Chapter 1713

That's right, besides the Great Fang Hu, who else could clear away the Shadow Dragon's evil thoughts?

"The evil karma and dark luck are gone, so this dragon bead is a good treasure now and can guard Panlongcheng for us." Zhong Shengguang held up his second finger, "According to ancient books, the name 'Great Expansion Heavenly Bead' was given by the Dragon God. After executing the Shadow Dragon, He dug out the dragon bead personally, concluding that this evil dragon had actually 'proven the Dao through killing' and had a deep understanding of the Dao. The dragon bead contains the Great Expansion Numbers understood by the Shadow Dragon; it's a pity that it wasn't fully understood, otherwise, even the Dragon God might not have been able to catch it."

He Lingchuan thought thoughtfully: "What would happen if it were fully understood?"

"Obtaining the principle of the mutual generation of reality and illusion, thereby evolving endlessly and creating infinitely." Zhong Shengguang said sternly, "We originally thought that the shortcomings of the Great Expansion Heavenly Bead could be supplemented in the Great Fang Hu; after all, the principle of the Great Beginning is contained in Chaos. However, after being refined by the Great Fang Hu, the Heavenly Bead still failed to reach perfection."

"Lady Mitian deduced repeatedly and believed that other mathematical principles in the Heavenly Bead were basically complete, having achieved the observation of images in the sky and the observation of laws on the earth, but it lacked one 'category,' which is to categorize the feelings of all things and understand the changes of existence and non-existence."

Three years ago, He Lingchuan definitely wouldn't have understood what Lady Mitian meant by this sentence. But with the improvement of his state of mind and his insight into worldly affairs, even if Zhong Shengguang didn't give extra explanations, he pondered a little and understood: "Are you saying that the Great Expansion Heavenly Bead lacks 'vitality'?"

"Yes, yes, yes, good, good, good!" Zhong Shengguang was greatly surprised, patting his shoulder hard, not sparing his praise, "Clear! Truly, the younger generation is to be feared."

He was also half-understanding when he heard Lady Mitian finish speaking at the time; after all, some knowledge involved the origin, and he didn't have time to get to the bottom of it, so he went to ask Xu Shichu, and the old man gave him a mysterious explanation for a long time before he understood.

Alas, how could it compare to the clarity of He Lingchuan's two words? "With vitality, there are endless variables! Between existence and non-existence, between existence and non-existence, it cycles and repeats." Zhong Shengguang added, "Lady Mitian mentioned that the Heavenly Gods must also follow corresponding rules. There were once three ancient gods in the God Realm who mastered three kinds of godhood: life, death—"

"—and between life and death is fate. The vastness of the universe and the insignificance of the individual must all experience the process from nothing to something, and from something to nothing; this is the inescapable fate and the unavoidable rule."

"From the two words 'vitality,' there are thousands of evolutions; the Shadow Dragon didn't have time to comprehend them before being killed by the Dragon God." He Lingchuan pondered, "But judging from its nature, even if it were given another few thousand or hundred years, I'm afraid it wouldn't be able to comprehend them, right?"

Zhong Shengguang laughed: "So Lady Mitian's suggestion is to leave it to the black dragon on the city wall; on one hand, it can exert divine effects to guard Panlongcheng, and on the other hand, it can let it be tainted by the red dust and evil karma, experiencing endless vitality. The Shadow Dragon didn't enter the world, but its relic bead entered the world; why not?"

"How many years will this take?"

"At least thirty or forty years, at most it cannot be calculated." Zhong Shengguang put away the sand table, "I guess I won't be able to see that day; I hope that at that time, the Great Expansion Heavenly Bead will still be in Panlongcheng."

He took away the barrier, looked at the sky, and said casually: "It's getting dark, I'll treat you to..."

Just as he opened the window, he saw Liutiao and Menban walking out of the courtyard gate laughing and talking, so he silently swallowed the words "a meal": "Nothing, is there someone at home waiting for you to eat?"

He Lingchuan touched his nose: "Yes."

Zhong Shengguang was an understanding superior at this time: "Alright, go back quickly, you'll have to go on an expedition again in a few days."

He Lingchuan took his leave and walked out with big strides.

It was dark, and there weren't many people in the government office. Before leaving the courtyard gate, He Lingchuan looked back occasionally and saw Zhong Shengguang sitting back behind the desk, alone with his shadow, silently reviewing the next official document.

He Lingchuan had a warm home here, as well as Master Sun and so many comrades-in-arms.

Zhong Shengguang seemed to own a city, but in reality, he had nothing left and was always alone.

He dedicated everything to Panlongcheng and the Great Fang Hu.

How strong must this person's belief be to support him in walking like this? Today's Panlongcheng is also a city that never sleeps, with two market streets operating all night and a stream of people like weaving. He Lingchuan went to buy five or six small dishes and asked for a jar of good wine, just wanting to walk back, but saw a little girl selling flowers on the side with a bucket containing a few flower buds, light pink, round, and bare.

"What is this?"

"Peony."

"Why does it look like an iron egg?" It was only a little bigger than a pigeon egg.

"This is the Flower God of May!" The little girl blinked, "Most suitable for giving to a sweetheart!"

A precocious child. "I'll take it." He Lingchuan handed over a dozen copper coins in exchange for a big handful of pink iron eggs, and only then did he walk home.

It was past mealtime, and the alley was lively; old men were moving chairs outside to squint, children were playing and pushing each other, and even the dogs at home were running in and out excitedly, with two of them circling He Lingchuan, sniffing the aroma of the meat dishes in his hands, and finally being roared back by their owners.

Returning to his silver house, everything was no different from when he left; the tables, chairs, and bedding were spotless, and the rainwater vat in the courtyard was raising several colorful goldfish.

Moonlight shone quietly on the table through the window lattice.

He Lingchuan's table was always empty, so he could see the pear blossom at a glance.

White as snow, fragrant and refreshing, with faint golden light on the edges.

It lay on the low table, under the moonlight.

He Lingchuan picked up the pear blossom and saw that it was as fresh as if it had just been picked from the branch.

That's right, this was the fallen flower that the old pear tree in the Jade Spring Palace of the Yao King had drifted to him; no one felt anything strange at the time, and he fed the pear blossom to the divine bone necklace afterward.

As a result, it wasn't digested by the Great Fang Hu, but came to his table.

However, the petals of the pear blossom were closed a little, no longer in full bloom.

The courtyard gate creaked again.

He Lingchuan put away the pear blossom and came out to see; it was indeed Sun Fuling who had come, carrying something in her hand.

Flat, bright red, yet with a bit of jade-like transparency. He Lingchuan looked at it several times and felt that this thing looked like a Shoushan stone seal.

But it was clearly tied with a straw rope.

"What is this?"

"Mullet roe." Sun Fuling smiled, revealing two dimples, "A gift from a parent, it's very fragrant with wine."

He Lingchuan took out the bunch of pink iron eggs, hesitated for a moment, and regretted it a little.

Why buy this thing? It's so ugly. How could flowers for a sweetheart be so careless?

Sun Fuling was pleasantly surprised and took it: "The peonies are already out? So early this year!"

She put the peonies into deep water, flicked them gently a few times, and blew into the core.

As she blew, she didn't know how, but the petals opened; although they were only slightly blooming, they were tender and pink with water droplets, graceful and charming, just like a girl of fourteen or fifteen.

Flowers in front of the moon, beauty like jade.

He Lingchuan didn't make a sound, fearing to destroy this moment of peace.

Then, he smelled the sour horse sweat on himself.

The house was clean and fragrant, contrasting with the strong smell on him.

He had ridden back from the front line, only gnawing on two pieces of cake on the way.

Thinking of this, his heart moved. The smell of horse sweat on him was very strong, and the young wife who had just stood beside him had covered her nose and stepped back.

But Sun Fuling never minded, as if she couldn't smell it at all.

Was it because Master Sun used to be in the army and was used to this smell?

"I'll go take a shower!"

The silver house had a special bathhouse, unlike the small wooden house he lived in before, where he could only shower in a small courtyard the size of a palm.

When he finished washing and came out, Sun Fuling had already lit a fire in the courtyard and was slowly roasting the mullet roe by the fire.

He Lingchuan cleverly smashed the mud seal of the wine jar and poured for both of them: "Come, the first bowl is for Master."

He hadn't been back for a long time, but as soon as he entered the courtyard, he felt the warmth and comfort unique to home.

Sun Fuling smiled and touched her bowl with his gently: "May every year be like today."

It was rare to steal half a day of leisure from life; drinking under the moon, He Lingchuan told her about the battles on the front line and the swords and guns on the battlefield, and Sun Fuling listened carefully, also telling him about the interesting news in the city and the academy.

On one side was fighting, and on the other was life; Panlongcheng had always tried its best to take care of both sides.

During the roasting process of the mullet roe, Sun Fuling brushed it with wine twice, and only then pulled out a small knife to slice it.

"Indeed extraordinary." He Lingchuan praised endlessly, "If some spices were added, the flavor would be even better."

"For example?"

He Lingchuan casually mentioned two, then suddenly stopped.

Sun Fuling wondered: "I haven't seen them sold in Panlongcheng, where are they produced?"

"In the east, a specialty of the Yao Nation on the Flash Gold Continent." Having stayed in the Yao Nation for a long time, he had gotten used to eating them, and he had said it unconsciously just now.

Sun Fuling shook her head: "Too far, even merchants can't bring them over."

From the Flash Gold Plain to Panlongcheng, what was separated by more than thousands of mountains and rivers?

He Lingchuan held her hand gently: "Don't worry, I will definitely get them for you to taste!"

He used a solemn tone to say a trivial little thing: "As long as the difficulties in front of us are passed, even the moon in the sky, I will pick it for you."

Sun Fuling was moved: "Good, it's a deal."

The two no longer discussed the war, drinking and eating, only talking about romance and gossip about family affairs.

This was the ordinary life he wanted most.

This was a precious bit of peace in an era of war.

Good days are always too short, and five days passed in the blink of an eye.

He Lingchuan's vacation was over, and the army had already assembled.

The moment he put on his military armor, the atmosphere of this home turned into a murderous and severe one.

Sun Fuling tied his cloak for him with her own hands, reluctant to part.

He Lingchuan smiled, turned around, and stroked her face: "Does Master have anything else to explain?"

"Don't kill until your eyes are red." Sun Fuling said softly, "A calm and wise Tiger Wing General is the nightmare of the opponent."

The two went out together, and Sun Fuling sent him all the way to the Nanchengmen.

He Lingchuan's personal guards were already waiting here with horses.

"Be careful on the road." Before every long journey, Sun Fuling would urge him, "You must come back alive!"

But this time, she grabbed his hand and didn't let go for a long time.

He Lingchuan heard her worry, pulled her over, and suddenly lowered his head to kiss her.

The noise and bustle around the city gate seemed to be cut off at once, and he heard nothing.

It wasn't until the warhorse snorted that the two separated. The surrounding pedestrians cast kind glances; the folk customs of Panlongcheng were enlightened and not constrained by small details, and this scene was not uncommon, but the combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman was very pleasing to the eye.

He Lingchuan ignored them and said sternly: "Don't worry, I'll be back in a few days."

Sun Fuling's cheeks were flushed, and she looked at him steadily, the affection in her eyes undisguised.

"Go." She said softly, "Give them some color to look at."

Her gaze was gentle and firm, and He Lingchuan saw the confidence contained within—

Confidence in him.

She believed he could definitely do it, definitely! "Obey!" He Lingchuan kissed her forehead and jumped onto the warhorse to set off.

The army was waiting outside the city.

When he looked back halfway, Master Sun was no longer in her original position.

She walked really fast.

He Lingchuan passed the Nanchengmen, his gaze glancing over the black dragon statue, and suddenly remembered one thing: in reality, he had been to the Panlong ruins twice, and the black dragon statue behind the South Gate was still there, but the dragon's mouth was empty, and there was no Great Expansion Heavenly Bead! After Panlongcheng was destroyed, whose spoils of war did the bead become? He sank his face.

In the end, war is a game where the winner takes all.