Nightfall

There was a board with the word “Red Lotus” on the door of the dilapidated temple.

Ning Que had not expected that even such a secluded mountain temple had an official name. It was not until he helped Sangsang into the temple, and saw several blood red autumn maples, that he realized the truth.

The rain was dripping and the temple was filled with chilly wetness. Ning Que was looking for the monks in the temple, and took out a banknote, indicating that he was going to spend the night here. He expressed that his wife preferred peace and quiet, so they were unwilling to listen to other noises.

At first, the two monks didn’t understand what their intentions were and remained unwilling to walk out of the temple in the rain. However, when they saw the amount of money on the note, they became considerate immediately. The Red Lotus Temple was broken and there was nothing valuable. Even if there were several Lohans like those in the main hall, they were also painted with mud, and were not as important as the banknote even if added up together.

The two monks boiled some hot water, and left them some daily necessities. They told Ning Que that there were a few acres of rice fields at the foot of the mountain where they lived, and then went out of the temple under a broken umbrella.

It was still early at this time, but they hadn’t had any good meals on the journey. Ning Que felt hungry; he went to the temple’s kitchen and tasted several plates of vegetarian dishes. He thought their flavor was plain, so he took out a big pack of dried meat from their package, and then he picked up two ginseng and threw it into the pot to simmer a large pot of broth.

After the soup cooled down, he carefully fed Sansang a small bowl of broth. He used his broth to soak the rice. Then he tossed out the ginseng scented meat from the pot and threw it out the door.

Smelling the scent of ginseng, the Big Black Horse came over curiously. It looked down at the meat and sniffed, only to find that it was not fresh meat, and was not simmered with whole ginseng but ginseng whiskers. So it left disappointedly, and went to the maple tree to take shelter from the rain in a daze.

Ning Que became annoyed and shouted at it, “Almost all the ginseng given by Eleventh Brother has been eaten. If you keep being as choosy as the ox, you will starve to death on the road.”

The big black horse ignored him and raised its head to sniff the fragrance on the maple tree. It thought proudly that although it was a fool, it was also a fool of the Academy. It did not say that he could only eat or drink otherworldly delicacies, but it must also pursue the realm of eating and drinking.

Sangsang’s illness was serious, and the chill in her body was very annoying. Not knowing whether it was the practice of Divine Skill or the blazing spirits she consumed these days, even though she was sick, it was not as terrible as she was in Chang’an. She was just sick, looking listless, and tiring easily.

Ning Que picked up another piece of meat and finely chopped with chopsticks until it became velvety, and then mixed it into the rice. Sangsang tried her best to finish the meal, and after today’s half-capsule liquor had been consumed she looked a lot better.

“Bear with it a little more. It should be about four days more to reach the Lanke temple.”

Prepared to start a fire at night, Ning Que carried two large crude blocks of wood. He sat on the threshold, and chopped them with his head lowered. He thought that although the black carriage was comfortable, after all, it would inevitably be a little bumpy. So, if there were any better inns along the way for the next few days, he would let Sangsang have more rest.

Sangsang laid on the monks’ bed, with the quilt covering the lower part of her body. She looked at Ning Que who was very busy, and suddenly thought of the days when it was her, not him, who was busy cooking and chopping at home many years ago.

Feeling her gaze, Ning Que looked back into the room and looked at the exhausted look on her dark face. He said seriously, “I don’t know why the Headmaster can’t cure your illness, but I believe in his words that the Elders in Lanke Temple can do it, so don’t worry.”

Sangsang murmured in agreement.

After a moment of silence, Ning Que said in a solemn and serious way, “If something happens in the Lanke Temple, you don’t need to bother about it. You, especially, can’t use divine skills anymore. You only need to care about your health.”

Sangsang lowered her head and kept silence for a long time before murmuring in agreement.

Ning Que knew that this requirement did not make any sense to her. If there really were any danger, she wouldn’t be able to care for her own health. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

As it was for the past 16 years, he was never able to defeat his little handmaiden, no matter what aspect.

After taking a rest, Sangsang felt better. She looked at the beautiful maple trees in the temple’s courtyard through the door, and a happy look appeared in her eyes.

Since her illness, Ning Que had been paying attention to the most subtle changes of her expression. He looked at her eyes and relaxed. He helped her get up from the bed and walked down to the gallery to see the trees in the rain.

The Red Lotus Temple was really dilapidated with several walls that had already collapsed. There was no way to tell when the stone steps at the main entrance had become flat. Ning Que directly pulled over the carriage in the courtyard.

At this time, the autumn rain was clear and the red maple was like a fire. The black carriage was parked under the maple tree. Naturally, Ning Que thought of a poem, “Stopping in my sedan chair in the evening, I sit admiring the maple grove; The maple leaves are redder than the flowers of spring…”

He was born early. Many of his memories had long been obscured or even disappeared, with only a few basic things that were hard to forget. He could remember few of the poems, but he still couldn’t forget their context. At this moment, however, no one knew that he remembered the frost-covered leaves as maple leaves.

He didn’t finish reciting this poem.

Because he felt that Sangsang’s slender arms which he was holding had become a little stiff, so she looked at her worriedly. Instead of seeing her painful frown, he saw a shy and slightly red face.

Sangsang lowered her head and murmured in a very subtle voice, “We aren’t married yet.”

Ning Que knew that the girl misunderstood those two words in the poem; he could not help but smile. Then he thought of the day when a little boy used the words “sit admiring” (which have the same sound as “making love” in Chinese) in the poem to tease some little girls many years ago. He felt slightly shocked, feeling as if it had happened centuries ago. However, he never understood that they were truly connected even in different generations.

After a moment, he woke up from this emotion which he rarely had in the past, and reached out his hand to touch Sangsang’s face. He said, “Is there any difference if we are married or not? We won’t be separated in this life.”

Sangsang lifted her head and said gently, “I’m afraid there is.”

Ning Que was surprised and asked, “What’s the difference?”

Sangsang whispered, “Everyone says… if two people were really being together, they won’t like each other anymore, at least not as much as before.”

Ning Que felt a little annoyed and said, “Who said that? It must have been that idler Xiaocao, instilling all these messy worldviews on you.”

Sangsang looked at him and said stubbornly, “But, won’t they stop liking each other?”

Ning Que’s answer was natural, without thinking, “Of course not.”

Sangsang said, “But Xiaocao said… that a lot of girls in Chang’an City were all spoiled by their men before marriage, but after a couple of years their husbands would be tired about that.”

Ning Que looked at her and said with a smile, “Think about it. You entered my home since you were born, which was 16 years ago. Have I ever feel tired of it? And you? Since we haven’t been tired of each other for so many years, it would naturally not be the case for the rest of our lives. Even if we become tired of it, it will only be because we don’t stay together long enough.”

Sangsang’s face was slightly red and said, “Ning Que, your words sound more and more pleasant now.”

Ning Que asked with a smile, “Why are you not calling me young master?”

Sangsang said, “You are not my young master when we are talking about love.”

Ning Que muttered, “That makes sense.”

Sangsang said suddenly, “But you also like other women.”

Ning Que felt startled, and said, “Who are they?”

“Her Highness?”

“That was a juvenile sentimentality and a sense of impulse without direction. If you looked deeper, you could probably see that it was all the poor children’s fantasy to be with the princess.”

“What about Sister Dewdrop?”

“She is the Headmaster’s cup of tea, you must not be so disrespectful to her.”

“But you said you wanted to touch her and rub her.”

“That was about the feeling of touch, about desire.”

“…You mean I don’t feel good to the touch?”

“Next, next.”

“What about the Calligraphy Addict?”

“Ah, it is a little bit windy. We might as well return to the room.”

The Big Black Horse, who was taking shelter and doing self-training under the maple trees, had awakened when Ning Que and Sangsang started to talk about certain topics. It listened keenly and stared at them with wide eyes for fear that it would miss one of their conversations, or some of Ning Que’s embarrassments.

Looking at Ning Que who was ready to help Sangsang get into the temple, the big black horse felt bored and cursed Ning Que for his brazenness in its heart. Suddenly, it faintly smelled a slight smell coming from the autumn rain and looked up curiously.

Sangsang looked at the gate of the temple in the rain and said: “Someone is coming.”

Ning Que stood still for a moment, and said suddenly, “Get on the carriage.”

Their important packages were all in the carriage, so they could be ready to leave quickly without a coachman.

The Big Black Horse’s mane was soaked by the autumn rain. It wasn’t loose and sticky, but stalked like a sword.

It was irritable at this time.

Because it confirmed that the faint smell he caught earlier in the rain was the smell of blood.

It had never smelled such a heavy yet extremely chilly smell of blood, even on the battlefield.

A hurried sound of horseshoes came from the autumn rain, which should still be at the base of the hill. It was very far away, and it shouldn’t be heard. Only Ning Que, Sangsang, and the Big Black Horse could listen to it clearly.

The black carriage pulled out of the Red Lotus Temple.

Ning Que lifted the curtain, and looked down from the mountain.

There were no trees among the blue mountains, but only the wild grass. Since it was in the late autumn, the grass turned yellow and was covered by frost. Plagued by the rain and wind in autumn, the blades began to fall one after another, making the already excellent view clearer.

The autumn rain was doleful but not dense enough to block people’s sights.

One could see more than a dozen black riders riding at a high speed following three mountain paths.

The riders on darkish horses were all wearing black taoist robes. They were dressed completely in black, as if the night had come to the world in daytime, which gave it a taste of coldness and seriousness.

These black riders were lightning fast.

The horses’ hooves crushed the mud on the road, while the taoist robes collided with the fine rain.

Ning Que looked through the window; he kept silent and knew it was too late to leave.

The big black horse was uneasy, kicking the rain on the ground with irritability. It seemed like it wanted to get out to have a fight at once.

Sangsang lowered her head, coughing gently; the darkish iron bow in her small hands was already assembled.

Ning Que suddenly asked, “What level?”

Sangsang looked up, holding the big black umbrella in her right hand; she watched the black riders across the window while frowning slightly. It seemed that she could not believe her own Perception State and said, “All of them are in the Seethrough Realm…”

Then she added, “Five of them are in Peak of Seethrough Realm, and one of them has reached the peak level.”

Ning Que had a slightly heavy look in his eyes while remaining calm, but he felt somewhat puzzled.