Whenever Zhen Shuangliu mentioned Han Qianling, Luo Jiujiang always gave the most straightforward response.
After all, they both knew what had led to the two of them becoming master and disciple in the first place.
"Master, Qianling didn't do it on purpose during the Qidao incident. The real culprit is Du Chuan." Luo Jiujiang tried to make amends, but then he said firmly, "Besides, Qianling likes me, and I like him too."
Zhen Shuangliu: "..."
"Qian Ling and I grew up together, and we've been inseparable for a long time." Facing Zhen Shuang Liuhan's gaze, which was like a ghost fire, Luo Jiujiang was fearless and determined. "I wouldn't even hesitate to give him my life. Spending our lives together... This is our long-cherished wish."
"There are a thousand other things to do, but if Master gives an order, Jiujiang will not dare to disobey. But if it involves Qianling..." Luo Jiujiang lowered his eyes and smiled, "Master, Qianling is half of me, and I am half of him."
Luo Jiujiang closed his eyes after saying this, thinking that he had cleared the way for himself in front of his elders. Even if his master whipped him for this, he would accept it. But after a long while, there was no movement from Zhen Shuangliu.
Feeling puzzled, Luo Jiujiang opened his eyes and took a quick look, but saw that Zhen Shuangliu's face showed no sign of anger or displeasure, but his eyebrows and eyes were full of fatigue, and he looked a little older than when they met just now.
Noticing Luo Jiujiang's cautious gaze, Zhen Shuangliu didn't reprimand him for his lack of skill, but simply waved at him. Perhaps it was Luo Jiujiang's imagination, but the wave was surprisingly weak.
"Master knows, you can leave now." Zhen Shuangliu said calmly, "I have something to say to your Master Gongyi."
"...Yes." Luo Jiujiang stood up, hesitated and took two steps back, and finally said: "Qianling is my eternal Taoist partner, but Master is also my only master in this life. You... take care of yourself."
Zhen Shuangliu twitched the corners of his lips as a reply. He seemed to want to smile at Luo Jiujiang, but he had lost the strength to do so.
After Luo Jiujiang closed the door, Gong Yizhu shook his head with a mixture of anger and amusement, saying, "Who did this kid learn this from? You mentioned Dao Companion to him, and he insisted on getting angry at you. Seeing that you were in a bad mood, he turned around and got angry at me to appease you... If you're his 'only master', then have I been playing Yinsha for the old ox these days?"
Zhen Shuangliu didn't respond to the joke, which was meant to liven up the atmosphere. He looked stunned and said, "It really is like that, isn't it?"
Of course, the only person Luo Jiujiang can resemble is Que Cangjiang.
Although he felt a resemblance, Gong Yizhu couldn't admit it. He laughed it off and tried to change the subject: "All men in the world should be prepared to die for their beloved Taoist partner at any time. This only proves that Jiujiang and Cangjiang are both good men, not whether they look alike or not."
"Childhood sweetheart, different species, and beautiful," Zhen Shuangliu didn't seem to care much about Gong Yizhu's answer. "Even if he looked exactly like you, I'd accept it, but this kid surnamed Han has a fate and personality similar to mine. We were still in Qi Refining, and the first time we got involved was so dangerous. If it happens again, I'm afraid it will be fatal."
"Qiuniu, I can't let Jiujiang repeat the same mistakes as Cangjiang."
...This mistake was Cangjiang's death.
"...Cangjiang is willing to do this for you." Gong Yizhu offered a simple word of advice, but he knew in his heart that Zhen Shuangliu wouldn't listen. He changed the subject further: "What kind of child is Han Qianling? What is his true identity?"
You should know that strange beasts cannot transform into human form during the Qi Refining Stage. Only the Four Symbols and Nine Clans possess the source of Taoism and can naturally bless their own bloodlines, or intentionally pray for their disciples, in order to accomplish this.
Zhen Shuangliu had been in charge of the Seven Islands for many years. This small world was the size of a palm, and no one who could offer a blessing under his nose had yet been born. In comparison, a different bloodline was more likely.
Is it a dragon? Gong Yizhu pondered: Could it be some illegitimate child of Lord Qinglong who wandered off, or perhaps that old stud horse Taotie mated with the strange beast Cang Jiao and gave birth to a dragon, and Jiujiang mistook it for a different one?
But the Azure Dragon has been weakening. Han Qianling was recognized by Zhen Shuangliu at the age of fifteen. Even forty years ago, let alone fifteen years ago, the Azure Dragon has been in constant seclusion, unable to leave the Azure Dragon Realm. He probably has no desire to have children. And no matter what kind of partner an alien species finds, the children they give birth to are generally alien species. Unless that Cang Jiao is stronger than the Nine Clans, it will never give birth to a Jiaolong—if such a powerful Jiaolong really exists, Gong Yizhu would really like to see it.
Is that a magical weapon that can transform? Gong Yizhu's mind raced, and dozens of magical weapons in the entire cultivation world that could do this were already listed in his mind. He compared the whereabouts of each one, but none of them matched.
Was the transformation into a dragon an illusion? Had another beast mastered the Dao within the Three Thousand Worlds? Or had another, beyond the Nine Clans, slipped through the net in ancient times?
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Gong Yizhu had already thought of hundreds of different possibilities, and nearly a thousand permutations and combinations and probability measurements had ended in his mind.
In the end, he personally crossed out every possibility. After eliminating all possibilities, the last option left was -
"Han Qianling is the descendant of the Divine Dragon."
These words were not said by Gong Yizhu, but by Zhen Shuangliu.
Gong Yizhu: "...How do you know? How long have you been thinking about it?"
Zhen Shuangliu said indifferently, "It'll take about a sip of tea. I've met Han Qianling. He's an alien species, more like a wrathful child of the Nine Clans than one of the Four Elephants. But there are no dragons in the Nine Clans, but divine dragons are also considered an alien species. Since Han Qianling is a dragon, he must be a descendant of the divine dragon."
Gongyi Zhu: "..."
In this short sentence, Gong Yizhu was able to instantly find dozens of loopholes. Yet, even with such a sieve-like, almost linear way of thinking, he could still come up with the same answer as him.
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