Chapter 36 Awakening
I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced Chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more Chapters!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion recalled what she had just seen.
A blurry galaxy.
Eight planets of varying sizes orbited a central, blazing star in a regular pattern.
Her consciousness instinctively reached toward that beautiful azure planet among them, wanting to see it clearly.
However, just as she was about to touch the core, a vast, gentle, yet irresistible force brushed against her, like a mother’s hand pulling a curious child back from the edge of danger.
Her consciousness was gently but firmly pushed away, turning toward another, more accessible realm of memory.
These were the memory fragments of Jiang Bai’s childhood.
The remote Niuma Village, a crude earthen house, and the pale yet gentle face of his mother, Jiang Ning.
When he was five, his mother held his hand on her sickbed, whispered a few words with a faint breath, and then her hand slowly dropped, never to be raised again.
The scene shifted to the night of his Spirit Awakening at the age of six.
A bolt of lightning struck Jiang Bai, who was watching the stars, with pinpoint precision.
Seeing this, the pupil of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s vertical eye contracted violently.
Because she could clearly sense that at the very moment the lightning struck, the halo of Luck around Jiang Bai—originally dim, thin, and as ready to extinguish as a candle in the wind—suddenly surged!
Golden light soared into the sky, dazzling enough to make her Soul tremble, even within the fragments of memory!
The scene continued to shift.
Life at Spirit Hall Academy, meeting and falling in love with Qian Renxue.
Warm, bright, and beautiful memories, like precious pearls, strung together that short yet profound period of time.
Until the end—the cold backyard of the mountain, the resentful and poisonous gaze of Bibi Dong, the excruciating pain of the Eternal Wound piercing his body, and the cold darkness of falling into the river—
The memory froze here.
No wonder—no wonder this human could survive even after that!
This Luck, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the naked favoritism of the World!
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stumbled back two steps, her three eyes filled with unspeakable shock and bewilderment.
"Auspicious Beast!" Bi Ji pulled the still-wobbly Three-Eyed Golden Lion into her arms, her emerald eyes full of worry and urgency.
"What happened to you? What was that fluctuation just now?"
The soft and warm embrace brought the Three-Eyed Golden Lion back to her senses; she instinctively rubbed her head against Bi Ji’s soft chest and said in a muffled voice.
"I’m fine, Big Sister Bi Ji. It’s just—I was a little curious, so I used my Eye of Destiny to look at that human—"
Bi Ji sighed helplessly, her slender fingers gently grooming the golden fur on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s back.
"I told you not to run around, why won’t you listen?"
Although her tone was reproachful, her movements remained gentle.
"Oh, Big Sister Bi Ji, I know I was wrong—" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion acted coquettishly with practiced ease, her eyes squinting into crescents, her voice sickeningly sweet.
Next time, I’ll still dare to do it!
A heartless thought flashed through her mind.
How could Bi Ji not see through her little tricks? She flicked her furry forehead gently with her fingertip, but she couldn’t bear to truly scold her.
This little ancestor had grown up spoiled by the entire Star Dou Great Forest; her personality was lively and jumpy. Unless she suffered a major loss, "admitting a mistake without changing it" was the norm.
She shook her head and turned her gaze to Jiang Bai, who was still unconscious under a tree not far away, a hint of complexity flashing in her emerald eyes.
After pondering for a moment, Bi Ji looked up at the three Dragon beasts waiting nervously on the side, her voice returning to its usual gentleness yet remaining unquestionable.
"Your master’s injuries are no longer serious, and he will wake up in a few days. You should leave as soon as possible tomorrow."
The three Dragons looked at each other and said in unison: "Yes, Senior."
Bi Ji nodded slightly, saying no more.
She picked up the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who was still looking back reluctantly, spread her emerald green wings, turned into a stream of light, and flew toward the quiet woodland in the center of Lake Heart Island.
The next day, the morning light was faint.
The sky turned a fish-belly white, and the first ray of golden-red morning sun pierced through the mist above the forest, spilling onto the shores of Emerald Lake.
Under the tree, Jiang Bai’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
The long darkness and silence were torn apart bit by bit.
His eyelids were as heavy as lead, but he forced them open, little by little.
His pupils were initially unfocused and blank, reflecting the sky.
His vision was blurry and shaky, as if separated by a thick curtain of water.
Then, his focus struggled to coalesce.
Three familiar, anxious faces filled his field of vision.
They had shrunk their size and were extremely close, their Dragon pupils reflecting his pale and bewildered face.
His throat was as dry as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, and every breath brought a slight stinging pain.
Jiang Bai opened his mouth, his lips chapped; he tried several times before finally squeezing out a broken breath of sound.
"—Xue’er—Sister—"
The moment this name slipped out, his heart felt as if it had been tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and the sour pain surged along with the fragments of memory.
The warmth of holding hands under the lanterns, the green kiss in the teahouse, and—Bibi Dong’s cold, resentful eyes, the excruciating pain when the Eternal Wound pierced his body.
A hot tear fell from the corner of his eye without warning, leaving a cold, wet trail.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.
In his mind, besides his own near-death memories, there was another fragmented and vast torrent of memories.
He slowly sat up, his back against the rough tree trunk.
The soreness and weakness in his body remained, but the rampant, cold, and evil power inside him had vanished without a trace, replaced by a gentle and mellow vitality slowly flowing through his Meridians, repairing the final damage.
"Master, you are finally awake!" The Fire Dragon’s voice was choked with sobs as it carefully leaned its huge head over and rubbed against his arm.
"We—were very worried about you."
"This is the Emerald Lake shore in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, the territory of the Emerald Swan clan. We should leave as soon as possible."
Jiang Bai nodded, reached out, and touched the heads of the three Dragon beasts one by one; the warm, scaly sensation on his fingertips made him truly feel that he was still alive.
"You’ve worked hard—thank you."
His voice was still hoarse, but much clearer.
He braced himself against the tree trunk to stand up and stretched his stiff limbs.
Except for weakness and a few hidden pains, he could move basically without hindrance.
He turned toward the direction of Lake Heart Island, bowed solemnly, and gave a deep bow.
A life-saving grace must be etched in my heart.
"Let’s go." He withdrew his gaze and flipped onto the broad back of the Wind Dragon. "Let’s leave the core area first and find a safe place."
The three Dragons spread their wings, took off silently, and flew rapidly toward the outer edge of the forest.
The morning breeze blew against his face, carrying the fresh, woody scent unique to the forest.
Jiang Bai looked down at the dense sea of trees rapidly retreating below, his eyes gradually becoming deep and dark.
I wonder how Sister Xue’er is doing now—
And Bibi Dong—
his right hand tightened unconsciously, his knuckles turning white.
That woman’s face, those cold and resentful eyes, the eight spider legs that pierced his body, that undisguised murderous intent—
Every detail was like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely searing into the depths of his memory.
Anger burned in his chest but was quickly suppressed by cold reason.
He was too weak now.
A level 37 Spirit Elder—while he might be able to contend with a Spirit Ancestor or Spirit King when possessed by the three Dragon beasts, in front of a Titled Douluo, especially a Titled Douluo of Bibi Dong’s level, he was still an ant.
Going head-to-head was a foolish, suicidal act.
Then—
Yu Xiaogang?