Chapter 239 - The Cinnabar Birthmark Between Her Eyebrows (Part Two)


    Chen Changsheng really was very angry.


    Right before the Grand Examination, he had seeded in Purification, and had even achieved perfect Purification. Although he had been unconscious for the entire ordeal and could not recall what had truly happened, he knew that it definitely had something to do with the ck Dragon.


    He had lived and was able to obtain the first rank of the First Banner in the Grand Examination. He had been able to enter the Mausoleum of Books to view the monoliths andprehend the monoliths. He was able to bathe the entire capital in starlight. All of this had been bestowed upon him by the ck Dragon.


    To him, the ck Dragon was even more important than the person that saved had his life. When he saw the wound between its eyes which still seemed to be bleeding, when he faintly made out the white bone, deep in the wound, when he imagined the pain it had suffered, he could not help but be moved.


    Yes, it was as the Pope had said in the Li Pce, that legendary ck Dragon was an evil dragon. However, even if it hadmitted such monstrous crimes against the capital, and several hundred years of imprisonment underground was not enough to atone for its crimes, how could such abuse be allowed?


    The ck Dragon calmly floated in the air, listening to Chen Changsheng’s angry question. Its eyes were incredibly serene. There was no pain or fear. It did not grow angry with him, nor was it deeply moved, only holding detachment and disregard.


    Under its indifferent gaze, Chen Changsheng felt like an idiot. For some reason, he felt quite embarrassed. Could he have misunderstood something?


    After a long time, he felt it was necessary to break the silence. He asked with some hesitation, “...this is the first time since that day that I’vee to see you. Are you alright?”


    The ck Dragon did not answer, nor did it give any other sort of response.


    As he had said, although Chen Changsheng was not clear on what had happened that day he first attempted Meditative Introspection, he knew that it could only have been with the aid of the ck Dragon that he was able to escape cmity.


    “I don’t know how to thank you, so I brought some things that you would normally like to eat.”


    He ced the entire roastmb that he had ordered on the floor in front of the ck Dragon. Its fragrant aroma and heat spread forth, only to be immediately frozen by the air.


    “You should first quickly eat themb. We can take our time with the rest.”


    He suggested this as he saw the congealing oil on themb leg.


    He continued to take out more food. Roast chicken, roast deer tail, roast goose, beef hotpot with pickled vegetables, cask-soaked tofu, phoenix fruit...in a short time, the floor was densely packed with dozens of dishes.


    The ck Dragon’s eyes seemed to gleam, but it still remained unmoving and unspeaking.


    Chen Changsheng thought that it was somewhat strange. It was true that in the past few times he hade to this underground space, besides teaching him dragonnguage, the ck Dragon very rarely talked with him However, it had never been as quiet as it was tonight, perhaps due to disdain, or perhaps it found speaking to be very strenuous.


    “What’s wrong? Are you angry because I haven’te to see you in so long?”


    He looked at the ck Dragon and exined, “After that night, I woke up in the Orthodox Academy. Apparently someone must have brought me back. I realized that I had seeded in Purification and wanted to find you, but found out that someone had filled in the well...I think it was probably the person that brought me to the Orthodox Academy. Afterwards, I was busy preparing for the Grand Examination, and then this past month I was in the Mausoleum of Books viewing the Heavenly Tome Monoliths, so I really didn’t have the time toe and visit.”


    In truth, he did not need to exin this much. However, he still wanted to exin.


    His eyes were extremely clear and his expression was very sincere.


    Perhaps it was for this reason that the ck Dragon’s whiskers lightly floated up. Amidst the brilliance of the night pearls, it waved twice. This signified that it would, in a short while, enjoy his offerings.


    Chen Changsheng was content with this and began to chat with the ck Dragon.


    “I really have to thank you. Without you, there would have been no way for me to obtain the first ce of the First banner in the Grand Examination.”


    He narrated the events of the Grand Examination, then described how at the announcement of rankings, the Pope himself had personally crowned him with the gand of thistles. He did not mention what had happened in the Pavilion of Ascending Mist, but he did describe in fine detail the sights he had seen in the Mausoleum of Books, as well as the events that had urred in the monolith huts.


    “I have seen many rubbings of the monolith inscriptions, but before I entered the Mausoleum of Books, I always had this sort of fantasy. I thought that maybe those inexplicable Heavenly Tome Monoliths were written in dragonnguage.”


    Chen Changsheng smiled at the ck Dragon. “When I was small, I studied the dragonnguage, then I was taught by you for a few days. If the monolith inscriptions were really written in dragonnguage, then I would have had an advantage over the rest.”


    The ck Dragon’s eyes were filled with ridicule and disdain.


    Somewhat embarrassed, heughed and said, “Only when I entered the mausoleum and looked at those inscriptions did I finally realize that I was overthinking it.”


    This was a rather embarrassing matter, but hisughter was filled with joy.


    He gradually brought hisughter under control, before he said a few words to the ck Dragon very sincerely. As he said these words, his expression was extremely solemn, even somewhat grave.


    “After viewing the Heavenly Tome Monoliths for over twenty days, I saw all seventeen monoliths of the front mausoleum on the veryst day. At the very end, I realized a secret...the stars can move.”


    In the Li Pce, in front the Pope, he had not even mentioned this matter.


    However, the ck Dragon viewed Chen Changsheng’s trust as being beneath its contempt, even to the extent that it saw his solemnity and graveness as soughable that the ridicule and disdain in its eyes increased.


    Chen Changsheng stared nkly, and only after a while did hee to.


    Of all living beings in the world, dragons could fly the highest. They could break through the clouds and soar above the nine heavens. As for ck Frost Dragons, this supreme n of royal dragons, legends said that once they were fully grown, they could fly freely through the gxies. Even if the ck Dragon had been unable to fly amongst the stars itself, how could it not know that the stars could move?


    He had seen it as going againstmon sense, even so much as a new discovery contrary to the truth, but to the ck Dragon, this was probably a verymon knowledge. When he so gravely told the ck Dragon that the stars could move, it was like seriously telling the fish that it was calm under water, or telling the birds that clouds were made of water vapor...


    “It seems like I overthought things once again.”


    He looked at the ck Dragon helplessly and was at a loss. “In this case, it should be that many people should know about it, so why is it that no one has ever brought it up before?”


    The ck Dragon still paid him no attention.


    Chen Changsheng had no other option but to talk about something else, something to be happier about. He cheerfully said, “Did you know? Right now I’m at the upper level of Ethereal Opening.”


    In his view, the ck Dragon was at least several hundred years old. It was naturally the most senior of seniors——this achievements, that had been acquired under the care and guidance of a senior, should obviously be promptly reported.


    The ck Dragon still looked upon him with contempt and ridicule.


    Chen Changsheng continued to monologue to himself, “Right before this, I went to the Li Pce. I learned...that His Holiness is actually my martial uncle. Yeah, he said that I was their school’s sole disciple, so in the future the Orthodoxy will have me be its sessor. Although I still think it’s quite preposterous, His Holiness seemed very serious.”


    Hearing these words, the contempt and ridicule in the ck Dragon’s eyes finally disappeared. Even if it was a member of the most supreme and powerful dragons, even it had to pay an appropriate amount of respect to the sessor of the Orthodoxy.


    “Of course, the truth is...”


    Chen Changsheng thought it over, then changed the subject again. “I’m going on a long journey to the Garden of Zhou. It might be a long time before I’ll ever be able to see senior again.”


    “Yeah...my fiancée, Xu Yourong, is also going to the Garden of Zhou. I’m thinking that if I meet her, I’ll need to return the marriage contract. This is what her father has required of me.”


    “I know that she doesn’t want to marry me, but if I return this marriage contract to her, she won’t necessarily be happy about it. Her handmaid, Shuang Er, came to the Orthodoxy Academy once to find me and I can guess at what she was hinting. She ns on using this marriage contract, naming me as her fiancé so we can be a fake husband and wife, allowing her to put all her efforts into cultivating the Dao.”


    “On the surface, this sort of thing would do me no harm, but I don’t like doing things this way, so I don’t like her either. Due to this, I will directly relieve the both of us of this engagement.”


    After Chen Changsheng spoke this most important decision aloud, he suddenly felt much more rxed. Standing up, he prepared to take his leave. “After I return from the Garden of Zhou, I wille to visit senior again.”


    The ck Dragon watched him in silence. Its eyes seemed to gleam, as if it wanted to say something, but in the end it remained silent. Perhaps it had wanted him to stay a bit longer.


    Leaving the underground space, the ce where he emerged was that same cold and cheerless abandoned pce, next to the pond that people rarely approached. Chen Changsheng was already experienced in this. Walking over to the edge of the pond, he took a towel and dried his body, before changing into a new set of clothes.


    After doing all this, he realized that, in a cluster of flowers, there was a pair of eyes that had been staring at him this entire time. He could not help but recoil in surprise, then smiled and shook his head. “Luckily it was only you that saw me.”


    The ck Goat slowly walked out of the flowers, proud and indifferent. Its meaning was very clear: And just what is there to see about a little man like yourself?


    Chen Changsheng hurriedly followed him.


    There was no key around the ck Goat’s neck. That key had always been in Chen Changsheng’s possession. The goat was only supervising him.


    Passing through the numerous pces and avoiding the patrolling guards, he finally arrived before the Imperial City’s ivy-covered secret door. Chen Changsheng used the key to unlock it, before passing through it.


    He turned around and looked at the Imperial Pce, silently thinking to himself. Who was it that had always been helping him? Was it that middle-ageddy? Or was it the Pope?


    In that underground space, there are many things that he had said many things that he would say to no other person to the ck Dragon. However, he did not bring up Senior Yuren, nor did he bring up anything about Xining Vige’s old temple. This was because the Pope had already admitted that he had purposely let him meet the ck Dragon, so what did that mean? It was never wrong to be somewhat more prudent.


    Chen Changsheng returned to the Orthodox Academy.


    The ck Dragon remained in that cold subterranean space. It had nowhere to go, no home to return to. Several hundred years had passed since it had been locked away.


    Of course its name was not Zhizhi. Its dragon name was incredibly long. If written in the words of humans, it would probably require a few dozen pages. Moreover, many years had passed since it had been called out to by a fellow dragon, so it had even forgotten parts of its own name.


    The light of the night pearls gradually dimmed.


    In the cold air, a strand of magical power slowly disappeared. It had been a magical power simr to a smokescreen.


    The mountainous body of the ck Dragon floating in the air rapidly began to shrink. Apanied by the scattering of countless motes of light, it finally disappeared.


    A small girl dressed in ck sat on the floor.


    The floor was covered with snow. Simrly, her expression was as cold as the snow.


    She , as enchanting as the night. On her brow was a red line, like a cinnabar mole.


    Seeing that roastmb covered with congealed oil, she knit her brow in displeasure.


    She opened her mouth and spoke the humannguage. “This idiot, does he want to stuff me to death?”


    She had still not recovered from the blood that she had shed that day, so it was still not possible for her to assume her dragon form. As a small girl, she could only look at the roastmb, not eat it.


    Then she saw the braised chicken wings wrapped in oil paper.


    She took a piece and ced it in her mouth, quietly sucking on it. Her brows raised in delight, like a flower blooming.


    Braised chicken wings were her favorite dish.


    Chen Changsheng had also brought some fine oolong tea.


    She poured herself a cup and slowly began to drink it.


    For some reason, her expression became somewhat sorrowful.


    At this point, a voice echoed throughout the underground space.


    “A fine tea.”


    Towards this voice, the girl’s expression subtly changed. There was some hate, but there was even more fear.