Die vollständige Sammlung der Geistersärge des Gelben Flusses

Kapitel 2

The eldest sister couldn't help but look puzzled: "But Feng Hou's prophecies have always been accurate."

I couldn't help but laugh. I knew what my older sister meant. Feng Hou said I would die at the hands of the first person I encountered, but that person was already dead. How could a dead person kill a dragon?

The older sister sighed: "Your ban has been lifted. You can now freely enter and leave the sea."

I was stunned. I never expected that my outburst would end like this. Suddenly, I felt utterly bored. I had thought my parents would come up with an even more vicious way to lock me up, but to my surprise, they gave in.

Or maybe it's because the first person to see me died, that's the reason!

So what about myself? Why do I feel unhappy when I hear the ban has been lifted? Am I just being rebellious, or am I not really determined to go to the sea?

The eldest sister disappeared without a sound; she always did that, moving without making a sound.

The girl's body was still before me; I saw her beautiful face was deathly pale. I remembered the look in her eyes when she had looked at me—calm yet reserved.

Looking down at itself, its long body coiled on the seabed rocks, its white scales without any luster, even if it was a dragon, it was a very unsuccessful one.

An idea slowly crept into my mind: since she's already dead and her body is useless anyway, and will soon turn to dust, why not make use of her body? That way, I can preserve her beauty.

Having made up my mind, I couldn't help but admire myself; only I could have come up with such a clever idea.

I shrank my body and entered her shell; a beautiful body, now mine.

Unable to contain my excitement, I first went to the Mermaid Goddess to show her. The Mermaid Goddess recognized me at a glance and asked with a smile, "You've finally reached the surface of the sea?"

I sighed: "How did you recognize me at first glance?"

The Mermaid smiled and said, "No matter how you change, you're still a dragon!"

Her words made me a little sad. Am I always that failed dragon?

"I want to go out to sea. My ban has been lifted. I can finally see the world at sea."

The mermaid god remained silent for a long while before asking, "What about that prophecy? Aren't you afraid?"

---janeadam

Reply [4]: "I don't care about any prophecy! I've wanted to see that mortal world for a long time, and now I finally have the chance."

The mermaid goddess smiled and took out a dark, inconspicuous pearl from her sleeve. "Eat it! It will be good for you."

I casually popped it into my mouth. Over the years, I've eaten countless pearls from her. She often says that one day I'll eat her until she goes bankrupt, but she still has countless gold and silver, while I'm already tired of eating them.

Later, I left the seabed and headed towards the surface. This was the second time I had swum to the surface that day, and this time it was completely different from the first. I swam confidently among the fish and shrimp, and they would no longer hinder me. From then on, I was free.

Emerging from the sea again, the sun was already setting, and the light was no longer so intense. There were no other creatures on the sea; the ship had been reduced to fragments. Although I was merely a defeated dragon, I was still, after all, a spirit of the water.

There was a rosy glow on the horizon, and the blue wasn't as bright as it was during the day. The wind blew across the water, a feeling you couldn't experience underwater.

Yet loneliness remained. Suddenly, I became aware of the change in my feelings, vaguely sensing the lingering memories of the girl; her soul seemed not to have completely left her body, but was quietly entering my soul.

A vague unease crept into my heart. If I possessed her soul, would I no longer be myself?

Never mind, my memories are all blurry, but she must have known more than I do. An unprecedented sense of resentment began to well up within me; she was unhappy.

Standing on the sea and looking around, I realized that the universe is truly vast and boundless. To the north lies land, and to the south, the ocean. Humans cannot survive in water; their lives are as fragile as morning dew.

The wind blew from the north that day, and I walked against the wind, soon seeing a yellow sandy beach.

That's land.

Just as I was about to step onto that stretch of yellow sand, I suddenly felt a howling wind in the sky. I looked up and saw a white cloud disappearing like lightning. I stared at the direction the cloud had vanished. Although it was the first time I had ever seen a cloud move so fast, an instinct seemed to be telling me that it was the result of some kind of magic.

Without almost a second thought, I immediately chased after that white cloud.

Many years later, I often wondered what prompted me to chase that cloud. Was it because I had just left the seabed and was too unfamiliar with everything around me, not knowing which direction I should go, that I decided to chase that white cloud?

Or perhaps it's because I'm too curious; whenever I see someone performing a spell, I immediately want to see who is doing it.

Or perhaps it's nothing at all, just a simple arrangement of fate.

Whatever the reason, I chased after the white clouds. The place where they disappeared was a bamboo forest, and I descended from the clouds, landing on the tips of the bamboo.

Beneath my feet are endless, tender, emerald-green branches. Centuries later, someone described bamboo like this: "The branches where the phoenix perches are still soft and weak, and the shape of the reclining dragon is already faintly visible."

---janeadam

Reply [5]: Of course I didn't know that poem at that time. Although it was the prosperous Tang Dynasty, a time of abundant resources and great treasures, and the Kaiyuan era, famous poets like Li Bai and Du Fu had not yet appeared. Even if they had, I wouldn't know any poems. I began to learn about human civilization after the dust had settled, when life was lonely and boring, with no end in sight. I idled away my days, with nothing to do, so I slowly began to memorize poems or read some books.

The human body has weight, and I quickly realized this when I landed on the bamboo tip. Perhaps the dragon's body also has weight, but I never felt it when I was in the water.

The bamboo branches swayed up and down, and my new body swayed up and down with them. I saw a large, colorful bird flying across the dark red sky, slowly spreading its wings and moving freely among the dark red clouds.

I imitated it and stretched out my arms. I am a dragon, able to fly in the sky. Now I feel like a bird.

Strange sounds came from the bamboo forest. I parted the bamboo leaves and peered down. Two naked young men and women were entangled together, their fair skin shimmering faintly in the dim bamboo forest.

I watched them curiously, noticing their genitals were tightly joined together. I had never seen anything like it before, and although I didn't understand what they were doing, I inexplicably felt my face flush.

After the movement finally stopped, the boy casually picked up a bamboo leaf from beside him, put it to his lips and blew on it, and the bamboo leaf made a clear and melodious sound.

He lay on his back, his gaze sweeping across the bamboo leaves, briefly meeting mine. In the dim bamboo forest, his bright eyes seemed somewhat out of place.

He remained lying there as if nothing had happened, the melody played on the bamboo leaves melancholic and desolate.

The girl finished dressing and whispered in the boy's ear. The boy didn't answer and continued playing the tune. After he finished playing, the boy smiled and said something to the girl. The girl's face changed, and she suddenly slapped the boy across the face. She stood up and ran into the depths of the bamboo forest.

To me, it was like a silent film, because they were all whispering the whole time. At that time, I didn't fully understand my supernatural powers. Later, I learned that I could hear anyone's whispers if I wanted to.

He casually put on his clothes. Then he looked up and asked indifferently, "Haven't you seen enough yet?"

"What are you doing?" I couldn't help but ask.

He smiled and changed the subject: "Are you a dragon?"