Chapter 268 106: Twin Dragons
Ge Changgeng, the Qing Yan Little Child, and Fang Rui escorted Zhou Changfa down the mountain.
"No matter how far you see me off, we must eventually part. Let's stop here at the Farewell Pavilion. There's no need to go any further."
Zhou Changfa laughed, patting the flank of the Exotic Beast Black Scale Horse beneath him before riding off with his two servants.
At that moment, the setting sun cast its final glow over an endless sea of green grass that stretched to the horizon.
The Qing Yan Little Child suddenly began to sing a ballad he had learned from Fang Ling and Nannan: "Beyond the pavilion, beside the old road, the green grass stretches to the sky. The evening wind sways the willows, a flute's faint cry, the sun sets beyond the mountains. To the ends of the earth, to the corners of the sky, my dear friends are scattered and few. One last flask of wine for our fleeting cheer, tonight our parting dreams will be cold."
"Beyond the pavilion, beside the old road, the green grass stretches to the sky. I ask you, when will you return? When you do, do not delay..."
Ge Changgeng produced a flute from out of nowhere, its winding, lingering melody rising to join the song.
In the distant twilight, Zhou Changfa turned his horse, waved, and then rode over the hilltop, his figure disappearing from sight.
KREEE!
Two white cranes trilled clearly as they spiraled down from the sky, dispelling some of the sadness of their departure.
"Young friend, would you like to come back to my White Cloud Temple for a while?" Ge Changgeng asked.
"Not today."
Fang Rui raised a hand and pointed to the violently swaying trees by the road. "The wind's picking up. I should head back to the city too. Daoist Ge, and you too, Qing Yan Little Child, take care!"
"Take care, young friend!"
"Take care, Layman Fang!"
...
"A storm is brewing!"
Zheng Jinghan stood under the corridor eaves, a worried look on his face as he gazed up at the overcast sky.
Recently, his younger brother Zheng Jingwei had died, his father Zheng Shaoguang was gravely injured, and Zhou Changfa, after plotting against the Zheng Family, had immediately withdrawn, leaving the family in a precarious position.
'When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If the Zheng Family falls... what will become of me?' he thought, his mind wandering.
Just then, a head maidservant hurried over. "Eldest Young Master, the Patriarch is awake! He's asking for you immediately!"
"Oh, quick, lead the way!"
...
"Han'Er, the Zheng Family's situation is already precarious... COUGH, COUGH... Right now, there is only one solution: I will pass the position of Patriarch to you so you can break through to the Upper Three Grades as soon as possible."
Zheng Shaoguang dismissed the servants, his face pale as he spoke.
"Father, this... Breaking through to the Third Grade on such short notice... I'm afraid it won't be easy!"
Although Zheng Jinghan was confident he could break through to the Third Grade before he turned forty, breaking through immediately was a different matter entirely.
"Follow me!"
Zheng Shaoguang, however, just shook his head. Dragging his ailing body, he led Zheng Jinghan into a secret passage. After passing through numerous mechanisms and verifications, they arrived at the very core of the Zheng Family's estate.
It was a high platform in an underground chamber. Sealed within multiple layers of restrictive Arrays, a silvery-white orb floated in mid-air at its very center.
It was the size of a walnut, spinning smoothly as it hovered in the air. It emitted an endless light like moonlight, and its overflowing energy transformed into small, silvery-white dragons that darted about.
If the Dragon Pearl in Fang Rui's hand was like a blazing sun, then this pearl was like a radiant full moon!
"Father, is this... a Dragon Pearl?! A True Dragon Pearl?!" Zheng Jinghan's eyes widened.
"That's right. This is our family's Dragon Pearl!"
Zheng Shaoguang began to explain, "This Dragon Pearl is the Zheng Family's most central secret. In each generation, only two or three people, such as the Patriarch and the Instructor Supreme Elder, know of its existence. The ancestral teachings state that the Dragon Pearl must not be used unless we are facing a time of dire crisis."
"Back then, after the Nanshan Garden incident, our family was beset by troubles both internal and external. I had no choice but to use the Dragon Pearl to break through to the Third Grade."
He looked at Zheng Jinghan. "With our family's Extreme Yin Technique, plus the Dragon Pearl's Extreme Yin Origin, the success rate for breaking through to the Third Grade is as high as ninety percent."
"So, do you understand now? This is why I'm so confident you can break through to the Third Grade!"
"Father, our family's current situation is even more perilous than after the Nanshan Garden incident. Why don't you use the Dragon Pearl again to heal your injuries?" Zheng Jinghan asked, confused.
"Han'Er, do you think I don't want to?"
Zheng Shaoguang gave a bitter smile. "To prevent future generations from becoming greedy, making endless demands, and depleting the Dragon Ball Energy, the ancestors set a restriction: only the Patriarch can activate the Dragon Pearl, and each person may only do so once in their lifetime."
"Soon, you will be the Patriarch of our Zheng Family. If there's anything else you want to know, ask away. I'll clear up all your doubts right now!"
"Our Old Ancestor, if I recall correctly, used Spirit Medicine to break through to the Third Grade. Why didn't he use the Dragon Pearl when he broke through to the Second Grade?" Zheng Jinghan asked after a moment of thought.
"Our Old Ancestor indeed didn't use the Dragon Pearl when breaking through to the Third Grade. He didn't even use it for the Second Grade. However, he had a portion of the Dragon Pearl Origin sealed within his body. That was for a much grander plan…"
"This…" Zheng Jinghan's thoughts were in a whirl. He couldn't wrap his head around it.
"It's a long story."
Zheng Shaoguang dropped a bombshell. "Huaiyin Prefecture is the Land of the Fallen Dragon, that's correct. However, in ancient times, it wasn't one dragon that fell, but two! A male and a female. The Dragon Pearls are also one of Yang and one of Yin. The one our family possesses is the Yin pearl; there's still another, the Extreme Yang pearl, out there somewhere."
"To find the other Dragon Pearl, our ancestors devised a plan after generations of hard thought: cultivate an Upper Three Grades of Yin Corpse, seal a portion of the Yin-attribute Dragon Pearl Origin within its body, and use the principle that Yin and Yang attract to have the Yin Corpse instinctively sense the other Dragon Pearl!"
It sounded simple, but an Upper Three Grades of Yin Corpse and the Yin-attribute Dragon Pearl Origin were not things one could easily acquire. Achieving either would require an immense sacrifice.
"This… To get the Dragon Pearl, they let our Old Ancestor become…" Zheng Jinghan found it difficult to accept.
"Han'Er, it's not as dark as you think."
Zheng Shaoguang shook his head. "If our Old Ancestor had successfully broken through to the Second Grade, that would have been for the best. If he was unsuccessful, he would die a martyr, and we would execute the Yin Corpse plan."
"Otherwise, why do you think we acted so frantically, pouring in Spirit Medicines without regard for the cost after the Old Ancestor showed signs of a failed breakthrough? The true purpose was always to cultivate an Upper Three Grades of Yin Corpse!"
"Then… the Divine Capture Bureau?!"
"Without bringing in the Divine Capture Bureau to create the facade of suffering a loss, how could we have pulled off the deception?"
"Nanshan Garden…"
"Nanshan Garden was an accident. With Nanshan Garden destroyed, the Yin Qi erupted, and the Yin Corpse that the Old Ancestor had become broke through to the Second Grade. That was a pleasant surprise."
Zheng Shaoguang explained in detail, "A Second Grade Yin Corpse is already invincible within Huaiyin Prefecture. Not to mention, if we find the other Dragon Pearl, the Extreme Yin Origin within the Yin Corpse will be released, refining its body to a level far beyond that of a Second Grade expert!"
"Then, Father, where is our family's Yin Corpse and the other Dragon Pearl?" Zheng Jinghan asked.
"It hasn't returned yet."
Zheng Shaoguang looked at his son. "Han'Er, our family's plan isn't as simple as just finding the other Dragon Pearl."
"A Second Grade Yin Corpse, when tempered by the Extreme Yang Attribute Dragon Pearl, will become a Living Dead. Its power might even break through to First Grade. When that time comes, we will find it and use a Secret Technique to infuse it with the Old Ancestor's memories…"
"So our family's goal is to cultivate a First Grade Living Dead that possesses the Old Ancestor's memories?!" Zheng Jinghan said in shock.
"There's more."
A burning ambition appeared in Zheng Shaoguang's eyes. "Although our family doesn't have a Martial Arts Technique to break through above the First Grade, we do have an Ancient Corpse Refining Method. When we have the Yin Yang Dragon Pearl, we can use that method to push the First Grade Living Dead to a realm beyond First Grade."
"Above First Grade… that is a force at the true peak of power. Even the Great Yu Court would have to treat it with caution. At that point, our Zheng Family will finally be off the chessboard, no longer mere fish in a pond but players ourselves, able to laugh as we watch the storms of the world rage on!"
"So, Han'Er, what you must do is hold steady. Don't panic or lose your head! Once we weather this storm, our family will have a long and promising future ahead!"
"I understand, Father!"
While Zheng Jinghan was shaken to the core by this plan, his heart also blazed with unprecedented confidence.
But how could this ambitious father and son duo know that their prized Yin Corpse, one they boasted "even an ordinary Second Grade Martial Artist couldn't defeat," was long gone? It, along with the Dragon Pearl, had been stolen right from under their noses by Fang Rui!
...
「Fang Mansion.」
「Night.」
"Huh? How did I get another huge influx of Tribulation Points out of nowhere?!"
Fang Rui suspected there was something wrong with this damn panel.
"Ah, whatever. As long as it's a good thing, I won't question it."
He closed the panel and clasped his hands behind his head, thinking to himself, 'The new Director of the Divine Capture Bureau will be here in two days. Sigh, I'll have to go back to work again. I should take this chance to really relax before then.'
'Hmm, the Red Jade Peaches at the Peach Blossom Garden should be ripe by now. Tomorrow, I'll take Mom, Third Sister, Ling'Er, and Nannan out of the city for some fun!'
...