Chapter 217: with translation of chapter title

The present age was originally a chaotic era of nine kingdoms standing side by side, in order: Leaving Yang, West Chu, West Shu, North Han, Great Wei, Later Song, Later Sui, East Yue, South Tang.

Afterwards, the barbarian lands of Leaving Yang, situated on the borders of the Central Plains, conquered the eight states of the Spring and Autumn period and added thirteen prefectures, extending its territory to ten times the nine provinces.

Among those who had rendered meritorious service to the Li Yang dynasty, Xu Xiao, relying on the feat of exterminating the six states, became the sole surviving vassal king of a different surname, governing the three northwestern prefectures.

In the southeast of the Li Yang realm, outside a small county town, two sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boys panted as they searched for something.

"Xiao Ran, don't be anxious; we will surely find Wangcai back."

A boy whose hair resembled a tangled grass heap spoke up to comfort him; seeing him, he wore a wooden sword slung diagonally across his back, his eyebrows thick and coarse, his eyes spirited, giving an air of unconstraint.

Another youth dressed in grey hemp cloth; although his face was handsome, his skin was rough, and his hands bore the old calluses of one who often laboured in the fields, evoking the feeling of a jade gem covered in dust.

"Wen Hua, just now Lady Lin said two beggars stole Wangcai; it's already been half an hour." The grey-cloth hemp-shirt boy's mouth twitched with a bitter hue:

"You say they will or won't?"

"He hadn't finished speaking when Wen Hua hurriedly interrupted:"

"Pah pah pah, impossible; Wangcai is blessed with great fortune and destiny, he will surely come to no harm."

"According to Lady Lin, the two beggars are one old and one young; the old one carries a long bundle wrapped in rags, has white hair, and leads a skinny lame horse; the young one wears tattered clothes, his face grimy."

"Anyone who has encountered them would surely remember them deeply; we have tracked them all the way here, and this road has no forks, leading straight to the prefectural city."

"Now, as long as we keep pursuing them, we will surely find their traces."

Having said that, he quickened his pace, and the grey-cloth hemp-shirt boy immediately followed.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the two asked everyone they met, inquiring after the beggars' news, and finally tracked them to their lodging place.

Yet they found only a pile of extinguished campfire and a ground littered with dog bones.

The grey-cloth hemp-shirt boy stood as if struck by lightning, staring blankly at the scene before him.

"Xiao Ran, this. probably isn't Wangcai; absolutely not; we'll keep pursuing." Wen Hua blurted out hurriedly.

The grey-cloth hemp-shirt boy stepped forward, squatted down, picked up a bloody severed tail, then tremblingly took up a slightly twisted leg bone, and softly said:

"When I was nine, my parents passed away one after another; to bury them, our family's savings were nearly exhausted, leaving only two mu of thin fields; afterwards, relatives so distant they couldn't be reached with an eight‑foot pole came hoping to seize our estate."

"In the end, Wangcai protected the young me; for this it lost a leg, an ear, and most of its tail."

"In the following two or three years, I farmed the fields and chopped wood on the mountains, all thanks to its care; many times it was its barking that let me evade attacks by snakes and insects."

"As it gradually grew old, I personally told it, 'Once you protected me completely; now it is my turn to protect you.'"

The grey-cloth hemp-shirt boy finished speaking, his expression froze, and a faint white gleam appeared in the depths of his eyes.

Wen Hua's face darkened; not knowing how to console him, he himself had lost his parents at a young age, yet he had an elder brother and sister‑in‑law to rely on, and his brother had always looked after him, while his sister‑in‑law, though she complained that he was lofty‑minded, had in fact never slighted him in the slightest.

It was only because he disliked his sister‑in‑law's nagging that he took up a wooden sword he himself had made and left home to wander the martial world.

He never expected that after leaving the village, passing through the small town, and reaching the county seat he would be defeated by the harsh reality.

The true martial world has none of the gallantry of swordsmen in blue robes, none of the astonishment of flying swords over mountains and rivers, no righteous heroes who eradicate evil, no delight of settling grudges with loyalty; only the misery of starving intestines and the inadequacy of wind, frost, rain, and snow.

Thanks to the assistance of this peer‑aged boy before him, he has not fallen into the state of stealing chickens and dogs.

Unwilling to simply return home, and still holding onto his martial‑world dream deep in his heart, he both assisted the grey‑cloth hemp‑shirt boy and urged this same‑aged youth, who only wanted to farm, to go out and wander the martial world.

He suddenly realized that a person alone is ultimately weak and powerless; with a helper, he would not be so miserable.

Just then, the celestial phenomena shifted abruptly; the bright blue sky suddenly darkened, heavy clouds gathered, thunder roared instantly, a bolt of lightning split the horizon, illuminating the sky.

Wen Hua stared, then saw the grey‑cloth hemp‑shirt boy suddenly rise, his long hair spreading loose, moving without wind, flying freely; his eyes, which always conveyed simplicity and toughness, now revealed profound unfathomableness.

He could not help but ask:

"Xiao Ran. what's wrong with you?"

"Wangcai, walking alone on the Yellow Springs Road, feels somewhat lonely; we must repay an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

A brilliant light flashed at the grey‑cloth hemp‑shirt boy's forehead's ancestral aperture, and he said lightly:

"Heaven and earth shall be my weapons in hand; the eight‑directions fire dragon, manifest!"

As the words fell, the clouds in the sky began to surge wildly; a mysterious heavenly mechanism began to tremble; the edges of the thick black clouds emitted a faint golden glow, and instantly a scorching, rolling qi blanketed a radius of a hundred li.

A dragon's roar burst forth, and a gigantic fire dragon, as dazzling as the blazing sun and impossible to stare at directly, flew out of the heavy dark clouds.

Wen Hua stared agape at the enormous fire dragon atop the grey‑cloth hemp‑shirt boy's head, stammering:

"Xiao Ran, you. are a deity descended to the mortal realm?"

"In this world, I may be considered a true immortal; help me gather Wangcai's remains, and I will be gone and back shortly."

Zhuang Buran displayed the divine foot‑travel technique, manifesting the ability to tread clouds and fly heavenward; the gigantic fire dragon swiftly caught up, hovering beneath him, making him seem to ride the dragon away.

On a flat, expansive meadow lay an old man and a youth who had eaten and drunk their fill, beside them a skinny lame horse.

"Today we finally managed a full meal after great difficulty, and we were about to sleep soundly, yet Heaven seems unwilling to cooperate; it feels as if a downpour could come at any moment."

"Old Huang, hurry up; we need to find shelter from the rain."

As the ragged young beggar shook his head and rose, he saw the perpetually filthy old man beside him, whose expression was extremely solemn, no longer showing any foolishness.

A figure of a grey‑cloth hemp‑shirt boy appeared before the two at a speed that seemed extremely slow but was actually extremely swift.

He spoke unhurriedly:

"Gentlemen, do you know that the dog you ate today is mine?"

"Uh‑oh, the aggrieved party has come knocking." The young beggar, namely Xu Fengnian, said in a low voice:

"Old Huang, this person seems to have martial arts, seems to be a master; I feel I can't slip away as easily as before."

Huang Sword Wine, changing from his usual laughing and joking demeanor with Xu Fengnian, after shielding him, also set down the wooden box from his back in front of him, and said in a deep voice:

"Your inner true qi and internal strength are completely gone, yet every move you make resonates with heaven and earth; your attire is that of a destitute youth—when has the martial world produced a freak like you?"

The grey‑cloth hemp‑shirt boy said expressionlessly:

"My dog is dead; did you two leave anything behind?"

"Without waiting for Huang Sword Wine's reply, Xu Fengnian boldly said:"

"It's just a dog; don't think that because I now resemble a beggar I lack wealth—when I return home I will repay you with tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver."

This deal can keep you free of worries about food and clothing for life; by then, whatever dog you want, you'll have it.

He also added a sentence at the end:

Besides, that dog of yours won't live much longer; trading a dying old dog for a lifetime of wealth and honor—aren't you making a huge profit?

In an instant, amidst the sky-full of dark clouds, a sheet of flame fell toward the two of them.

The wooden box before Jian Jiu Huang's sword trembled with a dragon's roar, buzzing, shaking hearts.

In an instant, three sharp swords flew out, then turned into a blanket of sword light that covered heaven and earth, extinguishing the falling flames.

You like to eat, huh? I still have a fire dragon you can keep eating.

Zhuang Buran's face was like a calm lake:

If you can eat it, you live; if you can't, you die!

(End of chapter)