Nightfall

The light in the Divine Hall of Light went out and the peach blossoms in the mountain blossomed. Although the Hierarch Lord had been missing since his return from the Academy, everyone knew that he had been seriously injured. However, on the day the peach blossoms bloomed, the Hierarch’s chariot reappeared. The people looked at the shining figure behind the voile and found that he had recovered fully, his power even stronger than before.

Many changes have taken place in the West-Hill Divine Palace since spring, but no one seemed to notice. Some people did not perceive the changes at this level, while others did not dare to.

“There are some things that you can only guess about but you can’t, which is why the process is made interesting. The people in the Divine Hall are all very smart. They are truly smart, so they will not die of intelligence.”

Long Qing looked at Lu Chenjia and said, “Some things can be guessed, and I want to confirm that I need to make a trip to the You Prison. Now that the verdict of the Divine Hall still has its eyes on me and Ye Hongyu has gotten rid of all my people, I do not have the chance to at all. But it is different for you, and I would like to ask you for your help.”

His expression and tone were much more gentle than before. He was not as prideful or cold, but the words were still as cold to Lu Chenjia’s ears because of his politeness.

“How am I different?” She asked.

Long Qing looked at the Divine Hall of Light at the peak and said, “It is said that she was by the Great Divine Priest of Revelation at his death. She went to see the Hierarch, and the Hierarch’s blinded eyes recovered. However, the peach blossoms over this mountain have already bloomed for such a long time, yet she had not entered the verdict of the Divine Hall still and not met that woman, Ye Hongyu.”

Lu Chenjia asked, “What are you trying to say?”

Long Qingsaid, “If I have not guessed wrongly, she is the person in the Divine Hall of Light. Then, your bad relationship with Ning Que is beneficial to you now. You can help me as long as the two girls in white in the Divine Hall speak. Not even Ye Hongyu would dare to stop you.”

Lu Chenjia lowered her head and asked, “Why?”

Long Qing answered, “Because she knows that helping you would mean helping me. She would definitely be willing as long as it is something that hinders the Academy and Ning Que because she hates them the most.”

Lu Chenjia said, “Then why don’t you head straight to the Divine Hall of Light? Everyone knows that if we wanted to find someone Ning Que hated the most in the world, it’d definitely be you.”

After a pause, Long Qing said, “I do not dare to take the risk because she also used to hate me a lot.”

Lu Chenjia looked at his eyes and said, “You said earlier that smart people easily die because of their intelligence. Mortals daring to guess Heaven’s will are also equally in danger.”

Long Qing answered, “There are some things that have to be done even if you would die.”

Lu Chenjia looked at the flowers in front of her and asked, “When?”

Long Qing replied, “As soon as possible, as I do not have a lot of time.”

Lu Chenjia said, “I like how honest you are with me, so I will do it. But I do not understand why you want to enter the You Prison.”

Long Qing answered, “I have to see someone.”

Lu Chenjia asked, “Why?”

Long Qing replied, “I went to the Zhishou Abbey. The doors were closed.”

Lu Chenjia looked at his face and asked with a wavering voice, “Have you not given up yet?”

Long Qing said calmly, “It would be a shame to have suffered all these years and to have struggled in dire situations countless times if I just gave up so easily.”

Lu Chenjia could sense the aura he was giving off and understood that he had gained true peace. She could not understand why a calm man like this would be so stubborn.

“Just because my heart is still does not mean that it is dead.”

Long Qing looked at his chest. Beneath the divine robe, was a hole. There wasn’t a heart inside, only a black peach blossom. When the entire mountain bloomed with peach blossoms, the black peach blossom in his chest that had almost withered in the south of Chang’an had miraculously recovered. He felt that this was a sign from Haotian.

He looked in the direction of the Divine Hall of Light and said calmly, “I used to think too much in the past, so my Taoist Heart might be firm, but mottled. Those marks are scars from past fears. Just like the dream I had when I ascended the mountain in the Academy, I saw light and darkness, but did not understand where I should stand. Now, I just want to heal my injuries and have a fair fight with Ning Que, to see whom Haotian will choose. Even if Haotian does not choose me, I cannot give up on myself.”

The moon shone on the flowering trees in the Revelation Institute and also on the peach blossoms covering the mountain. Ning Que stood on the edge of the cliff in front of the flowers and looked at the moon in the night sky. Once he had ascertained that the night would not be cloudly, he jumped to the opposite precipice.

He landed on the precipice with both hands making the true Emblematic Gesture of the Buddhism Sect. The Dhyana and Indifference ignored the array intent coming from the precipice. Then, he released his right hand slowly and held on to a rope hanging down from the top of the precipice.

The rope was very long and strong, with one end tied to the neck of the big black horse on the cliff platform while the other end hung off the precipice and was tightly tied to Ning Que’s waist.

He tugged on the string tightly, sending a signal to the top of the cliff platform. The Big Black Horse felt the vibration on the string on its neck and walked towards the edge of the cliff slowly. Ning Que slowly descended the precipice.

Moonlight shone down, and the fog enveloping the You Prison lowered, revealing the stone windows dotting the precipice, looking like ant nests. Ning Que arrived at the cell Chen Pipi was imprisoned in and tugged on the rope once more.

The Big Black Horse stopped moving forward.

Ning Que was worried about being swallowed up by the fog and that he would not be able to hold onto the precipice and fall to his death. Now that he was tied by a rope to the Big Black Horse, he should be able to rest assured. However, he still felt rather nervous as he looked at the fog beneath his feet.

He did not dare to look down and looked into the stone window instead.

Chen Pipi was smiling at him inside the stone window.

Only light could pass through the stone window. And even if someone on the precipice used the blood-colored huge blade to gouge at the stone, the sound would not be able to pass through into the prison cell. Chen Pipi immediately discovered Ning Que when he arrived outside the stone window, not because he shared a connection with Ning Que and also not because he had great divination skills, but because he had been looking out of the window all this time.

To be more exact, in the last few days, he ate, showered and farted, but did not sleep much. He spent all his time looking outside the stone window.

The deacon in the You Prison thought he had gone mad, just looking at the unchanging blue sky in a daze all day. But actually, he was waiting for Ning Que. He knew that Ning Que would come, but not when, so he could only keep looking out the window to ensure that he would not miss him.

Ning Que took out the letter he wrote and laid it flat against the window.

Using the light from the oil lamp, Chen Pipi looked at the small print on the paper and frowned slightly. He was indeed the genius of the Academy, the only one who scored six A+’s. He looked through it quickly and memorised the content on the paper. It would not be difficult for him to recite it again.

Ning Que kept the paper and smiled. He asked silently, “Isn’t it amazing?”

Chen Pipi only knew then, that it was the Academy’s plan. He could not help but grow frantic. Now that he thought through it, he felt that it was rather rational. But in the end, he still shook his head.

It had nothing to do with the Academy’s plan. He just disagreed with Ning Que’s addition to the plan for rescuing him from the You Prison. The more rational the Academy’s plan was, the more he could not accept the risk of foiling it.

Ning Que did not say anything when he saw Chen Pipi shaking his head. He pointed his middle finger.

Chen Pipi continued shaking his head and wrote some words with his finger in the air.

Ning Que looked at the words and frowned slightly. He did not understand why Chen Pipi brought her up.

He extended his finger and wrote a dirty statement in the air outside the window.

Chen Pipi felt a little angered, and wrote something even more crass with his finger.

Ning Que did not grow angry. What was happening now reminded him of when he first entered the Academy and how he had exchanged messages with the fat boy in the old library through a note. He could not help but laugh.

Time passed silently and disappeared without a trace. Who would have thought that many years later, he and Chen Pipi would come to the Peach Mountain and exchange messages through a precipice?

Chen Pipi must have thought of the past as well and he laughed silently, saying, “The food in the You Prison is indeed good. If you’re interested, you can come in and try.”

Then, he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening from behind him. Someone entered his cell, and Chen Pipi’s smile faltered. He raised his brows at Ning Que who was outside the window.

Ning Que understood and quickly moved to the side of the precipice to ensure that the people in the cell would not be able to see him from his angle. Then, he looked into the cell. When he saw the person walking into the cell, he could not help but feel a little surprised, not knowing why the person would appear there.

Chen Pipi had never met the man entering the cell. He recognized the silver mask, if he had not remembered wrongly, which was why he was a little shocked and confused.

“If I haven’t predicted wrongly, you should be very discreet in the West-Hill Divine Palace now. Why have you gone against the rules and visited me? Furthermore, how did you know I was imprisoned here? Don’t tell me you still have cronies in the Judicial Department. I know how cold-blooded and powerful that woman is.”

Long Qing looked at the fat boy by the window and said, “You are indeed the genius of Haotian Taoism. You seem to be able to see what’s happening outside even though you’ve been shut in the You Prison. It’s a pity… that you’re useless now.”

Chen Pipi replied, “Even though I’ve always been good natured, it does not mean that I do not have a temper at all. Even a blind man can see that you have no right to call me useless.”

Long Qing smiled and said, “Your Snow Mountain and Ocean of Qi have already been destroyed. What are you if not useless?”

Chen Pipi’s expression did not change, and he said with a smile, “Even a true useless person like you can regain your powers after being shot by Ning Que. Would I, a genius, be unable to do so?”

Long Qing said, “You are still useless even if you regain your powers.”

Chen Pipi sighed and said, “It seems that you’ve become childish after being bullied by Ning Que.”

Long Qing said, “There’s indeed no need to continue such a childish conversation. You’re about to be burned by the Holy Fire at the Light Sacrifice. Why would I need to come and shame you again?”

“I want to hear why you think I’m useless.”

Chen Pipi’s expresion wavered and he stood in front of Long Qing, and asked. He wanted to block the person and not let Ning Que, who was outside the window, see what he was saying. However, he was too late.

Ning Que saw what Long Qing said clearly.

The Light Sacrifice was the grandest sacrificial ceremony of the West-Hill Divine Palace. It required oblations of the highest level. No one knew what the oblation of the Light Sacrifice was until today.

Ning Que only found out tonight that Chen Pipi was the oblation of the Light Sacrifice. What was awaiting him was the burning of the holy Haotian Divine Light and death.

“This oblation is rather precious… and heavy.”

Ning Que smiled as he looked at Chen Pipi’s wide figure within the prison. Then, he silently scolded Mrs. Zeng in his heart, calling her the most shameless prostitute in the world.