Nightfall

In the twilight, the entry of the cave looked like a monster’s opening mouth.

That was what Ning Que felt like when he looked at the cave. He knew it was cliche, but he couldn’t find a more suitable word.

The cave was wide open as if it was ready to eat up all the things that entered it, including sun rays, seasons, time and all the feelings connected with time.

Ning Que felt very cold when he started thinking about walking into the cave and not knowing when he would get out. It might take a couple of months, years, or even decades. Maybe in another ten years, he wouldn’t see the girls in Chang’an or eat hot and sour noodle slice soup anymore. Maybe when he was out, the girls in the House of Red Sleeves would become really old, Xiaocao would have got married and Dewdrop would have gone back to her hometown.

Actually it was possible that he would be prisoned at the back of the mountain for the whole life, rather than for only ten years. But he didn’t want to think about that possibility when standing in front of the cave.

The negative feelings were all gone after seeing the image of the city at dusk. He was a student of the Second floor of the Academy, a core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy. And he trusted this mountain and people here. But he had been living a miserable life since his childhood, therefore when thinking of entrusting his life and freedom to other people completely, his nature was to oppose this idea and even to run away.

He looked back at the master, who was still sitting on the cliff, eating and drinking. “Master, why on earth do you want to lock me up? Is it because I joined the Devil? Or something else?”

He was going to ask the master, whether it was because the God of Light thought he was the Son of Yama, so the master wanted to imprison him and isolate him from the world. But he didn’t say it because he believed he had nothing to do with the illusory Yama, and it was not worth it to mention the groundless legend that caused many people’s deaths many years ago.

The master said, without turning around to look at him, “What does ‘lock up’ mean?”

Ning Que thought for a while and replied, “It means to take my freedom away.”

The master said, “Freedom is very precious. Even life becomes nothing in comparison with it. The only thing that could be more precious than it is freedom itself.”

Ning Que still could not understand his words.

The master put the chopsticks back to the meal box, picked up a piece of ginger and put it into his mouth.

After a while, he stood up and looked at Ning Que who was at the mouth of the cave. He said, “Since only freedom itself is more precious than freedom, then there was only one reason to take it away from you. I hope you can gain better and larger freedom. It was very easy.”

Ning Que felt that he learned more things. He said hopelessly, “Master, why didn’t you tell me this easy thing in an easy way?”

After these words, he turned to the cliff cave and sank into silence. After a long time, he drew a deep breath and walked into the cave.

The last rays of sunlight shone on Chang’an city and the isolate cliff. The golden red color made everything looked like flames and the cave was like an entry in the fire, leading to an unknown place.

It was quiet in the cave. And without any wind, the air in the cave was cool and dry.

Based on his experience of hunting and killing, Ning Que immediately closed his eyes and opened them again to adjust to the dark environment.

Standing in the cave, Ning Que found it wasn’t as dark as looking from the outside of the cave. Under the light from outside, he could even see the patterns on the stone walls clearly.

Ning Que was startled.

Did he just walk in like that?

It was so easy.

He turned around and saw Sangsang leaning on a stone at the entrance of the cave and looking at him with concern. And the master on the edge of the cliff his meal box, ready to leave.

He was so near to the mouth of the cave, so near that he could even see the southern city wall beyond the clouds in the distance. But once entering the cliff cave, it was so different. Overwhelmed by the strong loneliness in his heart, Ning Que felt like the outside world had abandoned him.

“Master.”

Looking at the master, who was about to leave, Ning Que asked in a shivering voice, “Is it possible that I will never make it?”

“It seems that you get along quite well with them, as many people begged for you. If you really need to stay here forever, I believe they will come here to accompany you. Don’t worry, you won’t be lonely.”

After finishing his words, the master walked down the mountain with the meal box in his hand. His loose black gown was like a bird’s wing burning in the red twilight.

Ning Que smiled bitterly. If he really had to stay here forever, would friendship even matter?

Even the best children could not accompany their ill parents for a long time. How could he expect his friends to accompany him for a lifelong time at this cave? He thought that if he was in the cave forever, the world would eventually forget him.

But one person would definitely stay with him at all times.

Ning Que looked at Sangsang. He felt that she was so far away from him, even though she was right at the entrance of the cave. He said, “If I can’t come out after three months, you will go back.”

Sangsang wanted to say something.

Ning Que shook his head, “Don’t force me to behave like a girl.”

…

…

It was said that the most powerful Divine Talisman Masters could map a place and turn it into a prison. Ning Que never saw his master Yan Se do it, but he had seen the Confinement of the West-Hill Divine Palace, which was used by the deacons of the Judicial Department at the Desolate Man’s tent. And he had also seen the Confinement made by Youngest Under’s Haoran Sword at the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine.

It seemed that there was nothing at the entrance of the cave. And when there was a breeze, under the last of daylight, dust floated in the air and could go through the entrance freely. But Ning Que knew there must be something.

The master imprisoned him in the cave and said he couldn’t go out until he understood. It meant that he needed to learn thoroughly about everything in the world, only then would he be able to walk out of the cave.

Being confined in the cave was a punishment, but it was more of a challenge.

Whenever he was faced with challenges that couldn’t be avoided, Ning Que always calmed down as soon as possible and tried to forget all the worries. He would not hurry to escape, but to make full preparations before facing the challenge.

So he sat down and closed his eyes to meditate. The Great Spirit in his body started floating around and absorbing Qi of Heaven and Earth in the surrounding area.

The sun fell down, and the city was veiled in darkness. While people in the city were already shrouded in darkness, those staying on the high cliff could still see some daylight.

The light was on Ning Que’s eyelashes, making them so shiny as if he was wearing some makeup.

When he was sure that he was at his best physically and psychologically, Ning Que stood up and walked towards the entry slowly but firmly.

The last daylight shrouded the entry, and he walked into the daylight.

Suddenly he felt that all the air and even sunlight in the air was frozen. He met a great force, like sticky honey water, stopping him from walking forward.

The nearer to the entry, the greater the force became. In the end, he felt that he was in a mire, unable to move any further. It was even hard for him to breath.

Having felt the obstacle near the entry, Ning Que didn’t try to break through it. Instead, he walked back in his fastest speed. He got rid of the invisible force after taking three steps back. And only after panting for a while, did he return to his normal state.

Sangsang walked out of the hut on the edge of the cliff with a burning torch in her hand.

Ning Que looked carefully at the entry under the light of the torch. He didn’t miss anything, even the seemingly natural patterns on the walls or the tiny stone on the ground. But he still couldn’t see any tactical arrays or any movement of talisman.

It was not the talisman or array that made the inhibition, it was an aura that had appeared from nowhere.

The aura was like the purest wine, very simple but also really strong.

It drew all the Qi of Heaven and Earth around the cliff to the entry in a way that he couldn’t understand.

So much Qi of Heaven and Earth gathered at a small entry. It could be seen how hard the Qi of Heaven and Earth was pressed together, so much that it even had a qualitative change and became a substantial barrier.

…

…

Sangsang held the torch and yelled at him, “Young master, how is it? Can you go out?”

“It is not that easy to find the way out.”

Ning Que shook his head. Looking at her, he suddenly said, “Please move away.”

Sangsang stuck the torch on the ground with some difficulty and returned to the hut.

Looking at the entry, Ning Que knew that he couldn’t do anything to break the inhibition if it was made of some very complicated tactical array or some Divine Talisman. However, it was made by some strong aura and was a physical barrier.

For ordinary cultivators, this barrier had too much of the Qi of Heaven and Earth around, which could even interfere with their own ability to move the Qi of Heaven and Earth. But for Ning Que, it was an advantage because he didn’t need to use the Qi of Heaven and Earth.

After inheriting Youngest Uncle’s Great Spirit and joining the Devil, Ning Que’s physical strength was increasingly stronger. So as long as it was a real barrier, he could just break through it. His eyes lit up when he found this could work.

Ning Que believed that he could just rush out of the cave and return with Sangsang. Imagining the shocked expression on other Senior Brothers and Sisters’ faces and the angry face of the master, he got very excited.

The Great Spirit floated around his body and reached every part of it.

Staring at the entry, Ning Que bent slightly and lifted his heel. Snap! His left heel stepped on the ground and left a clear footprint.

By using this power, Ning Que moved as fast as an arrow to the entry.

A loud sound was made on the entry.

A figure flashed past and hit the ground heavily like a goose shot by an arrow.

Ning Que looked terrible after hitting the ground.

He spat some blood out, which landed on the footprint he left before like rain.

…