Free Web NovelChapter 1156: Chapter 55: Dragon Head
The night was deep,
thick clouds gathered, as if the heavens had turned into a shower,
pouring down a heavy storm, drenching the pitch-black mountain forest and the temple within it.
This temple had long been in disrepair, with broken bricks and tiles,
the constant rain seeping through the moss-covered tile gaps, drenching the gray stone floor inside and forming a pool of water.
"Cough...cough..."
A weak cough sounded in the corner of the temple,
a young noble, relying on a pillar, was sitting on the ground,
with refined features, handsome yet gentle, dressed in light yellow Shu brocade, with a jade pendant at the waist, holding a longsword,
of elegant nobility, exuding a grace like jade, fairer than Pan An, with extraordinary bearing.
The only blemish to this beauty was a sword wound in his waist and abdomen, haphazardly bandaged with torn Shu brocade, yet still bleeding uncontrollably,
turning the rainwater pool by his feet red.
How many times have I fainted and revived now?
The young man’s face was filled with sorrow, lifting his head, the back of his head gently hitting the pillar with a soft thud.
Rain beat against his face, mingling with tears, indistinguishable from each other.
His name was Lin Yu. Just a few days ago, he was the young master of the Suzhou Yongcheng Escort Bureau, wealthy beyond measure,
yet a sudden calamity exterminated the forty-nine members of the Lin family,
forcing him to flee for his life.
The sudden life-changing disaster stripped this youth of his former elegant demeanor. Trembling, he took out an old book titled "Bane Sword Manual" from his bosom,
his eyes bloodshot, flickering with myriad emotions.
Hatred, regret, sorrow, anger, despair...
He tore at the ancient sword manual with strength,
but it tugged at his abdominal wound,
causing blood to ooze from the Shu brocade and cover his hands, draining his last bit of strength.
Indeed, I am just a useless wretch...
Learning martial arts since childhood, yet achieving nothing,
unable to protect my family, unable to protect myself...
Lin Yu placed the sword manual down, no longer concerned about the pursuers that could arrive at any time, he wept bitterly, his cries drowned out by the rolling thunder outside the temple.
"Kid, stop crying."
A hoarse and grating voice, deep like a grinding stone, sounded from the other side of the temple, "I’ve been watching you for quite some time."
!!
Lin Yu was suddenly startled, instinctively gripping his sword’s hilt, turning his head to look in the direction of the voice.
In the corner of the broken temple, for some unknown reason, a dazzling and colorful light appeared.
The light floated in midair, vaguely forming several strange characters,
[Welcome to use the Terminal Vending Machine]
Boom!
Thunder exploded, lightning flashed,
under the light of the storm outside, Lin Yu finally saw clearly,
the source of the voice and light was a large iron box taller than a person.
The surface of the iron box was smooth like a mirror, without rivets or nails, reflecting the scene clearly,
under the transparent cover on its left side, there were all kinds of rare treasures, the likes of which had never been seen or heard before,
on the right side, in the square glowing panel, the text [Welcome to use the Terminal Vending Machine] gradually disappeared, replaced by an enormous dragon head.
With antlers like a deer, a body like a serpent, scales like a fish, and claws like a hawk falcon.
Indeed,
appearing on the glowing panel was a dragon head.
!!!
Lin Yu was utterly shocked, his family destroyed, himself hunted, fleeing under the cover of night and storm, he found sanctuary in a dilapidated temple,
when he hid inside, he was already wounded in the waist and abdomen, with strength fading,
but residual memories still reminded him that this large iron box was absolutely not in the temple’s corner before.
What appeared suddenly in that place,
was it man or ghost? God or demon?
Lin Yu gasped in horror,
but the dragon head imprisoned in the iron box would not allow him to slowly calm down, immediately speaking in a deep tone: "I see a sword struck your abdomen, the injury is severe,
and you will bleed to death within half an hour.
Come over here."
Lin Yu’s heart stopped, the drastic change at home made him instinctively fear and distrust anything unknown, he dared not trust anyone,
But the glowing dragon head that appeared in the deep mountain temple far exceeded what he could understand.
"..."
Lin Yu gripped the longsword tightly in his hand,
God? Demon? Immortal? Buddha?
No matter what kind of power that glowing dragon head possessed, it was beyond his knowledge,
Perhaps, only such an existence could save him and help him escape the current predicament.
The young man in rich attire steeled his heart, laboriously tucked the "Bane Sword Manual" into his robe, braced himself against the beam, covered his wound, and slowly stood up,
Limping step by step to the front of the iron cabinet.
As the distance closed, he became more aware of the extraordinary nature of the iron cabinet before him.
The glowing panel was exquisitely crafted, with the dragon head appearing lifelike,
far beyond what puppetry, dolls, or other tricks could compare with,
and the size of the iron box seemed insufficient to contain an entire set of shadow puppets.
The dragon head inside the box looked down at the richly dressed young man and spoke in a deep, hoarse voice, "Boy, tell me, what am I?"
"...Faint sun and moon, subdued light and shadow, feeling thunderbolt, divine transformations, under water and soil, Guling valley."
Lin Yu pressed his lips tightly, weakly saying, "Your Excellency is a dragon."
"Hehehehahaha,
That’s right, Brother Long is a dragon! A World True Dragon! Haha."
The dragon head laughed loudly, and although Lin Yu didn’t know what the other was laughing about, he feared the unknown and managed to force a smile.
"Alright,"
The dragon head laughed for a while, then suddenly calmed, saying blandly, "What is your name."
"...My surname is Lin, name Yu, courtesy name Pingzhi, from Quzhou, Fuzhou."
"Lin Yu?"
The dragon head blinked and calmly said, "I see you’re dressed in brocade, holding a treasured sword, with a jade pendant at your waist. You must come from a wealthy and noble family.
How could you be chased to such a place."
"..."
Hearing this, Lin Yu fell silent; the hand holding his sword trembled slightly, his eyes bloodshot as if they were about to shed blood.
"Do you not want to say?"
The dragon head snorted coldly, "Fine, you and I have no fate, you can get out then."
"No! No! I’ll tell, I’ll tell."
Lin Yu suddenly raised his head; having finally encountered such a mysterious event in his desperate situation, the unknown World True Dragon before him was his last hope, how could he give it up.
He took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions, pressing his wound as he spoke sadly.
It turns out, Lin Yu was born into the renowned Yongcheng Escort Bureau in Quzhou.
His father, Lin Zhenan, was the second-generation heir and chief Escort Master of the Yongcheng Escort Bureau,
His mother, Madam Wang, was the daughter of Wang Yuanba of the Golden Blade Wang family from Luoyang.
As the eldest son of the family, Lin Yu received an excellent education from a young age, mastering both literature and martial arts, with an outstanding temperament,
Moreover, with Lin Family being exceedingly wealthy in Quzhou,
Lin Yu himself was hailed as a young talent in Quzhou.
According to his life’s original trajectory, Lin Yu would have grown up smoothly under his parents’ protection.
Whether achieving fame, governing a region, being ennobled,
or continuing to practice martial arts and taking over the Yongcheng Escort Bureau,
he could maintain the Lin family’s glory.
However, several months ago, while climbing a mountain with friends, he encountered Yu Renyan, son of Yu Canghai, the head of Qingcheng Sect.
Yu Renyan was also a young talent, and both were martial arts practitioners; after several conversations, they immediately became friends and close companions.
Subsequently, Yu Renyan, having heard that Lin Yu was the young family head of Yongcheng Escort Bureau, requested, offering a heavy sum to hire Yongcheng Escort Bureau to escort a secret, unspeakable treasure of Qingcheng Sect,
from Qingcheng Sword Faction’s Shuzhou location, to Haozhou where a martial arts conference was to take place.
The Pine Wind Sword Technique, Heart-shattering Palm, and Qingcheng Heart Method of Qingcheng Sword Faction were peerless in Bashu, with nearly a thousand disciples and reputable locally; even Lin Yu had occasionally heard of them,
thus he asked why the large Qingcheng Sect would not escort it themselves.
Yu Renyan explained that Qingcheng Sect, being well-known, had many enemies in the martial world,
coupled with the upcoming martial arts conference,
the Demon Cult was stirring.
It was better to have a civilian escort bureau openly escort while secretly having capable Qingcheng Sword disciples assist.
If successful, there would be great rewards.
Although Lin Yu had doubts, he couldn’t resist Yu Renyan’s repeated pleas, so he conveyed the request to his father, Lin Zhenan, the chief Escort Master of Yongcheng Escort Bureau.
Yongcheng Escort Bureau prided itself on offering blessings before power; during escort missions, whether encountering highway bandits or forest heroes, they would first brandish the Yongcheng Escort Bureau banner, treating them with respect and politely persuading them, striving to avoid conflict.
If a compromise could not be reached, only then would they resort to arms, vanquishing the highway bandits.
Over time, the reputation of Yongcheng Escort Bureau resounded throughout Lingnan, and their escort routes were smooth and unobstructed.
Upon hearing Yu Renyan’s request and seeing the gold and silver lavishly offered by the Qingcheng Sword Faction, Lin Zhenan was tempted,
If the escort is successful, leaving a good impression, Yongcheng Escort Bureau will have a strong backing when heading to Bashu in the future.
After careful consideration, Lin Zhenan finally agreed, dispatching his most trusted senior disciple and more than twenty escort masters to Shuzhou.
The escort mission proceeded extraordinarily smoothly,
The senior disciple and escort masters returned successfully, and Yu Renyan also visited with lavish gifts.
However, three days later, Yu Renyan stormed in with a group of Qingcheng Sword Faction disciples, angrily accusing Lin Zhenan’s senior disciple, the elder senior brother of Yongcheng Escort Bureau, of embezzling their treasured heirloom.
The elder senior brother naturally wouldn’t admit it,
Compared to Yu Renyan, Lin Yu clearly trusted his elder senior brother who he had been with day and night.
In the heated argument with drawn swords on both sides, Lin Yu accidentally killed Yu Renyan.
This sword strike brought about a catastrophic disaster.
The Qingcheng Sword Faction disciples were furious beyond measure, taking Yu Renyan’s body away,
The next evening, over three hundred Qingcheng Sword Faction members, originally in Haozhou to attend the Martial Arts Assembly, attacked under the leadership of their head, Yu Canghai.
Although Lin Zhenan was the chief escort master of Yongcheng Escort Bureau, his martial arts skills were merely mediocre; his standing in Quzhou relied more on interpersonal skills and business acumen.
Lin Zhenan intended to explain the situation to Yu Canghai, apologise, and make amends,
Lin Yu and Yu Renyan were close friends, and the fatal sword strike during their argument was purely accidental,
Lin Yu committed the murder, and the Qingcheng Sword Faction could sever his arm or abolish his martial arts,
If that was unfeasible, they could report to the authorities and let them judge.
Yet, Yu Canghai refused to listen, swiftly cutting down Lin Zhenan’s weapon with a single sword strike, giving the order, and the Qingcheng Sword Faction disciples began killing without restraint.
In one night, the entire Yongcheng Escort Bureau and nearly a hundred members of the Lin family were exterminated.
Only Lin Zhenan, his wife, and Lin Yu remained.
Only at this moment did they realize the entire truth.
There never was any Qingcheng Sword Faction’s treasured heirloom,
Yu Renyan’s closeness to Lin Yu, hiring the Yongcheng Escort Bureau, and framing the elder senior brother were all schemes for the Lin family’s legendary sword manual that was said to dominate the martial world.
The white-haired, youthful, and fairy-like Yu Canghai, renowned in the martial world, was utterly indifferent to his son’s death,
In fact, Yu Renyan’s death provided a righteous excuse for the Qingcheng Sword Faction to obliterate the Yongcheng Escort Bureau.
Yu Canghai severely tortured Lin Zhenan and his wife, demanding the whereabouts of the sword manual,
Lin Zhenan remained silent, so before him, Yu Canghai severed his wife, Madam Wang’s ten fingers one by one.
Forced to watch, Lin Yu was overwhelmed with despair, crying out in agony, kneeling and pleading,
But Yu Canghai, despite his fairy-like appearance, was devious and ruthless,
Methodically torturing the three of the Lin family.
Until the next morning, at sunrise,
Yu Canghai ceased the torture, ordering his disciples to imprison them in a secret chamber, while he attended the Martial Arts Assembly with Hengshan, Emei, Shaolin, and other reputable sects.
In the Lin family’s secret chamber, emaciated and tormented, Lin Zhenan secretly removed a brick from the corner, extracting a secret manual and handing it to Lin Yu,
and instructed him on how to open the chamber’s tunnel and escape to the outside world.
Lin Yu, with tears streaming down his face, insisted on taking his parents with him, but the couple was gravely wounded; fleeing together would only burden Lin Yu.
Lin Yu had no choice but to tearfully bid farewell to his parents, seizing an opportunity when the guards were inattentive, opened the tunnel and fled.
He fled non-stop for two days and nights,
Concealing himself near Quzhou city, he endeavored to report to the authorities, hoping they would eradicate the ruthless and inhumane Qingcheng Sword Faction,
But he learned that the city prefect, an old acquaintance of Yu Canghai’s wife, was cheerfully conversing with her in a local restaurant.
Lin Yu, a native of Quzhou, was aware that the city prefect was corrupt and incompetent, prone to bribery,
The massacre of Yongcheng Escort Bureau might be covered up as an unresolved internal conflict among bandits.
Failing to obtain official help, he could only rely on himself,
Lin Yu learned that the Martial Arts Assembly was held in Haozhou, gathering elite heroes from various reputable sects, including Hengshan, Emei, Shaolin, and others from all corners of the earth.
Although the viciousness and treachery of Qingcheng Faction’s Yu Canghai filled Lin Yu with terror and despair, he had no option but to seek help from other martial artists,
and pray that those reputable sects were not as hypocritical as the Qin Cheng Sword Faction.
As Lin Yu made his escape along the mountain road towards Haozhou city, he was discovered and pursued by Qingcheng Sword Faction disciples,
Struck by a sword, he tumbled down a slope, rolling into the woods,
Dragging his weakened body, he hid in a dilapidated temple, eventually encountering the Mysterious Dragon Head.
"Divine Dragon... above,"
With tears in his eyes, Lin Yu knelt to the ground, bowing heavily toward the iron cabinet, and spoke with difficulty: "Have mercy on my family of thirty-nine and the one hundred and twelve escort masters of Yongcheng Escort Bureau,
Cruelly murdered by evildoers, dying with grievances unavenged,
Even my twenty-month-old brother was brutally killed by Yu Canghai.
I find no path to beseech Heaven, no door to implore on Earth,
I plead the Divine Dragon... to avenge us."
"..."
The dragon head within the iron chest inhaled a few calm breaths, then sighed: "Brother Long is a dragon,
All the things in the world are but fleeting clouds to me.
However..."
The sudden change in the dragon head’s tone made Lin Yu’s heart tremble violently,
"However, I see you are sincere and loyal; this encounter must be fate."
The dragon head’s Dragon’s Beard slightly moved, speaking calmly: "Do you have anything valuable on you?"
"Ah?"
Lin Yu was momentarily stunned at the words, valuable things?
Isn’t the Divine Dragon a heavenly beast? Why would it have a liking for worldly possessions?
"Anything will do, as long as it’s valuable."
The dragon head raised its chin, "Like that blue field jade at your waist."
"This..."
Lin Yu picked up the soft jade tied to his waist with golden threads. This piece of jade was a milky yellow, with a warm, oily luster, extremely precious. More importantly, it was the intimate jade left to him by his mother.
"Alright!"
Lin Yu gritted his teeth, cut the gold threads with his sword blade, and held up the soft jade,
After all, it’s just a piece of jade. What is it compared to a blood sea vendetta?
"Throw it into the slot beside you."
The dragon head casually raised its chin, directing Lin Yu to throw the expensive soft jade into the coin slot of the terminal vending machine, "Tsk, looks valuable, but only worth a hundred Spirit Energy Value as passage fee?"
"Fine, fine, I’ll give you this in exchange."
The dragon head mumbled to itself,
The sound of rummaging came from the iron cabinet.
Thud!
A bottled object slid from the left shelf of the iron cabinet and fell into the vending outlet.
"This is..."
Following the dragon head’s direction, Lin Yu picked up the bottled object from the vending outlet.
The bottle’s shell was neither metal nor jade, soft yet resilient, presenting a rare transparent hue in the world.
The bottle cap was blue,
Inside, the liquid seemed like clear water, with gold threads interwoven.
Lin Yu turned the bottle over and found the words "Pulse" printed on the back, not knowing its meaning.
"This is a potion I mixed. It can heal bones, cure diseases, and strengthen the body.
Most crucially, the [Pulse] drink can revitalize the Pulse,
meaning what you mortals refer to as opening the governor and conception vessels, instantly advancing martial arts talent."
Casually, the dragon head said, "Of course, you can’t open the bottle cap just yet; you need to agree to the trade terms first.
Do you agree?"
"Ah?"
Lin Yu, who was studying the bottle, snapped back to reality and nodded in agreement.
"Very well, the deal is done."
The dragon head nodded with satisfaction, "Now, open the bottle and drink all the water inside."
"..."
Lin Yu gritted his teeth, unscrewed the cap, and poured the clear water from the bottle into his mouth.
The imagined sensation of flames engulfing his body or drinking heavenly nectar did not occur.
After finishing the bottle, Lin Yu only felt his stomach bloating.
Raising the empty bottle, he was about to question,
when a sensation of ants devouring his body spread from his waist wound with excruciating, tingling pain.
"Ahhhh!"
Unable to withstand the pain, Lin Yu collapsed on the ground, rolling frantically.
But as he continued rolling, the agony gradually lessened,
transforming into an extraordinary, ethereal comfort.
His abdominal wound healed as if never there; black mud seeped incessantly from his body, his pores shrank, and his skin became as fair as a baby’s,
truly like the description in books and plays of honing bones and sinews, being reborn.
In delight, Lin Yu flipped and leaped up, only to find his strength drastically increased, nearly colliding with the temple roof.
"This Pulse drink can unleash the potential of ordinary human physiological functions, equivalent to sparing thirty years of arduous training."
The dragon head lazily remarked: "Your injuries are already healed.
Additionally, the pursuers have arrived."
Lin Yu’s breath hitched; only then did he realize the rain outside the temple had stopped for quite some time. In the vast night, a few torchlights seemed to flicker through the forest.
"Divine Dragon, please wait,"
Light twinkled in Lin Yu’s eyes, he gripped his Longsword tightly, his words filled with a hatred so intense it was almost tangible. "I’ll be right back."
