Nightfall

On the Sly, Staying Together

“Don’t add shallots.”

“Don’t add vinegar.”

“More noodles.”

The person who asked for the last request was obviously Chen Pipi. As he looked at the chessboard, which had been restored to its prior state, his thick eyebrows jumped quickly. Depression and shame filled his face right away, even making him forget about his current dangerous situation. How could he be proud of his brain and call himself a genius compared with the little handmaiden, who was able to memorize the positions of all the chess pieces in just one glance?

Looking at Master Yan Se, Wei Guangming smiled and said, “This female student of mine is quite excellent.”

Watching the thin figure disappearing from the back of the courtyard, Master Yan Se said with emotion, “She is indeed excellent.”

Sangsang’s excellence that was praised by the two old men did not have much to do with her astonishing brain, and that shocked Chen Pipi. They were referring to a kind of disposition that could only be sensed by high-state elders like them. This special disposition was able to precisely and clearly reflect the world due to its absolute transparency, even though it looked a little dull.

Master Yan Se withdrew his attention and said to Wei Guangming, “Both of us are old. Even if we don’t have a serious fight, we are inevitably close to our natural deaths. Let’s have a bowl of noodles since this is our last meeting.”

Three bowls of delightful noodles with fried eggs were brought to them—one without vinegar, one without shallots, and one with noodles overflowing the bowl’s edge.

After having noodles, the two elders finished their game of chess. They did not keep score, so no one knew who had won or lost the game.

Later, they rejected Sangsang’s reward of one more bowl of noodles and one more game of chess. They just began recollecting their history.

Sangsang remade three bowls of tea. Each of them sitting on a small stool, she and Chen Pipi carefully listened to their memories like two students.

Yan Se and Wei Guangming belonged to the oldest living generation in Haotian Taoism. During the past 14 years, one had enjoyed himself in the world while the other was imprisoned on the back hill of Peach Mountain. However, compared with the duration of their acquaintance, 14 years was so short after all. Therefore, their common memories and experiences were very long and colorful.

They began recollecting from the time of being little taoist priests, to playing tricks in the Revelation Institute, and then to being appointed as Great Divine Priests in Zhishou Abbey. The two elders were busy talking together for a long time.

Of course, Master Yan Se spent most of the time with his nagging. The Great Divine Priest of Light just smiled and listened peacefully. He occasionally interrupted and argued a little in order to avoid some misunderstandings from the two juniors. For example, the beard of the headmaster of the Revelation Institute was actually burned by the current Hierarch Lord, but not by him with his Divine Skill. Besides that, on their way to Zhishou Abbey that year, he suffered from diarrhea because Yan Se had used a cold talisman on him furtively, and not because he was nervous.

These naughty little taoist priests in the past had then become bigwigs in the world. The man who had once jokingly burnt the beard of the headmaster of the Revelation Institute had become a powerful hierarch of the Divine Hall, while one had become Master Yan Se and another had become the God of Light. However, when having such interesting moments, who could resist the temptation to occasionally recall their memories?