Under the effect of the talisman array, the black horse carriage moved silently on the mountain road as if it was riding the wind. Many horses were grazing on the grassy slope beside the mountain stream, covering the sound of the big black horse's hooves. Dozens of cultivators under the big tree did not notice the arrival of Ning Que and Sangsang.
But the girl under the bamboo wall noticed it. Having entered the Knowing destiny State, she could clearly perceive the slightest change of the Qi of Heaven and Earth around her. She was originally the most talented Talisman Master in the world. Now that she had entered the state of Divine Talisman Master, how could she not notice the aura of Talisman Taoism from the black horse carriage? Or was it because she had been silently looking at the direction of the mountain road, wanting to see someone?
Looking at the black horse carriage that gradually stopped in the distance, the girl's eyes were filled with joy and slight confusion. Then she calmed down and slowly walked over there.
Many cultivators on the plain by the stream had been silently paying attention to the girl this entire time, including that noble young master who was surrounded by many cultivators to curry favor. As the girl left the bamboo and walked towards the black carriage in the distance, their gazes subconsciously followed her, appearing rather perplexed.
Some people were guessing who was in the black horse carriage that could make the world-famous Calligraphy Addict move to greet him. Some smart people or people who were more familiar with the Tang Empire had already guessed the truth and could not help but show a shocked expression.
Ning Que did not pay attention to the expressions and reactions of the cultivators under the big tree. He just silently watched the girl walking toward him. As she came closer and closer, he watched the face that he had not seen for a long time and rarely thought of but had not forgotten become clearer and clearer in his sight. He became more and more nervous.
The girl had indeed lost a lot of weight, but she was still beautiful. Her eyes were as clear as an autumn lake, and her eyelashes were thin and sparse. Her lips were thin and bright, and her black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her white dress was like a white dandelion. As she moved, her simple and clean cloth shoes moved out of her dress from time to time and then floated back into her dress like leaves in the wind. It seemed as if nothing had changed from before.
In the past year and a half, Ning Que often received letters from the Great River Kingdom. The letters seemed to have the smell of ink, and were written in a graceful handwriting about daily affairs, never about love.
After reading these letters, he would either give them to Sangsang or throw them away. He would also write back, but he rarely wrote anything in the letters. Most of the time, he would just send some sections that he was satisfied with.
Last year, when he decided to attend the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival at the Lanke Temple, Ning Que had thought that the Calligraphy Addict would definitely be invited, and she might really come. He had thought many times about what it would be like when they met again, what she would say, and what he should say. However, the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. The more he thought about it, the more nervous and helpless he became. So he stopped thinking about it and forgot about it until he saw her reappear in front of him by the mountain stream.
Ning Que didn't know what to do as he looked at the girl who was slowly approaching him. He hoped that he could hear some sounds coming from the carriage behind him. He hoped that he could hear Sangsang's fake coughs. Even if it was just the sound of her clothes moving, it would calm him down and make him look more indifferent.
Mo Shanshan walked to the front of the carriage. The Big Black Horse found that it was the beautiful mistress that it first recognized and liked. It shook its head and neighed, looking very happy.
Mo Shanshan smiled and raised her hand to touch its head. The Big Black Horse desperately tried to squeeze its huge head into her palm and rubbed it affectionately. It looked very funny.
Ning Que patted its back, silently warning it not to be too excited and nervous and lose its composure. At the same time, he also told himself not to be too excited and nervous and lose his composure.
In the carriage, Sangsang still did not make any sound.
But at this time, he was much calmer. He looked at Mo Shanshan and bowed with hands folded in front.
Mo Shanshan returned the bow and bowed to the black carriage. She said calmly, "Greetings, Lady of Light."
Sangsang's voice finally came from the carriage, "Greetings, Hill Master."
The first words of the two girls were very calm and polite. Ning Que could not help but be speechless when he heard Sangsang's calm and gentle voice, which actually sounded like a bigwig from the West-Hill Divine Palace.
Just when he was at a loss of what to do, Sangsang's voice came from the carriage again, "Young master, I'm a little tired. I want to rest in the carriage."
Ning Que understood that she was giving him a chance to talk to Mo Shanshan alone. After a moment of silence, he grunted and walked in front of Mo Shanshan. He said, "Let's take a walk by the stream."
Looking at the back of the young man and woman walking to the mountain stream, the Big Black Horse lightly kicked its hind hooves and snorted. It praised in its heart that they were really a beautiful couple. Of course, Sangsang was also very good. But why didn't Ning Que want both of them? If humans wanted women and needed to marry, then he should just marry both. Looking at this guy's current glory, who would dare to stop him? Back then, I already had a lover in the southern military camp. But when I saw that snow-white mare in the Wilderness, I still did not flinch and wanted to have a go with her. Love really needs courage …
Just when the Big Black Horse kept mocking Ning Que and felt pity for him and wanted to encourage him to have more courage, Sangsang's question suddenly came from the carriage behind him.
Sangsang asked, "Are you familiar with Miss Shanshan?"
The Big Black Horse's body suddenly stiffened. He knew that Sangsang had seen all the intimate scenes between him and Mo Shanshan. He could not help but feel terrified.
As a big animal and pet of the Ning family from the Old Brush Pen Shop to the Yanming Lake, he knew better than anyone else in the world that in this family, the mistress would always be the most powerful. This had nothing to do with Sangsang becoming the Lady of Light of the West-Hill Divine Palace. After all, the world had already been operating like this when she was still a little handmaiden.
Under such circumstances, the Big Black Horse knew that any explanation he gave would be a cover-up and he would most likely die an ugly death. So he bared his teeth and looked at the horse carriage. He kept wagging his tail and tried his best to play dumb to please Sangsang.
…
…
On the grassy slope beside the mountain stream, there were many horses eating grass with their heads lowered. They should be the mounts of the cultivators who came to visit the mountain. Not far away, there were some wild goats playing. Both parties were silent and peaceful.
Ning Que and Mo Shanshan walked to the side of the stream and were also silent. However, the atmosphere was not as peaceful as on the grassy slope. Although nothing happened, it was really difficult for them to live in peace. There was an awkward and uneasy atmosphere.
The silence had to be broken. If Mo Shanshan still needed to take the first step, Eldest Brother of the Academy would probably mock him for many years if he knew about it, no matter how gentle he was. That was indeed not manly. So Ning Que looked at her and asked, "How have you been in the past year?"
The two of them had been communicating through letters for the past year and a half. Even if they were talking about trivial matters, they would also talk about recent events. There was no need for him to ask specifically. After such a long silence and such a serious tone, he ended up asking such a question. This could only mean that his brain was still not working well at this time.
"I broke through the realm in calligraphy cultivation."
Mo Shanshan did not laugh or feel annoyed. She answered calmly and seriously. As she spoke, the serious expression on her face and the focused gaze in her eyes gave this simple question and answer a sense of ritual.
Then she smiled and asked, "What about you? You rarely mentioned it in your letters. "
"So did I. I broke through the realm in calligraphy cultivation."
After a short pause, Ning Que smiled bitterly and said, "I killed a few people along the way."
Hearing this, Mo Shanshan looked into his eyes seriously and confirmed that her previous perception was not wrong. She said joyfully, "When did you break through the realm? That's really worth congratulating. "
Ning Que looked at her and said with a smile, "You became a Divine Talisman Master in spring. I did it much later than you. What's there to be happy about? Now that I think about it, the letter you left when you left Chang 'an was really prophetic. When you saw the more magnificent rivers and mountains, I was still struggling to climb in the mountain stream. "
Mo Shanshan smiled and said, "But now you have seen the scenery at the top of the mountain."
"Well, the scenery here is not bad."
Ning Que moved his gaze from the bottomless mountain stream by the cliff to the peaks of Wa Mountain.
Mo Shanshan suddenly thought of the thing that worried her the most after they parted. She asked, "I was really shocked to know that you were going to duel with Xiahou. At that time, no one in the Great River Kingdom, including the Headmaster, was optimistic about you."
Ning Que looked into her beautiful eyes and asked, "What about you?"
Mo Shanshan thought for a while and said, "Although there is really no reason to think that you will win, I don't know why I always feel that even if you lose, you will be fine. At least you will not die."
Ning Que was slightly curious and asked, "You actually have so much confidence in me?"
Mo Shanshan smiled and said, "That year when we left the Front Gate of the Devil's Doctrine, Ye Hongyu once told me in the hanging basket that a shameless person like you usually has a long life."
Was this the saying that a scourge could live for a thousand years? Ning Que was a little annoyed and said, "I don't like to hear such slander. Although she is now the Great Divine Priest of Judgment, if she really pushed me, I would dare to find trouble with her."
Mo Shanshan did not mention this matter anymore and asked, "How does it feel to defeat Xiahou?"
"The feeling of defeating the enemy is not important. Even if I can't beat the enemy, it's fine as long as I can kill the enemy. So you should ask me, how does it feel to kill Xiahou …" Just like on the journey in the Wilderness, Ning Que began to instill the cold-blooded and realistic fighting methods and ideas into her habitually. He said, "There was a moment of ecstasy, then exhaustion and confusion, and finally, it all returned to the peace after getting what I wanted."
Mo Shanshan listened to him silently. Looking at the extremely faint scar on his face and the extremely shallow dimple, she was a little absent-minded. Thinking of the fierce battle on the winter lake in the rumors, she always felt that there were many things hidden under his calm expression that made her heart palpitate. She even felt that his dimple was filled with fresh blood, and she could not help but feel a little sad.
"When this matter really spread to the Great River Kingdom, I didn't know that you had such a miserable childhood."
She said with a slightly trembling voice, unable to hide her love for him.
Ning Que did not want to talk about this topic. Looking at her cheeks that were slightly thinner than before, he joked, "The flesh on your face is all gone. It seems that you have had a hard time in the past two years."
He had originally wanted to make a joke to dilute the previous depressed atmosphere, but as soon as he said it, he knew that it was wrong.
As the world's Calligraphy Addict, she was loved by the Master of Calligrapher and respected by her peers. She broke through the Knowing Destiny State in spring and became an extremely rare young Divine Talisman Master. Her life could be said to be extremely smooth and happy. What else could make her worry and become haggard other than love?
If it was an ordinary woman, upon hearing these words, even if she didn't immediately burst into tears, she would at least reveal a sorrowful expression. At the very least, she would force a smile with a hint of reluctance, which would make the man feel guilty.
Mo Shanshan was not an ordinary woman, so she just smiled and said nothing.
Ning Que looked at her gratefully and said, "I thought that the Lanke Temple would definitely invite you to the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival, but the envoys of various countries are discussing the Desolate Man's southward journey. Other cultivators may be worried about the rumor of the Underworld Invasion. According to your temperament, you should not come. Do you want Elder Qishan to guide you? But you are now a Divine Talisman Master who knows the Knowing Destiny State. You should know your own destiny. Why do you need someone to help you? "
As soon as he said this, he immediately knew that he had made a big mistake. The Calligraphy Addict naturally did not need Elder Qishan to help her with questions about cultivation or Talisman Taoism. She did not even need to ask about life. So naturally, she asked …
No matter how great Mo Shanshan was, she was still a girl. After hearing these two questions from Ning Que, she could not help but feel a little embarrassed and annoyed. She looked at him and asked, "Then why are you here? Do you want to steal the Buddhist scriptures of the Lanke Temple? "
Ning Que knew that he had made a mistake, so he did not dare to mock her back. He said honestly, "The Academy always needs people to show respect to the grand meeting of the cultivation world. I represent the Academy to enter the human realm, so I have to come."
Then he looked a little sad and said, "More importantly, my Sangsang's illness has acted up again. This time, even the teacher can't do anything about it. But the teacher said that the Lanke Temple can cure it, so I brought her here."
During the journey in the Wilderness, especially during the time when they continued to the north, Mo Shanshan and Ning Que had been traveling together. Naturally, they talked about a lot of people and things around them. She talked about her fellow disciples in the Black Ink Garden, while Ning Que talked about his fellow disciples in the Academy and his comrades in the City of Wei. But most of the time, he talked about his little handmaiden at home. Naturally, he also talked about their childhood and the little handmaiden's old illness.
Mo Shanshan had heard the words "my Sangsang" countless times from Ning Que. She had also read the Chicken Soup Calligraphy, so she knew how important Sangsang was to him even before Ning Que himself. So even though she had only met Sangsang twice and had not spoken more than ten sentences, she was actually very familiar with Sangsang. She even felt a sense of closeness to Sangsang, except for a certain person and some things.
Hearing that Sangsang was seriously ill, she looked at the black horse carriage not far away and was very worried. But she did not say anything.
Ning Que could see that her worry was sincere. He felt a warmth in his heart and then a sense of guilt. He was capable but not virtuous, but he could be loved by such a beautiful and kind woman. What a ridiculous thing.
…
…
"What's going on over there?"
He looked at the crowd under the big tree and pointed at the stone chess and the yellow-robed old monk who was playing chess.
Mo Shanshan did not expect that he would not know the rules of the cultivation world for many years even though he had already entered the Tile Mountain. She explained, "Being able to get an answer from Master Qishan is something that cultivators look forward to the most. So every time the master comes out of the hut, many cultivators, especially those who are not from the wild, will come to the Tile Mountain. After all, this is a quiet place for Buddhism. It can't become as noisy as a market. Moreover, the master can't choose a fated person from thousands of people. So, since many years ago, the Lanke Temple has set a rule that only cultivators who pass the three chess games will be qualified to be chosen by Master Qishan before they reach the cave. "
Ning Que looked at the big tree and frowned. "For example, we have to win against that old monk to cross the bridge?"
Mo Shanshan nodded and said, "Sitting and talking in the Tile Mountain is a very famous event in the cultivation world. It is said that one of the three chess games is an incomplete game, one is a real game, and the last is a temporary game."
Ning Que asked, "Do we have to win three games in a row to reach the hut?"
Mo Shanshan said, "The last time Master Qishan opened the hut to choose a fated person was decades ago. I am not very clear about the details, but the master is an eminent monk of the Buddhism Sect. I think he will not just decide based on winning or losing. If the visitor can show his wisdom or other meaningful qualities during the game, he will be chosen by the master. But the three games must be played."
Ning Que asked, "Why?"
Mo Shanshan did not explain. "Because it is a rule."
Ning Que shook his head and said, "Rules are dead, but people are alive."
He said it seriously, but Mo Shanshan laughed and said, "You can't play chess?"
Ning Que was a little embarrassed and said, "I am willing to fight with swords. I don't like to waste my energy on chess."
Mo Shanshan said with a little worry, "Then what will you do?"
Ning Que said with a smile, "What else can I do? No one will dare to stop me. But … if these monks are really stupid enough to go against the Academy, you have to help me. "
Mo Shanshan looked at his playful appearance. This time, she finally saw the hidden determination and ruthlessness in his eyes. She couldn't help but feel a little sour in her heart. Then, it softened.
She knew that since this matter was related to Sangsang's life, no matter what difficulties and obstacles there were, even if it was Haotian in front of him, Ning Que would cut through them.
This really made her very jealous.
She really liked this.
…
…
(It is a little late, but I wrote a lot more in this chapter. It is almost five thousand words. Hahaha.) (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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