead's character in the story.
She looked at her brother, a hint of sympathy in her eyes. Her brother probably wanted to prove his strength to their father, but unfortunately, without the protagonist's halo, he could never compare to the male lead.
"What's with that expression?" Ning Xuanzhou pinched her cheek. "Don't you believe your second brother?"
Ning Xi's face contorted, and she pouted, saying, "I believe you, I believe you."
Ning Xuanzhou then let go of her face.
After the two talked for a while, Ning Xi yawned.
Seeing that she was tired, Ning Xuanzhou went back on his own.
Ning Qi hurried to the side room and saw Xiao Sui sitting quietly in a chair, without even taking off his veil.
She stepped forward and helped him take off his hat. "My brother didn't recognize you, did he?"
"No," Xiao Sui said in a muffled voice.
"Are you unhappy because I made you stay in the house?" Ning Qi keenly sensed that something was wrong with him. She lifted his chin and noticed that his lips were chapped and bleeding.
"What's wrong?" She took out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood, and seeing that he remained silent again, she said, "Don't always keep things to yourself."
Xiao Sui turned his face toward her and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry."
"Huh?" Ning Qi didn't expect that to be the question.
"...I shouldn't have gone out and caused you trouble."
“This is nothing to worry about.” Ning Qi smiled. “Shouldn’t you tell me your revenge plan? If you don’t, I won’t be able to help you.”
“I…” He remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a heavy breath, as if he had made a great decision. “I plan to lure them out at the banquet on the last day and make my move in the back garden.”
“There are many people around at this time, so it’s a good opportunity. The back garden is dark and lush with vegetation, making it very secluded.” Ning Qi thought for a moment. “I can help you lure him out. First, have Zhizhi and the others build good relationships with the maids here, and then we can find some excuse to get him there.”
"You don't have to..."
Ning Qi interrupted him, "I'll send A Ying to meet you and bring you back to the courtyard. If anyone hears the commotion, I'll have A Shen lead them away, okay?"
"Princess," Xiao Sui looked up, "aren't you going to ask me what I want to do?"
Ning Qi was taken aback. "You can do whatever you want with your revenge plan."
"What if I want to kill someone?" Xiao Sui asked, enunciating each word clearly.
Ning Qi paused, then remained silent.
He continued, "You should know that I killed three fellow disciples for a cat. I'm not a good person, and you don't need to associate with someone like me."
“But it was because of this that I redeemed you,” Ningxi said. “Those people who harm animals are the real bad people.”
Xiao Sui froze, his mouth slightly open. After a moment, he lowered his head and murmured softly, "You will regret this."
The sound had already dissipated into the air before it even reached Ning Xi's ears. She leaned down and asked, "What?"
Xiao Sui shook his head.
"By the way, I still haven't told you who your enemy is."
Xiao Sui pursed his lips and said, "Qin Xiao."
"It really was him!" Ning Qi was furious. "Did he do this to your eyes? Was he among those who killed your kitten?"
“Yes, we have them all,” Xiao Sui said.
“Okay.” Ning Qi told Zhizhi to find a map of Heyan Academy and said aggressively, “Let’s double-check the details and make sure we kill them without anyone knowing.”
Xiao Sui unconsciously smiled because of her choice of words.
In the following days, Ning Qi spent her days attending lectures, watching the disciples compete, and cheering on her brother and Xie Xiyue. At night, she and Xiao Sui studied the evacuation route, meticulously planning down to the number of steps. She was incredibly busy.
The last day has finally arrived.
All the competitions have yielded results. In the swordsmanship competition, Xie Xiyue narrowly defeated Ning Xuanzhou to win first place.
Amid cheers, Ning Xi exclaimed in amazement, "As expected of the white moonlight, even though she didn't form a couple with the male lead, she's still incredibly amazing."
She glanced at Ning Xuanzhou, who looked somewhat dejected, and said to the system with some dissatisfaction, "We both have the same father, and he's quite decent, but why am I completely clueless about cultivation?"
"The devoted female supporting character doesn't need any of that; all she needs is her mindless love for the male lead," the system said.
Ning Qi clicked her tongue in disdain.
The top three cultivators in the competition received corresponding rewards, and then it was time for the banquet.
Ning Qi was led to the seat of honor by Zhao Shanzhang and sat next to Ning Xuanzhou.
As the food was served one after another, she ate absentmindedly, preoccupied with her plans with Xiao Sui.
The back garden is three hundred steps from her yard, and there is a winding path that leads back quickly. Ah Ying should already be waiting there.
Another well-lit road was guarded by Ah Shen, who would make bird calls to alert Xiao Sui whenever someone passed by.
Zhizhi has already established connections with the maids at the academy, and at the seventh quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), she will pretend to be Jingyan Zhenren looking for his name and summon him.
She looked at Zhizhi behind her, who nodded to her, indicating that everyone was in place.
Ning Qi breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Qin Xiao. Even if Xiao Sui was captured, she could still protect him if she wanted to.
She ate a few bites of the food. The food in Nanyue was generally sweet, which she quite liked, so she picked up a few more bites.
After two rounds of sweet wine, Ning Xi turned her head and realized that her brother was not in his seat and had left sometime earlier.
She asked the time; it was only 7:45 PM.
A note from the author:
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Hum told us about Xiaoxi's vacation plans
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