Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  He thought back to that terrified look on her face during the battle with the Bloodthirsty Warpig.

  On the road back from the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, that shy look on her face as the two of them talked.

  And under the moonlight, her moving appearance, seemingly the goddess of the moon herself.

  …..

  “This must be what one’s first crush is like.” Linley said to himself self-deprecatingly. By his age, all the other bros in his dorm had dated, with Yale and Reynolds having found girlfriends long ago.

  As far as relationships went, Linley actually was somewhat excited about it.

  …..

  At the Ernst Institute, Linley was still as studious and hard-working as ever. Every day, he would spend at least part of his time training in the Straight Chisel School of sculpting. In terms of both spiritual essence and mageforce, his power continued to grow both stably and quickly.

  In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

  Per their previous arrangement, Linley and his bros brought three new sculptures to Fenlai City, where they were received at the Proulx Gallery by manager Austoni.

  “Almost 15,000 gold coins? That much?” Linley was somewhat astonished by the price his three previous sculptures had fetched.

  Austoni laughed loudly. “Linley, this is normal. The value of most expert sculptors is around a thousand gold coins. But the Proulx Gallery would of course introduce you and your status as a fifteen year old genius magus who is also an expert sculptor. Just based on your personal status alone, the value of your artwork will be multiplied.”

  “More importantly than that though…your sculptures have a very unique aura. Although other people’s sculptures are also beautiful, in terms of smoothness, there will always be some flaws. The lines of your sculptures are very smooth. For example, when comparing where you used the straight chisel and where you used the butterfly chisel, people actually can’t tell. They flowed together very perfectly.

  Linley couldn’t help but laugh on hearing this.

  Traces of switching tools?

  From start to finish, his sculptures were carved with the usage of the straight chisel. He didn’t use any other tools at all. Naturally, the lines would be very perfect and smooth.

  “This unique point, along with the innately lofty, arrogant aura your sculptures possess, and combined with your personal status, caused each sculpture to rise to the price of five thousand gold coins. The only thing preventing the price from rising even further was that there were still some minute imperfections in your patterns.” Austoni explained and praised.

  In his heart, Linley understood.

  “Minute imperfections?” Linley mentally shook his head. He only used a straight chisel. Although he could manage to carve out some unique patterns with it, in terms of effectiveness, naturally it would not be able to compete with specialized tools such as the butterfly chisel or the oblique knife.

  At the same time, Linley couldn’t help but sigh.

  Those three sculptures were able to reach a price of 15,000 gold coins. This money came so easily. If Linley spent all his time carving, in a month, he could definitely produce ten sculptures.

  Ten sculptures meant 50,000 gold coins!

  “In the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts I spent two months and encountered countless dangers and experienced countless life and death situations. After killing all those assassins, I ended up with just 70,000 gold coins or so. Being a sculptor is like stealing money.” Linley couldn’t help but sigh.

  The value of Linley’s sculpture was considered high even amongst experts.

  “If expert sculptors are practically stealing money, then grandmaster sculptors…” Linley couldn’t help but be moved.

  The deeper Linley began to understand this profession, the more amazed he was. The circle of sculptors had an incredible disparity in terms of income. In the entirety of the Holy Union, there was perhaps just a hundred or so expert sculptors. One could imagine how rare they were.

  “Linley, work hard. I have faith that one day, you will become an amazing grandmaster sculptor.” Austoni said encouragingly.

  Not only did grandmaster sculptors possess amazing wealth, they also had an exceedingly high social status. They stood at the very top of this ancient artistic form. Even most powerful nobles, upon meeting them, wouldn’t dare to be arrogant.

  Grandmaster!

  This was a very incredible designation.

  It wasn’t something one could acquire through money or power. Only when a person had received universal acclaim as being on top of a particular field would one be honored with the designation of ‘grandmaster’.

  Book 4, The Dragonblood Warrior – Chapter 5, The Rose in Winter (part 1)

  That evening, Linley and his bros all walked out of an inn together. Per their usual habits, they would head to the Jade Water Paradise together.

  “Boss Yale, you three go on ahead without me. I’m going to take a walk.” Linley said to them after leaving the inn.

  Yale, Reynolds, and George all stared at Linley in surprise.

  “I really don’t like the atmosphere all that much at the Jade Water Paradise. You guys go on ahead. In about two or three hours, I’ll meet up with you.” Linley explained, and then Bebe, standing on top of Linley’s shoulders, let out two squeaks. Mentally, Bebe said, “Boss, you headin’ to Alice’s?”

  Since he was always by Linley’s side, of course Bebe knew everything.

  Although Bebe didn’t seem to grow larger, his intelligence by now was the match of any human youth.

  “You little…” Linley glanced at Bebe, annoyed.

  “Alright, third bro, you go out for your walk. But don’t walk for too long.” Yale laughed. Linley bid his three bros farewell, then started to walk in the direction of the Dry Road.

  The Dry Road didn’t see too much traffic, and thus it seemed very quiet. On both sides of the road were various restaurants and inns, with most of the customers inside being locals.

  As he drew close to Alice’s residence, Linley looked up at the balcony on the second floor.

  The balcony was still empty.

  Linley laughed at himself. In honesty, he had only a shred of hope that she might be here. Linley immediately turned and headed into a nearby bar, selecting a window seat. Through the window, Linley could see Alice’s balcony.

  “One bottle of jade wine and two cups.” Linley casually ordered.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Although the servant was rather curious as to why Linley wanted two cups, he didn’t ask.

  “Bebe, drink slowly.” Linley poured a cup for Bebe and set it to the side. Bebe immediately hopped onto the table and, imitating Linley, began to sip the wine.

  Holding his cup of wine and staring at the balcony, Linley sipped slowly.

  Just like that, the two of them, a man and a magical beast, drank quietly, polishing off three bottles over the course of two hours. Only then did Linley pay his tab, and the two of them left the bar.

  “Boss, are you really disappointed?” On Linley’s shoulder, Bebe messaged him mentally.

  Linley reached out to stroke Bebe’s little head. Laughing, he ‘berated’, “You little punk.” And then Linley began walking towards the major roads of Fenlai City towards the direction of the Jade Water Paradise, enjoying the night scenery.

  The second day, September 30th, Linley and his three bros left the city and returned to the Ernst Institute. That night, Alice, Kalan, and the others returned to Fenlai City.

  The reason for this ‘coincidence’ was that the Ernst Institute and the Wellen had different break days for the students.

  The break days for Ernst Institute students was on the 29th and 30th of each month, while for Wellen Institute students, it was on the 1st and 2nd of each month. Thus, Alice only got home on the 30th.

  Sadly…

  Although Alice stood there on the balcony, watching the crowded streets, occasionally getting excited when someone who l
ooked similar to Linley walked by, in the end, she was always disappointed.

  The afternoon of October 2nd, she had no choice but to return to school.

  ….

  October 29th, Linley once again went into town to deliver three more stone sculptures. At night, Linley once again went to that bar on the Dry Road. He once more selected the same window seat, ordered the same jade wine, and began drinking with Bebe.

  “Boss, looks like you are gonna be disappointed again.” Bebe looked at Linley, his beady little black eyes rolling as he mentally spoke.

  “No big deal. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” Throwing his head back, Linley polished that cup of wine off. By now, him and Bebe had finished two bottles of jade wine. But on the balcony, Linley still could not see the figure he was waiting for.

  By now, the server came over.

  “One more bottle of…” Halfway through his sentence, Linley paused, and his eyes lit up, his gaze focusing on that little balcony on the second floor of Alice’s house. A female figure dressed in white had suddenly appeared.

  “Bill, please.” Linley immediately stood up.

  The server, already preparing to grab another bottle of wine, was momentarily baffled, but he quickly recovered. After paying the bill, Linley walked out, with Bebe leaping from the table to his shoulders.

  By now, it was almost eight at night. The Dry Road was getting dark. Because it wasn’t a main road, there were very few people there at night.

  “It’s Alice.” Linley was absolutely certain.

  “Whoah, Boss, you finally are gonna meet that beauty again. Haha! Are you happy? Are you excited? Are you impatient?” On Linley’s shoulders, Bebe continued speaking delightedly.

  Linley didn’t even pay attention to Bebe. Quite agilely, he flipped over Alice’s wall, and with a push of his hands, he transformed into a black blur, landing directly onto the balcony.

  Alice had been watching Linley make his way over to her past the wall this entire time.

  “Big brother Linley!” Alice immediately recognized him. Her heart rate immediately sped up and, nervous, her face turned red as well. But in her heart, she was filled with joy.

  Last time, she hadn’t managed to catch Linley. Upon returning to the Wellen Institute, she had asked around and found out that the Ernst Institute’s vacation days were on the 29th and the 30th. Thus, Alice had skipped class and come home two days early.

  “Big brother Linley, what a coincidence.” Alice said with a smile.

  Linley was briefly stunned. “Alice, yeah, what a coincidence.”

  Alice couldn’t help but laugh, before she recovered and immediately tugged Linley to sit down. “Quick, sit down, don’t let anyone see you.” Linley sat down. The two of them hid in the corner of the balcony, quietly chatting with each other.

  Doehring Cowart appeared at this time.

  “Linley, Linley.”

  “Doehring Cowart, what is it?” Linley was a bit unhappy.

  Doehring Cowart laughed loudly. “Kid, don’t talk too much with this girl about irrelevant things. Be a bit friendlier, a bit more forward. You idiot. Judging from the look of her, this Alice girl is interested in you too.”

  “No rush, no rush.” Although Linley had no fear of death, at this moment in time, he was a bit unsteady and a bit wobbly, mentally speaking.

  “You really are stupid.” Doehring Cowart said impatiently.

  Linley began to totally ignore Doehring Cowart’s advice, only talking to Alice about irrelevant, casual topics.

  Watching the two of them, in the end, Doehring Cowart could only shake his head and disappear back into the Coiling Dragon ring. While chatting with Alice, Linley didn’t notice the passage of time in the slightest.

  “Big brother Linley, you are so amazing! You must have lots of girls chasing after you at the Ernst Institute, right?” Alice intentionally said these words in a casual manner, but upon hearing them, Linley’s heart began to beat faster.

  “Not too bad, not too bad.” While chatting with Alice, sometimes Linley spoke without thinking.

  “You idiot.” Doehring Cowart’s voice rang out in Linley’s mind.

  Previous Chapter

  Book 4, The Dragonblood Warrior – Chapter 6, The Rose in Winter (part 2)

  Together with Alice, Linley felt truly joyful from the bottom of his heart. In this manner, an entire night passed away. Neither Linley nor Alice felt tired at all, despite having been up all night.

  As the sun began to rise, the horizon began to glow with a soft, blue color.

  “The sun is rising. Alice, I have to go.” Linley stood up.

  “Okay.” Alice replied.

  Alice also stood up, looking at Linley with a somewhat reluctant to part expression. Linley grinned, waved at her, then floated down to the street like a leaf, his body surrounded by flows of air.

  After Linley arrived at the Jade Water Palace, he waited for his bros to get out of bed, at which point he was ‘interrogated’ by Yale and the other two.

  After returning to the Ernst Institute, Linley continued to be as studious as ever. But when he was relaxing, he would often think of Alice. Linley had a certain feeling; he had been struck in the heart by the gods of love.

  Yulan calendar, year 9997, November 29th. Evening.

  Alice had gotten up very early to wait outside her family’s door. After waiting for a while, she saw Linley’s familiar figure making his way up from the Dry Road. Immediately, she ran to him.

  “Big brother Linley.” Alice shouted rather excitedly. They hadn’t seen each other for a month. After finally being able to see him, Alice was somewhat unable to control her excitement.

  In his heart, Linley was feeling excited as well. After all, it had been a month since they last met. But today, he felt especially happy. “Even though I didn’t tell Alice when I would see her again, she came outside to wait for me today.”

  Last time, after chatting with Alice, Linley discovered that the Wellen Institute’s vacation days were on the 1st and 2nd of each month. Alice was skipping class in order to meet with him. Linley fully understood what that meant.

  “Linley, keep at it! This time, you have to be a bit braver.” Doehring Cowart’s voice sounded out in Linley’s mind.

  Linley secretly also made up his mind. After all, he didn’t want to wait another month.

  “Alice, why are you outside today, instead of on your porch?” Linley and Alice were walking side by side on the street. Alice laughed. “We can’t always be hiding on my balcony, can we?”

  Thinking back to how the two of them were hiding in the corner of a balcony, Linley couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Right. If you don’t go back home at night, isn’t your father going to be worried?” Linley asked.

  “Him?” Alice pouted. “My father is a drunken sot, and also a compulsive gambler. He might not even know when he himself will be home, much less me.”

  “Big brother Linley, I grew up in Fenlai City as a child. Fenlai City is a very big city. You probably haven’t been to many places. Come on, I’ll show you around.” Alice laughed.

  Linley and Alice walked together on the streets. It was winter now, and on the Yulan continent, December and January were the two coldest months of the year. The night wind was very cold as well. There weren’t too many people on the streets.

  But as Linley and Alice walked and chatted, they totally ignored the people who were on the streets.

  “Oh, it’s snowing?” Alice raised her head up to stare at the night sky and watched as white flecks gently drifted down. “I love snow. This is the first snow of this year’s winter.”

  “I also like snow.” Linley lifted his head up, allow the snow to collect and then dissolve upon his face.

  To be able to take a walk with the girl he liked on a snowy night was quite romantic. The two of them continued their slow stroll in the streets of Fenlai City.

  “Big brother Linley, do you have a girlfriend?” Alice suddenly asked, before sa
ying in a soft voice, “Big brother Linley, you are so amazing, you must have one already.”

  “I do not, definitely do not.” Linley quickly said.

  Hearing his words, Alice fell silent.

  “Alice, do you have a boyfriend?” Linley dithered for a while, but finally got the question out.

  Alice’s face immediately turned red. Even her neck turned red. But in the dark night, there was no way for Linley to see. “How could I have a boyfriend? Who would want me as their girlfriend?”

  “Oh.”

  Linley took a deep breath, then suddenly said, “Then how about, you be my girlfriend?”

  “Um…” Alice looked up at Linley in surprise, as though she had been stunned silly. Linley was just chatting normally with her earlier. All of a sudden, he asked this question of her, catching her totally offguard.

  In the Holy Union, it was very normal for young people to have boyfriends or girlfriends. Many of Alice’s female classmates already had boyfriends, and she had also thought about having one.

  But she didn’t expect that Linley would ask her in such a direct manner.

  “You want me to be your girlfriend?” Alice asked.

  Right now, Linley felt that his heart was pounding so frantically that it was going to burst out of his chest. Even when facing life and death battles in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts he had never been so frantic. “Yes. Are you willing?”

  Alice’s face was totally red by now. She stared at Linley. “Big brother Linley, honestly, maybe I’m not as good of a person as you think I am.”

  “I trust my judgment. Alice, I asked you already. Are you willing?” Linley was about to go crazy. He wanted to know Alice’s reply right away. Even Linley’s voice was quivering.

  Alice was quiet for a moment, and then she gently nodded.

  “Yes.”

  Excited, Linley couldn’t help but enfold Alice in a deep embrace. Embarrassed, Alice buried her face against Linley’s chest. Just then, Linley noticed that there was a flower shop next to them.

  Moments later…