"Idiot, this hasn't been marten territory for a long time." A lazy masked palm civet wiggled its plump body, clutching a piece of fruit as it rolled its eyes at the excitedly shouting White Marten.
"Five thousand years have passed, after all," Leng Jing remarked, lying flat on the ground.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over the White Marten's head. He turned back, dejected. Indeed, five thousand years had gone by; his relatives and friends from back then were long gone. If he hadn't encountered Leng Jing, perhaps he would still be an ordinary spiritual marten wandering the martial world with some young lass.
That blood-boiling encounter of the past had transformed into a thousand years of lingering longing. Looking back, the seas had changed into mulberry fields, and the world had undergone tectonic shifts.
With tears welling in his eyes, the White Marten hugged a large tree and began to wail.
"You bastards! Long live Snow Marten Valley!" the White Marten howled through his tears at the tree. "Snow Marten Valley will live forever in my heart! Heaven bless the Snow Martens!"
Leng Jing turned to Leng Qingqing and said, "I didn't expect the White Marten to be such a sentimental, home-loving fellow."
"Yeah, you couldn't tell normally. Truly tragic and stirring," Leng Qingqing said solemnly.
"Tragic and stirring?" Leng Jing asked. "Dad, don't you really want to go back to the Snake God Clan to take a look? Perhaps the clan has grown and flourished by now."
"Um... I... I don't dare go back." Leng Qingqing turned his back.
"Just go take a look, treat it as a way to relax. What are you afraid of?" Leng Jing urged. "Go on~ go on~ go on~"
"Fine, fine, let's go." Leng Qingqing could never resist his son's pestering. Qingqing was a good father who doted on his son.
Thus, Leng Jing called out to the White Marten, and the three of them prepared to stop by the Snake God Clan on their way.
"White Marten, tell me the second half of that nursery rhyme!" Leng Jing poked the White Marten's little head with a dragon claw.
"I... I actually only remember the first half... I was lying to you yesterday... Waaaah!" the White Marten burst into tears again.
*I knew you'd drop the ball at the critical moment.* Leng Jing gave a cold snort, then cast a calculating glance at Leng Qingqing. Therefore, going to the ruins of the Snake God Clan was definitely the right move.
Leng Jing and his party arrived once more at the ruins of the Snake God Clan at the edge of the sky. Like the White Marten's hometown, this place had undergone earth-shattering changes. The remnants of the Snake God Clan were nowhere to be found, and the place had become a completely abandoned wasteland. It seemed the clan had ultimately forsaken this desolate and sorrowful land.
"Everyone is gone," Leng Qingqing stood before the ruins, murmuring in a daze.
"Let's go see Bai Jing's former residence," Leng Jing said, pulling Leng Qingqing along.
"Why not go see your father's former residence?" Leng Qingqing looked at Leng Jing askance.
"Let's go see the Old Master's residence first then," the White Marten interjected, playing peacemaker. He and Leng Qingqing were on the same side!
So, Leng Qingqing acted as a guide, leading Leng Jing to the princely residence where he had lived in the past. The courtyard had long since collapsed, leaving only a few stone pillars and wild grass. However, Leng Qingqing still gave a vivid and emotional explanation: "Listen well, Xiao Jing. Your father used to be the most remarkable prince of the Snake God Clan, known as the most talented snake prince in a thousand years. Back then, other divine clans came to pay homage to us, and they would first come to this princely residence to pay homage to your father, Leng Qingqing! Even among the other princes, I was the most outstanding. Whether it was contests of magical power or poetry and song, I never lagged behind! Xiao Jing, you must take your father as your role model!"
"That's different from what you told me before," Leng Jing noted.
"I remembered it wrong before, but now I remember the truth—er, anyway, just remember, your father was once a great snake who was in no way inferior to the Heavenly Emperor!" Leng Qingqing nodded with great presence, crossing his arms. "The snake in the twelve zodiac signs was created with me as the prototype! Back then, the Heavenly Emperor even came specifically to ask for my opinion! He said he wanted to make your father's specialty noodles the only designated sacred food for the Heavenly Realm's festivals, and he wanted to put the snake in the first place of the zodiac. In the end, your father was noble and magnanimous; considering the other zodiac animals, I didn't fight for the top spot. So, Xiao Jing, you must work hard and strive to become a remarkable snake like your father!"
Leng Qingqing felt very satisfied with his lecture.
Both the White Marten and Leng Jing began to hiss in disbelief.
"What are you hissing for!" Leng Qingqing glared. At that moment, the light and shadows outside began to shift like flowing water. Time seemed to weave back and forth as the surrounding scenery began to change. The dilapidated palace walls restored themselves to their former magnificent state, and the courtyard became beautiful and tidy.
"This is a Projection Array!" the White Marten cried out in surprise. "It's a mental projection of the deceased! We're in trouble, Young Master, we've entered a ghost array! The resentment here is too heavy!"
"It is merely the memories of the deceased from when they were alive. Tonight is a full moon, so it's not strange for such an illusion to appear. We can take this opportunity to look closely at what happened back then," Leng Jing said.
"Xiao Jing, you planned all of this! You triggered this array too!" Leng Qingqing said huffily.
Leng Jing turned away and said, "This array merely extracts the scenes of a certain day from the past. As for which day, I cannot say for sure. I only want to find out the truth behind Bai Jing's message. Don't worry, I won't pry into your privacy, Dad."
*Easy for you to say.* Leng Qingqing's expression was awkward. He watched as the surrounding scenes flowed backward, restoring the pavilions and towers of yesteryear. The place where they stood turned into a magnificent palace. Not far away, a group of people could be seen gathered together, as if something was happening.
"What are they doing?" Leng Jing and the White Marten went over to investigate. They saw many children in fine clothing surrounding a pitiful little child, mocking him: "Qingqing is a big dummy! A big dummy, a big dummy!"
Leng Qingqing's face turned pale. He hurriedly pulled at Leng Jing. "What is there to see! People who watch for entertainment are the most boring!"
The White Marten scratched his head. "Why does that kid in the middle look a bit familiar?"
The people around them were completely unaware of the trio's presence, as if they couldn't see them at all. This was because everything unfolding before Leng Jing and the others were phantoms of the past.
"Waaaah..." The bullied Qingqing finally managed to push through the crowd and hide behind a pillar. Leng Jing and the White Marten followed him.
"Qingqing isn't a dummy, you guys are!" Qingqing crouched in a corner and wiped away his tears. He watched secretly as the other princes went to the royal study to read, a place he was never allowed to go.
"What a pitiful child," the White Marten sighed, hugging his paws.
However, taking advantage of the other princes being away at their studies, the bullied Qingqing secretly ran to the imperial kitchen. Relying on his small stature, he crawled in through a window. Seeing the tables laden with special snacks that only the other princes were allowed to enjoy, Qingqing took out some salt hidden in his pocket and sprinkled it into everyone's food. Only then did he clap his hands and crawl back out the window.
"Ah! This kid is quite wicked!" the White Marten remarked.
Leng Qingqing's face flushed red and white in turns as he followed behind them, huffing with indignation.
Speaking of this Prince Qingqing, he truly was an unlucky child. Not only was he bullied by the other princes, but even the servants in the palace looked down on him. From the gossip of the palace maids, they learned that Prince Qingqing was born to a low-ranking concubine and was naturally a bit slow-witted. He was very much disliked by the Snake Emperor and had thus fallen into the status of a tragic child of the palace, unloved by anyone.
After his mischief in the imperial kitchen, the little prince hid alone in an abandoned garden in the rear palace. He took out a beanbag and played by himself, singing: "The sky is dark... don't sleep... don't want the things Sister gives..."
"He's singing that nursery rhyme!" Leng Jing, the White Marten, and Leng Qingqing all gathered around Qingqing, listening intently for him to continue.
"At the very top... what is there... don't look, oh don't look..." Qingqing sang happily.
Just as everyone was desperate to know what came next, a palace maid suddenly interrupted him, calling out, "Prince Qingqing! It's time to eat!"
The disappointed trio had no choice but to wait for Qingqing to finish his meal.
However, after eating, this Qingqing was chased and bullied again. He didn't have a moment's peace until nightfall and never went back to singing the rhyme.
Just as Leng Jing was feeling disappointed and prepared to dispel the array, Qingqing unexpectedly slipped out of his door in the middle of the night. The three felt this was an important clue and followed him once more.
This time, Qingqing stole away to the herb garden on the west side of the abandoned grounds, where a solitary thatched hut stood. Qingqing pressed himself against the door of the hut and whispered inside, "Brother Bai Jing! I'm here! Are you there?"
Bai Jing was about to appear! Leng Jing and the others stood tensely beside Qingqing, while Leng Qingqing said with tearful emotion, "I didn't expect to see Brother Bai Jing again!"
"Qingqing is here!" A pleasant voice came from inside the house, and then a young man in white opened the door.
This young man was exceptionally handsome. Upon closer inspection, his features bore a slight resemblance to Leng Jing's. He was the legendary Bai Jing, one of the people who had triggered the turmoil in the Immortal Realm.
"Brother Bai Jing, are you still playing with Qingqing today?" Qingqing asked, hugging his leg.
Bai Jing smiled and said, "Brother has a guest visiting today, so I won't be telling Qingqing stories. Here is a bag of candy for Qingqing to eat."
He patted Qingqing's head and sent him away.
However, his next move took Leng Jing by surprise.
Once Qingqing had left, Bai Jing suddenly turned around and faced Leng Jing. "We finally meet, Divine Dragon Leng Jing."
"Eh?" He was merely a memory phantom of the past—how could he speak to them?! All three of them were shocked!
"Do not be afraid. I know the three of you have come: Divine Dragon Leng Jing, the grown-up Qingqing, and the fluffball," Bai Jing said with a smile. "Regrettably, I cannot host you for tea."
Leng Jing narrowed his eyes. "You! You have obtained the power of Chaos and possess transcendent precognition. So, for you, this is also like speaking to thin air. You simply foresaw that we would come here a thousand years later to view these memory phantoms, and you used your ability to precisely predict our positions and the order of our speech to conduct a conversation, is that it?"
"Oh, as expected of the Divine Dragon. That's right. I am indeed speaking to thin air right now, but since I have already foreseen the order and content of your words, it looks as though I can converse with you in real-time. In truth, I'm currently talking to myself like a fool!" Bai Jing laughed helplessly. No wonder his gaze didn't quite align with their eyes.
"What a marvelous ability. Since you can foresee everything down to the smallest detail, it must be quite painful, isn't it?" Leng Jing asked.
"Ah, you truly are a considerate little dragon. Indeed, ever since I gained this power, my fate, the fates of others, and the fate of the Heavenly Realm have all been like an old book I've already read. Life has become quite boring!" Bai Jing scratched his head.
"Brother Bai Jing, did you never think of changing fate?" Leng Qingqing asked.
Bai Jing smiled. "I thought of it, but no matter how I tried to change things, they only became worse. Every time I attempted to alter destiny, I immediately knew the result of that change. I tried to prevent the revival of the Chaos monster, Qu Yue, but the result was the total annihilation of the Heavenly Realm and the collapse of the Three Realms. I tried to save Hua Yunxian, but the result was still the sacrifice of millions upon millions of innocents, and even you, Qingqing, would not have escaped disaster. I tried every possible change, and in the end, I discovered that only if I died could things proceed toward a path of resolution. Only if I died, through a series of chain reactions, could the Divine Dragon possibly be revived—and that is you, Leng Jing."
"Ah... why would..." Leng Qingqing's mouth hung open, speechless for a moment. It turned out Brother Bai Jing hadn't committed suicide for a simple reason; he had done it to fulfill his and Xiao Jing's destinies!
"Qingqing, do not be sad for me. I no longer have any interest in living, for I already know all the outcomes," Bai Jing gave a bitter smile. "Divine Dragon, you must have something to ask me?"
"I have encountered the mysterious Visions Tower. It seems I might get some hints from you," Leng Jing said.
Bai Jing sat down and remained silent for a while before saying, "Before I tell you about the Visions Tower, I must tell you one thing: the limit of my precognition."
"Even precognition has a limit?" Leng Jing and the others asked.
Bai Jing nodded. "Of course. My power of foresight has its limits. You already know that what envelops our Three Realms is the infinite power of Chaos. That is a substance that neither gods nor demons can comprehend. For instance, the phenomenon occurring within me is a trivial matter for Chaos. My precognition was not produced by the monster Qu Yue; it was because he tore a rift in Chaos, allowing unpurified Chaos energy—what we once called Rift Power—to flow in. I absorbed it and thus gained this terrifying power. Qu Yue himself is merely a drifter in Chaos, consuming the floating matter of various worlds.
"Even with just your power, Lord Dragon God, you could easily deal with that low-level drifter, couldn't you? But to us tiny creatures who are like ants, Qu Yue is a terrifying monster the likes of which hasn't appeared since the creation of the world.
"However, despite being able to foresee everything in detail, there is still a limit. The era five thousand years in your future is the limit of my foresight. I cannot foresee anything beyond that era. I only vaguely know it is related to 'Visions,' and everything regarding 'Visions' is but a blurred shadow in my precognition. Even when I try to foresee 'Visions,' all I get are two nursery rhymes."
"What is the other nursery rhyme?" Leng Jing asked.
"The other one... you will know soon enough. Dragon God, I can only tell you this much." Bai Jing took a deep breath, then looked toward Leng Qingqing. "Qingqing, it's good that you're alive. I tried nearly ten thousand ways to change fate, and only in this current destiny are you alive. Although I can no longer see your future further ahead, I believe you will live a very happy life... I have finally done right by your late biological mother. Goodbye, Qingqing."
"Brother Bai Jing!!" Leng Qingqing lunged forward in agitation, but he only fell through empty air.
The morning sunlight rose, and all the phantoms of the past turned into light dust, gradually fading away.
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The Ugly Little Snake: My Dragon Son | Chapter 62 | Echoes Across Time | Novela.app | Novela.app
