GD Ch. 19

Chapter 19: Perhaps She’s Afraid of the Cold?

Opportunity? What opportunity? It’s just some tricks to deceive ordinary mortals. You shall receive opportunities only if the Upper Realm desires you to have them. The Upper and Lower Realms have never been equal.

But Zhuyou didn’t voice these thoughts. She merely pressed the porcelain bowl, unsure how this dragon might hold a grudge against her once she emerged. “I see. I’ve never been to Shenhua Mountain, nor do I know which way its gate opens,” she said, with a hint of regret in her eyes.

The only female disciple at the table brightened up, a flush of crimson creeping up her ears as she quickly spoke, “It’s right here in Songling City. It’s said to be within Huacheng Sect. The Huacheng Sect is the largest sect in the world, monopolizing all the good fortune. Who would have thought that even the gate to Shenhua Mountain lies within their sect?”

“In that case, not everyone can see the gate,” Zhuyou remarked.

The female disciple nodded repeatedly, “Exactly. How could it be considered an opportunity for everyone?”

Zhuyou couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. It was the first time she had heard that the gate to Shenhua Mountain was within one of the mortal sects. She made a mental note of it and then asked, “Do you know where Huacheng Sect is located?”

The female disciple pointed outside the window. “Follow these pine trees northward until you reach an icy lake. On the lake, there’s a stone bridge conjured by a formation. After crossing the bridge, you’ll see green lacquered pillars, and that’s where Huacheng Sect is.”

The explanation was surprisingly straightforward. Zhuyou tilted her head slightly and indeed saw a row of sparsely scattered pine trees, their branches weighed down by heavy snow. Beneath the thick blanket of snow, a hint of green could be faintly discerned.

“Ordinary people can’t enter Huacheng Sect. They can’t even cross their bridge unless they have a gate token or a disciple’s badge.” The female disciple whispered, “During the last Hundred Sects Tournament, our shixiong took us into Huacheng Sect. It’s quite magnificent inside, and I heard there are many immortal treasures left by the predecessors who attained enlightenment.” She sighed, “It’s a pity. Our Shangling Sect hasn’t produced any immortals yet. Even the previous sect master only reached the Great Ascension stage, and the current sect master is also at that stage, without any breakthrough for a long time. If only there was an immortal to give us some guidance.”

Zhuyou tapped the bowl on the table, the sound reverberating loudly. She pondered how to handle this without getting a headache. “The Great Ascension stage is just one step away from the ladder to immortality.”

“Yes.” Sighed the several disciples at the table, filled with regret.

“Won’t you stay still?” Zhuyou lowered her gaze, her words carrying a veiled threat.

The dragon inside the bowl suddenly fell silent, presumably intimidated.

The mouth of the porcelain bowl was as wide as a celestial plate; otherwise, it couldn’t have contained such a black dragon. Inside must be pitch black, like the cells in the abyss where prisoners are confined.

A gust of cold wind blew in through the window, causing Zhuyou’s beaded hair ornament to rustle. Her slender white neck was exposed, yet she didn’t flinch, while a few disciples from the immortal sects shivered from the cold breeze.

“It sounds like the Huacheng Sect is indeed difficult to enter. If there are truly so many immortal treasures inside the sect, one might even encounter a returning immortal,” Zhuyou said with a smirk. Her innocent-looking eyes gave no hint of mockery, despite her tone. She chuckled and then asked, “Do you know who lost the item you’re looking for?”

The male cultivator wearing a golden hair crown, seeing the female disciple about to answer, hastily interjected, “We don’t know who lost it, but that day, Shizun and the peak masters all had grim expressions. They were avoiding the topic, as if they were frightened. It’s really strange.”

Zhuyou understood immediately. It seemed that the appearance of an immortal had frightened these mortal cultivators.

East Sea Monarch was indeed interesting. He wanted someone to find something, yet he didn’t clearly state what was lost, as if he were afraid of revealing that they had lost something as trivial as an egg.

If it weren’t for the pride of the Dragon Clan, fearing embarrassment before the Heavenly Realm, it would be because this egg had a connection to the higher realms that was out of the ordinary. If the Heavenly Emperor were to find out, the dragons in the Dragon Palace might suffer severe consequences.

Zhuyou lifted the bowl and grabbed the black dragon inside, pinching her at her weakest point. If she were a snake, this spot would be the most vulnerable part of her spine.

Changying seemed to feel offended and suddenly whipped her tail. Zhuyou almost lost her grip; she hadn’t expected Changying to have gained some strength after nibbling on her spiritual power earlier.

The immortal sect disciples were stunned, and the female disciple stuttered, “Senior, this snake seems too fierce. It’s supposed to hibernate for winter, why isn’t it sleeping…”

Zhuyou thought, Because this thing isn’t a snake at all.

Changying seemed to dislike being called a snake. As soon as she heard the word “snake,” her golden eyes narrowed slightly, emitting a chilling aura. She arched her body and opened her mouth as if intending to bite the disciple who spoke.

But she was still being held by Zhuyou; it was just an empty threat.

This creature, resembling a mundane black snake, devoid of even a trace of spiritual power, shouldn’t have been intimidating. However, as the immortal sect disciples met its gaze, they couldn’t help but shiver, inexplicably feeling afraid.

“She’s, uh, a bit young. If she hibernates now, she might not wake up.” Zhuyou covered Changying’s head, concealing her strange aura from these mortals.

“Senior, if you plan to visit Huacheng Sect, you’d better make an appointment a few days in advance. Otherwise, if too many outsiders visit in the coming days, Huacheng Sect might not allow independent cultivators to enter,” the female disciple shivered unexpectedly, abruptly avoiding eye contact, afraid of being glanced at by the snake again.

Fortunately, Changying’s head was covered by Zhuyou, and the immortal sect disciples gradually regained their composure. They looked at each other in confusion, unsure why they had been afraid.

“A few days in advance?” Zhuyou’s eyes narrowed slightly. Snow from outside was blown in by the wind, landing on her hair. Suddenly, the snow turned into water, dampening her hair.

Only now did the disciples realize that this senior was truly unaffected by the cold, and they wondered what realm she was in.

“Why not wait for the mountain gate to open and accompany us to Huacheng Sect?” The female disciple, though still a bit shaken, couldn’t help but glance at the senior holding the black snake. Her ears turned red as she continued, “With Shizun not around this time, as long as no one reports it, he won’t know that we’ve brought outsiders into Huacheng Sect.”

A faint smile played at the corners of Zhuyou’s lips. Clad in black, with even the snake she held in her hand pitch black, she contrasted starkly against her white skin, which was as fair and radiant as snow, yet more lustrous and warm.

“I don’t enjoy crowds during the opening ceremony,” she said, releasing her hand from Changying’s head and soothingly patting her a couple of times.

“B-but—” Before the female disciple could finish speaking, the figure holding the snake on the other side of the table suddenly vanished. 

It all happened in an instant, as if she had been swept away by the wind.

The female disciple hadn’t finished her sentence that if one wanted to enter Shenhua Mountain, they would have to undergo the trial of the cold pool together with everyone else, and there would undoubtedly be many people present at that time.

The male cultivator with the golden hair crown’s pupils trembled slightly. After looking around for a while, he hesitantly swallowed and turned back to ask, “Can any of you tell what realm this senior is in?”

The fellow disciples shook their heads in disbelief, unable to discern anything from her demeanor.

“But didn’t the senior say she was going to travel with us earlier?” The female disciple scratched her finger.

“Perhaps the senior feels we’ll slow her down,” someone muttered.

***

Such hypocrisy wasn’t new to Zhuyou; if she wanted to leave, she simply left without a second thought.

Once outside the tavern, her ink-black hair, enchanted by magic, was tousled by the wind, and the black dragon in her hand moved lazily. Leaving aside her actual realm, just her phoenix physique alone kept her warm in this snowy mountain city.

Changying’s icy golden eyes still narrowed slightly, seemingly still disgruntled. Her tail swung intermittently, clearly wanting to snuggle against Zhuyou’s arm, behaving like a difficult ancestor.

Zhuyou suspected something. “You still feel the cold? Aren’t your dragon race supposed to be impervious to it?”

Being newly hatched and devoid of any spiritual power, Changying was barely different from a mundane snake. It seemed reasonable for her to feel the cold, even if it was just a little. 

But she didn’t utter a word. As Zhuyou released her grip, the dragon nearly stumbled into the snow but managed to land her tail on Zhuyou’s wrist just in time.

Zhuyou allowed her to coil around her wrist, lifting her to eye level. “You won’t really freeze, will you? Don’t die on me, or else I’ve wasted my spiritual energy for nothing.”

Amidst the wind and snow, a voice whispered coldly in her ear, Give me more.