After a while, Sangsang looked at the old man and said seriously, "If you only like domestic women and not Yan women, I know some girls from brothels. But it will cost a lot if you want them to bear children for you."
The old man was in a trance again. After a long silence, he finally woke up and said seriously, "I don't want to find a wife to bear children. I want to find a disciple to inherit my mantle."
It was Sangsang's turn to be in a trance. She thought, What does finding a disciple have to do with me? My bones are not unique, and my background is not strange. Although your cotton-padded jacket is indeed dirty, it seems that you have not begged these days. No matter how I look at it, you don't look like an otherworldly sublime being in the stories I heard from Ning Que when I was young.
"Do you want me to be your disciple, or do you want me to find you a disciple?" she asked seriously.
The old man answered seriously, "I want you to be my disciple."
Sangsang decided to ignore him. She squatted down and began to wipe the table legs.
The old man looked at the bright table leg, which was absolutely free of any stains, and remained silent.
The old man didn't leave the Old Brush Pen Shop. He followed Sangsang and watched her. He watched as Sangsang wiped the tables and chairs, cleaned the non-existent dust, and repaired the door that had been repaired long ago. He watched as Sangsang closed the door, fetched water from the well, washed the rice, prepared the vegetables, cooked the rice, and chopped the garlic. He watched as Sangsang sat at the table and began to eat alone.
Sangsang didn't invite him to eat with her. Strangely, she didn't ask him to leave either.
The old man looked at her through the window and said sympathetically, "Are you bored?"
Sangsang's hand holding the bowl slightly stiffened. She looked at the three vegetables on the white rice and nodded. Then she continued to chew the vegetables in her mouth, and her dark cheeks bulged slightly.
After dinner, Sangsang washed the dishes, face, and feet and prepared to sleep.
Before going to bed, she took out a quilt and handed it to the old man who had been guarding in the courtyard. She said, "If there is no place to sleep, you can put the table together in front and sleep for the night."
The old man felt the weight of the quilt and became more determined. He looked at the little girl and asked seriously, "Do you believe in Lucky Chance?"
Sangsang shook her head. Then she thought of their encounter many years ago and the life they had together. Her willowy eyes brightened and she nodded again.
"I believe in fate." The old man said, "I believe that everyone is destined to meet some people and do some things. These things arranged by Haotian are Fated Chances."
The old man's cloudy eyes gradually brightened. He looked at the night view of Chang 'an outside the small courtyard and said after a moment of silence, "Many years ago, I saw the shadow of Nightfall in this city. Once I saw it, it was like meeting."
"Since we've met, we can't be separated anymore. It's just that what I've seen isn't real, and what I've met isn't concrete. I only know that he exists, but I don't know where he is."
"Then, I saw a man in Chang 'an who was born with knowledge. I felt that this was wrong, because there should not be anyone in the world who was born with knowledge. So, my Lucky Chance with him began."
"My destiny with him is to see him and then kill him."
"After seeing him for nine months, I tried to kill him, but I knew that I didn't kill him because he was still alive. I was the only person in the world who could clearly feel that he was still alive."
"It's just that since then, the opportunity has faded. Apart from the occasional time, I've never been able to see where he is. Until recently, I saw him again, so I came to find him and renew my Lucky Chance. "
The old man muttered the past like a devout, foolish woman sitting on the high threshold. Sangsang listened in silence for a long time. Her willowy eyes occasionally brightened and then disappeared. Then, she asked, "Find him … What will you do?"
The old man said, "Kill him."
Sangsang asked, "If you're such a great person, why didn't you kill him back then?"
"Because the Lucky Chance between us is not absolute … Not everyone can easily enter this city to kill people, especially me. So, only the people in this city could do it back then. More importantly, the whole world was skeptical of what I saw. They didn't believe me at all."
The old man continued, "I don't know what will happen after I find him. Ordinary people like us can never predict Haotian's arrangements. But I always believe that he is a person who has a great Lucky Chance with me. I thought that I came to Chang 'an to understand this Lucky Chance, until … I met you."
The old man looked at Sangsang's slightly dark cheeks and bright willowy eyes. He was silent for a long time. He silently thought about the true reason why so many loyal subordinates sacrificed themselves, which made the whole Peach Mountain and the Tang Empire feel uneasy and attracted him to Chang 'an. Was it the Dark Shadow or the person in front of him?
Sangsang's eyelashes drooped slightly and asked calmly, "What can I learn from you?"
The old man looked at her slightly fluttering eyelashes and ordinary face. He said, "Divine Skill."
Sangsang asked, "Is Divine Skill very powerful?"
The old man nodded and said, "Very powerful."
Sangsang lowered her head even more, which made her eyelashes look longer. She whispered, "My young master is very powerful. After I learn Divine Skill, can I help him beat people?"
The old man smiled and said, "Of course you can."
Sangsang raised her head and looked at the old man attentively with her slightly dark face. She asked bravely, "Can I … defeat you?"
The old man looked at the little girl's little face. He looked at the pair of eyes that were like clear spring water between the slightly black mountain rocks. It was as if he wanted to see into the deepest part of the clear spring water. He still did not see a trace of impurity, just transparent, absolutely transparent. He could not help but let out a sigh from the depths of his heart. He said in a solemn tone as if he was prophesying, "Definitely."
Sangsang asked, "What is Divine Skill?"
The old man replied, "Cultivation is about perceiving and then controlling the aura between heaven and earth. Divine Skill is about perceiving and controlling the Divine Light of Haotian. The so-called Divine Light, you have seen it since you were born. You have seen it when you wake up in the morning. You have seen it when you close your door at dusk. You have seen it in summer. You have seen it in winter. You have seen it all the time."
Sangsang slightly frowned and asked, "What is that?"
The night in Chang 'an was quiet. The sky was filled with stars, but it was not as bright as the day. The old man stood in the cramped courtyard and slowly spread his arms, as if he wanted to bear all the light in the world.
"Haotian's Divine Light is the sunlight."
As soon as he finished speaking, the tip of the middle finger of the old man's right hand that was sticking out of the sleeve of his dirty cotton jacket suddenly became bright. It was unknown where the luster came from, but it was slowly released from the inside out. It was like a flower of light, covering all the lines on his fingertips. It was holy and milky white, causing people to feel respect in their hearts.
The old man looked at the little girl in front of him and said calmly, "To perceive Haotian's Divine Light, even if it takes ten years, it will not be too long. Therefore, what you need at the beginning is great forbearance and patience."
Hearing this, Sangsang seemed to be thinking. She raised her right index finger and put her slender finger into the dark winter night. The slightly dark finger gently swayed in the wind, and then produced a dim light, like a candle in the wind, which could be extinguished at any time. However, it was still lit and did not go out.
The old man looked at the light at the tip of her slender index finger, as if he was drunk and did not want to wake up.
In the winter of the 14th year of the Tianqi era, the Great Divine Priest of Light who escaped from the West-Hill Divine Palace came to Chang 'an because of a feeling. He did not find the shadow of the Dark Night, but he found his successor. This was probably some kind of Tianqi.
…
…
Somewhere on the grassland not far from the City of Wei in the northwest border of the Tang Empire.
Under a dying winter tree, a scholar in a cotton-padded jacket was cooking.
He calmly and attentively looked at the scroll in his left hand. Suddenly, he thought of something and took a ladle of water from his waist. He poured it into the milky white soup pot and slightly suppressed the boiling in the pot. Taking advantage of the time he had won, he began to slowly cut the meat. The perfectly frozen mutton danced under the sharp knife like snowflakes. However, his movements were too slow. Before he could finish cutting the meat, the soup pot boiled again.
Another ladle of water was poured into the soup pot, and the scholar continued to cut the meat. The tall Headmaster of the Academy held a bowl and chopsticks that had already been mixed. He waited by the soup pot and sighed anxiously from time to time.
"When it comes to fate and Lucky Chance … No one knows what they will see or encounter. No one knows what it means to them. Ideas and reality are often two opposite worlds. For example, the general and the woman we saw in the City of Wei a few days ago. Maybe they will live forever, or maybe they will return to the Central Plains next year. But no matter what happens, they may not be as happy as they seem. "
The Headmaster of the Academy tapped the empty bowl with his chopsticks and shook his head. He sighed and said, "Not happy doesn't mean it will be gloomy. I don't think it's a kind of sadness. Instead, I think it's full of comedy. For example, the soup and mutton are here, but I haven't eaten it for an hour. It doesn't mean I will always be sad. Maybe the first bite of mutton will be the best thing I have ever eaten in my life."
Any student must learn to hear the teacher's true intentions from his dignified words. As the Eldest Brother of the Academy, of course, the scholar could best understand the Headmaster's likes and dislikes. Therefore, he put the scroll back to his waist and began to cut the meat faster, in case the teacher would really get mad later.
However, as Chen Pipi had once told Ning Que, Eldest Brother was very serious in his work. That was why he did things very slowly. Even though the Headmaster of the Academy was waiting beside the soup pot with bowls and chopsticks like a beggar, which gave him unprecedented pressure, his speed of cutting meat did not improve much.
In order to distract the teacher and relieve the current mental pressure, the Eldest Brother asked while cutting the meat, "Teacher, can't you see the future?"
Hearing this question, the Headmaster of the Academy was furious. He pointed to the gray winter sky and shouted, "I can't even see the sky, how can I see the future!"
^ ^ (To be continued). If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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