Chapter 13: The Resentment of the Black Steed
Source of the Wu River.
The Black Dragon Pool lay utterly still, its waters devoid of a single ripple, as lifeless as a stagnant marsh.
Fan Li and his companions stood at the shore, gazing into the depths. The water was pitch-black and unfathomable, like an abyss poised to devour all things.
Within a ten-mile radius of the pool, Fan Li sensed not a single living creature.
It was as though this place were the site of an ancient battlefield.
No breath of the living lingered here—only the ghosts of the dead.
“What a fierce steed the Black Steed is—no wonder it was the mount of the Overlord,” Eunuch Chen remarked in his soft, eerie voice.
“What is that!?”
Xiang Ning suddenly pointed ahead.
Across the Black Dragon Pool, a mysterious figure clad in a raincoat and wearing a bamboo hat stood quietly, unnoticed until now.
All three fixed their gaze upon the stranger, who seemed aware of their presence.
“I am Lan Daoxing, a humble Taoist. Greetings to the Emperor of Great Chu.”
It was indeed Lan Daoxing, and he appeared quite courteous.
Xiang Ning called out loudly, “The Wu River is territory of Great Chu. Without permission, what are you doing sneaking into the Wu River?”
She knew well enough the other’s intentions, yet she sought to assert dominance first.
Lan Daoxing merely chuckled, offering no reply.
Under their watchful eyes, Lan Daoxing took out a fishing rod and began angling by the edge of the pool.
“Your Majesty, Lan Daoxing intends to lure out the Black Steed,” Eunuch Chen whispered.
Clearly, only he, whose cultivation matched Lan Daoxing’s, could discern the Taoist’s intent.
Where the float rested on the water, faint ripples spread, disturbing the deathly stillness of the Black Dragon Pool.
“The Black Steed is about to appear.”
Fan Li found the fishing float profoundly irritating and couldn’t shake the feeling. If he were living in the pool and someone dared to fish overhead, he’d burst forth and thrash the offender.
As expected!
In an instant, the glassy surface of the Black Dragon Pool twisted into a massive whirlpool!
The vortex seemed ready to swallow everything, or perhaps something was about to emerge from its center!
A colossal shadow, nearly a hundred yards long, flickered beneath the water, indistinct but terrifying.
“Please, friend, show yourself.” Lan Daoxing smiled, raising his fishing rod with a single hand.
The hook leapt from the water, empty, catching nothing.
But in the next moment, a vast dragon shadow erupted from the whirlpool’s core, soaring skyward!
A thunderous dragon’s roar echoed across heaven and earth.
The Black Dragon, the Black Steed, had truly appeared.
“I am a dragon—not a serpent, not a... horse.”
The Black Steed’s first words were simple, only nine in total, yet they carried an uncanny weight.
Its voice, like muffled thunder, struck heavy upon the ears of everyone present, including Fan Li.
---
The Black Steed’s dragon body was immense, coiling high overhead, stretching for over a thousand meters!
Only now did the group realize that the shadow beneath the pool had been merely a portion of the Black Steed’s body.
“Why does it seem the Black Steed hasn’t fully awakened?”
Fan Li looked up at the dragon, staring fearlessly into its enormous eyes.
The Black Steed gazed down at them in turn.
Its gaze finally settled upon Xiang Ning.
Clearly, it sensed the bloodline of Xiang Yu’s descendants within her, but showed no warmth for it.
Instead, a faint hostility flickered in its expression.
“You... want to ride me as he did, treating me as a horse?”
The Black Steed’s abrupt question caught Xiang Ning off guard, leaving her stunned.
Suddenly!
Lan Daoxing acted!
In his hand appeared a scroll, its axis of white jade, threads woven of gold.
He unfurled it—the base adorned with auspicious clouds and cranes, resplendent and regal. Silver dragons danced along its sides, exuding nobility.
Fan Li recognized it instantly—it was an imperial edict!
“Ming Dynasty, Jiajing Emperor, appointed by Heaven, may he live and prosper eternally.”
“By this special decree, the Black Dragon, Black Steed, is hereby conferred as the Protector Divine Beast of our Great Ming.”
“From this day forth, national fortune shall bless you, granting boundless longevity and prosperity!”
Lan Daoxing recited the edict, his voice infused with mystical power, ringing across the heavens, stirring the soul.
The Black Steed, whose twin pupils had been fixed upon Xiang Ning, finally could not resist turning its head to Lan Daoxing.
The black dragon’s eyes widened, a glimmer of anticipation showing.
“Great Ming... its national fortune will bless me?”
“Indeed!”
Lan Daoxing laughed heartily.
“Friend Black Steed, I am the Imperial Preceptor of the Ming, sent by my lord, the Jiajing Emperor, to invite you to join our court and achieve unparalleled glory!”
At last, Xiang Ning regained her composure.
Her plan had been to subdue the Black Steed, ride it like her ancestor Xiang Yu, and return to Pengcheng in triumph.
Who could have expected the Black Steed to harbor resentment, unwilling to be a mount again?
Instead, the Ming offered its national fortune, full of sincerity.
“Prime... Minister, what should I do? Lan Daoxing is about to steal my Black Steed!” Xiang Ning anxiously grabbed Fan Li, whispering frantically.
“What do you mean ‘your Black Steed’? It’s obviously mine,” Fan Li grumbled inwardly.
The young emperor was ridiculous—she always cursed him when anxious.
Before Fan Li could respond, Eunuch Chen intervened, “If Your Majesty wishes to act, this old servant can delay Lan Daoxing, giving you time to subdue the Black Steed.”
Xiang Ning stamped her feet in agitation.
She had no idea how to subdue the Black Steed; even if Eunuch Chen stalled, she had no means.
---
“Blessed by national fortune... not enough.”
The Black Steed spoke.
Judging by its words, it was not satisfied with Lan Daoxing’s offer.
Lan Daoxing remained unruffled, waiting quietly for the Black Steed to name its conditions.
“I want to ascend.”
Lan Daoxing smiled.
He declared loudly, “Rest assured, friend Black Steed. Though the realm is now divided into three, my lord the Jiajing Emperor possesses the wisdom and ambition to unite it all. When the Ming ascends as a whole, you shall ascend with us!”
“Ascend... the entire nation?”
The Black Steed’s massive pupils gleamed.
Clearly, it was genuinely tempted this time.
Xiang Ning cried out, “Black Steed, you were my ancestor’s mount! How can you betray Chu? This Wu River was gifted to you by the Overlord himself—have you forgotten?”
Fan Li could only shake his head.
Was she recruiting talent, or simply here to quarrel?
Eunuch Chen, equally stunned, quickly advised, “Your Majesty, beware your words! The Black Steed has transformed into a dragon, its power at least at the peak of the Harmonious Dao stage. This old servant is no match for it!”
A dragon’s roar!
The Black Steed was indeed enraged!
“The Overlord? I owe him nothing!”
“I fought by his side for years, yet when he ascended, he left me behind!”
“The mortal world is muddy; only the immortal realm offers true freedom. The Overlord abandoned me—I resent him!”
In its fury, the Black Steed churned the Black Dragon Pool into wild waves. The banks collapsed, forcing Fan Li and the others to retreat.
“Damn! The Black Steed acts like a jilted wife!”
Fan Li cursed silently.
Abandoned?
Could it be a female dragon?
Fortunately, despite its bitter resentment, the Black Steed did not attack anyone.
Fan Li guessed it was searching for a new master.
After all, merely transforming into a dragon had taken it thousands of years.
With its aptitude, if it tried to cultivate immortality on its own, it might not succeed even after growing old and dying.
This thought sparked a sudden insight in Fan Li!
Longevity?
Of course—the Black Steed had lived thousands of years already. How many years did it have left?
It had not immediately agreed to Lan Daoxing’s offer, perhaps because the terms did not address its deepest need...