267 Those Who Will Not Walk into the Dark Nigh

Teng Xiaoming and Liu Wan'er stood at the edge of the plain, staring at thatsun which hung suspended over the distant horizon. Liu Wan'er said, "I heardthat the sun that hangs over this plain never sets, which is why it's calledthe Plains of the Unsetting Sun… I just don't understand that if no one hasever been able to come out of the plain alive, then who was the one to see thatthe sun never sets?" Teng Xiaoming heartily laughed, but he did not reply. He knew that she was notreally asking for his opinion, but rather that she was somewhat unhappy. "To actually let that wolf cub carry that person inside the plain……even ifthey do die inside, what do we do? Are we going to have to wait? How can weconfirm that they died?" Liu Wan'er glanced at Teng Xiaoming. She thought to herself that with thehusband's tyrannical cultivation, if they were outside the Garden of Zhou, whatneed would there be to chase them for such a long time? They could not evencatch a poisoned wolf youth. Of course, if they were outside the garden, thenChen Changsheng and the rest would have been dead a long time ago. In order toenter the Garden of Zhou, they truly had to pay a disastrous price. Teng Xiaoming knew what his wife was thinking. He gently caressed her hair andconsolingly said, "I am willing to do this." Who could have known that on this mission to infiltrate the Garden of Zhou,the Demon General couple with such a vicious reputation had personallyrequested to be sent? It was because… they had grown tired of the endless warwith the humans and wanted to leave the army, to return to their oldcountryside. However, they knew very well that the Demon Lord would neveraccede to their request. In all of the demon realm, only the Military Advisorcould help them fulfill their desire. So they had sought out the Military Advisor, who had asked them to enter theGarden of Zhou to take care of this matter. For this reason, they hadforcefully suppressed their cultivation, losing at least two hundred years’worth of life. However, if they could finish this task, then return to thecountryside hand in hand, then it was just like Teng Xiaoming had said: theywere willing. They were Demon Generals at the middle level of Star Condensation. Even ifthey had forced their cultivation down to Ethereal Opening, they stillpossessed a battle prowess that far surpassed that of Ethereal Openingcultivators. For a person who had once climbed a mountain to slowly rambleamongst the hills once more, he could naturally walk as he pleased. Logically,amongst all the human cultivators within the Garden of Zhou, besides XuYourong, they could leisurely kill whoever they pleased. However, they had not anticipated that Lady Nanke's two maids, in competingwith each other for merit, would bring about so many troublesome affairs. Theyhad even less anticipated that the human youth called Chen Changsheng wouldcarry so many precious magical artifacts on his person. Even the strength andwill that Zhexiu had expressed had surpassed their prediction, such that he wasable to successfully escape into the Plains of the Unsetting Sun. Although entering that plain was assuredly a path that led to death, it wasnot them that had done the killing in the end.  This was the edge of the plain, so although that red sun seemed to never set,it was actually still setting very slowly. As time passed, two-thirds of it hadpassed below that seemingly endless plain, and the sky grew dark. Liu Wan'ersaid, "Wait a while before seeing the situation. Let's eat first." Teng Xiaoming gave an obedient grunt, then put down his heavy carrying pole.Taking out firewood and bricks, he began to make a fire. Liu Wan'er removedthis year's new rice from the carrying pole, as well as spring water taken fromJadespring Mountain. Then she began to rinse the rice. Only when the waterbegan to flow out of the pot did she remember that, back at the lakeshore, ChenChangsheng had pierced a hole through this big pot. Liu Wan'er was at a loss for words. That gentle and amiable face finallyrevealed a strand of irritation.  "Chen Changsheng, that little fool, doesn'the know that damaging a pot and destroying a kitchen is this continent's mostcontemptible crime?" Teng Xiaoming heartily laughed, then said, "We were going to kill him! Howcould he consider such things?" Liu Wan'er groaned like a young girl, then said with displeasure, "I'llremember this enmity, and if those two maids can't kill him, I won't be lettinghim off easy." Teng Xiaoming consoled her, "When we go back home, we won't need to fight withhumans anymore. We can sell off the broken pot for scrap and get a littlemoney, so it's not that bad." Saying these words, he took another pot from the basket and took the rice fromher hands. Then he began to rinse the rice and prepare to cook it. "What do you want to eat tonight?" Liu Wan'er asked. Teng Xiaoming looked at the plain, hearing the cries that came from within. Hehesitantly proposed, "Inside there are quite a few monsters. I could go insideand grab two? If I don't go too far, it shouldn't be a problem." "To risk your life for a meal……we're not birds, nor are we humans," Liu Wan'ersaid in a bad mood. Then she walked over to the basket and flipped through itscontents for a while. Finally finding what she had been looking for, shebrought it out and said, "Before we left, I brought along the left maid's lefthand. We can cook it in the pot, then eat it with some of the hot sauce thatwas gifted to me?" Previously at the lake shore, in the name of fairness, she had severed thehand of that dignified woman. That hand was now being held in hers, its stump still traced with blood. Teng Xiaoming took the severed hand and used the spring water to wash itclean. Opening up the pot, he added a steaming tray, then also added a plate ontop. With this done, he placed the hand inside. "That pair of maids are too close to souls. The spiritual Qi in this hand issomewhat excessive—I'm afraid it won't digest very well." He thought it over,then said, "It's better to not use hot sauce. In a while I'll pair it with someapricots." At home, he would always be the one to make the meal. Liu Wan'er was not verygood at this, so she naturally had no opinion. The water had not come to boil yet. They did not know whether those two youthsin the plain were still alive or not. Liu Wan'er and Teng Xiaoming sat shoulder-to-shoulder on a stone at the edgeof the plain, watching as the sun set ever so slowly. "We haven't done this for a long time." "Mm." "Seventy-three years ago, you were still just a lowly soldier. Where'd youfind the courage to ask me out to see the setting sun?" "Mm……I lost a bet with a colleague." Liu Wan'er glared at him. "So you finally admit it." Teng Xiaoming thought it over, then said, "I've already admitted itfour-hundred-and-forty-one times." Liu Wan'er paid him no mind. Snuggling closer to his shoulder and looking atthe distant sun, she said contentedly, "Truly beautiful." Teng Xiaoming pondered how to respond, and decided that this was a time tolie, so he said, "Mm." Liu Wan'er face showed a yearning expression. "When we go back home, we cansit like this every day and look at the sunset." Teng Xiaoming once again pondered how to respond, and decided that he could nolonger continue to lie, even if it would be hard for him in the future. He saidhonestly, "We'd get tired of it." Liu Wan'er arched her brow and said, "If you see me for too long, you'll alsoget tired of it." Teng Xiaoming did not think about it, and he did not lie. He said sincerely,"I won't." For an even more beautiful person, if one looked at her beauty all the time,then there would inevitably be a day when one grew tired of it. Chen Changsheng did not have this sort of life experience, but he had a lot tosay about the sun, because it was something that he could never be tired of.Every day he would wake up at five o’clock, when the sky was still dark. Afterwashing his face and rinsing his mouth, he would stand under the plum tree, ornext to the temple, or by the lake, or on top of the great banyan, and see thesunrise as usual. This was what made him the happiest. At night, he would usually be asleep, and so he was very unfamiliar with thedark night. Moreover, this was why he did not like the dark night. Whether it was a good night or a cold night, he did not like night at all.Whether it gently walked or angrily advanced, he wanted no part of it. He was afraid of death, because he did not want to die. He was not afraid of death, because he had thought of death many times. So before the moment of death, he would always burst forth with anunimaginable strength. The Black Dragon had seen it. The Divine Empress had seen it. Gou Hanshi had seen it. Now, it was time for his enemies to see that strength. Liang Xiaoxiao's shoulder had a new sword wound, which was currently drippingblood. The bodies of those two demon beauties were covered with sword marks. Thesmiles had long ago disappeared from their faces, leaving behind a grave andserious expression. Chen Changsheng's left hand grasped the umbrella, his right hand the dagger.His face was pale, devoid of blood. His true essence had been almost completelyused up. However, his expression was as serious as ever. From the beginning to the end, he had always been this serious.