Heaven Awakening Path - Chapter 5

“No need…..” Mo Sen replied Lu Ping’s question without turning his head and then quickly disappeared. He didn’t even eat.

“ What’s going on?” Su Tang said. From Mo Sen’s uneasy appearance, anyone could make out that something was amiss.

“ He was seriously worried.” Lu Ping repeatedly nodded his head to show his agreement.

“ Should we go and take a look one more time?” Su Tang was somewhat anxious. She had often seen harsh and strict Mo Sen, but this kind of scared out of wits appearance? It had never happened before.

“ Do I really have to? Seeing me will only make him more depressed.” Lu Ping

“ Why did he want you to go to the 18th garden?” Su Tang once again raised this question. The result was before Lu Ping could provide an explanation, he was interrupted once again. Three people were blocking Lu Ping and Su Tang’s path. They seized the opportunity aroused from duo’s halt and encircled them.

Zhai Feng institute doesn’t require a dressing code. However, these three individuals were wearing the exact same black-colored clothing. On their left hand was a mark engraved in golden colors with silver boundary: ‘纪’(Discipline).

Discipline Squadron!

It was a team made up of students which helped to maintain discipline inside the institute. Similar discipline groups could also be found in other institutes, however, in Zhai Feng institute, this squadron was rather an awkward existence.

Reason being, the current rules inside Zhai Feng institute are not strict even a little bit. Arriving late at classes or leaving early would be considered as activities that are required to be seriously monitored in other institutes, however, no one paid any attention to such things in Zhai Feng institute. Most of the students didn’t even know about the dealings of the Discipline Squadron.

However, Lu Ping wasn’t unfamiliar with Discipline Squadron in the least. Just a single glance at the three individuals who were blocking the path ahead, and he skillfully pulled off a helpless face.

“ What is the matter again, three seniors?” Lu Ping asked.

“ What did you say?”

The individual in the middle of the three was called Xi Fan. He was currently a fourth-grade student at the Zhai Feng institute, and also the captain of the Discipline squadron. For some reason, he became extremely angry as soon as he heard the word ‘again’. He’d been closely watching Lu Ping ever since he became the captain of the Squadron in his second grade. Since then, almost three years had already passed.

During these three years, Lu Ping hardly went to any classes and, even more, failed two Annual Assessments. Only because Zhai Feng institute had such lenient rules, this kind of existence is possible to be tolerated. For such a bad-reputed garbage, Xi Fan always believed that it was the duty of the Discipline Squadron to found something against him that can lead to his banishment from the institute. Apart from failing the Major Assessment three times, there were still a few other untouchable bottom-lines of the Zhai Feng institute.

However, three years….

It had been approximately three years since Xi Fan began following Lu Ping, but surprisingly, he was unable to discover a single usable information against Lu Ping. For other people, Lu Ping was nothing more than a garbage, but he couldn’t even deal with a garbage; How could he let it down his throat?

However, there was not much time remaining for him. Annual Assessment is approaching, and this time, he would graduate from the institute whereas Lu Ping would be banished from the institute according to the rules. Regardless of how you look at it, there won’t be another chance for him to wash away the incompetence of Discipline Squadron from the eyes of people.

Within a week, he got to find something against Lu Ping.

For Xi Fan, this matter was even more important than passing the Major Assessment.

Now that he had finally found an opportunity, he won’t allow Lu Ping to escape, and thus was keeping a close eye on the former.

However, Lu Ping continued with his helpless expression:

“We are so familiar with each other. Don’t hesitate to ask me anything.”

“Don’t try to act cozy with me.” Xi Fan strictly reprimanded. “ Garden no. 18’s pavilion, is it your doing?”

“ Of course, it’s not.” Lu Ping said.

“ Then why some people have seen you going in that direction at such a time, usually that area is a desolate place.” Xi Fan said.

“ Who saw me?”

“ Still trying your luck?” Xi Fan coldly laughed and waved his hands. A person emerged forward from within the crowd of students who had flocked around and were watching the scene.

“ Little Bao.” Lu Ping greeted the person who just emerged.

Upon hearing the greeting, student Little Bao stared blankly; There was no way for him to be familiar with Lu Ping, they had never even exchanged words. Him knowing Lu Ping was not strange, although Lu Ping was reputed to be cowhide candy, but it was still a reputation nonetheless. The individuals with a name in Zhai Feng institute could be counted on fingers, while on the other hand, he, Wei Bao, is nothing more than a common student, it was really pretty surprising that Lu Ping was able to recognize him. Not only did he recognize him, he even called him “Little Bao”, as if they were pretty close.

“ You two know each other?” Xi Fan was also astonished.

“No.” Both individuals simultaneously replied.

No, with such an affectionate greeting? Xi Fan was suspicious, but he couldn’t dwell on this point for now. He indicated Wei Bao to speak.

“ At the intersection of the pathways at Northwest Area, I saw Lu Ping coming from the east and going towards the North direction. It only leads to Garden no. 18’s region.” Wei Bao’s entire face appeared as if he was making a solemn vow.

“ This early morning, you are the only person to go in that direction. You still have to say something?” This time, Xi Fan was truly confident. He had never been this confident before. Three years, and this time, he truly felt that the distance between him and his objective is as close as it could get.

“ Me alone? That’s impossible, are you sure that your intelligence hasn’t missed something?” Lu Ping, however, was starting to get suspicious.

“ What do you think?” Xi Fan was sure that Lu Ping was just trying to annoy him. Xi Fan coldly laughed as he didn’t mind taking pleasure in this moment, after all, he had waited only too long for this moment.

“ You saw me going over there. Is that true?” Lu Ping suddenly started to question Wei Bao

“Yes.” Wei Bao also had full confidence in himself.

“ I also saw you.” Lu Ping nodded his head.

“ Huh?” Wei Bao blankly stared. Some uneasiness flashed in his eyes.

“ At that time, although you were properly hiding, but I was still able to make you out. You were with a girl student, I will refrain from mentioning her name. You saw me going and gave me a quick glance, but you never paid any attention to me, because at that time you were too busy. When your face was just 1.7 centimeters apart from the right side of her face, you closed your eyes. Your enchanted face closed the distance, then did you open your eyes?

“ I did not!” Wei Bao blurted out without thinking.

“ Didn’t open your eyes, so how did you know whether I went towards north, or towards west?” When Lu Ping said ‘or towards west’ his face was showing an expression as if he had been completely wronged.

“ Your this time ’s witness is also unreasonable.”

Xi Fan clenched his teeth in rage. This facial expression, he had seen it too many times in the course of these three years. That ‘also’ word was also extremely ear-piercing. For once again, his face was inscribed with ‘incompetent’.

Looking at that hideous expression on Xi Fan’s face, Lu Ping was still calm and unmoved as before, however, Wei Bao, on the other hand, was losing his mind. Wei Bao’s reply was originated from his own stupidity, he couldn’t provide any explanation for ‘going towards west’ part.

“I ….I was just helping you!”

“ Get Lost!”

Xi Fan doesn’t have much to say. He clearly understood the thought process of Wei Bao. There were too many people in the institute who despised Lu Ping. Most of the people’s first impression of this incident was that it was done by Lu Ping. Xi Fan also believed that this was the case, but as a member of Discipline Squadron, he couldn’t make further deductions without any hard evidence. He couldn’t just biasedly fabricate something casually like Wei Bao tried to do. Although he had been carefully watching Lu Ping for three years without getting any results, although he was burdened with a tag of ‘Incompetent’, he still never thought even for a second to smear the name of Lu Ping through cooked-up evidence. This was his bottom line, this was something he would never tolerate as a member of Discipline Squadron.

At this moment, his disgust towards Wei Bao outstripped his hatred towards Lu Ping. But after a moment, the hatred again returned.

“ Six more days to go, I will keep a close eye on you.” Xi Fan said turning towards Lu Ping.

“ Thanks for the trouble Senior.” Lu Ping smiled.

“ Go.” Xi Fan turned and left with the other two members of Discipline Squadron. Other students also dispersed. As the saying is ‘ There is no lack of people who despise you’, some were looking down on Lu Ping while some were looking down on Xi Fan.

“ Senior Xi Fan truly is…” Su Tang also couldn’t come up with words to describe Xi Fan. Xi Fan’s honesty was unbiased. However when it was directed towards Lu Ping, he believed in ‘First impression is the strongest’ more than any other person. For approximately three years, he had been the person who made the most amount of contact with Lu Ping excluding Su Tang, and what it resulted in was, Xi Fan’s hate towards Lu Ping kept getting more and more.

“ Fortunately, he is just about to graduate.” Lu Ping let out a sigh.

“ What did Mo Sen Laoshi asked you to do in the 18th garden. Does the Matter of Pavilion has something to do with you two?”

Su tang was beginning to make some extremely precise connections.

“ It’s not just us. It has something to do with you too.”

“ Me too?” Su Tang blankly stared at Lu Ping.

“That’s why I said, Mo Sen Laoshi truly cares about you!” While Lu Ping was speaking, Su Tang continued to maintain her blank look, however, she was already aware of something, and following it, the expression on her face gradually turned into something like between a laugh or cry.

“ I don’t know whether he gave up or not at this point, though.”

Give up?

Mo Sen still hadn’t thought so far ahead. Matter of the Pavilion had caused his mind to be unsteady. Only after hearing the discussions of the students did his mind calm down a little. According to the discussions, currently, any sort of clue is yet to be discovered, though, he had heard several students confidently claiming the culprit being Lu Ping.

Mo Sen naturally knew that it wasn’t Lu Ping. Although he hadn’t decided to confess at this point of time, but he was also not willing to hear some other person being turned into his scapegoat, even if that person happened to be Lu Ping.

When he harshly scolded several students for blaming Lu Ping, they were not ashamed, on the contrary, they were actually astonished as if they were having a hard time to understand the logic behind why would someone try to defend Lu Ping? Right after he departed, students turned their heads and looked at him as if trying to figure out what kind of drug had he eaten today.

What should be done about it?

Pondering about this matter while scratching his head, Mo Sen arrived at the Flower Garden that was near Lu Ping’s small house. Out of the twenty-two flower gardens in Zhai Feng institute, this one was his favorite. He had always felt that the flowers and plants in this garden have a kind of special vitality, always growing with a special essence.

However as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the flower garden, he saw an individual crouching inside the flower garden. Individual’s entire body was dressed in green clothes and his head was covered by a straw hat.

Mo Sen rushed inside, hoping to figure out what was that individual trying to do.

“It’s me.” Individual stood up and turned his body while removing his hat as he heard the commotion. The individual seemed to be just a youngster of seventeen or eighteen years. Constantly tanning in the sun didn’t leave any sort of beautiful colored skin on his body, on the contrary, it left behind some sunburn injuries. At the moment, he was exposing a mouth full of white teeth as he was smiling towards Mo Sen.

“It’s you young fellow, but how did you manage to come over so fast?” On one side, Mo Sen was delighted, while on the other side, he was astonished.

“ I was originally going through this road. I was thinking about coming here, then I received your letter.”

“ Then it is truly fortunate.”

“ So, what is the problem that I can help you with?”

“ Actually, it is not some ** trouble, but I managed to cause too big of a commotion. So I was thinking, you are more professional for this kind of matter.” Mo Sen said. The events he’d encountered today, had caused him to thoroughly understand that: Being Professional is very important!