Some people said goodbye, but more people were still struggling in the yellow sand and lost their way.
Ye Su and Long Qing sat opposite to each other, like two old monks drinking tea or playing chess. They did not speak or look at each other. They were covered with blood and looked miserable.
The sandstorm under the platform had already stopped, and the sandstorm on the platform was about to stop. The two were covered with sand and blood. Their clothes were ragged and it seemed that they would fall down at any time.
Long Qing watched Chen Pipi and others leave. Strangely, he did not seem to care. Some cavalrymen of Divine Hall had already escaped from the chaos, but did not hear his order to chase.
He just sat opposite to Ye Su and waited for the sandstorm to stop.
The wind was the cold wind in winter, and the sand was the sand in the River and Mountain Sandbox and the Arcane Scroll of the Sand. They were blowing against each other and roaring as if there was no end. But in fact, everything had an end.
With a snap, the River and Mountain Sandbox on Ye Su's knees broke.
There were still many pages of the Arcane Scroll of the Sand in Long Qing's hand. It was as thick as a tombstone in front of a grave. The sand in front of the tombstone was fake, but it was actually jade-like round stones.
Those round stones were very small and transparent. They were not jade-like, but really top-grade jade. They were spread in front of and behind Ye Su, like a beautiful sea of pearls.
Long Qing stood up. Blood dripped down from his body and fell into the sea of pearls, dyeing it red.
The yellow sand in the River and Mountain Sandbox fell from the cracks. It was real yellow sand, which was only a shallow layer in the sandbox and just a shallow pile on the ground in front of Ye Su.
It was like a wild grave that was worn down by the wind and rain.
The square was dyed red by the blood of the people of Divine Hall and the followers of the New Stream.
The cavalrymen of Divine Hall were regrouping. Some followers of the New Stream had died, some were dying, and many were still alive. There would be a massacre later.
Ye Su looked at Long Qing and said, "Let them live."
Long Qing said expressionlessly, "I didn't want them to die."
Ye Su was a little surprised. He kept silent and thought about the meaning.
Long Qing raised his left hand. The cavalrymen of Divine Hall, who were eager to kill the followers of the New Stream, did not dare to do anything. They held their breath and waited for the order.
The followers of the New Stream were the most loyal followers of Ye Su. Nearly half of them followed him here from Linkang, including the earliest students in that shabby alley.
They knew what would happen next. They rushed to that place desperately to protect their leader. But they were stopped and knocked down by the cavalrymen of Divine Hall rudely. They cried loudly.
"In fact, you and I both know that as I said at the beginning, it doesn't make any sense. Your followers' pain and those women's cries are all meaningless."
Long Qing looked at Ye Su and said, "What happened from last night to this morning is meaningless. I need this ending, and you are also waiting for this ending. Why bother?"
Ye Su did not look at him. He looked at the pitiful followers in silence.
"When I entered the Revelation Institute when I was very young, I learned of your existence from her and my teacher. You have always been the object of my worship, or rather, the goal that I feared but did not dare to catch up to. But in fact, it was only in recent years that I truly felt that you were an extraordinary person, because you have embarked on a completely different path from us."
Long Qing looked at him and said, "You are not a fanatical religious peddler. Your New Stream is not just empty talk. You did not use those cliches to provoke your followers. On the contrary, you preached calmly and did a lot of concrete things. Many people only noticed that the doctrine of the New Stream was fresh or rebellious. But no one understood the organizational ability and strategy needed to spread the New Stream. You did those things silently and perfectly calmly. You were more like a businessman than a saint. "
"I used to stay in the Divine Hall of Judgment for a long time. I know a lot of things. She helped you a lot, but it was you who really made the decision. Your organizational ability is really strong. There are no loopholes in your thinking. You did not lose your cool even after Taoism began to eliminate you. You used yourself to attract all the attention of the Divine Hall, but secretly sent the seven disciples, including the first disciple Huanhuan, to different places. I think they are hiding now, but after a while, they will come out again to continue your mission."
Ye Su was still silent.
Long Qing looked at him quietly and said, "You can keep silent about my praise. You don't need to be recognized for the secular abilities other than the sacred ones. You can deny all these. But can you tell me where Cheng Ziqing went? Why are there only a few disciples of the Sword Garret who followed you here from Linkang? And where did they go? These details that no one noticed are what I admire the most about you. "
"You've arranged the future. You've spread the seeds of the New Stream all over the world. Even if you die now, no one can stop the New Stream from spreading. So you can leave this world in peace. I even suspect that you've been waiting for death."
Ye Su finally said, "Death is the most dangerous and terrible abyss for everyone."
Long Qing shook his head and said, "But everyone will die, whether it is the Divine Kingdom or the abyss. You can't go to the Divine Kingdom, and you don't want to go to the abyss. How to die is the most important thing. Die quietly, or die in front of millions of believers and ordinary people? It is not a difficult choice. "
"To die in front of the whole world, with a sense of righteousness, peace and joy, and to face death with equanimity. It is good to show the new faith and the power of faith to everyone as the representative of your death."
"There is no sacred in the empire, no sacred in the world, and no sacred in the world. Even the Headmaster of the Academy has to become a genius to become the bright moon. You and I are all ordinary people. How can we not die if we want to become a saint? It takes a thousand years for a saint to appear … "
Long Qing paused for a moment and looked into Ye Su's eyes. He said with a complicated expression, "If the saint does not die, the Great Tao will not work. You have to die."
Ye Su looked calm. There was a piece of snow on his gray hair that did not melt for a long time, as if the heat in his body had been taken away by the Tomes of Arcane and his breath was gone.
"In fact, I have been wondering if Ning Que has also thought of this."
Long Qing turned around. The blood-colored sea of pearls scattered the moment it touched his clothes, like the waves when the tide receded. He looked in the direction of Chang 'an and said expressionlessly, "Otherwise, he would have come."
Ye Su and his New Stream were extremely important to the Tang Empire and the Academy. Taoism had vowed to kill Ye Su, so Ning Que should have been prepared. Even if he could not come, the iron arrow should have come.
Ye Su said, "Or he did not expect the Headmaster to be so decisive."
It was indeed a possibility. Before last night, no one, including Xiong Chumo, the Hierarch of the Divine Halls, had thought that the Abbey Dean would not fear the danger of the division of Taoism and directly choose to kill Ye Su and Ye Hongyu.
"Li Manman might not be able to predict the Headmaster's thoughts, but why couldn't Ning Que and Yu Lian? Even if they couldn't, how could they not have made some arrangements based on their temperament and habits? "
Long Qing said, "Ning Que did not come, the iron arrow did not come, and neither did Yu Lian and Li Manman. It can only mean that they know you want to die. They … want you to die very much. They even hid it from Li Manman and waited for you to be killed by me."
After saying this, he smiled. His smile was restrained and confined to the small area at the corner of his mouth, which made him look like he was mocking Ye Su. Ye Su had been very calm from the beginning to the end. He was so calm even though he was about to die. Although it was a tacit plan, he still felt a little unhappy. Therefore, he wanted to expose the Academy's intention and break Ye Su's state of mind.
Ye Su's reaction was not what he expected. He said calmly, "I have been the Academy's enemy for twenty years. I know how those people live. I don't think they would be so realistic and indifferent."
What Long Qing said was very reasonable. Ye Su had become a sage after his death and his disciples had already gone to different places. The seed of the New Stream was well preserved. Under the protection of the Tang Empire and the Academy, the New Stream would definitely spread faster with the news of his death. Therefore, his life and death did not matter to the Academy.
But he still thought that the Academy would not do that because it was not in line with the Academy's style.
"Li Manman certainly could not bear to see you die in the fire. But Ning Que and Yu Lian are different. They would be very happy to split Taoism and let the New Stream be reborn in the fire."
Long Qing said, "If the Headmaster and Ji Haoran were still alive, the Academy would definitely not do that because they would not think so. But don't forget that Ning Que and Yu Lian … are both possessed by the Devil."
Ye Su was silent.
Long Qing continued, "Yu Lian is the Grandmaster of the Devil's Doctrine and the most valued person by Lotus. And Ning Que is like a disciple of Lotus. They both have Lotus's unscrupulous temperament and in some aspects, they are even more knowledgeable than Lotus. They might want to do what Lotus could not."
What did Lotus want to do back then? He wanted to turn the human world into a sea of blood. He wanted to turn the world upside down. He wanted to destroy Taoism and turn the world into a brand new one.
The Academy actually had the same idea. But the Academy would never use such a cruel method in the past. What would the Senior Brother and Junior Sister who were in charge of the Academy think?
Ye Su didn't want to continue. The Academy's choice was meaningless to him now. He raised his head with difficulty, looked at the sky that was getting bluer and bluer, and looked at the rising sun that was getting lower and lower. He said, "No matter what the Academy thinks, I have to do what I have to do."
Long Qing looked at him and showed some respect. He said, "Turn yourself into a torch and set the whole human world on fire? I heard that Jun Mo is also burning the Xuankong Temple. They are all crazy. "
Hearing Jun Mo's name, Ye Su smiled and said, "In the end, I am doing the same thing as him. I am very proud, and I think he will feel proud too."
This sentence itself was very proud. He was proud that Jun Mo used to be his opponent. He was proud that he had surpassed himself. He was proud that he stood higher than before and could see the scenery further.
Or it was because he was standing in the small courtyard on the pile of firewood. He was tied to the cross-shaped wooden frame. The tie was not tight, so he could not leave and could see the human world from afar.
Long Qing stood in front of the pile of firewood and looked at him. He said, "I will light the fire myself."
Ye Su no longer looked at the sky. His eyes were blinded by the sun. He looked at him and asked, "What I don't understand is, since you know everything, why did you light the fire for me?"
Long Qing slightly raised his eyebrows and said, "I have to obey the teacher's order."
The two people on the pile of firewood had the same teacher. Ye Su looked at the remnant of the Tomes of Arcane on his waist and said, "Teacher, you must understand. Why do you have to involve this innocent book?"
Long Qing was silent. Then he said, "Since people can write, then there will be no need for the Tomes of Arcane in the future."
Hearing this, Ye Su seemed to understand something.
He and Long Qing did not hear the conversation between the Abbey Dean and the middle-aged priest on the cliff plateau of Peach Mountain. But they were the Abbey Dean's disciples and great figures in Haotian Taoism. They were familiar with the classics since childhood. At this moment, they understood the Abbey Dean's true intention through a very simple conversation.
Ye Su looked at somewhere far away, not knowing whether it was the Zhishou Abbey or Linkang. He said slowly, "Know the masculine, guard the feminine, and be the Stream of the World. Be the Stream of the World. Keep the virtue, and return to the baby. "
Long Qing listened to this passage and was silent for a long time. Then he recited, "Know the white, guard the black, and be the Style of the World. Be the Style of the World. Keep the virtue, and return to the Infinity. "
Ye Su said, "We ourselves are the path, the truth, and the life. Follow our own path, and we will walk out of the dark valley and obtain the greatest joy … So this is also knowing and guarding."
Long Qing lowered his head. No one knew if he was looking at the horrible and ugly hole under his clothes or at the thick ground. His voice seemed to come out of his lips by itself, "We can also be Haotian."
Ye Su smiled and said, "So, it has been like this since the beginning."
Long Qing looked up at him under the sunlight and said, "You are right."
Ye Su said, "There is no right or wrong."
"The Headmaster thinks you are right, then you are right."
Speaking of this, Long Qing paused. He thought that he would be jealous, but his mood was so calm. He just sighed and said, "In the end, it was you who made him the proudest."
Ye Su thought for a while and said, "Whether it is right or wrong depends on the final outcome."
Long Qing said, "What you do, what the Headmaster and the Headmaster do, will have an ending. It is no longer destined."
Ye Su said, "Yes, there is no heaven, and there is no destiny."
Long Qing looked into the distance and said, "We have talked for long enough."
Ye Su said, "Since the person you are waiting for has not come, it seems that he will not come."
Long Qing took the torch from a divine priest and walked to the pile of firewood. After thinking for a while, he did not say anything. He put the torch on the edge of the pile and stepped back.
Fire was the most wonderful phenomenon in nature. It could be contagious and replicated. It could turn from the smallest firefly into a prairie fire. This was definitely not something that water could do.
The flame on the torch licked the dry firewood beside it. After a while, the edge of the firewood was burnt black, giving off green smoke and bright flames. This continued, and the fire gradually spread.
Most of the firewood in the small courtyard was chopped by Long Qing himself. He was very careful in his selection. No matter the length or the thickness, they were all suitable for burning. The fire quickly grew.
In the previous battle, most of the courtyard walls had collapsed. Now, with the crackling sound of the firewood, all the bricks fell down. The scene of the firewood burning fell into everyone's eyes.
Tens of thousands of followers of the New Stream and the people of Song were ordered to watch the execution. Seeing this scene, some of them felt extremely sad, and some of them could not bear it. Gradually, they started to cry.
Ye Su's clothes began to burn. The bright yellow flame was about to cross his knees and swallow him.
Someone knelt down first. It was probably a follower of the New Stream. Regardless of the threat of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall, he knelt down and kowtowed to him.
Then, more people knelt down. Even the tens of thousands of people of Song who came to watch the execution were shocked by the calm man on the fire and knelt down uncontrollably.
The crying became louder and louder. Gradually, it became a torrent and went straight to the sky.
Ye Su suddenly said, "When the Everlasting Night comes, the light of the sun will be completely covered. The sky and the earth will fall into darkness. But people will rejoice because that is the real life."
At this time, he was in the fire, suffering the baptism of pain.
He repeated his prophecy calmly.
Because he did not want the followers to cry and the people to grieve because of him.
The followers of the New Stream outside the courtyard wanted to rush in to save him, but they were brutally cut down by the cavalrymen of Divine Hall and fell into a pool of blood. Hearing his voice in pain, they began to follow him instinctively.
The followers of the New Stream in the distance also began to repeat the words, because they were his followers. The rest of the people of the Kingdom of Song, who were either sympathetic to his suffering or pitied his ending, listened in silence. But somehow, they were attracted by the meaning of the words and began to repeat the same words.
"When the Everlasting Night comes …"
"The sky and the earth fall into darkness …"
"… That is the real life."
The voices of tens of thousands of people echoed in the square.
Previously, it was the crying that shook the sky. Now, the sky seemed to be trembling. The clouds that were dispersed by the sunlight were shaken back like clear water flowing into the bottom of a bowl.
But it gave people a sense of extreme silence. The pious and focused chanting, just like when Ye Su said the words before, was like cicadas in the forest, like waterfalls in the wind, making the whole world silent.
Long Qing did nothing. He did not ask the cavalrymen of Divine Hall to suppress or stop them, even though the chanting of the people obviously showed their support for the New Stream and dissatisfaction with Taoism.
He just silently looked at Ye Su on the pile of firewood. His emotions were so complicated that he could not figure out what he had experienced and whether what he had learned could really calm him down.
The chanting of the people became more and more orderly and louder, just like the drums on the battlefield, but not only to urge people to fight. Gradually, there was a sense of sacredness and solemnity that enveloped the whole city and even the wider world.
But Ye Su's voice became weaker and more scattered. When he repeated it for the third time, the words from his lips were broken and the murmur could not be heard at all.
Because the merciless fire had crossed his knees and plated to his chest and abdomen like golden light. His body was burning, and he was enduring the most painful punishment or baptism.
Looking at him in the fire, Long Qing seemed to hear him saying, "You see, they are not praying."
…
…
(The name of the chapter came from memory.)
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