The whole night of confrontation had undoubtedly brought great stress to Ning Que. His clothes had been soaked, frozen by the cold wind, and soaked again by his sweat. It had repeated countless times.
The Abbey Dean had left Peach Mountain and suddenly appeared in front of Chang 'an. It was shocking. But what scared Ning Que the most was that his Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow had been destroyed. How could he recover?
Yes. Although the iron arrow had not been shot and they had not fought, Ning Que knew that the Abbey Dean had recovered. It was an unquestionable feeling. The Abbey Dean had completely integrated with heaven and earth. Ning Que felt that he would lose the Abbey Dean's position if he blinked. It was like the Knowing Destiny State, but more wonderful.
After a night of confrontation, Ning Que had enough time to think. He thought a lot, but he could not get any answers. He could not understand what had happened to the Abbey Dean, so he could only focus on other things. He tried to figure out what was happening in the Peach Mountain and the Kingdom of Song through the Abbey Dean's arrival.
Obviously, the peace talk had failed. Did the Abbey Dean really want to kill Ye Su? What about Ye Hongyu? Was he not worried about the division of Taoism? Was he so confident that he could defeat the Academy?
Ning Que wanted to see the division of Taoism, so he asked Chu Youxian and Chen Qi to bring those words to Ye Hongyu. But he did not want to see the current situation. Because everything was out of his calculation, which made him very uneasy.
The city gate was closed. The wind and snow were everywhere. The Tang army guarding the city had withdrawn.
All of a sudden, the Abbey Dean looked toward the east.
Ning Que glanced at the east with his peripheral vision.
The Abbey Dean had not spoken since last night. But he suddenly said calmly, "You said you wanted to talk to the world. I want to talk to you too."
Ning Que wanted to talk to the world. In a sense, he wanted to talk to the Abbey Dean. The Abbey Dean wanted to talk to him, but he wanted to talk to the whole world.
The Abbey Dean pushed the wheelchair down the cliff and floated down Peach Mountain, which proved that his Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow were recovering. He would be as invincible as before. This was a very important moment.
At this moment, the first sentence he said to the world was simple, but it was like a thunderclap.
He turned his eyes from the east and looked at Ning Que on the city wall. "Ye Su is dead."
Ye Su is dead. Or, I killed Ye Su.
Ning Que was silent. He was neither angry nor sad, nor did he ask for details. Just a moment ago, he had also felt the strange changes between heaven and earth by the eastern seashore. He had vaguely heard something.
His silence didn't last for too long. He sighed, and then he smiled. His smile was a bit bitter, because right now, his mind was a bit blank, and he didn't know what to do.
"Then, is Ye Hongyu also dead?"
He was not asking the Abbey Dean. It was more like he was asking himself with a strong negative attitude. But he knew that Haotian Taoism would definitely kill Ye Hongyu before killing Ye Su.
One was the founder of the New Stream, and the other was the Great Divine Priest of Judgment of the West-Hill Divine Palace. Ye Su and Ye Hongyu were the two people who could change the course of history, and they were also the hope of the Academy.
Now that his hope had become an illusory bubble, how could he not be silent?
Just as Yu Lian had predicted, he also believed that Ye Su's death might not be a great loss to the spread of the New Stream, the Academy, and the Tang Empire. It might even bring some benefits.
But he also knew that many things could not be calculated so objectively and calmly. The Academy had always understood this. If Ye Hongyu was really dead …
The Abbey Dean looked at him on top of the city wall quietly and said nothing.
A night had passed. The bowstring had penetrated his flesh, and three fingers of Ning Que's right hand began to bleed. The blood dyed the bowstring red, and it dripped down like rainwater from the eaves, down the city wall, and onto the snow.
There were many reasons why he didn't shoot the Abbey Dean. The most important reason was that he wanted to hold on to his hope. He didn't have the confidence to shoot the Abbey Dean with the Primordial Thirteen Arrows, so he couldn't shoot.
Things that didn't happen could have many endings. But when the endings were destined, there could only be one and only one, gloomy conclusion, just like the death of Ye Su and Ye Hongyu.
But how long would this standoff last?
Was he going to pull the iron bow and shoot the indigo robe until the seas ran dry and the rocks crumbled?
How long would the Abbey Dean stand in the snow? Did he want to block the entire Chang 'an City by himself? What else did he want to do other than kill Ye Su?
Ning Que couldn't figure it out. He only knew that if this continued, his will would be destroyed by the Abbey Dean, even if the Abbey Dean did nothing but stand there quietly.
Maybe, destroying his will was also something the Abbey Dean wanted to do?
When the news of Ye Su's death came, the most critical moment had passed.
Ning Que made an action that even he didn't expect to make just a moment ago.
He withdrew the arrow and put away the bow.
With this action, the ice on his shoulder broke into pieces, and the snow on his clothes fell down.
The Abbey Dean's eyes showed appreciation.
But Ning Que's expression was indifferent. He was also indifferent to himself.
Ye Su was dead, and the Abbey Dean's most important goal was achieved.
He had suffered a crushing defeat. If this standoff or battle had to continue, he could only use this method to force himself and Chang 'an into a desperate situation, and to seek survival in a desperate situation.
He carried the iron bow on his shoulder. The gate of Chang 'an City was unguarded. Please come in.
If the Abbey Dean wanted more, Chang 'an would welcome him.
Ning Que didn't think the Abbey Dean would take this risk after Ye Su's death.
A few years ago in Chang 'an, he used thousands of knives to kill the Abbey Dean. Now he could do the same.
He didn't regret not shooting the East Sea last night or before. Because the Abbey Dean was always there, and he couldn't be distracted. But now he didn't need to be distracted.
The Abbey Dean looked at the city wall, smiled, and turned to leave.
Ning Que looked at his back and said, "I will figure out what you want to do."
The Abbey Dean didn't look back, and said, "When you figure it out, you will come to me."
…
…
He was gone, but the wind and snow were still there.
Ning Que didn't sit on the city wall anymore, because he needed to figure something out.
Taoism's unexpected decisiveness confused him, but he didn't feel frustrated. History always went up in a spiral, and wars rarely won all the way to the end.
He walked down the city wall, and silently walked in the streets of Chang 'an.
He went to the Wanyan Tower to look at the statues of the Venerables. He went to the Southern Gate Temple, and meditated in the Taoist Temple with the black floor. He didn't go to Lin 40th Street, but to Yanming Lake. He sat on the shore, and looked at the lotus leaves in the lake, which were like statues without warmth, gradually covered by the white snow.
Years ago in the Wanyan Tower, he understood the Talisman. In the Southern Gate Temple, he understood Taoism. In the Yanming Lake, he understood more principles, including life and death, and something beyond life and death.
But now he couldn't figure out what the Abbey Dean wanted to do.
The Abbey Dean was the most powerful person in Taoism, and the Academy's biggest enemy. Even the Headmaster of the Academy couldn't erase him from the world. He was also Chen Pipi's father and Ye Su's teacher. Logically speaking, the Academy should know him well. But it was not until this moment that he realized he was unfamiliar with this person.
He couldn't even give a relatively truthful description of this person. He knew that the Abbey Dean's name was Chen Mou, and he was a rare cultivation genius. But he didn't know his preferences, or his views on the world, or his spiritual orientation. Did he want to become a god or a saint, or to be quiet and do nothing?
He sat on the shore of Yanming Lake for three days and three nights, but still couldn't figure it out. He didn't even have a clue. So he got up and left, and the place where he sat was quickly covered by snow.
The Headmaster Yan Se turned into ashes and was buried in a wild grave in the suburbs. The Eldest Brother hadn't come back yet, and he should be looking for Chen Pipi and the others. The Second Brother was still fighting with the Buddhism Sect in the west, the Third Sister was killing people in the Wilderness, and Chao Xiaoshu was waiting for the last moment in the small town …
He walked in Chang 'an, but he couldn't find anyone.
Someone who could guide him.
Finally, he walked in front of a brothel, which was the House of Red Sleeves.
In this brothel, he once wrote a very famous calligraphy and had many experiences. And in this brothel, there was his real elder, Mistress Jian.
Walking to the top floor of the House of Red Sleeves, he bowed to Mistress Jian and said, "Aunt Jian, I have something to ask you."
Mistress Jian looked at his tired face and suddenly said, "I want to go to the Academy."
Since the spring wind and rain, Ning Que had been sitting in Chang 'an and never left the city gate. The Academy was in the south of Chang' an, and he had to leave the city if he wanted to go there.
After a moment of silence, Ning Que said, "Okay."
The carriage left the House of Red Sleeves, passed the Vermilion Bird Avenue, and went out of the city to the south. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Academy. They ran over the meadow, passed by the cold-resistant plum bushes and withered peach trees, and entered the back of the mountain.
Walking in the back of the mountain, Mistress Jian looked at the warm cliff platform, the faintly visible small courtyard in the forest, and listened to the sound of the waterfall. Her expression was a bit complicated, and she didn't say anything.
Bypassing the waterfall, passing through the narrow stone wall, they came to the precipice of the back of the mountain, and climbed up the steep mountain path with difficulty. Finally, they came under the wisteria and came to the cliff cave.
The wisteria was planted by Sangsang, and the small building was built by his Senior Brothers and Sisters. Ning Que stood under the wisteria, looking at the long beans that had long been dried by the wind, and felt a bit lost.
Mistress Jian walked to the cliff cave and looked into the dark cave with the help of the sunlight. When she saw the few words written on the stone wall, her expression changed slightly, and her eyes became slightly moist. She seemed to be a bit moved.
Those were the words written by Ke Haoran himself.
"This is the first time for me to enter the back of the mountain of the Academy."
Mistress Jian turned around and walked to the edge of the cliff. She put her hands behind her back and looked at Chang 'an City in the distance under the setting sun. Looking at the white clouds, she said, "I thought I would never come here."
Those stories were the stories of the elders, so Ning Que didn't ask, so he just kept silent.
Mistress Jian said, "Actually, I have never liked the Headmaster of the Academy."
Ning Que didn't understand. He always thought that people like the Headmaster could easily win the respect and love of everyone. Why did Mistress Jian say that she didn't like him?
Mistress Jian looked back at him and said, "Because your Uncle was taught by him."
Yes, although the Headmaster of the Academy and Ke Haoran called each other Senior Brother, that was because Ke Haoran was too proud. In fact, he was taught by the Headmaster of the Academy, and at least his view of the world was greatly influenced by the Headmaster of the Academy.
Ning Que vaguely understood what Mistress Jian meant.
"If not for the Headmaster of the Academy, why would your Uncle be so interested in the sky?" Mistress Jian looked at the sky and said, "The Academy always says that it looks after the human world, but in fact? When did you really look at the human world? You always look at the sky and always think that one day you will defeat and break the sky. But when did the sky ever offend you? "
What she said was very unreasonable, especially when she said it in front of this cliff cave. Back then, when Ke Haoran tempered himself in the cliff cave, the Headmaster of the Academy ate meat and drank wine by the cliff and scolded the sky. Until later, whether the Academy's view of the world was correct or not, it could not be the concept of a fight between hooligans.
"He rode a black donkey and held a sword upside down. Lotus was not as good as him, and the Abbey Dean was not as good as him. He was invincible in the world. As long as he didn't get tired of living, he could live for another few thousand years. Then why did he die?
Mistress Jian said, "Because he was so arrogant that he wanted to go against Heaven, so he was killed by Haotian. Why did he want to go against Heaven? Because he wanted freedom. Why did he want freedom? It was all because of the Headmaster of the Academy's influence. If not for the Headmaster of the Academy, would he have died so early? So it was all the Headmaster of the Academy's fault. "
Deducing from the conclusion and ignoring Ke Haoran's own thoughts and choices in the process, it was even more unreasonable to blame the Headmaster of the Academy for everything.
In order to figure out the Abbey Dean's true thoughts, Ning Que walked around Chang 'an City and pondered hard by the Yanming Lake. He was exhausted both mentally and physically. Finally, he found his only elder, but he did not expect to hear such unreasonable and irrelevant words. He could not help but sigh that women were indeed unreasonable.
After saying this, Mistress Jian directly left the cliff platform and walked down the cliff along the mountain path. She did not say anything and did not pay attention to Ning Que.
Ning Que was speechless and could not understand what was going on.
Suddenly, he vaguely understood something.
Yes, what Mistress Jian said was completely unreasonable. Her words and actions were completely unreasonable. There was only hatred, just like the two times when Sangsang ran away from home and left the human world. From his point of view, it was also unreasonable.
This kind of unreasonable, in fact, was also a kind of reason.
This was Mistress Jane's way of telling him that when he did not understand something, he might as well ignore it and deduce it from the result without reason.
Sangsang abandoned twenty years of love and thousands of years of companionship in the chessboard. She left him in the human world and mercilessly returned to the Divine Kingdom. This showed that she was still Haotian.
No one could understand why the Abbey Dean killed Ye Su. So instead of thinking about the reason, they just looked at the result — Taoism would be seriously weakened, but the New Stream would not be suppressed.
This was the biggest puzzle for the Academy. But according to Mistress Jian's thinking, it was some kind of proof — the final result was that the foundation of Taoism would be shaken and Haotian … would be weakened.
This was the result.
Ignoring the connection between cause and effect, not thinking about the process between the beginning and the end, and not guessing the Abbey Dean's intention, one could get close to the truth as long as one stared at the result.
The Abbey Dean hoped that Haotian would be weakened.
This was too absurd, too illogical.
It was as unreasonable as what Mistress Jian said.
But Ning Que knew it was true.
He looked up at the distant sky and remained silent.
…
…
(Heavens, I'm just forgetting about the heavens. Everyone says that I've forgotten about Sangsang. I love her so much, how could I forget about her? It's just that she's so high and mighty, so how can I easily make an appearance … Writing a novel is indeed not an easy job. I've been working hard. I hope that I can make everyone happy, and I hope that I can keep writing happily. Shake hands, my dears. Let's have a good time together.)
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