Nightfall

The Headmaster grew annoyed when he heard that. He scolded Second Brother and said, “How did I end up teaching an unreasonable fellow like you?”

Second Brother froze slightly, and thought to himself, that he had always adhered to etiquette and rules since studying from the Headmaster. “Everyone knew that he was the most reasonable person. So why did his teacher say that he was unreasonable?”

Even though he did not like hearing about his faults, he reflected upon the criticism and bowed deeply. He asked, “Teacher, when we talked about the meaning of revenge at the cliff cave, you once told me to tell Eldest Brother that we should weed out all problems from the root. Have I misunderstood you?”

The Headmaster said angrily, “Your Eldest Brother is gentle and too benevolent. That is why he has to learn to be more direct from you. However, you are too direct, which is why I have always taught you to be more prudent. But look at what happened! You make so much noise even before you understand what is happening. You are as brave as your Youngest Uncle, but you are not as… Alright. Perhaps he doesn’t have any qualities that are worth looking up to. But other than bravery, what else does your Youngest Uncle and you have better than me?”

Second Brother believed in being a respectful disciple. He should not defend himself against his teacher’s stern criticism. Even if he wanted to prove that he was logical, he had to bring up the issue after his teacher calmed down. However, he became defensive when he heard his teacher mentioning Youngest Uncle, whom he respected the most.

“Teacher, I remember that Youngest Uncle had told Senior Brother and me a word when we were children that if we are only left with bravery, then bravery is all that we have.”

The Headmaster became stiff when he heard that and suddenly laughed. He waved his sleeves around and said, “That’s right. Actually, I have told your Youngest Brother of my intentions. If the dark night really comes, all we have to do is to fight against it. Why do we have to think so much about it?”

The Eldest Brother thought of the words left by Youngest Uncle when he rode on his black donkey to leave the back of the mountain. Youngest Uncle had told him that then. Eldest Brother did not laugh like his teacher and Younger Brother. Instead, he said worriedly, “Since we have to fight against it, then why are we not making preparations before the dark night comes?”

The Headmaster’s smile on his face disappeared. He said, “Because we do not know where the wind will blow from and where the dark night will come from. Everything that we prepare beforehand might be wrong. Of course, I hope that our predictions are wrong and that the dark night will not come.”

The Eldest Brother looked up at the sky and sighed. “If the dark night comes, brightness should be the first priority. Why has Haotian not reacted? I don’t understand what the heavens are thinking of.”

The Headmaster looked up at the dark sky and said, “Look, this is something I have said once. There is no one in the world who is all-knowing. I don’t know what Haotian is thinking. And this has been proven several times over the years. At least we know that it cannot be known.”

The millions of people on earth had already forgotten the origins of the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival, while the Underworld still existed in their legends and stories told to children. However, they were just that. Nobody believed that the Underworld truly existed and no one would believe in nonsense such as the Underworld Invasion.

To these people, the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival was a festival where they paid respects to their ancestors and fed ghosts. The orchid pots placed along the streets, girls dressed up in traditional costumes, tempting delicacies, people walking around with lanterns made this festival less spooky and more charming.

The Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival held by the Lanke Temple was a grand event in the cultivation world. The festival in itself was a grand event. Other than cultivators, there were also numerous other guests and official foreign emissaries who would travel from their countries and lands to the Lanke Temple for it.

The Tang Empire had also sent an envoy to the event. The envoy sent was ranked highly, and contrary to all expectations, the ambassador who represented His Majesty was the Defender General of the West, Xian Zhilang.

The Defender General of the West was one of the four generals of the empire. He grew more important after the death of Xia Hou. General Xian Zhilang was also a legendary figure. His Martial Arts cultivation state was average, but his command over the army and his achievements on the battlefield were legendary.

The Tang military held martial power in high regard. Three of the four generals of the Tang military were powerhouses who were at the Peak State of Martial Arts. Xian Zhilang’s state was weak, but could stand shoulder to shoulder with the other three. One could imagine what kind of wits or other strength this man had.

A person like this would definitely be qualified to represent the Tang Emperor in visiting other states. However, the position as a diplomatic ambassador was usually helmed by officials. Had the emperor wanted to express his respect for the Buddhism Sect, it would have been sufficient to send an official from the royal ranks. Why would he send a general? This appointment caused great controversy in Chang’an and also triggered the suspicions of the South Jin Kingdom. Would the general be enjoying the scenery along the way or would he be checking out the city’s defense? Did the Tang Empire wish to go to war again?

In the end, it was confirmed by certain rumors that the emperor had sent Xian Zhilang because Xia Hou’s position as the marshal of the Northeast Border Military was now vacant after his death. The Yuelun Kindom which was west to the Tang Empire was no longer a threat. Therefore, Xian Zhilang wanted to be moved to Tuyang City. Everyone knew that the princess had been trying to win over the Defender General of the West in recent years. This news had angered the Empress. In order to placate his wife, the Emperor had to set aside the transfer order. And in order to placate his daughter and the general, the emperor decided to have General Xian visit the Lanke Temple as a sightseeing trip.

The emperor’s move was akin to fandangle. He dealt with the country’s affairs as if he was dealing with his family affairs, and many watched on, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. However, many men who were troubled by family affairs felt sympathetic, and the girls who enjoyed romantic stories looked up to him.

The House of Red Sleeves’ dance troupe accompanied the diplomatic entourage to the Lanke Temple.

Thirteen years ago, the Tang Empire had summoned the House of Red Sleeves to Chang’an from the South Jin Kingdom forcefully. The girls from the House of Red Sleeves had only visited the Lanke Temple the year after that and participated in the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival. They had never left Chang’an after that. It had been more than two decades, and this trip attracted plenty of attention.

Their gazes were all drawn to the horse carriages of the Tang Empire’s official diplomatic comittee. No one noticed that there was a black horse carriage traveling alone on the state highway a few miles behind them.

The walls of the black carriage were engraved with intricate and brocade-like lines, reflecting light like metal. It looked extremely heavy. Strangely, the black horse that was pulling the carriage looked relaxed, and the horse carriage moved on the ground quietly as if it was as light as a feather.

“Defender General of the Empire, the East, the West… Why do all the generals of the Tang Empire hold a title that starts with Defender? I wonder when Zhen Guanxi will appear. Oh, I remember that you don’t know who Zhen Guanxi is.”

Ning Que leaned against the soft cushion in the carriage and said that in a self-satisfied look.

The black horse carriage was bequeathed to him by Master Yan Se. It looked cold and even tough, but it was spacious on the inside. The fittings were extremely luxurious as well.

The carriage was cast of stainless steel and was extremely heavy. Before, when he could not yet activate the talisman lines on the carriage walls, the Big Black Horse had a hard time pulling the carriage. The ground would crack at the wheels of the carriage rolled over it. The steel wheels were not able to absorb any shock, making it uncomfortable to sit in, so he rarely used this horse carriage.

As he cultivated and his Great Spirit grew, his cultivation state grew as well. With Seventh Sister’s guidance, he finally understood that the lines on the carriage walls were not just talismans, but a talisman array. When he understood the array, a tiny amount of the breath of Heaven and Earth would swirl around the black carriage, producing some floating power.

The heavy black carriage became reminiscent of a floating feather on water. No matter how hard the wheels were, those in the carriage would not feel any bumps, turning the miserable journey into an enjoyable one.

While the talisman array on the walls was permanent and could evoke the aura of Heaven and Earth in nature, it needed the aura of Heaven and Earth to keep it moving. If Ning Que did not want to exhaust his Psyche Power and die, he had to place a jewel stone in the carriage’s array eye from time to time.

The gem which had to contain high concentrations of Qi of Heaven and Earth was extremely precious. It was difficult to be found even in the jewelry shops of Chang’an. The black horse carriage could travel so easily because he had managed to swindle and rob a case of gems from the Imperial Center Administration and the Southern Gate Temple.

The black horse carriage was very luxurious, and the gems it used made it even more luxurious. If he weren’t Mr. Thirteen of the Academy and he did not have the resources offered to him by the Tang Empire, he would not be able to afford this.

Ning Que understood this. When he had represented the Academy to enter the human realm, his Senior Brother had told him that he had to concern himself with matters of the imperial court even though he did not want to.

“Xian Zhilang is an interesting person.” He said.

Sangsang shut her eyes and made a soft sound of agreement. She had recovered for the most part, but had shut her eyes and replied softly not because she was ill, but because she was so comfortable that she did not want to open her eyes nor speak either.

Ning Que and Sixth Brother had made a large sunroof on the top of the horse carriage. Bright sunlight streamed through the sunroof and shone on her body, warming her up.

The black horse carriage was made of stainless-steel. It absorbed heat due to its color and material. However, perhaps due to Sangsang’s cold aura, the horse carriage was still cool and not stuffy at all even when it was heated by sunlight for a long time.

Ning Que did not feel hot either. He hugged Sangsang’s cool feet to his chest. They felt like little jade fish that cooled by ice for a few days. They made him feel extremely comfortable.

He moved Sangsang’s feet and reached out for an exquisite porcelain pot from his side. He drank the pleasantly fragrant tea and turned to look out the window.

There were farmlands on both sides of the road and there were farmers painting their homes. There were willow trees waving in the wind and naked children playing in paddy fields.

This scene made a person feel happy and blissful. However, Ning Que looked at those naked tanned children and felt as if he had seen that somewhere before. Then, he realized that this scene played out often within the Tang Empire. Bliss was the same everywhere.

He looked at Sangsang’s slightly tanned face and smiled. He thought that the long journey was good even if there was no end to it. The Big Black Horse seemed to sense his happiness and began to neigh happily.

…