Nightfall

The black horse carriage followed behind the carriages of the diplomatic delegation. There were more buildings visible by the side of the road when they were reaching a city. Ning Que preferred the view of the countryside, so he had the Big Black Horse run off the main road and onto the side roads. He was confident that he would not lose the delegation he was following.

The view by the country road was beautiful, simple and unspoiled. After some time, the black horse carriage stopped under a large tree near a village.

The large tree was of an unknown species and had a really large top. The leaves were lush and looked like a large umbrella, blocking out the intense sun, leaving behind a cool shade.

Ning Que unhooked the carriage from the Big Black Horse and allowed it to roam free. He walked under the tree and touched the coarse trunk with a happy smile.

His peers from the Academy did not like leaving the mountain as they were more focused on the spiritual aspect of life. Spiritual joy alone could satisfy them, but he was unlike them.

He had lived in the Min Mountain since he was young. Forests were like family to him and he had been homeless since he was a child. That was why he did not like staying in one place for too long.

He had once stood in the forest gazing at the villages with smoke rising over them. He had also carried Sangsang on his back and left quietly several times out of fear. Perhaps that was why he loved the countryside so much. Before he returned to Chang’an that year, he had chosen to traverse through the countryside with Sangsang’s hand in his. And because of his love for the countryside, he had chosen to take the more out-of-the-way route and stopped outside a village.

Sangsang left the horse carriage and said to him shyly, “I fell asleep earlier.”

Ning Que said, “It is very comfortable. I wish I could sleep too.”

Sangsang was obviously still unused to her change in status. She still thought that she was a handmaiden, and felt that it was not right for her to sleep without permission. In order to make up for her mistake, she tried really hard to recall what she last heard before falling asleep. She asked, “How is he interesting?”

Ning Que was stiff for a moment before he realized that she was replying to the statement he had made two hours ago. He could not help but smile as he looked at her serious expression. Not wanting to spoil her eagerness, he replied, “Before we left Chang’an, Chen VII came to speak to me. He said that this General Xian had been in the Fish-dragon Gang some time back. He was pretty close to Chao Xiaoshu as well. This was before Qi IV’s time. However, General Xian became the general for some reason, while Chao Xiaoshu stayed in the Spring Breeze Pavilion.”

“Do you mean that there is something off with this person?” Sangsang asked.

Only Ning Que would understand what Sangsang meant. When she said that there was something off, she did not mean that the person was suspicious or that they had to be vigilant against him. She meant that the general was a bad person.

Ning Que shook his head and said, “Even if there was something off, it was arranged by the emperor. Even if he is really like what the rumors in Chang’an says, and longed for the Northeast Border Military, we can only say that he is a proud, confident and ambitious military man. If the emperor is not worried, we shouldn’t be either.”

Sangsang said, “I heard that the Empress is displeased.”

Ning Que said, “Do not forget, the emperor is also a student of the Headmaster. That means that he is my Senior Brother. He is wise, so how would he really treat the nation’s matter as his family’s affair? He is just using the empress’ anger to warn some other people.”

Sangsang asked curiously, “Who are those other people?”

She was not truly curious about this matter, so when she widened her eyes and deliberately attempted to look curious, it made her look childish and adorable instead.

So Ning Que laid a peck on her face.

Sangsang was slightly abashed, but did not avoid him.

She did not avoid him not because she was flustered and did not know what to do. It was because she felt that it was natural for Ning Que to kiss her.

Instead, Ning Que looked at her bright eyes and grew flustered. He coughed twice before continuing, “It is of course to subdue General Xian… No, to be more exact, the emperor is warning his own daughter not to poke too deeply into the military.”

“Why? Is the emperor prepared to hand over the throne to the empress’ son?”

Sangsang asked curiously. She was truly curious this time because Li Yu was one of her few friends in Chang’an. Furthermore, she knew that this matter involved Ning Que.

Ning Que said, “I don’t know. Anyway, it has nothing to do with us.”

Even though Ning Que said it had nothing to do with them, it was not true. If not, why would he think about these matters? Just like the ladies from the House of Red Sleeves who were currently a few feet away from them, he had to consider these problems too.

Mistress Jian did not ask him to take care of those ladies on the journey. However, based on his relationship with the House of Red Sleeves, he would not be able to ignore them if something were to happen. Other than his personal friendship with Mistress Jian, what was more important was that the Academy was responsible for the care of the House of Red Sleeves. Xiaoxiao, his Youngest Uncle’s fiance, the woman who had almost become their Youngest Aunt, was Mistress Jian’s older sister.

More than 20 years ago, the last performance the House of Red Sleeves had overseas was at the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival at the Lanke Temple. Their Youngest Aunt died there. The House of Red Sleeves would once again appear at the Lanke Temple after 20 years. How could Ning Que not be vigilant?

Ning Que suddenly felt someone approaching them. His eyebrows twitched upwards and he looked towards the large tree to see a flash of a shadow.

He saw that it was the Big Black Horse. What made him grow alert was that something had spooked the Big Black Horse, causing it to appear frantic.

Other than the natural disaster that had occurred more than a decade ago, the security of the Tang Empire had always been good. Ning Que was not worried for his safety. Even if the rare robber appeared, he would not mind getting rid of him for the good of the nation and to spread the good name of the Academy. He wouldn’t mind even if it was a cultivator.

He won against Guan Hai and killed Dao Shi. He had blinded Liu Yiqing and had miraculously beaten Xia Hou. His prowess was proven. Even though Wang Jinglue might not be convinced, but the cultivation world had come to a consensus. Ning Que, Mr. Thirteen of the Academy, was the strongest person below the Knowing Destiny State.

Furthermore, he had Sangsang, the inheritor of the Great Divine Priest of Light by his side. With Ning Que’s natal item by his side, he dared to battle against a Grand Cultivator in the Knowing destiny State. Of course, Grand Cultivators in Knowing Destiny State would know of his and Sangsang’s identity and would not want to provoke the ire of the Academy and the West-Hill Divine Palace.

The Big Black Horse ran back to Ning Que and Sangsang, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. He panted heavily, looking terrified.

Ning Que looked at the trail of smoke gravely.

The smoke dissipated, leaving behind a bare-chested man holding a grass fork yelling loudly as he approached.

“You thief horse! Don’t run! See if I won’t kill you!”

The matter was quickly explained. The Big Black Horse had walked around and caught the scent of food at the village. He couldn’t control himself and followed the scent, pushing his head into a window and ate the food of that family. It was discovered by the owner who then chased after him, intent on killing him.

Ning Que glared at the Big Black Horse. He thought that the horse was really a chicken. Ning Que fed him nourishing fruits every day, but he went to steal food from others instead! What’s more, he had been so terrified just from the farmer chasing after him and panted like he was dying!

The Big Black Horse lowered his head shamefully. He thought to himself that it was indeed his fault for stealing food. It had better look more pathetic or Ning Que might punish him further.

Ning Que looked at the farmer and smiled bitterly. He placed his hands together and apologized.

The farmer held on to the straw fork with one hand and placed his other hand on his waist. He panted tiredly, saying, “This fellow runs really f**king quickly. It is a good horse indeed! No wonder he drank a portion of the porridge in one gulp!”

Ning Que felt even more ashamed when he heard that the Big Black Horse had stolen a portion of porridge. He smiled bitterly, saying, “It eats too much and is lazy. It’s not really a good horse.”

The farmer shook his head in disagreement. He said, “I have never seen a better horse than this, even when I was in the military camp. Not even the general’s horse was better than this.”

The Tang Empire had a three-year military recruitment system. In order to gain more land, the size of its military had to be large. Furthermore, since the citizens of the Tang Empire thought highly of martial arts, many men had been through the military system. Ning Que knew that the farmer had retired from the military when he heard that and was not surprised. He took some money and handed it to the man, saying, “Take this for the pot of porridge. The pot must be dirty too, so take this money for the entire pot of porridge.”

The farmer waved his hand and said, “I saw that the horse was handsome and guessed that it had an owner. That’s why I chased after it. I don’t really need this money.”

Ning Que smiled and said, “Why did you chase after him if not for the money?”

The farmer said matter-of-factly, “That’s because your attitude is good. If you had been snobby, then I would have charged you for the porridge and for my hard work in making the porridge.”

Such candor was often seen in the Academy and in the Tang citizens. Ning Que liked this a lot and he smiled, “Since this is so, I shall not indulge in social niceties with you then.”

The farmer looked at the black horse carriage and Sangsang, who was in her handmaiden uniform. He guessed that they were resting there temporarily and invited them, saying, “It’s not convenient to speak here. Come to my house.”

Ning Que was good at social interaction and liked the farmer’s character. However, he was still that cold youth from many years back and wanted to reject the farmer’s invitation.

The farmer was unexpectedly persistent. He said, “Since you will have to travel far, you will need to get water. If you mind, you can just pay me for it.”

Ning Que still wanted to reject him.

The farmer frowned and said, “You look like someone who’s been in the army. Why are you so wishy-washy?”

Ning Que looked at the determination in the farmer’s eyes and thought of the City of Wei. He thought of the army men in the city and the words he left with General Ma before he left.

“Then let’s go.” He smiled and said, “But I want some alcohol too.”

The farmer laughed heartily and said, “We have home-brewed wine. It’s not good, but you can have as much as you want.”

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