Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 1)

175 Times Were Chaotic

While a certain dragon king tried to come to terms with the added knowledge of his lover's past, one of his advisers was quietly recounting his own past to Zheng Yin, pausing to let him ask questions every now and then.

"I remember it vividly. At that time, neither of us thought we would survive. Lan Fen — my sister, that is — tried to take me out of the village and run away. I wasn't old enough to consistently change my form or use my magic. You ... probably know this is an issue with dragons, don't you?"

Zheng Yin nodded. In this regard, their people differed. Dragon children's magic was volatile and not always easy to command. Because of this, they couldn't immediately change between forms which required the use of their spiritual energy. From what he knew, it took at least two or three hundred years before they could generally control the flow of their magic and some would only master the change of their form around the time they came of age at five hundred years old.

The spirit beast tribe was very different. Of course, there was some variation among their people as the whole tribe was made up of very different types of spirit beasts. But overall, all of them had in common that they were able to change forms from birth. It was probably instinct because they could do so long before they were able to control their spiritual energy.

Xiang Yong nodded faintly, acknowledging Zheng Yin's response. "Well, in this kind of state, it's difficult to flee from demons. They can change places in the blink of an eye so only the true form of the dragons stands a chance of outrunning them. In the same vein, our true form is much less vulnerable so even if they catch up, you don't have to fear dying immediately. To flee with a child who doesn't have that protection ..." He shook his head. "She didn't have it easy."

Zheng Yin didn't speak and simply looked at Xiang Yong quietly. They didn't know each other well and under normal circumstances, he would have never been told such a personal story so it didn't feel right to pry any further. Anyway, this wasn't what Xiang Yong actually wanted him to know. No, this was all about their king.

Xiang Yong also focused on the important part again after getting there. "We were lucky in that we were able to sneak out and run but that day, there were skirmishes everywhere and we were unlucky and ran straight into the next one. That was when he appeared." He looked at the painting scroll again, his lips curving up into a soft smile.

"I don't think he set out to save us specifically. But he charged straight at them and before we knew it, the demons that had seemed like an insurmountable obstacle were taken out just like that. Then, he ... simply left." Xiang Yong's lips twitched as he recounted that part. "If not for his advisers following behind and urging him to wait for them, we wouldn't even have known who saved us."

At this, Zheng Yin couldn't help but smile as well. "I suppose there were more people to save than just you."

Xiang Yong inclined his head. "Precisely that. He saved many people that way, oftentimes probably not receiving the gratitude he deserved because nobody knew who he was. From what I have heard, he was always like this. He does good where people don't see it and he doesn't ask for praise. I feel that, as his adviser, I ought to make sure at least some of it is remembered so I added this one." He rolled up the painting scroll again, putting it back into the box. Then, he pulled out another one.

"This one was painted by Fu Min. It depicts the fight against the demons in the final battle led by Mojun Huo Yan. I believe he was only about two hundred or two hundred and fifty years or so at the time so it is a bit rough around the edges."

Zheng Yin tilted his head, taking a closer look at the painting. To be honest, it was a very good one. Definitely not what he'd think a two-hundred-year-old dragon would paint. After all, at that kind of age, they weren't even halfway to maturity. "It seems pretty good for that age."

Xiang Yong glanced up and then hastily shook his head. "No, he didn't paint it back then. It was done later but I suppose he didn't remember too many details which is why it is lacking compared to others he has done."

Compared to him, Fu Min's painting ability was very good. Well, that wasn't a wonder. That guy was in charge of their reconnaissance and sometimes, a painting said more than a thousand words. That was why he had likely put special emphasis on cultivating this skill.

"Actually, I asked him to do this one or he might not have thought of it. When it comes to this shrine, we usually only add to it after special occasions and I suppose the time from when he witnessed the battle to when he became an adviser was simply too long. He didn't think of doing so."

Well, that, and he honestly wasn't sure if Fu Min and Fu Heng had even known about this shrine. The knowledge of it was usually passed from the previous sovereign to their successor as a form of education and from their advisers to the successor's advisers to ensure the next sovereign would be remembered the same way. With the way dragon king Jinde had ... well, not died but at least vanished and how his advisers had mostly fallen even before that day, the shrine had been left unattended for a long time.

Xiang Yong thought about it and finally couldn't help but share this piece of information with Zheng Yin as well. "To be honest, when our king took over, things were very chaotic and I feel that this should always be taken into consideration when looking at what type of sovereign he has been to us."