208 Chaos in Changsan I (2/2)
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The old man was called Wei Guangming (Defending the Light).
He was not called that because he was the Great Divine Priest of Light. He had been named so more than eighty years ago when he was born and only became the Great Divine Priest of light after using the name for decades and enjoyed the respect of millions of disciples.
He only realised that not only was everything in life the will of heaven, but so was one's name as well. If it wasn't for Haotian making the decision for him to be born to farmers in the Kingdom of Song, how would he have a name like this?
As the highly respected Great Divine Priest of Light of the Haotian Sect, there were still many willing to sacrifice for him even though he had been imprisoned for more than a decade. There were also many more who were loyal to him in other Taoist temples. Now that he had escaped from the Peach Mountain, there would, of course, be someone who would be willing to take him to Chang'an secretly.
He got off the horse carriage outside the city walls and walked through the deep Souther Gates tunnel. He walked along the stone path slowly with drooping eyes and a hunched body. He stiffened when he stepped on Vermilion Bird Avenue, as if he felt something, and then he turned eastwards and walked in that direction.
To those watching, the old man was merely inconvenienced by a bad leg. They did not sense anything amiss. Nor did they know that when the old man's right foot landed on the streets, the stone statue of the Vermilion Bird had opened his eyes slightly.
The statue shut his eyes again after some time.
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”What a great formation.”
The old man smiled as he thought that to himself. He held his hands behind his back and continued walking on the streets with his back hunched.
After a moment, he slowed down and stopped outside a certain well at a certain alley. His gaze landed on a withered yellow leaf and his brows furrowed.
The withered leaf had veins on it and looked odd. However, it did not look odd to the old man. His eyes were able to see through all the darkness in the world. Everything that happened to him seemed as if it was covered by a layer of gauze. The truth was never hidden, but life and fate were.
The old man held his hands behind his back and walked towards the inn at the end of the alley with his back hunched.
He shook his head and thought, ”What a great formation.”
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The great formation of Chang'an had never been ignited and was hidden. The old man could not see the Dark Shadow he had been searching for over fourteen years. However, the great formation that he was in awe of did not show any signs of discovering that he was the strongest of the strong from West-Hill.
That was because he was not the Great Divine Priest of Light right now. He had held in all his aura and abilities and even forgot his Taoist heart. Right now, he was just an ordinary old man.
He picked an ordinary inn and stayed in it. He visited the ordinary sights, the ordinary markets and ordered ordinary dishes while drinking ordinary tea. He listened to ordinary songs and spent an ordinary time walking around Chang'an with his hands behind his hunched back like the most ordinary old man in Chang'an.
When winter came and the cold fronts got stronger, he bought an ordinary thick wool robe.
An ordinary old man did not need to sleep much. On a certain morning, he woke up as the sky brightened. He walked around randomly and found a stall selling hot and sour noodle slice soup. He bought a bowl after being lured by the aroma. When he was done, someone spilt wine on the front of his robe.
A young woman carrying a meal box walked over. She looked at the pathetic old man expressionlessly and pulled out a large towel from her sleeves like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. She then wiped the stain off his robes and bought him another bowl of noodles.
The old man thanked her. She shook her head and left with her meal box.
The old man was stunned. He handed the bowl of noodles to a beggar from the Yan Kingdom who was even more skinny than he was and followed the young woman.
The old man followed her to a street called the Lin 47th Street. He spotted a shop called Old Brush Pen Shop and he watched the young woman busy herself within it all day.
The old man felt that the young woman was a fresh breath of air and was very adorable indeed. Her appearance and aura were that of a clear crystal bead. It would shine brightly when a single drop of sunlight meets it.
The young woman had slightly tanned skin.
She was dark but clean, and oh so bright.
That was why, the Great Divine Priest of Light from West-Hill stood on Lin 47th Street in a daze. He liked her very much indeed.