Nightfall

Due to the spring rain, pure and fresh air enveloped the ancient temple. The huge stones that fell from the cliff and crushed the back temple into ruins gave an impression of dilapidation, even desolating the drizzle.

Monk Guan Hai dared not let other monks of the temple accompany Ning Que and Sangsang due to Sangsang’s identity. While he strolled in the rain with the young couple and approached the Sounds of Heaven Palace, a monk rushed to them and cried out.

“The cavalrymen of the Divine Hall have reached the town by the bottom of the hill.”

The monk was a little pale, for he didn’t even know what had happened. Why did the cavalrymen of the Divine Hall come to the Lanke Temple? What does Taoism want?

Monk Guan Hai guessed that the cavalrymen were related to Ning Que and Sangsang, but he guessed their intention wrong, so he was a little solemn and nervous.

Ning Que said, “Don’t worry. They won’t come in here.”

Despite hearing this, Monk Guan Hai was still worried. Surrounding the Lanke Temple like this, they must want me to hand over Ning Que. It’s definitely not a good sign for the temple and monks.

“They are not here to arrest me.” Ning Que felt a little embarrassed and explained, “Just think these cavalrymen as her bodyguards.”

It dawned on Monk Guan Hai suddenly that the cavalrymen came here to accompany Sangsang.

Ning Que sensed that Monk Guan Hai was still unsettled, so he asked the monk to go and handle affairs of the temple.

Monk Guan Hai refused. “As the abbot, it’s my obligation to accompany the distinguished guests coming from afar.”

Ning Que said, “My wife and I take delight in strolling in the rain, and we don’t need a monk following us around.”

Monk Guan Hai insisted. “The path on the back temple is difficult to walk.”

Ning Que said, “You are telling jokes now.”

Monk Guan Hai laughed. What I just said was indeed unreasonable. There are no difficulties and obstacles in the world that can stop Ning Que, not to mention that Haotian is by his side.

The big black umbrella bloomed in the drizzle, like a black lotus flower.

The big black horse was very sulky because he was getting wet from the rain.

However, Ning Que didn’t care about the horse’s feeling. He just held the umbrella and walked in the temple freely with Sangsang.

They had lived here for one autumn before, so they were very familiar with the ancient temple. Although the misty rain blocked their sight, they didn’t walk in the wrong direction.

Ning Que went to the Forest of Pagoda first. He stood in front of the grave covered by moss and greeted the dancer buried in the tomb who completely changed the whole cultivation world.

Then he walked through the rain shelter and went to the room where he once lived. Next, he went to the wing hall and pondered for a while towards the stone statues. Finally he walked to the dilapidated halls of the back temple.

The halls of the back temple were completely collapsed and the stones fell from the cliff were covered by moss. The broken Buddha statues were partly hidden and partly visible among the stones, which brought about a sense of vicissitudes.

Standing before the damaged back temple, Ning Que looked at the huge stones in silence.

After stepping into the Lanke Temple, Sangsang hadn’t said a word.

The Lanke Temple changed the fate of Yan Haoran and Lian Sheng, and also changed the fate of Ning Que and Sangsang.

During the autumn a few years back, Ning Que took Sangsang here to cure her disease and to study Buddha Dharma. Also in the temple, Sangsang was discovered to be the daughter of Invariant Yama, who the whole world wanted to kill.

They began their escape from here. Then they passed Buddha’s Chessboard, fled to the Xuankong Temple, Yuelun Kingdom and then East Wilderness, met Headmaster of Academy and took a voyage at sea together. They came back to the Lanke Temple today.

Too many things had happened over the past years. Looking at the dilapidated halls, Ning Que recalled what he had done here and was hit with mixed feelings.

They were on the run together for thousand miles and they swore to live and die together. However, it turned out to be a lie. It was just a scheme set by Haotian. The scheme fooled Ning Que, outwitted the Headmaster of Academy, turned the mortal world upside down and even deceived herself.

Standing in front of the temple in the rain, Ning Que remembered the conversation with Master Qishan and looked down to Sangsang standing by his side subconsciously. The will of heaven is really difficult to predict.

Walking along the gap between the huge stones, they left the back hall and walked to the Wa Mountain through the broken temple wall of the Lanke Temple. Then along the mountain road they once passed, Ning Que and Sangsang passed the chessboard under the tree, crossed the bridge above the stream, looked at the trees in the rain, and finally came to the small courtyard on the hillside.

The small courtyard was decorated just as before, which was simple and clean. The cotton bedding on the bed was as soft as the old days. There were fan-shaped stone windows on the garden wall, through which one could oversee the Wa Mountain in the rain.

At that time, Sangsang was seriously ill and coughed a lot while lying in bed. When Sangsang said her last words to him back then, Ning Que stood in front of the stone window silently for a long time.

He stood in front of the stone window again, as if it was yesterday once more.

Sangsang walked up to him and coughed slightly.

Ning Que turned to her and suggested, “Do you want a feet bath?”

Sangsang didn’t respond to him.

It was not because she was immersed in the sorrow of the past but because she was actually ill.

The illness that she had was weakness.

The moment Sangsang woke up between the broken peaks, she became weaker and weaker, her body became heavier and heavier, and her Divine Power was less and less powerful.

Here was the human world full of mortals, not the objective and cold Divine Kingdom. The longer she stayed in the human world, the weaker she became.

She was still very strong now, even stronger than all the cultivators in the world combined together. However, she was much weaker at this point compared to the time she was in Divine Kingdom. She became sentimental due to her weakness.

Left the small courtyard, they came to the summit of the Wa Mountain.

The stone statue of Buddha that once soared in the sky only had a small part of the mutilated body left. The pattern of drifting clouds on Buddha’s kasaya could still be seen faintly, but most of the status had been cut into pieces by Jun Mo’s sword.

Sangsang looked up at the sky quietly with her hands behind her back.

There used to be the compassionate and calm face of Buddha, but now there was nothing but the rain.

She still looked at it quietly as if she was looking at Buddha’s face. No one knew what was on her mind.

Ning Que was a little unsettled and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Sangsang stared at the face of Buddha that didn’t exist and answered, “I’ve met him before.”

Buddha was one of the most powerful people in innumerable samsara. As Haotian, you obviously would be impressed by him, just like you were when you met my teacher.

Sangsang knew what he was thinking and argued, “Not the way you thought. I mean I’ve met him.”

Ning Que was confused and said, “When Buddha was still alive, of course you’ve met him.”

Sangsang explained, “No. Buddha dared not see me when he was alive.”

Ning Que frowned and asked, “Then when did you meet him?

Sangsang answered, “Just a moment before.”

Ning Que was silent for quite a while and asked, “When you saw this ruined status?”

Sangsang answered, “I saw him just before I looked up at him.”

Ning Que didn’t understand, but deduced a shocking fact, “You mean, Buddha hadn’t reached Nirvana? Is he still alive?”

Sangsang said, “He was already dead, but still lives.”

Ning Que felt that what she said was too abstruse.

Sangsang turned to Ning Que and added, “Or, he is alive and dead at the same time.”

Ning Que looked toward the ruined stone statue, staring at the spot where had nothing but the rain.

The big black umbrella leaned back due to his movements. The rain fell on his face, making him wet and cold. He seemed to see Buddha smiling in the rain with his compassionate face covered by tears.

He said, “I still don’t understand.”

Sangsang walked toward the back of the lotus throne and said, “It’s like the cat you told me about before.”

Ning Que remembered that he told her a horrible story when they were at Min Mountain many years ago, for that night was too boring and she had trouble sleeping.

The leading role of that story was the cat of Schrodinger.

For him, a cat that may be simultaneously both alive and dead was only a little puzzling, but it was pretty confusing and frightening for a three-year-old girl.

Looking at the something that didn’t exist, Ning Que was suddenly frightened.

…

…

The spring rain became unexpectedly heavier. With the accumulated water, the mountain road became so wet and slippery that it was difficult to walk. Ning Que took Sangsang to the cave in the back mountain to temporary rest.

“The rain is right on time.”

Ning Que closed the big black umbrella and sat on the cattail hassock by the stone table. He looked at the sizzling vines that were hit by the rain above his head, “I intend to take you here.”

The cave was once the residence of Master Qishan who had played the game of Go here with Sangsang. They used the chess board of Buddha during that time, which contained countless dooms.

“Why did you take me to the Lanke Temple?” Sangsang asked.

Ning Que answered, “I bring you here to visit the old temple and clear your mind.”

Sangsang sat by the table, “Go on.”

Ning Que said, “What you said by the South Sea made me very nervous. I can’t imagine what would happen if you were to be disappointed and even angry with the whole human race.”

Sangsang said, “When you humans need me, you treat me like a god, but when you don’t, you treat me like dirt. If you were me, what kind of emotional response would you have?”

“I have no idea, for I am not Haotian. After all, I’m not the who who has enjoyed the incense burned by the human world for hundreds of millions of years, and naturally I can’t understand the anger of being betrayed.”

Ning Que continued, “But I want you to know that human beings are not as indifferent as you think. You still have countless devout followers on earth.”

Sangsang argued, “That’s because they can benefit from following me.”

Ning Que explained, “Not all human beings give their priorities for interests, and we can be influenced by many other things. We are not born evil. On the contrary, we always kindly treat the world we live in. I take you here to feel the kindness.”

Sangsang asked, “What kindness?”

Ning Que said, “Master Qishan. He represented the simplest and cleanest kindness of mankind.”

Master Qishan was the most highly respected man of virtue in Buddhism. He sacrificed himself in exchange for the well-being of mankind. Besides, he took Lian Sheng in and tried to cure Sangsang.

The master was impeccable in terms of virtue. He was a loving teacher to Ning Que and Sangsang regardless of Buddha Dharma or other aspects.

Sang Sang acknowledged the lack of views, but she disagreed with the lack of claims.

“Qishan was good, but the starting point of his kindness was still the interests of mankind, which was exactly the reason why he took Lian Sheng in and helped the daughter of Invariant Yama escape using Buddha’s Chessboard.”

Ning Que asked, “Doesn’t it show his kindness?”

Sangsang looked at the summit quietly and said, “The Buddha wants to deliver all living creatures from torment and encourages all his disciples to do so by devoting to their cultivation. How could Buddha Dharma relieve my suffering if I’m not among all living creatures?”

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