Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-491

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Night at New North Bridge was similar to the summer nights of other places in the capital, brimming with the stifling heat of summer. The grass was littered with people endlessly fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans. Many people used the hand not holding the fan to carry a bag of ice. Chen Changsheng waited for a very long time until an ideal chance came for him to go from the tree to the well and jump in.

It was still that familiar feeling of falling, that icy chill that bored into the bones. None of the torrid summer heat above could be found in this underground space. The thick mantle of snow on the ground signified that this place would always be the cruel winter.

As he watched the Black Dragon slowly float over like a moving mountain range, although he had seen this sight many times before, he still found it impossible to control his emotions, feeling almost scared witless.

The Black Dragon floated in the space in front, gazing at him from high up. The emotion revealed in its dragon eyes was one of cold indifference. Only he could clearly tell that the deepest depths of those eyes concealed a hint of impatience and complaint.

After returning to the capital from Xunyang City, he had only come to see the Black Dragon once. It was just that pressure placed on the Orthodox Academy recently had been far too great and he had been far too busy. He had truly found it impossible to tear himself away.

The wound between the brows of the Black Dragon should have slowly gotten better. At least, he couldn't see any problems on the surface.

Chen Changsheng took out the food such as roast lamb and chicken that he had prepared as usual, also cleaning up the trash on the floor. Just as he was prepared to speak, a sudden chilly wind blew into his face.

It was the Black Dragon's dragon breath, containing a frightening might and cold.

The most powerful soul could be dispersed by this icy dragon breath.

The dragon breath of the Golden Dragon could melt metal. Chen Changsheng had never seen it before, but he could be very sure now that its peer the Black Frost Dragon's dragon breath could definitely freeze metal into bits, because he was currently frozen to a halt, the cold piercing into his bones and his body in incomparable pain. After some time, he was finally able to break through the ice with great difficulty. Fear still lingering in his heart, he said, "In the future, don't joke around like this anymore."

He didn't know that his body had once been bathed in the true blood of the Black Dragon, or else that dragon breath would have simply frozen him to death. Then it would no longer be a joke.

A hint of happiness and content flashed across the Black Dragon's massive eyes and the cavernous space echoed with the sounds of 'zhizhi' as it laughed.

Chen Changsheng was already used to the strange laughter of the Black Dragon. He told it what had happened recently to the Orthodox Academy, which could also be considered an explanation for his lack of visits.

The Black Dragon slowly descended to the ground before him, blocking out the radiance of the several thousand Night Pearls studding the ceiling of the underground space.

Chen Changsheng stood in its shadow, staring at it for a long time. He firmly resolved that he must get an answer today.

Back then when he had endangered his life and attempted Introspective Meditation for the first time, he was just about to die, but when he finally woke up, he was lying on his bed in the Orthodox Academy, and he wasn't even wounded. On the contrary, he had obtained an unimaginably tough body, strength and speed.

He knew that this was definitely related to the Black Dragon. Later on, he had asked several times, but the Black Dragon had always avoided answering his question. Hearing his question, or maybe sensing his resolve today, the Black Dragon did not act as it had done before, using disregard to humiliate him, or using its dragon breath to humiliate him. Instead, it fell into a long silence.

"Are you sure you wish to know the answer?" the Black Dragon said in human tongue.

This was not the first time Chen Changsheng had heard the Black Dragon speak in human tongue. During the first time, he had not understood why the Black Dragon's voice was similar to that of an irritable and easily angered young girl. He later on realized that although the Black Dragon had been locked in this underground space by Wang Zhice for several centuries, when relative to the long lives of the Dragon Race, it was truthfully still in its youth. It could not be called a child dragon, but it should be…

A young maiden dragon?

Chen Changsheng replied, "I wish to know the answer."

After another long silence, the Black Dragon described the circumstances back then.

Only then did Chen Changsheng realize that he had originally been so fortunate.

After a long silence, he looked at the Black Dragon and asked, "How should I thank Your Honor?"

After the journey in the Garden of Zhou, he very rarely addressed the Black Dragon respectfully. However, his mindset was somewhat restless, filled with a lingering fear and gratitude to the Black Dragon, so he respectfully addressed it with 'Your Honor'.

Yet the Black Dragon clearly did not wish to hear these words. A tinge of vexation appeared in the depths of its massive eyes.

And then the Black Dragon thought of something and the vexation turned into anger.

If Chen Changsheng were more sensitive in certain aspects, perhaps he would have been able to see a little shame.

All the meanings in the depths of the Black Dragon's eyes ultimately transformed into a fiendish intent.

You obtained my first blood and then actually asked me how to thank me!

The world of the underground space instantly became incomparably frigid. The mantle of snow on the ground was jolted into the air and snowflakes began to float down from the sky. Everywhere was a dense white.

A dragon cry fell directly in Chen Changsheng's sea of consciousness.

It was her voice, this time in dragon tongue.

Her voice was very soft, very clear.

Her emotions were very chilly, very intense.

Chen Changsheng was almost shocked into unconsciousness. When he turned his thoughts to that dragon cry he had just heard, he realized that it was the Black Dragon's words to him.

Dragon language was this world's most complex and also simplest language. A single dragon cry was one syllable, but within it were countless tones. It could mean one thing, or it could be an entire essay.

When Chen Changsheng was small and studying that very last scroll, he had touched upon the Dragon language. After coming to the capital, he had also learned some from the Black Dragon, but he still was not able to completely understand this dragon cry.

He could vaguely understand a few parts of the Black Dragon's cry.

"Blood…you…I…pact…oath…heartless…shame…sin…die…warehouse…water…fat…next…"

What did this mean? He was somewhat at a loss. The word 'heartless' had especially resonated in his mind, making him doubt if he had really heard it correctly, if he had really been learning the Dragon language.

"Just what does Your Honor want me to do?"

He patted the snow and ice off his body, walked up to the Black Dragon, and raised his head.

The Black Dragon towered over him, a smear of sadness and grievance gradually appearing in its emotionless eyes.

Perhaps because it didn't want Chen Changsheng to see or because it truly was rather tired, it closed its eyes. With this action, the snowstorm in the underground space also ceased.

Chen Changsheng looked at it and said, "Thank you."

He spoke very sincerely, but the Black Dragon did not open its eyes. Just like it had said in the Garden of Zhou and the snowy mountain range, it believed that when he said these two words, he had not been mindful.

In truth, Chen Changsheng had seen the sadness and grievance in the Black Dragon's eyes before it closed them.

He had not connected it to himself, but was rather thinking that if it were exchanged for a human or demi-human, then this Black Dragon would most likely be a young maiden like Luoluo.

If a young maiden were deceived by a human expert and then imprisoned in this underground space for several centuries, they would definitely feel a sense of grievance and sadness.

Chen Changsheng believed he understood why the Black Dragon had displayed such anger a few moments ago.

Yes, the Black Dragon had saved his life, even bestowed upon him a better one. On the other hand, it had been imprisoned in this underground space the entire time. He had once promised it that if possible, he would think of a way to rescue it. But half a year had gone, and what had he done? Had he even thought about this matter? He had even dared to ask just now if there was any way he could thank it…

He lowered his head and walked past the Black Dragon's body, walking off into the darkness until he gradually disappeared.

Chen Changsheng was currently filled with guilt.

The Black Dragon had not opened its eyes, but it knew what he was doing. However, it didn't know what he was thinking.

There was silence, with only the gradually fading sounds of footsteps. The Black Dragon's closed eyes seemed to quiver, ice rustling down. It seemed as if it wished to open its eyes, but it ultimately chose not to.

She somewhat callously thought, humans are truly all shameless and incapable. Upon encountering an unresolvable problem or some unbearable kindness, they will think about avoiding it or else engage in vicious quarrel.

In the end, you are still a human.

Then if you want to leave, leave.

My appetite today is no good, I don't want to eat a human.

But when you come next time and still only dare to say thank you and not even bring the dishes of the Orthodox Academy's cafeteria to let me try, I will definitely swallow you whole.

Yes, when Chen Changsheng had been narrating the recent events of the Orthodox Academy, he had not forgotten to mention that Tang Thirty-Six had made Clear Lake Restaurant into the Orthodox Academy's cafeteria.

When she heard the word 'blue lobster', she recalled how when she was very small and followed her father journeying west for fun, whenever she got bored on their journey on the seabed, she randomly grabbed a few blue lobsters and chewed them as snacks. Later on, when she arrived in the human world, she realized that some of the humans in the south also enjoyed eating similar foods. Apparently, they were called betel nuts?

The Black Dragon abruptly awoke from her trance, thinking, have I been imprisoned too long? How could it be so easy for me to wander off? A moment ago, I was preparing to reprimand heartless youths, so then how did I suddenly start thinking about snacks?

Then she heard from far behind her a pounding noise, causing her to slowly open her eyes.

She was a Black Frost Dragon. The chill within her eyes could cause the entire world to tremble in fear. For some reason, there was an extra tinge of warmth within them.

The pounding sound came from a distant place. This was because the Black Dragon's body was enormous, like a mountain range.

At the moment, Chen Changsheng was right in front of that absolutely colossal wall, attempting to open up the chains that imprisoned the Black Dragon.

Miraculously, these two chains were not very thick, at least when compared to the Black Dragon's body, yet the Black Dragon was unable to get rid of them.

Chen Changsheng had tried before, so he knew that he even the Stainless Sword assessed by the Pavilion of Divination as being incomparably sharp was incapable of cutting apart these chains.

This was because the edge of the Stainless Sword could not actually touch the chains. The outer surface of the chains was covered in an invisible and untouchable, yet very real, wrapping of Qi.

The pounding coming from the direction of the wall was the sound of him pounding against the thick layer of ice where the chains attached to the wall.

The chains and formations imprisoning the Black Frost Dragon were certainly not something he could currently break, but just as the journey of ten thousand li begins with a single step, he still had to take that first step.

The first step was research.

The more he researched, the more he was shaken to the core.