Nightfall

The word “Yue” had been existing in this world for a long time, like Yuelun Kingdom and its famous Yue tree, whose petal color is called “yuebai”. However, the concrete meaning of “Yue” remained obscure.

The “Yue” that the Headmaster of Academy asked here was for sure not the color, but the moon. This question made Ning Que nervous. If he were to behave as he had in the past, he would definitely play dumb. But this time, it would be very foolish to pretend.

Because the master had pointed out that he was born a man who knew everything.

With his head down, Ning Que felt cold sweat running down his back and soaking his clothes. After a long silence, he answered in a shaky voice, “The sun appears when the moon disappears. The light shines when the darkness leaves. So, the moon might be the one opposite to the sun, as the sun appears in the day and the moon appears at night.”

The Headmaster of the Academy replied, “Be more specific.”

Looking at the cliffs not far from him and the flowing clouds under the stars, Ning Que again fell into silence. Then he said, “Perhaps… there is a giant ball floating in the night sky that can reflect the light from the sun, making itself bright at night.”

He could not explain how he could describe the moon that did not exist in this world.

The master watched him, smiled, and then helped him with an explanation that might not have been reasonable, but at least made sense. “It looks like you have seen something quite interesting in your dream.”

Hearing about the dream, Ning Que looked up at the master, who stood on the edge of the cliff with his clothes flapping in the wind. Somehow, he had gotten something.

“It’s an interesting idea.”

The Headmaster of the Academy turned to the sky and said admiringly, “In an everlasting night, we need some light.”

“Everything in the world has its opposite. There’s the sun in the day and it’s understandable to have a moon in the night. But if there really is a moon, where would it be? If the moon really reflects the sun, then is it true that the sun is in our world and we just can’t see it in the darkness?”

“Then when night falls, where is the sun? Does it really go down beneath the earth we stand on and rise at dawn?”

“Doesn’t that mean that the sun is turning around our world? But the world we live in is a flat open land with an endless abyss on its edge. Why did I never see the sun going down into the abyss after waiting for a dozen days? Did it just suddenly disappear?”

The master looked at the sky and whispered. It was not Ning Que that he was talking to, but himself, who had spent years struggling for answers.

After a few moments, he looked toward the distant Chang’an City and frowned. “There are still many things that don’t make sense. But if the world is really a ball, everything seems to make sense.”

People in the secular world had been accustomed to the sun’s daily movement as well as being shrouded in the glory of Haotian, just like the breakfast stalls in the street and the moss alongside the well. They never doubted it or thought about why these things existed.

But the Headmaster of the Academy was not a man in the secular world. He needed to think.

Few people in the world could understand his whisper, and even the people who heard these words would think him a somewhat mad old man.

Ning Que had gotten something. He seemed a little bit disconsolate and then a look of admiration arose on his face.

Obviously, the master knew nothing about astronomy. He just followed Ning Que’s description and further deduced, gradually approaching the truth that did not belong to this world, but another one— not in the past, but far into the future.

“I have looked at the sky for many years.”

The master pointed to the distant dark canopy above the cliff and stars, and said, “Those stars always remain in their positions no matter how many years have passed and will pass. They don’t change, which means the earth and the sky are relatively still. This kind of stability is full of classical solemnity and eternal beauty. But it would be a bore to last so long.”

Following the Headmaster of the Academy’s arm, Ning Que looked at the sky. He did not know what the master intended to say.

“The stars have been getting dimmer every day since the beginning of the Tianqi era. There’s no difference in the eyes of mortals, except for me.”

The Headmaster of the Academy continued, “The Imperial Astronomer had seen their darkening once and predicted that ‘When night covers every star, no peace would be found in the country’.”

Ning Que knew it was this sentence that would bring wars to the Tang Empire and indirectly lead Lee Yu to go to the grassland for marriage several years later. However, he just realized after hearing the master’s words that the prophecy was real, at least the first half, and the stars really were getting dim!

“How could there be no peace in a country?”

The Headmaster of the Academy gave a little smile.

Ning Que felt a bit relaxed and did not expect what the master said next. “If the whole world falls into an everlasting night, would the Tang Empire be the only place full of turmoil?”

Thinking of those similar prophecies in the “Ming” Handscroll and tales, Ning Que found it hard to control the tension and fear in his heart. He asked, “Master, is it true that there will be an Underworld invasion?”

The Headmaster answered, “The ‘Ming’ Handscroll in the Tomes of Arcane has predicted the arrival of darkness. And there are also relevant tales in the West-Hill and Buddhism Sect literature. For many years, many sages have studied this matter. A thousand years ago, the Divine Priest of Light preached in the Wilderness and later created the Devil’s Doctrine, and the Buddhism Sect firmly kept their temples deep in the mountains. They are probably all related to the prophecy. As for whether the tale is true or not, nobody knows.”

Ning Que asked again, “So, even you have no idea at all?”

“I have said that there is no one in the world who can know everything. Even a man who is born knowing, he can only know what he has seen in his dreams. For things never before seen, he still doesn’t know.”

Ning Que fell into silence.

Looking at the sky, the master broke the silence, saying, “Over the past two years, I have traveled with your Eldest Brother in the world and found the nights in the Cold Region of the Far North had become much longer. Even the Hot Sea is getting cold, so the Desolate broke their promise and risked coming back to the south.”

Ning Que had heard about the Underworld tale and so did most mortals, but that did not make the tale real. The West-Hill Divine Palace had long ignored the tale, making it more obscure in the world.

However, the Headmaster of the Academy himself was a tale. When he solemnly talked about the Underworld and seemed to have some evidence, the tale might be true.

Sensing the coldness, Ning Que felt that his clothes had been frozen into the ice.

“No one had noticed that the last winter in Chang’an City was colder than the previous year. Of course, it might be a coincidence. I still think the Underworld invasion is just a story for kids. After all, nobody has ever discovered the Underworld, including myself.”

Looking at the pale face of Ning Que, the Headmaster said in a soothing voice, “Even if the everlasting night comes, according to the ‘Ming’ Handscroll and the Buddhism Sect’s books, it won’t be a short process. Instead, it will be very long, perhaps 100 years, 1,000 years, or even 10,000 years. Then, what does that have to do with us?”

Ning Que said gloomily, “I don’t believe what you said. If you don’t believe in the Underworld invasion tale, why do you look for the Underworld everywhere? Besides, how could it last 10,000 years?”

“Then you tell me, where is the Underworld?”

The master looked at Ning Que with a meaningful smile and asked, “Or in your dreams, which direction is that in the world?”

Feeling the Headmaster of the Academy staring at him, Ning Que remembered what the Great Divine Priest of Light said about his unbelievable origin. The cold sweat in his clothes had gone without a trace.

“Am I really the Son of Yama?”

“Had the master known a long time ago who I am?”

…

…

Ning Que found it too hard to accept the explanation. He had no idea what Yama was at all, and he knew exactly where he came from. If he really was the Son of Yama, then the bloody turmoil started by the West-Hill Divine Palace in Chang’an City seemed explainable. And he hated it for no reason.

Seeing Ning Que’s anxiety, the Headmaster of the Academy smiled and said, “Seeing people think always makes Haotian laugh. If there is an Underworld invasion, leave it to Heaven’s Way. What can you do to change it? If nothing can be done, what’s the point of your pain and anxiety?”

Ning Que did not agree with his master. He decided to follow his Eldest Brother, who had fought so hard for the Tao. He knew clearly that he might not be able to save the world from destruction or witness that happening and, therefore, live happily with Sangsang for the rest of his life. But as long as he could think, he would always wonder what lay at the end of time and why it happened.

However, since the master no longer wanted to talk about this topic anymore, especially with the person in front of him, he remained silent regardless of the question that Ning Que asked.

After a long silence, Ning Que suddenly raised his head and looked at the Headmaster of the Academy, “Then, please tell me how my Youngest Uncle died.”

He added, “It means a lot to me.”

Ning Que knew this was very important to him, for he was now walking on the same path which his Youngest Uncle had taken years ago, and this time, he wanted to change its ending.

…

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