Chapter 195 Goodbye
Zhan Shi's heavy feet stomped on the empty jade floor, making a crisp "thump-thump" sound. Jiao Jue heard the sound but paid it no mind.
As the voice drew ever closer, He narrowed His eyes, realizing that a guest must have arrived.
So He flicked his tail and stood between Gu Qingqing and Ji Zhuang, saying, "A guest has arrived. You two go and greet him quickly."
Gu Qingqing and Ji Zhuang exchanged a glance, then immediately squinted, grinned, and puffed out their cheeks to create a wide smile.
Then they straightened their backs and walked quickly towards the main hall with thin steps.
When the two of them arrived at the hall and saw an unfamiliar spotted bear, they were somewhat bewildered.
These days, the gates of their Dragon and Phoenix Palace have been so deserted that not even a single bird can be seen. Apart from the proud and unyielding Divine Lord, no cultivator has taken the initiative to come and pay their respects to Lord Jue.
After a brief moment of surprise, Gu Qingqing narrowed her eyes, stretched out her paw, and quickly asked Zhan Shi, "Senior, are you here to see my God Lord? Did you bring a visiting card?"
Zhan Shi looked at the two people who were squinting and grinning, and who were smiling exactly like Jiao Jue. He knew that the god inside must be Jiao Jue.
But things are different now. He immediately bowed to the throne and said, "I have no formal invitation. I have come here on behalf of Ji Rong, the attendant of Gu Lin Dan Sheng of Yu Xu Palace, to deliver a message to her older brother and sister."
Upon hearing this, Ji Zhuang became agitated. He narrowed his eyes, took larger strides, and was about to flap his wings and go over to ask.
Gu Qingqing swiftly lashed out from behind, striking Ji Zhuang with her tail. Ji Zhuang immediately put on a squinting, grinning expression and said, "I am Ji Rong's brother, Ji Zhuang. Please speak, senior."
Zhan Shi found the two cultivators' appearance quite comical and felt much relieved. He said, "Ji Rong said she was under the guidance of Gu Lin Dan Sheng in Yu Xu Palace. Now that she has returned to the mountain, you two can go and find her to get the pill."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingqing and Ji Zhuang's eyes lit up, but they still remembered their status as divine servants. Gu Qingqing moved to stand beside the divine throne, while Ji Zhuang took small steps to the back to fetch the horn.
Jiaojue already knew that Zhan Shi had come to visit. He came out from behind the hall, waved his paw at Ji Zhuang, and then sat down on the throne. He squinted and said, "Thank you, young friend, for delivering the message for my two servants."
"I once lived in the desolate seas, unaware that such a righteous man as you existed in the world. I have some useful materials on hand; young friend, do you have a suitable weapon? If not, I will certainly give you one."
Zhan Shi stared at Jiao Jue, whose appearance, cultivation, and identity had undergone tremendous changes.
Apart from those identical squinty eyes, Zhan Shi could find no trace of the past on the true dragon god before him.
Zhan Shi cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your kindness, Divine Lord. I have obtained a suitable weapon from the Temple of the God of War, which is the war spear of the fallen Demon Emperor Pingbo."
Jiao Jue smiled and narrowed his eyes, "Weapons are not about quantity, but about usefulness. Since you already have one, I won't see you off."
Zhan Shi bowed and said, "Thank you, Divine Lord. The message has been delivered, and I can go back now."
"Go," Jiaojue said, waving its paw. "Qingqing."
Then Gu Qingqing came carrying a tray with only a simple little storage ring on it, which was exactly the same as the little storage ring Ji Rong had given her. Seeing Zhan Shi staring at the storage ring, Gu Qingqing said, "General, you must be tired from your journey. This is a gift from the Divine Lord."
Zhan Shi then picked up the storage ring with both hands, thanked him, and took his leave. He slung the gun behind his back and turned to head towards Zhuyun Mountain.
Inside Zhuyun Mountain, his cave dwelling was already covered with thick bamboo branches. Zhan Shi sat on the earthen-colored pile of withered bamboo outside the cave dwelling, gnawed on dozens of tender spiritual bamboo branches, and then split old bamboo to make two straw hats. After that, he headed towards the War God Temple at the top of the Chijian Mountain Range.
Fifteen days later, Zhan Shi entered the Temple of War God again. Di Rong looked at Zhan Shi below him and said kindly, "Zhan Shi, would you be willing to serve as my attendant?"
Zhan Shi lowered his eyes, clasped his hands, forced out a few tears, and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord God. To kill that eagle, I used every trick in the book that would cost me my life."
Although he survived by sheer luck, the excessive amount of pills he had taken recently had blocked his meridians, causing his legs to tremble uncontrollably from time to time. He didn't know if he would recover.
Moreover, Shi's entire body is covered in sores that there isn't a single patch of undamaged skin left; it would be indecent for him to be near you.
Looking at the bristling hair on Zhan Shi's body, Di Rong's anger towards Qi Yang intensified. He asked, "What do you wish for?"
"My Lord, let me die defending Liangzhou, or bestow upon me the title of Ancient Alchemist at Yuxu Palace. I've consumed far too many of their pills."
I also have a weaving skill, which I can use to make a living. The bird attendant of Lin Dan Sheng agreed and will teach me their bird tribe's weaving techniques.
Emperor Rong's life was far too long, so long that nothing outside could catch his eye.
Looking at the bear below that He had taken a liking to, He suddenly had a kind heart and said, “If you go to Liangzhou again, you will only be heading to your death. I will temporarily remove the battle mark from your body. You should rest and recuperate in the mountains and rivers of Zhongzhou. Once you have recovered, we can talk about other things.”
Zhan Shi immediately bowed down, feigning gratitude, and said, "Thank you, my lord. If I were to learn the exquisite weaving techniques of the bird race, I would certainly weave you a fine spirit grass mat for you to cool off and enjoy."
Di Rong stood before the divine throne, and saw that His eye between His brows was open, and His four hands were clasped in a gesture of respect.
A massive, blood-gold battle command, covered with the marks of various weapons, appeared from His four hands, and He shouted, "Withdraw!"
Then an axe mark was removed from Zhan Shi's body, engraved on Di Rong's body, and returned to the battle command.
Then, the maiden brought out a tray filled with various rare treasures and placed it in Zhan Shi's paw. Zhan Shi held the tray high, his eyes calm, but he put on a grateful expression and shouted loudly, "Thank you for your reward, Lord God."
Di Rong lowered his eyes to look at the cold jade bricks beneath his divine throne and said, "Go."
Zhan Shi, as instructed, carried the tray and took his leave.
The tray was laden with treasures, but for Zhan Shi, what could possibly compare to the ring of spirit crystals and elixirs that Ji Rong had gifted him in Liangzhou?
Zhan Shi put all the treasures into his storage ring, then took Yue Tu, put another straw hat on his head, and said, "Let's go have a good meal."
Upon hearing this, Yue Tu's eyes lit up, and he immediately jogged to catch up.
When the two bears reached the foot of Jade Void Peak, they belatedly realized that they didn't know how to inform Ji Rong. However, they were not pedantic and started climbing the mountain on their own.
Upon arriving at the gate of the Jade Void Palace's Pill Pavilion, Zhan Shi explained his purpose, but was refused by the old owl-like gatekeeper, who said, "Everyone says the same thing, they all want to see Ji Rong, the attendant under the Gu Lin Pill Saint, but she is not seeing outsiders at the moment."
Zhan Shi's eyes darkened. He pulled down the straw hat, took out a fine spiritual herb, and said, "I'm not lying. Please pass on this message for me."
The gatekeeper was overjoyed to see Zhan Shi bribing him with spiritual treasures, feeling that an opportunity for promotion and fame had arrived. He flapped his wings repeatedly and said loudly and righteously, "Put away your things, or I'll call the guards to throw you out!"
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