Chapter 527: The Shabby Temple In Autumn (2/2)
He felt as though he could smell that horse carriage in the wind, the fragrance of wine on the little handmaiden's body, and the filthy odor on Ning Que's body.
Regardless of what the scent was, he became engrossed by them. His handsome face was slightly flushed and that unnoticeable scar on his cheek was brightened. He didn't reveal any expressions, yet there seemed to be a flame burning from deep within his pupils, where the black and the white regions and the dark grey area were interchanging at rapid pace.
Long Qing's chest rose slightly. He strained his eyes with his hands faintly trembling as he said, ”Kill that person, so that my Taoist Heart can be clear and bright. Also, I want to swallow the cultivation from his entire body... that cultivation that is filled with the smell of the Academy. The Academy smell is very rare, very fragrant.”
His voice was very peaceful and calm.
Yet Zi Mo felt as though he had seen the legendary monster, Tao Tie, under the tree. He felt fearful subconsciously. It was a type of cold fear that life gave you when facing a being with absolute greed.
As the most loyal and useful subordinate, no matter how afraid he was, even if it would make the Priest unhappy, Zi Mo still wanted to give his own opinion. He lowered his voice and said as a reminder, ”Priest, while you have shut yourself from the world to meditate, some things have happened... I heard that Ning Que murdered Xia Hou during a challenge. In addition, it was rumored that his little handmaiden is to become the Divine Priest of Light. She was not simple either.”
Long Qing did not say much. He gradually put on his silver mask, stood up, and walked towards the carriage by the spring.
As he walked, the grey portion in his eyes began to clear away, but the dust beneath his feet slowly flew up. They were like bees pursuing the bottom of his boots and in the end, staying as the dust under his feet willingly.
Watching this scene, Zi Mo felt even more fearful and respectful towards him. He dared not speak another word.
More than ten black riders roared as they rode down the mountain.
Standing below the tree by the the edge of the cliff, one could see a large green mountain located far away, within the mountain range. There were many weeds growing in the mountains. There wasn't a single tree and the view was s.p.a.cious. At the top of the mountain, there was a temple.
Despite being very far apart, one could also feel the shabby and withering aura from that temple. Hence, it was definitely not the Lanke Temple. One could faintly see a few patches of red in the temple, yet no one knew what they were.
After boarding on the Tang Empire's wars.h.i.+p to cross the Great Lake and when the Moling Ferry reached the sh.o.r.e of the South Jin Kingdom, Ning Que proposed his separation from the group of amba.s.sadors. He left early with Sangsang, and this instantly drew a voice of opposition.
Xiaocao could not bear to leave Sangsang, while the ladies from the House of Red Sleeves could not bear to lose any opportunities to get close the Mr. Thirteen. As for Xian Zhilang, the Empire General, he felt that it might be too dangerous and the journey might not be peaceful for Ning Que and Sangsang once they left the group of amba.s.sadors.
Upon listening to Xian Zhilang's reminder, or warning, Ning Que replied directly, ”Don't forget that I am the core disciple of the Headmaster and that I s.n.a.t.c.hed over the t.i.tle from w.a.n.g Jinglue. Those who can defeat me know my ident.i.ty and would not dare to mess with me. Those who are hot-headed and crazy enough to mess with me would not be able to defeat me.”
Xian Zhilang realized that Ning Que's reasoning was sound. It was so right that he could not rebute him at all. Whoever was able to defeat Ning Que in this world had to be a Grand Cultivator in the Knowing Destiny State. These Grand Cultivators had their own sects to inherit. Who would dare to p.i.s.s off the Academy and risk himself of losing an inheritance just for the purpose of messing with Ning Que?
Thus, after purchasing a large amount of strong wine from the Moling Ferry, arranging the meet-up between the South Jin Kingdom government and the officer of the amba.s.sador group, including the settling of the Zhou City entrance matters at the backend, Ning Que and Sangsang sat on the black horse carriage and left the amba.s.sador group.
As for why he chose to leave the amba.s.sador group and travel alone, it was because Ning Que was worried about Sangsang's illness. Though Sangsang's illness didn't seem to worsen, it didn't seem to improve either. Since the Headmaster said that the Lanke Temple could cure Sangsang's illness, Ning Que naturally would want to reach the Lanke Temple at the fastest speed.
The black carriage left the Moling Ferry and travelled towards the state highway of the South Jin Kingdom, along the roads between the Zhou City and straight towards a southeast direction. Upon reaching the deserted wildness, the carriage drove along the easy mountain path and travelled over the rivers and streams. It did not have any intention of hidding its whereabouts, nor did it stop to socialize with the world. It only focused on travelling toward its final destination silently.
Time pa.s.sed. Echoes from the rus.h.i.+ng noises of the carriage wheels were heard. The sense of autumn was gradually getting stronger as the autumn leaves on the mountain started to become redder. The autumn breeze along the mountain path slowly became chillier and the winter feeling was slowly getting deeper. The carriage was also gradually getting nearer to the Lanke Temple.
Perhaps it was because they were gradually getting nearer to the Lanke Temple, the sense of Buddhism seemed to steadily grow stronger. On the way, one could see several temples. Though their incense smell wasn't as strong as in the Taoist temple, these buddhist temples were not deserted either.
One day, there was a heavy rain.
The autumn feeling remained strong during the rain and the sky was getting darker.
Yet the maple tree on the green mountain's shabby temple appeared to be redder and brighter.
Ning Que placed down the curtain and glanced at Sangsang who was lying on his lap. He saw her weary expression and said, ”There's a temple in the mountain. The view is not bad.”
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