540 Medicine of Light I

Last spring, in the north of Chang'an City, under a pine tree at the peak of an unnamed mountain, the Great Divine Priest of Light and Master Yan Se gave their most precious belongings to Sangsang before their final battle. Yan Se had left behind the array eye pestle to the God-stunning Array for Sangsang to pass to Ning Que. Meanwhile, the Great Divine Priest of Light had given Sangsang an ID token.

From then on, Sangsang was not only Ning Que's handmaiden or just the lost young mistress of the Grand Secretary Mansion. She now had a very special identity. It was due to this identity that the Great Divine Priest of Revelation had come to Chang'an from the West-Hill to make an appointment with Ning Que, and that everyone in the Taoism Temple in the capital of the Kingdom of Qi had to kneel before the black horse carriage.

It was not until today that Ning Que knew that Sangsang was officially called the Lady of Light in the West-Hill Divine Palace. Even though he did not really like the title subconsciously, he could hear the extraordinary respect in it. Looking at the priests and knights kneeling before them and the tearful priest in red while feeling the solemn atmosphere, he suddenly realized that his little handmaiden was now a bigwig.

...

...

In the evening, two figures appeared on the highest floor of the white Temple Taoism in the capital of the Kingdom of Qi. The golden rays of sunlight enveloped the place, giving rise to beauty that complemented the Ginkgo leaves on the streets.

Ning Que looked at the autumn scenery in the foreign land. Then, he suddenly turned to the priest in red who had a tired look on his wizened old face. He said, "Do you know what it means to have a Great Divine Priest of Light die in your temple? Even though she has not yet become the Great Divine Priest of Light right now, but everyone in Haotian Taoism knows that she will be in three years."

The priest in red looked at him, his murky eyes full of conflicting emotions such as gratefulness and annoyance. He said, "I am sure that you, Mr. Thirteen know this. There is no other party who cares about the safety of the Lady of Light as the West-Hill Divine Palace. I will do my utmost best and will die for her."

Ning Que did not know what to say in reply to this. Not even he could find fault with the old priest's actions.

The red-clothed priest had managed to order the entire Temple Taoism and the imperial court of the Kingdom of Qi with the power vested in him by the West-Hill Divine Palace. He had, in a short time, managed to gather 17 of the most famous doctors in the capital in the temple to heal Sangsang. The herbs for the antidote on the list given to Ning Que by Eleventh Brother had long been gathered. Of which, two were forcibly taken from the palace of the Kingdom of Qi.

The poison in Sangsang was mostly neutralized after consuming the antidote. She had taken a turn for the better. And while she spent most of the time in a coma, her life was not in danger.

"The poison within the Great Divine Priest is very special. Even though the prescription you have is brilliant, it is not sufficient to neutralize the poison. We have to think of other ways. As for the cold in the Great Divine Priest's body, we can't..."

The red-garbed priest did not use the West-Hill Divine Palace's official title for Sangsang. He did not refer to her as the Lady of Light but had called her the Great Divine Priest. It felt as if he was certain that Sangsang would succeed the Divine Priest of Light.

At this point, the old priest looked at Ning Que coldly. He said angrily, "The health of the Great Divine Priest is so important. How have you guys in the Academy been taking care of her?"

Most people in the Haotian Taoism sect had all thought that Sangsang stayed in the Chang'an to be cared for and educated at the Academy. However, the truth was that Sangsang had to care for Ning Que and even had to cook for the lazy people living in the Academy often.

Ning Que could imagine how angry those from the West-Hill Divine Palace would be if they found out that their most esteemed Great Divine Priest led such a life.

That was why he chose to remain calm and silent in the face of the priest's ire. However, when he thought of how he had wailed in front of the black horse carriage and what had happened after that, he could not help but felt confused.

He looked at the wizened eyes of the priest in red and asked, "Which department are you from?"

The priest said serenely and proudly, "I am from the Divine Hall of Light."

Ning Que seemed to understand something. Then he suddenly asked, "Do you know what my relationship with her is like?"

The priest said with an inscrutable expression, "The Great Divine Priest and Mr. Thirteen are master and servant in name, but are actually partners."

Ning Que shook his head and said, "You're wrong."

The priest in red froze slightly and asked, "How?"

Ning Que answered, "We have gotten engaged before leaving Chang'an. We are now husband and wife."

"Congratulations."

The priest in red congratulated them with a blank face. In fact, one could even see disappointment and pain in his eyes.

There were records in history of Great Divine Priests of West-Hill marrying, but it was rarely heard of. This was especially so for the Divine Priest of Light who was deemed to be the closest to Haotian. They spend centuries devoted to serving Haotian. How could they get married? Much less to someone from beyond their sect!

The future Divine Priest of Light of West-Hill had gotten married to a shameless disciple of the Academy before taking her place in the West-Hill. It was difficult to accept for those from the West-Hill, especially for those from the Divine Hall of Light. However, the Great Divine Priest of Revelation had promised Ning Que in Chang'an, so they could not object to it.

Ning Que could see the old man's disappointment and his hatred towards him. However, he was not afraid and thought that the future might be a little troublesome. He said, "Sangsang is my wife. Nobody can change this fact. The Great Divine Priest of Revelation had promised me, and that means that we have gotten the permission of Haotian. Since this is so, you and your companions should know that at least half of the Divine Hall of Light of West-Hill would belong to me in the future. So do not treat me as your enemy."

This was not a threat. Ning Que knew that the crafty priests in the West-Hill Divine Palace and the passionate believers of Haotian Taoism would not back down in the face of such threats. He had only said this to remind the priest and attempted to bond with the man.

However, he did not expect the priest in red to seriously consider his words. He did not laugh coldly or grow angry. The disappointment and pain in his eyes subsided.

After some time, the priest in red looked at Ning Que and said placidly, "I agree. There will be a place for you in the Divine Hall of Light. If the Great Divine Priest is willing to, she can even give you half of the Divine Hall of Light. What can anyone do about that?"

It was thus Ning Que's turn to frown and consider. No matter what his relationship with Sangsang was, the West-Hill Divine Palace would definitely not allow the Academy to openly interfere in the matters on the Peach Mountain. Furthermore, this affects the Divine Hall of Light, so why would the priest in red make such a statement?

Without getting a conclusion to his thoughts, he looked at the priest and asked simply, "Why?"

"The Great Divine Priest is still the Lady of Light now. She is young and pure while the West-Hill Divine Palace is a complicated and dangerous place. Even if she appears on the Peach Mountain two years later like what the Great Divine Priest of Revelation says, she might not be able to sit in that temple deep within the Divine Hall of Light... Fortunately, or unfortunately, you are her husband. If the Academy is willing to show their support for her through you, then I think that her taking her place as Great Divine Priest would go easier."

The priest in red lowered his head, showing respect to Ning Que for the first time in their conversation.

Ning Que fell into silence. He suddenly realized that as Sangsang's status grew higher, the problems, or challenges, that they faced grew more complicated and troublesome.

However, these problems could only be faced in the future. While Sangsang was comatose and sick, his first consideration should be her health and not the future.

As such, he did not continue to discuss this problem. He asked, "When will Ye Hongyu arrive?"

The wizened priest in red had protested angrily many times against Mr. Thirteen's disrespect for the Divine Priest of Judgment. However, his protests had always been for naught as Ning Que insisted on calling Ye Hongyu by her name. The priest thought of the relationship between Ning Que and the Divine Priest of Light and feared that he had already done many disrespectful things. As such, he decided to give up his pursuit in retaining the dignity of Haotian Taoism.

"It will take the Divine Priest of Judgment 10 days if she comes from West-Hill."

Ning Que ate a little and washed up simply after Sangsang fell asleep once more. He felt slightly more refreshed and was not as tired as he was when he first arrived in the capital. Now his mind was very clear.

"She can't be at the West-Hill right now because she should know how troublesome this matter is. She would have realized that Long Qing had reappeared even if the entire Haotian Taoism could not guess his appearance. From Mountain DragonTiger to the Martial Arts Sect and to the Red Lotus Temple yesterday, she should be on this way."

Then, he looked at the weak priest in red and said, "On this occasion, if I can make it here from Red Lotus Temple in a day, why can't she?"

The priest in red sighed softly, "Why would the Great Divine Priest come here?"

Ning Que said, "Because she has many questions for me."

With that, he walked into the depths of the white Temple Taoism where, in one of the rooms, Sangsang was sleeping.

He believed that Ye Hongyu would surely come at the fastest speed after receiving news that he was in the Kingdom of Qi. Just like what he had told the priest in red, Ye Hongyu would surely have many questions for him. With regards to Long Qing, Ye Hongyu was second only to Ning Que in wanting Long Qing to die, because the man in black Taoist robe had always challenged her.

However, Ning Que did not tell the priest in red why he wanted Ye Hongyu to come to see him.

Other than exchanging information about what had happened after Prince Long Qing's resurrection, there was another, more important, reason.

The cold aura in Sangsang's body was an urgent matter now. Not even the pure Haotian Divine Light in her could suppress it, so he had to try other methods.

The elderly priest in red had used all Haotian Divine Light converted from the Divine Skill that he had practiced for decades in order to heal Sangsang. That was why he was so weak and tired.

That was why the priest had won Ning Que's trust.

But he was far from healing Sangsang.

Ning Que needed other cultivators of West-Hill Divine Skill.

Ye Hongyu was the best choice.

To Ning Que, Ye Hongyu was not West-Hill's Great Divine Priest of Judgment, but the medicine that Sangsang needed most.

...

...

...