"What a bad-tempered little dragon!" The Qilins transformed into phantoms, slipping through Leng Jing’s grasp. They exchanged a slight smile, and golden shackles of light flared in their hands, intending to bind him. Leng Jing swiftly dodged to the side; the boulder struck by the light-locks instantly disintegrated into powder. One of the Qilins laughed. "Little dragon, see? If you don't behave, that will be your end!"
Leng Jing glanced at the two of them, then heard a low groan emanating from within the circular stone. Deciding not to prolong the fight, he retreated instantly. The two Qilins saw only a flash of white light before the dragon vanished from right under their noses.
"Curse it! Next time I see that bratty dragon, I’ll pull out its tendons!" Xuyu snapped in frustration.
Huanyu gave a cold smirk. "That little dragon is quite unusual. It seems our rations have arrived."
Xuyu cheered. "Great, great! I haven't tasted high-quality dragon meat in so long. I'm starving! I really don't want to resort to those stinking mortals for food."
Leng Jing, who was actually hiding in the nearby thicket, felt a surge of suspicion upon hearing this. *Are these monsters different from the giant ones I encountered before?*
Leng Jing returned to the town at the foot of the mountain. He issued a fierce warning to the people, claiming he had taken a liking to the town and that anyone who didn't want to die should move out within three days. Consequently, within a single day, the once-prosperous town became a desolate, deathly quiet ghost town. Only Leng Qingqing, the White Mink, Ling Suyan, and the whimpering Black Wolf remained.
After reverting to his human form and dressing, Leng Jing recounted everything he had seen.
The group held an emergency meeting inside a private residence. Based on Leng Jing's description, the White Mink said dismissively, "Young Master, those two who attacked you are clearly Qilins! Do you know what a Qilin is? They are spiritual beasts. How could a Qilin eat dragon meat? You must have misunderstood."
"I don't think it's that simple," Leng Jing said, stroking his chin.
The Black Wolf, sprawled on the bed, groaned, "Hmph, if they want to eat the Boss, they’ll have to go through me first... Ow, ow, ow..."
The room fell silent for a few seconds before Leng Jing finally made a decision. "Wait for news at the foot of the mountain. I need to go up there again."
Leng Qingqing said anxiously, "Xiao Jing, those two don't look like good people. Don't go! Let's just run away together!"
Leng Jing shook his head. "I'm not going alone. I'm taking the White Mink with me."
"Huh?" The White Mink froze instantly, only to be dragged into the inner room by Leng Jing.
"What are they doing?" Ling Suyan asked while helping to boil noodles.
Everyone shook their heads.
Once the noodles were ready, they gathered around the table. Leng Qingqing called out toward the inner room. Sure enough, a moment later, a supple beauty emerged—it was the White Mink! Everyone’s jaws dropped. But what truly made their hearts stop was that the White Mink was holding the hand of a fair, adorable little child. The child tugged at the White Mink’s clothes and said, "Daddy, let's go play on the mountain!"
The White Mink moved with stiff, mechanical limbs. "Al-right-then!"
While everyone was stunned by this scene, Leng Qingqing suddenly rushed forward, shoved the White Mink aside, and scooped the child into his arms. "Xiao Jing is my son! Not yours!" He then rubbed his face against the child's cheek. "Xiao Jing~~~~~"
The child’s gaze was incredibly sharp as he said coldly, "Don't make a mess."
Leng Qingqing immediately deflated, grumbling, "Xiao Jing is biased..."
"What do you know? By turning small, I can completely suppress my dragon aura and fool those two monsters." Leng Jing crossed his arms. His imposing manner hadn't diminished despite his size, though it felt somewhat jarring to witness.
"I'm going to investigate those two Qilins. If things look bad, I'll escape with all of you." Leng Jing took the White Mink’s hand and walked out of the house.
***
The oppressed White Mink temporarily assumed the role of Leng Qingqing’s "father," carrying the miniature version of Leng Jing up the mountain step by step. Along the way, the woods that had once been filled with birdsong and the scent of flowers were now deathly silent. The animals seemed to have sensed the danger and fled.
The White Mink muttered, "Young Master, is this really necessary?"
Leng Jing, leaning against his back, replied, "Do you think I don't recognize a Qilin? Those two monsters may have the appearance of Qilins, but in my eyes, they are not what they seem."
"What do they look like in your eyes, Young Master?" the White Mink asked.
Leng Jing whispered a single sentence into the White Mink’s ear. The White Mink’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
As Leng Jing and his proxy father ascended the mountain, they found that in just one night, the white circular stone had transformed into a white pavilion. The two Qilins had cast some sort of spell, making the surroundings look like a celestial paradise on earth, filled with vast stretches of exotic flowers and rare herbs in full bloom.
Little Leng Jing hopped off the White Mink’s back. "Your job is done. Go pretend to chop wood. I’ll notify you if I need anything."
The White Mink nodded blankly, picked up an axe, and began feigning work by hacking at a small tree.
Little Leng Jing—the shrunken version of himself—approached the white pavilion alone. The two Qilins were frolicking on the grass. Little Leng Jing hid behind a shrub to observe. As expected, he couldn't hide from Xuyu’s eyes. The Qilin put his hands on his hips and pointed at the bushes. "Who's there! Come out now, or I'll take action."
Little Leng Jing had no choice but to crawl out from the thicket. He wasn't even as tall as the Qilin’s chest. He blinked his large eyes, putting on an innocent expression.
Xuyu walked over, sized him up carefully, and then sneered at him. "Little dragon, did you think I wouldn't recognize you just because you turned into a human?"
Huanyu walked over as well.
Little Leng Jing didn't panic. He remained very composed, standing with his hands behind his back. "Who are you exactly? Where did you come from?"
Xuyu reached out, suddenly grabbed Little Leng Jing’s hair, and gave it a ruffle. He then squatted down and pinched the "ugly little snake's" fair face. "You bad-tempered, fierce little brat. If it weren't for the fact that you're still small, I’d definitely eat you! I'd eat you right up!!"
Huanyu followed up by asking, "Little dragon, are you willing to live with us? We’ll treat you very well. Be our adopted son. Look, this beautiful pavilion will belong to you in the future!"
"No, you said you wanted to eat me," Little Leng Jing said, looking into their eyes.
"We are very hungry, but we are even more lonely," Huanyu said, a trace of sorrow appearing in his eyes.
The little snake thought for a moment and intentionally said, "I want candy. The delicious kind that mortals have."
Xuyu clapped his hands. "If you eat the candy, it means you agree! Little brat, let me tell you, we have the best candy from the Heavens. I guarantee once you taste it, you won't be able to get enough!"
Huanyu turned to Xuyu. "I'll go get the pastries; you watch him here. We’ll adopt him in a moment, and he’ll be our younger brother from now on."
Xuyu said happily, "Great, great! Little brat, from now on, you have to call me Brother Xuyu, and this is Brother Huanyu. What should we call you?"
"My name is Leng Jing," Little Leng Jing said.
"Then it's Jingjing." Xuyu pinched the little snake's face again.
***
"Jingjing, is it good?" Xuyu and Huanyu brought out golden candies for Leng Jing to eat. The three of them sat on the lush green lawn as if they were on an outing.
Leng Jing ate one and let out a surprised sound. "It really is delicious!"
Xuyu said proudly, "Of course! This is something only the Heavenly Emperor gets to eat!"
"Are you from the Heavens? What are the Heavens like?" Leng Jing asked.
Huanyu’s gaze became distant, his tone tinged with sadness. "The Heavens... it’s a beautiful place. There are jade palaces and towers hidden in the clouds, and the clear, transparent Heavenly River. The immortals live carefree and liberated lives, but..."
"Then can I go to the Heavens too?" Leng Jing asked.
"You can't. You can't go to the Heavens anymore," Huanyu said, wiping his reddened eyes. "The mortal realm is good too. We can raise you. We can give you anything you want, but you must not leave us. It's a promise! You aren't allowed to leave us!"
"Then Brother Huanyu, can we go play in that big, beautiful house?" Leng Jing pointed at the white pavilion, feigning innocence.
"No, no!" Xuyu seemed to be hiding something. "We’ll conjure an even more beautiful house for you to live in, but you can't go into that one."
"Then conjure it for me! I've only ever lived in caves. I really want to live in a beautiful big house just once!" Leng Jing tugged at Xuyu.
Huanyu cheered up. "Jingjing is so pitiful, only ever living in caves? Then we’ll conjure a comfortable residence for you! But you aren't allowed to go to that pavilion; that’s where only we brothers can stay. If you don't listen, your brothers will have to spank you!" With that, he picked Leng Jing up and went to find a flat area to cast the house-building spell.
Leaning against the Qilin’s shoulder, Little Leng Jing secretly covered his nose—*such a strong stench of rotting corpses. Are they not even aware of it?*
On the lawn, the spot where the Qilins had just been sitting was now gradually withering and turning black, slowly becoming scorched earth. Ominous signs were beginning to manifest.
***
As promised, the two Qilins used their magic to build a beautiful large house nearby.
Leng Jing sat on a rock with his face in his hands, watching them conjure the house. The cadaverous stench was growing more intense. Suddenly, Xuyu screamed, "Huanyu!! Why is my hand rotting so badly?! Ahhh! Are we going to die just because we left the Heavens?!"
He pulled up his sleeve, revealing that his once snow-white arm was now festering, decaying, and oozing pus.
Huanyu pulled him aside and comforted him, "No! We will definitely survive!! We won't die! We worked so hard to escape!"
As they spoke, both of them burst into tears.
"Qilin brothers, tell me, what exactly happened to the Heavens?" Leng Jing finally asked.
Xuyu sniffled, looked at Huanyu, and finally walked over to sit on the grass beside Leng Jing. "Jingjing, I'll tell you, but you must keep it a secret. And remember, you must never go to the Heavens! Because... the Heavens have turned into hell!!"
"Why? Did something happen?" Leng Jing pressed.
"It goes back to one hundred and fifty years ago, during the grand Millennial Ceremony of the Heavens," Huanyu began to reminisce, his eyes growing misty. "That year, gods and immortals from all paths came to participate. It was incredibly grand and lively. In the midst of such a joyous occasion, an immortal who was said to be a powerful prophet suddenly rushed before the Heavenly Emperor in a frenzy, shouting that the Heavens were going to perish! No one believed him. In the end, he actually killed himself by slamming his head against the jade steps, causing the entire celebration to end on a sour note.
"But from that moment on, rumors began to spread among the celestial host. Later, three high-ranking deities—Lord of Clouds Immortal Hua Yun, Dragon Emperor of the Celestial Sea, and Flower Goddess Su Luo—started meeting in secret for unknown reasons. This drew the Heavenly Emperor’s suspicion, and eventually, they were all demoted. Among the immortals, it was rumored they were connected to the prophet who had committed suicide at the ceremony.
"The matter settled down after that, but Immortal Hua Yun was said to have associated with the Curse Demon of the Path of Mara. He was demoted again and again, eventually exiled to a small place called the Azure Sea Billowing Wave Valley... From then on, the Heavenly Emperor also became very strange. He grew temperamental and often skipped the morning court. No one knew what was happening...
"The nightmare truly began ten years ago! At that time, a violent Heavenly Quake suddenly occurred! The Heavens were split in two! We didn't have time to return to the Celestial Palace and were blocked outside by a strange barrier! Everyone fell ill! They started... turning into monsters... AHHHHHHHHHH!" Huanyu reached a breaking point and began to scream.
"Is that so? Then what is the truth of the matter?!" Leng Jing grabbed him and asked.
"I don't know! I don't know! I only know we worked so hard just to stay alive! We have to keep eating meat, otherwise we’ll become just like them! Eating meat lets us live for one more day! Waaa... I hate eating that dead flesh so much... I hate it..." Xuyu began to wail.
Meanwhile, Leng Jing quickly organized the information in his mind:
The disaster in the Heavens had signs long ago. A prophet had warned them but committed suicide when he wasn't believed; perhaps he had foreseen the terrifying consequences.
Immortal Hua Yun, the Flower Goddess, and the Dragon Emperor knew about this beforehand and must have been secretly researching a countermeasure, but the Heavenly Emperor isolated the three of them for some reason.
After that, Immortal Hua Yun might have sought out the Curse Demon—a specialist in curses—to find a solution. That fellow learned about the impending disaster and, perhaps to prevent the secret from leaking or to profit from it, he placed that ancient, unspeakable curse on Immortal Hua Yun and all those who knew the truth. This was likely the same curse that afflicted Cang Lie of the East Sea. As a member of the original Snake God Clan, Cang Lie must have been involved!
Thinking of this, Leng Jing asked one more question: "What was the name of that prophet who committed suicide?"
Xuyu sobbed, "That person... um... he seemed to be... from the Snake God Clan..."
"So that's why the Snake God Clan was exterminated!!" Leng Jing cried out in shock. So this was the mystery behind the clan's destruction—the Curse Demon had enticed Cang Lie to achieve the goal of silencing the secret!
And later, it seemed the Dragon Emperor and the Flower Goddess failed to stop the change, and the disaster finally erupted in the Heavens.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 虚玉 | Xuyu | Name of a Qilin |
| 幻玉 | Huanyu | Name of a Qilin |
| 龙气 | Dragon aura | The spiritual energy or presence of a dragon |
| 琼楼玉宇 | Jade palaces and towers | Idiom for magnificent celestial buildings |
| 天河 | Heavenly River | The celestial equivalent of a river/Milky Way |
| 天震 | Heavenly Quake | A seismic event occurring in the Heavens |
| 云君画云仙 | Lord of Clouds, Immortal Hua Yun | A high-ranking deity |
| 天溟龙帝 | Dragon Emperor of the Celestial Sea | A high-ranking deity |
| 花神素罗 | Flower Goddess Su Luo | A high-ranking deity |
| 咒魔 | Curse Demon | A demonic entity specializing in curses |
| 碧海苍涛谷 | Azure Sea Billowing Wave Valley | The place of exile for Hua Yun |
| 蛇神族 | Snake God Clan | The clan Leng Jing/Cang Lie belong to |
| 净净 | Jingjing | An affectionate diminutive for Leng Jing |
