Free Web NovelChapter 312: Four Guardians Assemble
As she feared, the small spark of light from the roof did come from Anji. However, the zoned-out look in those golden, glowing eyes struck fear in Hong Nian Niang’s heart.
They were not the eyes of a human. If anything, it resembled a large and dangerous reptile. Was this part of the Mystical Qilin Sect’s special skill?
The sky that burned as bright as day slowly turned night again. The four guardians assembled and consolidated their strength, becoming four wisps that gathered near Anji as Hong Nian Niang watched with concern. She had no idea what was happening, but they did not seem to harm the child.
"It has been a thousand years," a voice whispered. The others agreed.
A thousand years too long for some, but they remembered the promise as clear as day. Yet, someone else was missing.
"Where’s that lazy scaly bastard?"
Anji could hear the voices but not see them. Yet, somewhere in her long-lost memory inherited from Bi Yao, she knew who they were.
"I’m right here!" a voice from inside Anji’s mindscape scowled. "I can hear you just fine!"
It was Grandpa Jin. Anji recognised it. However, her body was not hers to control. It had been so long since she saw the four guardians as Zhong Kui. The fact that they remembered her promise must mean Song Min has fully recovered.
A thousand years ago, she summoned them and paid the price with her soul, subjected to this thousand-year game of tag, to reincarnate over and over again until the day Song Min recovers and comes back for their final battle. For a thousand years, these mythical beasts guarded the only source of Song Min’s hate. Anji remembered the promise Song Min made before he retreated.
"A thousand years later, at the Crystal Lake Pavilion, we will settle this with poetry and a cup of wine as scholars," Anji quoted in her mind from the memory fragment. "How can I refuse his invitation?"
The Crystal Lake Pavilion was near the Tong Pass, which was a travel gateway between Luoyang and Chang’an. Even a thousand years ago, it was a popular travel route for scholars and merchants alike, as both the Wei and Yellow Rivers intersected there. It was also where Song Min and Zhong Kui once challenged a legendary stone couplet in a popular scholar’s poetry competition. To this date, there were no right answers, but there were popular contenders for the best second half of the couplet.
The Crystal Lake Pavilion was where they submitted their answers, a little off-grid from the Tong Pass, but a popular gathering place for scholars to engage in literary debates and make friends before official court examinations. Anji remembered it vaguely as a picturesque resort for scholarly gentlemen to sharpen their minds in a good environment.
Yet, the invitation letter for a friendly cup of wine and a poem reciting session was full of blood, ash and tears. How times have changed.
"I heard the rascal had become a ghost general," a calm voice interjected. "This is no time to be arguing. After sleeping for a thousand years, we have become much weaker, even despite conserving our energy."
It was true. However, it was no fault of the four mythical guardians. Thankfully, Grandpa Jin, who was the most updated with the situation, explained it was due to the corruption of his original golden scale.
"But this child..." a gruff voice circled Anji. "She has something of yours too. Isn’t that the only reason we were able to manifest?"
...
For once, Grandpa Jin had no comeback. Instead, he retreated back to the spiritual realm and gave Anji back her body.
Slowly, Anji unfroze from suspended animation and returned to the physical realm, free from her internal imprisonment. Her golden core continued to vibrate but less intensely than before. If anything, it seemed to stabilise with the four mythical guardian beasts near her.
Activating her second sight, Anji could finally meet them in their true spiritual forms instead of the wisps that others saw them as. They were each as magnificent as mentioned in legends, if not more.
"Zhao Anji, courtesy name Ci Wang, greets the four legendary guardians. I am possibly the final successor of Zhong Kui’s karma. It is my great pleasure to meet you again."
Such a polite child! Not that Zhong Kui was not polite himself, but seeing a cute girl greet them with such respect automatically made a good impression on the four guardians.
"So?" the White Tiger twirled his whisker. "What do you need from us this time? We’re so much weaker because we are currently tied to your stupid dragon guardian’s source. A human’s golden core is too weak to bring out our full power."
Nodding, the Vermillion Bird settled on Anji’s shoulder.
"Exactly! What happened in the thousand years? Did his old scale become crusty and break? Why are you using your golden core as a crucible for summoning?"
Anji blinked. Even with their majestic forms, they were lacking power? She could not imagine them in full form. If anything, she thought they were adorable just the way they were. The White Tiger was a cub that could fit in her arms, perfectly sized for cuddling, but Anji kept that to herself. She might get bitten if he knew what she thought.
"I was a contractor who borrowed Grandpa Jin’s golden dragon pearl to overcome my death star as a child," Anji explained. "It’s also an accident that I’ve become the central component to the array in Chang’an because the original golden scale in the Palace has been corrupted."
As it was a long story, Anji spent a long time explaining it in the spiritual realm. The whole time, Hong Nian Niang stood near her, watching and guarding. Although the Vermillion Bird Sect Leader had no idea what was happening, she knew it was a very important thing.
When prophets received huge revelations, they became the most vulnerable. Although there were many things to do, Anji’s safety came first. Not even the news about Mingshen becoming a hostage is more important than guarding the prophet in action, and Hong Nian Niang steeled her heart. Even if three out of four children of the Celestial Dragon Sect die, she promised to keep this one alive at the cost of her life.
