Chapter 291 (1/2)

When the old man returned to the Old Brush Pen Shop in Lin 47th Street, Sangsang was still squatting beside the stove, frowning at the burning firewood. She was attentively thinking about those Divine Skills she had learnt.

”Let's eat.” The old man said.

Previously Sangsang was absent-minded and didn't notice that the old man left for some time in the middle. So she stood up surprised at his words, and looking at the edge of his clothes wet from snow water, she faintly understood something. Then her lip slightly lit up to show a smile.

The old man responded with a smile too and sat beside the table.

Sangsang didn't ask what he had gone to do, but served him a bowl of rice. And then she warmed the yellow croaker, pinched with chopsticks the fattest one onto the pile of rice in his bowl, and added a spoon of delicious steaming soup on it.

”What did Aunt Wu make at noon?”

”Lettuce with mashed garlic.”

Sangsang asked, ”Did it taste good?”

The old man answered, ”Good enough... but I don't understand, why she didn't put salted fish in the dish.”

Sangsang raised her head and asked with confusion, ”Why salted fish?”

The old man felt confused too. He looked at Sangsang's little face and said, ”But last time, you put it in the lettuce.”

Sangsang lowered her head and said, ”When young master cooked lettuce in our childhood, he had no mashed garlic to put in the dish.”

The old man stiffened and sighed, ”Eh, I remember, when I was young in Taoist temple, we rarely ate fried green vegetables. I don't know why I seek such enjoyment at this old age.”

”Young master said, 'it is easy to go from being thrifty to being luxurious, but not as easy the other way round'. It is the same for everyone, so master, don't be so self-reproachful.”

Sangsang comforted him.

At daybreak the next day, the old man got up, carefully put the quilt in order and returned it to the corner behind the shelf. And then he pushed open the door of Old Brush Pen Shopand and looked at the morning light faraway, narrowing his eyes.

The sentence ”it is easy to go from being thrifty to being luxurious, but not so easy the other way round.” Sangsang quoted from Ning Que and it somewhat touched him. He found himself too indulged in the comfort of Old Brush Pen Shop and actually forgot to seek for the shadow of Nightfall.

The breakfast was also hot and sour noodle slice soup. After eating, the old man prepared to wash the dishes, when Sangsang gave him the tip to put them down and take a rest. The old man smiled, saying he would go out for a stroll and might not be back for lunch.

”That's good. It's not proper to be indoor all day.”

Thinking it over, Sangsang fished out taels of silver from her belt and handed it to him, saying, ”If you get tired, find a tea shop and have a rest. Don't make a fuss about spending money. Don't go too far either. If you lose your way, don't feel embarra.s.sed to ask for directions from others. People in Chang'an City are all warm-hearted. You can also look for any casino and tell them you know Mr. Qi, and then you will bring you back.”

Fearing that she would not stop her chattering, the old man took the taels of silver, carefully put it in his arms and repeatedly answered ”yes” before he left.

After leaving Lin 47th Street, he went straight to the north. He pa.s.sed by the royal palace through the Eastern City and went out of Chang'an City through the Xuanwu Gate. Finally, he reached a small hill covered with snow in the north of the city. Climbing high and gazing afar, he could naturally see things in the far distance. He looked into the north silently, where stars were dim, as if they were about to integrate into the brilliance of Haotian.

The peach branches at the back garden of the Southern Gate Temple were covered in thin snow.

Li Qingshan, the Nation Master, leisurely leant against the window sill and looked at the snow on the prune tree and the small bud that might never bloom. All of a sudden he coughed fiercely, and his coughing echoed in the tranquil palaces of the Taoist temple. It sounded excruciatingly painful.

Removing the handkerchief that had covered his mouth, he found there were spots of blood on it, which was like plum blossoms in full bloom. He glared at the prune tree outside and scolded, ”You ought to bloom in winter yet you don't, but you let your Taoist master bloom first.”

Taoist nuns and boys of the Southern Gate Temple were silently waiting outside the palace, their faces filled with anxiety, yet n.o.body dared to go inside.

He Mingchi went over with a bowl of medicine and sighed to a Senior Sister to take away the yellow paper umbrella under his arm. He stepped upon the dark and smooth Paulownia wood floor and walked to Li Qingshan, saying with grief, ”Master, don't work with hexagrams any more.”

Li Qingshan took the medicine and slowly drank it up, and then he folded the handkerchief over and wiped off the remaining medicine soup on his beard. Looking at his favorite disciple, he said emotionlessly, ”Last night Wei Guangming appeared. Sure enough he was still in Chang'an City. He was among the three workshops, but I faintly feel he intended to leave. So there is something urgent to tackle.”

He Mingchi took the bowl and said, ”The Military Ministry and the Imperial Center Administration have both gotten prepared. For fear of startling that man, they haven't sought him out in the streets at the north of the Scent Workshop. Now only Uncle is headed in that direction.”

Realizing that the Senior Brother was seeking for that terrifyingly strong guy in the Eastern City all on his own, Li Qingshan nodded after quite a long time of silence. He didn't say anything more but signed to those outside the palace to scatter and the disciples to leave.

A black horse carriage was headed for the streets of Eastern City in Chang'an. If it was not examined closely and touched by hand, it would be difficult to tell that the carriage was forged with steel, which was carved with complicated and subtle lines. The special wheels ground on the tough stone path, making m.u.f.fled rolling sounds.

Master Yan Se in the horse carriage was leaning on the delicate soft seat. His triangle eyes were greedily seeking out the Great Divine Priest of Light through the curtain. Where was one to find such a serious, old, obscene face?

If we did meet, then we could fight. If I really could not beat him to death, then I would die peacefully. It is not a big deal to kick the bucket now, anyway, we will all die one day. Moreover, I already have a successor.

The cornice of Spring Breeze Pavilion newly-built a year ago breezed over, which suddenly reminded Master Yan Se of Chao Xiaoshu, and then the disciple who had never been heard of. That disciple was a student of Second floor of the Academy, naturally the master didn't bother to worry about his safety. He only thought that it was a pity that he might not have a chance to see him again.

Just at the moment, he remembered that day when Ning Que left Chang'an, he earnestly asked him to look after that little handmaiden named Sangsang. Yet these days he was too occupied to visit her— The old Taoist waved his head, thinking to himself, ”Now I have to seek that guy in Eastern City, then after that I will go and see her.”

Today, the first visitor at the Old Brush Pen Shop was not Master Yan Se, nor was it that old man gazing at the north outside Chang'an City, but a young fatty. That fatty jumped off the horse carriage, and although he didn't shake the slate ground of the Lin 47th Street as fiercely as an earthquake would, his plump cheeks rippled for quite a while.

The young fatty pushed open the tightly-closed door of Old Brush Pen Shop and directly sat in the round-backed armchair of Ning Que. Then he felt that his thigh was nipped and ached, so he muttered something in anger and then shouted, ”Serve tea.”