After Cang Yuan said these words, he shifted his attention away from Zhou Yuan, turning his head to look at the girl in green. The latter’s pearly white teeth were gently biting into her moist lips, while her slightly lowered eyes contained some sadness of their imminent separation.
She had lived here with Cang Yuan ever since she could remember, and he was undoubtedly her closest kin. Hence, she still felt rather sad despite her rather indifferent and aloof character.
“Aih, foolish girl. There is no such thing as a banquet that never ends.” Cang Yuan softly sighed. He was silent for some time, before he suddenly fished out a jade pendant from his clothes. The jade pendant glowed faintly, and there seemed to be a nine-petal fire lotus burning on it. Every petal was of a different color.
“Yaoyao, I know that there are many things that you want to ask me, but this is not the time for it. Take it. If there is a chance in future, you will perhaps come to understand.”
“Besides this, you must be very careful in the event that this jade pendant fire lotus starts to burn, because they will be about to find you!”
Yaoyao urgently asked, “Who are they? Why are they searching for me?”
Her heart was full of questions. Who were they? Why was it that she had lived here alone with grandpa Hei as if they were hiding from something.
Cang Yuan was silent. He did not reply Yaoyao’s questions, but merely gently placed the jade pendant in her hands before looking towards Zhou Yuan and speaking in a deep voice, “Zhou Yuan, you must remember this at all costs. Do not let Yaoyao undo the seal and use Genesis Qi. Else a calamity will surely arrive.”
Zhou Yuan was slightly shaken and glanced at the faintly discernible rune of light between Yaoyao’s brows. It turns out that it was a seal. So it was not that Yaoyao was unable to use Genesis Qi, but because she had been sealed...
But why?
Zhou Yuan’s was rather puzzled. However, he sensibly chose to not probe any further. Both Cang Yuan and Yaoyao were undoubtedly full of mystery. There was likely some kind of story behind them.
In addition, given his current capabilities, he still did not have the qualifications to know such a story.
Zhou Yuan earnestly replied. “Don’t worry master, I will remember.”
Cang Yuan nodded before continuing, “You can seek out Yaoyao if you encounter any problems in your training in future. After following me for so many years, she has long since learnt everything I know. But of course, whether you will recieve help or not will depend on her mood.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan’s eyes seem to brighten slightly as he looked towards the big sis in green. He had originally been worried about hiccups in his cultivation due to being alone, and would never have anticipated that this big sis had concealed herself so deeply. Looks like he would need to curry favor with her in future.
However, the big sis in green was still immersed in her sadness and did not pay any attention to him.
“Both of you should go.”
Cang Yuan patted the girl’s tiny hands as he slowly said.
“Now?” Zhou Yuan was stunned. Was this not a little too quick?
“Leave now!” There was an additional trace of sternness in Cang Yuan’s voice.
Zhou Yuan did not say anything else. He could feel that Cang Yuan was chasing them away and it was likely that something was about to happen here.
Cang Yuan waved his sleeve and dust started to rise from the ground in front of the cottage as ancient runes swiftly followed. If one took a closer look, one would discover that these were profound and mysterious runes.
These runes were exactly the same as the runes on the stone platform from which Zhou Yuan had arrived from.
Zhou Yuan saw the look in Cang Yuan’s eyes and swiftly walked forward into the array formed by the runes. Meanwhile, the girl in green hugged the little creature called Tuntun while she blankly stared at Cang Yuan.
“Go, there may perhaps still be a day where we will meet again in future.” Cang Yuan waved his hand.
The girl in green’s eyes were slightly tinged with red, but she did not break out into tears in the end. Instead, she bowed deeply to Cang Yuan before walking into the array and stood beside Zhou Yuan.
Cang Yuan’s finger immediately jabbed at the air when he saw this. Light exploded from the runes and coverged together, swiftly enveloping both Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao.
“Zhou Yuan, remember the promise you made to master, you must protect her!”
Light flooded the eyes. When space began to distort, Zhou Yuan heard Cang Yuan’s deep voice, a voice that seemed to contain a slightly pleading tone.
“Don’t worry master! Since I have undertaken your teachings, I will naturally protect her!”
Zhou Yuan closed his eyes and uttered in his heart.
Light blossomed before the cottage as a gale erupted. In the next instant, Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao vanished into thin air, and only the flickering runes remained. The runes continued to flicker for some time before being thoroughly extinguished, leaving no traces behind.
Cang Yuan gazed at the spot where the two had disappeared with some melonchany in his eyes as he softly mumbled, “Zhou clan… it is indeed as that old fellow said, I was still able to take another disciple. However, what the future holds will depend on his luck and destiny.”
He shook his head as he collected himself, slowly laying back on the chair as he gently started to rock back and forth.
The entire place was quiet and peaceful.
It was unknown how long this peace lasted when Cang Yuan suddenly opened his tightly shut eyes and indifferently stared at the empty space.
Rumble!
A wild clap of thunder suddenly boomed across the area. It seemed as if lightning was pouring down in the distant sky above, ripping open this domain in an extremely barbaric manner.
The ground started to collapse as patches of forests fell.
“So it has still come in the end.”
Cang Yuan watched the devastation, but his aged face remained expressionless as he mumbled to himself.
“Oh well, these old bones of mine are about to become rusty after recuperating for so many years, it is indeed time for some exercise…” Cang Yuan grinned before slowly standing up from his chair.
Cang Yuan appeared hunchback, but the moment he stood up, his black robes slowly began to flutter as an indescribably terrifying aura completely awakened like an angry dragon being roused from a deep sleep.
Lightning seemed to cover the entire sky as it poured down, and three figures wrapped in lightning slowly descended from within. When they appeared, three frightening auras unfurled from their bodies and engulfed the land as if they were high ranking gods.
Their ice-cold gazes were thrown towards Cang Yuan’s far away body.
“Hehe, to think that the almighty emperor Hei will hide like a rat for so many years. Truly a tale that brings tears to the eye…” An emotionless voice descended from the heavens. As it spread, the domain began to show signs of rapidly falling apart.
“Hand her over! Or this place will become your grave today!”
A mocking smile formed on Cang Yuan’s face when he heard the cold voice, and a thunderous laughter echoed in response.
“Haha, come, come, come. I really want to see exactly whose grave this place will be today!”
Cang Yuan took a step forward and his clothes immediately disintegrated, revealing a thin and withered body. This body was inscribed with numerous complicated ancient runes, every rune pulsing with terrible power.
Buzz!
Blinding light erupted from the runes at this moment. The light was akin to the steadily rising scorching sun, while Cang Yuan’s originally withered body suddenly started to swell.
In the short span of several breaths, a giant now towered on the ground as a torrential and tyrannical aura unfurled.
He roared at the heavens, the wave of sound devastating the surroundings. In the next instance, his foot stamped on the ground
and a titanic body shot upwards, slamming into the endless sea of lightning that descended from the sky with a loud bang.
Boom boom boom!
It was at this very moment that the entire domain started to fall apart.
Chapter 11 King Qi’s Appetite
In a dusky cavern, light suddenly started to gather above a stone platform. Space vibrated as two figures emerged from the light.
Zhou Yuan’s head was in a daze after once again experiencing the transfer. He massaged his forehead, trying to alleviate the discomfort.
“Yuan’er?”
A happy and surprised voice could be heard from the front when the light scattered. Zhou Yuan raised his head and saw Zhou Qing joyfully looking at him from in front of the stone platform.
Zhou Yuan smiled and said, “Father.”
“You really gave me a huge scare you stinking brat!” Zhou Qing’s eyes were filled with impatience as he quickly walked forward. More than half a day prior, he had seen Zhou Yuan disappear on the stone platform. That sight had alarmed him greatly and caused him to be at a loss.
When Zhou Yuan saw Zhou Qing’s expression, he understood that Zhou Qing had likely been worrying himself to death here and felt somewhat sorry. Zhou Yuan scratched his head and promptly said, “Father, my eight meridian channels have appeared!”
“What?!”
Zhou Qing’s body jerked as his hand hastily slapped onto Zhou Yuan’s shoulder. A stream of Genesis Qi entered Zhou Yuan’s body to probe.
The outcome was known to Zhou Qing several breaths later as his hand involuntarily started to tremble. He was overwhelmed with emotion as he heavily patted Zhou Yuan’s shoulders.
“Good, great, excellent. It is truly a blessing from our forefathers. The heavens have not closed their doors to our Zhou clan!” Zhou Qing’s voice was slightly trembling, and his eyes had become moist. It was easy to imagine how emotional he currently was.
Zhou Yuan’s inability to begin channel opening cultivation had been a thorn in Zhou Qing’s heart. He had felt that it was because of his powerlessness as a father back then that Zhou Yuan’s destiny would be stolen by king Wu at birth, causing him to be in this miserable state.
Zhou Qing had seeked out every method, but none of them could find Zhou Yuan’s channels. Hence, Zhou Qing could only place his final hope on the secret saying that had been passed down in their Zhou clan.
And now, it looked like the heavens was still looking after their Zhou clan.
A warm feeling flowed in Zhou Yuan’s heart when he saw such a look on the usually calm and dignified Zhou Qing. The former reached out his arms and lightly patted Zhou Qing’s wide back as he gently smiled and said, “Don’t worry father, we will make sure to take back everything our Zhou clan has lost!”
Zhou Qing collected himself a little as he forcefully nodded. It was at this same moment that he looked behind Zhou Yuan and saw the girl in green standing there hugging a little gray creature, while her bright eyes coolly watched them.
“Yuan’er?” Zhou Qing at a complete loss as he looked towards Zhou Yuan. It was obvious that he did not know why Zhou Yuan would return with a mysterious girl.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Yuan started to describe everything he had seen and what had happened in the mysterious domain.
After listening, Zhou Qing was silent for some time before he spoke, “Since our Zhou clan forefathers left behind such a secret saying, they must have some relation to the elder in black. Moreover, having received his gifts and blessings, you must naturally accomplish the task he left to you.”
Having said this, Zhou Qing revealed a warm smile to the girl in green and said, “Little miss, if you have nowhere to go, you can stay in Great Zhou. We will definitely ensure your safety here.”
Yaoyao’s small head lightly nodded when she heard this as her soft yet indifferent voice sounded, “I’ll have to trouble you then.”
“It’s no trouble, no trouble at all.” Zhou Qing smiled as he waved his hand, before he turned to Zhou Yuan and said, “Since your problem has already been solved, let us prepare to return to Great Zhou city. Your mother has been waiting for news of you all this time.”
Zhou Yuan nodded. Likewise, he really wanted to tell this good news to Qin Yu.
The trio followed the secret passage out of the cavern and walked out of the shrine on the summit of the mountain.
Zhou Qing went ahead to instruct the imperial guards to get ready while Yaoyao hugged Tuntun as she stood at the edge of the cliff. Her pretty eyes were a little blank as she observed this foreign land.
A breeze brushed at her clothes, outlining her exquisite curves while also making the girl look rather lonely and distant. There was only Tuntun in her arms making small noises to console her.
Zhou Yuan walked to Yaoyao’s side and softly said, “Big sister Yaoyao, you don’t need to worry. Master possess great powers and will be alright. We will definitely see him again in future.”
He knew that no matter how much calmness and indifference Yaoyao displayed, there would still be some unease in such a foreign place.
Yaoyao glanced at him and said in a small voice, “I know that grandpa Hei chased me away because formidable enemies were coming.”
“These foes came for me, and grandpa Hei stopped them for me.”
Although Cang Yuan had never spoken of these matters to her, she was keenly able to
sense that these disasters had been drawn to them because of her.
Zhou Yuan scratched his head. He did not know the identities and background of these two individuals. Thus, he was unaware of the story that was hidden here.
Zhou Yuan slowly said, “Big sis Yaoyao, perhaps it is as you say. However, I feel that the current you should not blame yourself, else, you will have betrayed master’s efforts, and everything that he has done will lose its value.”
Yaoyao’s fair hand gently stroked Tuntun’s soft fur as she gazed into the distance. Soon after, she showed a light-hearted smile to Zhou Yuan and nodded. “Relax, I am not that kind of person. I will make sure to get to the bottom of this matter in future. When that time comes, if anything happens to grandpa Hei, I will definitely avenge him. Not a single one of those people will be able to escape.”
Her calm and cool voice contained an iciness that made Zhou Yuan tremble a little.
This big sis looked like a little fairy, but when she became serious, it appeared that she would be able to kill decisively.
…
Great Zhou royal palace.
The moment Qin Yu came to know of the news, she immediately hugged Zhou Yuan on the spot as she cried, causing him to feel both touched and helpless.
Zhou Qing helplessly said from the side, “Alright, alright. Yuan’er being able to cultivate is good news, there is no need to weep so much.”
“Don’t tell me that you did not cry?” Qin Yu wiped her eyes and glared at Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had likewise been on the brink of tears when he sensed Zhou Yuan’s eight meridian channels in the cavern. However, these tears had been forcibly suppressed in the end.
Zhou Qing did not dare to speak any more and hastily changed the topic. “First help make arrangements for Yaoyao.”
Only then did Qin Yu realise that there was someone else watching from the side. She was somewhat embarrassed as she wiped away her tears and revealed a warm and gentle smile to Yaoyao. “Yaoyao, you do not need to care about other things while staying here. We will definitely ensure that you will not face even the slightest mistreatment.”
Qin Yu was extremely affectionate to Yaoyao. Although it was mostly out of gratitude for helping Zhou Yuan, it was evident that she rather liked this girl. After all, anyone who saw such a pretty girl would definitely be fond of her.
Yaoyao was a little unaccustomed to Qin Yu’s warmness. She had after all lived with Cang Yuan in that isolated domain since young and had practically zero contact with any outsiders. Moreover, she was aloof by nature and was n
ot good at communicating with others.
However, she could feel the sincerity and gratitude from Qin Yu’s heart. Therefore, she was not overly resistant and merely glanced at Zhou Yuan before allowing Qin Yu to drag her away.
While Qin Yu led Yaoyao away, Zhou Qing and Zhou Yuan exchanged a look and helplessly chuckled.
“Your majesty, headmaster Chu seeks an audience!” An imperial guard reported at this moment.
Headmaster Chu was the headmaster of Great Zhou Institute, Chu Tianyang, while also an important general under Zhou Qing.
“Let him in.” Zhou Qing nodded before looking towards Zhou Yuan, who was about to leave, and said, “Stay. In any case, you are the prince of Great Zhou and should know of certain matters.”
Zhou Yuan was slightly stunned. He did not reply but nodded his head in acknowledgement.
A well-built figure walked in from outside the great doors of the inner palace. It was a middle-aged man wearing a purple jacket. He had a determined-looking face and wind seemed to accompany his steps with ‘whoo whoo’ noises.
“Greetings your majesty.” The middle-aged man wearing a purple jacket bowed as he cupped his fists together towards Zhou Qing, before he looked towards Zhou Yuan by the side and nodded with a smile, “Your highness.”
“Headmaster.” Zhou Yuan did not dare to be the neglectful. Chu Tianyang was an important official who had father’s deep trust and was also his right-hand man. In addition, he was the headmaster of the Great Zhou Institute.
Zhou Qing waved his hand and smiled. “What is the matter?”
After hearing this, Chu Tianyang first glanced at Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Qing chuckled. “There is no problem. Let him hear it.”
Chu Tianyang nodded. He had a bitter smile on his face as he sighed and said, “Your majesty, Xu Hong is currently eyeing my position as headmaster.”
Zhou Yuan’s heart shivered a little. Xu Hong was the current deputy-head of the Great Zhou Institute. However, he was on king Qi’s side and blindly followed the latter. He often payed lip service to the Great Zhou royal clan while opposing them in secret.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 11