Nightfall

Ning Que had never paid his respects to Darkie in order not to raise suspicion. Now that he had gotten his revenge, he did not have to worry even if the imperial court were to find out about his relationship with him.

Now that vengeance was achieved, respects to his parents should be paid. However, his biological parents, Lin Hai and Third Mistress Li were both cremated and had their ashes scattered in the Wei River after a simple ceremony by the Haotian Taoism. They did not have graves.

Then, Darkie’s grave shall be the graves of those people.

The snowstorm grew heavier. Sangsang opened the big black umbrella, shielding Ning Que’s back with difficulty. Ning Que squatted down, took a piece of oilpaper out and burned it. There were many names written on the oilpaper. And the people, whose names were written on it, were all dead. They had turned into smoke and were blown away by the wind like this oilpaper.

Sangsang asked softly, “What do you intend to do with the Prince?”

Ning Que looked at the rolling ashes on the ground and said, “He was just talking then. It serves him right that he can’t become a Prince. Let’s see in another two years.”

Sangsang said, “Young master, didn’t you say that you have to slay the largest evil?”

Ning Que replied, “The largest evil is your teacher. But he is dead. I saw his grave beside Master’s and wanted to dig it up. But it’s better to let it go.”

Chang’an was enveloped in wind and snow. Meanwhile, in the depths of the mountains of West-Hill Divine Kingdom, it was still as warm as spring. This was due to the warm currents from the eastern seas of the Kingdom of Song and even more so because this was a land beloved by Haotian.

There was a young man standing outside the simple Taoist temple in the depths of the mountain. The man was extremely handsome. Even though there were noticeable injuries on his forehead, they just enhanced his charms.

The middle-aged Taoist standing on the stone steps looked at the young man. He said, “Prince Long Qing, do you really insist on practicing penance in the abbey? Do you know what that implies?”

The young man was Prince Long Qing. His hands were scabbed and scarred. He had probably spent the past few days at sea.

He said respectfully, “Since these are my teacher’s instructions, I, as his disciple, cannot go against him. It doesn’t matter how much I have to suffer as long as I can look at the Tomes of the Arcane.”

The middle-aged taoist priest said, “Since this is the will of the abbey dean, no one would dare to stop you. However, I have to remind you, you might die anytime if you wish to look at the Tomes of the Arcane at your current cultivation state.”

Prince Long Qing said calmly, “Uncle, I am already a dead person.”

The middle-aged taoist priest looked at the black peach blossom on Long Qing’s chest. He thought of the rumors saying that Ning Que had shot through Long Qing’s chest with an arrow on the snow cliff, and understood what Long Qing had meant when he said that he was a dead person. He sighed softly and did not say anything else.

He walked up the stone steps and entered the Zhishou Abbey, an Unknown Place of the Haotian Taoism. Even though Long Qing had acknowledged Zhishou Abbey’s dean as his teacher, he was still somewhat nervous.

There was a lake in the Taoist temple, and by the lake, were seven splendorous straw cottages scattered around. The straw of the cottages was cheap and shabby, and the houses by right should not look majestic or luxurious. However, the thatches of the cottages looked extremely alluring as they were gold and seemed unbothered by the dust and wind.

The thatch was naturally infused with a rich Qi of Heaven and Earth. It could withstand the wind and rain and dark and chilly auras while purifying one’s heart. This kind of grass had long gone extinct in the natural world and was said to be extremely precious.

There were only two places in this world that were so extravagant to use this kind of straw to build cottages. The first was the cottages in which the seven Tomes of the Arcane were kept in, and the other was the breezy cottage that the Headmaster stayed in at the back of the mountain of the Academy.

Long Qing walked into the first straw cottage and looked at the black book above the wooden desk. He could not remain calm any longer. His hands, which were visible outside his sleeves began to tremble slightly.

This book was the first book of the tomes of the Arcane. It was the “Ri” Handscroll.

This was the only book he could open in his current state.

Long Qing slowly flipped open the black cover page. The first page that he saw was a sheet of paper that was completely white. Then, he flipped to the second page. Liu Bai, Jun Mo, Tang… the names of the cultivation powerhouses were written on this page. He was not surprised because he had already anticipated it. He thought to himself, if he wanted to climb to the highest peak of cultivation, then he would have all of these brilliant names under his feet.

Long Qing continued flipping through the “Ri” Handscroll.

At the top of the page, he saw the Calligraphy Addict, Mo Shanshan’s name. Then, at the very top part of the page, he saw Ning Que and Ye Hongyu’s names. The two names were at the same height, and there were strokes that had gone beyond the page, as if the name was inching towards the page in front.

Long Qing’s expression grew vicious when he saw the three names. His breathing grew heavy and then, after a moment, his emotions disappeared completely and he calmed down. His eyes grew bright, as if they were luminous pearls that had been coated with a golden sheen and were bright beyond compare.

Winter passed, and spring arrived. Time ticked by slowly.

Everyone in the world thought that Prince Long Qing had died. No one knew that he was currently studying cultivation in the Zhishou Abbey, an Unknown Place. He woke up at dawn every morning and tidied up the front of the abbey. Then, he cooked and set up the meals before sending them to the abbey. He could only enter the seven straw cottages to read the Tomes of the Arcane after doing all that.

Long Qing did not flip open the “Ri” Handscroll after the first day. Instead, he focused on reading the second book.

One day in spring, the wild peach blossoms in the Zhishou Abbey bloomed.

Long Qing emerged from the second straw cottage the next day, pale-faced. He clutched a blood-stained handkerchief in his hand. Just as he was about to meditate and rest by the lake, he felt something and stopped in his tracks.

He walked into the first straw cottage and opened the “Ri” Handscroll gravely.

Ning Que’s name grew darker and darker on the page. The strokes grew thicker as well and seeped into the paper like blood. Mo Shanshan’s name left its original position and reached the highest spot on the paper. A sharp stone pillar appeared between the two characters of Shanshan’s name and looked like it would tear the paper anytime.

Long Qing’s face paled, and his pupils contracted like dark holes. What shocked and angered him even more was not what he saw, but what he did not see.

He did not see Ye Hongyu’s name.

Ye Hongyu’s name had gone elsewhere.

The Peach Mountain in spring was not as beautiful as rumored, even though it was lush with peach flowers. However, the trees grew thick and shrouded the Divine Hall above in green, making it seem extremely solemn.

A young girl dressed in green taoist robes with a simple bunned hairstyle walked on the stone path with trees planted on both sides. The color of her robes was not eye-catching, but when the robes swung gently in the breeze, the green of the millennia-old trees on the side paled in comparison.

The young girl with a taoist bun calmly walked along the path. She soon arrived at a wide cliff platform. She smiled as she looked at the black Divine Hall in the distance.

There were several shouts of exclamation on the cliff platform before the Divine Hall.

“Ye Hongyu is back!”

“How dare that woman return!”

“The Tao Addict! Quick, inform Great Divine Priest!”

“Priestess, long time no see!”

The taoist girl walked slowly. Her beauty was exquisite and her aura was plain and simple. However, to everyone else, this was the most terrifying scene they have ever seen.

The officials and deacons around the Divine Hall scattered in all directions with shouts of fear. Those who did not manage to escape in time bowed fearfully, greeting the girl in trembling voices.

Last spring, the Tao Addict Ye Hongyu had left the West-Hill Divine Palace and stayed in Chang’an for a period of time before disappearing completely. This spring, she returned to the West-Hill Divine Palace.

The ex-commander of the Divine Hall’s cavalrymen, Chen Bachi, had been blinded by a paper sword. Then, his tongue had been torn to shreds by the Great Divine Priest of Revelation. He was now crippled. However, he was a trusted subordinate of commander Luo Kedi, which was why he could live blissfully in the very practical-minded Judicial Department.

If one could consider basking in the sun every day while on the stone steps as being blissful.

Ye Hongyu walked to the steps of the Judicial Hall. She looked at Chen Bachi who laid in the sun like a beggar even though he was dressed richly. She said calmly, “Did you ever think that I could return?”

There were many officials and deacons who were watching this from afar. However, no one dared to lay a hand on Ye Hongyu. This was not because they were afraid of the Tao Addict, but because the Great Divine Priest of Revelation had grown very angry last year, when he returned to the Peach Mountain and found that the Tao Addict had left. He had even fought the Great Divine Priest of Judgment though no one knew of it.

Chen Bachi had already heard the exclamations of others. When he heard Ye Hongyu’s voice, he realized that what he had feared had finally happened. His face was filled with terror.

He wanted to plead for forgiveness, but also wanted to warn Ye Hongyu that they were right in front of the Divine Hall. He wanted to protect himself by evoking the names of the Great Divine Priest of Justice and the Great commander Luo Kedi, but he could not speak.

Even if he could speak, Ye Hongyu was not prepared to listen. She had only wanted to enter the Temple of Justice and had to ascend those steps. She had only spoken to him because he happened to be taking the sun on the steps.

With that, she stepped past Chen Bachi and continued walking forward.

A spring breeze disturbed the ancient trees surrounding the Divine Hall. They wrinkled Ye Hongyu’s sleeves, causing a subtle crease to appear. It was shaped like a sword.

The Taoist Sword appeared.

Chen Bachi’s neck was broken and he died on the spot.

Ye Hongyu did not turn but continue up the steps.

Hundreds of officials and deacons walked to the stone steps at the bottom of the Divine Hall. They looked up at the turquoise robes ascending the steps with shocked expressions.

The black Divine Hall was large and majestic. As compared to it, Ye Hongyu looked insignificant standing in front of it. However, she did not stop and walked in calmly.

As if she were returning home.

When she walked into the Temple of Justice.

She was no longer insignificant.

An infant’s cry rang in a house in the Capital of the Great River Kingdom.

The servants in the house busied about, their faces were full of joy. The owner of the house was a Tang citizen. This was a good thing for the people of the Great River Kingdom. Furthermore, the owner was a gentle person and loved his wife deeply. He was generous to his staff, and that made him the best employer ever. The servants were all happy because of the happy occasion.

The woman laying on the bed was pale and a sheen of sweat covered her forehead. She looked extremely exhausted, but could not hide her agitation as she watched her husband cradling the baby. She muttered, “It’s a pity that she is a girl. I will bear you a son next time.”

The middle-aged man cradled the baby by the bed and comforted his wife. “Having a daughter is the best. We shall send her to the Black Ink Garden to learn calligraphy so that she will be calm and cultured. If we have a naughty and cheeky son, that would be difficult. He might learn to climb over the walls and join those people in the Jianghu world.”

The woman scolded, “How can you say that?”

The middle-aged man looked at the baby girl in his arms and asked anxiously, “Why is she so small?”

“How big could a newborn be…” The woman suddenly grew anxious and she asked in a trembling voice, “Husband, will we really return to Chang’an in autumn?”

The middle-aged man smiled and said, “My father is old, and now that we have children, we have to take her home so that my father will be happy. Do not worry about anything else. I will settle everything.”

The woman had always thought that her husband was someone she could trust. She relaxed when she heard that and began to think about other things. She asked, “What shall we name the child?”

“Let’s have my father name her when we return to Chang’an.”

The middle-aged man thought of their return to Chang’an. If the emperor found out that he had a daughter, he would definitely fight to name her. He could not help but smile bitterly as he said, “Let’s give her a nickname for now.”

“What shall we call her?”

“The village where we met was famous for their pumpkins. Shall we call her Little Pumpkin?”

“…If that is what you want.”

The term ‘coming into the world with a cry’ was used when a baby was born. ‘A pebble landing on the ground’ was used to describe how a person would feel relieved after a decision was made. There was a quiet lake in the Mogan Mountain west of the Great River Kingdom. This lake was the famous Ink Lake. Mo Shanshan sat at the side of the Ink Lake with a pebble in her hand. She looked as if she was about to toss it into the lake, but also looked as if she was about to put it down beside her. However, she remained undecided.

There were several pebbles beside her. Some were round, and some were squared. They all had unique shapes and were placed about haphazardly. However, it made one feel empty on the inside when they saw them. This emptiness was like one’s stomach after starving for five days, or like an empty wineskin.

The night breeze blew. Mo Shanshan’s brows gathered tightly, and her thick lashes fluttered. Her once round cheeks had slimmed, enhancing her beauty. However, there was no self-pity evident on her pale face. She looked extremely focused and even seemed to be in pain because of what she was thinking about.

After some time, she placed the pebble in her hand onto the ground.

The pebble landed on the ground amongst the other pebbles scattered around. However, something extraordinary happened then. Just like how a person who had starved for days suddenly ate a large bowl of rice, or how a wineskin had been pricked by a knife, a sharp sensation enveloped the Ink Lake.

Waves appeared on the calm lake surface as if even the water had sensed the odd ambiguity that choked the human hearts and enveloped heaven and earth.

Mo Shanshan looked at the messy pile of pebbles around her and knew that she had succeeded in placing a portion of the Stone Array Tactics. Her deep eyes brightened, and she pursed her lips joyfully.

It was then when she recalled the words that she had written in the letter.

“After experiencing so many things, I have many new ideas. When we meet again, everything that I have written in this letter will become stronger and better. I hope that you will work harder and not disappoint me.”

The girl stood up and looked towards the distant north and thought of that infuriating man. She said sweetly and proudly, “I have entered the Knowing Destiny State. Have you disappointed me?”

People like Ke Haoran, the Youngest Uncle of the Academy and Master Lotus have long left the world, leaving behind only a few scant traces. However, even those traces were very precious wealth.

In the Tianqi Mountains deep in the Wilderness, Ning Que, Mo Shanshan and Ye Hongyu had fought. They entered the Devil’s Doctrine’s Front Gate one after another and in this process, they saw the Great Blockage Formation set by the Great Divine Priest of Light who had started the Devil’s Doctrine. They saw the sword marks left behind by Mr. Ke when he broke the formation. There, they saw the calligraphy left behind by Ke Haoran. And the most important trace in that battle was meeting the living Master Lotus.

That was a bloody meeting. The three powerhouses of the younger generation in the cultivation world had suffered both mentally and physically before the old monster. Through it all, they had also gained precious experience.

These experience remained in their mental state before gradually escaping and becoming of use. Ning Que killed Xia Hou while Mo Shanshan set down the pebble and entered the Knowing Destiny State. Ye Hongyu had walked into the Temple of Justice bravely. All of these happened because of what had happened to them in the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine.

In a sense, both the Youngest Uncle and Lotus did not really die. The three youngsters had inherited their mantles in a different manner.

Standing between the cliffs at the back of the Academy and looking at the distant city of Chang’an, Ning Que thought of what had happened in the past two years. He had made his way to the old library and the Second floor. He had learned Talisman Taoism, entered the Wilderness and inherited the Great Spirit. He had also participated in cultivation battles that he had never imagined that he could. All these made him sigh with emotion.

Then, he thought of what Xia Hou had said before he died and frowned. He felt that there were dark clouds looming above Chang’an City even though it was bathed in the warm spring sun.

He thought that it was impossible for him to be the Son of Yama. Even though he had met Yama in a sense when he died before, that Yama was obviously different from the legendary Yama of this world.

If he was not the Son of Yama, why did the Great Divine Priest of Light cause that massacre? Why did the Buddhism Sect send people to watch and kill him?

He could not see the path going forward and did not know if the Buddhism Sect would stop harassing him. Ning Que clenched his fists slightly and made a decision. He would not attend the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival in autumn.

At this time, the lively music and loud noises pulled him out of his lament and vigilance and into the bustling scene of the spring tour.

The back of the Academy’s mountain was going on a spring outing today.

The Headmaster had organized it and none of the disciples dared to skip it. Since the inhibition on the cliff cave had been lifted, the Senior Brother who loved to play chess played in it. The Senior Brother who loved to play his instruments and sing did so in the cave. Those who loved to embroider embroidered, and those who loved to read continued to read. Those who loved writing calligraphy continued to write and those who loved to chat would chat while those who enjoyed pretending to like solidarity would continue pretending.

These were all elegant hobbies. However, when all these hobbies occurred at the same time in the cliff cave, they all became vulgar. It was simply too noisy and looked like the streets of Chang’an where performing artists gathered.

It was tough on Sangsang today because she had to prepare the food and drinks for their outing. Furthermore, Chen Pipi had strongly requested for three urns of chicken soup.

“Young master, drink this, this one is the newest.”

Sangsang walked to the edge of the cliff with a bowl of chicken soup and handed it to him.

Ning Que looked at her slightly messy hair and the grime on her face. His heart ached for her and he said annoyedly, “Chen Pipi was just spouting nonsense and you really listened to him. Are the Chicken Soup Calligraphy and chicken soup the same? Is this chicken soup really more precious since the Chicken Soup Calligraphy sold for a lot of money?”

Sangsang smiled and did not say anything. She was very happy that those from the Academy liked her chicken soup.

She instructed him, “This chicken is good and has a lot of oil. Because of the thick layer of oil, it looks like there isn’t any steam, but is actually scalding. It won’t cool for a while, so blow on it before you drink it.”

Sangsang went into the straw cottage to prepare cold dishes as well as steamed buns.

Eldest Brother emerged from the cliff cave and stood beside Ning Que. He looked at Chang’an in the distance.

Ning Que gave him the bowl of soup and said, “Senior Brother, this is the newest bowl.”

Eldest Brother smiled and shook his head. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Younger Brother, I actually have a question. I know that this question isn’t right, but it makes me nervous if I don’t ask it.”

“Please, do ask.” Ning Que said.

Eldest Brother looked at the city of Chang’an in the distance and frowned slightly. He said, “15 years ago, when you picked up that blade in the woodshed, did you consider that the General’s son was also innocent?”

Ning Que paused slightly. After a moment, he said, “It was really chaotic back then. I did not really know what I was thinking then, but I do understand what you are speaking of after the incident.”

Then, he asked sincerely, “Senior Brother, if you were in my situation, what would you have chosen to do?”

Eldest Brother said, “I have not experienced it myself, so even the most touching decision would be fake… But, if it were me right now in the same situation, I would probably choose not to do anything.”

Ning Que knew that his Eldest Brother had spoken from his heart. He probably wouldn’t be able to choose between sacrificing an innocent and his own survival.

He said, “Senior Brother, you are a benevolent man.”

He continued, “Second Brother is a man of ideas and integrity. But it is difficult for me to be both benevolent and upright. I am a selfish person and only care about my own survival.”

Eldest Brother patted him on the shoulder lightly and said, “Teacher had once said that selfishness is the biggest motivation for humans to move forward. Even though I do not really understand this, I’m sure that it has its own logic. Younger Brother, your choice was not wrong, at least, I do not have the right to say so.”

“It doesn’t just have its own logic. It is very logical.”

The Headmaster walked to the edge of the cliff and said, “There are no goals in life. Only the process counts. So how can there be right or wrong?”

Eldest Brother said, “Right and wrong are human thoughts.”

The Headmaster pointed at the blue skies and the wisps of clouds. He said, “The higher you fly, the smaller and more insignificant the people on earth are to you. They grow smaller and smaller until both of them and you are not humans anymore. Then what are human thoughts? If we don’t have that, then would there be right or wrong?”

Eldest Brother shook his head and said, “Teacher, you are wrong. In our travels, you often told me about how lonely it would be if we were to leave the human realm. That is why we have to stay here and be one among the humans. And since we have to be one of them, how can we not differentiate between right and wrong, evil and kindness?”

Ning Que was astonished.

The Headmaster had never thought that his honest eldest disciple would point out his mistakes before everyone. Furthermore, his disciple had also brought up what he had once said to refute his statement. He grew so angry that his beard began flying about wildly and he glared at him, saying shrilly.

“Li Manman! How dare you!”

Eldest Brother said nervously, “Teacher, you often remind me to learn from Jun Mo and Youngest Brother. That is why I said what I did. If you do not like it, I’ll retract my statement.”

Ning Que listened by the side and had a hard time trying to not laugh. He could no longer hold it back any longer, and he burst out laughing. He waved his hand, saying, “You guys continue, I shall go and see if the steamed buns are ready.”

The Headmaster glared at him and said, “This is all your fault. How dare you think of escaping?”

He stared at the bowl of chicken soup in Ning Que’s hands and sighed, praising the soup, “The oil is glistening and you can see how good the soup is from its color. This is a bowl of good soup.”

Ning Que’s expression stiffened.

The Headmaster flicked his sleeves and snatched the bowl of soup from Ning Que’s hands. He gulped it down with a straight face.

Ning Que was shocked speechless and thought that his teacher was indeed powerful.

Suddenly, the Headmaster’s expression changed. There was a sudden splat, and he spat out all the chicken soup in his mouth. He was a sorry sight with his shirt and beard drenched in soup.

“Hot!” (Homophone for sugar)

The Headmaster bellowed in pain, even his voice had changed.

Sangsang, who was picking purple wisterias beneath the shelter asked in confusion, “Should I put sugar in the chicken soup?”

Laughter burst out from all directions on the edge of the cliff.