630 Relationships and Gossip (1/2)
Chapter 630: Relationships and Gossip
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
Inside the quiet palace, Master Qi Mei looked at the three elder priests in red silently. After a long while, he suddenly said, ”The Daughter of Yama is not the Daughter of Light.”
The leading priest in red said softly, ”I wonder what the master means by saying that. We just feel that the Heavens love all life. Haotian would be willing to give her some time to reflect, even if she is the Daughter of Yama.”
Master Qi Mei was the chief monk of the Xuankong Temple's Hall of Respect. He was from an Unknown Place, and in the mortal realm, he was considered the highest figure in the Buddhism Sect. He was of equal rank with the three Great Divine Priests of the West-Hill Divine Palace. However, this was still Haotian's world, and Haotian Taoism had a way higher status than the Buddism Sect. The three priests in red cultivated in the West-Hill Divine Skill, and were important people in the Divine Hall. Even Master Qi Mei would find it hard to keep them down.
”Can your words represent the stance of the West-Hill Divine Palace?” asked Master Qi Mei.
The elder priest in red said blandly, ”Why not?”
Ye Hongyu, the Divine Priest of Judgment, was not in Chaoyang City. Those from the Judicial Department were still on their way to Chaoyang City. Several honored visiting professors of Haotian Taoism were setting up defenses in the distant mountains. Right now, within the Yuelun Kingdom palace, the three priests in red held the highest position in Haotian Taoism. What they said could certainly represent the Divine Hall.
The only person who held a higher position than the priest in red was Luo Kedi. He was lying on a stretcher, heavily injured. The confusion that had previously colored his eyes were long replaced with coldness. However, he could not speak nor stop the three priests in red.
Other than the Tang Empire, the other countries were all controlled by the Buddhist and Taoist sects. While the Yuelun Kingdom was powerful by itself, when pressured by both the Buddhist and the Taoist Sects earlier, it didn't have a choice at all. When the king saw that the attitude of Haotian Taoism seemed to have changed, he felt slightly more at ease and said, ”Then let's wait for a while.”
Master Qi Mei gave a deep look at the three priests in red, and then turned to walk out of the palace. He had already vaguely guessed that the matter involved an internal dissent within the West-Hill Divine Palace. As a master of the Buddhism Sect, he did not wish to involve himself in the strife. Since the chief monk would arrive soon, he believed that the three priests in red could not affect the overall situation.
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On a certain balcony in the palace, a priest in red looked at the crowd gathered at the White Tower Temple in the distance, and said mournfully, ”The Divine Hall of Light had been declining since the Great Divine Priest was imprisoned. We can't even find a Grand Cultivator in the Knowing Destiny State. What can we change, faced with the current circumstances?”
Another priest in red said dejectedly, ”What we said earlier had already gone against the Hierarch's edit, even if we don't do anything later. We would be locked up in You Prison when we return to Peach Mountain, never to see Haotian again.”
The leading priest in red said coldly, ”The Divine Priest of Light was ambushed back then, and was locked up in the You Prison without cause. The Divine Hall of Light suffered for ten years until the Great Divine Priest found his successor in Chang'an. The Lady of Light finally appeared again, but the Hierarch and the other two Divine Halls are colluding with the Buddhism Sect and framed her as the Daughter of Yama. In face of this situation, how can we do nothing?”
”Senior Brother. What are we going to do... if our lady is really the Daughter of Yama?”
”The light can never be wrong because it represents Haotian. The path our lady has to take to get back to her throne is paved with bloodshed and plots. It would be difficult for the Divine Hall of Light to shine with light again. I suppose this is Haotian's test for us.”
The leading priest in red looked at the masses at the White Tower Temple in the distance. Excitement and passion spread on his aged face as he said, ”I gave away all the wealth I accumulated over decades in the Kingdom of Qi to get this chance to come to Yuelun Kingdom. Thus, I will save the Lady of Light even if I have to die here today!”
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Ning Que's last resort was to enter the White Tower Temple, barge into the monastery and hold Quni Madi and Lu Chenjia as hostages. However, it was also the plan he did not wish to use most among all his backup plans. Just as how Quni Madi and the bigwigs at the palace had seen, this act was like putting himself into a deathtrap.
However, he needed to buy some time to rest and wait. He was exhausted, and his right hand trembled as it held on to his hilt. He was injured, both externally and internally. The truly serious injuries were caused when he fought outside the courtyard with Luo Kedi and Master Qi Mei. While he was hurting from the injuries he sustained on the streets while on the run, they were not serious. However, Ning Que was extremely terrified when he thought of what had happened on the streets.
All was silent in the monastery. One could hear the shouts, yelling, and even crying from across the lake. Quni Madi did not speak. Lu Chenjia suddenly asked, ”Have you kept her by your side over the past year?”
Ning Que nodded.
Lu Chenjia shook her head as if she had found his reply hard to believe. She looked at the white paper flower between her fingers and said dazedly, ”Is there really anyone in the world who is not afraid of death?”
”Those who are unafraid of death haven't been born yet.”
Ning Que walked over from the window, picked up a futon and sat down to take a rest.
Those who were on the shore across the lake had not rushed across the narrow bridge. It meant that the two hostages he had taken were useful. He had to make use of this time to recover his Psyche Power and regain his strength.
Sangsang stretched out her legs and placed them on his knees. Then, she hugged him from behind, placing her face against his neck. She shut her eyes tiredly and began to rest.
Ning Que had not put Sangsang down from his back whether they were running, standing, or sitting. Even though he needed a rest badly right now, he did not let her go because he did not know what would happen the next moment and whether they needed to start running again.
Lu Chenjia looked at the scene before her and shook her head. She said softly, ”Most people are indeed foolish when they fall in love.”
Ning Que answered, ”Even though you are the Flower Addict, it doesn't mean that you know what it means to be in love. You do not even know what love is.”
Lu Chenjia looked at him and asked seriously, ”What is love?”
Ning Que replied, ”If it could be explained clearly, then it wouldn't be love.”
Lu Chenjia frowned slightly, unwilling to believe that someone so shameless like Ning Que would do so much for Sangsang. She said, ”I don't think the reason why you have fled with the Daughter of Yama was to get some benefits from it.”
Ning Que glanced at her and asked, ”Why do you like flowers? Do they look good, or do they bring you any benefits?”
Lu Chenjia understood what he meant and shook her head. She said, ”Plum blossom shoots are ugly, but they have spirits. That is why I like them. I understand what you mean. But she...is an evil flower.”
”Is Long Qing an evil flower?”
Ning Que said mockingly, ”When I barged into the monastery, you didn't attack me. You must have thought of those novels, in which the female protagonist would cultivate in a monastery and maybe become a nun anytime after shaving her hair. Then, the male protagonist would barge in regardless of any trials and tribulations he experienced...You thought that Long Qing would save you. I'm sorry to have disappointed you.”
Lu Chenjia lowered her head to look at the paper flower between her fingers. She said calmly, ”Long Qing used to be the only bloomed flower in my heart. But he's dead now, so the flower also became withered.”
”I've heard that he lives well in the Wilderness.”
”As you said before, he has already become an evil flower. So he is dead in my heart.”
”Even though I don't know what happened exactly, I've seen the result of that battle on the Wilderness in winter. Maybe Long Qing has come to an agreement with the West-Hill Divine Palace. He is no longer a traitor of Haotian, so do you still think that he is an evil flower?”
Lu Chenjia looked up with shock. Her eyes shone brightly before dimming.
Ning Que looked at her and smiled, ”He is still that evil flower, but he might have regained his honor and reputation. So you feel delighted and will even have a crush on him again?”
Lu Chenjia looked at his annoying smiling face. Then, she said with a slightly trembling voice, ”You're saying these just to mock me.”