C32

The two walked along the small path for a while before Gu Qingcheng suggested they take a look at the State Pillar Peak. Lu Que had always wanted to go to the First Academy, so it didn't matter where he went. He naturally nodded his head and agreed.

The National Pillar Peak was the head of the three peaks of the Phoenix Cry School. It was as its name implied, it was like a pillar that pierced the heavens, towering between the heaven and earth. There were countless number of pavilions and pavilions on the mountain, all of them seemingly in disorder, but they were arranged orderly and orderly on the entire mountain peak.

From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, there was a straight stone staircase. It was three zhang wide, enough for ten people to walk side by side. Looking up from the bottom of the mountain, the endless stone steps seemed to pierce through the clouds.

Even though Lu Que's character was extraordinary, he couldn't help but exclaim in his heart when he saw the Heaven Stairway. How much manpower and materials had he expended to build such a magnificent and majestic mountain path?

Seeing Lu Que's appearance, Gu Qingcheng naturally knew what he was thinking. Everyone who saw the stone steps for the first time had a look of disbelief on their faces. Comparatively speaking, Lu Que was considered one of the calmer ones.

"There are a total of four stone steps like this one. We have the pillars of the country located to the east, south, west, and north of the mountain. We are currently on the stone steps in the north." Among them, the eastern staircase is the slowest, the western is the steepest, and the southern is the narrowest. And the northern stone steps are the widest because they are the main steps. " Gu Qingcheng explained to Lu Que.

"So that's how it is." Lu Que nodded his head and looked up the mountain with great interest. Then, he lifted his feet and started walking up the stairs.

Gu Qingcheng had a complicated look in her eyes as she looked at Lu Que who was walking in front. From the way he strolled around, it seemed as if he didn't care about the items he ordered at all. It was as if he was really here to sightsee. As they walked, they would see the winter plum blossoming in the wind and would also stop to watch for a while. He would even pick up the petals that had been blown off by the wind and place them on the railing beside him with great interest.

Thinking back to what Lu Que had said in the afternoon, Gu Qingcheng couldn't help muttering to herself, "Men are supposed to be in grave danger, aren't they?"

Looking at the youth in front of her who had spoken with her since she could remember, although he was only a few inches away and was a bit younger than her, she felt as if she had fallen into a thick fog, unable to clearly see or see through him.

These days, she had frequently visited the Duke of Wei's Mansion, but the Lu Que she knew was someone who didn't care about anything, as if nothing mattered to him. Ye Zhiqiu smiled faintly as he stood next to the Chief Examiner; he was at ease as he was assassinated outside the academy. Now that the news of the thirty-six grades of foundation had spread, he would be in the middle of the storm and would still be able to enjoy himself in the face of endless troubles.

"How can I let Confucius go astray in this life?" Could it be that what he is pursuing in his heart is the ethereal Heavenly Dao? " Gu Qingcheng silently thought to herself. But since the Dao of Heaven had no basis, how could anyone rely on it? From ancient times until now, there had been many prodigies that had died on this path. The so-called 'great calamity' was something that most people yearned for. It was more than just talk. However, thinking about Lu Que's heaven-defying thirty-six levels of talent, it did not seem wrong to choose such a path.

Just when Gu Qingcheng was thinking, she mechanically took a step forward and followed behind Lu Que. Lu Que suddenly stopped in his tracks. Just as Gu Qingcheng was about to ask, she noticed that Lu Que had both his hands on the railing and jumped onto the hillside beside the stone steps. He took two quick steps and from a meadow filled with snow, carried out a little bird that was shivering from the cold.

"Little guy, did you forget to build a nest during the winter?" Lu Que walked back as he brushed away the snow on the bird's feathers.

"Is this the White Feathered Jackdaw?" Seeing Lu Que carrying the little bird in his arms, with one hand on the railing, she jumped back onto the stone steps. Gu Qingcheng walked up to the little bird and scrutinized it for a while before speaking up.

"Mm, this should be the first time that the white feathered jackdaws have experienced winter. The sudden arrival of heavy snow should mean that the little guy forgot to build a nest." Lu Que took off his light fur coat and wrapped it around the white feathered jackdaw that was about to freeze to death. Only the head of a bird was exposed. The White Feathered Haw tilted its head as it let Lu Que do what he wanted. Its pitch-black eyes stared unblinkingly at Lu Que, as if it knew that Lu Que was trying to save its life.

The White-feathered Jackdaw's entire body was snow-white. There was only a hint of black in the center of its forehead and the tips of its wings. It was quite beautiful. The White Feathered Jackdaws were different from ordinary jackdaws in that they did not live in a group and were bigger than ordinary jackdaws. The biggest one was around two feet long, and what was even rarer was that the White Feathered Jackdaws were smarter than the messenger eagles used by the military.

"Can I hug him?" Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but feel happy when she saw how adorable the white-feathered jackdaws were, slanting their eyes to the side.

"Of course it's fine, but it should be a bit lighter. It should have been frozen solid, so injuring its muscles and bones won't be easy." Lu Que carefully passed the White Feathered Haw to Gu Qingcheng.

Yaa ~ ayaya ~" The still-growing White Winged Wurm seemed to know that the two had no ill intentions. It let out a crisp cry and nuzzled its head against Gu Qingcheng's hand. Gu Qingcheng seemed to really like it. Her eyes stared unblinkingly at the little Jackdaw, and from her mouth came waves of tinkling laughter.

"Since it likes you, you should bring it back with you to raise. Although the White Feathered Jackdaws can't be considered a strange beast, they're still quite rare and unusually intelligent. They only know one master in their entire lives, and when they grow up, no matter if it's travelling or detecting enemies, they'll all be of great use."

"Really? You want to give it to me? "You — don't you want it?" Gu Qingcheng looked at Lu Que with surprise. The adult White Winged Frostcrow, Ling Fengxue, was also well versed in the ways of humans. If it weren't for the lack of manpower, the Qian Army wouldn't have used the Condor as a communication device. Not to mention that this White Feathered Jackdaw was still in its infancy and was the best time to train it, so it was even rarer. If a leader had a white-feathered Jackdaw as a companion, it was as if he'd gained a pair of eyes in the air. This bird was clearly different from the others.

"Of course it's true." Lu Que nodded his head, but upon seeing the conflicted expression on Gu Qingcheng's face, he smiled and said, "How about this, let it make its own choice."

At this moment, a gust of cold mountain wind blew past. Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng didn't think much of it, but the White Feathered Jackdaw shrunk its neck back and nuzzled its head against Gu Qingcheng's chest.

"Look, this little fellow really likes Sister Qingcheng."

Gu Qingcheng rolled her eyes at Lu Que in disapproval and joy. However, she knew that Lu Que was really giving her this little Jackdaw. Could she not find such a lame excuse? However, when she saw the little Jackdaw in her arms looking at her with a tilted head, she was overjoyed. A sincere smile appeared on her face.

The smile that came from the bottom of his heart was completely different from the estranged smile that she usually had. It was like a peony flower blooming, bright and moving. Lu Que could not help but be stunned. In this harsh winter, on the stone steps of the half-way up the mountain, like a flower girl dressed in a light fur coat, hugging a jackdaw, stroking it with her bare hands, her bright eyes gentle like water, her low eyebrows smiling. This kind of scene was even more soul-stirring than a famous painting in this world.

Gu Qingcheng stared at the little Jackal in her arms for a while before saying, "Little Jackal, why don't we choose a name first? Oh, right, I still don't know if you're a male or female."

"This is a female bird." Lu Que said.

"How do you know?"

"Err …" Lu Que rubbed his nose, his mouth twitching. He had grown up in the mountains, so it was easy for him to distinguish between males and females. However, he really didn't know how to explain this to Gu Qingcheng.

It was a good thing that Gu Qingcheng didn't focus her attention on this. She then turned to the little Jackdaw and said, "As a Jackdaw, how could you be frozen? I might as well call you stupid."

The little Jackal seemed to understand Gu Qingcheng's words, as it kept shaking its head.

"That's called being silly, okay?" "Why don't you like it? Why don't you just call me an idiot?" Gu Qingcheng thought of the name as she followed Lu Que up the stairs.

Hearing the name Gu Qingcheng, Lu Que's mouth twitched as he staggered and missed her. He opened his mouth and said, "The female hero of the prairie, Bu Lu, really had a black hawk called Xuan Ya. This White Feathered Frigid Crow is called Dong Ya."

"Dongya?" Gu Qingcheng thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Little guy, can I call you Dong Ya?"

Lu Que continued to gaze at the scenery around him while Gu Qingcheng teased the little Jackdaws in her arms. After an unknown amount of time, the two of them finally finished walking up the 3,600 stone steps and arrived at the peak of the national pillar.

The mountain was about seven to eight hundred meters high. Looking north from this mountain peak, through the fog, one could see Qian Yuan City lying on the ground like a giant tortoise about ten miles away. The two of them found a pavilion. Lu Que was standing under a pavilion, gazing into the distance. His right thumb and forefinger were pinching the cuffs of his left sleeve, fiddling with it. Clearly, he was thinking of something.

Sitting at the side, Gu Qingcheng took out a brocade handkerchief from her bosom and crushed the pastries within the brocade handkerchief, slowly feeding them to the White Feathered Jackdaw named Dong Ya. From time to time, he would glance in Lu Que's direction, his eyes filled with worry.

In fact, Lu Que wasn't too worried about the future. After all, this was the capital city, and there was the assassination outside the academy. However, even if the person behind the scenes knew of his Foundation Establishment grade, he would not act rashly without any assurance.

Lu Que was thinking that it was already close to the end of the year. His father had already left the capital for more than a month, and he didn't know if he could make it back before the new year. After all, ever since he could remember, they were all family for the new year celebration. Although not returning to the mountain was bitter, it won in peace and joy.

"With such a young age, your temperament is quite good. You still have the mood to climb the mountain and enjoy the scenery?" Your father has a son, and he's been comforted for the rest of his life. " Just as Lu Que was leaning against the pavilion pillar, watching Gu Qingcheng feed the little Jackdaw, a voice like the muffled sound of thunder rang out from behind him.

When Lu Que turned around, he did not know when Lei Xuanji had already arrived behind him, but the usually astute Lu Que did not notice at all. This showed just how high the Ghost Face Army Commander's cultivation base was.

"Kid, Lu Que greets Marquis Wu Cheng." Lu Que hurriedly bowed.

"This is the academy, so there aren't that many rules. This old man is much older than your father. You can call me Old Lei."

Old Lei just accepted a good disciple today. He must be in a good mood, why didn't he take this opportunity to return to the Brightheart Valley to meditate? What is he here for?" "This is a cold mountain, and Elder Lei did a lot for me. If I freeze to death, it will be a national loss." Gu Qingcheng looked at the trembling little Jackdaw in her arms as she spoke unhappily. She had just finished coaxing the Jackdaw, and now that this old man had arrived, all her efforts had been in vain.

Lei Xuanji glanced at the white bird that flew straight into Gu Qingcheng's arms, and naturally knew what was going on. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly, but he knew that this Gu Clan girl was not easy to deal with.

Pretending not to hear Gu Qingcheng's words, he turned to Lu Que and said, "Even if you wanted to hide today's matter, you can't hide it from the outside world. You will soon find out. However, things are unpredictable and there is an end to manpower. Your safety is naturally guaranteed in the capital and the Phoenix's Cry School. However, before your father returns to the capital, it's best to not leave the capital. "

"Thank you for your advice, Elder Lei." Lu Que knew that although this old marshal had a ferocious look on his face, he had good intentions in mind. Now that he said these words, before his father Lu Chun returned to the capital, he would naturally appear and block some hidden arrows for him.

Lei Xuanji patted Lu Que's shoulder in relief and said, "I've seen your theory before. Every father has a son. The current you is even stronger than your father in the past."

"How could a kid dare to be compared with his father?"

"You don't need to be too modest, the scholars only care about those flashy things, but the military people are the most pragmatic, your father was born in the military and was famous in the world, you know, as a human son, those flashy things, it's good, you don't have to put in too much effort."

Lu Que naturally knew that this old marshal did not like those cultured courtiers. Although his words were reasonable, they were too extreme. However, as a junior, he could not refute and could only clasp his hands with a smile.

"Alright, your friends just saw that the two of you have disappeared. They were looking for you in a hurry, so I came over to take a look first. I won't disturb the two of you anymore." As he spoke, he glanced at the Jackdaws in Gu Qingcheng's embrace, "Little girl from the Gu Clan, this bird is quite rare. If you have nothing to do, please consult your father, don't cripple it." As she spoke, she didn't wait for Gu Qingcheng's reply. Her silhouette flickered as she directly jumped down from the peak of the mountain. With a few leaps, her silhouette disappeared from sight.

Gu Qingcheng's face flushed red at Lei Xuanbang's words. Even though the news of her engagement with Lu Que had mostly been spread out by her, being mocked by the extremely senior Lei Xuanji in the Qiangan Dynasty still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. He slightly raised his head to look at Lu Que and saw him leaning against the pillar, looking down at the snow. He had a leisurely look on his face. Xiao Xiao's face fell as she turned around with some resentment, continuing to play with the little bird in her embrace.

Before long, clouds had gathered in the sky and a cold wind was blowing. A few snowflakes were swirling in the air, and it seemed like another heavy snow was falling. Lu Que and Gu Qingcheng hurriedly descended the mountain. Yu Tian Xiang, Zhuge Yan, and the rest who had been searching for the two for half a day, rode a horse carriage towards the Qian Yuan City.

Before Lu Que's carriage could enter the city, the imperial concubine, imperial concubine, aristocratic families, and military generals of Qian Yuan City already knew about the incident that happened at the Tong Ming Pavilion of the Phoenix Cry Palace. Some of the more well-informed merchants even received the news that Lu Que was at the peak of the thirty-sixth grade of the Foundation Establishment stage.

This was a major event that shook the entire Greenwood Continent. The merchants who received the news naturally spread the news. Before nightfall, the entire Qianyuan City found out about this news.

Back then, Lu Chun of the Qing Yang Empire had been too popular with everyone. Even if Lu Que was the second peak Foundation Establishment cultivator since the founding of the Great Gan, he still could not be compared to his father. However, while the innocent citizens were praising Lu Que, they were filled with anticipation for his future. If Lu Que became an adult and became like his father, it would be a good thing for both Li Shu and the rest.

This was because this genius that was about to rise up was someone who had done a great deal.

It was already late at night, but the streets of the city were still bustling with noise and excitement, especially the teahouses and restaurants. The thirty-sixth grade Lu Que, twenty-eighth grade Duanmu Ye, twenty-sixth grade Lin Qingyu, as well as the twentieth grade Zhuge Yan, Bai Qing Guang, and the others who were difficult to deal with. Even Ye Zhiqiu, who had yet to choose the Phoenix Cry Palace and had yet to receive any news of their grade, had become the talk of the commoners.

This year's exam was truly dazzling, and the quality of the students was much higher than the previous exams. The moment Lu Que reached the thirty-sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage, it made this batch of students become the pinnacle of the country. Even Baili Chengping, Bu Shenglian, and Lu Chun could not suppress Lu Que during his time in the academy. Everyone began to speculate as to how long Lu Que would take to finish his studies in the Imperial Court. Would he be able to surpass his father and the Martial Emperor's Baili Chengping?

At the same time, not far from the West Peace Workshop, there were a lot of empty houses. An old man suddenly appeared like a ghost in a house with half of the walls collapsed. The old man carefully looked around, then walked to a corner, removed some junk from the house, touched it twice, pulled up a hidden door with his palm, and jumped down.

There was a secret room several meters wide under the house. In the dark, cold room sat a twenty-something man with a pale complexion.

"Father, what is the situation outside?" When the man saw the old man approaching, he hurriedly greeted him.

"Young master, a message came from the capital today. That Lu Que is going to participate in the Ranking Event today. He is definitely at the peak of the thirty-sixth grade of the Foundation Establishment Stage."

"What?" Thirty-six? How is that possible? " The youth looked at the old man in disbelief.

"After many inquiries, this old official should be telling the truth."

"Damn it, what do you say to that? They were paid. " The young man was slightly flustered and exasperated.

"There's still no news of the assassination yet, but Lu Chun and Yu Xiayi have both gone straight to the White Smoke Mountain after leaving the capital. It seems like they have noticed the connection between the assassination and the assassination."

"Huh?" The young man walked a few steps in the secret room in a panic. "It can't be that he knows how to use thorns?"

"It doesn't matter whether he will or not, we all used our fake identities back then, even if he gave us our employer's information to Lu Chun, he wouldn't be able to track us down."

"That's right." The young man calmed down when he heard this. "Since Lu Que is a cultivator of the 36th grade of the Foundation Establishment Stage, we definitely cannot let him live in this world. Once he becomes the climate, we won't be able to do anything about the Duke of Wei's estate."

"As long as little master can persuade that person, we still have some leeway. As long as Lu Que is dead, the imperial city will be in chaos for a while.

"That's right, there's no time to lose. Let's go meet that person." The young man pondered for a while. He hit the air with both hands and revealed a terrifying killing intent.