518 Is This An Illness? (2/2)
Such as the Underworld Invasion.
Such as the rumors that he was the Son of Yama.
Such as Sangsang's illness.
It was already autumn. The autumn wind, which should be clear and slightly dry, was wet due to the water of the Great Lake. When it came in through the window, it made people feel fresh.
Ning Que looked at the line-like cursive writing on the Fu paper which came into shape. He used his accurate eyesight to confirm that the black gold powder mixed in talisman ink was distributed evenly throughout these lines. He put the pen on ink-slab and turned around to look at the lake outside the window. He was silent and thinking about something.
The more he thought about unknown things, the more vigilant he was. He always felt that something was happening and those things seemed to be related to himself and the Academy.
As the words ”in the unseen world” were so ambiguous, he thought about Underworld Invasion once again.
Headmaster did not find the passage of Light of Buddha suppressing the Underworld in Lanke Temple. Ning Que thought he was less likely to find it, but what if he really was the Son of Yama?
Rumors about Ning Que's identity had spread around the world. He did not know what the Bhadantas of Buddhist who once wanted to kill him would do now. He did not know what was waiting for him in Lanke Temple. The ship was swaying on the lake's surface and he was getting closer and closer to the Lanke Temple, and he became more and more silent.
If he followed his instinct, because of the alerts and omens in his mind, Ning Que would not hesitate to take Sangsang with him and return to Chang'an as quickly as possible and interrupt their journey.
But he did not do so. Instead, he asked the fleet to speed up.
Because of the sudden spike in Sangsang's illness.
...
...
When they left Chang'an City, the Sangsang's coldness seemed to have healed. They walked south with the sunlight, and she seemed to be entirely cured. When she got on the ship, Ning Que was surprised to feel that the little feet, which he held in his arms every night, became colder and colder.
What disturbed him even more was that the sun-bathing and cultivation of Divine Skill seemed to be unable to suppress the chilly Qi in Sangsang's body.
Sangsang did not feel the physical change of her body, or perhaps she felt it but was worried that Ning Que would worry, so she did not say anything and did the same things as usual.
Ning Que worried that she would worry, so he did not say anything to her either. He began to pay attention to whether the alcohol bag was full or not. He quietly untied his clothes every night and put Sangsang's cold feet in the warmest place on his body. Then he began to think about what Headmaster said before he left.
He now understood why Headmaster wanted him to take Sangsang to Lanke Temple. It seemed that only the elders of the Buddhism Sect, who lived in seclusion, could cure Sangsang.
Just as he understood, he also didn't understand... He couldn't understand why the West-Hill Divine Palace and even the Academy could not cure Sangsang's illness.
Was an illness, that could not be cured by Headmaster, still an illness?
Since he could not understand, Ning Que did not think about it any further. Anyway, no matter what the process of this matter was, the final result was already predestined— he must cure Sangsang's illness. Then he must go to Lanke Temple to face the anger, or mercy, of Buddhism Sect, and to even face the moment when his identity of Son of Yama was confirmed.
They traveled through the Great Lake, and faced the lake wind. There were the white stars on the water, and gulls flew over occasionally.
Under the dual pressure of the vigilance against unknown things and the worry of Sangsang's worsening health. Ning Que cultivated quietly. He kept writing talismans every day, meditating, and constantly cultivating the Great Spirit.
On the lake, the vague threshold of Haotian Taoism seemed to be getting closer and clearer.
What people had to do in the world often meant gaining an opportunity for a breakthrough.
For Ning Que, there were only a few things in the world that had to be done, such as the safety of Sangsang.
At Daming Lake in the Wilderness, Long Qing used Sangsang to threaten him. He broke the realm into the Seethrough state, and then shot Long Qing, who was about to enter the Knowing Destiny State, and crippled him. Now, on the Great Lake in autumn, he once again encountered an opportunity to break the realm into the Knowing Destiny State, but this time, even Ning Que himself did not notice.
As the saying goes that chaos of the country builds the loyal defender and sorrow builds the poet.
Sangsang could make Ning Que improve his state.
...
In the West-Hill Mountains, which were far away from Great Lake, the Prince Long Qing was also waiting for his own opportunity. He did not know whether the opportunity would arise or when the opportunity would arise, but he believed that the abbey dean saved him from being a living corpse at a town near the South Sea, and sent him to Zhishou Abbey, which was the holy land for all the cultivators in the world, to cultivate. This was already a great opportunity for him.
Coming to Zhishou Abbey had let him see the possibility of becoming a powerful man again, and let him vaguely find a chance for success. It let him regain his desire like a fire. He thought this was an opportunity, because these were his ideas, and all of his thoughts were the will of Haotian.
However, there was always a gap between reality and dreams, just as what he saw when he was collecting fish at the fishing port of the South Sea. There were wooden boards between the boats and the dock. It looked like he could get on the ship just by crossing the boards. However, the boards were covered with slippery fish scales and sticky organs. It was easy to slip, and fall into the sea.
Long Qing wiped away the blood at the corners of his mouth, and knew that one more of his ribs had been broken. He looked at the screaming old Taoist who only had half his body left lying on the snow couch. It seemed as if he would be able to kill the terrifying old Taoist any second, and he felt bitter and confused.
How long would his servant life continue, and where was the opportunity?