Nightfall

He roared with laughter.

It was really painful. He turned extremely pale. But he was still laughing toward the giant Ark in the sky. He laughed cheerfully, miserably, unbridledly and even fanatically.

Sangsang stood at the bow and looked calmly at the man on top of the city wall. She no longer felt angry or resentful as she used to be because of him.

She found herself to be extremely peaceful and powerful. Even if it was her own fantasy, she was still calm. After calmness came solemnity, then eternity.

She thought she could be calm. But seeing Ning Que’s pale face and the blood gushing out from his chest, she felt some pain in her chest as well, for reasons she couldn’t understand.

Was it an illusion or delusion? Sangsang applied incredibly strong willpower and erased the question from her mind. But she could not help but frown.

She stared at Ning Que and asked calmly, “Isn’t that painful?”

Ning Que took a glance at the gash and the blade stabbed into his flesh. He forced a miserable smile and answered, “A man needs to be harsh to himself.”

Sangsang murmured, “But it still hurts.”

Ning Que pressed harder and the iron cutlass was pushed further into his chest. He sweat profusely while looking above at her and said, “I’m a real man.”

Sangsang asked pityingly, “Seriously, isn’t that painful?”

Ning Que held the hilt with his right hand. It trembled and pulled the gash longer. Blood gushed out like a waterfall. He answered, “In the Divine Halls of West-Hill, you tortured me for countless rounds with countless slices. I’m already used to it. It seems like I should thank you for that.”

Sangsang asked him three times whether or not it was painful but he did not answer. With a blade in the chest, how could it not be painful? But he was already heartbroken. It no longer mattered to him.

“Yes, it hurts as long as you are a human.” Her pity vanished immediately and she said emotionlessly, “You are human. You have the three poisons of attachment, aversion, and obsession in your body. In the thousand years we spent in the chessboard, you were deeply bonded with love. My poisons are gone now. How about yours?”

Ning Que looked at her and laughed again increasingly indifferently.

“While we traveled throughout the world you tried your best to teach me love. I couldn’t understand it until now. But at least I know one thing: affection and love does not necessarily mean to take, but rather to give. Human beings all have compassion. The more you’ve done for me, the harder it is for you to hurt me.” Sangsang stared at him and said calmly, “I want to leave. The only way you can stop me is to kill yourself and thus kill me. But would you be hardhearted enough to do that?”

Ning Que laughed and said, “You do not understand after all. Affection and love is neither only about taking nor only about giving. It is to experience it together. It’s true I cannot watch you die. But can you stand there and watch me die instead? If you are the ruthless Haotian, you should have left by now. Why are you talking to me so much?”

He coughed blood while talking. His bright teeth and pale cheeks were stained with blood and seemed very ferocious. However, he carried the firmest determination and willpower that even the Heaven could not underestimate.

Sangsang pondered for a while and then smiled. “You are right. Since we are doomed to be parted, I shouldn’t have said so much.”

The spring breeze flicked her dress and bloomed the flowers on it. The indigo lion kept running on the clouds and was pulling the Ark toward the golden line at the edge of the sky. She stood at the bow and never looked at him again.

Looking at the disappearing Ark and resending figure, Ning Que said, ‘You’ve always known that I hate death. But it wasn’t until that day when I couldn’t find you in the City of Wei, when I saw that they have all died and thought you were dead too that I finally realized that death is not scary at all.”

Sangsang did not turn to him, but her hands were behind her back. She looked pale because she was holding them tightly. She looked at her destination and thought, So you just can’t wait to see me dead?

She had asked that question several times. Ning Que laughed again and shivered. “I already answered you when we were in the West-Hill. It’s either we live together or die together.”

Sangsang did not look at him and the Ark kept floating toward her destination.

“Yes, that is unforgettable. How could I wish for your death? You are Haotian. You know everything. How could you not understand this? You definitely know I don’t want you to die.”

Ning Que pulled out the iron cutlass, reached into his chest, grabbed his heart and pulled it out. Blood gushed out and his heart was exposed under broad daylight.

He suffered from tremendous pain. Color drained completely from his face. He kept trembling until he could no longer stand. He flopped into his own blood on the ground and his blood splashed.

“Unforgettable? What if I smash my heart? How could that still be unforgettable? I don’t want you to die. But if I were to smash my own heart, then I wouldn’t be able to feel anything.”

Ning Que was panting in pain and said, “If you won’t stop, then let’s die together.”

Sangsang still paid no attention to him and the giant Ark kept moving forward.

She had shaken off the world of mortals in her. Now she was Haotian, the assembly of the simplest natural rules. She was ruthless and emotionless, and no longer fettered or threatened by any bonds to the human world.

If Ning Que were to kill himself, then Sangsang would also be dead. But Haotian would still be alive.

He looked desperate and cruel while he gripped. He was holding in his hand the fresh beating heart. He had almost achieved the highest level of Haoran Qi and his body was as strong as metal. Most importantly, Sangsang could revive the dead. It was almost impossible for him to kill himself.

While they were traveling throughout the world, he had planned many ways of killing himself. Previously he had applied Haoran Qi to cut open his chest and stabbed his heart, only to prove that he could not kill himself instantly even if it was a stab right to the heart.

As long as he could not kill himself instantly, Sangsang would able to cure him.

Therefore he pulled his heart out. With a single grip, he would smash the heart. Even Haotian would not be able to revive him.

If Ning Que were to die, then Sangsan would also be dead. But Haotian would still be alive. It seemed unreasonable to do so, yet he did it. It was a demonstration of his determination. And he wanted to know her last stand.

He gripped even tighter. As powerful as he was, he could have smashed an iron ball. However, the fresh heart was barely deformed and not even a single crack was formed.

It was extremely painful. Ning Que felt a sharp pain in his heart. But it was not broken.

He was shocked and confused, and could not figure out why.

Sangsang stood at the bow and smiled in silence.

During their last few decades inside the chessboard, from the redwood forest to the peak of that hill, she had left her own divine body and dwelled in his heart and made it tremendously strong.

Even Ning Que himself was not aware of such changes. But she was.

She knew whatever he thought about. So how could he defeat her?

Another refreshing breeze blew and tender spring rain fell again from the sky.

Rain fell on Ning Que’s body and cleaned the blood and washed away the dust on his heart.

The heart left his hand and returned to his chest. The gash was immediately healed. Not even a scar was left.

Ning Que looked at his chest and felt his heart beating even more powerful than before.

He could have stabbed the iron cutlass into his chest and heart again. But he did not do that. No matter how determined he was, no one could commit suicide again right after a failed attempt. Furthermore, Sangsang would not give him a second chance.

Previously it was an unsaid pledge between him and her, or rather a bet.

He failed, and felt some sweetness coming from his heart. He did not want to give up.

Ning Que insisted, “I can’t let you go.”

“I’ve already told you. We’ll meet again when you can write that Talisman by yourself.” Sangsang gazed at him, looked pale and complicated. She said, “Besides, I did make tea for you, many times.

Throughout the years they had lived under the same roof, shared the same bed, and ate from the same wok, of course she made him tea.

Ning Que was startled. After a long while he suddenly pointed to somewhere between his thighs. He questioned aloud, “How could you leave me like this?”

Sangsang smiled silently.

Ning Que stamped with fury and exclaimed, “Get off right now! You need to restore my dick!”

Sangsang smiled and did not say anything further.

She used to be united with him. His heart had become indestructible, not to mention his injury between his thighs. He was just making some excuse to make her stay.

It was a funny yet pitiful excuse.

The Ark kept floating to the edge of the sky and almost disappeared in the golden line.

She was about to arrive her at destination.

Looking at the disappearing Ark and the woman he could probably never meet again, Ning Que could not help but burst into tears. He murmured bitterly, “Now that you are gone, what should I do with my dick?”

…

…

The Ark left. Countless followers kneeled to escort her.

That golden line was the destination.

Brilliant lights poured onto her. Sangsang squinted instinctively.

The gate to the Divine Kingdom was already destroyed. It was her first time to return this way. It felt strange but she knew she could not be wrong.

She came from the Divine Kingdom, therefore her destination was definitely the Divine Kingdom.

She closed her eyes and got ready to encounter herself in the Divine Kingdom and integrate.

When she opened her eyes, she could only see some lush mountains.

She turned pale and felt stiff. She knew these lush mountains very well. It was not the Divine Kingdom, but the Min Mountain. She stood among the hills quietly for days and nights, trying to figure out why.

The small indigo lion crouched next to her and looked around anxiously.

After days and night she finally found out the reason — it was because she was chosen by human beings. She came from the human world instead of the Divine Kingdom. Therefore, her destination was the human world.

She was still in the human world.

There was another reason apart from that.

She stared at her abdomen and slightly frowned. Because it felt strange and scary.

That was probably the true work of Heaven.