Volume Six: The Sovereign's Return to the Shattered Continent Chapter Ten: The Dream Spirit Encounters Lanling

Lanling paused briefly, glanced back at Yu Changsheng, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, then turned back to continue, “It looks magnificent, but compared to the Cloud Summit Celestial Palace, it falls far short.”

Yu Changsheng was somewhat dissatisfied, tilting his head back as he asked, “How large is the Cloud Summit Celestial Palace then?”

Zhuo Hua cleared his throat lightly. “If we’re talking strictly about the palaces, the Cloud Summit Celestial Palace isn’t as large as Tianshui City. It covers only about ten miles in circumference, with a total of one hundred and eight buildings, big and small. But…”

“But what?”

“But no one refers solely to those hundred or so palaces as the Cloud Summit Celestial Palace. The true Cloud Summit Celestial Palace includes the mountain ranges piled high and the rivers that flow endlessly, the drifting clouds across the sky, and the countless stars of the night. The three thousand miles of landscape recorded in the Cloud Heaven Stele—that is the genuine Cloud Summit Celestial Palace.”

Lanling’s face was filled with a deep longing for that pure land. A single tear, warm as molten gold, slowly traced its way down, touching both her and Zhuo Hua’s hearts.

“That… you’d better not go see Yan Donglai! After all, your troops have ravaged Tianshui City for over two months, and he along with his nephew are gravely wounded,” Zhuo Hua hesitated before speaking.

“What? Are you afraid I can’t defeat them?” Lanling wiped the tear from her eye with a silk handkerchief, turning to Zhuo Hua with a hint of mockery.

“You know that’s not what I mean. You are hated throughout the void now; being too conspicuous won't do you any favors,” Zhuo Hua said, knowing her temperament well. The more she was forbidden to do something, the more she would insist on doing it. After that, he wisely fell silent.

Lanling said nothing more and strode directly into the city lord’s mansion.

The moment they entered, they were engulfed by an atmosphere of celebration. On the mansion’s plaza, soldiers fresh from the battlefield still wore their armor, surrounding tables laden with exquisite dishes, devouring the food greedily. Cups clinked, and some were already beginning to stagger drunk.

“Are you really this happy just because you won one battle?” Lanling frowned, pouting.

“A victory is a victory,” Yu Changsheng retorted, unwilling to let anyone tarnish this hard-won success, having given his all in the fight.

“Did you not see the Dark Wrath army send out their distress signal fires?” Lanling shot back.

“Of course, everyone here saw them. So what if reinforcements came? My Flying Immortal Array wiped them out all the same,” Yu Changsheng said angrily.

Zhuo Hua shook his head, thinking to himself, “Youthful temper is always so fierce; they can’t resist a few provoking words from Lanling.”

“Well, you should also be aware of the strength of the other three generals of Yunshang!” Lanling found an empty table in a corner outside the plaza, sat down, picked up a tender roasted chicken leg, and began to savor it slowly.

“The Three Generals of Yunshang?” Yu Changsheng was confused. He had only been able to fight on the battlefield through a burst of youthful bravery; he hadn’t given much thought to who the opponents were or whether there were reinforcements. There simply hadn’t been time, and some information was beyond his reach.

Zhuo Hua pulled up a chair beside Lanling and sat down. He reached for a pot of wine, feeling its warmth, then nodded, ready to pour for Lanling.

“I can’t drink cold wine!” Lanling called out.

“I checked the temperature; it’s not cold,” Zhuo Hua said, pouring deep red wine into her empty glass.

“Fine wine in a luminous cup at night, the pipa compels haste while drinking. Drunken on the battlefield, laugh not at me, for how many return from ancient wars?” With the poem finished, the cup was filled.

“You know, poetry is about the only thing you do that impresses me,” Lanling said, raising the cup and drinking it all at once, wiping the purplish-red stain from her lips with the back of her delicate hand.

Seeing their playful banter, Yu Changsheng suddenly felt shy, as if he wanted to leave quickly and never see these two again.

Just as Yu Changsheng’s heart was burning with restlessness and he wanted to turn away, Zhuo Hua spoke, “The Dark Wrath clan is essentially a large tribe that measures everyone’s worth by military achievements. Naturally, strength is directly related to one’s merits.”

Lanling tore off a piece of chicken and stuffed it into Zhuo Hua’s mouth as he spoke, humming softly, “No need to waste words on this fool; let him figure it out on his own. You’ve been busy all night—eat something.”

Zhuo Hua smiled at her and continued, “Within the Dark Wrath army, the strongest are the Eight Generals of Heaven and Earth’s Woe. They are divided into the Four Generals of Heavenly Woe—Cloud, Rain, Snow, Wind—and the Four Generals of Earthly Woe—Mountain, Stone, Earth, Sand. These eight possess unfathomable strength and ruthless methods, slaying mercilessly; they are the hawk’s talons and fangs of the Dark Wrath Emperor’s campaigns.”

“Are their cultivations higher than yours, Lord Yu?” Yu Changsheng felt a flicker of fear but still pinned his hopes on Zhuo Hua.

“How could those riffraff compare to my Zhuo Hua!” Lanling had just finished a chicken leg, chewing noisily, her eyes roaming over the plump, tender bird until settling on a wing. She then leisurely reached out and tore it off in a flash.

Zhuo Hua picked up his chopsticks and helped Lanling with a piece of steamed lamb, a specialty of Western Qi Continent. Then he told Yu Changsheng, “The four Earthly Woe generals have all reached the eighth or ninth grade of the Immortal tier. Rumor has it that the Mountain Woe general has even brushed the edges of the Divine tier and will soon break through. The other four Heavenly Woe generals are already Divine tier masters. The strength of the Cloud and Rain generals has reached the pinnacle—Divine tier first and second grade—which is exceedingly rare even in the Cloud Summit Celestial Palace.”

“And what about you, Lord Yu? How do you compare to them?” Yu Changsheng pressed, growing more impatient with each unanswered question.

“If my Qi Stabilizing Pearl hadn’t been taken, I’d be more than a match for those eight,” Zhuo Hua said, pouring himself a glass of wine and drinking it down.

Hearing this, Yu Changsheng felt slightly reassured but suddenly realized something. He hastily asked, “Who took your Qi Stabilizing Pearl? How dare they!”

His eyes blazed with fury as he scanned around, ready to find and thrash whoever was responsible.

Zhuo Hua smiled warmly at the beautiful, delicate Lanling beside him, who was now devouring the chicken voraciously.

Yu Changsheng’s jaw dropped almost to the floor.

He trembled as he raised a finger, “Could it… could it be her? Lanling?”

“It was me! So? You want to beat me up? Even if you want to, wait until I finish this meal. I not only blocked the reinforcements for you but also came all the way here to deliver the pearl to you, and you don’t even say thank you,” Lanling responded elegantly, munching on the chicken wing.

“But this whole mess started because of you! How can you twist the truth like this?” Yu Changsheng, flustered, blurted out angrily.

With a crash, the entire table was overturned. Zhuo Hua’s reflexes were sharp; as soon as Yu Changsheng finished speaking, he caught the falling table, stepping back out of the fray.

Yu Changsheng frantically wiped soup and sauce from his face, grumbling, “With a face that could topple kingdoms, you act worse than a shrew. Such reckless behavior—how do you deserve the title of ‘Immortal’?”

Lanling pulled out a silk handkerchief to wipe the grease from her mouth. Seeing Yu Changsheng’s messy state, with bits of vegetable leaves stuck in his hair, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

But when Lanling turned and saw that Zhuo Hua’s wine cup remained intact, her anger flared anew.

She gestured at Zhuo Hua, who helplessly shook his head, emptied the cup in one gulp, and handed the beautifully glazed green cup to Lanling. She tossed it into the air casually; it traced a graceful arc before shattering heavily on the ground.

Zhuo Hua smiled, watching Lanling laugh softly.

Seeing Zhuo Hua smile, Lanling’s anger melted away, and her face blossomed with a joyful smile.

Yet, in the shadow beside the palace door, a poor figure wept bitterly, her tears like raindrops on plum blossoms, utterly miserable.

Su Mengling leaned against the door frame to keep from falling, but her body weakened and eventually sank to the ground.

“Big Brother! As long as you’re happy! As long as you’re happy,” she murmured, her voice full of sorrow and longing. She felt utterly heartbroken but then realized she had been one-sided all along. After all this time, Big Brother had only ever regarded her as a younger sister. Though he cared for her meticulously, it was never as tender as that of lovers.

“Ah!” Su Mengling sighed deeply, but accidentally kicked a flowerpot by the door. It wobbled twice and fell to the ground with a sharp clatter.

“Mengling! Come here!” Zhuo Hua stood, smiling as he waved at her.

At that moment, Yu Changsheng suddenly became alert, quickly approaching Su Mengling and carefully helping her up. He gently asked, “Sister Su, why are you so careless? Are you hurt anywhere?” His eyes scanned around anxiously.

Su Mengling embarrassedly pushed his hand away, stepping back two paces and lowering her head. “Thank you, Lord Yu. I was careless and didn’t notice the flowerpot by the door, so... so I fell.”

“That thoughtless person! Who put a flowerpot there? Causing my sister to fall—just wait till I find you, I’ll give you a good beating!” Yu Changsheng shouted toward the plaza.

Su Mengling’s eyes reddened. She blushed, embarrassed at having lied about the flowerpot causing her fall. But the foolish young man, thinking the girl was crying because she fell, felt even more heartbroken.

The two approached Zhuo Hua and Lanling. Su Mengling bowed respectfully, “Mengling pays her respects to Lord Yu.”

Zhuo Hua was a bit surprised. After a pause, he asked, “Mengling, why so formal? Calling me Lord Yu startled me.”

Su Mengling smiled sweetly, her dimples showing. “Lord Yu has distinguished guests today; Mengling wouldn’t dare be careless.”

Zhuo Hua glanced back at Lanling, who pretended to adjust her hairpin, then turned to Mengling, bowing his head with a smile. “Mengling, I haven’t yet introduced you. This is Immortal Lanling, an old acquaintance of mine from the Mysterious Yellow.”

Mengling nodded gently, speaking softly, “Oh! So this is the Lanling Immortal you often call in your dreams! I am Su Mengling, humble servant of the Mysterious Yellow Holy Lady.”

With that, she performed a graceful bow.

Lanling continued to feign adjusting her attire, speaking casually, “There’s no need to pretend to be respectful. I know you don’t want me here—we are enemies after all.”

“Enemy or friend depends on what you do,” Zhuo Hua deflected. Then he asked Mengling, “Mengling, have you visited Lord Yan and General Yan? How are their injuries?”

Mengling lowered her head. “In response to Lord Yu, I have just visited them. The doctor has applied ointment and set Lord Yan’s arm, saying he must rest well for a hundred days to fully heal. But General Yan’s condition is not optimistic. The doctor said his tendons are severed, his qi and blood reversed; medicine can no longer help, and his time is short.”

Hearing this, Yu Changsheng said nothing but burst into tears, rushing toward the inner quarters.

Zhuo Hua sighed and said to Lanling, “Come with me. Let’s see if we can save Yan Congxu.”

As Zhuo Hua turned to head to the rear, Lanling answered decisively, “I’m not going.”

Zhuo Hua stopped, exasperated, and asked, “He is a fine man of our Immortal Clan, a loyal general protecting the nation. Besides, he was grievously wounded by your men. How can you ignore this, both in reason and feeling?”

“What if I do ignore it? What can you do about it?” Lanling raised an eyebrow, giving Zhuo Hua a sidelong glance.