Nightfall

Through the snowstorm, she saw all the scenes she had gone through previously in the human world and he was there in every single scene.

She was Haotian, and her story in the human world should have followed the plan. However, he was not a part of the original plan, and he did not leave. With or without this thread, they were still bonded throughout the story.

She could be indifferent to the entire human world, but not to him.

Sangsang watched their story in the human world throughout the snowstorm, and her eyes brightened. Her left eye was full of memories and affections, while her right eye was filled with more hatred and resentment.

Those two streams of opposite emotions were interdependent.

Ning Que asked how she could pay him back. Indeed, how?

“I can forgive your impiety and grant you immortality.” She looked at Ning Que and said emotionlessly, “But if you refuse to accept that, you will fall into eternal destruction.”

The snowstorm outside the cliff suddenly became more violent. The scenes of their story in the human world were smashed into numerous snow flakes and swirled in the biting wind toward the terrace, many of which were blown into her eyes.

Sangsang’s emotions disappeared immediately, and it did not matter that they were affectionate memories or resentful ones. They froze into crystal ice cubes and vanished.

Ning Que watched this and felt even more chills. He said, “We went through life and death before, and we will live and die together in future. Neither the human world nor I want to leave you. I could do as much as you want, like what I’m doing right now.”

“What you’ve done is far from enough.” Sangsang continued, “I once submitted myself to you. Now it’s your turn.”

Ning Que knew clearly what she meant by submitting himself to her. It was the same as the divine power that quaked his Ocean of Consciousness previously. By submission she meant to cut their natal bond.

He picked up the broom and continued to sweep the snow. With the blizzard roaring outside the cliff, every corner of the terrace was covered with snow immediately after he cleaned it. His effort in vain.

He could neither sweep away the storm nor put an end to this battle. However, Ning Que did not give up. He continued to sweep from dawn to dust, and until late at night.

Sangsang did not leave either. She stood there in the same spot and watched him sweep the snow. The storm had put a layer of silver frost on her eyelashes and made them very charming.

The storm finally stopped at midnight. Ning Que did not stop cleaning until the last flake was swept off the terrace.

He was just an ordinary man now. Sweeping for the whole day had left some aches in his waist and back. He tried to stand straight but his eyebrows furrowed in pain.

“You see. As long as I keep sweeping I can clean up them all. Because the snowstorm cannot last forever.”

He stared at Sangsang and continued, “And I am not afraid of some eternal destruction. Because I don’t believe in eternity. As long as you are in the human world, you cannot always be the winner.”

Sangsang kept silent. It was a pitch dark night and no sound was heard around the terrace.

Suddenly some dim light shed on the terrace and then over the whole Peach Mountain. It was still chilling but became somewhat charming and vivid.

Ning Que looked to the sky. He saw some cracks on the snow clouds. A bright moon was passing by and scattered some light on the human world. He smiled to the moon.

Sangsang looked at the bright moon and continued to keep quiet.

When the clouds cleared, the moonlight became even brighter. It poured on the mountains and fields, and added a silver lining over the entire human world.

The rolling hills around the Divine Halls of West Hill looked extremely charming under the moonlight. The snow accumulated on the terrain and formed the shape of something that Ning Que and Sangsang loved most, which led nature to becoming the most beautiful thing to them.

Ning Que put the broom back to a corner, leaned against the railing and looked at the rolling hills under the moonlight. “Tonight the moonlight looks like a hundred thousand taels of silver. How charming.”

Sangsang came to his side and agreed. “Indeed.”

Her reaction was so natural and unintentional. Clearly she did not think before she spoke.

Ning Que found his hands trembling and placed them slowly on the railing. After a long silence, he turned to her and looked into her eyes. “You are Sangsang,” he said.

He meant that she was his handmaiden Sangsang, rather than Haotian with the name of Sangsang.

Sangsang did not say anything or look at him, but her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Ning Que stared at her and continued, “Even if you deny it, you are still my Sangsang.”

Sangsang turned and walked back to the Divine Hall.

Ning Que shouted at her back, “I bet with the moonlight of a hundred thousand taels of silver that you are my Sangsang!”

A moment later, Sangsang said inside the Divine Hall with the coldest voice, “Go fetch water to wash my feet.”

…

…

They had lived a very ordinary life like an ordinary couple in the Divine Hall of Light. Ning Que thought that Sangsang would have surrendered to his tricks, but only to realize that it had become torturous for himself.

He wanted her back as his wife, rather than being isolated from the world. Yet he could not find even the slimmest chance of hope. She did not change at all. Everything he had tired was in vain and he was at the edge of giving up. However, that was before tonight. When he cleaned up the terrace after the storm and the moonlight poured into the human world, he finally heard something from Sangsang.

Haotian would never feel for anything in the human world because she did not care. She commented on the moonlight tonight, not because of the Headmaster’s previous deed, but because he said the moonlight looked like a hundred thousand taels of silver. What she cared about was the silver. The intention was so strong that she temporarily forgot that she was Haotian.

If she cared so much about silver, then she was definitely his Sangsang.

Ning Que had mixed feelings. He was delighted because he finally confirmed that Sangsang was still his Sangsang. He was excited because he was able to find some hope. Yet, he was anxious because the hope had aroused some strong impulse and desire in him. He desperately wanted his wish to come true.

As he carried the mixture of complicated emotions, he continued to wash Sangsang’s feet for a long while until the water in the copper basin became cold. He could not stop his emotions.

The water was chilling and so were Sangsang’s feet. He rubbed them continuously but could neither warm the water nor her skin. Eventually, his hands became cold as well.

Ning Que did not feel any discomfort at all. He found Sangsang’s feet fragrant and tender because of the hope. He liked touching them and even wanted to keep washing them forever.

He could hardly tear himself away from them.

Ning Que’s movements slowed down and became very subtle. He scrubbed her sole, her instep and her ankle, and then he tickled and rubbed on her toes. He enjoyed the wonderful touch so much that some secret and erotic feelings aroused in him.

He washed her feet for what seemed like an eternity. Ning Que felt increasing tension in his throat while Sangsang stayed indifferent.

She knew exactly what he was thinking about. She did not get angry because that was merely the lowest level of physiological reactions that human beings could have. It was not even eligible for her anger.

By the moonlight, Ning Que stared at those lotus white feet in the copper basin. After a long while he suddenly raised his head and looked at her in silence.

She looked back also in silence.

They stared at each other for a while. There was nothing else in Ning Que’s gaze but yearning and desire.

Deep down in Sangsang’s eyes, there was intense hatred plus a bit of melancholy. At that moment she sensed some turbulence in her divine mind.

Ning Que looked into her eyes and proposed in a hoarse voice, “I want to fuck you.”

He was hoarse because he was both nervous and excited.

Sangsang blinked away the melancholy and her eyes became emotionless once again.

A bloody gash was made on Ning Que’s throat, then it was widened and deepened into his vocal cord. He could no longer speak.

Blood dripped from his neck into the copper basin and turned the water into scarlet. His hands and and her feet were soaking in the basin and it seemed like he was about to pick up a white lotus from a pond of blood.

Ning Que’s eyes turned slightly red like a monster in heat. He paid no attention to the gash on his throat, stood up slowly and stepped towards Sangsang.

Sangsang still looked indifferent.

A looming crack appeared in the space in front of the bed. It appeared between her and Ning Que, claiming the boundary of her isolated world. If Ning Que dared to proceed he would be dead.

She allowed no one in her isolated world, not even someone as special as Ning Que.

Ning Que saw the boundary of her world where he could never break into. Then he chose to close his eyes and lean to fall on her. He was trying to make use of the most basic rules.

This was the universal gravitation. Whether he would regret it or not, he could not stop his desires. Even if he would be killed in a minute, it could not change his mind.

He fell toward her.

Instead of cutting his throat, the crack scratched his cheek. A thin cut was made on his cheek, where there used to be a dimple.

He fell on her body.

And he pushed her down to the bed.

His blood spread on her.

He opened his arms and cuddled her tightly. Since you let me into your world, you will never flee from me again.

Ning Que and Sangsang gazed at each, face to face.

It had happened many times in his dreams, where they had numerous intimate encounters, but it was the first time for it to happen in reality.

Ning Que found the woman in his arms chubby and tender. It felt strange because his Sangsang used to be very slim. Yet her smell was so familiar as he had lived with it for so long.

His right hand naturally felt her plump chest and sunk inside her green dress. It felt like he was lying on a boat and drifting with ocean waves. It felt so wonderful.

Sangsang had no expression at all and her eyes became even brighter. She glared at him in silence.

Ning Que’s desire was so strong but his carnal instincts could not be completely fulfilled.

It was deadly quiet inside the Divine Hall of Light.

He placed a tender kiss on her lips.

He used to kiss her in his dreams.

Now he wanted it in reality.

Haotian was being kissed by a man.

Thus, the entire human world quaked.

…

…