This was the most noble being in the three thousand worlds, the coldest existence in the world, possessing an indescribable might. Besides those grand cultivators who had exceeded the mundane world, how could insignificant humans stand before a great Black Dragon like this?
No matter how persistent and determined Chen Changsheng was, he could not resist this primordial pressure. He tightly shut his lips so as to avoid the chattering of his teeth from being heard, yet he could not stop his body from shaking, every bone of his body seeming to lament.
Ploomph! He did not prostrate before the Black Dragon, but he could not stand straight either. He fell right onto the hard and cold ground, fell very heavily. His mind was somewhat scattered, not thinking about pain, only constantly repeating these sentences in his heart.
"The legend is true!
"There really is a dragon in the Imperial Palace!
"One of the noblest Black Frost Dragons!"
Before pushing open the stone door, he had thought of many possibilities.
He thought the source of the terrifying pressure behind the stone door might be the old Guardian within the palace who possessed a Saint Realm cultivation and had secluded himself for more than a century already. He also thought that behind these doors could be the pivotal point of the Imperial Palace's great array, and he even thought that it might be the skeletal remains of a great dragon, yet he never imagined…
Behind the stone door was a living dragon!
Since the passing of the ancient era, it had become extremely difficult to find traces of the Dragon race on the continent. Those noble and formidable beings had gradually faded from memory until they were on the verge of becoming divine beings that only existed in books. No person had ever seen them before. Chen Changsheng had imagined the appearance of dragons countless times and wanted to personally see one.
Tonight, he finally saw one, but he would now prefer that he not see one for his entire life.
This Black Dragon was currently floating in the air in front of him, gazing down upon him.
The light of several thousand Night Pearls on the dome of the cavern was completely absorbed by its black scales. The pure black dragon was as terrifying as an abyss brought to life, but its eyes were its most frightening aspect. Those two eyes were brimming with cold indifference and cruelty.
Chen Changsheng understood the meaning of these eyes: it was a human child gazing at the ants on a tree.
It was a particularly pure sort of coldness and cruelty. It did not require reasons, did not require justification.
A child could watch the ants on a tree for an hour, and then crush all the ants to death with their shoe.
This was the attitude of higher lifeforms towards the lowly.
Chen Changsheng finally understood the meaning of Mo Yu's parting words.
Yes, no person could leave the Tong Palace, because the Tong Palace's gate of life was beneath the cold pond.
The cold pond was a true dragon pond. A great Black Dragon lived here. Any person that encountered it would die.
However, Mo Yu had not expected him to have the courage, or perhaps the stupidity, to persist until he arrived in front of the Black Dragon.
The frost on Chen Changsheng's eyelashes suddenly fell off like the snow being blown off the petals of a plum blossom.
A small gust blew through the underground cavern.
The Black Dragon was preparing to breathe.
Chen Changsheng knew that in the next moment, he would die.
When he pushed open the door, he had already prepared many countermeasures. Even if it really was the old Guardian who was in the Saint Realm, he still believed that his death was not assured. He believed that as long as he could communicate, he could change his fate.
But behind the stone door was a Black Dragon.
In the legends, dragons were noble, powerful, but never merciful.
Dragons would not communicate with humans, disdained to communicate with humans. At least, they would disdain to communicate with an ordinary human like him.
For this, he had made not a single preparation.
For death, he had actually been preparing for several years, but now that death was truly on the horizon, he understood that he still had not prepared enough.
As it turned out, death was a matter impossible to prepare for.
A deathly stillness hung over the underground cavern. The light spilling from the Night Pearls was like the snow, falling upon his body.
He was somewhat cold and suddenly felt very tired. He knew that everything he did was futile, so he no longer struggled to stand up, even stopped caring about what was about to occur. He raised his head towards that mountain-like and terrifying dragon head, calm and at ease.
"It looks like Master spoke correctly: my fate really is bad."
He did not know whether this Black Dragon could understand human language, but he thought that even if such a noble being could understand, it would not disdain to listen. Thus, everything that he had never said to another person, he said to the Black Dragon.
"I have an illness that can't be cured.
"I can't live past the age of twenty.
"Master is the best doctor of the continent and my medical skills aren't bad, but the both of us can't cure it.
"This illness is more terminal than a terminal illness, so it is not an illness, but fate.
"My fate is not good.
"Upon coming to the capital, I wasted a lot of energy and was finally able to enter the Orthodox Academy, obtaining the right to participate in the Grand Examination. Although still very far from Lingyan Pavilion, in the end, I still took my first step. Then I met Luoluo, and I thought that my fate was getting better.
"I didn't think that tonight, I would meet you.
"My fate turned out to still not be good."
Chen Changsheng's face was somewhat pale. It was because of the frost and the cold, nothing to do with fear.
He was currently fearless, even when confronting the legendary cruel Black Dragon.
He no longer cared about whether the Black Dragon could understand him, whether it was willing to listen.
He only knew that he was going to die soon, so if he did not say these things, he would no longer have the opportunity.
"Everyone says that fate is foreordained, that no matter how disastrous, it still can't be changed, but I'm not willing to accept this."
Some sort of mysterious strength helped him stand up. He raised his head to the beautiful Night Pearls in the dome of the cavern and slightly squinted his eyes, just like some pitiable young beast gazing at the first light of the sun, brimming with yearning and joy.
"I want to live. I want live past the age of twenty, and then one hundred, and even five hundred, eight hundred, to live longer and longer, and the best would be to live forever and never die…but first, I have to live past the age of twenty, so I lived with utmost care.
"Every day, I would go to sleep early and wake up early. Every day, I would exercise my body. I've never been picky about my food, but I've never gorged on too much food or drink, and didn't take my food with salt or oil. It's not because of my personality, but because those types of foods aren't healthy. I lived according to the guidelines of the medical books, measuring out my meat and vegetables with a scale. I've never found any of this a trouble, and after the age of twelve, all this became instinct.
"I value time and put all my time in studying and cultivating. I wanted to do my utmost to touch upon those beautiful pieces of knowledge before the age of twenty, and I wanted even more to use cultivation to change my fate. This way, after the age of twenty, I would have the opportunity to see even more beautiful sights."
He said to the Black Dragon, "Yes, everything I did, all the rules I made for myself, were all for the sake of living. The most important part about living is living. For this, I'm willing to pay everything, to do my utmost to live."
At this scene of the cold underground cavern, the distant pitch-black darkness, the gradually fading light from the dome of the cavern, the Black Dragon before the youth, and those calm words containing boundless sorrow, any person would probably feel moved.
The Black Dragon continued to gaze at this youth with cold and cruel eyes. Perhaps it was because it couldn't understand human language, but it was probably more that it didn't care. An ant on a tree branch angrily and sorrowfully waving its forelimb would only be interesting, or laughable, in the eyes of the observing child.
Chen Changsheng already didn't care about the Black Dragon's response. He only wanted to talk in his life's final moments.
"To change fate is truly too difficult, and the life I lived in these past few years was truly too tiresome, but no matter how tiresome, I still want to live. Because the pork of Xining Village cut into thin pieces and then dipped in chili oil and rock salt is truly delicious, because there is truly a lot of interesting knowledge in books, because life is truly very beautiful.
"I don't want to die, but I can't guarantee that I can live past the age of twenty. To be more precise, I simply don't have the confidence. I don't want the girl who gifted me that bamboo dragonfly to become a widow, so I came to the capital, wanting to end the engagement, but the result?
"Everyone who's acquainted with me feels that I've matured early, that I'm not like a fourteen-year-old youth, everyone says that I'm steady and composed, but nobody has ever thought… I'm only five years away from death, I'm in the prime of my youth, yet I'm already half-buried in yellow earth—how could I not be calm and steady? But how can I accept this!?"
In these past few years, Chen Changsheng had focused on controlling his emotions because great sorrow and happiness were both bad for his body, but now it was all useless, so he was no longer calm. He gazed at the Black Dragon, perhaps the entire world, and angrily cried out.
"I don't want to die.
"But I'm going to die now.
"I'm very sad."
Chen Changsheng was very sorrowful, his eyes slightly red. He thought that he would cry, but he discovered that, after controlling his emotions through all these years and refusing to cry, he had even forgotten how to cry. This fact made him feel even more sorrowful, then he returned to an unimaginable level of calmness.
"Thank you for not eating me in one bite. Although this is probably not your true intent, since you still let me finish speaking, I want to thank you. But I really do want to live, so even if it's laughable, I still want you to permit me to fight a battle with you."
Saying this, he raised the dagger in his hand and bared it towards the Black Dragon.
He silently thought in his heart: Come, Death!
Let us have a final match.
Just like over these past years.
The Black Dragon slowly approached, cold gusts resounding through the vast space. Its body was excessively large, a slight movement sufficient to cause the light to change.
A nigh unimaginable cold descended over Chen Changsheng's body.
His eyelashes were once more covered in frost, and even the blood in his body seemed to freeze.
Death was right before him.
Yet he showed an unprecedented calm, was even very relaxed.
The shadow of death and that terrifying pressure that had followed him since the age of ten suddenly vanished.
He was at an unprecedented level of calm, comfort. His body felt much lighter. To have no pressure whatsoever was actually such a beautiful feeling.
He finally understood, how to defeat the fear brought upon by death? Only through death itself.
He smiled, the frost on his eyelashes spreading apart like blooming white flowers.
Teacher, do you see?
I'm going to change my own fate.
Teacher said that I would die at the age of twenty.
At the moment, I'm not fully fifteen, but I'm going to die.
As it turns out, fate is not impossible to defeat.
The Palace of Young Brilliance was located one thousand, nine hundred and forty zhang from the Imperial Palace's Gate of the Southern Sun. From the Gate of the Southern Sun to Weiyang Palace was a distance of seven-hundred-some zhang. With her speed, and taking care to not alarm the Guardians of the palace, how long would it take to get from here to Weiyang Palace? What part had the music coming out of the darkness reached?
The southern diplomatic mission had certainly already arrived, and were probably even seated. The Ivy Festival is on the verge of beginning and if I can hurry over soon, I probably won't be too late. First, I must obtain the reason. Luoluo thought of these matters in silence, her small face seeming to be covered in a sheet of ice, so much so that the entire palace hall seemed to be rather chilly.
Fortunately, besides a single female official, there was no one else in this hall but her and the master of the hall, so no one would criticize her for discourtesy.
The Palace of Young Brilliance was the quietest palace in all of the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, yet it was also the most lavish. This was because here resided the Divine Empress's most beloved and only daughter, the Princess of Ping. The girl sitting at the master's seat had a gorgeous complexion. She did not look very old, but she had a natural grace about her that seemed inerasable.
Confronting this Princess of Ping who collected the adoration of the countless people of the Great Zhou in a single body, who normal people would not even dare to breathe too heavily while near, Luoluo displayed utter discourtesy, her tone even faintly carrying a hint of criticism. "Ping, you've tricked me here and won't let me attend the Ivy Festival. Are you not even giving me an explanation?"
Previously, that female official had come up, representing the Princess of Ping in inviting her to the Palace of Young Brilliance. Unexpectedly, when she reached the Palace of Young Brilliance, the female official constantly delayed for time. Only after she began to react did the Princess of Ping finally appear, but a long time had already passed.
She was clearly aware that the Princess of Ping was doing this because she had been entrusted with it by someone, that it assuredly had something to do with the Ivy Festival, but she was only thinking about those followers of the Divine Empress who were watching the Orthodox Academy like tigers eying their prey. Yet she had not imagined that their gazes had always been on Chen Changsheng.
The Princess of Ping was not angry at Luoluo's inquiry. Smiling, she explained, "It was just that we hadn't met in several months and I heard that you were playing the part of an obedient student in the Orthodox Academy, so I was somewhat interested. That's right, just what sort of person is that person you acknowledged as a teacher?"
Luoluo ignored the question, staring into her eyes and asking once more, "Why?"
"Mo Yu knew that I had a close relationship with you, so she had me keep you for a while. As for why…she certainly didn't tell me."
The Princess of Ping spoke with a very calm expression, not treating this as much of a pressing matter.
Yet Luoluo had seen painstaking care in her appearance. Many people knew that the Princess of Ping and Lady Mo Yu did not have much of a close relationship. It was only because of the Divine Empress that the two maintained a cordial relationship on the surface, so Luoluo would naturally not believe her explanation.
The Princess of Ping commented, "Don't think about it too much. Mo Yu received imperial mother's orders to host the last night of the Ivy Festival, and what she's most concerned about is that engagement between that Phoenix and the child of the Qiushan clan. She had me keep you here probably because she was afraid that you would stir some trouble when the time came."
Her appearance was clearly young and immature, yet she called Qiushan Jun a child. This seemed very bizarre.
Luoluo was most ill-suited for this sort of appearance. She slightly creased her brow and resentfully replied, "Speak properly… I'm not you; why would I stir trouble?"
The Princess of Ping's eyes faintly glowed. Looking rather shy, she replied, "Why would I stir trouble? Luoluo, you really like telling jokes."
Luoluo replied, "You don't like Xu Yourong…as long as they've lived in the Imperial Palace, who wouldn't know?"
The Princess of Ping's smile faded as she coldly said, "Imperial mother likes her, but for what reason should I like her? Moreover, that child of the Qiushan clan is perfect and so excellent that he should be my Great Zhou Dynasty's son-in-law. For what reason should he be married off to someone like her, a muddy monkey stinking all over with the smell of the wilderness!"
Luoluo lightly mocked, "Even if you spoke countless times about how you quarreled with her and lost, you still wouldn't be able to affect her position in the Divine Empress's heart, and in the hearts of everyone else. Let alone Qiushan Jun, even I would be willing to have him marry her and not you."
The Princess of Ping was very angry, saying, "Just which side are you standing on?"
Luoluo replied, "It's not like you don't know, I've always liked her—of course, if you're willing to let me go, I can stand on your side."
The Princess of Ping stood up and calmly gazed at her, then suddenly revealed a smile. "This is the first time Mo Yu has requested me to do something. You think I'll mess it up?"
Luoluo stood up and asked, "I thought you never did these sorts of things that don't provide you any benefit?"
The Princess of Ping helplessly sighed. "In the end, I'm still a princess—I have to do some things for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Luoluo needed to think a while before understanding that the matter she spoke of was most likely related to the southern diplomatic mission's proposal. Yet she couldn't understand just how her presence at the Ivy Festival would influence this proposal. Although she also admired Qiushan Jun, she didn't have any designs on him.
She raised her hand and brought it extremely close to her belt. As long as she willed it, she could take out the Falling Rain Whip.
Standing across from her was the Princess of Ping of the Great Zhou Dynasty, greatly doted upon by the Divine Empress. Even Luoluo could not do anything too excessive against her, but right now, she suddenly wanted to kill her. This was because she suddenly realized that the princess might not only dare to trick her into the Palace of Young Brilliance, but she might dare move against her teacher!
The Princess of Ping knew what she was feeling, but she did not fear. Smiling, she commented, "A few days ago, I heard that during the Ivy Festival, you beat that distant cousin of mine into a cripple, just as can be expected from Luoluo. I can't beat you, but…if something happens to me, can your family bear the responsibility?"
Luoluo looked at her and said, "The Tianhai clan is nothing but a group of madmen, we truly can't bear it…but you also understand that my family also has many madmen. If something happens to me in the capital, will just you and Mo Yu be able to bear the responsibility?"
The Princess of Ping innocently replied, "This is the Great Zhou Imperial Palace. How can anything happen to you?"
In the darkness outside the Palace of Young Brilliance, countless Guardians and experts were concealed.
Those people would naturally not dare to truly wound Luoluo, but they could entrap her.
Just like how for certain reasons, Mo Yu could not truly hurt Chen Changsheng, forcing her to think of ways to trap him.
Right now, teacher and disciple were both facing similar plights.
"Don't try to act silly or foolish or cute; I'm also quite skilled in those."
Luoluo gripped and slowly pulled out the Falling Rain Whip, saying very seriously to her, "If I want to make trouble for myself, who can stop me?"
The Princess of Ping's expression turned somewhat apprehensive, because she had seen Luoluo's resolve. If something really did happen to Luoluo in the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, she and Mo Yu added together would be incapable of bearing the responsibility. Crucially, the Empress did not know of tonight's matter. If the eight hundred li of the Red River were to rage, what could be done?
"Just what is so good about that youth called Chen Changsheng that you've actually become so dead set on doing this?" She gazed at Luoluo, very confused.
"This is not something you need to concern yourself with, nor is it something you really care about."
Luoluo's right hand lightly moved and the Falling Rain Whip slowly moved along the golden bricks. She looked at the Princess of Ping and said, "Right now, I also don't want to concern myself over what your goal is. I just want you to order those people outside the hall to open a path. I want to attend the Ivy Festival."
The Princess of Ping fell silent, seeming to hesitate and struggle. In reality, she was silently counting time, waiting until she was sure that, based on what Mo Yu had said, the youth should have been imprisoned within the Tong Palace. Only then did she raise her head and faintly smile.
"Please." She looked at Luoluo and said, "I hope that you are still in time."
...
...
The night was dark, but the palace was bright as day. Luoluo arrived outside Weiyang Palace, her black hair brushing against her cheeks, her forehead beaded with sweat. She turned towards the shadows behind the palace and saw the figures of Guardian Jin and Guardian Li. After tilting her head and listening for a few moments, her delicate brows slightly rose, her anger barely concealed.
Chen Changsheng was not within the palace. A moment ago, he had been outside the hall, speaking with Divine General of the East Xu Shiji. Afterwards, Prince Chen Liu spoke a few words to him, making it inconvenient for Guardians Jin and Li to approach. Unexpectedly, in the next moment, he vanished in the darkness, whisked off to parts unknown.
Luoluo turned to silently gaze through the darkness at the Great Zhou Imperial Palace and its countless overarching eaves and pavilions. She knew how challenging it would be to search such a vast area for a single person at this time, so what should she do next?
There were some people of the Great Zhou Imperial clan that did not want her teacher to take part in the Ivy Festival because of the southern diplomatic mission's proposal, but why was this? She squeezed the silk bag in her sleeve, thinking of what her teacher had said to her before leaving the Orthodox Academy. Her two eyebrows arched even higher, almost as if they were going to take flight.
The other side did not want her to do this thing, so she would do it.
Luoluo no longer needed to think. She opened the tightly shut door to Weiyang Palace, and walked into the light within.
Within the palace, the southern diplomatic mission had already arrived and were currently in the midst of greeting the important figures of the Ivy Academies, the Imperial Court, and the Orthodoxy. Some people who had never met were currently introducing themselves, both sides speaking about how they had longed to meet the other. It was a joyous and harmonious scene, particularly lively.
Just then, there was a bang as the palace door was pushed open by someone!
Although the chilly wind could not blow inside, the light within the hall still seemed to change, as did the mood. This was because the person who had pushed open the door seemed to be very rude.
But when they could clearly make out the girl who had pushed open the door, the hall grew abnormally silent.
Some had previously noticed to their astonishment that the Orthodox Academy's seating area was empty. Now, they finally saw this girl.
Luoluo's gaze flitted through the hall.
That middle-aged man was the leader of the Qiushan clan, Qiushan Yuanxin.
That old man with a head of white who only had a bowl of clear water and a green pear on the table in front of him was probably Mount Li Elder Xiao Songgong.
That woman with a serene bearing and a white veil over her face, since she was wearing the ceremonial robes of the Orthodoxy and was sitting extremely close to the female professors of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green, was probably a disciple of the Holy Maiden.
Those three youths with indifferent expressions and swords across their knees were probably the rumored Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws.
She had seen before the young students of the five Ivy Academies and the others who had passed the pre-examination.
There were many people in the hall, but no Chen Changsheng.
Luoluo's gaze ultimately rested on a seat at the very front.
This seat was very close to the seats of the hosts, such as Prince Chen Liu, only a bit farther than Qiushan Yuanxin's and Xiao Songgong's seats.
But the person in this seat was a youth.
This youth had a gentle expression, extremely amiable. He had an ordinary air about him, but he was absolutely not normal.
Because his eyes had a light.
When Luoluo saw this person, she knew that he must be Gou Hanshi of the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws.
The legendary Gou Hanshi.