Land Candle Dragon

"A Spirit Scholar three years ago?" Flower Fox and the others were dumbfounded, not understanding what he was talking about.

Su Yun handed over the money. The old soldier accepted it and gave them five jade chips, four of which were half pieces. "Wait here. There are four more characters."

The jade chips were polished very brightly, but Su Yun didn't know how to use them. He looked at a jade chip and saw his own reflection appear on it. He quickly and quietly told Flower Fox.

Flower Fox snapped out of his shock and quickly looked into the jade chip. He saw his own reflection appear on it as well.

A few old soldiers guarding the station glanced at them, looking surprised. They muttered to each other, "It's almost New Year's and they're entering the city. And they're country bumpkins entering the city for the first time. They won't even know if they're sold..."

The station was warm. Su Yun warmed the little ones' hands while showing them his Spiritual Ability, the Great Yellow Bell.

Qingqiu Yue, Li Xiaofan, and Hu Buping's little hands quickly warmed up, and their faces turned rosy. The three little ones climbed onto his Great Yellow Bell and looked at it repeatedly.

Su Yun guessed, "I think it's the effect of the Old Sage Classics that Mister Wild Fox taught us. Although Mister didn't teach us any cultivation methods, only taught us to read, the Old Sage Classics still influenced us invisibly. That's why I was able to manifest my thoughts into reality three years ago and cultivate my Spiritual Abilities."

Flower Fox pondered, "Before, you only had Spiritual Power, but no methods of use. Mister Shuijing teaching you the Great Furnace Transformation: Qi Cultivation Chapter was to teach you the methods of use."

Su Yun nodded.

He was fortunate to have met two gentlemen who had a profound impact on him: one taught him knowledge, and the other taught him application.

"Second Brother, you've been cultivating under Mister Wild Fox longer than I have. Perhaps you've also developed your own Spiritual Abilities invisibly."

Su Yun said, "The Old Sage Classics, you understand them better than I do."

Flower Fox shook his head. "Every time there was an exam under Mister, you always got first place, and I could only rank second. I don't have your talent, so I definitely don't have Spiritual Abilities. I just like reciting books in my sleep."

He glanced at Su Yun, then remained silent for a moment before speaking his mind. "Xiao Yun, I've actually been very worried about you."

Su Yun looked confused.

Flower Fox hesitated, then continued, "We were worried that after your eyes recovered, you would collapse upon seeing the truth of Tianmen Town and the truth of the residents of the no-man's-land. I was also afraid that you would feel isolated by us, thinking you are human and we are demons. I was also afraid that you would feel lonely and isolated because of it..."

Su Yun smiled. "Second Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? You are my classmates. How could I feel lonely or isolated?"

He looked at the snow-covered mountains outside the station, his expression calm. "There was a moment when I was indeed a little frightened. Thinking that I was the only human, I also felt a bit lonely. But when I saw you all, I felt at ease. You are my classmates, classmates who have studied together in the same school for many years!"

He stood up, a smile on his face. "Classmates are probably the people who accompany you the longest, besides your parents and family! Once I understood this, what difference does it make whether you are human or demon, fox spirit or ghost god?"

Flower Fox was relieved. He looked at the old soldiers and said in a low voice, "Xiao Yun, what do you think they are, human or demon?"

Su Yun looked at the old soldiers and shook his head. He couldn't tell.

A rumbling sound came from outside. The ground trembled slightly, and a piercing dragon's roar shook the windows.

Su Yun quickly leaned by the window to look. He saw a dragon-headed monster on the distant snow mountain, dragging its long body, rapidly crawling down the mountain road!

The dragon-headed monster's speed was astonishing. It rushed down from the mountain towards them, its speed gradually decreasing, but still very fast.

The monster's long body was covered with wooden buildings, which swayed with its body. And from the windows of those wooden buildings, one could see faces peering out!

There were many people in the wooden buildings on the monster's body!

"The Land Candle Dragon has arrived!" The old soldiers who were warming themselves by the fire all stood up.

Flower Fox, being shorter, stood on tiptoe by the window to look outside. Hu Buping and the other two bounced around behind him, trying to catch a glimpse of the so-called Land Candle Dragon.

An old soldier said to Su Yun and the others, "You can go out now. Wait for the people to come down before you go up."

Before Su Yun could go out, Li Xiaofan, Hu Buping, and Qingqiu Yue had already rushed out. Flower Fox, being more reserved, walked behind them.

Li Xiaofan, Hu Buping, and Qingqiu Yue stood outside, their bodies tense, chests straight, clenching their small fists nervously, and looking up, making "wa wa" sounds.

"Such ignorant displays..."

Flower Fox was somewhat disdainful. He looked up at the Land Candle Dragon, which had not yet stopped, and immediately tensed up, straightened his chest, clenched his fists, widened his eyes, and involuntarily let out a gasp of amazement.

The surface of the Land Candle Dragon's body was covered with scales like brass, polished to a shine. Its long breaths from its mouth blew out like a strong wind, almost blowing off the hats of the little ones.

Flower Fox and the three little ones hurriedly reached up together to hold down their hats.

Su Yun walked out and saw that the wooden buildings on the Land Candle Dragon's back were made of steel driven into the dragon's thick scales, causing them to sway rhythmically with the Land Candle Dragon's body.

As the Candle Dragon slowed down, the swaying rhythm also slowed. Some of the wooden buildings had one floor, some had two. The second floor often had an octagonal pavilion, with a vigilant man and woman sitting inside.

The Land Candle Dragon's claws were also exceptionally thick and strong. As its claws landed on the rocky ground of the mountain road, sparks flew.

Even more peculiar was that the Land Candle Dragon had hundreds of legs. At a glance, all one could see were legs, moving rhythmically, lifting and falling, constantly advancing!

Su Yun couldn't help but widen his eyes, staring blankly at this colossal creature.

The Land Candle Dragon exhaled long streams of air from its nostrils, emitting a deep and melodious roar. Although deep, it was deafening, making the chest cavity resonate!

The air it exhaled turned into long white smoke upon meeting the cold air, scattering like clouds and mist.

Just as Su Yun was about to examine it closely, the Land Candle Dragon's long whiskers, along its body, floated out from the white mist, swaying in the mist, exuding great beauty.

This was a creature unknown to Su Yun and the others. It was two to three li long, with eighty small wooden buildings on its back, capable of carrying hundreds of people and a load of twenty million jin, traversing mountains and crossing ridges as if walking on flat ground!

At the station, two old soldiers stepped forward, one on the left side of the road, the other on the right, running alongside the Candle Dragon. Suddenly, they grabbed two of the Candle Dragon's whiskers and pulled with all their might.

The Land Candle Dragon's speed gradually slowed down and finally stopped.

The two old soldiers tied the long whiskers to the station's pillars, exhaling a sigh of relief.

Another old soldier climbed onto a water tower next to the station and dropped a water pipe made from the intestines of some unknown monster. Another old soldier quickly dragged the water pipe and sprayed water towards the Land Candle Dragon's claws.

The Land Candle Dragon's claws scraped against the ground from the long journey, like red-hot branding irons. When water was splashed on them, they hissed, the cold water instantly evaporating into thick mist.

Meanwhile, another old soldier rushed to the storeroom, pushed open the heavy door, and dragged out several ox carcasses, throwing them before the Land Candle Dragon's mouth.

The Land Candle Dragon began to eat, swallowing an ox carcass in one gulp. Its appetite was astonishing.

The station attendants, who had tied the dragon's whiskers, then brought large buckets of water and placed them on the road. Once the dragon's claws cooled down, they filled the buckets with water for the Land Candle Dragon to drink.

Su Yun and the four children stared, gasping in amazement.

At this moment, the doors on the Land Candle Dragon's back opened, and rope ladders were thrown down. Someone inside shouted, "We've arrived at Tianshiyuan! We've arrived at Tianshiyuan! Those getting off, hurry!"

Su Yun thought, The Land Candle Dragon pulls its carriage differently than oxen. Oxen pull carriages with the car body behind them, while the Land Candle Dragon carries the car body on its back.

As he was thinking, a few young men and women came down a rope ladder from one of the rooms.

These young men and women wore thick clothes, with white fur showing from their collars. They carried heavy bundles on their backs.

They must be young people returning home from the city. After a long absence, they stretched their bodies, twitched their noses, and greedily breathed in the cool air.

Someone on the Land Candle Dragon's back urged Su Yun and the others to get on, saying, "It's cold, we can't leave the doors open all the time. Hurry up and get on!"

Su Yun grabbed the rope ladder and climbed up. The three little fox demons followed, with Flower Fox at the end.

Su Yun boarded the carriage, turned around, and leaned down, reaching out his hand to lift the four fox demons up one by one.

Just as he was about to close the door, he heard a young man who had just gotten off laugh heartily, "Finally home! I can't hold it in anymore!"

Su Yun looked and saw the young man drop his bundle and, under everyone's watchful eyes, swiftly shed his clothes. Naked, he shouted and charged into the snow.

Whoosh—

A large white wolf leaped out of the snow, rolled around in it, then suddenly sprang up and bolted away.

Su Yun stared, but the others in the carriage seemed used to it, and the station attendants were unfazed. They untied the dragon's whiskers and shouted, "Hurry inside, we're about to depart! Hurry inside!"

Su Yun quickly entered the room and closed the door.

The Land Candle Dragon, having eaten and drunk its fill, opened its eyes, shook its head, exhaled, and let out a loud, clear roar.

The colossal creature slowly moved its legs and left the Tianshiyuan Station, causing the ground to tremble slightly. The passengers in the rows of houses on the dragon's back quickly sat down in their seats to steady themselves.

Hu Buping's little face turned red with excitement, and he quickly waved to Su Yun, "Here, here!"

They sat by a window, through which they could see the scenery outside.

Su Yun walked over, his body swaying with the moving dragon. He reached his seat and looked out the window. The young people who had returned home were nowhere to be seen in front of the station, only a pile of clothes and bundles left behind.

And on the mountain behind the station, several white wolves were galloping wildly.

The wolves rushed to the mountaintop and roared to their hearts' content in the wind. The cold wind blew their fur, making it flutter.

Roar—

The clear sound resonated with the Land Candle Dragon's roar, reaching Su Yun's ears and filling him with a strange sense of anticipation and sadness.

These young demon race youths from Tianshiyuan, who had worked in the city, finally cast off their restraints after a year of hard work. In their hometown, in the wilderness of Tianshiyuan, they revealed their true forms, roaring wildly and expressing the selves they had suppressed over the past year.

And now, Su Yun was also leaving his hometown for the city.

He sat down, his eyes slightly moist, looking at the continuous snow-capped mountains outside the window. The desolate song of Uncle Qu echoed in his ears again.

He looked out the window, his fingers tapping the table, humming softly in the old Shuofang dialect.

Outside, snow stretched as far as the eye could see, with graves everywhere. Tianshiyuan's winter was a vast expanse of white this year, with no heroes or valiant figures to be found, only the graves of heroes and valiant figures. And there was a young passenger from the wilderness, riding a dragon carriage, traveling from the countryside to the city.

Zhai Zhu: Open Qidian, read the latest chapters of Walking the Abyss, check the comments in this chapter's discussion, vote for Walking the Abyss with recommendations, give characters a like, express your own opinions, and argue with those who disagree with you. Cultivate this good habit!