Chapter 4: Dragon Might—do Dragons Really Exist In This World?
The courtyard of Yun Ce’s home was also planted with many morning glories. Unlike the neat and uniform morning glories at the old ancestor’s place, the vines of his morning glories climbed everywhere, with some even reaching the window sill, adorning his window.
Seeing the familiar courtyard, Yun Ce really wanted to continue living, but for some reason, he always felt that a great disaster was imminent.
There is no victory in the world that comes without cost, and Yun Ce knew this very well, especially after his parents sacrificed for work—no one understood better than him that the flower of glory needs blood to nourish it.
After descending the mountain, he pushed open the faded gate of the main hall, and sunlight immediately shone in, brightening the hall at once.
Yun Ce lit three sticks of incense and inserted them into the incense burner, then devoutly knelt three times before the memorial tablet on the offering table. After some self-reflection and finding no mistakes, Yun Ce immediately asked his ancestors for protection.
The room was bright, and although Yun Ce was alone, he felt as if it was full of people: his grandfather and grandmother sat on the kang on the left, smiling at him; his father was complaining about having few holidays and returning home even less; and his mother was walking in from outside, carrying a red lacquered tray full of food.
Yun Ce took a cup of Langjiu liquor from the offering table that had been sitting for a long time with little alcohol scent and drank it down. The ancestors in the room then departed, leaving only the dust in the light beams to accompany the silent him—nothing else remained.
Sacrificing to the heroic spirits in the cemetery requires no paper money or offerings; they looked down on them in life and care even less after death. Only Langjiu liquor is indispensable.
This liquor is produced in a small county by the Chishui River in Shu Region. When Yun Ce was young, he followed his mother there to buy liquor for his grandfather. To this day, he still doesn’t understand why his grandfather, who was always indifferent to material desires, liked the liquor from those rugged, rundown mountain gullies—when Maotai Town, so famous, was just another twenty or thirty li away.
Yun Linchuan loved Maotai; before he turned eighty, he spent all his salary on liquor.
1 But his grandfather didn’t like it—not only did his grandfather not like it, he didn’t even like his own father, Yun Linchuan.
1 Fair enough; no matter who Yun Linchuan’s son was, filial piety was impossible—they were bound to fall out, and not falling out would be the miracle.
1 Fortunately, whether Maotai or Langjiu, both are brewed with Chishui River water—essentially from the same source, just like the relationship between his grandfather and Yun Linchuan.
1 His mother said the choice of Langjiu was related to the 《Wolf Returns》 that his grandfather often mentioned. Whether it was 《Wolf Returns》 or 《Lang Returns》, Yun Ce was too young back then to understand those complex emotions and always thought 《Wolf Returns》 sounded more badass.
1 As he grew older, he increasingly leaned toward 《Lang Returns》.
1 Yun Ce’s home always kept Langjiu on hand for them—this liquor is like a pool of water when calm, but turns into a blaze when fierce.
1 Before the sacrifice, Yun Ce took a sip himself. A fire line went straight from his throat to his stomach, then turned into a blaze there, as if his limbs and entire body were burning.
1 With a bit of drunkenness, Yun Ce filled a cup for each of these bold figures one by one…
1 The ancestors’ opinion was very clear: since the source of the fear is unknown, set out, face the fear—either be killed by it or defeat it, by any means necessary. Only running away or surrendering are not options.
1 The graves hold nothing but tough bones—because the bones were too hard and too responsible, they died young. Yun Ce loved being with them.
2 Sacrificing to the ancestors and bidding farewell to family is something that must be done before battle begins.
2 Returning to the old ancestor’s courtyard again, Yun Linchuan looked Yun Ce up and down, who had a third drunk, and nodded: “Not bad, your legs aren’t soft.”
2 Yun Ce let out a belch and said: “I’m holding it together strong.”
2 Yun Linchuan lowered his head in thought and said: “When it hurts, you can lie down, but don’t kneel. Once you kneel, you’ll never stand straight again.”
2 Yun Ce forced a smile and said: “My legs are sturdy; I won’t kneel.”
2 Yun Linchuan added: “When seeking survival, you can’t afford to be picky.”
2 Yun Ce said: “If I’m unwilling to die, I’ll naturally strive to live. I’m not rigid. Now, can you tell me what has me so terrified?”
2 “Is the fear about to descend?”
2 “Yes, I even feel it’s right above my head.”
2 Yun Linchuan looked up at the blue sky overhead, then at the dark clouds pressing in from the horizon, thought for a moment, and said: “It’s going to rain. Sleep here tonight and leave tomorrow—you’re to take office in the development zone; don’t be rude.”
3 “Even now, you won’t tell me the source of the fear? Or do you think I can go back to my peaceful life?”
3 Yun Linchuan looked into Yun Ce’s eyes and said: “I’m worried that if I tell you, you’ll be even more terrified.”
3 Yun Ce sat on a bench and said softly: “The unknown is the most terrifying.”
3 A trace of pity suddenly appeared in Yun Linchuan’s weathered and turbid eyes as he said to Yun Ce: “Your future life will be filled with countless unknowns.”
3 Yun Ce said nothing, stubbornly watching his iron-hearted old ancestor, waiting for him to continue.
3 Yun Linchuan irritably waved his hand and said: “Do you know about the American girl preparing to fly to Mars, never to return?”
3 Yun Ce’s pupils contracted involuntarily as he trembled: “That’s a lie.”
3 Yun Linchuan said: “Yours isn’t a lie.”
3 Yun Ce was so shocked he nearly forgot his physical discomfort and spread his hands: “I’m not an astronaut; I can’t pilot any spacecraft. I haven’t even undergone astronaut training.”
3 Yun Linchuan irritably said: “The Yellow Emperor, an ancient, could ride a dragon to ascension—you can too!”
4 Yun Ce felt as if lightning had struck his forehead and said dazedly: “I think the Yellow Emperor riding a dragon to ascension sounds more like a political murder.”
4 Yun Linchuan signaled his staff to leave. Once they were gone, he said softly: “We have evidence proving that dragons exist.”
4 “Impossible!” Yun Ce cried out strangely.
4 Yun Linchuan regained his usual calm demeanor, his eyes steadily watching Yun Ce.
4 Gradually recovering from his shock, Yun Ce said bitterly: “So, you offered me to the dragon? Just like handing the no-return mission to my parents back then?”
4 Yun Linchuan indifferently said: “Someone has to sacrifice—why not your parents?”
4 “Why my parents specifically?” Yun Ce’s low voice came from his throat.
4 “Because they were the most suitable. Dead means they couldn’t handle it; alive means they’re useful! That’s my strategy for using people. Got any complaints?”
4 Yun Ce exhaled deeply and said: “I shouldn’t have even asked. Your heart is a stone.”
4 Yun Linchuan’s face, covered in age spots, twitched slightly, then he calmly said: “We came from mud legs, with nothing. Only through nonstop battle could we build a peaceful world for ourselves.
5 Langpao Water Fortress came that way, and so did our country. Battle is our instinct, falling in battle our destiny—we have no path but endless combat.
5 We shed our heads and spilled hot blood to build this strong nation from nothing. Now, it’s your turn.”
5 Hearing Yun Linchuan’s words, a chill instantly shot from his tailbone to the top of his head, his hair nearly standing on end, and even that nameless fear dissipated completely in that moment.
5 If even Yun Linchuan thought it required shedding heads and spilling hot blood, how difficult must the task be—ten deaths no life wouldn’t even describe it.
5 “What kind of mission?” Yun Ce’s throat was parched.
5 Yun Linchuan nodded at Yun Ce, who was still standing: “You’ve inherited at least two parts of my backbone.”
5 Yun Ce trembled and continued: “What kind of mission?”
5 Yun Linchuan looked up at the sky somewhat blankly for a long while before slowly saying: “With our communication technology developing rapidly, someone parsed strange signals from nature’s symphony. After long tracking, we found traces of dragons in the no man’s land north of Kunlun Mountains and south of Tianshan Mountains.
5 Later, I established contact with the Dragon Clan.”
5 Yun Ce coldly said: “Tarim Basin—you even sealed off the Tarim Desert with grass grids.”
6 Yun Linchuan continued: “Six days ago, a dragon left the Tarim Basin and went to Baiyin City where you were. From 7:10 p.m. to 7:19 p.m., it stayed there for nine minutes and seventeen seconds, then left.”
6 Yun Ce swallowed and said: “That day Baiyin City had widespread thunderstorms—my unease started with that thunderstorm. I thought it was the lightning scaring me, but it was a dragon.
6 I still don’t understand—why me? It makes no sense.”
6 Yun Linchuan murmured: “I want to know why too.”
6 Yun Ce suddenly laughed and patted his chest: “Didn’t expect me to share the glory with the Yellow Emperor and other sages who rode dragons to ascension. Just don’t know if the Yun Family’s chickens and dogs can ascend with me.
6 Don’t you want to go? After all, the one most needing immortality and eternal life should be you.”
6 Yun Linchuan, as if not hearing the sarcasm in Yun Ce’s words, continued slowly: “From mathematical models of their behavior, we concluded—the dragons are leaving.”
6 Yun Ce glanced at the still-standing hairs on his arm and casually said: “Where are they going?”
6 Yun Linchuan sighed: “From their flight speed and displayed size, Earth is too small for them.”
6 “Drying me out as dry rations before they go?”
7 Yun Linchuan looked up at the azure sky: “Exploring space is a great undertaking everyone expects.”
7 “I’m ranked nineteenth among this generation. I think Yun Da and Yun Er, who call themselves nobles, seem more suitable to be pulled out as dry rations—they’re high-ranking, powerful, and fatter than me.”
7 Yun Linchuan looked at Yun Ce for a moment and said: “They’re wastes.”
7 “You’re willing to let your great-grandson be dry rations?”
7 “If you can help the people find a precise direction in the vast universe and open a navigable path, you can take my life right now. I know you’ve hated me all these years for killing your parents.”
7 Yun Ce stood up and roared: “And my grandfather! You’re just an old stinking salted fish—old, tough, and smelly!”
7 Yun Linchuan smiled silently, then laboriously waved at Yun Ce: “If you safely reach the new world, remember to do a social survey, so later people won’t arrive knowing nothing about it.
7 Let us see what the new world is really like—whether it can be our new anchorage, our hoped-for home.”
7 Yun Ce laughed: “If I reach the new world and don’t die, I’ll be the worst, most vicious person there. After all, among my living family—excluding the fallen heroic spirits—they’re all bastards, every one.”
7 Yun Linchuan wearily said: “After I die, they’ll face reckoning. Whatever advantages they took before, they’ll pay back with interest. Don’t worry—this country won’t be held by your bastard cousins. Through years of trials, our self-purification is strong.”
8 The conversation lasted an hour, and Yun Linchuan was getting weak in spirit. Yun Ce wanted to end it immediately, but the old ancestor forced his heavy eyelids open, refusing to sleep, always dragging Yun Ce to talk about irrelevant things.
8 When dark clouds covered the blue sky overhead, the centenarian finally couldn’t hold on and fell into a deep sleep, his throat rumbling with low thunder.
8 Four staff members emerged from all sides, their faces displeased as they gestured for Yun Ce to leave. One had his hand on the old ancestor’s pulse, while the other two were pushing the wheelchair toward the inner room.
8 Just as Yun Ce was about to leave the living room, Yun Linchuan suddenly opened his eyes and said to him: “Tomorrow morning, I’ll see you off.”
8 Yun Ce didn’t stop, just waved high and loudly said: “Got it.”
8 He shuffled step by step back to his own home, his heart filled with boundless rage, but his limbs limp and powerless.
8 Sitting cross-legged on the kang, he closed his eyes, preparing to tough it out. But after just a moment, an overwhelming pressure surged like mountains and seas; his vision went black, and he fainted.
