Night fell and it was time for dinner. The citizens of the Yuelun Kingdom, who usually liked to squat down on the street and chat with their neighbors, all went back to their houses. The street seemed deserted, perhaps because they were afraid of the clouds above or because of the rumors about the Daughter of Yama.
Only the officers of the government were patrolling.
The security in Chaoyang City was much tighter than last autumn, but Ning Que believed that it would not be a problem to sneak out with Sangsang. He had sensed with his Psyche Power using the big black umbrella and found that there were many more powerhouses in Chaoyang City. What made him even more alarmed was that the imperial court of the Yuelun Kingdom had obviously strengthened the search inside Chaoyang City. Soldiers could be seen everywhere on the streets. Could it be that the Buddhism and Taoism sects had confirmed that they were in Chaoyang City?
It seemed that they really had to leave this time. But where would they go?
If Ning Que was alone, he would have left Chaoyang City long ago. He was confident that he would not be found by the Buddhism and Taoism sects, no matter if he went back to the Academy or somewhere else. However, he dared not act rashly with Sangsang, who was still ill.
He had lived in Chaoyang City for more than a hundred days, but he did not see any trace of Eldest Brother. It seemed that Eldest Brother had never been here, which made him guess that the Buddhism and Taoism sects might have used some method. But he could not search carefully, because the most important thing to hide was to cut off any contact with the outside world.
Ning Que was worried about Sangsang, who was left alone in the courtyard, so he quickly finished his investigation. He continued to deepen the map he had just drawn in his mind as he walked to the small courtyard.
There was an inconspicuous stream about a hundred feet away from the small courtyard. There were some green trees by the stream. He walked to a tree and looked at the direction of the small courtyard. After making sure that Sangsang was fine, he sat down by the tree and lowered his head tiredly.
One autumn in the Lanke Temple, one autumn in the Wilderness, and then they came to Chaoyang City. For more than a hundred days, he had been extremely nervous and anxious. Although he could rest physically, he did not have the chance to relax, not even for a moment.
Ever since he left Chang 'an when he was a child, he had been struggling on the edge of life and death. Whether in Min Mountain or in the Wilderness, he was always in a state of mental tension. But at that time, there was always a chance for him to relax, whether it was drinking or singing by the fire. However, now he and Sangsang were so lonely. Facing the overwhelming pressure of the whole world, there was no chance for them to vent their stress.
Ning Que thought that Sangsang had sensed his abnormal state of mind, so she tried to make him relax by being cute and bickering. He was also very cooperative, but it still could not improve his current mental state. The string in his mind had been broken to the extreme today and could break at any time.
He picked up a stone from the stream bank and held it tightly. Then, he slowly exerted force. After a long time, he released his palm. The stone in his palm had already been crushed into several pieces of gravel.
Then he stood up and gave a heavy blow to the green tree. He wanted to learn from a certain article in his memory and use this method to relieve the heavy pressure, so that when he returned to the small courtyard, he could face Sangsang with the calmest expression and the most gentle attitude.
There was always a gap between reality and ideal.
Ning Que looked at the tree in front of him and his fist that had silently sunk into the hard trunk of the tree. He slightly raised his eyebrows and slightly opened his mouth. It was hard to tell whether he was crying or laughing.
When he returned to the small courtyard, he had already calmed down. He groped under the quilt in the dark and hugged Sangsang's slightly cold body. He leaned his face against the back of her neck and deeply sniffed. He said, "Hurry up and sleep."
Sangsang felt a little wet behind her neck. She turned around and looked into his eyes. But she saw nothing but calmness and warmth in his eyes. She whispered, "You're crying?"
Ning Que smiled and said, "Have you ever seen me cry for so many years?"
Sangsang buried her head in his arms and said, "Did mentioning Miss Shanshan remind you of those things and make you feel more regretful and sad? Is that why you're sad?"
This was something they often did these days. But Ning Que was not in the mood, so he just silently held her in his arms and gently stroked her back, conveying the warmth of his palm.
Sangsang was silent for a long time and suddenly said, "Am I very stupid?"
Ning Que asked, "Why are you stupid?"
Sangsang raised her head and looked at him. She said, "I'm not cute, but I want to pretend to be cute to make you happy. I pretend to be ugly, and sometimes I even pretend to be unreasonable."
Ning Que looked at her and said, "You're cute."
Sangsang whispered, "Why am I cute?"
Ning Que said, "You're the only girl I can love, so you're cute."
Sangsang smiled and said, "So mushy, so sour."
Ning Que also smiled and said, "Pipi taught me this sentence."
Sangsang was still smiling, but tears had wet her cheeks.
Ning Que reached out and flicked the tears off her face. He said, "I haven't seen you cry since you were five years old."
Sangsang said, "I cried once a few years ago, the night I left the Old Brush Pen Shop."
Ning Que said, "Don't cry in the future."
Sangsang lowered her head and gently hummed.
Ning Que's lips fell on her smooth forehead and then moved down to her lips.
Sangsang slightly opened her eyes and slightly parted her lips.
Ning Que hugged her tightly and kissed her quietly and attentively, as if he wanted to completely press her thin body into his. Only in this way could he prevent her from being seen and taken away by others.
Sangsang was 16 years old this year. Although she was thin, she had grown into a young girl and had her own charm. Ning Que put his hands into her clothes and gently stroked them.
Sangsang whispered, "Let's have a baby."
"When you recover." Ning Que looked at her seemingly transparent eyes and said.
"What if I can't recover?"
"We'll leave Chaoyang City in two days. We'll think about it after we find a safe place."
"But where is the real safe place? The Academy? "
"If we can't go back to the Academy, then a place without people is the safest place."
…
…
The clouds in the sky became bigger and thicker.
The shadows cast by the clouds had already shrouded most of Chaoyang City. When the sun rose, Chaoyang City welcomed a very short moment of morning light. Then, as the sun rose above the clouds, the city fell into gloomy weather again.
Since last night, thousands of soldiers of the Yuelun Kingdom, led by the ascetic monks of the Buddhism Sect, had searched every street in Chaoyang City under the clouds. This time, the search was carried out very carefully. No one dared to be careless. Every house was knocked on, including water tanks and grain cellars. Only after Li Zheng and the three neighbors confirmed that there were no outsiders living in the house, would they stick a piece of red paper on the door to indicate that there was no problem.
Although Chaoyang City was large under the shadow of the clouds, with so many people searching from house to house and gradually eliminating the suspicion, the two people hiding under the clouds would be found at some point.
That moment came earlier than everyone had expected. Neither Master Qi Mei of Xuankong Temple nor Luo Kedi and his 18 West-Hill Divine Guards had expected it.
An Ascetic Monk from Xuankong Temple was leading a dozen soldiers to search along a stream. Suddenly, a black crow appeared on a withered tree in front of him.
The Ascetic Monk looked at the crow and frowned slightly. He waved his hand, intending to drive it away. However, the black crow did not seem to be afraid of him. Instead, it cawed at him several times.
After a few caws, the black crow left the branch and flew around the Ascetic Monk's head three times. Then, it flew upstream and landed on another tree about a hundred feet away. It cawed a few more times.
Cultivators in the world were basically believers of Haotian. Although the disciples of the Buddhism Sect worshiped Buddha, they believed in those things in the unseen world. Seeing the strange behavior of the black crow, the Ascetic Monk's expression became serious. He signaled the dozen soldiers to search where they were and then followed the black crow to the north of the stream.
After walking for about a few miles and about five or six streets, the Ascetic Monk saw the black crow fly into a small courtyard about a hundred feet away from the stream. His expression changed slightly.
Then, the Ascetic Monk's gaze fell on a green tree in front of him. He saw a clear fist-shaped hole in the hard trunk. His pupils shrank and his expression changed.
He suddenly thought that if the two people in the small courtyard were really those two people of legend, then his dhyana heart would probably be sensed by them in an instant due to his fear. Thinking of this, he actually concentrated his dhyana heart and calmed his mind, forcefully expelling everything he had seen and guessed from his mind.
The Ascetic Monk put his palms together. He was expressionless and did not think. Like a muddle-headed clay statue, he slowly walked away from the stream. He passed through the narrow alley and followed his instincts in the depths of his consciousness to walk somewhere.
He maintained this state and walked through several streets. Whether it was the shouts of his fellow disciples or the strange looks of the soldiers, they could not stop him until he slowly walked into the White Tower Temple.
The bell of the White Tower Temple woke the ascetic monk from his unconscious state. Looking at his fellow disciples who had surrounded him, his eyes were filled with confusion. Then, he suddenly woke up and showed endless fear. With a puff, he spat out blood and said weakly, "Found it."
…
…
Luo Kedi looked at the small courtyard in the distance. His tall and sturdy body did not tremble in the slightest, and there was no emotion on his stone-like face. His eyes were burning with battle intent, as if he wanted to burn everything he saw into ashes.
18 West-Hill Divine Guards, wearing red cloaks, stood solemnly on both sides of him. They carried God-given long swords. Looking at the width of the scabbards, one could imagine how heavy these God-given long swords were.
Master Qi Mei stood beside Luo Kedi and looked quietly at the small courtyard in the distance. After a long silence, he said, "Who would have thought that the Daughter of Yama would be hiding in Chaoyang City?"
The two powerhouses stood two streets away from the small courtyard. They maintained this distance because the murderous intent on them was too strong. It was so strong that they could not hide it even with their state.
…
…
(Chapter Three: Strive for 1.30.) (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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