Since the palace laborers had yet to arrive, Leng Jing made use of their time in the temporary thatched hut to tutor the Crown Prince. Naturally, he charged for these lessons according to the most fashionable hourly rates.
One day, after the Prince had paid his tuition, Leng Jing took him out for a practical exercise. Their destination was the border between the Heavenly Realm and the Demon Realm. For five thousand years, the conflict between these two realms had never ceased. The Heavenly Realm had remained at a disadvantage, barely maintaining a defensive stance. Compared to the Demon Realm, which had not suffered through the Great Calamity, they were clearly stretched thin. The idea of proactively seeking trouble with the Demon Realm was something they wouldn't even dare to imagine. The Prince was highly emotional; as he sat upon Leng Jing’s draconic back, he began to sing a heroic ballad.
However, even though he had crossed five thousand years of time and space, Leng Jing’s actual age was still less than a hundred years. He had never been to the Demon Realm. Instead, he inadvertently led the Prince to a forbidden place forgotten by heaven and earth—his original home, the Blue Sea Azure Wave Valley.
***
It had been many years since he last returned to the sealed Blue Sea Valley. From a distance, the sea of trees remained as lush as ever, and Leng Jing felt a peculiar surge of homesickness. As they stood outside the valley, the Prince asked in confusion, "Master Jing, this isn't the territory of the Demon Realm. Where have you brought me?"
"This is a place ten thousand times more perilous than the Demon Realm. Did your father ever tell you the full story of the Great Calamity?" Leng Jing asked.
The Prince shook his head. "Imperial Father only said that five thousand years ago, Aberrant Demons threw the Heavenly Realm into chaos, and you single-handedly turned the tide."
"Have you heard any descriptions of these Aberrant Demons?" Leng Jing pressed.
The Prince shook his head again. This was a taboo subject in the Heavenly Realm. He had assumed the so-called Aberrant Demons were like the Demon Kings—valiant in battle, possessing boundless magic, and cruel in nature—which was why they had caused such a disaster.
But Leng Jing told him that the true Aberrant Demons were more terrifying than any nightmare. The Prince could not fathom how frightening they truly were. He followed closely behind his master, entering the valley through a hidden mountain tunnel.
"Master, were your dragon horns broken off once?" the Prince asked as they walked.
"Why do you ask?"
The Prince scratched his head. "Just now, while I was on your back, I noticed that even three-hundred-year-old fledglings have longer horns than you. Aren't horns supposed to reflect a dragon's age? Or were you born with a defect?"
Leng Jing huffed. He had clearly measured them in secret with a ruler; his horns were much longer than they had been ten years ago. The words of a brat were truly irritating.
The master and disciple passed through the dark, damp cave and arrived at the sealed stone gate. They began to pry it open. Even for Leng Jing, it was a struggle to force a gap wide enough for one person to squeeze through. Once inside, Leng Jing pulled the stone door shut again. Turning around, a landscape of dense forest appeared before them. To the Prince's surprise, however, the trees and flowers here were all a deep, dark blue.
The Blue Sea Valley of the past had not looked like this. Leng Jing looked down at his feet; even the ground had turned into a blue, muddy marsh that reached their calves. The two of them rolled up their trousers and waded into the valley.
As soon as they entered, the Prince felt his body become exceptionally heavy, making every step a struggle. It seemed the terrestrial energy here was unique; his master had indeed chosen a good place to train him.
This was a ruin of the old world, the only remaining evidence of "The Rift" left in this reality.
As he led the way, Leng Jing explained, "Five thousand years ago, from the chaos of an alien world, a monster tore through the spatial barrier and descended upon this world. Through the gap he tore, the power of Chaos leaked in and infected many immortals, causing them to undergo aberrant mutations and turn into hideous monsters. This place is the dwelling of one such mutated immortal. This is the truth behind the Great Calamity."
"So that's how it was! Then this strange scenery was also formed by the influence of that chaotic power!" The Prince, being young, was quick to understand and accept the explanation. "So, are we going to deal with that mutated immortal?"
"Perhaps." Leng Jing used a short blade he had brought to hack through the blue branches blocking their path. The Prince grew excited again. This was far more significant than fighting the Demon Realm—he was going to face a world-ending monster left over from the Great Calamity alongside the Dragon Lord! Had he known his master was bringing him for something so momentous, he would have prepared better; at the very least, he would have worn his Heavenly Armor!
By then, they had passed through the final stretch of forest and reached the central lake—the place where Immortal Hua Yun had once resided. Everything had changed since he arrived in the Blue Sea Valley. That had been the turning point in the life of a certain ugly little snake.
But the sight before them now could only be described as shocking. The Prince was so startled he fell back onto the ground. Countless petrified long-worms were densely scattered around the lake, and the water itself was filled with these stone-worms. The lake water was a blue liquid, and in the center of the lake stood a massive rock enveloped by the stone-worms. The rock was strangely shaped, with countless sharp teeth faintly visible within it. At the very top was the head and shoulders of an immortal. The head was unnaturally large, and the skin tone had almost merged with the stone.
"Immortal Hua Yun, are you still alive?" Leng Jing asked.
The head moved slightly, and the eyes opened. It was a gruesome sight. Then, in a low voice laced with strange screeches, he spoke: "You are that white dragon... You... have finally come."
The terrifying sound made the Prince cover his ears. He hid behind Leng Jing, trembling slightly.
"The monsters of the Heavenly Realm have been purged. Look, this is the new generation of the heavens," Leng Jing said, pointing to the Prince. "You can rest easy now."
"That is... good." Hua Yun squeezed out a smile that caused bits of stone to flake off. Every movement he made was accompanied by his own crumbling and cracking. It seemed he was on the verge of total destruction.
"Hua Yun, do you have any final words?" Leng Jing asked.
"I think it is time for me to rest." Hua Yun gave a bleak smile. "Grant me release... I am so hungry." The last four words were shrieked simultaneously by all the toothy maws upon the rock.
Leng Jing patted the Prince on the shoulder. "You will be the one to grant him release. Remember his current appearance. Five thousand years ago, because they used forbidden power, all the Celestials suffered like this. You must never again be deceived by that seemingly infinite power of Chaos."
The Prince nodded. Following the Method of the Spiritual Arrow that Leng Jing had taught him, he aimed at the rock monster that was about to lose control.
But things were far from simple. When the Prince fired an arrow at Immortal Hua Yun, shattering half of his head, the stone monster beneath him suddenly began to resist violently. As the stone monster contorted, the entire valley shook and buckled. The ground cracked and heaved upward. The Prince lost his footing and grabbed onto Leng Jing. Leng Jing immediately seized him by the collar and ran outward, just as he had when fleeing for his life all those years ago. But this time, there was no need to crawl through hidden tunnels. With the violent earthquake, the entire valley began to deform. It turned out the stone monster had long since merged with the valley into an even more gargantuan creature. Now, it broke free from the earth's shackles and gradually rose into the air.
However, the monster was at death's door. It had been in the air for less than fifteen minutes before it began to plummet. The white dragon carried the Prince high into the sky, giving them a clear view of the grand spectacle.
"You try it," Leng Jing told the Prince, letting him finish the monster himself.
***
He was too tired. The Prince had never been this exhausted. He collapsed onto the flying cloud, gasping for breath. After a day of bitter fighting alongside Leng Jing, they had finally defeated the rock monster. Now, they were on their way back.
Leng Jing was also sitting cross-legged on the auspicious cloud—which had been transformed from the Prince's jade belt—with his arms crossed. For the first time, he was enjoying the novelty of being flown around. Finding it quite refreshing, he said to his disciple, "Prince, this jade belt shall serve as today's tuition."
"Whatever you say. I can't believe it... I actually defeated that monster!" The Prince was exhausted but exhilarated. "Master, let's go to the Demon Realm tomorrow!"
Leng Jing didn't know where the Demon Realm was, but he nodded anyway.
What bothered him was that this cloud was flying far too slowly. Way too slowly.
"Too slow!" Unable to contain his impatience, Leng Jing grabbed the Prince by the collar and began to speed.
"No!!! Master! Aaaaaahhh!!!!" The Prince's screams were in vain.
In the end, he could not escape the fate of vomiting violently on the beach.
"Master, please let me graduate! I'll tell Imperial Father to give you more tuition money," the Prince moaned, sprawled weakly by the sea.
"I do not teach for the sake of your tuition. I teach you out of my responsibility to the Heavenly Realm," Leng Jing said with a straight face.
"Give me a break..." the Prince groaned weakly. "Do you know what the rumors in the Heavenly Realm say about you? Hmph."
"What do they say?"
"Heh heh..." The Prince let out a cryptic, cold laugh. "They say you live in seclusion at the Ends of the Earth and Sea, that your dragon spine is shattered, your dragon tendons have been pulled out, you're blind in both eyes, and you've lost an arm."
"?!"
"That's why I doubted if you were really the Dragon Lord! The rumors say the Dragon Lord is a disabled, disfigured, and tragic figure. But you just look like a little dragon. How can anyone believe you're the Dragon Lord? Hmph. Master, if you pass all your skills to me, I'll clear your name. I'll tell everyone you aren't a cripple, but a handsome and dashing Divine Dragon." The Prince tried to strike a bargain.
"You dare to bargain with me?" Leng Jing squinted at him.
"Your disciple wouldn't dare! I'm just looking out for you, Master. Since my honest advice is unpleasant to your ears, then I shall..." Aaaaaahhh! Master, don't do this! I won't talk nonsense anymore! I beg you!!" the Prince screamed in terror.
Let us pull the camera back to see the horrifying scene on the sunset-drenched beach. A young man lay on the ground, twitching and struggling, while the head of the person standing over him faintly shimmered with the silhouette of a dragon's head.
The sound echoing across the shore with the sea breeze was clearly the agonizing sound of teeth grinding.
"I'll eat you," Leng Jing squeezed the words through his teeth. Upon hearing this, the Prince's vision finally blurred, and he fainted.
*The Dragon Lord is not some disabled, tragic, and sentimental legendary saint. He is a terrifying, hateful, and wicked fellow who casts a giant, suffocating shadow over everyone.* The Prince thought this in his nightmare.
***
Having returned to human form, Leng Jing dragged the Prince along to do some labor. They dug a pool beneath the sea cliff to serve as their future bath, and then Leng Jing summoned a thunderstorm to fill it. Not only that, but he also channeled lightning-fire into the ground, turning it into a hot spring.
Once everything was settled, Leng Jing and the Prince each took a hot bath and then went home for dinner.
Arriving at the thatched hut on the cliff, Leng Jing found the White Marten crouching at the door, peeking inside. Leng Jing asked, "What are you looking at?"
The White Marten turned around, covered its mouth, and pointed inside while gesturing wildly.
*What is it?* The Prince also peeked through the crack in the door out of curiosity. Then, he too covered his mouth and gestured wildly.
*What is it? What is it?* Leng Jing leaned his head in to look.
There, in the main hall of the hut, sat a wheelchair that appeared to be made of white jade.
"What is that for? What is my father up to?" Leng Jing's face was covered in black lines.
"A fool named Linlin sent it!" the White Marten reported. "They said it's a gift for the Dragon Lord. And they seemed to worship the Dragon Lord to death!"
Leng Jing and the Prince both fell silent.
The Prince tried his hardest to cover his mouth to keep from bursting into laughter. With Leng Jing's bear-like attitude... Wah-ha-ha-ha! If that person knew what kind of fellow Leng Jing really was, the scene would be hilarious!
In the next moment, to the near-petrification of the White Marten and the Prince, Leng Jing actually turned his head and said with total seriousness:
"You two must maintain my sacred image. You are not allowed to let the truth slip."
The corner of the White Marten's mouth twitched. He remembered now—the Young Master had an extremely intense craving to be worshipped. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent ten thankless years as the Martial Arts Alliance Leader or whatever "Protector Divine Dragon" he was...
The Prince nearly choked to death.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
碧海苍涛谷 | Blue Sea Azure Wave Valley | Leng Jing's birthplace, now a corrupted forbidden zone.
画云仙 | Immortal Hua Yun | An immortal who was corrupted by Chaos and turned into a stone monster.
罅隙 | The Rift | The spatial tear through which the alien "Chaos" entered the world.
灵矢之法 | Method of the Spiritual Arrow | A cultivation technique Leng Jing teaches the Prince.
琳琳 | Linlin | A devotee of the Dragon Lord who believes the tragic rumors.
天之铠甲 | Heavenly Armor | High-level protective gear mentioned by the Prince.
白玉轮椅 | White Jade Wheelchair | A gift sent to the "disabled" Dragon Lord.
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