492 Tomb Sweeping (2/2)

Since he had made sure that Chang'an city had regained its peace, with no one trying to probe into the Academy, there was no reason for Ning Que to remain in the house by the lake, so he went to the House of Red Sleeves with Sangsang.

”You've become increasingly like him,” Mistress Jian sighed.

Ning Que shook his head and said, ”There is nothing similar between my Youngest Uncle and me.”

”You have not met your Youngest Uncle,” Mistress Jian said.

”But I know we are different. Because he was wild and unrestrained, while I could never live his way,” Ning Que smiled, ”Of course, I can try to learn from him in the future.”

Then they left the House of Red Sleeves by the black horse carriage. After going out of the Vermilion Bird Gate, they went along the straight state road covered with unmelted snow to the mountain at the south of the city and drove directly to the Academy.

Ning Que did not know the details and truth of those things which transpired in Chang'an city while he was in the decisive battle with Xiahou. It seemed that the Senior Brothers of the Academy did not help him, but he was clearly aware that they must have silently contributed a lot despite all the difficulties.

Together with Sangsang, he bowed his thanks in the thatched cottage, to the Eldest Brother, the Second Brother, the Fourth Brother, the Sixth Brother, and the Seventh Sister, for the Talisman Arrow, the iron sword and the array on the bank of the lake.

His Senior Brothers and Sisters accepted Ning Que's solemn etiquette, in a calm, reserved, and proud manner. Even Second Brother, who was the most different one in daily life, now looked quite benign. Perhaps because of the truth that Ning Que, his Younger Brother, had won and killed Xia Hou made him, as a Senior Brother, feel quite proud and honored.

The third Senior Sister, Yu Lian, was not at the back of the mountain. As usual, she was by the window of the old library, writing Hairpin-style Small Regular Script, looking calm and attentive. Suddenly, she raised her head to take a look at the swirling snow outside the window. With a smile on her face, she gently blew on her hands and felt much warmer.

Tang Xiaotang, her apprentice, was grinding the ink stick in the old library since she had no homework today. At the moment, the girl's face was full of sweet smiles despite the aching wrist.

Third Senior Sister was puzzled, ”What makes you so happy?”

”My brother had always desired to kill the traitor. I heard that he was seriously injured in the Wilderness in order to kill him. Now he must be very happy to learn the news.”

Tang Xiaotang wiped away the tears of happiness with her arm. Then she nodded toward her teacher and said smilingly, ”The suzerain would have also been very happy if he were alive.”

One day, the snow in the Chang'an City suddenly became extraordinarily heavy, drifting profusely and disorderly down to the court. Ning Que happened to visit a grave on that day, so he had to go out of the city in the blizzard.

He and Sangsang first went to the grave in the long grass near the Academy, where he chatted wildly with his master, Yan Se, and poured an urn of new wine before the grave. Then he took out from his bosom an undercloth with some remaining aroma and burned it while sheltering it from the blizzard.

”Dewdrop will be angry, won't she?” Sangsang asked uneasily.

”How can she know it if you don't tell her,” Ning Que responded.

After that, he and Sangsang headed for another grave by carriage. Following the address given by the Bodyguard office, they finally found Darkie's grave after rounding a lot of corners in the stele forest.

Ning Que gently brushed off the snow on the gravestone. Staring at the name on it, he said with a sense of guilt, ”We made a promise to each other in our childhood. If one of us died first, the other must bring the head of Xia Hou after killing him to worship the former. I'm so sorry that I failed to do so.”

”Xia Hou's body was sealed into the coffin after being picked up by the military people from the lake. I could not just break the coffin to cut off his head. But I heard that the body looked miserable, like rotten meat in a pot.”

Having said such disgusting words, Ning Que laughed happily. Then he took the two halves of the heavy black spear from Sangsang and stuck them into the frozen earth, like two sticks of incense.