"That soldier may have had some negligible talent for brushes, and it was rather shocking to see it for the first time, but now that I think about it, they might just be clever but worthless tricks. If he's lucky, he might end up selling his calligraphy outside the scent workshops in the capital,"

The nobleman replied indifferently.

The Great Elder shook his head and said, "Novelty is probably the key. I'm not a master of calligraphy, but the blows do convey a subtle sense of alchemy, which is very rare in calligraphy. It's kind of like the unique methods of those talisman masters.

"You didn't mean runes, did you?"

The nobleman was startled and replied mockingly. "Among the hundreds of millions of people in the world, there are only a dozen Fu Gong Taoist masters, some live in the imperial court, some are in the monastery, meditating and cultivating for a lifetime, in order to achieve the ability of alchemy to strike and condense the breath of nature. The lad didn't exude such an aura, just a mortal. Even if he studied the "Answer to the Dao" for another fifty years, I am afraid that it would be ordinary, and he would not have a chance to get a glimpse of the early stage, so he would never be able to compare with those masters.

The Great Elder smiled and said nothing. Although he was a cultivator and was highly respected by the nobility for his skills and qualifications, there was still a considerable gap between their statuses. So unless he wanted to risk offending her, he should say no more.

However, he disagreed with her about the young soldier. In the Elder's opinion, in this world, the chance of a mortal sensing the breath of nature and then entering the initial stage was one in a million. The first step of being able to perceive is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Having said that, if Ning Que succeeded in studying in the academy, was lucky enough to enter the legendary second floor, and finally entered the cultivation realm, his mysterious and powerful calligraphy style would definitely be a precious gift.

In the worst-case scenario, his calligraphy skills alone will inevitably win the admiration of the sentient beings in the academy and the Taoist altar, or at least surprise the calligraphers.

...

...

Ning Que put down the book, shook his head, and walked out, still looking a little disappointed and reluctant.

Most of this tome, "The Response of the Dao", is indeed as ordinary as the maid pointed out, and he bought it at the bazaar in Kaiping when he was a child. He knew this, but he never gave up reading and reciting non-stop, as if he treasured the 'Seven Masters of Arcane' in the unknowable land of Haotian Taoism.

The corners of the book look shabby, worn out by a lot of reading, and if Sangsang hadn't stitched it up carefully, it would have fallen apart completely. Unfortunately, despite the fact that he read through every page and memorized every sentence over and over again, it was all in vain for him. He couldn't even do the simplest induction action described in the book, let alone reach what they called the early stage of cultivation.

There had been disappointments and even despair, but when he found that the vast majority of ordinary people in this world were unable to sense the breath of nature, he felt even more relieved. Indeed, the legendary otherworldly supreme creatures are by no means normal, and only very rare and anomalous beings have the talent to sense the breath of nature. It's no wonder that there are no flying swords and supreme creatures floating in the night sky of Chang'an, although the Dao Zhiwen is everywhere.

Ning Que felt that he was normal, or at all ordinary. However, imagine encountering a huge mountain of treasure in front of you, but having to go home empty-handed; Or suddenly find that nature is full of a wonderful invisible cloud-like substance called Yuanqi, and you can't even touch any of it...... That will definitely leave a bitter taste in the mouth.

...

...

"Wei City is too poor, and the steppe barbarians have been defeated by His Majesty the Emperor. They didn't dare cross the line for a few years, which meant I couldn't get a lot of medals anyway. So of course, it's good for me to be back in the capital. I'm certainly not bitter.

In the dimly lit barracks, Ning Que bowed respectfully and sincerely to the general and continued to explain. "I was just thinking that there was still time before the registration date of the academy and I didn't think there was any need to leave in such a hurry. I have served under your command over the past few years – I dare not say I have made great progress – but your teachings have made me a person worthy of respect, and I have even had the privilege of being accepted into the Academy. To be honest, I'd rather stay in Wei Cheng more and be around you more so I can learn more from you, or simply sit down and chat with you like this.

Staring at the young man in front of him, the general's beard began to flutter slightly, because of the night wind, or simply out of frustration. Obviously annoyed, he sneered. "Ning Que, you kid, when did you start to become so shameless?"

Ning Que pulled a serious face and replied, "I can get rid of this face at any time, as long as it works for you, my general."

"Now tell me the truth," Ma Shixiang asked with a grim and serious expression, "why don't you want to be a guide for them?"

After being silent for a long time, Ning Que finally muttered, "General, the noble man doesn't seem to like me at all.

"The nobleman doesn't like you?" Ma Shixiang rebuked solemnly. "Have you forgotten who you are? Do you understand, you are not yet a student of the academy, and as a soldier, you only need to obey the orders of your superiors, that is, obey me! You have no right to worry about whether the nobles like you or not! Whether you like her or not, no one, absolutely no one will care! You just have to obey and do your duty!

Ning Que stubbornly stared at the grass emerging from the dirt between his boots, and expressed his unwillingness through this silence with the same determination.

Ma Shixiang didn't know what to do with this young man anymore. He sighed. "Come on, tell me what's wrong with you? Why don't you go back to the capital with them?

Ning Que said with a serious face: "I checked their people and carriages outside, and found that they were obviously attacked on the grassland. The steppes are now experiencing a spring drought, and the Golden Horde died just last year; The nobleman's maid had a tanned skin. Considering all of the above, I didn't dare to go with them.

The attack, the drought, Chen Yu's death, the maid's tanned skin—the sum of these seemingly inconsequential facts was the reason why Ning Que resolutely refused to leave Wei City.

"So you've figured it out?" Ma Shixiang asked.

"The people of Wei City should already know who they are by now."

Ning Que shrugged and looked at the other side of the barracks and said, "Maybe our stupid little princess who grew up in the Chang'an court, married to the grassland, and didn't even know after her husband's death is the only one who is stupid enough to think that her big secret is still safe and sound."

Although they had discussed privately in the barracks in the middle of the night, in such an open empire, Ma Shixiang couldn't help but become anxious when he heard the 'silly princess'.

When the noble princess arrived in Wei City, his every move was so nervous and cautious, he never expected that Ning Que would make such a harsh and unreasonable comment on her, which made Ma Shixiang so displeased.

No one would think that the princess was an idiot. Instead, they revered her as His Highness of Virtue.

As a great military power, the Tang Dynasty would never resort to humiliating political means such as political marriages, regardless of whether the enemies were from barbarians or other countries in the Central Plains. After several marriages with royal women in the service of Taizu, the founder of the Tang Dynasty, the most loyal general of Taizu's barbarian tribe, with royal women, nothing like this has ever happened.

However, three years ago, the sovereignty of the steppe began to be unstable, and with the secret instigation of the enemy by the invasion of the Tang Dynasty by the largest golden tribe, the thirteen-year-old little princess of the Tang Dynasty knelt in front of the Ming Palace and kowtowed for several days, demanding to marry Chan Yu of the Golden Tribe in exchange for peace throughout the country.

When the announcement of this peaceful marriage was announced, the entire Tang people were shocked. With bitter hatred, the old officials kept asking the emperor to cancel the marriage. The emperor angrily smashed countless jade cups, leaving the empress with only a lot of complicated emotions. However, none of this could stop the princess's determination. When Chan Yu learned about these things, he was very surprised and liked her true identity quite a bit, and then ordered five thousand lambs and cattle as a tribute to the empire and married the princess. Eventually, the Tang emperor reluctantly agreed to a peaceful marriage.

The couple cares for and respects each other in their marriage. The ambitious leader of the barbarian tribe turned into a calm lion on the steppe, defending his territory, keeping a distance from the nearest inch of the Tang Dynasty.

However, to everyone's surprise, the young Chanwoo dies without warning, and his younger brother succeeds despite opposition. All this has only made the political situation tense again.

In any case, for quite some time, for four or five years since the little princess decided to marry Chen Yu, the northwest frontier of the Tang Dynasty was in a precious state of peace.

Rumor has it that the most likely reason why the princess insisted on marrying a distant country was to get rid of the queen's control. However, even if this was true, what the princess did was wise and right in the eyes of the major military and court officials - she could have chosen an easier way, but in the end, she took the most rugged path.

But for generals like Ma Shixiang, who have experienced countless wars, they will never be afraid of any war and those barbarians. This is why the peaceful marriage of the princess made them feel very ashamed - however, no one would refuse the gift of peace.

In this case, they develop mixed feelings for the princess, not only unjustified anger, but also gratitude. Over time, this complex feeling has changed from the depths of the heart to respect.

As an ordinary soldier, it was difficult for Ning Que to understand such complex feelings. Even if he could, he wouldn't care, because nothing was more important than his own safety, and what he was looking for right now had to do with it. Therefore, he continued to pretend not to notice the general's concerns. "I made a rough estimate of the number of arrow holes in the carriage. The new Chanwoo is hard to deal with; So far, half of the guards may have been killed.