Nightfall

Thick clouds blocked out the sky and brought darkness. The blue Rognon Sea down the cliff was tranquil and charming. The river by the cliff kept roaring cheerfully.

After a very long while, Ning Que came back to life. His face was extremely pale due to excessive loss of blood. He seemed lost and took a few minutes to recall what had just happened. His chest was badly wounded. He covered it with one hand and tried to stand up, but found it very difficult.

It took him a fairly long while and lots of pain to accomplish such a simple move. His Academy suit was ragged and the blood stains were frozen in the chilling air. He seemed like a ghost coming right out of hell.

Since the battle was over, the big black horse had come out of the woods and stood by his side. Seeing him being weak and miserable, it came to support him with its warm and firm body.

Ning Que stroke on its neck and put on a bitter smile in appreciation. He looked around and saw bodies scattered on the banks as well as in the river. But blood was already washed away by the running water.

The hundreds of powerful cultivators like hungry wolves were all dead now. Many were killed by him. And the others were killed by Long Qing. There was a trace of weird grey on their faces and made them looked even more withered, which was probably a result of their psyches being drained by Long Qing.

Ning Que noticed a few dozens of dead birds lying around the bodies of some divine priests. There was blood and flesh by the birds’ beaks, which suggested that the bodies were highly toxic.

Long Qing was lying dead by his feet. His eyes were wide open as if he was still staring at the grey sky with everlasting grief. Ning Que would never clean after his enemies. But this time he had to crouch down to search for something on Long Qing. He found nothing in his black divine robe, but was surprised to see some golden lights vaguely shone in Long Qing’s wounds. He frowned and wondered what those could be.

He picked up an iron arrow from the ground, pierced into Long Qing’s body to pull out the golden lights, and found those to be extremely fine golden threads. And there were many.

Ning Que knew another lunatic in the cultivation world who had done similar things to herself. Ye Hongyu used to plant many golden threads into her body in order to fight against his Practice of Taotie. He never expected that Long Qing would do the same.

The poison in those cultivators’ bodies, as well as the golden threads in Long Qing’s body were obviously traps for Ning Que. In the feast of fighting previously, Long Qing absorbed the psyches of his soldiers by using Grey Eyes. If Ning Que had applied the Practice of Taotie, he would have been trapped by Long Qing and the result would probably be completely different.

Ning Que looked at Long Qing’s eyes and found them even brighter than when he was alive. He was stunned. There were many key factors in the battle today. It was the most unexpected for his enemies that he never applied the Practice of Taotie.

He discussed this with the Headmaster many years ago. Although they had a world of different opinions regarding gourmet, they did agree that human meat tasted worst.

They had such a conversation because both of them had done such crazy things. But of course when it came to a life or death choice, like when he carried Sangsang on exile for hundreds of miles years ago, he would definitely eat whatever he could find, not to mention applying the Practice of Taotie.

He did not use it today because he thought Long Qing had other plans, the most powerful one. It was also why he was searching on Long Qing. But he found nothing.

Long Qing had kept the Arcane Tome of the Sand. In the capital of Song he used this Arcane Tome to defeat the Fourth Brother’s River and Mountain Sandbox. There should be some parts of the Arcane Tome left. But where was it now?

The Academy paid much attention to the seven Arcane Tomes nowadays. More precisely the six Arcane Tomes held by Taoism in particular. When Yu Lian and Jun Mo visited the Butcher previously in the small town by Peach Mountain, they were also trying to see if the Arcane Tome of the Fall was still with the middle-aged priest. Ning Que did so too. Now that they had confirmed the Arcane Tomes were no longer with their previous owners, they knew it must had been taken by the Abbey Dean. What was the Abbey Dean going to do with these Arcane Tomes? It would definitely be something extremely crucial.

Ning Que stood there and thought for a while. When he felt somewhat recovered he patted on the big black horse’ neck. The big black horse knew that he was ready to go. Instead of letting him leap onto its back, it bended and humped him onto the saddle. Then it clopped forward along the river bank.

Ning Que held on the big black horse’s neck and noticed some blood on its forehooves. Then he realized what had happened to Long Qing’s horse. A moment later he was attracted by the mist formed again among the cliffs.

The big black horse rushed down the cliff and walked along the blue Rognon Sea toward the north. They stopped by the hot springs overnight. Ning Que indulged himself in the hot spring to meditate and restore his energy. He made sure that the wounds would not become worse and was relieved.

He leaned on the edge and watched the steam above the pond. He did not recall what happened many years ago. Instead, he just found the mist similar to those by the cliff he saw previously.

It was a bloody and brutal battle. But he did benefit from it. Since he finally understood some words.

Where the mountains and rivers ended, the clouds appeared. Deep inside the clouds there was no path to be found, nor desperate rescue to be executed. There was nothing in there. That was what he was thinking and acting when he swayed his iron bow.

It did not necessarily take evil to conquer evil, or violence over violence. The Practice of Taotie was not the only way to defeat the Grey Eyes. To act by one’s heart was the path to freedom.

That was probably the true meaning of the Academy’s Tool-less-ness, and also why the Headmaster showed him the words “A gentleman should never be a Tool” on the stone behind the firewood door. Ning Que finally understood his teaching.

He knew how important it was now. If he was going to spell that talisman some day, he had to understand this.

Because of the extreme pain and misery, he also found some hint from the battle. He assumed that it was the last obstacle before he could eventually find her after the journey of tens of thousands of miles.

He took out the stone statue, looked at the little Sangsang sleeping on her side in the mist, and said to her quietly, “Wait for me please.”

…

…

Setting off from the blue Rognon Sea, Ning Que rode on the big black horse and continued toward the north. Burnt yurts and dead war horses scattered on the grassland in the East Wilderness. The Wild People had crushed the last cavalry of the Left Royal Tribe. No one would stand in his way. But neither he did go to the Wild People for supplies or clues. He acted exceptionally cautiously.

They came toward the north until they arrived at the valley outside the Helan City. Ning Que stopped the big black horse, looked around to make sure no one was there, and put his fingers between the lips to make a clear and distinctive whistle.

The whistle resounded throughout the mountains around.

Birds were flushed. Beasts were growling. And intensive clops were heard heading afar.

Ning Que waited there for three days.

In the morning of the fourth day, when the sun started to rise, an extremely charming wild horse came toward them in the morning glory. Its long mane danced violently in the wind and its strong body was soaking in sweat, which added to the charm.

“This is way more handsome than you, buddy.” Ning Que looked at the wild horse and said to the big black horse. To his surprise the big black horse just sneered instead of showing its distinctive disagreement by acting coquettish and cute.

The wild horse rushed to Ning Que and stopped in front of him to deliver a letter.

Ning Que knew it was one of the eight charming wild horses that led the black donkey’s carriage. He stroked on it to show appreciation and started reading the message Gaga collected for him via countless creatures throughout the grassland.

The big black horse went shyly to the wild horse and tried gently ti stroke on its neck to show affection. But the other raised its head high in pride and arrogance, thought it did not step away.

Ning Que then realized that it was a very charming wild mare.

He had no idea how Gaga had made some human being read its thoughts and wrote this letter. It was simple but very clearly stated.

“In the chilling north, the most cunning snow foxes and most vigilant snow cocks were disappearing. The wild horses and arctic wolves had never met the hunting beast. But there has to be one out there.” After reading the letter Ning Que looked toward the north. It pointed to the same direction as the stone statue did, to the north.

The Headmaster used to say that it would lead to the same north no matter where one started.

No one found her. But they found the trace of a beast. That beast could probably be a huge indigo dog, or more precisely, an indigo lion.

Ning Que still looked calm, but his hand got slightly stiff while holding the letter.

He leaped onto the horse, pushed on its belly and headed to the north.

The handsome mare stood by the valley to see them off.

The big black horse lowered its head and seemed upset.

Ning Que said, “I know you want company. But I need to find mine first.”

…

…

He headed to the north while the chilling wind intensified.

Ning Que restrained his Qi and kept silent. He never went into the Wild People nor left any trace on the snow fields. Because he did not want anyone to follow him and consequently find her.

He walked through the mountains abandoned by Haotian. He was actually the one abandoned by Haotian. Or in other words, he lost Haotian in the human world. Now it was his turn to get her back.

…

…

It was the Thermal Sea. There was no heat but only thick snow and freezing coldness.

Ning Que led the big black horse and walked through the cottages abandoned by the Wild People. He recalled the days when the Headmaster took the two of them here and held their wedding witnessed by the Heaven and Earth. Then he felt some warmth in the heart.

The stone statue in his clothes also turned warm. It was telling him that he came to the right place and she was right there.

But where the hell was she now?

He came by the window of a cottage, looked at the dark snow sea and the incredibly high peak.

There was a lamp by the window. Sangsang stared at him quietly. Her moon-like cheeks were lit up by the dim light.

She could see him. But he could not see her. They belonged to two different worlds.

Ning Que stood by the window for a long while and did not leave until his eyebrows turned snowy white.

When they came to the edge of the snowy woods he suddenly stopped.

He stared at something by the tree and his hand that held the rein started trembling.

…