915 I Want To See The Sea (1/2)

The night wore on and only some clip-clop sounds could be heard. Ning Que and Sangsang walked down the mountain. Trees became lusher along their way. The moonlight scattered dimly on them.

Sangsang said, ”I used to think that she was one of the most courageous human beings and would have kept you there. Surprisingly, she let you run away.”

Ning Que found her words awkward and said, ”I know you wanted me to stay. Otherwise you wouldn't have told her those things earlier on.”

Sangsang said, ”I don't have a preference.”

Ning Que stopped and threw the rein on the back of the big black horse. He stared at her silently and continued after a long pause, ”I think you are a bit afraid of me now.”

Sangsang squinted her arched bright eyes and replied, ”I think you are sick.”

Ning Que wondered and asked, ”Are you becoming afraid?”

Sangsang replied emotionlessly, ”You menial human beings…”

Ning Que waved to stop her and said, ”Even if you were to repeat that sentence thirty thousand times, it's not going to change the fact that you are becoming afraid of me, of being kept in the human world because of me.”

Sangsang thought for a while and said, ”I'm upset.”

Ning Que thought she was saying that his confidence upsetting her, and tried to explain, ”It doesn't mean that I'm stronger than you. It just shows that you can now see that I care about you.”

Sangsang stared at a spot his face and did not say a thing.

Ning Que then understood what she meant and felt embarra.s.sed. He thought, Why weren't you mad at me previously when you saw it? What's the point of being sarcastic now? Don't you know that it is annoying?

Even though he had such a complaint, he did not dare to speak it aloud. Even if Sangsang could read his mind, it was after all different between thinking of stealing and acting on it.

There was a limpid stream by the trail. He squatted by the stream and washed his face very carefully, especially the spot where Shanshan kissed until this face became irritated and red.

Ning Que went back to her, pointed at his flus.h.i.+ng face and said, ”Now are you satisfied?”

Sangsang frowned and shook her head. Apparently she was still upset.

Ning Que said helplessly, ”It would peel my skin off if I keep on was.h.i.+ng it.”

Sangsang's arched eyes brightened up at his words. It reminded her of a very good idea. Suddenly some chilling wind blew on the trail and swept by his cheek.

Ning Que shouted out in pain. Covering his cheek, he was shocked and could not believe what just happened.

No blood came out from between his fingers. Because Sangsang was so quick. The moment his cheek was swept by the wind, she had his wound healed immediately.

Ning Que could not feel any wound or blood on his cheek, but he knew clearly what happened just now because of the pain and fear that remained.

”You crazy woman!” He could not stand any longer and shouted at her, ”You wicked woman! I am your man! Not some piece of meat for barbecue!”

Sangsang did not have first hand experience of pain but only knew it from data and a.n.a.lysis. She thought Ning Que would have been used to it after rounds of slow slicing in the Divine Hall of Light and the Secluded Pavilion. It was surprising for her to see him reacting so dramatically.

She would never know how humiliating that could be for a man. Moreover, it reminded Ning Que of the most humiliating cut that was still unhealed. Most importantly, previously in the Divine Halls of West-Hill they were fatal enemies. But now their relations.h.i.+p was slightly changing.

That was why Ning Que was so angry.

Sangsang could not understand why but she knew that Ning Que was seriously angry. After a short pause she said, ”Next time I will give you a heads-up.”

To inform him before cutting his flesh, it would have sounded absurd for others. They would have thought that Sangsang was just making fun of Ning Que.

However, Ning Que knew that it was not a joke. For Haotian, it was exceptionally merciful if she would inform you before doing something. It could even mean that she was sorry.

Haotian would never apologize to human beings. Even if she were to feel that it was inappropriate, she would not admit it. Ning Que found some comfort in such reasoning then despised himself for being so degraded.

”There better not be a next time,” he said.

Sangsang did not reply and kept walking down, still holding her hands behind her back.

The big black horse glanced at Ning Que with contempt and followed Sangsang, trucklingly down.

Ning Que felt embarra.s.sed. He paced up to her and said earnestly, ”There's no point in wasting your Divine Power on such things like cutting my flesh and having it grow back.”

Sangsang replied, ”I found it interesting.”

Ning Que rebuked, ”Yours is mine. Your Divine Power is my Divine Power. Who knows where we would need it in the future? How could you lavish like this? You covetous woman!”

Sangsang stopped and turned to him. ”You want to try that again?”

Upon these words. Ning Que found her to be like the arbitrary fellows in Chang'an who would go into a fight because of nonsense. Therefore he said again with sincerity, ”I said, as you wish.”

When they arrived at the outskirt of Jingdu, the darkness retreated and dawn arose. The houses with black eaves inside the city looked charming in dim lights, but the numerous torches had added quite some tension to it.

The emperor was forced to give up his throne and two thousand cavalrymen from the Divine Halls of West Hill were crossing the river and coming toward the Great River Kingdom. Some unprecedented storm was about to take place. No one could have had a good sleep tonight.

Before they left Mogan Mountain, Ning Que had talked this through with Mo Shanshan. He knew that the storm and chaos would be over tomorrow, but he still had a question.

”You must have known that Shanshan would become the next governor. However, I don't understand why you insisted on me taking over the throne as a transition. What was the point?”

”There's no point, but it's interesting.”

Mystifyingly Sangsang had been very fond of the ideas of being significant and being interesting lately. It seemed she was trying to scorn on the Academy's philosophy of life.

”Such as?”

Sangsang said, ”Our neighbor Old Wu and his wife used to say such things.”

Ning Que shook his head, ”They quarreled everyday. How could I remember what they've said?”

Sangsang said, ”That woman said Old Wu could never take a concubine unless he became an emperor.”

Ning Que recalled that but found it ridiculous. ”Just for that reason you wanted me to be an emperor, even just for one night?”

Sangsang said, ”An overnight emperor is still an emperor.”

Ning Que found himself almost speechless. ”You are indeed a nosy Haotian.”

Sangsang ignored his mockery and continued, ”You said I owed to a lot of people so that I could not cut my bond with the human world. This couple is one of those you mentioned.”

Ning Que wondered. ”So you were trying to pay them back?”

Sangsang concurred. ”Correct. Now I have paid back Old Wu.”

Ning Que questioned, ”In that case, don't you owe Aunt Wu even more?”

Sangsang thought for a while and found that reasonable, and said, ”I will find a way to pay her back later.”

Ning Que asked, ”How? To grant her immortality? Be careful not to scare her to death! Immortality… I do wonder what you are thinking about.”

Sangsang did not get mad and said, ”You menial human beings would never know what I am thinking about.”