In a temple not far from the street, a bell suddenly rang.
Ning Que was closing his umbrella. He was tortured by the bell in Xuankong Temple. When he heard the bell again, he was startled and grabbed Sangsang's hand.
Sang Sang looked at him with no emotion in her eyes. Only then did Ning Que remember that he had left the Xuankong Temple. He let go of his hand with some embarrassment and followed her example and carried it behind his back.
The bells in Chaoyang City were getting louder and louder. All the temples were ringing. Ning Que could hear it clearly. The loudest bell came from the north of the city and should be the ancient bell in the White Pagoda Temple.
Some of the passers-by were eating jelly, some were holding banana leaves and eating rice with their hands, and some were watching the monkey show. They were all enjoying themselves. Listening to the bells, they quickly put down what they were doing and walked towards the nearest temple.
Some people were unable to leave and knelt directly on the street, clasping their hands together and praying non-stop. The man performing the monkey trick also knelt on the ground in fear, and even pushed the naughty monkey to the ground and kowtowed.
The only people still standing were Ning Que and Sang Sang. Although those devout Buddhist believers did not cast hostile glances at the two, they could not help but be a little confused.
The changes brought about by the bell are actually very cute, very similar to some kind of flash mob event that Ning Que once saw in that world. The little monkey who was gently pressed by the owner kept rolling his eyes. It was also very cute, but
Because he had seen the miserable world under the Xuankong Temple, Ning Que suddenly felt a little sick.
Naturally, Sangsang hated these scenes even more and flicked her sleeves.
In the blink of an eye, flowers bloomed on the green sleeves, and a strong wind arose on the street, blowing down the jelly stalls and blowing away the rice grains on the banana leaves. It fascinated the eyes of many people, and the monkey performers rubbed their eyes.
Forgetting to grab the rope, the little monkey got free and ran out without running far. He only looked for spicy rice grains in the flying banana leaves and ate them happily.
The bells of the temples on the street were also blown randomly by this gust of wind, and the rhythm of the bells became chaotic. The wind still did not stop, rising towards the sky, blowing the clouds above Chaoyang City into countless clumps.
Sangsang was somewhat satisfied and continued walking forward with his hands behind his back.
Ning Que looked at her back, but fell silent.
When she was in the Xiling Temple, she didn't need to do anything, she didn't even think about it. She just felt a little restless, and there were stars rising and dying in her eyes, and countless clouds came from thousands of miles away, and there was thunder and lightning on the top of Peach Mountain.
After leaving Xiling, especially after entering the depths of the wilderness, she began to flutter her green sleeves when fighting or getting angry...
Today's Sangsang's power is still far beyond what humans can imagine, but compared to the truly omnipotent she once was, she has indeed become much weaker.
Ning Que was a little uneasy, but couldn't say anything. The reason why she gradually became weak was because the master left the human power in her body, because the trip two years ago was long and joyful, but now she thinks about it.
A dangerous journey, especially because he took her to walk in the world and refused to let her go back.
The streets were filled with smoke and dust blown up by the wind, and the smoke was full of the smell of spices. It was a bit choking. I wonder if it was because the people here had been used to it since they were young, so no coughing could be heard.
Walking in the smoke and dust is also walking on the old road.
Ning Que and Sang Sang lived in this city for a long time. He once fled here with her on his back. His footprints were left in many streets and alleys, and he also left many blood stains of the people he killed.
It's just that nearly three years have passed, and those blood stains have long been invisible.
…
…
Entering the chessboard on the cliff of Xuankong Temple, you will reach Chaoyang City when you come out. It seems incredible, but in fact there is only one possibility. Just like in Lanke Temple that year, there is also a road opened by Buddha between Xuankong Temple and Chaoyang City.
The space passage, this chessboard is the key to opening this space passage.
Back then, Ning Que and Sang Sang went directly from Lanke Temple in the southeast corner to the Xuankong Temple in the depths of the Western Wasteland. Today, they went directly from the Xuankong Temple to Chaoyang City.
The two of them were walking in Chaoyang City at this time. It seemed natural that they were looking for traces of the Buddha. However, in fact, both Sangsang and Ning Que knew very well that the Buddha could not be in this city.
In the human world, it is impossible to hide it from Haotian's eyes.
Ning Que didn't say anything about this, nor did Sang Sang. It seemed that the two of them were really looking for the Buddha, and since they were searching, it would naturally take time.
"Find a place to stay first, and then look for it slowly," he said.
Sang Sang didn't speak. Silence meant that she agreed. If she wanted to object, she would speak directly or cut Ning Que into pieces to express her attitude.
In a noisy neighborhood somewhere in the north of the city, there is a very quiet and even seemingly dead courtyard. It is the small courtyard where the two of them lived before. After several years, no one cares about it.
After opening the courtyard door, the small courtyard was still so quiet. The black cloth that Ning Que had covered on the window was still hanging, but it was stained with a lot of dust. The putty smeared in the window cracks of the woodshed had dried and peeled off.
Sangsang looked at the dilapidated courtyard. A damp wind blew from behind the courtyard, instantly taking away the dust from all the houses. The courtyard suddenly became very clean.
She pushed open the woodshed door, thought for a while, and didn't go in. She turned around and walked into the bedroom and lay down on the bed. Now that she was no longer the daughter of Hades, she naturally didn't need to hide from anyone.
"Make more vegetables to eat at night," she said.
Ning Que agreed and walked to the yard to prepare firewood for cooking. He looked at the lonely little tree, but he was a little reluctant to do it. Where were the black crows on the branches now?
Of course, the stream behind the yard was still there, and there were still trees by the stream. He cut off enough branches with the palm of his hand, and when he was about to leave, he suddenly saw a deep fist mark on a tree.
At that time, he had to take care of the seriously ill Sangsang, and he had to be always vigilant against the pursuit of Buddhist and Taoist sects. He was always anxious and nervous. When he was almost unable to hold on anymore, he went to the stream and punched a tree to vent his anger.
Fan, but he didn't expect that his fist was so hard, and he almost broke the tree with one punch.
Looking at the fist marks on the tree, Ning Que laughed. He was very happy that the tree was not broken, and he was also very happy that his own fist marks were still there, because these were his most cherished memories.
Just like the tree in the yard, and the black crow that once sat on the tree.
He piled the branches into the corner of the yard, pushed open the bedroom door and walked to the bedside. He looked at Sangsang who was sleeping and asked, "What vegetables do you want to eat? I'm not familiar with the products of Yuelun Kingdom."
Sang Sang opened her eyes, her eyes bright and clear. There was no trace of tiredness or jealousy after waking up. Ning Que never understood what sleep meant to her.
She thought for a while and said, "I'll go shopping with you."
The two went to the vegetable market and bought a lot of vegetables. Then they went to the grocery store to buy all the rice, oil, salt, vinegar, pots and pans they needed for daily life. They also cut a pound of pork belly and went home to make a sumptuous dinner.
Carrying dishes is naturally Ning Que's job. Cooking is also his job, and washing dishes is even more his job. During these processes, Sang Sang just followed him with his hands behind his back, sometimes looking at him. Sometimes he looked at the sky.
.
Ning Que squatted in front of the basin and washed the dishes. He felt that this job was more difficult than when he killed horse thieves. After a while, he felt a soreness in his back. Looking at Sangsang's hands behind his back at the door, he couldn't help but become annoyed.
"I can't beat you now. It's okay to do more housework. It's okay if you don't help. Haotian, of course you are noble. How can I get some green onion and ginger water? Even if you are watching the fun, it's fine. But can you trouble me?
Can you do something for me without holding your hands behind your back?"
He complained: "You are like the leader checking the work, which hurts the enthusiasm for work!"
Sangsang ignored him and walked into the room. He looked at his hands behind his back and said, "I want some tea."
God said let there be light. So there was light in the world.
Sang Sang is the God of this world. She said that if she wants to drink tea, she must have tea - obviously she can conjure countless kinds of good tea, but for some reason, she insists on Ning Que buying it.
Ning Que was indeed a little tired, but also a little happy, because he knew that Sang Sang's behavior proved that her connection with the world was getting deeper and deeper, and that she was becoming more and more like a human being.
That night, he knocked on the door of the largest tea house in Chaoyang City and bought seventy-four kinds of the most famous tea leaves from various countries with two taels of silver. He also packed many expensive tea sets.
After drinking tea for three days, Sangsang suddenly said again: "I want to play chess."
So Ning Que went around searching for the best chess equipment, but this time it was more troublesome to satisfy Sangsang's request, because playing chess always requires an opponent.
"Your skills are too poor." Sangsang looked at the white pieces all over the chessboard and said to him.
As a man, the thing he hates most is losing to his woman when playing chess and cards. Ning Que was already in an extremely unhappy mood at this time, and he was even more annoyed after hearing these words.
"We humble humans are no match for the great Haotian."
This is Sang Sang's most common comment on human beings, and when it comes out of his mouth, it sounds very resentful.
Sangsang's expression remained unchanged and said: "Human beings are indeed humble, but some people are relatively better. Chen Pipi is much better than you in these aspects."
As a man, the thing you really hate most is to be evaluated by your woman as inferior to other men, even if that man is a good brother who will share life and death with you.
Ning Que said angrily: "I can't get him from Linkang City."
Sangsang said: "Then you have to think of other ways."
The next day, Ning Que invited the three most famous chess players in Chaoyang City to the small courtyard.
In other words, kidnapping is more appropriate.
In addition to drinking tea, playing chess and listening to operas, Ning Que and Sang Sang would sometimes go shopping in Chaoyang City to see the White Pagoda and walk by the lake. She still habitually carried her hands behind her back.
Dozens of days passed peacefully like this.
They seemed to be looking for something in Chaoyang City, but in fact they were looking for nothing. They didn't ask where they were going or what to do, they only asked what they would eat tomorrow and remained silent in a tacit understanding.
One night, Ning Que peeled a mangosteen, put the white kernel in Sangsang's face, laughed and said, "Does this look like a butt to you?"
There was very little expression on Sangsang's face, and he was always a little unwilling.
This time he failed too.
Sangsang looked at him quietly for a long time and suddenly said: "Are we greedy?"
Ning Que was silent for a moment, fed the mangosteen in his hand into her mouth, then walked to the yard and performed some knife skills, fetched stream water and took a bath, and said, "I'm going to bed first."
Sangsang sat at the table and looked at the tree outside the window without saying anything.
She once wanted to return to Haotian Divine Kingdom so much, because it was her mission. As long as the hidden danger of Buddha was eliminated and Ning Que was killed, she could go back.
But she and Ning Que are each other's destiny. If Ning Que dies, she will also die. It will be Haotian who returns to the Kingdom of God, not her who has the name Sangsang, and she will no longer be her.
She wanted to continue to be her, she wanted to continue to have the name Sangsang, and what made her even more angry and uneasy was that she actually wanted to continue to be with him and live in the small courtyard like this.
Vegetables, fat meat, white rice, tea and a game of chess while watching the sky. This is not a bad experience.
So she didn't think about Buddha, the academy, Taoism, the Kingdom of God, and the human world. As long as these days lasted, she would continue to be her, and he would continue to be by her side.
Yes, she is really greedy.
Ning Que once asked outside the city of Chang'an: There is no such thing as a way to achieve both ends in the world, and it will not be down to Chang'an or you. In fact, he knows that there is no such way in the world.
He was not afraid of death. He could actually threaten Sangsang with suicide and enter Chang'an, and then the academy would use the Shocking Formation to suppress her. Neither the Buddhist sect nor the Taoist sect could do anything about it.
But he... couldn't bear it.
So he took her to live in this small courtyard in Chaoyang City, ignoring what was happening in the world, not thinking about the academy, not looking for the Buddha, not thinking about anything.
Yes, he is also very greedy.
…
…
Greedy for temporary pleasure, one moment is just one moment, and one day is just one day. After that night's conversation, Ning Que and Sang Sang never talked about this matter again.
Ordinary human life continues like this. It has been half a year since they arrived in Chaoyang City, and the wind and rain in the outside world have nothing to do with them.
After the beginning of spring, Chaoyang City was very lively, and there were theater stages everywhere. One evening, Ning Que and Sang Sang returned from watching the theater and bought half a catty of pig head meat on the street, which made it easy for them to have dinner.
Sangsang looked at the remaining pieces of pork head in the bowl and suddenly said, "There are too few vegetables."
Ning Que thought to himself that it had been too long, who would have the patience to prepare a table of dishes every day? He naturally changed the subject: "I will prepare some delicious food tomorrow. By the way, did you think the show today was good?"
There was no expression on Sangsang's face, she got up and walked out of the hospital.
Ning Que was slightly startled, put the bowl and chopsticks into the basin, wiped the water off his hands, and chased after her.
Standing in the woods beside the stream, she clasped her hands behind her back and looked at the sky in silence.
Ning Que looked at the fist mark on the tree and found that in just half a year, due to the rebirth of the tree bark, it had become much shallower and naturally looked much lighter.
His mood has become lighter, is he leaving after all?
Sangsang said: "Being together doesn't mean we are really together."
Ning Que understood what she meant, and after a moment of silence, he said, "We are together because we should be together, not because I want to keep you in this world."
Sangsang didn't speak for a long time.
Ning Que said: "You can know what I am thinking."
Sangsang said: "Yes, I know you think so, but it is still greed."
Ning Que looked at her profile and asked, "Greed is not a sin."
Sangsang looked at the sky and said, "It's wrong."
What is greed? To like is to be greedy.
Because I like it, I am greedy.
Even if you indulge in pleasure for a while in the human world, you will defeat countless people in the kingdom of God.
It was just a moment, too short after all.
…
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(Four thousand words, today it’s already 10,000, and I will continue to write. The boss saw that I wrote seriously, so he didn’t let me walk the dog with her. I like this chapter, but don’t like the next chapter. I’m going to eat some now.
(Hey, the next chapter will definitely be late, so don’t worry.)