Nightfall

The light was being cast on the vines, which were not dense but had many gaps. It was refracted by the small leaves and its brightness changed. Then, it became a completely different scenery.

Ning Que expressed his most sincere gratitude to his Senior Brothers and asked them to stay for dinner. However, all of them made fun of this invitation.

They laughed and said that, although he was living on the edge of the cliff, he was just a miserable prisoner instead of a hermit. Why did he behave like a host?

Senior Brothers looked like messy laborers. They waved goodbye to him, leaned against the cliff beside the stone path, rubbed their sore necks, and marched down the hill moaning.

Sixth Brother had to finish the work of refurbishing the huts, so he stayed a little longer. When the setting sun had gone down, he packed up and got ready to leave.

As they were saying their farewells, Ning Que asked his Sixth Brother about the matter that he had entrusted to him several days ago.

The Sixth Brother answered, “It’s not difficult to cast your three knives into one. Actually, I have finished the design and arranged the process. However, in order to meet your requirements, the blade of the new knives may be too heavy. Thus, we can’t use the ordinary materials but a special material called Ball Toner. The imperial court has sent people to dig it out in the southern mines. They will return next month.”

He calculated the time and then said, “If the materials are available, I can finish it before summer.”

After leaving Min Mountain for the City of Wei, the three slender podaos had always accompanied him. With the podaos, Ning Que had killed so many of the Horse Gang; with the podaos, he safely entered into Chang’an from the frontier fortress; and with the podaos, he survived the fight of Spring Breeze Pavilion and returned back to the Wilderness.

During a series of fights in the Wilderness, Ning Que was disappointed to find that the three podaos could not provide him with steadfast confidence and the strongest support in the battles against cultivators. On the contrary, they had become a drag on him.

At present, the most powerful weapons he had were the Primordial Thirteen Arrows and the Fu paper. Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother had repaired the Primordial Thirteen Arrows perfectly for him. However, he still wanted to have a melee weapon. Based on his experience and emotion, the knife was his first choice.

A few days ago, Ning Que solemnly handed over his three podaos, which he regarded as partners of his life, to his Sixth Brother and asked him to cast these three podaos into one. This requirement was not compliant with the standard of smelting and casting in all respects, and seemed to be too simple and boring.

Therefore, he had little expectation on this matter. But he also held a ray of hope in the depths of his heart. Now, he was greatly surprised and delighted to hear what the Sixth Brother had said.

He knew that, even though the Sixth Brother was reticent on the outside, he had a fire-like passion from the inside and knew that he had a pure spirit tempered into steel, so he would not say something that was uncertain.

The Sixth Brother looked at Ning Que and asked simply and honestly, “Does Younger Brother still need me to do anything?”

“I can’t wait to see the knife that you made for me. I wonder what it looks like. That is all I care about.”

Ning Que said with a smile. Seeing Sangsang standing under the vines, suddenly he remembered something and raised his brow slightly.

When he and Mo Shanshan were on the bank of the Daming Lake in the Wilderness, they could not defeat the Tao Addict, Ye Hongyu. Especially when Ye Hongyu summoned the fish from deep in the water, which cast a shine in all its splendor and lit up the verdant valley and quiet lake, it occurred to him that he did not even dare to try to fight with her.

Ning Que could clearly remember the details of that fight. But the scenery of the rising sun above the lake left a long-lasting impression of awe in his mind.

If Mo Shanshan had not evaporated the lake with her Divine Talisman and reduced the luminance of that radiant light, Ning Que would have been killed by Ye Hongyu at that time.

Afterward, Ning Que knew that the Divine Skill that Ye Hongyu conjured was from the West-Hill Divine Palace, and she had just learned it a short time before. But its power was so formidable.

As a disciple of the Academy, it was necessary for Ning Que to think about how to fight against Peach Mountain. As the successor of the Youngest Uncle, Ning Que had sufficient reason to fight against the West-Hill Divine Palace. As someone who had joined the Devil, Ning Que had to consider how to defeat the powerhouses in Haotian Taoism at every moment.

Especially after he ruined Prince Long Qing, the disciples of the Divine Hall had to expect to defeat or even destroy him. All these tasks would be carried out by Ye Hongyu.

Ning Que had fought against her, talked with her, and walked with her. He knew that the Tao Addict, Ye Hongyu, had an unfathomable condition and potential, and she had acquired a wide range of sorcery. Meanwhile, he would never forget that she was that kind of cultivator, like him, who was proficient in the skills and nature of fighting. That kind of cultivator was very rare.

At present, his state had improved quickly. But he believed that Ye Hongyu’s speed would never be slower than his. Therefore, he had to try his best to narrow the gap between them.

The first thing to do was to find ways to deal with the Haotian Divine Light.

Ning Que asked his Sixth Brother, “Senior Brother, I wonder whether you can make something for me.”

Making things was the hobby of Sixth Brother’s life. The Sixth Brother also knew that this Younger Brother always had some creative ideas in his mind. Therefore, he was delighted to hear that, and said, “Did you design this thing?”

“No, I don’t think so,” he answered.

With a little hesitation, Ning Que raised his hands and bent his fingers in front of his eyes. He began to describe the appearance and feature of that thing in a soft voice.

Hearing his description, the Sixth Brother regretfully shook his head after thinking for a moment and said, “This is much easier than that knife. It is nothing special or difficult. I can finish it in ten days. You can take it when you come for the knife.”

After seeing Sixth Brother off, Ning Que sat at the entrance of the cliff cave and held his chin in his hands to watch Sangsang on the go in the corridor. Suddenly, he beamed with smiles complacently.

The Sixth Brother felt disappointed because that thing was too simple and offered him no challenge. But Ning Que was very happy. If that thing could cope with the Haotian Divine Light, he could not be defeated by Sangsang even though she could learn the Divine Skill as the successor of the God of Light.

It was definitely significant for Ning Que to win in the fight against the Tao Addict of the West-Hill Divine Palace, or at least survive. Nevertheless, it was the most meaningful thing for Ning Que to win in the contest between him and his little handmaiden. This related to his honor as a man and a patriarch.

…

…

The huts upon the edge of the cliff had been renovated perfectly and the twigs of the vines were swaying in the wind. Apart from the beautiful scenery, the aura of life added another taste of feeling.

The company of his Senior Brothers washed away the sense of being abandoned by the world and the miserable memory of vagrancy with Sangsang. Now, Ning Que had chilled his mind and continued to read and meditate. It was no longer as gloomy and depressing as it was a few days ago.

The most significant aspect was the change of his mindset. When the Sixth Brother left, he told Ning Que in a casual tone that he could take that thing along with his knife after he made it through the barrier made by the Headmaster of the Academy. Ning Que did not feel pity from this line but responded to it naturally. This was attributed to his clear thought. Now that he had made up his mind to Sangsang, he would destroy his Great Spirit if he could not solve this inhibition after three months.

It seemed that the decision was simple. However, it contained his determined resolution. Ordinary people could not bear this agony, but Ning Que could.

Because of his inner strength, now he could be as calm as the sea.

…

…

On the 21st day of his imprisonment in the cliff cave, the Third Senior Sister, Yu Lian, came to solve his problems on cultivation in accordance with their appointment. The difference was that this time there was another girl that accompanied her.

Looking at the girlish face of Tang Xiaotang, Ning Que was shocked and said to her, “Do you really stay at the Academy? Did my teacher accept you as his disciple? Should I call you little junior sister in the future?”

Tang Xiaotang gave a little giggle and said, “Don’t you want a little junior sister?”

Ning Que said, “I’m now a prisoner in the cliff cave. Of course I don’t want a little junior sister, which would make me feel depressed. If you sang a song of the Desolate Man, I might feel utterly discomfited.”

Nobody there could understand his complaints or teases, and neither could Sangsang.

Yu Lian beamed and said to Tang Xiaotang, “You’re so naughty. Now, pay a formal visit to your Youngest Uncle.”

Ning Que looked back and forth between his Senior Sister and Tang Xiaotang, hesitated for a moment, and said in an uncertain tone, “Senior Sister, you accepted Tong Xiaotang as your disciple?”

Yu Lian nodded calmly.

Ning Que was astonished.

Tang Xiaotang belonged to the Devil’s Doctrine. Her elder brother, Tang, was the World Wayfarer of the Devil’s Doctrine. Who would have thought of such a thing that the Academy had accepted her! People would see it as hard evidence that the Academy took the Devil’s Doctrine under its protection whether she was a disciple of Third Senior Sister or the Headmaster of the Academy.

Looking at Ning Que, Yu Lian said subtlely, “Younger Brother, you have seen my disciple. You know that her identity is quite special. So please don’t mention her to others as far as possible in the future.”

It would definitely give rise to a heated dispute if this matter of the Academy accepting a girl in the Devil’s Doctrine as a disciple were to become open to the public. People in the West-Hill Divine Palace and millions of believers of Haotian would not allow this thing to happen.

Even though the Academy was powerful, it could not turn against the entire world and the omniscient Haotian Divine Light. The thing that happened a long time ago was the best proof.

Thinking of the Great Spirit in his body and his Youngest Uncle, who was punished to death by Haotian, Ning Que became silent for a moment. Then, wearing a solemn look, he said, “Of course.”

Looking at Tang Xiaotang, he found that the young girl was calm and had no misgivings. It seemed like she could not even realize how much difficulty and danger she would bring to the Academy once she became a student of the Academy.

He would like to remind her of this harsh situation. However, thinking of himself, who had joined the Devil and brought so many troubles to the Academy and the Headmaster of the Academy had no choice but to imprison him in the cliff cave, Ning Que teased himself.

“The Tao Addict, Ye Hongyu, and her elder brother, the World Wayfarer of the Zhishou Abbey, have seen her before. So you should be careful and try not to let her go somewhere outside of the Academy.”

Ning Que reminded Yu Lian of this.

Yu Lian said calmly, “Since she has become my disciple, she would never be permitted to leave unless she has the capacity to defeat Ye Hongyu.”

…