Chapter 24

The three thousand and thirty-third year of Qingyu.

morning.

The former Prince's Palace, now the Border Palace, is filled with the clanging sounds of swords.

Since Su Jinzhou reported his cultivation to the emperor, a few months later, the plaque of the Prince's Palace was replaced with the current Border Palace.

That is the name Su Jinzhou gave to Xuanzong.

The two swords collided again, and the sword light cast a cold light on the faces of the two men.

Jitang gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands and pushed forward with force.

Su Jinzhou suddenly smiled, withdrew his sword slightly, and then turned around. The tip of the sword brushed against Ji Tang's sword, like a silver snake rushing out, and pierced Ji Tang's right shoulder.

Ji Tang did not want to fight any longer, and while retreating, the sword was instantly covered with frost - the Ice Art.

In addition to casting spells by making hand gestures, monks who practice sword magic can also cast spells with their swords.

Although Jitang did not enter the Tao through the sword, it did not prevent her from casting spells with the sword.

The two swords collided again.

Ji Tang raised his sword, and Su Jinzhou's sword was quickly covered with frost from bottom to top. The frost spread, and frost and snow soon fell on the back of Su Jinzhou's hand.

Su Jinzhou's hand holding the sword trembled, and at the same time, the sword body ignited with burning flames. He used the Fiery Fire Technique, and the ice and frost dissipated, and his hand immediately regained its blood color.

Jitang looked at the flames on the sword.

In two years, Su Jinzhou seemed to have gotten over the pain of the queen's death and the shadow of the fire.

But Jitang understood that rather than saying he had walked away from it, it would be better to say that he had suppressed the pain in the deepest part of his heart. The reason why it was not visible on the surface was entirely due to his consistent restraint.

Su Jinzhou defeated Ji Tang.

Su Jinzhou: "You're distracted."

Ji Tang lowered his hands, "Come again!"

When she sparred with Su Jinzhou, she used the spells that Su Jinzhou mastered, and when casting them, she tried her best to suppress her strength to the same level as Su Jinzhou, so that it would be fair.

Su Jinzhou sheathed his sword and approached Jitang, "Let me see your hands."

Ji Tang waved his sword, "It's a small matter."

Su Jinzhou turned around and left, "Let's go back and heal our wounds first."

Ji Tang was stunned for a moment, sheathed his sword, and chased after him, "Such a minor injury won't have any impact at all."

Su Jinzhou: "There's no need to rush to spar."

After entering the house, Jitang applied medicine on his hands.

After they had breakfast, Su Qianchen came down from court some time later and brought Tan Qingyue to the Border Palace.

It seemed that Tan Qingyue had just come from the dance studio, and the fragrance on her body quickly spread throughout the hall.

Ji Tang sniffed, "This smells good."

Tan Qingyue tossed her two small porcelain bottles and said, "Take them. The one with the pattern is the antidote."

Ji Tang took it and asked, "You used poisonous perfume in the dance studio?"

Tan Qingyue: "I just mixed it. I didn't use it in front of others."

Su Qianchen: "...We are not human?"

Tan Qingyue threw a small porcelain bottle with a pattern to each person and said, "Isn't this the solution?"

Jitang opened the patterned porcelain bottle, took out a small pill and swallowed it, then put the two bottles into the storage bag.

Tan Qingyue came over and hugged Jitang, nuzzling her cheek. "Are you planning to leave tonight?"

Jitang nodded.

Two years is enough time for Su Jinzhou to finish his mundane affairs, and they will leave the palace tonight.

Originally, according to Master Wu Shu's intention, the two of them were to go directly to Su Xuanzong after leaving the imperial city.

However, due to Jitang's special identity, he could not enter Xuanzong openly like Su Jinzhou, so he had to settle for the second best and stay at the Lingfeng of Wushu Zhenren first.

However, Jitang had already planned to find her own soul. Su Jinzhou wanted to go with her, so he made an agreement with Master Wushu that they would return to Xuanzong after they and Jitang found all the souls.

Tan Qingyue: "Then when we meet next time, we'll see whose cultivation can reach the next level!"

Ji Tang couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's a bit difficult to catch up with me, huh?"

Tan Qingyue's eyes were cunning: "It's still uncertain who will catch up with whom."

In the afternoon, Su Jinzhou went to see the emperor and bid him farewell.

As night fell, the two left the palace.

Ji Tang looked at him and said, "I'm leaving the palace this time, and I don't know when I'll be back next time."

Su Jinzhou: "Are you feeling sorry for me?"

Ji Tang started to walk away, "It's fine as long as you're willing to give it up."

Su Jinzhou smiled faintly, looked back deeply at the palace, then turned and left.

*

In the morning in Wuzhou, the green wilderness covers the Moon Mountain.

"There is a mountain called Qingmang, where the moon is not visible at dusk."

As the sky darkened, two figures, one white and one purple, appeared at the foot of Qingmang Mountain.

The spring breeze fell on the two of them.

Jitang took a deep breath, "It's the smell of the forest."

Su Jinzhou heard this and said with a smile, "Shall we go up the mountain tonight?"

Ji Tang looked up with a smile, "Of course it's tonight. I want to see if the moon is really invisible in Qingmang Mountain."

There is no trace of human beings outside Qingmang Mountain.

The inner and outer areas are divided by a long and winding river. Once you cross the dividing line, you will enter the territory of the Qingmang Dragon Clan.

This is the place pointed to by the spiritual seal of Jitang's natal magic weapon.

Ji Tang's eyes fell on the river, and he stepped across without hesitation.

Su Jinzhou followed closely behind.

The two had just stepped into the Qingmang Dragon Clan's territory, and before they could go deeper, they heard a dragon roar not far away.

Ji Tang rubbed his hands together and said excitedly: "This is my first time seeing a dragon!"

The same applies to the boat that has stayed all night.

In the blink of an eye, a blue dragon about ten feet long broke through the night and appeared in front of the two.

The dragon has no wings, but it can fly in the air.

Dragon scales are the same blue as the sea, and a single scale is as big as a carriage wheel.

The vertical pupils locked on the two people, staring at them, gradually turning into a thin line.

The blue dragon rushed to the ground and instantly transformed into a human form.

"This is the territory of the Qingmang Dragon Clan, leave quickly!"

Before Jitang could finish his words, Su Jinzhou took a step forward.

He bowed to Lan Long and said, "We came to Qingmang Mountain to look for something. Please inform us and allow us to enter."

Jitang also bowed with him, but his movements were a little casual in comparison.

The blue dragon observed the two of them silently. After a moment, he asked, "What are you looking for?"

Ji Tang: "A wisp of my soul."

Lan Long looked at Ji Tang with a more inquiring gaze, "Who are you, and why is your spirit in our Qingmang Mountain?"

Ji Tang: "I am from the Nightmare Clan, and this is a human cultivator. Why my soul is here with you... I don't know, that's why I have to go in and look for it!"

"This is incomprehensible! How can you just casually enter the Qingmang Dragon Clan? What's more, you don't know anything when asked. I don't think you are here to look for trouble, but to find something!"

Ji Tang: "There are only two of us, how can we be looking for trouble?"

The blue dragon refused to listen. "Since you are going into the mountains, then come back tomorrow morning. I will report to my lord then."

Seeing him about to leave, Ji Tang stepped forward to stop him, "I heard that the Qingmang Dragon Clan hides during the day and comes out at night. You asked us to come at dawn tomorrow, but you might as well just tell us we're not allowed in!"

The blue dragon turned around, "You know? You know and you still don't leave!"

Ji Tang clenched his fists and made a creaking sound. "Looks like we're going to break in!"

Lan Long was startled, not expecting Ji Tang to attack him after a disagreement. He quickly retreated away from the two of them and immediately returned to dragon form.

At the same time, Ji Tang had already made the hand gestures with his right hand and was about to perform the immobilization technique.

The blue dragon was suddenly unable to move.

Ji Tang snorted, "You're only in the late stage of enlightenment, what are you bragging about?"

After saying this, she suddenly remembered that Su Jinzhou was also in the late stage of enlightenment. She quickly said to him, "I'm not talking about you!"

Although the atmosphere was clearly not right, Su Jinzhou still smiled.

As he spoke, the blue dragon broke free from his restraints.

Ji Tang looked over and saw that his dragon body was emitting a lustrous blue light. He guessed, "He must have a magical weapon to defend himself."

She changed her hand gestures again and cast several attack spells at the blue dragon.

The lustrous light protecting the blue dragon dimmed visibly. The blue dragon had no power to fight back and anxiously let out a clear dragon roar.

Jitang didn't really want to hurt him, so he stopped when he saw that it was almost done.

As the dragon roared, several huge black shadows appeared one after another.

Su Jinzhou drew out the sword at his waist and swept the long sword in front of him. Sword energy suddenly surged in front of the two of them, forming a strong shock, and enveloped the black shadow.

At the same time, the black shadow erected a spiritual power barrier, which collided with the sword energy.

At the collision, the sword energy dissipated and the protective wall turned into a shadow.

In the dark shadows, the giant dragon transformed into a human form and passed through the shadow of the protective wall.

"Who is attacking Qingmang Mountain?!"

Ji Tang secretly applied self-protection techniques to himself and Su Jinzhou.

"Think with your dragon brain, are we going to attack your Qingmang Mountain with light equipment?"

The man came closer and Jitang saw him clearly.

His short fiery red hair stood up in a flamboyant manner, and the strands of hair looked like burning flames.

He looks tall and strong, with wheat-colored skin and a pair of golden vertical pupils.

He also saw Ji Tang and Su Jinzhou clearly, and slapped the blue dragon's head hard with his backhand. "You idiot, there are only two of us, what warning are you giving?!"

Lan Long bowed his head and said respectfully, "Young Master, they refused to listen and insisted on breaking into Qingmang Mountain!"

Ji Tang: "Bullshit! We tried to explain it to you in a nice and polite manner, but you still wanted to chase us away?!"

The Fire Dragon squinted at her and said, "How can you be so rude, little girl? Who are you? Why did you enter Qingmang Mountain?"

Su Jinzhou signaled Ji Tang to calm down and stepped forward to repeat his words.

Fire Dragon: "Spirit?" His golden eyes turned, "Are you from the Nightmare Clan?"

Jitang: "You know?"

The fire dragon didn't answer, but asked her, "What's your name?"

"Jitang."

"It seems to be this name..." Fire Dragon muttered, waving his hand and slightly moving aside, "Come in, I will take you to see mother."

Ji Tang walked past Lan Long and glared at him, but she was not tall enough, and the look that should have been fierce lost most of its original meaning because she was looking up from below.

Ji Tang's appearance was truly outstanding, but Lan Long's mind flickered and he immediately avoided his sight.

Ji Tang followed behind Huo Long, "They call you Young Master, you are the Dragon Lord's son? What should we call you?"

The fire dragon did not even turn around, but just said, "Huan Mang."

Ji Tang: "Mang from Qingmang Mountain?"

Huanmang: "Yes, we're here."

"Are we there yet?" Ji Tang poked his head out from behind Huan Mang and saw the teleportation array in front of them.

Huan Mang stood up first, followed by Ji Tang and Su Jinzhou.

The teleportation array took them directly to the top of the mountain.

Ji Tang's first reaction after walking out of the magic circle was to look up at the sky.

There were no stars or moon in the sky, it was pitch black. If it weren't for the many candles burning on the top of the mountain, nothing would be visible.

Huan Mang saw that no one was following him, so he urged, "What are you staring at? Let's go."

Ji Tang: "You really can't see the moon in Qingmang Mountain!"

Huan Mang subconsciously looked up, "There's a barrier on the mountain, so naturally we can't see it."

"Boundary?"

Jitang gave Su Jinzhou a puzzled look, and Su Jinzhou shook his head slightly.

Ji Tang: "What kind of barrier do you have? I can't even see it."

Huan Mang: "It's unique to my Qing Mang Dragon Clan. Even if I tell you, you won't know."

Ji Tang nudged Su Jinzhou with his elbow and whispered, "He's being mysterious. How would we know if he doesn't tell us?"

Su Jinzhou suddenly pulled her back and said, "Watch the road."

Ji Tang almost tripped over the protruding white rock in front of her feet. Su Jinzhou pulled her back and took a closer look. "Why did you put the rock right on the path? Don't you think it's in the way?"

Huan Mang said coldly, "You are new here and don't know much about my tribe. I advise you to keep your mouth shut if you don't understand. Observe more and talk less to avoid annoying others."

He didn't let Jitang speak, so Jitang just stopped.

Instead, Huan Mang snorted coldly, "This is the skeleton of the previous Dragon Lord, my father."

Ji Tang was stunned.

Her eyes fell on the white rock again. There were many tiny dents on the rock. If you looked closely, you could see that it was covered with a thin layer of light. Without the obstruction of the light, the skeleton had no scratches or dust.

She looked around and saw many skeletons like the one in front of her, but she couldn't make out their complete shapes.

Judging from the huge size of the dragon clan, Ji Tang guessed that most of the skeleton should be buried deep below the ground, with only a small part exposed.

And this small part is already spectacular for them.

Ji Tang bowed three times to the skeleton at his feet, "I'm sorry, Senior, I'm being rude."

Su Jinzhou looked at Jitang with a very gentle gaze and also saluted the skeleton.

Huan Mang didn't say anything else, but his arrogance had mostly subsided.

The dragon clan lives in caves.

Looking out from the top of Qingmang Mountain, there are countless caves. Because they are built with natural rocks, the rocks have different shapes and sizes.

Huanmang led them into the largest cave.

There is an irregular circular hollow roof above one side of the cave, through which you can see the sky outside.

Jitang was curious and wanted to ask Huanmang if the Dragon Lord was observing the stars, but because of the previous incident with the skeleton, she did not ask the question.

Apart from the hollow roof, there are no other ventilation holes in the cave, but because the space is so large, it still makes people feel a little cold.

The entire cave was illuminated by candlelight, and the cave was filled with gold and jewels, any pile of which was taller than Jitang.

The glittering gold and jewels were so dazzling that it hurt Ji Tang's eyes.

Huan Mang led his men to the Dragon Throne and said to the dozing Dragon Lord inside, "Mother! The little nightmare that left its soul with us is here!"

Ji Tang looked over and saw that the Dragon Lord was slowly opening his eyes.

The Dragon Lord's golden eyes looked like a pair of glass beads infused with golden quicksand in the candlelight. At first glance, they sparkled and looked more like a pair of fake eyes.

But when she slightly curved her eyes, her beautiful pupils were instantly filled with soft warmth, which immediately brought people closer.

The Dragon Lord looked at Jitang, his tone lazy and with a hint of the affection of an elder for a younger person, "Is it Xiaotang?"

Jitang and Su Jinzhou bowed respectfully.

"Junior Jitang greets the Dragon Lord."

"This junior has stayed on the boat and greeted the Dragon Lord."

The Dragon Lord smiled and nodded. "I remember that before you were born, Yulan and Jihuai had already decided on your name. The Nightmare Clan has crabapple trees all over the mountains and plains, and your mother loves the crabapple trees that bloom in the clan the most. They often joked that their future child should be named Tang, and that he would be their most beloved and precious treasure."

Ji Yulan and Wen Jihuai are Ji Tang's parents.

Ji Tang was moved, "Dragon Lord, do you know where my parents are now? Or..."

She lowered her head.

Everyone in the clan said that her parents were gone, but she didn't believe it.

The Dragon Lord stepped down from the dragon throne and came in front of Jitang.

She was like an ordinary elder, gently holding Jitang in her arms, touching her head and whispering, "Xiaotang, you will know the answer when you recover all your spirits."

Ji Tang had never felt such warmth and peace of mind in her memory. She couldn't help but lean into the Dragon Lord's arms and asked in a muffled voice, "Why did they hide my soul in different places?"

There weren't even any memories for her to miss.

There was a look of heartache in the Dragon Lord's eyes. "This is the answer you have to find for yourself."

Ji Tang nodded dejectedly.

She came out of the Dragon Lord's arms embarrassedly, quickly calmed down, and smiled at the Dragon Lord: "I understand, I will regain my memory sooner or later."

She turned her head to look at Su Jinzhou, met his slightly gloomy eyes, raised a smile, and whispered: "I'm fine."

The worry in Su Jinzhou's eyes had not yet disappeared. He nodded silently and smiled back.