290 Blazing eyes (2/2)
Apart from those words, Sangsang didn't say anything or require anything. But it was very clear to the old man why she was so eager to improve; she wanted to kill the monk as soon as possible.
Looking at Sangsang's back, the old man smiled without saying anything.
...
...
The night was drawing near, with dim clouds floating near the horizon. It was time for dinner. On the silent alley in the eastern part of the city, tree branches cut the dim sky into many shapeless areas. Wudao looked away from the sky with a smile and was ready to keep going. However, in the next moment, his pupils tightened suddenly.
There was a figure standing at the entrance of the alley. His face was hidden in the dim light. But judging from his hunchbacked outline, he should be an old man. It alarmed Wudao that he didn't even notice when the old man came there.
After a moment of silence, Wudao walked towards the entrance of the alley. As he drew near to the old man, he found the man's face rather familiar. In fact, he just saw him in the shop on Lin 47th Street. He was the man who was holding the basin.
The man looked at him with a smile, and said kindly, ”You are good at judging people, as you can realize Sangsang's potential talent. I would say you are among the best of the young cultivators.”
Wudao raised his hand slowly and stroked his head. Although the move was handsome, the sticky feeling between his fingers and the feeling that the two pieces of rotten leaves were still there were not nice at all. But he didn't want to do anything about it.
He didn't want to address those small problems because he knew he needed to watch out. This old man may seem like an ordinary man, but he was no way an average person: he was able to appear in the alley without drawing his attention because he was a cultivator.
But despite his cautious mind, Wudao was, after all, a proud young man. He saw himself as a cultivator who was as powerful as Prince Long Qing. Enjoying such power, he couldn't put up with that an old man was trying to teach him a lesson. So he said proudly, ”Her name is Sangsang. I got it. You may leave now.”
The old man smile, ”I know you are from Xuankong Temple.”
The expression on Wudao's face changed, as the old man surprised him by revealing his secret.
The old man said peacefully, ”I am very confused about why you appeared in the secular world. As it is very rare for the Xuankong Temple to expel apprentices. And you are a lot worse than Qi Nian, the person who represented your temple to go out, so you are not qualified to do that.”
The expression of Wudao became even more serious. He didn't expect the old man to know so much about Xuankong Temple, including things about Qi Nian. He was very on his guard now, his robe floating with the wind.
He said in a husky voice, ”Why do you dare to stop me if you know that I come from the Unknown Place.”
The old man laughed, ”The unknown place is powerful because no one knows about it. Its name is nothing scary once people get to the place.”
Wudao couldn't be more alarmed, he looked at the old man silently.
”In Chang'an city, many people know about Xuankong Temple and Zhishou Abbey. And the Academy is right at the foot of the mountain in the south part of the city. Your background is really nothing new for people here. But Chang'an city is bombarded by a thing, which has kept Yan Se and the others busy. That is why you are so fearless. Don't you know that the name of Xuankong Temple can't make Tang people scared?”
The old man stared at him and continued to talk, ”I am related to the thing that keeps everyone busy. So it is my responsibility to let you behave so boldly. I didn't expect you to harass my apprentice Sangsang.”
Wudao realized who the old man was. Suddenly the hunchbacked old man seemed to him much taller and bigger. He suppressed his shock and greeted the old man hurriedly. He changed his attitude immediately and said politely, ”Senior master, I am wrong. I will leave right now.”
The old man stared at him, but did not speak.
The alley was deadly silent for a while until Wudao realized what might happen next. He said huskily, ”You can't kill me even if you are a bigwig in West-Hill Divine Palace. After all, I am from XuankongTemple. Let alone, My master is a preach master in the temple, who met you before.”
The old man was still looking at his eyes, peacefully and silently.
Wudao was frozen in horror. He bit his tongue to keep himself calm and said, ”I admit...the preach master is not my master, he is my father. I left because I am only an illegitimate child. Please pity me, senior master.”
Until then, did the old man start moving. He shook his head and said, ”I am a betrayer who left the Peach Mountain. I have nothing to worry about and nothing can hold me back. I couldn't care less even should the remnants of Devil's Doctrine and all people from the three Unknown Places: Xuankong Temple, Zhishou Abbey, and the Academy come to me. Let alone your father.”
The ragged robe on Wudao was shivering in the wind. He looked at the old man in the eye and asked shiveringly, ”I didn't deliberately do that, what can I do to gain your forgiveness?”
”I said before you are good at judging people because you understand Sangsang's talent. But I am afraid you only saw the surface because you still don't understand how important Sangsang is to me. The world is not bright anymore for me when she is not happy.”
Two streams of sweat flowed down from Wudao's head, as he noticed the very serious tone the old man had put on and when he heard the last two lines. He begged shiveringly, ”I was blind then. Please forgive me.”
The old man raised his finger and reached to the chilly wind, ”No, you only just become blind, right now. ”
Wudao was very scared when he heard that. He screamed and reached his hands out to do a very delicate Emblematic Gesture of Buddhism Sect, which became a barrier between him and the old man. Then he ran away fast in the opposite direction.
The Emblematic Gesture had a very majestic and delicate aura. However, when it touched light at the old man's finger, it was as if snow met the sun and was melt down quickly, or dust fell into dirty water and lost its trace.
Wudao was also trapped by the beams emitted by the flame. His feet couldn't leave the ground, no matter how hard he tried to pull himself.
He looked at the dim flame between the old man's finger, his eyes full of fear.
The light flame appeared in his pupils and expanded until it took all the place where fear was.
Then, his black pupils started burning.
A scream was heard in the silent alley.
...
The light was pure, so it was easy to dirty light.
The light had no temperature, so it could be the hottest or coldest thing.