Nightfall

The indigo lion looked around and found a vacant divine seat down the Taoist hall .

Only in the most important Taoist halls was there the main hall, where the divine seats were always reserved . Because the seats belonged only to Haotian .

It came to Sangsang, pulled her dress and dragged her onto the seat . Then it tore several pieces of gauze and covered her to keep her warm .

Even the most pious follower would have abandoned this Haotian upon seeing the blood-stained Sangsang in labor . But the indigo lion always wors.h.i.+ped her as the only Haotian and the true G.o.d .

The indigo lion was very satisfied by its own loyalty and perseverance . Recalling the big black horse leaving its master previously, it felt angry and sympathetic, and would like to treat it with a good bite in the future .

Sangsang lay exhaustively in the divine seat . Distinctive pains in the belly came in rounds after rounds . Colors drained further from her face . She sweated profusely and could no longer even raise her hand .

The indigo lion stared at her and kept circling anxiously . Its tail wagged on the wall and smashed the solemn divine statues .

Some noises were heard outside the hall . The indigo lion gazed viciously at the gate in case some divine priests or deacons were coming to make trouble . If anyone dared to interrupt the delivery, it would tear them into pieces without any orders from its master .

Clip-clops approached distinctively!

The big black horse ran into the hall with a chubby middle-aged woman sitting on it . The woman seemed paler than Sangsang . She held tightly on the saddle and could almost fall into a coma at any minute .

The middle-aged woman was a midwife . She never thought about being kidnapped by a horse or seeing an indigo lion about half the height of the hall . Nor did she ever imagine helping someone give birth in a Taoist hall, especially when the woman was stabbed by a sword and stained in blood like a devil .

Afterwards when she recalled this, she thanked her previous experience with countless b.l.o.o.d.y and torturing childbirth . Otherwise she would have easily fainted . But she actually wished she could have fainted earlier .

Sangsang lay on the seat and felt slightly recovered after taking some powder . She opened her eyes, watched the middle-aged woman rus.h.i.+ng in and out of the layers of gauze, and asked weakly, “When will it be delivered?”

It was already dusk, a long while since the labor pains started . The midwife had been standing by Sangsang and kept shouting loudly to cheer her up until her voice became hoa.r.s.e . But the child was still yet to come .

Sangsang was soaking, so were the layers of cloth beneath her . Her hair fell disheveled on her pale cheeks and made her seem miserable . Luckily her eyes were not yet losing focus .

The middle-aged woman came to the divine seat, looked at the b.l.o.o.d.y sword on her belly and said with trembling voice, “First time is always hard . Let"s try a bit harder . Perhaps we can still make it?”

Sangsang got her uncertainty . She frowned with dissatisfaction . But when she tried to say something she found her strength draining rapidly . She had to close her eyes again and prepare for another round of labor .

The middle-aged woman wanted to sneak out, especially when she realized that it was a dystocia . She tried to flee an hour ago but was scared back upon seeing the giant indigo lion beheaded three cavalrymen from the divine halls .

The baby was still not delivered .

The middle-aged woman stared at Sangsang"s pale face and suddenly felt for her . She came to her and said, “We have to try this . Otherwise you might both die . ”

Sangsang felt exhausted and asked, “What?”

The middle-aged woman put on some pride and a.s.sured, “You can trust me . I have saved many children with this method . It will definitely work . ”

She reached for her toolbox on the saddle of the big black horse and took out a round forceps . She lifted the gauze and was about to take a look between Sangsang"s thighs .

Sangsang ordered ruthlessly, “Don"t look . ”

The middle-aged woman was startled and said bitterly, “Come on sister, you never let me take a look ever since the beginning… How can I help you like this? We are both women . Why so shy? You"re going to be a mother . ”

Sangsang stared at her and repeated calmly and indisputably, “Don"t look . ”

The middle-aged woman looked at the forceps in her hand and sighed, “I learned this in Chang"an . But no matter how skilled I am, I have to look when I use it . ”

“No need . ” Sangsang turned away from the forceps and looked at the sword on her belly . She stared at the sword and frowned for a long while . Then she took some deep breath, gathered every bit of her strength and got hold of the hilt . The sword was pulled out form the Drunkard"s flagon and was washed by the strongest liquor and her own blood . It was clean and dustless . She held the hilt and pushed it downward .

Upon a tearing sound her belly was cut open . Blood flooded .

The middle-aged woman almost fainted .

Sangsang was extremely pale . Her voice was weak but still indisputable, “Stay conscious!”

Baby cries resounded in the Taoist hall . It was rather annoying than pleasant .

It was unpleasant for Sangsang, as well as for the big black horse and the indigo lion . Because she was focusing on the wound on her belly, while the big black horse and the indigo lion was focusing on her .

As for the middle-aged midwife, she picked up the new-born from the b.l.o.o.d.y wound, managed to stay conscious while briefly cleaning the baby, and eventually fell into a coma after witnessing the insanity .

Sangsang tried to fix the wound on her belly but realized that she was too weak to accomplish the task . So she st.i.tched the wound and wiped it with the remaining dim light on her palm . She pa.s.sed out a few times during the process and was awakened again and again by the distinctive pain . But she still seemed indifferent .

The dim light on her palm was decisive for finis.h.i.+ng the st.i.tching . When the blood was cleaned, no wound but only the st.i.tches could be seen .

Sangsang was exhausted yet satisfied with her achievement . But of course, it was the achievement of a humanized her .

All of a sudden she recalled a trivial matter many years ago . It was before they left Wei for Chang"an . She was once ashamed of her needlework, at least nothing to be compared with the other women in Chang"an . Ning Que seemed to agree too .

From now on he could never say so, she thought .

With such distractions she felt less painful and exhausted . Then she realized that she almost forgot something . Upon a glance on the side she frowned again .

She seemed annoyed, but actually disappointed . Right by her side there lay two babies .

The two babies were clean, fair, and delicate .

But the thing is, how come there are two of them?

She was Haotian who should have known . But how come she was never aware that they were twins?

Ning Que asked her in the cottage on the snow fields whether it was a boy or a girl . She said she had no idea . That was true . She was very annoyed by pregnancy hence never tried to figure it out .

To give birth was disappointing enough . To give birth to two was even more so . What should she do next?

She seemed pale and anxious . She looked down by the divine seat and found the middle-aged midwife already pa.s.sed out, or dead asleep . She was even snoring at such a critical moment .

She picked up the tiny legs and confirmed that they were a boy and a girl . She did it clumsily, or even savagely .

The indigo lion lowered its head as it felt embarra.s.sed . The big black horse kicked its fore-hoofs and tore a piece of gauze to cover the two babies .

When the fat aunty gave birth to the child years ago, she wrapped him up very tight . Perhaps was it because the newborn was sensitive to coldness?

Sangsang sat up with efforts and wrapped the two babies with the gauze . But she made it messy as if she was wrapping up some random belongings .

She held each baby in an arm and seemed awkward . Right then the baby boy started crying, and the baby girl followed . They cried rounds after rounds like they did previously .

Sangsang frowned, and felt annoyed .

“Stop crying,” she said emotionlessly to the two babies in her arms . Although she was no longer almighty, she still sounded awe-inspiring . But how could some newborn sense the awe? Even a newly born calf would never be afraid of the tigers . Haotian"s children could be no less fearless .

Baby cries resounded in the Taoist hall . Sangsang was annoyed and anxious . She closed her eyes, frowned profoundly and tried really hard to recall some similar experience from long long ago .

Finally she located them . It was raining in the Hebei Province . She was still an infant lying in Ning Que"s arms . His arms were very slim at that time, but it felt cozy .

Recalling how Ning Que held her when she was a baby, she found her arms less stiff and curved slightly . The two babies obviously found it more comfortable as their cries slowly ceased .

There was something else she had to do . She remembered Ning Que feeding her with rice paste back then .

The babies needed rice paste, or milk if there was no rice paste . Or perhaps the other way round . She opened her eyes, unb.u.t.toned the blood stained clothes and started feeding the babies .

The big black horse and the indigo lion already retreated to guard at the gate .