Nightfall

A Storm

It was cloudy tonight. There was no stars or moon but only pitch darkness above the small town. Some lonely and dim lamp light spread out from the drawing and calligraphy store at the end of the street. When it came to the liquor store it could barely light up people’s faces.

The Drunkard was dust-stained. But there was no blood on him. Obviously he had been to many places in the past few days. Yet he was not anxious. Because he even took a bath and changed his clothes.

Helan City was ruined. Right before the transmission array was activated, he applied Immeasurable and managed to disturb the turning of the Qi of Heaven and Earth. He knew that neither Haotian nor Ning Que was able to return to Chang’an. Therefore he had nothing to worry about. He believed that throughout the long journey no one could run faster and travel longer than him because of his Distanceless State. Just like in the everlasting journey of cultivation, no one could live longer or travel further than he did.

However he was a bit pale and tired. He was sneak attacked by Ning Que, lost a hand and severely wounded. Even someone like him could not recover soon.

“I’ve been looking for you,” the Drunkard looked at Sangsang and said. The dim light from some distance was reflected horrifyingly in his eyes, and made him seem like a wandering nocturnal beast in the wild.

“But I never expected that you would come to my home.”

Sangsang asked indifferently, “Why are you looking for me?”

The Drunkard said solemnly, “You make me fear. Therefore I have to kill you as soon as possible.”

Sangsang replied, “You never made me fear. But I want to kill you too.”

Upon hearing this absurdity the Drunkard burst into laughter.

Now she was merely a nominal Haotian without any divine power, nothing more than an ordinary woman.

By the side of the saddle on the big black horse, babies’ cries were heard all of a sudden. Sangsang looked at them and frowned. She was not expecting the babies to get hungry so soon. It seemed she should no longer feed them with rice paste.

The Drunkard was startled, then laughed wildly. “Indeed, congratulations!” He laughed impudently and sounded scorning and sympathetic, “If Haotian’s followers in the human world ever know that you delivered a baby for a human being, what would they say?”

Sangsang said nothing and recalled the divine priests and deacons she med in the capital of Song.

Then the Drunkard stopped laughing. He frowned and seemed confused, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you have to become a human? It was not about the Headmaster, or Ning Que or even Ye Su. Like the Abbey Dean said, if only you did not wish to become a human being, it would never happen.”

Sangsang said, “I never planned for it. But since I am already a human being, it seems not too bad.”

The Drunkard pulled out a sharp sword from his flagon, stared at her and said, “Even if it’s pure happiness to be a human being, even if all other sufferings seem enjoyable to you, there is an ultimate suffering that you could never be freed from.”

Sangsang asked, “What?”

The Drunkard replied, “Human beings die.”

Sangsang paused and said calmly while staring at him, “You will die too.”

The Drunkard smiled and asked, “How? To be killed by you? Could you?”

Sangsang looked toward somewhere in the darkness.