324 The Darkness That Was Like Blood in Tuyang City (2/2)

Mo Shanshan lifted her head and glanced at him puzzledly and worriedly. Her gaze drifted to the ice lakes and frost covered trees of the Winter Courtyard when she realized that Ning Que was ignoring her.

Xia Hou kept his head down and continued eating slowly and solemnly. It was as if he did not feel Ning Que's sharp eyes carving on his face as he kept his expression placid.

Ning Que looked at Xia Hou silently.

Xia Hou was completely different from the middle-aged man by the Hulan Sea. His expression was just as cold, his brows were just as dark and thick, and his lips were vibrant. However, his domineering aura was hidden beneath his ordinary outer robes from the world.

The seemingly ordinary outer robes were not an armor nor a military uniform. However, they were royal robes that the Tang emperor had put on him personally when he had returned victorious from war. His wearing the robes meant that he wasn't just a powerhouse at the Peak state of Martial Arts or even a bigwig of the secular world. He was the man who held the most power over the military.

Ning Que thought, that it would be difficult to have such a bigwig pay even if it was to the Academy.

Xia Hou continued eating his porridge slowly and solemnly. He was even slower than Eldest Brother. It was until a long time later did he finally complete his meal and raise his head slowly. He looked at Ning Que and asked, ”Young sir, why do you keep looking at me?”

Ning Que smiled, and said, ”Because the great general is powerful.”

Nobody really believed what he said, but nobody would tear down this flimsy excuse either. Unless, of course, should Second Brother suddenly appear in the Tuyang City, or if someone was interested in judging the hypocrisy and impoliteness of both parties.

The dishes were removed and expensive black tea from Yanxi was brought to them. Xia Hou looked at Eldest Brother and said, ”My sons are all useless and are suitable to present to you. I shall not call them forth to meet Mr. First.”

Eldest Brother smiled lightly and sipped his tea slowly. He had never been willing to speak when it wasn't necessary because he knew that he spoke slowly and nobody liked to listen to him.

Xia Hou looked at Mo Shanshan over his cup of tea and asked, ”Are you the Calligraphy Addict?”

Eldest Brother put down his teacup and smiled, ”I have acknowledged Shanshan as my younger sister.”

Xia Hou squinted in astonishment. He did not understand why the young Talisman Master from the Great River Kingdom had such a great Lucky Chance. After a moment of silence, he congratulated the two.

Mo Shanshan knew that the conversation that would follow in the Winter Courtyard would be about the internal matters of the Tang empire. She stood up and bowed and glanced at Ning Que before leaving to feed the Big Black Horse.

All were silent in the Winter Courtyard. There were only the scouring sounds of wind blowing the snow off the branches, like how arrow feathers brush by bowstrings or like mud splashing on hard armor on the battlefield.

Xia Hou looked at the tea in his cup that was as thick and dark as blood. He fell silent for a long time before he tossed his hand back and drank the tea in a single gulp. His robes fluttered in the wind and he looked casual and at ease, as if he had just drunk a hot cup of liquor.

The tea entered his throat like blood. His voice became chillier with an intent to kill.

”When Mr. Ke entered the Front Gate with his sword, my brothers in the Enlightenment Doctrine either died or sought death. They were displaced and led miserable lives. However, the Enlightenment Doctrine had always emphasized that the rules were set by the strong. That was why we did not hate or resent Mr. Ke. I was still a child then, and away from the strict governing of my family and teacher, I felt like a fish jumping over the sea and that the flower had bloomed on the shore astride. I was especially happy. I headed south to the Central Plains with my sister and met many great friends after entering the army of the Tang and was even happier. ”

Ning Que did not look at him, but at his cup of tea before him. The tea in the cup reminded him of many things. He thought about that stone lion, the blood. He thought of another General's Mansion in the General's Mansion he was in now. Then, he was startled back into the present world by the voice. He frowned slightly, as he did not expect Xia Hou to openly admit his identity as one from the Devil's Doctrine right from the start.

”Those from the secular world call the Enlightenment Doctrine as those from the Devil. I am what's left behind the Devil's Doctrine. Mr. First is one of the core disciples of the Headmaster of Academy, and would certainly not mind. However, those of the secular world would. I have guarded the frontiers of the empire ever since my sister entered Chang'an. I have worked hard and become a general. However, the unexpected had happened, and her identity as the saintess was exposed. The West-Hill Divine Palace made a fuss about it. The Hierarch Lord sent an edict to the imperial court and the three Gods headed to the Min Mountain to bring me down.”

Xia Hou looked at the black tea in his cup indifferently. After a pause, he said, ”I had anticipated the imperial court's protection then, or that the Headmaster of the Academy would speak up for me. But the imperial court did not make any moves, and the Headmaster of the Academy did not say anything. I could only kill Mu Rong and betray the Enlightenment Doctrine, becoming a visiting professor of the Divine Hall and turned into a dog of Haotian. I did all of this just so that the West-Hill Divine Palace would not hurt the girl in Chang'an because I was of the Devil's Doctrine.”

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