Nightfall

When Sangsang was still a human being, she seemed a little naive and clumsy and didn’t talk much. It was just a facade because she had an indifferent personality. To dig deeper, she acted this way because she had no attachment for the world she lived in.

Soldiers and civilians of City of Wei, Second Brother and Chen Pipi all cared a lot about her, and Xiaocao sent many gifts to her. However, she rarely paid them back in the old days.

These were her bonds with the human world which she couldn’t entirely cut off. She could only compensate these people who treated her nicely back to put an end to her earthly bonds. However, Ning Que was an exception.

She gave all of her attention and life to Ning Que back then, thus she owned him nothing. To cut off her bond to Ning Que, she should ask him for compensation, such as washing her feet, making her bed, and attending upon her.

She didn’t think it was a matter of whether or not it was meaningful, but it was just what should be done.

Ning Que didn’t see the matter like Sangsang did, but washing her feet was just a trivial act compared with death by a thousand cuts, so he had no hesitation in doing so.

He didn’t feel humiliated about this, as he didn’t feel humiliated when he worshiped on his bended knees towards the Divine Hall of Light on the peak during the Rite to Light. You had washed my feet on your knees many times over the years. So what if I washed yours for return?

The temperature of the water in the copper basin was just right for the feet, but a bit hot for the hands. Ning Que poured water to her feet and carefully massaged them, not even missing the spot between her toes.

Her feet were as white as before but softer, and the skin above her ankles was white too. Staring at her feet in the basin, Ning Que was distracted by the memories of the old days and found his hands to be red from the hot water. Then, he suddenly remembered her hands were the same as his when she washed his feet in the past.

Sangsang hadn’t worn any shoes since she woke up in the broken peak of farthest north. A charming woman in the city of the Song Kingdom once gave her a pair of shoes, but she tossed them away.

She walked across Wilderness, the countrysides, the cities, and to the Divine Hall of West Hill with her bare feet, leaving the mortal world behind. However, her feet were so clean that no dust could be found between her glossy toenails, looking beautiful and charming.

Ning Que washed her feet for a long time. The water in the copper basin was still clear, which even gave an impression that fishes would like to swim in there and drinking the water must be refreshing.

However, he continued to wash carefully, for he knew that the reason why Sangsang made him wash her feet was not that she needed it, but she wanted him to do so.

With her feet held and massaged by a man, any ordinary girl would laugh like a silver bell even if it tickled. Whether Ning Que’s massage was light or heavy, Sangsang had no reactions. She looked very serious and solemn, like she was attending a baptism, which was a little ridiculous to be washing her feet at such an event.

Ning Que took her feet from the basin, put them on his laps, dried her feet with a white towel and put them back on the bed. Then he laid the towel on his shoulder, picked up the copper basin, walked to the terrace and poured the water down the cliff and into the blizzard.

The blizzard and the cliff were picturesque, and the water that Ning Que poured was like a naughty child holding an ink pen, unreasonably doodling on a beautiful painting.

Ning Que remembered that when he was locked in the cave on the cliff in the Back Hill of Academy by his master many years ago, Sangsang was there to look after him. She poured the used water and the excreta in the chamber pot into the beautiful cliff, disturbing the white clouds and silver waterfall.

It was interesting that the scenarios were so alike.

Through the recent battle between them and the ritual-like feet-washing tonight, he had a better understanding of today’s Sangsang, who was also Haotian fallen on earth.

She was the collection of rules of the world. As Headmaster of Academy said in a restaurant at Song Kingdom last year, she was objective and extremely calm and thought with absolute logic. Even though she possessed subjective self-consciousness and animacy resulted from self-perpetuation, it was the way she lived.

This kind of advanced manifestation of life indeed frightened people. However, in Ning Que’s point of view, Sangsang was frightening but could also be cute. He still saw her as his little handmaiden who was always clumsy.

She was never stupid, just a little clumsy.

She wanted to completely cut off her bonds with the human world. After finding out it was impossible, she chose to end it by liquidating her connections on earth instead. However, she didn’t realize that the connections were not just cold numbers, and things like attachments and life couldn’t be calculated.

She thought she could break off with the human world and return to the Divine Kingdom of Haotian if she paid back what she owed and reclaimed what Ning Que owed her.

However, she didn’t understand that for humans, sometimes love was not an unilateral commitment or an unilateral demand. Even though she could perform God’s Plan, it was still impossible to calculate all the details of such a complicated matter. Quite on the contrary, the more she thought and calculated, the deeper she went in the human world.

When she began to think like humans and value human emotions, she would gradually lose her objectivity, becoming more and more like human beings.

Ning Que began to think that the whole matter was getting more and more interesting.

The Divine Hall of West Hill ruled the whole world. In the old days, treasures from all kingdoms were sent to the West Hill endlessly to support the disabled elders of the Zhishou Abbey. The elder Taoists in the cave lived such lavish lives that they even used the fur of snowfield giant wolves as mattresses. Since the Divine Hall of West Hill enshrined Haotian now, it was conceivable that how many rare food ingredients would be sent to Peach Mountain when Haotian demanded food.

A young handmaiden in white took Ning Que to the kitchen. He never thought that a kitchen could ever be more resplendent than a palace or that he would ever see so many rare ingredients. Looking at the bear paws piling up like they were cabbages and shark fins soaking carelessly like they were pickles, he couldn’t help but shake his head and said, “Is the Divine Hall gonna turn to a restaurant?”

The young handmaiden in white flushed. She and her companions have lived in the Divine Hall of Light for half a year and enjoyed infinite glories, but no one dared to talk to them. Although fully committing to Taoism, she was still at a young age, and she nearly laughed out hearing what Ning Que said. The handmaiden then said to Ning Que, “The bear paws and shark fins are just for soup. Today’s main ingredients are in the back. How about…you go and see for yourself?”

“Extravagant, too extravagant!”

Ning Que walked through the rare ingredients and thought, Academy has a bunch of gormandizers, but I bet even the Headmaster of Academy who cares about food the most has never seen such extravagant ingredients.

Walking to the stove and looking at the utensils and condiments, he nodded with satisfaction and asked, “What kind of food does she currently like the most?”

The handmaiden in white thought seriously and said, “The master is not picky about food, but she was quite pleased the time when we hired a cook from Chang’an to make hot and spicy shredded noodles.”

Ning Que understood.

…

…

The dinner tonight was so simple that two young handmaidens in charge of setting the table turned pale and worried that Sangsang might be angry.

Ning Que prepared cabbage soaked in vinegar, stewed pigs’ feet with radish, stir-fried water spinach and stewed tofu with egg yolk, which were all common dishes. The handmaiden in white was very anxious, suggesting at least replacing the egg yolk with crab roe, but Ning Que refused without hesitation.

The dining table was quite big, even bigger than a normal house. The few simple dishes looked very shabby on such a table.

Sangsang sat down at the table, and Ning Que stood beside her, scooping up a bowl of pigs’ feet soup and then a bowl of rice for her. Two handmaidens in white lowered their heads and were too nervous to make a sound.

Staring at the shabby dishes on the table, Sangsang didn’t say anything or get angry. She just took the rice bowl that Ning Que handed over and started to eat.

She ate very fast, as fast as she used to. In the past, the reason of eating fast was that she had to clean the table and wash the dishes after the meal. But now, eating was just a habit, having nothing to do with absorbing energy or enjoyment.

The dishes were almost eaten up in a while. After eating three bowls of rice, Sangsang got up and left. She appeared to be satisfied even though she didn’t say so.

Ning Que smiled to the handmaidens in white and sat down at the table. He pulled the rice bucket to himself and poured the leftovers into it and started to eat.

She used to be the one who ate the leftovers, but now it was his turn.

And she used to be the one who washed the dishes, but now it was his turn.

After finishing the dishes, Ning Que had back pain. Walking back to the Divine Hall, he tried to light the lantern on the stone wall but found out that Sangsang was ready for bed.

Ning Que made the bed first and then prepared the hot water to wash Sangsang’s feet.

Upon finishing, Sangsang took back her feet, put them into the bedding, and closed her eyes slowly.

Ning Que washed his own feet in the used water and then braved the blizzard to pour the water over the cliff. Rubbing his hands, he ran back to the bed and sat down.

Sangsang opened her eyes, looked indifferent and scary.

Ning Que explained carefully, “I am trying to warm the bed for you.”

Sangsang frowned slightly, revealing her displeasure.

Ning Que seemed to miss her reaction and said with a smile, “You had a cold body and always failed to warm my bed in the past. But unlike you, I have a very hot body.”

…