by Dragon King
They crossed the yard and walked out of the small palace. Everywhere they saw were celebratory decorations. Red lanterns were hung everywhere; glittering dharma treasures were attached on the columns. The whole Dragon Palace looked like a celestial garden.
Dressed in a traditional Chinese robe, Zhao Yanzi’s small face looked exquisite with tear stains on it. Her white and delicate hands were a sharp contrast with her red robe.
The people coming and going in the Dragon Palace all looked joyous since Zhao Guang had announced that the Dragon Palace would celebrate Zhao Kuo’s success with the Heavenly Tribulation for three days.
The celebratory atmosphere made Zhao Yanzi even more upset. While she walked, she sniffed abruptly and was on the verge of tears again.
Hurriedly, Hao Ren pulled her to sit down on a nearby stone step.
Looking at the swaying red lanterns by her side, Zhao Yanzi couldn’t bear it anymore. She threw herself into Hao Ren’s arms and burst into tears.
She was so fond of her Third Uncle that she just couldn’t accept the fact that Zhao Kuo had failed to pass the Heavenly Tribulation. If Zhao Kuo had not come out earlier from his seclusion to celebrate her birthday, maybe he would have passed the tribulation!
Putting his arms around her, Hao Ren didn’t know how to comfort her. At a moment like this, being with her was what she needed.
Seeing her tears had dampened Hao Ren’s clothes, Zhao Yanzi took several deep breaths and finally sat up. Her red face and tear-dampened eyelashes caused Hao Ren to hurt inside.
“What should I do if Third Uncle can’t make it?” Leaning against Hao Ren’s shoulder, she asked in a low voice.
Hao Ren was silent, knowing it was a real possibility. Even a great master as powerful as Zhao Kuo was insignificant in the face of the Heaven.
If Zhao Kuo died, Zhao Yanzi would be sad for a very long time.
After a moment of consideration, he took out from the hidden space the snow lion he got in the Sky Mountain.
Looking at the unfamiliar place and sensing Zhao Yanzi’s dragon essence, the snow lion was instantly alarmed. It showed its claws and fangs at her.
“Behave!” Hao Ren said one word.
Immediately, the snow lion lowered its head and dropped to the ground, looking up at Zhao Yanzi with its bell-sized black eyes.
“What is it?” blinking her tearful eyes, Zhao Yanzi sniffed and asked Hao Ren morosely.
203 The Turning Poin
“It came with me when I was picking the snow lotuses,” Hao Ren said.
“Oh…” Zhao Yanzi bit her lip and gazed at the snow lion before her.
With its big round eyes, the snow lion stared back at Zhao Yanzi who was sitting on the step.
“It doesn’t have a name yet,” Hao Ren told her.
Zhao Yanzi glanced at Hao Ren before turning her gaze back to the snow lion. “Call it Little White.”
With eyes still moist and nose still red, she was a picture of despondency.
“Little White!” Hao Ren clapped his hands at the snow lion.
Hearing Hao Ren’s words, the snow lion immediately stood up from where it had been sitting before skipping up the steps.
Then, it jumped into Hao Ren’s arms. While it was in the air, it turned from its one-meter size into the size of about two palms.
“Grr…” Clinging to Hao Ren’s chest, the snow lion cub responded affectionately.
Beside Hao Ren, Zhao Yanzi’s eyes lit up.
“Little White!” She called it.
Little White looked at her timidly. Hao Ren patted its little bum, and it joyously jumped into Zhao Yanzi’s hands.
“So cute.” Carrying fluffy Little White, Zhao Yanzi forgot her apprehension and sadness. She smiled.
Little White rubbed against her palms, and she giggled at the itchiness.
“It’s a demon beast. Can you keep it?” With Little White in her hands, Zhao Yanzi asked Hao Ren abruptly.
“What’s the difference between demon beasts and spirit beasts?” Hao Ren asked.
“Almost the same. The only difference is that demon beasts are wild and spirit beasts are tamed,” Zhao Yanzi answered.
“Then, Little White is a spirit beast. It listens to me,” Hao Ren said.
He reached out and touched Little White’s head, and Little White rubbed its head against his palm.
“Little White looks quite tamed. Usually, demon beasts are not tamed easily,” Zhao Yanzi said.
Hao Ren thought for a while and said, “Su Han said Little White is a Bin Level spirit beast.”
In fact, he had not meant to ask her about this stuff, but he was trying to distract her from her sadness.
Sure enough, Zhao Yanzi took the opportunity to show off her knowledge. She explained, “The spirit beasts are divided into four levels; Jia, Yi, Bin, and Ding. Jia Level is the most powerful level, and spirit beasts of the Jia Level are usually mounts of immortals. Yi is the second level, but beasts of this level are very powerful helpers in battles. Spirit beasts of Bin Level such as Little White are more powerful than ordinary spirit beasts and have some talent, but they are no match for real masters. Spirit beasts of the Ding Level have no strong power at all, but their skins are so thick that ordinary cultivation techniques can’t harm them. If they launch an attack in a group, an ordinary cultivator is no match for them.”
Hao Ren had never imagined that he would tame a spirit beast, but Little White had followed him out willingly. Although it was only a Bin Level spirit beast, Hao Ren was delighted with it.
“From the look of it, Little White should be only half a year old,” now familiar with Little White, Zhao Yanzi pinched its little nose and said.
“Half a year?!” Hao Ren was surprised.
“Yeah. If it were not so young, it wouldn’t have been so eager for attention or be so obedient.” Zhao Yanzi nodded with conviction.
Hao Ren thought about the adult snow lions in the karst cave. Each of them was over three meters tall, and they were not at the most powerful state yet… Hao Ren was excited when he imagined the scenario when the little animal running around his heels turned into a hill-sized snow lion when it was in a battle. “Princess! Fuma!”
At this moment, Premier Xia, with his back bent slightly, was running toward them, panting.
Growl… Little White who had been sitting quietly in Zhao Yanzi’s arms suddenly jumped up and turned into its original size, blocking Premier Xia’s way.
Startled by the sudden appearance of a demon beast, Premier Xia almost fell to the ground.
“Little White! Don’t be rude!” Hao Ren beckoned at it.
Little White hesitated before jumping back into Hao Ren’s hands, turning into its miniature version.
Premier Xia steadied his steps and wiped sweat from his forehead. Zhao Yanzi stood up anxiously. “Is it about Third Uncle?”
“Third Lord, Third Lord…” Premier Xia panted and broke his sentence into two parts. Hao Ren began to share Zhao Yanzi’s anxiety.
“Third Lord is awake!” Finally, Premier Xia finished his sentence.
Zhao Yanzi was exhilarated at the news. Without thinking, she grabbed Hao Ren’s hand and dashed forward.
Little White followed them joyously, thinking they were playing a game of chase.
With his bent back, Premier Xia walked fast. Shortly, he led them into the little palace where Zhao Kuo was resting.
In the room, Zhao Kuo was awake, though his face was still pale. Elder Xingyue sat by the bed, still despondent.
“Third Uncle!” Zhao Yanzi shrugged off Hao Ren’s hand and rushed toward Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Guang stopped her immediately. “Your Third Uncle is still weak. You must not disturb him!”
Standing by the bed, Zhao Yanzi was so excited that she burst into tears again.
Hao Ren followed Premier Xia to the bed. Seeing Zhao Yanzi crying her heart out once again, Hao Ren witnessed the sensitive and fragile side of this strong headed girl.
Little w
hite followed Hao Ren into the room and jumped into his arms.
“Snow lion…” Zhao Kuo was surprised to see Little White in Hao Ren’s arms.
“Third Uncle, this is Little White.” Zhao Yanzi dried her tears and smiled. “Hao Ren brought it with him when he picked snow lotuses for you.”
“Did you go to the Snow Lotus Cave in Sky Mountain?” Zhao Kuo stared at Hao Ren in surprise.
“Yeah.” Hao Ren nodded slightly.
“Brother, how could you do that? The Snow Lotus Cave is a very dangerous place. How did you let this kid go there and pick snow lotuses?” Zhao Kuo turned to ask Zhao Guang.
“Little Daoist Zhen said it was dangerous, but he didn’t mention it was very dangerous.” Zhao Guang frowned.
“He doesn’t know!” Choking on his words, Zhao Kuo coughed. “One hundred years ago, I broke into the Snow Lotus Cave in Sky Mountain and found the snow lions there each had the power of the Xun Level!”
“Xun Level?” Zhao Guang looked at Hao Ren in astonishment, not understanding how he got the snow lotuses from a group of Xun Level demon beasts.
But Zhao Hongyu nodded appreciatively at the fact that Hao Ren had not mentioned a word about the dangers in the cave. If Zhao Kuo had not brought it up, they would have thought it was an easy trip.
Hao Ren’s modesty and disregard for vanity was the style of a master.
“Yeah. At that time, I was only at low-tier Kun Level. To pick a 500-year seven-colored snow lotus, I ventured too deep into the cave and almost couldn’t get out intact! The snow lions are very smart; they lured me deep into the cave before surrounding me. Without the help of a treasure, I couldn’t have gotten out!” Zhao Kuo said.
Zhao Guang smiled. “To save your life, Ren got six 1,000-year seven-colored snow lotuses!”
Zhao Kuo’s bull-like eyes widened as he looked at Hao Ren in astonishment.
Hao Ren smiled faintly. Indeed, the trip to the cave was quite dangerous, but everything ended well for him.
“Kid, I owe you one,” Zhao Kuo stared at Hao Ren and said.
“Third Uncle, you are still weak! Don’t talk so much!” Zhao Yanzi reminded him in concern.
Meanwhile, her gaze toward Hao Ren looked different.
“Although snow lions are just Bin Level spirit beasts, they are the rare kind with both ice and fire elements. Last time when I broke into the Snow Lotus Cave, they almost burned off half of my eyebrow!” Despite Zhao Yanzi’s reminder, Zhao Kuo continued.
“Is Little White that powerful?” Zhao Yanzi’s bright eyes blinked with interest.
“The adult snow lions can spit fire, release fire with their paws, and can even condense ice as well. I’m not sure if they possess any other powers.” Zhao Kuo said.
Equipped with his great cultivation power, Zhao Kuo had traveled the world and thus knew a lot of things that even Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu didn’t know, not to mention Zhao Yanzi.
Hao Ren looked down at Little White in his arms and imagined it spitting fires in a majestic white body with fiery paws. It would be an awe-inspiring sight! However, Little White was now wiggling in his arms, looking nothing like he had imagined.
Opening the hidden space in the necklace, Hao Ren put the cub inside. There was a Water Repellent Bead in the space, and Little White began to play with it as soon as it landed.
“Third Uncle, although you didn’t pass the Heavenly Tribulation and didn’t reach the Heaven Dragon Realm, you are still powerful. Let’s go and get some demon beasts as pets!” Zhao Yanzi squatted before the bed and caught Zhao Kuo’s hand, pleading cutely.
She was a bit envious of Hao Ren having such a pretty pet. She wanted to have her own demon beast pet.
Zhao Kuo had by now regained some of the colors in his face. Hearing her request, however, his face dimmed.
“Your Third Uncle…” Zhao Guang lowered his voice. “He’s alive, but his cultivation strength is gone, including the last one-twentieth of his power.”
“Really?” Zhao Yanzi widened her eyes and looked at Zhao Kuo in astonishment.
Zhao Kuo, who had swept across the mortal world unrivaled, had been reduced to a weakling lower than the Kan Level!
“Hahaha…” Lying in bed, Zhao Kuo burst into laughter abruptly.
He struggled to sit up and pointed his hand into the sky. “Sneaky Heaven! Broken Heaven! As long as I have a breath in me, I will fight you to the end!”
His former crazy expression returned while he clenched his fists. “What if I’m now a weakling? What if all my meridians are broken? As long as I’m alive, I will cultivate again to the Qian Level! I, Zhao Kuo, will rewrite the rules of Heaven!!! One day, I’ll poke a hole in Heaven!”
Boom!
As if in answer to Zhao Kuo’s arrogance, a muffled thunder boomed in the sky above the Dragon Palace at the bottom of the sea.
Zhao Guang sighed slightly. “Brother, rest. As to your cultivation, we’ll talk about it later. Elder Xingyue, please take care of Elder Zhao. The rest of you come out with me.”
“Yes. Your Majesty,” Xingyue answered with a bow of her head.
When they were outside, Zhao Guang thought for a while before saying, “Remember, we tell the people outside that Elder Zhao has successfully passed the Heavenly Tribulation. Elder Sun, you take Ren back on land. Zi will stay here for a few days to keep her Third Uncle company.”
204 Worried about Gongzi
When Elder Sun took Hao Ren back on land, it was early in the morning.
The Mercedes-Benz was still parked by the seaside, and Elder Sun drove Hao Ren to school.
On their way back, they were silent.
Elder Sun’s silence signaled the heaviness he felt inside. Zhao Kuo’s failure at the Heavenly Tribulation brought a shadow to the whole East Ocean situation.
“Gongzi Hao, don’t worry. The East Ocean will handle the remaining business,” driving the car, Elder Sun said abruptly.
“Ok.” Hao Ren nodded.
“Whatever happens, we’ll not let you and Ms. Zi get hurt,” Elder Sun continued.
Looking at his determined expression, Hao Ren knew that he meant what he said.
Along the seaside highway, the car drove into the downtown core. Elder Sun possessed many properties and businesses in East Ocean City, including a big hotel and restaurant, a martial arts dojo, and several clubs. He was quite a figure in the city, and his aura and calmness were not something an ordinary person could copy.
Elder Sun stopped the car at the school gate.
“Gongzi Hao, here you go.”
“Thank you, Elder Sun.” Hao Ren got out of the car and watched as it drove away.
At the moment, the elders were handling the situation between East Ocean and West Ocean. Hao Ren’s task was to cultivation right now.
It was almost time for class. Hao Ren went to the cafeteria for breakfast before walking to the classroom.
In the classroom, as usual, Xie Yujia was already sitting in the front row. Seeing Hao Ren, she immediately stood up and walked to him with a bag.
“This is the textbook you left in the classroom. I kept it for you.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Hao Ren was amazed by her attention to detail.
“Well…” When Hao Ren didn’t offer an explanation, Xie Yujia had to ask him, “You took off suddenly a few days ago, and I called you yesterday when you still didn’t show up, but the call couldn’t get through to you. Did… Did something happen to Grandma?”
“No. It was something else.” With the bag in hand, Hao Ren began to walk to the back row of the classroom.
“You look…” Xie Yujia locked eyes with Hao Ren. “Different.”
Hao Ren looked down at himself and saw that he was still wearing the same clothes from a few days ago. The only difference was that he had jumped from Kan-level to Li-level. He guessed that the elevation in realms had made him look different.
He looked back at Xie Yujia and said, “You look different as well.”
Xie Yujia gav
e him a sweet smile. She knew that her clothes were as simple as before and thought Hao Ren said the words to flatter her.
Their classmates began to file into the room. When Zhao Jiayi and his buddies saw Hao Ren, they immediately yelled, “Ren! Where have you been these past few days?”
“Did you go on vacation with the twins? We haven’t seen them either!”
“Are we friends or not? Why didn’t you invite us to your vacation with the beauties?”
The classroom became lively when they began accusing Hao Ren of going on a vacation with Lu Linlin and Lu Lili and urged him to admit it.
Hao Ren guessed that the Lu sisters must have skipped classes due to his absence. They must have been worried about him after his abrupt departure. The altar had blocked all the connections to the outside world, and the bell the Lu sisters gave him must have been ineffective during that period.
After class, Hao Ren decided to contact them. Not wanting to summon them with the bell, he went directly to the graduate student dorms beside Yixin Cafeteria to find them.
“Gongzi!” As if they have sensed Hao Ren’s presence, they rushed out before Hao Ren could raise his head and call out to them.
They had been reading in the dorm in soft cotton sweaters. Since they were in a hurry to see him, they didn’t even change out of their slippers.
“Gongzi…” They rushed out of the dorm building and threw themselves into his arms.
Hao Ren back off two steps under their momentum. Stepping back, he placed his palms against their shoulders and said, “Ok! Ok! I’m fine!”
Lu Linlin and Lu Lili pouted. “Gongzi, you disappeared for two days! We were so worried!”
Looking at their cute faces, Hao Ren knew that they were telling the truth. He was a little touched and felt a bit guilty.
“I will remember to inform you when I have to leave abruptly in the future,” looking at their pretty faces, Hao Ren promised.
“Good!” Lu Linlin and Lu Lili nodded. Since they had been staying in their dorm, they had their hair down. They looked like two little identical pink flowers.
“Go back to class. Elder Lu arranged you to study in the school, and you can’t embarrass him by skipping classes without any good reasons.”
