Chapter 780
Chapter 780
Shen Lang approached the Third Prince, Ning Qi. He was truly a remarkable figure, and in some ways, a more suitable monarch than Ning Zheng. Had the world not been thrown into turmoil, he truly would have become an outstanding sovereign of his generation, leading the State of Yue to dominate the south. But now, he was at death's door. Xue Xue was his wife, yet she had ultimately poisoned him. She had done so with such stealth that the poison might have been administered for a very, very long time. Fudao Mountain truly stopped at nothing. The poisoned Ning Qi’s body convulsed ceaselessly, his eyes had turned completely purple, and purple blood oozed from every orifice. He looked at Shen Lang with the eyes of a dying man.
“This is the closest you have ever been to death. Remember it.”
After speaking, Shen Lang cut his finger, letting his crimson blood drip into a test tube. Without haste, he calmly separated the serum, then drew it into a syringe and injected it into Ning Qi’s body. Thus far, at least, there had never been a parasitic creature that Shen Lang’s blood could not kill. Soon, the strange and fearsome purple hue on Ning Qi’s body began to fade. He gradually recovered his breath and heartbeat, and the purple in his eyes slowly receded.
He lived. Shen Lang had saved him. After a long while, Ning Qi could move his body again, but he did not get up. He remained lying on the floor, gasping for breath, savoring the feeling of having returned from the brink of death.
“Your Highness Ning Qi, though I have saved you, I will ask for nothing in return, nor do you need to remember that you owe me a debt. You are an extraordinary and formidable man. To ask someone like you to repay a favor would be laughable. Believe what your father said. You are a man of the upper-middle tier. So, how does one become a man of the top tier, or even the highest tier? I want no reward from you; I ask for only one thing. When the heavens and earth are about to collapse, you need only remember the fact that your father and your younger brother, Ning Zheng, did not kill you. And when the heavens and earth are about to collapse, remember this moment as well. That is all I ask. Farewell!”
***
Somewhere unknown.
In a dustless room within some underground chamber, a man with his face wrapped in bandages sat before a mirror, carefully examining his own eyes. He asked.
“Can I go out? I just want to see the outside world once, to see the flowers and the grass just once.”
“No!”
“Not even once?”
“No. Your body is too weak. If you go outside, you will surely die.”
“How long can I live?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps a month, perhaps two.”
He sighed.
“I wish that day would come sooner. Living is just too painful for me.”
The other person said nothing.
“They say they’re not writing *Boundless Wind and Moon* anymore, I’ve finished *Battle Through the Heavens*, and I’ve read all of *Journey to the West*. What joy is there in living?”
“Then you can read them a second time, a third, a fourth…” the other person said sympathetically.
“I’ve already read them nineteen times. I’ve read *The Tale of Dongli* one hundred and fifty-three times.”
Ugh!
“Can’t I go see the outside world? Just once? I want to see it, even if it means I’ll die after one look.”
“You cannot die yet. At least, not now.”
“Then when will I die?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps soon.”
“I heard a rumor that Princess Xiying of the Great Yan Dynasty is frail like me, suffering from dozens of illnesses, and could die at any moment. Is that true?”
“She may seem to suffer from many illnesses like you, but in truth, you are different from her.”
“Then do you know what motivates that princess to keep living? My motivations are *Boundless Wind and Moon*, *Battle Through the Heavens*, and *Journey to the West*.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, no. I’m the one who should be sorry. You’ve all exhausted yourselves trying to keep me alive. I can feel my life force withering away. I don’t have much time left.”
The other person was silent, and he pleaded.
“Can I take off my bandages now and see my face?”
“Not yet.”
“Then do I have a name now?”
“Not yet.”
“I’m almost twenty, and I still don’t have a name?”
“Then why don’t you start thinking of one? Think of a name you like, and then you can tell me.”
“Alright. That will be my new motivation to live. I will come up with the greatest, most unique name. I’ve read so many books and experienced countless lives within them, so I’m sure I can think of a good name.”
“Of course. I believe you can.”
“This mirror is wonderful. The reflection is so clear. For the past decade or so, I’ve used bronze mirrors and silver mirrors, but this glass mirror is the best. It’s a shame I can’t see my own face, though.”
“You’ll be able to see it soon.”
“Am I a failure?”
“No. You are just exceedingly special. You are a one-of-a-kind creation.”
“Hmm, I can’t think of a particularly good name right this second. But I’m so bored. Could you play a game of Go with me?”
“Alright!”
But their game of Go ended quickly, for his skill was exceptional.
“Never mind. I suppose I’ll have to play Go with myself in the mirror.”
He then placed a Go board in front of the mirror and began to play against himself, so completely absorbed that he forgot his own existence.
***
Shen Lang’s fleet left the Southern Continent Archipelago and advanced toward Xuanwu City. Mulan, true to her word, allowed Shen Lang to go on for an extra quarter-hour. The scumbag mistakenly believed he had become even more formidable.
‘Succeeding in revenge really does make a man stronger. Before, I, the great Shen Lang, used to last anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes, but now I’ve just performed the great deed for a full three quarter-hours! Who could be stronger than me? Hahahaha!’
Mulan was a little exhausted, but there was nothing she could do. To make her husband stronger, she had to endure more hardship. Moreover, wanting to conceive a daughter every day, she kept her legs held tightly together until she drifted off to sleep without realizing it. When she woke up again, her scumbag husband was studying a map. Mulan went over, sat on Shen Lang’s lap, and asked affectionately from his embrace.
“My love, what are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at a map.”
Mulan’s gaze fell upon a corner of the map where Shen Lang had drawn a triangle.
“What’s this?”
“The Devil’s Great Triangle.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a place.”
Of course. Not many people had heard of it. Qiu Tianwei, Qiu Yao'er, the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, Keng Jun, and Sha Yin knew of it, but overall, very few people were aware of its existence. This was an extremely mysterious and dangerous sea region, an absolute taboo for seafarers. Any ship that entered it never returned, vanishing without a trace. Just like the Bermuda Triangle on Earth.
The Bermuda Triangle had several strange characteristics. First, species not found elsewhere appeared there. Second, its frequency bands were different from other areas, causing many aircraft to disappear upon entering the zone. Furthermore, various data indicated that the radiation belt of the Bermuda Triangle acted not on the Earth's surface but within its interior, and this radiation belt was even named the Van Allen radiation belt. In any case, the Bermuda Triangle remains an unsolved mystery to this day. And to think, such a sea region existed in this world as well.
The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, Zhutian Pavilion, and even the fleets of Qiu Tianwei and the Xue Clan had all dispatched ships to explore this Devil’s Triangle. But no one ever returned, and the exploration fleets seemed to have vanished from the world. The Jin Clan was a rising noble family of the seas, their naval power not yet formidable enough to have sent a fleet to explore the Devil’s Great Triangle.
“This place doesn’t seem to be too far from our Raging Tide City.”
“It’s sixty-five hundred *li* southeast of Raging Tide City.”
Mulan asked in a coquettish voice.
“Why is it called the Great Triangle? It doesn’t look that big.”
‘Oh, goddess, are you pretending to be a child just to act cute?’
“It doesn’t look very large on the map, but in reality, each side of the triangle is over seven thousand *li* long, completely blocking off the eastern and southern sea regions.”
“Husband, when we set out to sea this time, will it be just the two of us?”
Shen Lang shook his head.
“No. Our entire family must go.”
Greatly surprised, Mulan asked again.
“Oh! I thought it was a trip for just the two of us. Where are we going?”
“East. We will head straight east.”
“Are we going east to find Qiu Yao'er, by any chance?”
She asked, puzzled by Shen Lang’s answer, but in truth, she was not particularly keen on the idea. Mulan did not want to meet Qiu Yao'er until she had become stronger than her.
“The sea is vast, tens of thousands of *li* wide and long. Do you think we’ll run into Qiu Yao'er that easily?”
“Husband, are you really not going to bid farewell to His Majesty the King and His Highness Ning Zheng?”
“What's the point of farewells? It's better to be missed than to meet. I will, however, leave them a letter.”
“Th-then what about Ning Yan and Shen Li?”
“We’ll be able to see them when we go home this time.”
“Ning Yan is in Xuanwu City?”
“Why, shouldn’t she come? Ning Yan is older than you, yet she still meekly calls you ‘Older Sister,’ doesn’t she?”
***
Even after Shen Lang’s fleet had completely departed, the Third Prince, Ning Qi, remained lying alone on the ground. He lay there, unmoving, gazing up at the sky.
‘Father said the heavens of this world might change. But he also said they could return to how they were. Then I must wait and see if I can return after these heavens have changed.’
Ning Qi continued to gaze at the sky, watching as the clear blue expanse gradually gave way to darkness. The stars studded the sky so densely they looked like a river of silver. Ning Qi had never in his life stared at the sky so intently. It was so distant, so beautiful, that he worried if he became lost in it, he would forget the cruel struggles around him. He had always told himself that he must remain a man of the world, that he would not play the part of a lofty man detached from worldly affairs. For if a man became captivated by the heavens, he was likely to either transcend the mundane or flee from reality. But truly transcendent people were exceedingly rare; most were likely just running from reality.
‘As Shen Lang said, I can no longer act superior in this world. Then, even if I have to force myself, I must ascend to a higher place. "Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me."’
Those were not Shen Lang’s words, but Kant’s. Ning Qi had never heard those words, but as he looked up at the starry sky, the thought came to him instinctively. He was different from Xue Che, who had no lines he wouldn't cross. Every decision he made, every act of will, was to achieve the goals and ideals in his heart. In truth, he wanted to say that he had no personal enemies. But having already done many things that crossed the line, he had no right to say such a thing.