The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 223: "Voyage of Leisure at Dragon Mountain"

Rushing towards them like an immense tidal wave were not ordinary waters, but a venomous serpent coalesced into a river!

In the narrow passage, chaos erupted instantly as people jostled and pushed one another; within moments, many were trampled underfoot. Jiang Xi pushed Nan Gongsi forward, saying, "Go on ahead. I'll handle this here."

As he spoke, a shimmering powder sprinkled from his sleeves. Upon catching the scent of this powder, the serpents' movements froze, and they coiled up on the spot, daring not to advance.

Jiang Xi bellowed ahead, "Calm down, all of you! Retreat toward the central hall, and don't push!"

He suppressed the serpent tide and then hurried to catch up with the main group. When he retreated to the stone gate, he found Nan Gongsi examining the dragon sculpture. He asked, "What's going on?"

"The Dark Dragon must be under control," Nan Gongsi replied. "I want to go back and check on the Dragon Soul Pond."

As he was about to leave, Jiang Xi grabbed him. "What about those serpents behind us? I don't have much dispersing powder, and once its effects wear off, they'll rush over again."

Ye Wangxi, standing nearby, spoke up. "I'll handle it."

Having been trained in the dark, narrow confines of Confucian Wind Sect's Shadow City since childhood, she was more skilled than anyone else in single-handed combat in such environments. Though Nan Gongsi didn't want her to stay, Ye Wangxi's determined expression left him no better option. In the end, he patted her shoulder.

"It's too dark here, and I know you don't like it. Wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Jiang Xi and Nan Gongsi were the last to exit the tunnel. As soon as they did, Huang Xiaoyue pounced forward with an aggressive demeanor that belied his appearance as an elderly man with entirely white hair.

"Nan Gongsi! You still dare to claim you're not behind this?"

Nan Gongsi, who had been holding back for a long time, finally reached his breaking point. He shouted, "If it was me, would you still be standing here unscathed? Move aside, don't block the way!"

Huang Xiaoyue was initially startled but then pointed at Nan Gongsi's nose. "Look, look, the mask has fallen off, hasn't it? The fox's tail is showing, isn't it? You've been pretending to be submissive all along, but now that we're on your turf, your voice even grows louder. Do you still think you're the formidable direct descendant of the Confucian Wind Sect? How dare you act so arrogantly!"

"Yellow Xiaoyue."

There was another person besides Nan Gongsi who had reached their limit.

Jiang Xi couldn't tolerate any provocation; his upper and lower teeth clicked together as he spoke in a chilling tone, "Don't think I'm unaware of your intentions with your aggressive behavior."

Huang Xiaoyue abruptly withdrew his hand, his expression changing, but he tried to maintain composure. "Perhaps, Leader Jiang, you can't comprehend my feelings. I have a blood vendetta against the Confucian Wind Sect, I—"

"I truly cannot understand Daoist Priest Huang's emotions," Jiang Xi said, rolling his eyes and looking coldly at him. "I have no interest whatsoever in the treasure chamber of the Confucian Wind Sect."

His gaze was like two unsheathed blades, causing Huang Xiaoyue to take two steps back in shock. He stared blankly at Jiang Xi, his lips moving soundlessly, unable to utter a single word.

Jiang Xi said, "Nan Gong, go check it out."

The Dragon Soul Pool was just a small pond with bare walls, offering an unobstructed view. After carefully inspecting it several times, Nan Gongsi found nothing unusual and shook his head. "I'll take another look in the main hall."

The main hall was much more intricate, not to mention the numerous precious chess pieces. Nan Gongliu had been left inside earlier, and when Nan Gongsi entered, he found him fast asleep with a basket of oranges on his lap.

He stood before his father for a moment, his gaze empty and distant, but his eyes involuntarily reddened. Not daring to stand there for too long, he didn't wake his father, who had been turned into a chess piece. Instead, he examined each piece, hoping to find any clues.

When everyone was in the main hall earlier, he hadn't paid close attention. He only knew that the area was divided into "Paradise" and "Hell." Now, as he observed the puppets one by one, he recognized many familiar faces. He saw his fourth uncle, who had always had a strained relationship with Xu Shuanglin, trapped in "Hell," roasted over a blazing furnace. He saw the maids from the Three Lives Courtyard enjoying "Paradise," chasing fireflies and butterflies...

He even saw his grandfather.

However, Nan Gongsi didn't have much time to grieve, for he suddenly sensed that he was about to encounter someone, a...

And then he heard it.

Amidst the murmuring tide of voices, he heard it.

A quivering, barely audible whisper echoed through the air —

"Si'er..."

Nan Gongsi felt as if struck by lightning, his tears welling up before he could turn around.

He turned, and through the misty veil of tears, he discerned only a vague figure clad in azure. He rushed towards it, his voice hoarse with emotion, "Mother! Mother!!"

As his tears cascaded down, his vision cleared.

In the "Ultimate Bliss" realm, there stood a graceful figure—none other than Nan Gongsi's mother, Rong Yan. Like Nan Gong Changying, this woman possessed incredible composure, combined with Xu Shuanglin's retained essence from the chess piece in the grand hall. Despite Nan Gongsi's transformation, she managed to recognize him with her fragile body the moment he entered her sight.

She stretched out her stiffened fingers, trembling, "Si... er..."

Rong Yan was dressed in the same attire as when Nan Gongsi last saw her. Kneeling before her, he felt as if he had been transported back in time, to that ordinary night at the Confucian Wind Sect. The moon was full outside the window as his mother came to find him in his study.

Nan Gongsi knelt before her, looking up at her. There were many things he wanted to say, but what left his lips was a tremulous, "Mother... if the whole world praises me, I will not be swayed; if the whole world condemns me, I will not be discouraged..."

Time seemed to rewind.

In her former stern demeanor, his mother stood by the window, her delicate brows knitted together as she asked, "What was the line before 'He remains unbothered when the whole world opposes him'?"

The child stumbled over his words, unable to recall the answer.

Later, she left so abruptly that when he knelt before her dark coffin, he still couldn't recite the final chapter of scripture she had made him memorize before her passing.

Now, after more than a decade of untamed wilderness, the phrase "He neither seeks praise when the world esteems him nor despairs when it scorns him" finally settled like dust.

Kneeling before her, he assumed the same posture as when they parted ways under the moonlight. Their figures aligned with those from years ago, except then, his heart was filled with resentment, while now, it was torn apart with grief. The beauty and grace she once possessed were now mere pawns in someone else's game.

Rong Yan caressed Nan Gongsi's hair and cheek before clutching his blood-stained hand. Her eyes closed, trembling with emotion.

"Dear son, your mother's body is now a puppet, vulnerable to losing consciousness at any moment... But, believe me, dear son... These words come from my heart... They're what I was thinking as I was leaving... Although I hate your uncle for doing this... I'm also grateful to him..."

"Aunt..."

"If not for him... turning me into a pawn, how could I have seen you again... and... told you..." Rong Yan stiffly leaned forward, her hands shaking as she reached out, pulling Nan Gongsi tightly into her embrace.

"The one thing I regret most before leaving, dear son," she choked, her voice breaking, not because of fear of being controlled by Xu Shuanglin again. She held her child close, whispering, "I regret that I never... never hugged you like this before. I've never hugged you like this... Dear son..."

"Your mother loves you too."

Nan Gongsi was weeping uncontrollably. "I know... I've always known, Mother. I've known for a long time."

Suddenly, the earth began to tremble again. Rong Yan's heart raced as she opened her eyes and murmured, "Wangli's blood bond is about to be severed..."

"What?"

"Wangli's blood bond is going to be broken! I see it every day, right here!" Rong Yan grew anxious. "Di'er, you can't be in danger. I have to stop him... I have to stop Nan Gongxu..."

Wiping away his tears, Nan Gongsi held onto her. "Mother, what do you see here? What blood bond is being severed?"

"Hear me out," Rong Yan paused, her pupils narrowing. For a moment, it seemed as if she was losing control, but with a fierce determination, she clenched her teeth and resisted the influence of the Zhenlong black pawn. "Listen, Nan Gongxu has gathered five Divine Weapons. These five weapons have been quenched with the blood of thousands. Together, they can sever the tie between the Dark Dragon and the Nan Gong family."

"Sever the tie?!'

"Yes, the Dragon Sinew was the first to have its bond cut."

Nan Gongsi was startled. "So those zombies that suddenly rose up outside were actually freed from control because their Dragon Sinew was severed?"

"Indeed," Rong Yan rasped. "The second one is the dragon's scale."

Nan Gongsi suddenly recalled the venomous snakes they had encountered earlier. They must have been transformed from the dragon's scales.

"The third one is the dragon's tail," Rong Yan continued.

Nan Gongsi paled. "Was that tremor just now caused by the dragon's tail breaking free?!"

"Correct. Then comes the dragon's head, followed by its body," Rong Yan said. "Once Nan Gongxu successfully uses the fifth divine weapon, Dragon Mountain will lose all control... It will no longer... acknowledge Grand Supreme Leader as its master..."

Pain flickered across her face again. For a moment, she was unable to say more, as Xu Shuanglin seemed to be seizing control of her physical form.

Rong Yan let out a low wail, burying her slender, pale fingers in her hair. "No... No..."

"A-Mother!"

"Si... Si-er..."

Her voice startled him back into consciousness. He felt like a dying man who had stumbled upon an oasis. He clung to her, his expression revealing his fear and vulnerability.

That was a helplessness he had never seen on her face before.

Nan Gongsi's heart ached terribly. He pulled her into his embrace. Back then, when he was still a child, Mother had always been distant and solemn, rarely hugging him.

Now, he could finally protect Mother.

Even if it was just an illusion like a flower in a mirror or moon in the water, even if it was merely a body harboring a faint trace of her former consciousness, without even a soul remaining.

It was enough.

Rong Yan hunched in Nan Gongsi's embrace, trembling slightly. After a long while, she lifted her face, now streaked with tears of blood as a sacrifice in the game of Zhennong Chess.

A bitter taste rose in Nan Gongsi's throat. He reached out to wipe her face, but all he could touch was filth; no matter how hard he tried, the bloodstains wouldn't fade. He shut his eyes in agony.

Rong Yan said, barely coherent, "I can sense him... He's aware of me... My time is running out... Listen, he severed the Blood Bond for... to re-establish a pact with the Dark Dragon. When that happens... Ah!"

Her consciousness began to fade.

But Nan Gongsi had already grasped the horrifying truth; the last vestige of color drained from his face. "When that time comes, Wangli will obey only him, and on Dragon Mountain, we – none of us – will be able to escape?!"

"It cannot be like this..."

"It cannot be like this!"

The mother and son spoke in unison.

Nan Gongsi looked down at his mother. "Mother, do you know what to do?"

"Rong Yan's cultivation is inadequate..." A chill flashed across Rong Yan's face. "He... He simply can't control the precious chess pieces. Hence, it's backfiring on him, and that's why I... Can perceive a fraction of his thoughts. I know what needs to be done—listen to me."

Rong Yan held onto Nan Gongsi's arm, her gaze sweeping over him inch by inch before finally settling on her husband.

Nan Gongliu had been roused by the tremor, clutching his basket of oranges as he looked around in a daze, utterly bewildered.

She fixated on him with the intensity of an eagle eyeing a serpent in its den.

"Someone must die," Rong Yan whispered, parting her lips. "Si'er, you go and slay him."