Nightfall

We All Saw the Darkness at the End of the Road (Part I)

Ning Que’s dormitory was at the back of the mountain, and he stayed in the Academy because Sangsang was very ill. She did not wake up for a long time, and when she did she was still weak. Ning Que lulled her to sleep by telling her jokes and singing songs like when they were children. Noticing that he was very tired, Tang Xiaotang decided to take over the responsibility of taking care of Sangsang so that he could have a break outside.

It was near dusk and the rear of the mountain was enveloped in warm red light. Ning Que walked out of the yard and saw Chen Pipi standing near the lake with his hands on his waist. “What happened?” Asked Ning Que.

Chen Pipi looked at the rippling water and the algae in it, his face full of loneliness. He answered, “I feel strange seeing you and Sangsang have such a good relationship.”

Ning Que thought that maybe he and Tang Xiaotang were bickering again, so he patted his shoulder and comforted him. “Senior Brother, you don’t have to compare your relationship with me.”

Chen Pipi explained seriously, “Tangtang and I are not what you think.”

Ning Que thought to himself that there was no need to hear Chen Pipi explain further, since he had called her such an affectionate nickname. He scoffed and said, “Don’t you think the most shameful thing in the world is when a man doesn’t want to admit his relationship with a girl?”

Chen Pipi turned to him and said sincerely, “We’ve only held hands.”

“She is still a little girl and you want to do something to her, don’t you?” Ning Que said mockingly.

“She and Sangsang are almost the same age!” Chen Pipi replied.

Ning Que felt a little embarrassed and stayed quiet upon hearing that.

In the glow of sunset, the mud looked like diamond-shaped gold. Chen Pipi lowered his head and moved his feet slightly, making a few golden marks in the ground. After being silent for a long time, he said, “We are not like you and Sangsang. Although we neither share life-challenging experiences together, nor have the time to live together, our relationship is going quite well. I felt heartbroken seeing her jump into the waterfall and I was happy showing her around in Chang’an…”

Ning Que didn’t want to be seen as a relationship expert, so he asked directly, “What on earth are you trying to say?”

Looking up at Ning Que, Chen Pipi asked, “You were terrified when Sangsang fell seriously ill, weren’t you?”

After thinking for a while, Ning Que said, “Yes, I can’t imagine my life without her.”

Chen Pipi said, “Me too. I can’t imagine my life without Tangtang either, so I decided to go back to Zhishou Abbey.”

Ning Que didn’t know what to say. Two years ago, when Chen Pipi denied that he was born an illegitimate child of the hierarch of West-Hill, he had guessed his real identity, and now it was confirmed. Based on what he had said, Ning Que thought that going back to Zhishou Abbey meant that he would tell people over there about Tang Xiaotang.

Chen Pipi said, “There’s a saying that says ‘an ugly daughter-in-law is bound to meet her husband’s parents eventually’. My father is still alive and Tangtang is in no way ugly, but in his eyes people from the Devil’s Doctrine are not beautiful. I have to go back to settle it.”

Ning Que slightly frowned and said, “But have you thought about the possibility that you will never be able to come back to Chang’an once you return to Zhishou Abbey?”

Chen Pipi looked at him dearly and replied, “Younger Brother, you are my best friend in Chang’an. If I never come back, please take care of Xiaotang for me.”

Ning Que turned him down without any hesitation. “Senior Brother, don’t make me do that. Your wife is your responsibility and you should not count on me.”

This enraged Chen Pipi. “How can you be like that?” He started shouting. “Anyway, as long as the Headmaster talks to the Zhishou Abbey, won’t I get to come back?”

Rather than think about this any further, Ning Que said, “You have to wait for me to return back from Lanke Temple and then we can discuss it. But in my opinion, you should ask teacher to host your wedding, and in that case, you don’t have to go back to Zhishou Abbey.”

Although the Headmaster seemed to be very unreliable, his words were accurate一 or maybe it was Eleventh Brother’s medicine that was excellent. Regardless, Sangsang’s temperature dropped down to normal at night and she felt much better, lying on the bed and talking with Tang Xiaotang privately.

Sitting by the table, Ning Que reread Primary Exploration on the Great Spirit  by the light of the oil lamp. He was distracted and couldn’t help peering over at the bed. He saw Tang Xiaotang’s beautiful face and recalled Chen Pipi’s words, feeling a bit sorry.

The oil lamp shook when the breeze blowed in, making the light in the room change all the time. He remembered the strange dream he had last night and the Master’s words in the hut when Sangsang was ill. An idea suddenly crossed his mind, so he asked Tang Xiaotang to look after Sangsang and walked out into the yard.

He left the Mirror Lake and journeyed through the woods, bypassing the waterfall, and walking out of the narrow valley. Eventually, he reached the rear of the mountain behind the Academy and stood on the cliff overlooking the sea of clouds. It was already late at night and it was all very quiet. Only the sound of water splashing on the stones could be heard. He walked along the steep, stone path and soon arrived at the cliff cave, where he had been imprisoned for a whole spring.

The awning built by his Senior Brothers was not as new as it used to be after standing against one year’s wind and rain. The Purple wisteria that had grown beside it was dancing in the wind like bells. Ning Que walked towards them and saw the Headmaster.

The Headmaster was sitting on the edge of the cliff with a delicate meal box to his left and a bottle to his right. In the meal box he had some beef and in the bottle there was clear liquor. He was staring at the light in Chang’an City in the distance.

Ning Que walked to him and bowed. He recalled the long talk with Headmaster the last time he was here. It had also been a dark night in late spring.

The Headmaster knew it was him and it seemed that he even knew what he was thinking about. He motioned for Ning Que to sit down next to him and said, “You can tell me whenever you are ready.”

Ning Que wanted to ask the Headmaster many questions. Although, after hesitating for a long time, he failed to do so. Looking at the Headmaster reminded him of the person in his dream.

It was very nice to live in the Tang Empire, and it was even nicer to live in its capital city, Chang’an. Ning Que felt that he had so much happiness at the Academy, and he worried that he might lose everything by telling the Headmaster his secret.

The Headmaster took a piece of beef and put it into his mouth. His face was full of giddiness as he chewed it slowly. He said approvingly, “I will never worry about anything as long as I have beef to eat and liquor to drink.”

Then he grabbed the bottle and took a sip.

Ning Que sat next to the Headmaster and threw a piece of beef into his mouth. He frowned when he first tasted it, because it seemed flavorless. But after a moment he knew he was wrong. The piece of beef turned out to be tastier and tastier the more he chewed it. It was very stringy and eventually his mouth was full of the taste.

“That’s good!” He said with surprise. “Master, your beef and liquor are very good.”

The Headmaster took out a steel bottle from the side of the meal box and threw it to him. He said with a smile, “I know you just want to try my liquor. But actually the liquor is average, and the beef is what’s rare. It’s great that the stoves in the building here can be used to cook beef, and what is better is that Old Huang cannot chase me here.”

Ning Que knew that “Old Huang” referred to the old yellow bull and it would be a little awkward to eat beef in front of it. He suddenly realized that the bottle looked very familiar. He saw the straight lines engraved on it and recognized that it was the iron kettle he had used to trick Xia Hou.

“Don’t look at me like that. I just think that it is suitable for liquor. Of course I have smeared something on it to prevent the steel from polluting the liquor inside.”

The Headmaster drank from it and said, “A knife can be used to kill people or to cut vegetables, and your mouth can be used to speak your mind or to eat. It is all up to you; there is no right or wrong.”

Ning Que didn’t understand his words. After being silent for a while, he asked, “Master, I have been having a dream for the past few years. And the story in the dream keeps developing.”

The Headmaster asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

Ning Que replied, “Because you are in my dream.”

The Headmaster smiled and said, “I am not Sangsang for you to be dreaming about me.”

“Master, I am serious. Don’t make fun of me!” Ning Que replied embarrassedly.

The Headmaster answered by saying, “Then continue telling me about your dream.”

Looking at his eyes which seemed to know everything in the world, Ning Que was a little nervous. He said hoarsely, “I think you know about my dream. Last year, when we were talking about the Underworld Invasion here, you asked me which direction the Underworld was in.”

Wonderingly looking at Ning Que, the Headmaster replied, “And I still want to ask you the same question.”

Ning Que said, “I saw the night… coming from the north.”

The Headmaster said with a smile, “That is in line with what the research I have done these past few years tells me.”

Ning Que asked, “What is the Underworld Invasion and the coming of the night? You told me that they were in the tales, but you didn’t give me any details.”

“Details? When the whole world is enveloped in the dark night, no one can see anything in detail. And when a civilization is cut down, nothing in detail can be recorded.”

The Headmaster looked at the sky and watched the stars. “It is said that the night and the day rotate control. Sometimes the day rules the world for thousands of years and sometimes it is the night that rules. And history is a recording of their war. When Haotian wins the fight, the world is what we see now. But, when Yama wins, the Underworld will arrive.”

“When the Underworld invades, there will be no sun in the daytime and no stars at night. The world will be extremely cold, and all the living things in the world can only get warmth from the heat below ground. The heat from volcanoes, hot springs and the South Sea will become the most precious resources in the world, which will cause numerous wars.”

“The wars won’t last for long, and most of the population will die of hunger, or the cold. It will be a world of unbelievable cruelty. And after only a couple of years, the whole world will fall asleep and never again awaken. Only the strongest can survive.”

“The Buddhism Sect calls this Dharma Ending Period and the Haotian Taoism calls it the arrival of Yama.”

He continued, “But I call it…the Everlasting night.”

…