Chapter 739: The Sorrow of the Sun-Chaser
It was Shang Xingzhou’s voice.
Don’t let the capital see, don’t let heaven and earth see, don’t let him see… If they do see, what then?
That unspoken subtext, everyone knew, was inevitably tied to death.
Chen Changsheng said nothing, gazing at the night amidst the wind and snow, his eyes bright, his expression calm.
In his heart, there was also a sentence, one inevitably tied to return.
…
…
The wind and snow in the night neither quickened nor lessened. Countless cavalry surrounded the National Academy, still locked in wary confrontation.
Shang Xingzhou returned to the imperial palace. Those azure-robed Daoists bowed respectfully, then departed.
He stood in the wind and snow, looking at the silhouette of the young Emperor cast by lamplight on the side window of the main hall, and a hint of gratification welled up in him.
In the end, it was all worth it.
A rustling sound arose on the snow—the crunch of boot soles breaking through the soft snow surface. Deacon Xin came to stand behind him, speaking a few words in a low voice, his demeanor exceptionally humble.
Since Merisal had returned to the sea of stars, the Pontifical Council had never welcomed a new master.
This ecclesiastical hall held a very special position within the state religion, its hidden strength immense. Even Mao Qiuyu found it inconvenient to take charge, having only acted as interim for a few months.
In many people’s eyes, Deacon Xin—deeply trusted by Merisal and closely tied to the National Academy—should have been the most likely candidate to oversee the Pontifical Council, though his seniority was still somewhat lacking.
No one knew that Deacon Xin actually had another identity: he was a spy for the Office of Scrutiny.
Even fewer knew that a few days earlier, when Zhou Tong was being hunted, the one who had first plucked the strings of the formation beneath Zhou Prison’s earth and forced Zhou Tong out was also him.
The reason was simple: Deacon Xin, with a bright future ahead, could not bear to remain Zhou Tong’s dog forever. He wanted Zhou Tong dead.
Of course, if he hadn’t already received some kind of promise or guarantee, his courage would have come much later.
“The capital is safe for now; the Detached Palace has been safe for three years. Staying at the Pontifical Council doesn’t mean much.”
Shang Xingzhou said, “Go south for me and check on the situation at Holy Maiden Peak and the Li Mountains. Also, tell the Longevity Sect to send me that thing I requested.”
Deacon Xin was startled, wondering what item the Longevity Sect was supposed to deliver to the Daoist Venerable that was so important. But he said nothing, accepted the order, and soon vanished into the wind and snow.
…
…
The accumulated snow on the lake’s surface had earlier been swept away by the cold wind, revealing smooth ice that reflected the distant lights, looking like a vast sheet of glass.
Above the glass, faint specks could be seen—footprints she had left earlier.
Perhaps seeing this frozen lake of glass reminded Chen Changsheng of something very important to her.
“Did you bring all those night pearls and treasures with you?”
In the underground cavern beneath Beixin Bridge Well, over a thousand extremely rare night pearls were embedded in the stone walls, and piles of gold and silver mountains lay on the ground.
Those were the Little Black Dragon’s treasured collection, her greatest source of spiritual strength that had helped her endure the long centuries.
Chen Changsheng knew how much she valued these things, so he reminded her.
“Of course I brought them.”
The Little Black Dragon patted her belly, exuding an air of heroic boldness, like a brave warrior who had just downed eighty bowls of strong wine.
In human form, she was very petite, a full head shorter than Chen Changsheng, looking like an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl. Doing such a gesture inevitably seemed a bit comical, though also very cute.
Chen Changsheng knew her black clothes were her dragon scales, inseparable from her body and unable to hold much, and she had no spatial artifact. He was genuinely curious where she had hidden those things.
“You’re so stupid.” The Little Black Dragon was a bit annoyed, patting her belly as she said, “I told you, they’re right here.”
Only then did Chen Changsheng notice that her belly was slightly rounded, like a gluttonous child.
So she had actually swallowed all those thousand-plus night pearls and the unimaginable mountains of gold, silver, and coral seas… into her stomach.
For the next few years, there would be no need to worry about running out of money. But did that mean every time they needed cash, she’d have to spit it out?
Chen Changsheng found this rather unhygienic, and then naturally thought of another method besides spitting, which made him somewhat uneasy.
“Don’t you dare think dirty thoughts!” The Little Black Dragon quickly caught on and roared, “If you keep having wild ideas, I’ll swallow you whole!”
Chen Changsheng thought to himself that if she really swallowed him whole, she’d still have to spit him out eventually—or do that other thing—and his expression turned even more sour.
The Little Black Dragon understood just as quickly, and her expression grew even worse than his. Slowly, she raised her fist.
That fist was delicate, looking in the wind and snow like a lone plum blossom on a branch—pitifully fragile.
…
…
Boom! A thunderous sound rang out in the National Academy. The ground trembled uneasily, and the accumulated snow on the great banyan tree fell in a rustling cascade.
Several cracks appeared on the surface of the frozen lake. Where the cracks intersected was open water, and among the floating shards of ice, a figure could faintly be seen.
She grabbed that person, hoisted him up like that, and carried him back to the Scripture Repository.
Because of the need to protect the books, the lamps and candles in the Repository were specially made, with relatively low temperatures. Even with many lamps burning for a long time, it was hard to dry soaked clothes.
Chen Changsheng sat among dozens of flames, the icy lake water continuously streaming onto the pitch-black floor.
Having been punched into the frozen lake, soaked through, and chilled to the bone—no matter how you looked at it, this was a sorrowful, anger-worthy affair.
He felt none of these emotions. His perfectly refined body could withstand such a heavy blow, and after perfecting his star condensation, the ordinary cold and heat of the world could no longer invade his body or mind.
Of course, the main reason was that she was acting a bit unusual right now.
By temperament, the black-clad girl should have been smug. Instead, she sat across from him, dejectedly hanging her head, even faintly sad.
“What’s wrong?”
“My power has diminished.”
“Maybe… you’ve just been freed and haven’t gotten used to it yet?”
“No.”
She looked at the iron chain tied around her ankle and said, “If I can’t break this chain, I’ll never be able to defeat your master.”
Chen Changsheng finally understood what she was worried about. He comforted her, “Even if you break this chain, you still can’t beat him.”
She was furious and shouted, “Is that supposed to be comforting?”
Chen Changsheng said seriously, “Yes, because it’s an objective fact. When I was little, a golden dragon tried to eat me, and my master drove it away.”
Among the dragon race, golden dragons and frost dragons were the most noble and powerful. Countless millennia ago, after the golden dragon clan left this continent, the frost dragons became the supreme rulers. The golden dragon he mentioned, according to Senior Brother Yuren’s later description, was likely a member of that golden dragon clan, and very possibly a true royal.
That golden dragon was, of course, countless times more powerful than the current Little Black Dragon, yet it still couldn’t defeat his master.
In his view, her sadness over worrying she couldn’t defeat his master was truly unnecessary.
Who would be sad because they couldn’t chase the sun?
…
…
Who would?
Those brave—or rather, mad—sun-chasers, of course.
Her gaze fell on the short sword at his waist.
The first time she had seen that sword, she had sensed that vast, familiar, awe-inspiring—or vigilance-demanding—aura.
Later, after hearing Chen Changsheng tell some stories from the past, she confirmed that this short sword was the third whisker of that golden dragon.
To defeat a golden dragon royal and cut off its most precious third whisker to use as a weapon—how powerful, how confident that person must have been.
From that moment on, she knew that Chen Changsheng’s master was a terrifying human.
If possible, she would never want to be an enemy of such a human, but…
From today onward, I am your guardian.
That powerful human wants to kill you, so of course I have to find a way to defeat him, then kill him.
That’s why I’m a little sad.