There Are No Idlers in This World

Old Penman did not keep idlers, except for Ning Que.

Sang Sang took in the old man to live there, and was even persuaded by him through various means to begin cultivating Divine Arts, sincerely calling him Master. But she still remembered his disheveled appearance before they met, so she assigned him many household chores, intending for him not to become a lazy old man who spent his days carrying a teapot around town, sunbathing and picking his teeth, feigning pity when there was trouble, and scolding his daughter-in-law when there wasn't.

Initially, the old man did not adapt at all. Since leaving the small Daoist temple in the Song Kingdom decades ago, he had never had to do miscellaneous tasks like washing dishes or wiping tables. Whether sitting on a Divine Seat or imprisoned in the Underworld Pavilion behind Tao Mountain, countless people always served him. As a Divine Seat high above the clouds, how could his hands touch cold water?

However, he was now forced to learn these tasks, for they were Sang Sang's demands. He was Sang Sang's Master, and he also believed that disciples should know how to respect their teacher and value the Dao. But he understood better than anyone that if he did not obey this little girl, he could lose his position as Master at any time, and that was something he absolutely could not accept.

Thus, the most outstanding Great Divine Priest of Radiance in the past several hundred years, who had proudly betrayed the Divine Temple and single-handedly shattered the Fanlong Formation personally laid by the Cai Jue Great Divine Priest, now fell into the "Fanlong" of mundane life before Sang Sang. If the devout Haotian Dao followers in the world knew of his current plight, knew that he was bending over doing chores, washing clothes and cooking in a small alley in Chang'an, they would probably faint from grief and indignation.

No matter how unbelievable a matter, doing it often makes it familiar, even leading one to find joy in it. The Great Divine Priest of Radiance seemed to be no exception to this rule. He rolled up his cotton sleeves, stood by the stove, and meticulously washed dishes with a loofah. Because his movements were becoming increasingly skilled and he hadn't broken a single bowl today, he felt happy, and a childlike smugness appeared on his serene, aged face.

Having finished the chores Sang Sang assigned, he returned to the front shop, used two square tables to make a makeshift bed, took out the quilt and mattress from behind the shelves, spread them out, and blew out the oil lamp before going to sleep. Winter starlight sprinkled down on Alley 47, piercing through the carved windowpanes. He looked at the misty starlight on the ground, pulled the corner of the quilt tightly against the draft, and let out a sigh of contentment.

He was very satisfied with his decision to leave Tao Mountain, satisfied with coming to Chang'an, and satisfied with his current life. He had forgotten his original reason for leaving, and rarely even thought about that shadow. Perhaps his subconscious wanted to prolong these days a little longer. Finding a successor was a joy; finding a Divine Arts genius like Sang Sang was an indescribable joy. He believed that the Haotian Dao had never seen such a figure in a thousand years, and it would be difficult for anyone to compare in the next thousand years. Sang Sang would surely inherit his mantle, go further than him, and eventually see the wondrous world he had once longed to behold. He felt that death was near, but before death, to be able to see such a bright future, how could he not be overjoyed?

In the back room, Sang Sang was also preparing for bed. She used some leftover hot water to soak her feet, her small, fair feet, like lotus flowers, gently playing in the water. A fourteen-year-old girl living alone, taking in an old man of unknown origin who had secretly lurked outside the shop for days—this sounded unsettling, yet Sang Sang did it. This didn't mean she was a kind and easily deceived person. She could be good-hearted, but having been with Ning Que for many years, she understood the wickedness of human hearts. The reason she took in the old man was that she saw a sacred light emanating from his fingers, and she believed that learning Divine Arts would help her fight alongside Ning Que. This reason was very important. For over a decade, Ning Que had always fought and killed for her, and she could only hide under the big black umbrella. Now that she was older, she wanted to do more for him.

Living together for a long time, a familial bond developed between Sang Sang and the old man. She could sense who was truly good to her, and she felt that the old man's kindness towards her was second only to Ning Que's.

"I wonder what Young Master is doing now; the Wilderness must be very cold, right?" Sang Sang opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling, her hands resting on the slightly cold brick bed, imagining Ning Que's life. This was the longest they had been apart, and she still hadn't gotten used to it. Because Ning Que wasn't home, she didn't light the entire brick bed to save charcoal, leaving the surface a bit cold. She took out the talismans Ning Que had left, carefully pasting them inside her undergarments. Logically, no one but Ning Que could activate the heat from these failed fire talismans, but for some reason, perhaps because she had begun cultivating Divine Arts, her small body gradually warmed up.

The winter of Tian Kai's fourteenth year arrived early and was colder than usual. Sang Sang brought her hands to her mouth and gently exhaled. Seeing the mist dissipate in her eyelashes, she suddenly remembered something. She then took Ning Que's quilt and mattress to the front shop and gently covered the old man with them.

The warmth of the quilt was the most formidable enemy of waking up, so the old man woke up late the next morning. Seeing that it was already bright, he panicked, having forgotten to queue for sour and spicy noodle soup. As he hastily got up to wash his face, he saw a piece of paper weighted down by a stone on the small chair by the well. On it were Sang Sang's still childish but beautiful characters:

"Last night, I just remembered that a sister invited me to her manor for dinner. I'll probably be there all day. Master doesn't need to wait for me for dinner. If Master wakes up late and can't buy noodle soup, just go to the shop next door to eat. I've already told Aunt Wu."

***

Snow accumulated on the black roof tiles of the South Gate Pass, silently gazing towards the crimson palace walls not far away. The Great Tang National Preceptor, Li Qing Shan, coughed twice, looked at the pile of official documents on his desk, and frowned slightly. The official from the Tianqu Department who came to report respectfully said: "Thirteen Master has left the Royal Court and should now be in Tianqi Mountain. We don't know if he has found the Demonic Sect's mountain gate. As for that Heavenly Book... National Preceptor, if the imperial court doesn't send experts, it will be very difficult to contend with the Divine Temple."

Li Qing Shan shook his head, remained silent for a long time, then said: "When His Majesty sent Ning Que to the Wilderness, the imperial court did not know about the Heavenly Book. His subsequent venture has nothing to do with the imperial court, and even less with the South Gate and the Tianqu Department. That is the will of the Academy's Second Master, so let the Academy handle this matter. You do not need to think too much."

No need to think too much, because thinking was futile. The Heavenly Book lost in the Wilderness was enough to attract too many forces, especially the Xiling Divine Temple, which was extremely well-prepared. Although intelligence said the Headmaster and the three Divine Seats were still on Tao Mountain, who knew if the Zhi Zi Pavilion had sent anyone? Faced with this situation, unless the Great Tang launched a full-scale military campaign, it would be very difficult to defeat the Divine Temple and seize the Heavenly Book. However, the imperial court could not do that; letting the Academy step forward was the righteous path. It was just that Li Qing Shan also did not understand why the Academy placed all its hopes on Ning Que, given that his cultivation realm was truly too poor.

Li Qing Shan spent no more time on that matter; he began to read other official documents. His mind was now entirely focused on finding the whereabouts of the Great Divine Priest of Radiance. Fuzi had departed, and such a terrifying Divine Seat was hidden in Chang'an; both His Majesty and he felt deeply uneasy. The ambush at General Gu's manor had failed. Although the empire suffered no losses, the South Gate and the army's long-planned scheme yielded nothing; it was a complete defeat. In that battle, Li Qing Shan had not directly fought the old man, but he knew he had lost, and that defeat was truly humiliating. If he knew the opponent was washing dishes, would his mood be better?

Where are you hiding, after all?

Stepping on the bronze wooden floor, the National Preceptor slowly walked out of the hall, stood by the railing, and watched the fading flowers and falling snow for a long time, then flicked his sleeve and left the South Gate Pass. His senior disciple, He Ming Chi, quickly followed, looking at the clear sky but carefully tucking a yellow paper umbrella under his arm.

On the highest floor of Wanyan Temple. Venerable Huang Yang was respectfully copying Buddhist scriptures. Hearing movement behind him, he turned around. Seeing Li Qing Shan's haggard face, he sighed softly and stood up to greet him. He said: "According to Divine Seat Tian Yu, the 'Ming' character will reappear in the Wilderness, not far from the Demonic Sect's mountain gate. But when he divined earlier, the cinnabar brush pointed to the Hulan coast; the two places are quite far apart."

The pure tower floor was quiet; Huang Yang had no habit of ordering junior monks around, so their conversation was not feared to be overheard. Li Qing Shan shook his head: "That Heavenly Book is, after all, a sacred artifact of the Daoist sect. The imperial court has no reason to intervene, and our South Gate is even more in a difficult position. Now that the Academy has taken over, I will no longer interfere."

Huang Yang looked at him, and suddenly asked: "Then are you going to continue interfering with that matter?"

Li Qing Shan calmly replied: "The Divine Seat of Radiance is in Chang'an. His Majesty will not allow the Divine Temple to send people here; that is my responsibility. I am the Great Tang National Preceptor, responsible for protecting the empire and this city." He looked at Huang Yang seriously: "You must also be careful these days."

Huang Yang clasped his hands and slowly said: "What kind of figure is the Divine Seat of Radiance? I am merely a small, reclusive figure copying scriptures in this dilapidated tower. How could he seek me out to verify his cultivation? Saying this, he stepped to the edge of the tower, looked at the majestic city of Chang'an under the winter sky, and smiled: "If he truly dares to come, though I am untalented, if he does not reveal his true grand realm, there is no way he can silently erase me from this world. By then, Chang'an City's grand array will immediately suppress him."

Currently, neither Xiling nor the Great Tang understood why that Divine Seat had come to Chang'an. To say it was because of prophecies and events from over a decade ago seemed unconvincing. If he intended to harm the Great Tang, Li Qing Shan and Huang Yang would certainly be primary targets. In such circumstances, Huang Yang's words carried the compassion and great fearlessness of one willing to "feed the tiger with one's own body." Li Qing Shan looked at his old monastic robes, remained silent for a long time, then shook his head: "Too passive. We must find him first."

Huang Yang turned around and saw a chessboard had appeared before Li Qing Shan. The old man's hand was reaching towards the chess box. He was slightly surprised: "Are you going to divine again?"

Li Qing Shan reached into the chess box, touched the cool chess pieces, and nodded. Huang Yang frowned: "Your ability to glimpse into the heavens comes at the cost of your lifespan. Why go to such lengths?"

Li Qing Shan calmly said: "These past few days, Senior Brother has been searching for the Divine Seat of Radiance's whereabouts in the city but has yet to find any results. He is taking such a great risk; I must also do something."

Grandmaster Yan Se was the strongest Divine Talisman Master in the world, his status on par with the Xiling Headmaster. Wei Guang Ming was the most outstanding Divine Seat of Radiance in several hundred years. No one in the world knew who was stronger between these two great figures, but this search battle was inherently disadvantageous to the Divine Talisman Master.

A crisp clicking sound echoed like early spring rain. Dozens of chess pieces danced, spun on the board, then lay still. The chess pieces Li Qing Shan randomly picked were very strange: there was only one white piece, and all the rest were black. The dull black stone pieces silently surrounded the white piece in the center.

Li Qing Shan looked at the chessboard for a long time, then said: "He is still in Chang'an, not far from us."

***

This winter in Chang'an was truly erratic. Last night and this morning, the sky was still sunny, but in just a moment, gray snow clouds covered the sky, and snowflakes began to fall lightly.

He Ming Chi looked up at the sky. Hearing footsteps in the tower, he quickly opened his yellow paper umbrella, his heart tightening as he saw his Master's even more haggard face. Returning from Wanyan Temple to the South Gate Pass, He Ming Chi went directly to the kitchen, personally overseeing the brewing of medicine. As the National Preceptor's senior disciple, but with low cultivation aptitude, he knew he couldn't persuade his Master to stop expending his mental energy on divination, so he could only do what was within his capabilities. He carried a bowl of hot medicine and slowly entered the quiet Daoist hall.

Li Qing Shan sat by the window, watching the falling snow. He heard footsteps but did not turn around, merely waving his hand for him to put the bowl of medicine down. He Ming Chi did not put it down; he knelt beside him, holding the bowl of medicine high with both hands, silently but firmly urging his Master to take the medicine first. Li Qing Shan sighed helplessly, took the bowl, drank it all, then lamented: "This silent and stubborn nature of yours, it's not even suitable for managing the Tianqu Department. If I die later, what will you do?"