Shadow God Art

Zhuang Hong never did kill the Void Spirit that was the little dog.

He quietly watched the Thousand Shadow White Dragon lying before Luo A'ming's grave, all sorts of thoughts stirring in his mind. At last, he thought, Forget it. This Void Spirit is not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth. Let it guard this place for now. I'll come back in a few years, and if it's grown fat, it won't be too late to eat it then.

What he had not expected was that, when he and Liu Yueling's group were about to leave, the Thousand Shadow White Dragon lying on the ground actually stood up and waddled after Zhuang Hong on its short little legs, two streams of tears slipping uncontrollably from the corners of its mouth.

Zhuang Hong's eyelids twitched. This little fellow was currently consumed by thoughts of eating him, and its instinct to eat had overwhelmed its loyalty to guarding Luo A'ming.

Liu Yueling said in surprise, "Zhuang Hong, the Thousand Shadow White Dragon wants to follow you, doesn't it? Could it have taken you as its new master?"

Xiang Dongping's eyes turned purple with envy. He wanted a pet like the Thousand Shadow White Dragon too.

Zhuang Hong shook his head. "No. It wants to eat me."

Suspecting that the Thousand Shadow White Dragon was hungry, Liu Yueling took out some dried rations and water from her backpack. To her surprise, it did not even spare them a glance. Instead, it slowly crept closer to Zhuang Hong and used White Dragon Assault to bite his ankle.

Its teeth were not very good, though. It felt like it was merely scratching Zhuang Hong's itch and could not break through his defenses at all. Zhuang Hong casually kicked it away.

Zhuang Hong pointed at it. "Listen, don't follow me. If you keep following me, I'll eat you. Want to eat me? Maybe in your next life!"

The Thousand Shadow White Dragon backed away two steps. "Woof woof."

Zhuang Hong turned and left again. The Thousand Shadow White Dragon pretended to circle around on the spot, then, seeing that Zhuang Hong was not looking at it, continued after him.

Liu Yueling said delightedly, "Zhuang Hong, it followed us again."

Zhuang Hong picked it up and flung it far away. Before long, it came scampering back on its own.

In the courtyard, the villagers of Luo Family Village watched the Thousand Shadow White Dragon leave with Zhuang Hong, their faces full of conflict and heartache.

"Village Head, are we really just letting the Thousand Shadow White Dragon leave with him? If that happens, we'll never collect challenge fees again."

The other villagers nodded one after another. Over the past year or so, it was precisely because of the Thousand Shadow White Dragon that every household in Luo Family Village had received a considerable sum of money. Their living conditions had become worlds apart from what they used to be. Now, watching their money-making dog leave with someone else, they were deeply reluctant to let it go.

This was equivalent to cutting off their source of income entirely.

Village Head Luo shook his head. "It has already been enough. I knew long ago that the Thousand Shadow White Dragon could not remain here forever, and our Luo Family Village cannot rely on this livelihood forever either. The prosperity of this past year was already the Thousand Shadow White Dragon's gift to Luo Family Village. We cannot ask for more. It is only that we have failed Luo A'ming!"

No one spoke.

Village Head Luo continued, "Everyone, rest assured. I have already thought of another way to make a living. I will not let you villagers continue suffering."

Only then did the crowd reveal joyful expressions.

On the road out of Luo Family Village, Zhuang Hong glanced at the Thousand Shadow White Dragon following behind him and fell into deep thought.

This Void Spirit craves the flesh on my body, and I can't chase it away. But it would be a pity to kill it outright. I might as well let it follow me. If I get hungry one day, it can serve as emergency rations. Besides, it is still so weak that even if I offered no resistance at all, it could not bite off a single hair on my body. It poses no threat whatsoever.

With that thought, Zhuang Hong smiled and turned to the Thousand Shadow White Dragon. "Since you want to follow me, then follow me. From now on, your name will be Xiao Bai."

"Woof woof!"

Xiang Dongping's eyes turned purple with envy again. Still unwilling to accept defeat, he quietly approached Xiao Bai and reached out to grab it. As before, he grabbed nothing but air and was even met with bared fangs and a fierce string of barking threats from Xiao Bai.

Liu Yueling said, "It looks so well-behaved."

Zhuang Hong merely smiled without saying anything. Once it grew up, she would know whether it was well-behaved or not.

"Young Hero Zhuang, please wait."

At that moment, a white figure blocked the road ahead. It was You Baojiang, one of the ten great experts.

He was still deeply bothered by the fact that Zhuang Hong had captured the Thousand Shadow White Dragon when even he had failed.

Even now, he believed that Zhuang Hong had succeeded only by using some secret method. He had not intended to pry into another person's secrets, but after returning, the matter had lingered in his mind like an obsession that he could not shake off. It left him unable to eat or sleep.

Thus, he had made a decision. He had to obtain the method for subduing the Thousand Shadow White Dragon. Perhaps this was the key to breaking through to become a Heaven Treasury Warrior.

Zhuang Hong asked, "What is it?"

You Baojiang took a secret manual from his robes. "If Young Hero Zhuang tells me how you subdued the Thousand Shadow White Dragon, I will give you my unique cultivation manual, the Shadow God Art."

Xiang Dongping's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "The Shadow God Art, ranked fifth among cultivation arts?"

This cultivation art was renowned throughout the martial world. Even the imperial family had not collected it. Xiang Dongping was nearly stunned that the other man was offering it in exchange for a mere method.

Zhuang Hong's eyes lit up. He asked Xiang Dongping, "Is this a method for warriors to cultivate? Can I cultivate it as soon as I get it?"

Xiang Dongping nodded. "That's right. The Shadow God Art is one of the few cultivation arts that can lead directly to the level of Heaven Treasury Warrior. It once caused countless people to fight over it. I never expected it to be in You Baojiang's hands. As far as I know, though, the cultivation art You Baojiang practices is not the Shadow God Art. He must have acquired it after becoming famous."

Zhuang Hong was tempted. A warrior's strength was not weak, and he was very interested in how warriors cultivated. He wanted to try it himself, though he did not know whether his body, which had long since ceased to be human, could still practice martial arts.

Still, he would know after trying it. He confirmed, "You truly intend to trade the Shadow God Art for it?"

You Baojiang said, "I, You Baojiang, never go back on my word."

"Fine!"

Zhuang Hong walked up to You Baojiang and extended his palm. "High-five me."

You Baojiang thought that he wanted to seal the agreement with a high-five, so he raised his hand and lightly slapped down.

But what happened next left him rooted to the spot.

His hand passed straight through Zhuang Hong's.

"How is that possible!"

Could this young man possess an ability like the Thousand Shadow White Dragon's Shadow-Shifting Evasion?

Zhuang Hong lowered his voice. "If the Thousand Shadow White Dragon is a divine beast, then I am a divine person. It and I are of the same kind. Since we are of the same kind, naturally, subduing it was easy. Besides, this is innate. It cannot be learned."

Zhuang Hong went on to explain the differences in detail.

Zhuang Hong's words completely shattered You Baojiang's worldview. "A divine person and divine beast, born that way?"

Dazed, he handed the Shadow God Art to Zhuang Hong.

After Zhuang Hong left, You Baojiang muttered to himself, "Divine beasts, divine people... so there truly are extraordinary beings in this world. We may seem powerful, but in truth, we are merely insignificant ants. We cannot even touch a strand of their hair or the hem of their clothes..."

After a long while, he looked at his palm, determination flashing in his eyes. "Can I reach that level through cultivation?"

After Zhuang Hong and the others had gone far away, Liu Yueling asked curiously, "Zhuang Hong, what did you say to You Baojiang just now? Why did he look so absent-minded after hearing it?"

Zhuang Hong said, "Of course, I told him how I caught Xiao Bai."

"What method?"

"I told him Xiao Bai and I are the same kind."

"Just that?"

"Yes."

"I still feel like you're fooling me."

"Nothing of the sort."

After leaving Luo Family Village's territory, the three discussed their next travel destination.

Xiang Dongping spoke first. "After thinking it over these past two days, I've decided to return to Kyoto. As a member of the imperial family, I should shoulder some responsibility and do what I can for the people, so that fewer things like what happened to Luo A'ming will occur."

Liu Yueling asked, "You're going back to fight for the throne? You might die if you fail."

Xiang Dongping shook his head. "No. I am not suited for that position. I want to go back and help my second brother, because I believe that if he takes that position, ordinary people will live better lives. As for death... there are some things one cannot escape."

Liu Yueling said, "Thank you for sharing so many interesting people and interesting stories with me during this time. I also wish you smooth sailing and that all your wishes come true."

Zhuang Hong said, "Until we meet again."

Xiang Dongping said, "I'm very happy to have met you both. If you ever come to Kyoto, remember to find me. I'll treat you to the best places in Kyoto. Farewell."

"Farewell."

They all knew that after this parting, they might never have another chance to meet.

Once Xiang Dongping had gone far away, Zhuang Hong asked Liu Yueling, "What about you?"

Liu Yueling chuckled. "I'll first stay in nearby Changtai Town for a few days. I'll paint the mountains and rivers I've traveled through during this time, write down the stories I encountered, and send them to a publishing house. Once I'm done with that, I'll set off for somewhere new."

Zhuang Hong took out the Shadow God Art. "In that case, I'll also stay in Changtai Town for a few days. I looked through this book and found many parts I cannot understand. Can you explain them to me?"

"You don't mind me reading this secret manual?"

"If you like it, you can copy it yourself. You could even print it into books and sell them."

"Zhuang Hong, you really are different from everyone else."

"Probably!"