- Trung Hau Refuses to Join the Profound Ice Sect ??
After a period of evading the imperial court, Trung Hau finally reached a branch of the Profound Ice Sect and presented his letter of recommendation. He was invited to sit down. After a while, two Profound Ice Sect members arrived, laughing, and said: "A letter of recommendation from a gatekeeper? What value does that have? Haha ??."
Trung Hau immediately protested, saying, "He is a good Immortal; you must not speak ill of him!"
The two men laughed and said, "Haha, let's check his spiritual roots first. If you have a first-grade spiritual root, you can say whatever you want."
When the two men saw the Triple Spiritual Roots (Dark, Fire, Water) appear on the crystal ball, they burst into laughter, filled with contempt and insult: "Haha, trash spiritual roots ??, only fit to be a utility servant, cleaning toilets. We hoped too much; a gatekeeper can only recommend another gatekeeper. Haha."
Trung Hau was filled with anger upon hearing this. He had struggled to escape and find this place, holding great hope for a change in fate, only to be utterly humiliated. He remembered the compliments of the Demon Cultivators at the construction site: "Extraordinary genius," "Demon Cultivation Body," "Born to practice demon cultivation." All his initial hope crumbled, and tears instantly streamed down his cheeks ??.
Trung Hau was not sad because of the criticism or insults. Instead, he remembered the words of one of his Demon Cultivation teachers:
"You have the destiny of the Lone Star of Calamity (Thiên Sát C? Tinh); you will live your life alone. Anyone who lives near you will suffer bad luck; minor misfortune means injury, while severe misfortune means death. Your parents died because of you. Since birth, you've had Yin-Yang Eyes and can see ghosts and spirits. Your entire life should be lived alone, befriending the demonic."
Trung Hau bowed his head, stood up, took his belongings, and left. In a fleeting moment, his mind flashed through all the people who had loved and cared for him; most were ill, and some had died.
- Han Thuong and the Burden of Responsibility ??
A little while after Trung Hau left, Han Thuong ????? arrived at the Profound Ice Sect branch to check on the boy. But they said Trung Hau had already left. Many gossipy members pointed fingers, saying Han Thuong was the reason the Profound Ice Sect was hated by the court for daring to open the city gates without permission. The imperial court had forbidden all Profound Ice Sect members from entering any city in the Chau Ngoc Kingdom, banned buying or trading, and increased the Spiritual Stone mining fees in the Chau Ngoc Kingdom's mines by 5–6 times ??.
These were merely the words of the lower-level Profound Ice Sect members. The high-ranking members did not blame him, as they knew the relationship between the Profound Ice Sect and the court had already deteriorated significantly. Han Thuong's action was merely the straw that broke the camel's back. They wanted to find someone to blame, a scapegoat ??.
Han Thuong bore that guilt. Han Thuong didn't understand the full scope, only believing in his decision at the time: if he hadn't opened the city gate, thousands more would have died ???.
Han Thuong searched everywhere for Trung Hau, finally finding him by the road. Han Thuong tried to persuade the boy to return and join the Profound Ice Sect, but he refused repeatedly, saying he missed his relatives and the Elder, not wanting to be away from the village for too long, as cultivation often meant losing one's homeland.
Han Thuong, unable to force him, instead became Trung Hau's companion, accompanying him back to his hometown. On the way, the two chatted happily for a month. Han Thuong told him stories about Immortals, the diviners of the Heavenly Dao, and the Immortal City where Han Thuong worked, even giving him an access card to visit him when he was in the area.
Trung Hau was very fascinated by the stories of Immortals and dragons, which made his heart happy, and he wanted to listen forever, hearing about the masked heroes and the lone cultivators meditating on snow mountains. A purpose for his life was born in his heart: to travel the world, admire all the beautiful scenery, and live an utterly free life of adventure ???.
Trung Hau's Path of Adventure ??
A few months after Trung Hau returned home, the imperial army came to draft him into the military. Seizing the opportunity, he fled and began his path of adventure. By not staying close to those he loved, he would not harm them (due to the Lone Star of Calamity curse).
- The Prophetic Nursery Rhyme (Reappears) ??
As Trung Hau traveled, he repeatedly heard a children's nursery rhyme suddenly spreading throughout the Chau Ngoc Kingdom. The song was so popular that, at one point, every child knew it and hummed it all day long, carrying a strange, mournful melody:
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Hoang Ke Hoa (Yellow Chicken Fire), perches high, crows its song, Chau Ngoc Emperor.
Hoa Hoang Ke (Fire Emperor Chicken), bows from high tower, longingly awaits, the former Emperor.
Ke Hoa Hoang (Chicken Fire Emperor), stands scratching the earth, eyes on worms, forgets the throne.
The cunning Old Wolf, holds the chicken's head, takes it to the den, fully satisfied.
The White Old Wolf, gazes at the night sky, lets out a long howl, the Wolf King arrives.
The Black Guard Dog, bows its head to plead, heart torn with pain, tearfully wet.
The tasty Fire Chicken, is cut into five parts, divided into seven segments, saving the chicken heart.
The tasty Fire Chicken, eaten simultaneously, wished upon the platter, the heart temporarily saved.
The delicious Fire Chicken, the heart is gone, the Fire Emperor Chicken, transforms into the Yellow Dragon. ??
Trung Hau was curious about the lyrics, which seemed meaningless in the mouths of children yet carried a prophetic, strange, and mournful melody, causing unease in people's hearts. A sudden chill ?? ran down his spine whenever these nursery rhymes echoed. Adults, who initially dismissed them, now also felt deep unease every time they heard the words. They repeated in their minds like an unshakeable ominous sign.
- Some scholars noticed that the map of the Chau Ngoc Kingdom, after conquering parts of Nam Man, Tay Lang, and Bac Dich, formed the shape of a chicken ??: with the chicken's leg being Nam Man, the tail being the Tay Lang part, the wing being the Bac Dich part, and the head being the land of the giants.
- Many rumors say the dominant colors of the Chau Ngoc King's clothing are yellow and red, closely resembling the meaning of "Hoang Ke Hoa." These three words combined have multiple meanings: "Hoang Ke" is the yellow chicken, the chicken king, the ruler of chickens; "Ke Hoa" is the Fire Spirit Chicken, the red chicken, a roasted chicken over fire. Other paired words also have multiple metaphorical meanings, making the prophecy extremely difficult to decipher. This further burdened the scholars of the Chau Ngoc Kingdom with solving the riddle, while anxiety and unease crept into every corner of the kingdom, signaling an impending period of upheaval.
Some people remembered the prophecy of the Great State Preceptor about the kingdom being divided into five and seven parts after the passing of the great king of the Chau Ngoc Kingdom. Based on the verses related to the three kings of the Chau Ngoc Kingdom, rumors and interpretations constantly emerged, annoying the Chau Ngoc King ??, who absolutely forbade anyone from discussing this nursery rhyme and forbade children from singing it. This song became a secret ballad in remote areas among uneducated laborers and eventually faded away. Many believed this was a reminder from the Heavenly Dao, the supreme being, but since people did not listen, it meant punishment would be executed because there was no repentance.
The Heavenly Record ??
Log Date: [Current Date]
Event: The prophecy about the decline of the Chau Ngoc Great Kingdom has spread. A mysterious nursery rhyme appeared. Immortals began descending to the mortal world to protect their relatives. A new era is about to begin.
Impact: The prophecy has caused widespread panic among cultivators and mortals. The decline of the Immortal Clan has led to the rise of other cultivation branches (The Hundred Schools). The Chau Ngoc Kingdom is disintegrating, entering a new era.
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