Volume One: The Dragon Soul Awakens, Chapter 95 Volume One Concludes. Volume Two in Preparation.
“Wait... is it not even long past the start of autumn? Why has it suddenly turned into a boundless snowstorm?” Mo Xing exclaimed, hurriedly pulling on his coat.
Though a barrier shield held back the blizzard, and Zhang Zhihao had conjured a makeshift heater, the sight of that vast white expanse still carried a chill that seeped deep into the heart.
“This place is unusual. It lies in the northwest of Dragon Fang Island, where the climate is bitterly cold and the land is covered in ice and snow all year round. The average temperature here is twenty-five degrees below zero.” Zhang Zhihao shook his head. “This place is called the Land of Eternal Cold.”
“Then, Captain... with snow coming down like this, how are we supposed to find Shi Yan? Where is she?” Mo Xing asked anxiously. In such savage weather, ordinary people would never hold out, and even with the power of the Dragon God, that did not mean they were immune to the cold!
“We’re almost there.” Zhang Zhihao frowned, looking into the distance.
Mo Xing followed his gaze and looked too. On the endless white plain, amid the howling blizzard, a figure appeared, faint and indistinct!
“Shi Yan!” Mo Xing cried out.
The translucent red-orange shield stopped in front of her, then immediately expanded the space around them, drawing Shi Yan completely within its protection.
“It’s been a long time...” Shi Yan smiled at Mo Xing. She was wrapped in thick clothing, with a red scarf and cotton hat, her hands in plush gloves, yet even so her skin had been frozen red, even purpling with cold.
“Shi Yan, are you all right?” Mo Xing looked her over, concern written across his face.
“I’m fine...” Shi Yan smiled, then turned back. “Chairman, I’ve already obtained the Ancient Demonic Tome...”
“Good. Keep it safe for now.” Zhang Zhihao nodded.
“The Ancient Demonic Tome? What is that?” Mo Xing asked.
“It records the secrets of Dragon Fang Island’s origin...” Shi Yan’s eyelashes lowered slightly, her voice growing softer and softer. “Sorry... I’m a little sleepy... When I wake up, I’ll tell you...”
Before Shi Yan could finish, her body lost balance and tilted to one side. Mo Xing hastily caught her and shouted, “Shi Yan! Shi Yan! Wake up!”
“She’s been in the blizzard too long. Her whole body’s frozen solid.” Zhang Zhihao took two small braziers from his storage ring.
“What do we do next?” Mo Xing’s voice trembled as he looked at the stiff, frozen Shi Yan in his arms.
“Leave here, then find a doctor.” Zhang Zhihao set down the braziers in his hands and lit them.
Suddenly, the blizzard around them grew fiercer, and a deep, ancient voice pressed down from the sky:
“So you dare steal from a god!”
Mo Xing looked around in alarm. In the white sea of snow stood a shadow as towering as a mountain. It wore heavy armor inlaid with interlocking metal patterns, white fur flowing with a crystal-like gleam, its fists each as large as a football field, white vapor pouring from its nostrils, and its golden pupils shone like great lamps, illuminating the entire snowy world.
A giant ape!
“What... what is that!” Mo Xing cried out.
“Lord Lu, the leader of the Dragon-Blooded Ones.” Zhang Zhihao said quietly.
“My God, we’ve run into a boss here!” Mo Xing stared tensely as the giant ape moved toward them, like a mountain charging forward!
“Meow~” Little Moonshadow cried, and the translucent red-orange shield sped up even more!
“It’s fine. Don’t panic.” Zhang Zhihao smiled faintly. “Mo Xing, do you still remember that afternoon when you came to interview for the student council?”
“I remember. Wasn’t that two weeks ago?” Mo Xing scratched his head. “Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”
“Mm, do you still remember the last question in the interview?” Zhang Zhihao continued. “If you ran into a special situation, and I and Shi Yan both needed saving, which one of us would you save?”
“Huh?”
Mo Xing was even more dazed now. What was this about?
“Mortal! Don’t think you can run off with what you stole!” Lord Lu roared in fury, and though his body was massive, his speed had not been slowed in the slightest. He drew ever closer to the red-orange shield!
“Do you remember your answer?” Zhang Zhihao asked calmly, ignoring Lord Lu’s pursuit.
“I... I remember! Save Shi Yan first! Protect the girl first!” Mo Xing nodded. The red-orange shield was now being battered again and again by Lord Lu’s attacks, at times buried beneath snow, at times smashed by ice, yet breaking out time and again!
“Good. Then do you remember the rest of what you said?” Zhang Zhihao stood and removed his storage ring.
“I remember... I think I also said you were very reliable, Captain, and that you made people feel at ease!” Mo Xing nodded. Though he did not know why Zhang Zhihao was asking all this, he still repeated the gist of what he had said before.
“Good. Please take care of this ring.” Zhang Zhihao handed the ring to Mo Xing.
“Huh? What are you doing, Captain?” Mo Xing froze, then took the ring.
Zhang Zhihao turned away, raised the Divine Luo King Sacred Sword, and with a sideways smile said, “You can always trust Zhang Zhihao.”
The words had barely fallen when Zhang Zhihao himself turned into a streak of red lotus and burst out of the shield, charging straight at Lord Lu!
“Captain!” Mo Xing cried out in a cracking voice.
Zhang Zhihao faced the giant ape alone. He spun violently, the longsword drawing a blinding arc of light as it slashed toward the enemy amid crimson flame!
“Little Moonshadow! Take them away!”
Explosive currents burst through the falling snow, and from the depths of his throat Zhang Zhihao released a piercing roar!
“Meow—”
Little Moonshadow let out a long cry and drove the red-orange shield toward the distance!
“Captain!”
Mo Xing pounded hard against the shield. In that instant, he finally understood: for the sake of their escape, Zhang Zhihao had drawn the giant ape away alone.
He always bore everything by himself.
“The farther you go, the more fully I can unleash my strength.” Zhang Zhihao smiled. Though he faced the giant ape, those words were meant for Mo Xing. Even if his voice was swallowed by the blizzard, it did not matter; he had already thrown himself forward without regard for his own life.
“A presumptuous mortal! You dare oppose a god alone?” the giant ape sneered. “I could crush your head with a single finger!”
“A god? At best, you’re only a demigod!” Zhang Zhihao laughed, brandishing the Divine Luo King Sacred Sword in his hand. His whole body turned blazing red, dragon scales like armor spreading over his skin, crimson light flaring from his eyes.
“And I came here to slay a god!”
Wherever the red current spread, time itself seemed to slow. Even the wind and snow turned viscous, and the giant ape slowed as well, as if the whole world had become a slow-motion film.
Only Zhang Zhihao himself remained untouched. He whirled back and struck, stepping, sliding, flames bursting rapidly along the blade as thick, black blood oozed forth in slow motion, hanging suspended in the flying snow like the lone stroke of red in an ink painting.
Mo Xing watched that streak of red dance through the winter scene, and for some reason his eyes filled with tears. In the depths of his mind, an ethereal voice seemed to chant a familiar song:
Beyond the pavilion, by the old road, green grasses stretch to the horizon.
The evening wind stirs the willows, the flute’s notes fading, the sun setting beyond mountains.
At the edge of heaven, at the corner of the earth, dear friends are scattered half apart.
A cup of rough wine drains the last of our joy; tonight, parting dreams turn cold.
Beyond the pavilion, by the old road, green grasses stretch to the horizon.
I ask you: when will you return from this journey? When you do, do not hesitate.
At the edge of heaven, at the corner of the earth, dear friends are scattered half apart.
In life, reunion is rare and precious; more common still is separation.
As the shield moved farther and farther away, that streak of red in the distance vanished into the blizzard. Mo Xing felt as though something deep inside him had been lost, like a kite whose string had snapped...
“Ti... time...”
Mo Xing felt the girl beside him trembling. His gaze turned tenderly to Shi Yan, and he saw that a trace of color had returned to her face. Her lips were slightly parted as she murmured in her sleep...
“... ...”
After hearing the second half of her whisper, Mo Xing’s pupils contracted sharply!
This...
...
======A Letter to All Readers======
Dear readers,
Hello! I am the author, Moonshadow. Today marks the ninety-second day of serialization for this novel. From January 29, 2020 to April 30, 2020, a full ninety-five chapters of main text have been written, along with the prologue added in between, and the content of Volume One, Dragon Soul Awakens, has drawn to a close. At the same time, preparations for Volume Two, Stars Blooming, are now underway. Thank you all for your continued support and enthusiasm! (Please keep it in your bookshelf, do not delete it, hahaha.)
Because of the special circumstances this year, many people could only stay at home, and I used this opportunity to begin writing this novel as well. At the time, I was thinking that during such a long stretch of time, I should do something that would be worth remembering years later and would leave me with a sense of accomplishment. When I was choosing a web fiction site, I looked up a lot of information online and finally chose Zongheng, since it seemed the most suitable for a novice writer like me.
My choice was the right one. The atmosphere here is very good, quiet and without too much commercial pressure, making it an excellent place to sit down and write. There are also public groups where authors can chat and recommend books, and I’ve met a lot of interesting people, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the web fiction circle.
Writing really does require patience and perseverance!
No great author has had it easy. They have all walked many arduous roads to reach the place they stand today. And the editors, too, work very hard, running back and forth, putting in plenty of sweat and effort. I would especially like to thank my editor, Fries, for his help and guidance over this long period of time.
All right, let’s return to the story. I admit that there were times when I got stuck and filled in quite a few words because I could not think of what to write next. After all, I did not want to miss an update. So at times, the quality of the writing was not very high. In addition, the pacing was sometimes slow, and some plotlines took a long time to reach the main story. At times the protagonist’s presence was not very strong, or there were too many buried setups. In short, there were many shortcomings, and I have been slowly improving through trial and error.
Let us recall the characters who appeared in this volume. Some of them may be improved later; feel free to leave a comment at the relevant place. If you like them, you can also tag them.
Prologue:
Flame Dragon, Wind Dragon, Water Dragon, Royal Dragon, Black Dragon, Mister Shen, Cool Not-Mixed-In, Leviathan
Chapters 1 to 20:
Mo Xing, Yi Zai, Shi Yan, Cotton Flower, Shi Yan’s Grandmother, Village Chief, Old Tian (Bandit), Yang Tianqi (Mentor), Zhang Zhihao, Cai Hong, Long Lian (Mentor), Xia Ningxin, Chen Anye, Doctor Bai, Li Qingchi, Su Yunzhou (Mentor), Li Xiangcao, Liu Shuguang
Chapters 21 to 50:
Lance Lot (Sovereign of the Black Dragon Sect), Huo Tianying (School Security Team), Little Moonshadow (Cat), Xue Dinghai (Dean of Discipline), Little Feng, Chen Musi (Mentor), Grant Chai (Principal), Shadow Stream Ming (Little Ming), Gulaga Siliuxiang (air pirate, fat man), Markas Yeming (bandit, thin man), Henren (pirate, scar-faced man)
Chapters 51 to 70:
Lucifer (Seven Sins), Orange (Crimson Moon Academy), Ling Ke, Wu Dance, Ku Xu Ai Ji, Gou Ge
Chapters 70 to 95:
Lin Ao, Zuo Zuo, Firepower Old Man (Dragon-Blooded One — Blazing Battle God), Gale Knight (Dragon-Blooded One), Blind Pi Pi (giant dragon mount), Chu Fengyun (Han Chuan Academy), Shadow Dance (Law King), Little Savage (Dragon-Blooded One — Brute Force Monster), Ma Feifei (Dragon-Blooded One — Brute Force Monster), Zero Not Speaking (Immortal Spirit Academy), East Lord (Immortal Spirit Academy), Wolfblade King (Dragon-Blooded One), Gadiggs (Crimson Moon Academy), Spider Queen (Dragon-Blooded One), Lord Lu (Dragon-Blooded One — boss leader)
[Incomplete count: a total of 58 characters appeared]
Thank you, friends, for supporting my writing during this time. I also promised to buy them snacks with my manuscript fees, hahaha. Many of the novel’s characters are based on them!
wwwwww
The content of the first volume, Dragon Soul Awakens, has now come to a close, and we are about to enter the preparation stage for the second volume, Stars Blooming. During this time, I will take a break, make adjustments, and study relevant writing knowledge and techniques, then come back when the time is right!
There was once a month when, in order to write this novel, I did not even play games = = and I used up quite a bit of personal time.
(Mainly because I have had too many classes and too much homework lately, I can no longer keep up with the typing. In order to improve the quality of the novel, I can only suspend updates for a while. I hope all readers can understand.)
If you need anything, please join the reader group chat and discuss it together. If you have any good suggestions, feel free to bring them up. There are also many pretty boys and handsome girls in the group chat, ahem.
Reader Group Chat: 636946569
Reader Group Chat: 636946569
Reader Group Chat: 636946569
Important things should be said three times!!!
The first volume is over; let us meet again in the second volume!
Moonshadow
Evening of April 30, 2020
[Announcement] At 10:18 p.m. on April 30, 2020, the first volume of the novel Dragon and the Boy by Moonshadow officially came to a close. The second volume is now in preparation, and updates will be paused for a period of time. Let us meet again in the midsummer!