In the past few years, Ning Que had not come to pay his respects to Darkie in order not to attract attention. Now that he had gotten his revenge, even if the imperial court knew about his relationship with Darkie, they would not have to worry.
Since he had gotten his revenge, he should pay his respects to his parents first. However, after the murder case, the bodies of Ning Que's biological parents, Lin Hai and Li Sanniang, were burned into ashes and scattered into the Wei River after a simple worship by Haotian Taoism. There was no cemetery.
Then Darkie's grave could be counted as the graves of those people.
The wind and snow became stronger and stronger. Sangsang opened the big black umbrella and held it tightly with both hands to cover his back. Ning Que squatted down and took out a piece of oiled paper from his arms and burned it. There were many names written on the oiled paper. The people behind those names were all dead. Just like the oiled paper, they turned into smoke and were instantly blown away by the wind and snow.
Sangsang whispered, "What about His Highness?"
Ning Que looked at the rolling ashes on the snow and said, "He only talked back then. Now he has paid a price for not becoming a prince. Let's watch him for another two years."
Sangsang said, "Young master, don't you always say that you want to kill the chief evil?"
Ning Que said, "The chief evil is your teacher, but he is already dead. When I looked at his grave, I thought about digging it up. But I gave up."
…
…
When Chang 'an was shrouded in the wind and snow, the deep mountains of the West-Hill Divine Kingdom were still as warm as spring. This had something to do with the warm current on the sea outside the Song Kingdom's dyke in the east. It was also because this was originally a place favored by Haotian.
A young man stood outside the simple Taoist temple in the deep mountains. The man was extremely handsome. Although there were a few eye-catching scars on his cheeks, they added to his charm.
The middle-aged Taoist on the stone steps looked at the young man and said, "Prince Long Qing, do you really insist on entering the temple to cultivate? Do you know what this means? "
The young man turned out to be Prince Long Qing. There were calluses and rust marks on his palms. Perhaps he had spent the past few days on the sea.
He said respectfully, "Since it is the teacher's order, as a disciple, I dare not disobey. As long as I can see the Tomes of Arcane, I don't care how much pain and torture I have to endure."
The middle-aged Taoist said, "Since it is the Abbey Dean's intention, no one will stop you. But I have to remind you that with your current state, you may die at any time if you want to read the Tomes of Arcane."
Long Qing said calmly, "Martial Uncle, I am a dead man now."
The middle-aged Taoist priest looked at the black peach blossom on Long Qing's chest and thought of the rumor that Ning Que had pierced through this man's chest with an arrow on the snow cliff. He understood what Long Qing meant by the so-called dead man. He sighed and said nothing more.
He walked up the stone steps and entered the Unknown Place of Zhishou Abbey. Although Long Qing had already become the disciple of the abbey dean of Zhishou Abbey, he was still a little nervous.
At the lakeside in the depths of the Taoist temple, there were seven splendid thatched cottages in picturesque disorder. The thatched cottages were paved with grass, cheap and shabby. They shouldn't have any dignified and luxurious aura, but the thatched cottages were like gold and jade, disregarding the years of dust and wind, appearing extremely magnificent.
This kind of grass naturally contained extremely rich Qi of Heaven and Earth. It could resist the cold aura of wind and rain and help people calm down. It had long been extinct in the natural world and could be said to be extremely precious.
There were only two places in the world that were luxurious enough to use this kind of thatched cottages. One was the cottage by the lakeside that was responsible for storing the seven volumes of Tomes of Arcane, and the other was the drafty thatched cottage that the Headmaster of the Academy lived in.
Long Qing walked into the first cottage and looked at the Classic on the agarwood table, which was covered in black blood. He could no longer keep his calm, and his hands that were exposed outside his sleeves trembled slightly.
This Classic was the first volume of the Tomes of Arcane: the "Ri" Handscroll.
This was also the only volume of the Tomes of Arcane that he could open at his current state.
Long Qing slowly opened the black cover. The first page that came into view was a snow-white piece of paper. Then he turned to the second page. On this piece of paper were written the names of Liu Bai, Jun Mo, Tang … These were the most powerful cultivators in the world. Because he had already expected it, he was not surprised. He just silently thought that if he wanted to climb to the highest peak of cultivation in the future, then these shining names must be the stepping stones under his feet.
Long Qing continued to read the "Ri" Handscroll.
At the top of this piece of paper, he saw the name of the Calligraphy Addict, Mo Shanshan. Then, he saw the names of Ning Que and Ye Hongyu at the top of this piece of paper. These two names were almost completely parallel, and each stroke broke out of the paper, as if they were going to pierce into the previous page.
Looking at these three names, Long Qing's eyes became extremely resentful, and his breathing became much heavier. However, after a moment, all the emotions inexplicably disappeared. His eyes returned to extreme calmness, and became brighter and brighter, like a night pearl that had been painted with a golden luster, incomparably bright.
Winter turned to spring, and time passed day by day.
No one in the world knew that Prince Long Qing, who was thought to be dead, was now concentrating on cultivation and learning in the Zhishou Abbey, an unknown place. When he woke up every morning, he would start to clean the front of the abbey, cook food, prepare daily necessities, and send them to the back of the abbey. After he was done with his work, he could only go to the seven thatched cottages to read the Tomes of Arcane.
After reading the "Ri" Handscroll on the first day, Long Qing did not open it again. Instead, he put all his spirit and will into reading the second volume of the Tomes of Arcane.
One spring day, wild peaches bloomed both inside and outside the Zhishou Abbey.
Long Qing came out of the second thatched cottage with a pale face. He held a blood-stained towel tightly in his hand, and was about to meditate and rest by the lake. Suddenly, he felt something and stopped in his tracks.
He walked into the first thatched cottage and opened the "Ri" Handscroll with a solemn expression.
On that page, the ink of the two words "Ning Que" became thicker and thicker, as if blood was about to seep into the paper. Mo Shanshan's name left its original position and moved to the top of the paper. There was a stone pillar with sharp edges between the two words, as if it would burst the paper at any time.
Long Qing's face became paler, and his pupils suddenly shrank like dark holes. What shocked and angered him was not what he saw, but what he did not see.
He did not see Ye Hongyu's name.
Ye Hongyu's name had already gone somewhere else.
…
…
Peach Mountain was in late spring. Although the newly planted peach blossoms were not as dazzling as rumored, the trees were lush and the Divine Hall above was shrouded in dense green, looking extremely solemn.
On the stone Divine Path between the green trees, a girl walked slowly. She had a simple Taoist bun and wore a green Taoist robe. The green color was not very eye-catching, but when the Taoist robe slowly fluttered in the mountain wind, the green on the thousand-year-old stone trees beside the Divine Path all lost their color.
The girl with the Taoist bun walked calmly along the long Divine Path. Soon, she came to the vast and flat cliff platform. She looked at the black Divine Hall of Judgment in the distance and smiled.
On the cliff platform in front of the Divine Hall, there were countless exclamations.
"Ye Hongyu is back!"
"How dare this woman come back!"
"Tao Addict! Go and inform the Great Divine Priest! "
"Priest, long time no see!"
The girl from Haotian Taoism walked slowly. She was extremely beautiful, but her aura was extremely simple. But in the eyes of the crowd, this was the most terrible scene they had ever seen.
The divine priests and deacons around the Divine Hall exclaimed and scattered in all directions. Those who could not retreat in time bowed in horror and greeted her with trembling voices.
Last spring, Tao Addict Ye Hongyu left the West-Hill Divine Palace. She lived in Chang 'an for a while and then disappeared without a trace. But this spring, she came back.
…
…
Chen Bachi, the former commander of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall, was blinded by a paper sword. Then, his tongue was smashed by the Great Divine Priest of Revelation's dry fingers. He became a real cripple. But after all, he was a trusted follower of Luo Kedi, so he could still live happily in the extremely realistic Judicial Department.
If basking in the sun every day on the stone steps could be considered a kind of happiness …
Ye Hongyu walked to the stone steps of the Divine Hall of Judgment and looked at Chen Bachi, who was dressed luxuriously but lying in the sun like a beggar. She said calmly, "Have you ever thought that I could come back?"
Many divine priests and deacons in the distance looked over, but no one dared to do anything to Ye Hongyu. It was not because the Tao Addict's prestige still existed, but because the Great Divine Priest of Revelation was furious because the Tao Addict had left the mountain after he returned to the Peach Mountain last year. He even had a fight with the Great Divine Priest of Judgment that no one knew about.
Chen Bachi had heard people's exclamations earlier. Hearing Ye Hongyu's voice, he finally confirmed that what he was most afraid of had finally happened. His face was full of fear.
He wanted to beg for mercy and also wanted to warn Ye Hongyu that this was before the Divine Hall. He wanted to use the prestige of the Great Divine Priest of Judgment and Luo Kedi to save his life. But he could not speak now.
Even if he could speak, Ye Hongyu was not prepared to listen. She just wanted to enter the Divine Hall of Judgment and had to climb the stone steps. And this person happened to be basking on the stone steps, so she spoke casually.
After saying this, she walked past Chen Bachi.
A spring breeze blew gently, ruffling the ancient trees around the Divine Hall and wrinkling Ye Hongyu's sleeves. A tiny wrinkle appeared on her green sleeves, which was shaped like a sword.
The invisible Taoist Sword appeared.
Chen Bachi's throat was cut and he died on the spot.
Ye Hongyu did not look back and continued to walk up the stone steps.
More than a hundred divine priests and deacons walked to the stone steps of the Divine Hall and looked up. They were shocked to see the green robe slowly walking up the stone steps.
The dark and solemn Divine Hall of Judgment was extremely tall and solemn. Compared to it, Ye Hongyu, who was standing in front of the hall, seemed so small. But she did not stop and walked in calmly and naturally.
It was like coming home.
When she walked into the Divine Hall of Judgment.
She was no longer small.
…
…
In a house somewhere in the capital of the Great River Kingdom, the sound of a baby crying could be heard.
The maids and servants in the courtyard were busy with joy. The owner of the house was a Tang, which was a good thing for the people of the Great River Kingdom. Moreover, this owner was gentle, had a deep relationship with his wife, and treated his servants generously. He was the best owner. Today, their owner was pregnant, and they were also happy.
The woman lying on the bed looked pale and her forehead was full of sweat. She looked extremely tired. But looking at the baby in her husband's arms, she still could not hide her excitement. She murmured, "It's a pity that it's a daughter. I'll give you a son next time."
The middle-aged man sitting by the bed looked at his wife and comforted her with the baby in his arms, "It's best to have a daughter. In the future, let her enter the Black Ink Garden to learn calligraphy and be elegant. If she gives birth to a naughty boy, it will be difficult to arrange. Who knows when he will learn to climb over walls and join those Jianghu people."
The woman said angrily, "How can you say that?"
The middle-aged man looked at the baby girl in his arms and said nervously, "Why is she so small?"
"How old can a newborn child be …" The woman suddenly became nervous and said in a trembling voice, "Master, are we really going back to Chang 'an in the autumn?"
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Father is old. Now that we have a child, we have to bring her back to make him happy. You don't have to worry about those trivial things. I'll take care of everything."
The woman always thought that her husband was the most reassuring person in the world. Hearing this, she was really relieved and began to think about other things. She asked, "What should we name the child?"
"After returning to Chang 'an, we'll wait for father to give us a name."
The middle-aged man thought that when they returned to Chang 'an, His Majesty would definitely rush to give him a name when he knew that he had a daughter. He could not help but smile bitterly and said, "Let's give her a nickname first."
"What should we call her?"
"The village we met was rich in pumpkins. How about Little Pumpkin?"
"… Whatever you say."
…
…
The word "born" was used to describe the birth of a new life. Sometimes, it was used to describe the relaxed mood after things were settled. In the Mogan Mountains in the west of the Great River Kingdom, there was a quiet lake. This quiet lake was the most famous Ink Lake in the Great River Kingdom. Mo Shanshan sat by the Ink Lake with a stone in her hand. She seemed to be ready to throw it into the lake or put it beside her, but she was still hesitating.
On the ground beside her, there were already seven or eight stones scattered around. Some were round, some were square, and some were in different shapes. There seemed to be no order to their placement, but it gave people a feeling of extreme emptiness. This emptiness was like the stomach after starving for five days, or like an empty wineskin.
The night wind blew gently. Mo Shanshan frowned, her thin and sparse eyelashes fluttering gently. Her originally slightly round cheeks had become thinner, making her even more beautiful. However, there was no self-pity or remorse on her pale cheeks. She was extremely focused, and even seemed to be in pain because she was thinking.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally put down the stone in her hand.
The stone seemed to be placed randomly in the middle of the seven or eight stones on the ground. However, at this moment, something very strange happened. It was like a person who had been hungry for several days suddenly ate a large bucket of hard rice, or like someone threw a knife into a wineskin. A strong sense of sharpness suddenly enveloped the Ink Lake.
Many waves appeared on the calm lake surface, as if even the lake water had sensed the rugged feeling that stretched between heaven and earth and blocked people's hearts.
Mo Shanshan looked at the scattered stones around her and knew that she had finally succeeded in setting up a part of the Stone Array Tactics. Her lake-like eyes became brighter and brighter, and her red lips were tightly pressed together because of joy.
At this moment, she remembered the words she wrote in the letter.
"After so many things, the rivers and mountains in my eyes have a new meaning. On the day we meet again, what I write will definitely be more magnificent than what I write today. I hope you will also work harder and not let me down."
The girl stood up and looked to the distant north. Thinking of that hateful guy, she said sweetly and proudly, "I have already known my destiny. Will you let me down?"
…
…
Peerless figures like Ke Haoran, the Youngest Uncle of the Academy, and Master Lotus had long disappeared, leaving only a few traces in the world. However, even these traces were extremely precious treasures.
Back in the Tianqi Mountains in the depths of the Wilderness, Ning Que, Mo Shanshan, and Ye Hongyu fought against each other and entered the Front Gate of the Devil's Doctrine. In the process, they saw the Great Blockage Formation set up by the Great Divine Priest of Light who founded the Devil's Doctrine. They saw the shocking sword marks left by Mr. Ke when he broke the Stone Array Tactics. They saw the letter left by Ke Haoran in the Front Gate of the Devil's Doctrine, the traces of that battle, and most importantly, Lotus who was still alive.
That was a bloody encounter. The three young experts of the cultivation world suffered great devastation both mentally and physically in front of this old monster, and they also gained extremely valuable experience.
These experiences settled in their spiritual world, and then gradually began to be released and began to play a role. Ning Que killed Xia Hou, Mo Shanshan entered the Knowing Destiny State, and Ye Hongyu bravely walked into the Divine Hall of Judgment, all thanks to the trip to the Front Gate of the Devil's Doctrine.
In a sense, neither Youngest Uncle nor Lotus had really died. The mantle of these two peerless powerhouses had been inherited by Ning Que and the other two in a new way.
Standing on the precipice at the back of the mountain of the Academy and looking at Chang 'an City in the distance, Ning Que recalled what had happened in the past two years. Climbing the old library, climbing the Second floor, comprehending Talisman Taoism, entering the Wilderness, inheriting the Great Spirit, and cultivating and fighting that he could never imagine before.
Then he remembered what Xia Hou had said before he died and frowned slightly. He felt that there were invisible black clouds floating above Chang 'an City that was covered by the clear spring sunshine.
He thought that he could not be the Son of Yama. Although he had died once, in a sense, he had seen Yama, but that Yama was obviously not the same Yama in this world.
But if he was not the Son of Yama, why did the Great Divine Priest of Light cause such a bloody storm? Why did the Buddhism Sect send people to see him and even kill him?
He could not see the future clearly, and he did not know whether the Buddhism Sect would be peaceful. Ning Que slightly clenched his fists and made a decision. He would not attend the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival in autumn.
At this moment, the lively music and noise forcibly pulled him out of the high-level emotions such as sighing and vigilance, and pulled him back to the scene of the spring outing.
Today was the spring outing in the Back Mountain of the Academy.
Under the organization of the Headmaster of the Academy, no disciple dared not to come. Anyway, the inhibition of the cliff cave had been removed, so the Senior Brothers who liked to play chess played chess in the cave. The Senior Brothers who liked to play the zither and flute sang and played songs in the cave. Those who liked to embroider continued to embroider, those who liked to read continued to read, those who liked to write small regular script continued to write small regular script, those who liked to chat continued to chat, and those who liked to pretend to be lonely continued to pretend to be lonely.
These were all very elegant hobbies, but when these hobbies appeared at the same time in the cliff cave, it suddenly became vulgar because it was too noisy, too much like the scene of performing on the streets in Chang 'an.
Sangsang was the one who really worked hard today, because she was responsible for preparing the food, and under Chen Pipi's strong request, she boiled three large urns of chicken soup.
"Young master, drink it quickly. It's the freshest."
Sangsang carried a bowl of chicken soup, quietly walked to the cliff edge, and handed it to him.
Ning Que looked at her slightly messy hair and the grass dust on her face, and could not help but feel a little distressed. He said angrily, "Chen Pipi made a fool of you, and you actually listened to him. Is the Chicken Soup Calligraphy and chicken soup the same thing? The Chicken Soup Calligraphy is sold for a lot of silver, but does that make the chicken soup more precious? "
Sangsang smiled and did not say anything. In fact, she was very happy that people in the Academy liked to drink the chicken soup she made.
She reminded him, "This chicken is very good, and it can produce a lot of oil. There is a thick layer of soup floating on top, so it looks like there is no heat, but in fact it is very hot. It will not cool in a short time. Young master, you should blow on it before drinking."
Sangsang went to the hut to prepare salad and steamed buns in the big pot.
Eldest Brother walked out of the cliff cave, stood beside Ning Que, and looked in the direction of Chang 'an.
Ning Que handed the bowl to him and said, "Senior Brother, this is the freshest bowl."
Eldest Brother smiled and shook his head. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Younger Brother, actually I have a question in my heart. I know this question is wrong, but it always makes me a little flustered."
Ning Que said, "Senior Brother, please tell me."
Eldest Brother looked at the distant Chang 'an City, frowned slightly, and asked, "15 years ago, when you picked up the knife in the woodshed, did you ever think that the general's son was actually innocent?"
Ning Que was slightly stunned, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "It was very chaotic at that time, and I really don't know what I was thinking at that time. But I will naturally understand later."
Then he sincerely asked, "Senior Brother, if you were in the same situation at that time, what would you choose?"
Eldest Brother said, "Without personal experience, even the most touching choice might just be false sensationalism … But if it were me now, I would probably choose to do nothing."
Ning Que knew that Eldest Brother was speaking from the bottom of his heart. Sacrificing the innocent for his own survival was probably not a choice that Eldest Brother would make.
He said, "Senior Brother, you are a benevolent person."
He continued, "Second Brother is a man of ideals, but it is really difficult for me to be one. I am just a selfish person, and I only want to survive."
Eldest Brother patted him on the shoulder and said, "Teacher once said that selfishness is the biggest driving force for human beings to move forward. Although I don't really understand this saying, I think there must be a reason behind it. Younger Brother, your choice is not wrong, at least I am not qualified to say that you are wrong."
"It is not that there must be a reason, but it is very reasonable."
The Headmaster walked to the edge of the cliff and said, "There is no purpose in life, only the process. How can there be right and wrong?"
Eldest Brother said, "Right and wrong are the benevolence of human beings."
The Headmaster pointed to the blue sky and a few white clouds above and said, "The higher you fly, the smaller your image in the eyes of people on the ground, until you become inhuman. You are not even a human, so how can there be benevolence? If there is no benevolence, how can there be right and wrong?"
Eldest Brother shook his head and said, "Teacher, you are wrong. During our travels, you often told me that it would be too cold to leave the human world, so if we stay in the human world, we must be human. Since we are human, we are one of the living beings in the world. How can we not have a sense of right and wrong? "
Ning Que was shocked.
The Headmaster had never thought that the most honest Eldest Disciple would dare to say that he was wrong to his face, and even use his own words to slap his own face. He was so angry that his beard fluttered, and he glared at him and scolded,
"Li Manman! How dare you! "
Eldest Brother said nervously, "Teacher often reminds me to learn more from Jun Mo and Youngest Brother. That is why I said those words. If you don't like it, I will take them back."
Ning Que listened by the side and tried to hold back his laughter until his stomach ached. At this moment, he really could not hold it anymore and burst out laughing. He waved his hands and said, "You guys talk first, I will go see if the steamed buns are ready."
The Headmaster glared at him and said, "You are the one who caused all this trouble, and you still want to escape?"
After saying this, he saw the bowl of chicken soup in Ning Que's hands and praised, "The oil is crystal clear, and the soup is clear and rich. What a good bowl of soup."
Ning Que's expression was slightly stiff.
The Headmaster flicked his sleeves and snatched the bowl of chicken soup from Ning Que's hands. He drank it in one gulp, and his expression did not change.
Ning Que was shocked and speechless. He thought that the Headmaster was really powerful.
Then, the Headmaster's expression suddenly changed, and he spat out all the chicken soup in his mouth. His clothes and beard were dripping with oil, and he looked very embarrassed.
"Hot!"
The Headmaster shouted in anger and pain, and even his tone changed.
Sangsang, who was picking wisteria under the roofed corridor, asked confusedly, "Should I add sugar to the chicken soup?"
There was a burst of laughter by the cliff.
…
…
(Volume II: The End of the Lake in Winter) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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