297 A Step off the Cliff (1/2)
Chapter 297: A Step off the Cliff
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
The sun rose, gradually rousing Chang'an from its sleep.
Someone pushed the door to the Old Brush Pen Shop open, awakening all the eminences on the Lin 47th Street.
The weather was colder than it was last year yet it hadn't snowed for a long time. The remains of snow gathered under the trees turned greyer with each passing day. However, just as the door was open, snow began falling.
Second Brother lifted his head to look at the sky and then turned his attention to the opened door.
A black horse carriage was coming from the alley amid the falling snow, its heavy metal body scrapping on the stone-paved road noisily.
Master Yan Se and Great Divine Priest of Light came out of the Old Brush Pen Shop at the same time and entered the horse carriage.
A while later, a thin and frail figure also walked out of the shop.
Sangsang appeared solemn as she carried the new urn with her left hand and the old urn with her right. The urns appeared heavy that she fairly struggled to climb up the carriage.
The horse carriage headed out of the city.
It remained peaceful on the Lin 47th Street. The general in the front of the alley and the censor at the end of the alley didn't take any action, only watching as the carriage left.
Second Brother rose from his chair and brought Chen Pipi along with him as he followed the trace of the carriage with his hands behind his back.
It was only then that the eminences in the alley dared to make their moves.
That general ordered the Yulin Royal Guards hidden all over the city to return.
The censor entered the palace to make his report to the emperor.
Nation Master Li Qingshan watched the carriage that gradually disappeared in the snow and slowly made a bow.
…
…
North of Chang'an sat a relatively unknown mountain without any interesting backstory or beautiful sceneries, only trees. It was hard to walk on the mountain paths coated with the morning snow. Few travelers ventured here and a dead silence enveloped the mountain.
The black carriage stopped at the foot of this mountain. There were already cracks under the wheels made of fine iron. If they forcefully go up the mountain with the carriage, they would probably leave two gruesome tracks on the muddy path.
The two old men were walking up along the mountain path as their clothes billowed out around them. One of them wore an old but clean cotton-padded coat while the other wore a new but dirty Taoist robe.
Whether it was their clothes or their frail figures, both old men looked ordinary in every way. But as they walked along the paths in the snow, they left behind a deeply melancholic feeling.
Not far from them, the frail Sangsang walked as she carried the two heavy urns. Lowering her head, she bit her lips and watched the winding steps ahead of her as if there was no end to them. She chased after the men with much difficulty.
Master Yan Se moved away a branch in front of him. ”I wonder which urn will be heavier later. Will it be the new one or the old one?”
Walking beside him, Great Divine Priest of Light smiled. ”It's all up to Haotian.”
Master Yan Se wiped his snow-stained hand on his Taoist robe and answered, ”It's not a bad idea to fill both.”
Great Divine Priest of Light nodded. ”They can be neighbors if we put them together.”
Master Yan Se gave him a look before continuing on his journey.
…
…
The two men took a break under a cedar tree as they waited for Sangsang to catch up to them.
Master Yan Se looked at his old friend's face and asked curiously, ”Back then, did you ever make it to Tianqi Realm?”
Great Divine Priest of Light closed his eyes, seemingly recalling the things that happened so many years ago. ”Yes, but I later was pushed into hell. I lost my chance of ever getting near to Haotian.”
Master Yan Se looked at him in a daze. ”What an incredible opportunity it is to break into the fifth realm! So many cultivators spend all their lives looking for that opportunity, only to never find it. You actually went that far so many years ago. No wonder the abbey dean has looked all over the Peach Mountain but still regards you as the No. 1 in your sect.”
Great Divine Priest of Light sighed. ”It's actually a kind of suffering to have it once only to lose it forever.”
Sangsang finally caught up to the cedar tree. Her small face was red and she was panting heavily.