Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Jiang’s mind was in a state of chaos. The Dragon King’s questions were crushing her, and the pressure was completely beyond her ability to bear.
Her life was supposed to be simple. In the Great Snowmountain, men played the role of proud and aloof heroes, while women silently supported them. The fate that old chief Long Qinying personally assigned to Jiang was supposed to be an honor and also her duty.
But she never happily accepted this fate.
She, like the others, respected the Dragon King as a demigod. It was because of this man, who had come out of nowhere, that the tribes of the Great Snowmountain ended their senseless killing after years of fighting amongst each other. Even if many talented swordsmen were sacrificed in the process of following the Dragon King, there was no regret among the people.
Jiang still recalled her past life. Luoshen Peak was fell, and its people were drifting miserably in the most remote area of the Great Snowmountain. The women were hungry more than half of the time as they were afraid to venture out to pick wild vegetables, for they could have been caught by hostile swordsmen, never to be seen again.
Their fate would have been even worse had they encountered killers from the Golden Roc fort who had entered the region to kidnap children.
It was the Dragon King who put an end to this miserable way of life. Before Jiang had even met him, she had already worshipped him; she was willing to give her life to protect even a single hair on his head.
As a result, in the Dragon King’s presence, she always appeared to be shy and clumsy; she never managed to show even a little of her true self. The young girl who ran freely in the snowy mountains and whose laughter could reach beyond the mountains was trapped, in a rigid shell of herself.
Lin Xiaoshan was different from the Dragon King in every way. Within his shy exterior hid burning passion and purity. He was not a swordsman of the Great Snowmountain, but he was also drawn to the Dragon King and was willing to give his life for their cause.
The taels, who were similar in nature, found their personal qualities respectively in the other person and already had a favorable impression of each other from their childhood in Jade City. They remained ignorant of these feelings until they were under siege together in the capital of the Stone Kingdom for more than eight months; then that they finally understood their true feelings.
Xu Yanwei had made the same observation much earlier than the taels. She was meddlesome in nature and created many opportunities for Lin Xiaoshan and Jiang to be together. She thought that they would become closer, but instead, they decided not to meet again.
Jiang firmly believed that she belonged to the Dragon King and that her fate was decided by the heavens; she could not oppose or have even a shred of doubt in her heart.
She deliberately avoided meeting the young man who could make her feel carefree and happy, hoping to force those feelings into remission.
Lin Xiaoshan was puzzled by her behavior, thinking that he had acted been rude and offended Jiang; he contemplated for a long time, but still did not know which particular incident displeased her. That was until the Dragon King announced the date of his wedding.
The pain hit him as ferociously as an erupting volcano, and like a river, it would not stop. Liao Xiaoshan was still not defeated, but he was different from Fang Wenshi; he could not come up with so many excuses for himself, nor would he blame himself without reason. He was certain of one thing at least: that Jiang was worthy of the Dragon King, even more so than the fragile Princess of the Stone Kingdom.
Lin Xiaoshan made up his mind to protect the Dragon King and Jiang until he died by the enemy’s sword.
Lin Xiaoshan stood guard night and day and accompanied the Dragon King everywhere; he felt no fatigue or pain. Occasionally, he would wonder why the killers of the Golden Roc Fort had still not arrived and whether Jiang would be a little sad if he were killed.
Jiang’s heart was broken and could not be pieced together again. The level at which she hated herself was ten times stronger than Fang Wenshi felt toward himself because she realized that she was growing resistant to the idea of marrying the Dragon King.
The swordsmen of the Great Snowmountain did not pay much attention to the ceremony. Chief Long Xiaoshi gave Jiang a very blunt order when he fetched Jiang from the royal palace, “Sleep with the Dragon King; I want to see the birth of his successor 10 months from now. Remember, you cannot give birth to his child after the Princess of the Stone Kingdom. You can be earlier by a day or even an hour, but not later.”
The pure young girl was unable to cope with the many different kinds of pressure pouring in.
“How much do you like Lin Xiaoshan?”
The Dragon King’s question gave her more pressure than she had ever felt before and finally broke her. She burst into tears, her heart full of guilt and fear, and slid from the cushion to the ground, crawling before the Dragon King’s feet.
“Dragon King… Dragon King.” Jiang muttered senselessly, unable to even say another word. She pressed her hands tightly on the tips of the Dragon King’s shoes.
Gu Shenwei freed his feet from her grasp and stood up. He ignored the girl’s crying and walked to the entrance before lifting the screen and shouting Lin Xiaoshan’s name.
Lin Xiaoshan recognized the coldness in his voice. He was not a master of guessing other people’s ideas, but he immediately understood what was about to happen.
The pressure that had built inside him unexpectedly disappeared. Lin Xiaoshan had not felt this relaxed in a long time.
That said, he felt an unprecedented amount of pressure upon seeing Jiang collapsed on the ground and crying pitifully.
“It’s all my fault,” Lin Xiaoshan firmly declared. His voice was calm; it was a level of calm that belonged only to the strong-willed. He then drew his saber and knelt before presenting the weapon to the Dragon King with both hands.
He suddenly realized that he was being too brief and that it could lead to misunderstanding. Thus, he quickly added, “It was all wishful thinking on my part. Jiang has never done a single thing to wrong you, Dragon King. She’s the best in the world…”
Lin Xiaoshan stopped talking in the nick of time. He was worried that speaking too much would enrage the Dragon King even more.
Gu Shenwei was indeed a little angry, not because of Lin Xiaoshan’s relationship with Jiang, but because of the fact that he had to waste time on these trivial matters when the enemy was drawing near and killers lying in wait.
The young couple thought of their relationship as a great betrayal, but they knew nothing about the Dragon King’s real thoughts.
Gu Shenwei took two steps back and stood in between them. “This matter needs to be resolved,” he said.
Lin Xiaoshan’s heart sank while Jiang stopped crying and raised her head to look at the Dragon King; they did not understand what he meant by “resolve.”
“Jiang and I haven’t done anything,” Lin Xiaoshan was not defending himself, but he hoped not to bring trouble to Jiang.
“I know, but I don’t want to hear gossip again; it’s not beneficial for anyone,” said Gu Shenwei.
“Gossip?” Hearing this, Lin Xiaoshan got very angry. “We didn’t even express our true feelings to ourselves, so how could there be gossip? But if the Dragon King knows about it, he must have heard something from someone,” he thought.
His anger soon dissipated, but Lin Xiaoshan still held onto his saber. He was a macheteman and knew what the best “solution” was. He said, “I beg you, Dragon King– give me a chance to fight against the enemy. It won’t take long. The day after tomorrow– no, I will resolve it by tomorrow.”
The Dragon King’s wedding was in two days, and Lin Xiaoshan would rather end his life before that.
Jiang finally understood the meaning of “resolve.” After tearing up, she got up on her feet and spoke to the Dragon King in a calm tone she had never possessed before, “No, he is innocent. It is I who has betrayed you, Dragon King. Everything I have belongs to you, but I had some thoughts that I shouldn’t have had, so let me–”
“No, no, Jiang hasn’t done anything!” Lin Xiaoshan protested.
Lin Xiaoshan and Jiang both stared at the Dragon King. They dared not even glance at each other, but each of them wanted to take responsibility.
Gu Shenwei gently tapped his fingers on his scabbard. Looking at the simple couple, he suddenly felt very old. His heart quickly hardened again. He could eradicate his own feelings, let alone the love of others.
Compared with the cause he was undertaking, the scene unfolding in front of him was really insignificant.
“Jiang can’t die,” he said, only considering how to solve the present problem. “The Great Snowmountain needs a queen, an impeccable queen.”
This was the final decision. The result was what Lin Xiaoshan had expected, so he stood up and sheathed his saber before nodding to the Dragon King in acknowledgment of his decision. He was unwilling to beat around the bush like the swordsmen of the Great Snowmountain; he would demonstrate his loyalty and determination during his decisive battle with the enemy.
He retreated to the exit and made the boldest move of his entire life: He looked up at Jiang with a slight smile.
Jiang was looking at the empty exit in a daze when she began to have the rebellious thought that fate might be unfair.
“Sometimes, death is a blessing, but those who survive have to endure more pain,” Gu Shenwei said. It was meant to be neither a threat nor consolation, but his theory about life.
“Does everyone feel so much pain?” Jiang asked.
Jiang neither hated the Dragon King nor resented the people of the Great Snowmountain. Nobody treated her poorly. The swordsmen of her homeland were proud of her while its women admired her status, so she could not understand why she still felt so miserable. Although the Dragon King was ruthless, he was the only one she could ask.
“Everyone.” Gu Shenwei paused for a moment before adding, “So we always try our best to pass our pain onto others.”
Jiang pondered the Dragon King’s words and understood some truth in them. And although she could not express it with words, her mind was crystal clear.
Gu Shenwei walked out of the tent. The sky was overcast and a cold wind was suddenly blowing; the last cold rain of late autumn was coming.
Lin Xiaoshan was still at his sentry post. He did not hear the footsteps behind him and bowed immediately when he found the Dragon King standing beside him.
“You don’t miss the people of Jade City? Such as the blacksmith, Mr. Hong.”
Mr. Hong was one of the leaders of the Tianshan Sect. He was like a father to Liao Xiaoshan but he always kept their relationship a secret.
Lin Xiaoshan was silent for a moment, “Uncle Hong loved my mother and has been taking care of me since she died, so he… will understand my decision.”
“I’m afraid that he didn’t know you had a choice and thinks that you’re dead.”
Lin Xiaoshan had nothing to say and he did not know why the Dragon King was torturing him with these words. “Don’t tell me that even death will not erase my past faults?” he thought.
“You should feel indebted to Mr. Hong. If he dies in Jade City, will you avenge him?” the Dragon King inquired.
“Yes.” Lin Xiaoshan said firmly.
“But you will die very soon. How will you avenge him?”
Lin Xiaosiao was stunned, his usually calm demeanor began to turn chaotic. Even so, the Dragon King refused to let him go and continued on, “If Mr. Hong and Jiang got into trouble at the same time, which one of them would you save?”
The Dragon King’s tone sounded very serious, and he kept staring at Lin Xiaoshan– his gaze colder than the wind blowing around them.
Lin Xiaoshan had never thought about this problem before. He felt a flash of anger again, thinking that the Dragon King was playing tricks on him, but he calmed down quickly and searched for the true feelings in his heart. “Jiang needs more help. Mr. Hong is not a macheteman but chose the path of one. Sooner or later, he will die by the enemy’s sword,” he said.
Gu Shenwei nodded, “You are ready to face death and I will arrange for you to die in a suitable fashion. Tomorrow is too early; it shall be the day after tomorrow. Wait for my order.”
The Dragon King did not return to his tent, but disappeared into the darkness.
The cold wind suddenly became stronger and chilly drops of rain started falling, the torches flickered in the barracks, and Lin Xiaoshan did not notice any of it. He contemplated the Dragon King’s words over and over, until the rain seeped through his clothes.
