Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 422 : Huang Taichen (3)

Chapter 422: Chapter 422 : Huang Taichen (3)

"SHUT UP!!!" The first outer disciple bellowed.

The verbal argument quickly evolved into a fistfight.

In the middle of the chaos, none of them noticed the two paper shapes sneak inside the curtain of Huang Taichen’s long hair, effectively shielded from sight.

Frantic pounding echoed against the marble steps, culminating in a booming voice that disrupted the fist exchange.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? WHO DARES TO CAUSE RUCKUS AT TIAN’AN SHANG SECT’S RESIDENCE???"

It was none other than the Second Young Master Shang, Shang Zichen.

A flicker of recognition crossed his face when he saw the tangled strands of black hair, akin to storm-tossed seaweed, which marked one of the fighters.

"Huang Taichen, stop at once."

Huang Taichen scoffed at Shang Zichen. He raised a finger at the man atop the stairs and snarled at him, "Very well. You finally dare to make your appearance. What’s with these rumors I heard at Tian’an City?"

Shang Zichen narrowed his eyes at the younger man.

"... What rumors?"

Huang Taichen’s tongue grazed his lips nervously. His eyes darted between the two outer disciples before they settled on Shang Zichen’s face.

"It’s about what happened during the Spiritual Mountain Competition."

Despite his outwardly calm appearance, a tremor of apprehension snaked through Shang Zichen. Huang Taichen’s seemingly innocuous comment had pricked at a hidden vulnerability, sending a wave of disquiet rolling through him.

"Taichen," His voice softened, and a nervous smile played on his lips as he spoke, "why you are treating us like strangers? If you have some problem, then just kindly ask to enter the palace. There is no need to cause a ruckus, is there?"

Huang Taichen harrumphed in disdain.

"Move!" he shouted at the two outer disciples, who looked as if the Heavenly Realm had just crashed into the Human Realm before their eyes.

"Shixiong, Sect Leader Shang has expressly forbidden Huang Taichen from stepping a foot into the palace," the second outer disciple kindly reminded his shixiong, only to receive a glare from the latter.

"Do you think that I don’t know that? Father is a very understanding person. Huang Taichen is no stranger to our sect. What, do you think, will he do if he hears that you two have been actively bullying Huang Taichen???"

Both outer disciples fell to their knees on the spot.

"Shixiong, please forgive us!"

"Shixiong, we do not dare!"

Huang Taichen’s lips curled up into a smirk.

"Let’s go," Shang Zichen said to Huang Taichen with an unknown expression. "Let’s talk inside."

Shang Zichen steered Huang Taichen through the labyrinthine gardens of Tian’an Jade Palace. Once they arrived at a hidden corner, sheltered by a curtain of crimson vines, he started bombarding the younger man with questions.

"Speak," he said. "What rumors did you hear and who did you hear them from?"

"I was eating dinner at the street food stalls today, and I overheard a random inhabitant speak about my involvement at the Spiritual Mountain Competition. They said that I was the one who smuggled that beast into Mount E’ling!"

Terror, raw and naked, bled into Shang Zichen’s irises. His head spun, scanning the open garden with the desperation of a hunted animal. The sound of his breathing and hammering heartbeats seemed to echo his fear. Only when he ascertained that they were truly alone, did he dare to lower his voice to a hushed tremor, the words barely escaping his lips, "And then, what did you say?"

Huang Taichen crossed his arms like iron bars before his chest, his gaze hardening into a steely glare that pinned Shang Zichen to the spot.

"Nothing."

"Oh. I see."

Shang Zichen wiped the cold sweat beads off his forehead.

"’Oh, I see’? Is that all you have to say?" Huang Taichen snapped at Shang Zichen. "You are ruining my reputation here, man!"

A nervous grin spread across Shang Zichen’s face.

"Look, Taichen, why do you care so much about rumors? Three days of rumors, eight parts false*. Give them some time, they will eventually disappear."

"And how long do I have to wait? What if it lessens my chance to join a cultivation sect???"

Shang Zichen put both hands on Huang Taichen’s shoulders.

"Taichen, don’t you have the slightest trust in me? I already told you that you belonged to the Tian’an Shang Sect. You just need to be patient."

Huang Taichen narrowed his eyes at Shang Zichen in suspicion.

"You keep asking me to be patient," he said. "I don’t know how much longer I need to be patient. The last time I saw Sect Leader Shang, he looked at me as if I were some vermin."

Shang Zichen sighed.

"Taichen, my father is old and stubborn. Hence I need more time to convince him. Just trust me, by the time you are allowed to enter the sect officially, I will dispel all the rumors personally."

"... Really?"

Huang Taichen’s gut twisted with suspicion. Shang Zichen, a man who spun promises like silk, seemed surprisingly uninterested in weaving them into reality.

Unfortunately, Huang Taichen did not have a better solution for his predicament.

"Fine," he grumbled unhappily. "As long as you fulfill your promises."

Shang Zichen heaved a sigh of relief. "There, good boy. Now, will you please obediently go back? Otherwise, we might enrage my father. And then I really cannot guarantee your entrance to the sect."

Huang Taichen pursed his lips.

"Fine."

Shang Zichen saw Huang Taichen off at the palace entrance. With his back facing the Tian’an Jade Palace, Huang Taichen was unable to see Shang Zichen’s face. Hidden at his back, the hidden paper crane and butterfly at his back could see everything.

Shang Zichen, usually a beacon of friendly smiles, was now fixated on Huang Taichen’s retreating form with the predatory intensity of a wolf eyeing its prey.

The paper crane fluttered slightly under Shang Zichen’s gaze. Then, together with the paper butterfly, it tumbled out discreetly from Huang Taichen’s long hair and floated to the ground. Before it could take flight and return to the inn, its connection with Qiao Wei’s body was rudely interrupted.

Qiao Wei’s consciousness slammed back into his body like a hammer blow, splitting his head with agonizing pain. His eyes struggled open to meet the horrifying sight of Zhang Fengxi, who vomited a mouthful of fresh blood on his robe.

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Author’s note :

*This proverb suggests that rumors tend to be exaggerated and distorted as they spread, becoming increasingly inaccurate over time.

Mini theater!

Jianyu : How many times do you want to throw up at me...?

Fengxi : I didn’t mean it! (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)