1037 The White Smoke (1/2)

The moon shone again and the wind ceased. Scary blood stains remained on the unmelted snow. It was deadly quiet again in the Divine Hall of Judgment except for the seldom sounds of stones falling from the walls.

The middle-aged priest walked to the terrace followed by Xiong Chumo and Zhao Nanhai. They pondered for a long while and stared at the bottomless abyss, the steep cliff and snow covered ancient trees.

Then they left without a word, or a glance at each other. Ning Que had jumped into the abyss, together with Haotian. Tonight Ye Hongyu did too. Ning Que and Haotian had survived, but she would not.

Since death was the only possibility, they did not need to worry further.

She was finished. But there were more things to be taken care of. She was the Great Divine Priest of Judgment. Her death would definitely bring about many troubles. Taoism had to face a lot right now. Xiong Chumo should be prepared to deal with her furious subordinates in the Divine Hall of Judgment. Zhao Nanhai had to support him to maintain the stability of Peach Mountain. The middle-aged priest needed to regain people's faith for Taoism.

Most importantly, after their fight tonight and Ye Hongyu's death, Taoism would officially start to extinguish the New Stream, as well as to launch their war against the Tang and the Academy.

The three left. The destroyed Divine Hall regained its loneliness. Of course there would be people going down the abyss to confirm Ye Hongyu's death and locate her body. But by the time her body would be delivered to the Divine Hall of Judgment, the chilling Divine Hall could never welcome its lively master again.

...

...

The night was deep. And the moon was hiding behind thick clouds. Tangling rivers flowed across the fields. Darkness prevailed and enveloped the stone bridges and the cold-resistant wildflowers.

It was such a cold winter. The fields outside the Chaoyang city were frozen hard. Amidst the dark and silent night, someone fell off the city wall and pounded on the ground. The body cracked the frozen ground and the bones broke. But the person did not make any sound despite the pain.

Wang Jinglue furrowed his eyebrows further. Even the darkness could not hide his paleness. He was sweating profusely. He wiped off the blood at the corner of his lips and crawled with great difficulty into a bush. Upon making sure he was safe from the chase, he exhaled in relief.

Right then another body pounded on the ground. He peeped through the bush and saw a man lying dead on the ground, stained in blood.

Hurried footsteps were heard on top of the city wall. Dozens of torches were lit up instantly and dispelled the darkness, as bright as day.

The man lay motionless on the ground and his face was lit up by the torches. The face was covered with blood but he could still see it clearly. Wang Jinglue got stiff. His hands trembled while holding onto the branches and his face got paler because he knew that man. More precisely, he knew him very well.

In the past few years, Wang Jinglue had been gathering young people in Yangzhou City who cared about their homeland Tang. He had met with many, one of which was lying dead there.

It became chaotic on top of the city wall of Yangzhou. People were shouting and fighting with their weapons clashing. Wang Jinglue raised his head in difficulty. He knew that the young people who were loyal to Tang were being hunted up there by the powerful cultivators from the Divine Halls. He clutched his fists more firmly. But being able to do nothing made him desperate.

Another person fell hard on the frozen field. Mud and blood splashed. More bodies followed. More young people were killed.

There was nothing but despair and anguish on his face. He could not help but regret. He regretted that he failed to realize the Divine Halls had his plan in their hands. And he regretted more for not being able to predict their sudden attack.

He regretted that these young people had to die.

The people who died tonight were all his followers from the clans. They were the youth of Qinghe Prefecture. In Ning Que's words, they were the real hope. However, despite their integrity, they were killed tonight.

Wang Jinglue's eyes became red. He bit so hard and pierced his lips. Blood oozed. He stared at the cavalrymen of the Divine Halls on top of the city way of Yangzhou, and those figures trembling in pain under the torches. He felt like a homeless dog who dared not to bark.

He turned away and crawled like a dog toward the heart of darkness. He was bleeding while he crawled. But he had to get out of Qinghe Prefecture and reported it to the Tang army on the other side of the Verdant Canyon. He had to tell Ning Que that the Academy's plan had failed, and inform Chang'an that the war had been launched.

Ning Que was not expecting it. He did not expect the Divine Halls would launch sudden attacks under such circumstances. Their plan, and the young people they gathered in the Qinghe Prefecture were lost.

However, I will be back. The day I come back, our iron heels will smash the frozen fields. Torches will be lit up throughout the manors along the Fuchun River. The heroic souls of those sacrificed young people will be celebrated with magnificent memorial ceremonies. Wang Jinglue crawled toward the darkness, leaving behind the torches in Yangzhou City.

Unexpected snow fell on the dead young. It also fell on him, the homeless dog.

...

...

The straightest street in Yangzhou City was lit up as day by the torches.

A sacred sedan was moving slowly while a dozen of maids were throwing petals into the sky. The petals mingled with the falling snow and fell onto the ground, pure, and sacred.

The snow danced in the wind and lifted the gauze hanging on the sedan. The innocent Hengmu Liren was sitting inside.

Along the street tens of thousands of people from the Chaoyang City were on their knees. The leaders of the clans in Qinghe Prefecture were also kneeling. No one dared to look into his face.

Tonight in the Chaoyang City, hunting and killing were performed everywhere. Blood flowed into the cracks on the stones and the Fuchun River. It was the most bloody night ever since the uprising many years ago.

Many young people loyal to Chang'an were killed tonight. Those yet to be found would definitely become quieter after witnessing the bloody scenes.

Hengmu Liren only made one strike tonight and killed over ten powerful figures from the Tianshu Institute of Tang. His hands were covered with blood. And he was determined to shed blood everywhere in the Qinghe Prefecture. However, he still seemed to be calm and innocent. He was not a Great Divine Priest of the West-Hill, but he was of no less authority and respect.

He was a gift from Haotian to the human world. As the representative of Haotian, he traveled in the sacred sedan through the dancing petals and snowflakes, indulging himself in awe and love of the ordinary. He really enjoyed it.

The war with Tang had finally been launchd. Could that person called Ning Que still be able to stay calm in Chang'an?

Ning Que, when are you coming? When are you coming to me? Do come to fight with me, and be killed by me.

In the light of the torches the snow was shining like some white powder or flying willow blossoms in springtime.

Hengmu Liren looked through the roaring storm, over the Verdant Canyon and toward Chang'an. He smiled while he thought so.

...

...

The Central Plains were covered by snow. From Peach Mountain to Chaoyang City, snow accumulated thinner or thicker. Later on there would be a snow in the Song, a snow that would make history. But before that, the storm that had roared for days in the grassland suddenly stopped. Clouds were gone. And a bright moon was shining.

To the north of Wei City, thousands of yurts were disassembled and herds were driven. Warriors of the Golden Tribe Royal Court were settling their saddles, and tens of thousands of elite cavalrymen were about to set off. It was massive but quiet, making an imposing scene except for randomly restless neighs.

Being the most powerful force in the north, the Golden Tribe Royal Court had won a series of battles with Tang over the past years. They had gained enough pride and content. But this time it was different.

Tonight, the Golden Tribe Royal Court would be migrating to the south. To migrate meant to invade. It also meant the launch of the decisive battle. They would be fighting a vital battle against the Tang Empire that had reigned the world for a thousand years. It even made the proudest warrior in the Golden Tribe Royal Court feel nervous.

The first troop that left Wei for the south was a very ordinary group of carriages. There were a dozen of carriages with few people and supplies. They seemed to be pretty relaxed. But for the Golden Tribe Royal Court, it was the most important troop.

Thirteen great priests from the grassland were sitting inside their carriages, with necklaces of skeletons hanging on their chests. The skeletons seemed like pure white jade shining in the moonlight.

The national master was wearing a simple wooden rosary, as simple as his clothes and his appearance. He smiled at the bright moon outside. No one knew what he was thinking about.

For the cultivation world in the Central Plains, he was a barbarian. Even though the Golden Tribe Royal Court had been converted to Haotian Taoism, he and those priests were still outsiders of the traditional cultivation world. But this could never affect his power or his sentiments. He was longing for the bright moon and to experience people's lives in the south. He wanted to visit Chang'an and the Academy. And of course he would rather not leave once he was there.

The young A Da was also looking at the moon. The sky looked exceptionally clean after days of storm. The night in the grassland was extremely quiet. And the moon seemed to be brighter and bigger than ever. Different from the national master, A Da did not think much. He found the moon light a bit dazzling therefore he squinted and could not hide the impatience on his innocent face.