Sean Payne gazed at Dragon-Qilin, the blow hitting him even harder. He stood up with a bitter smile, his hair white as snow, his voice hoarse with age: "May I ask, sir, your esteemed name?"
Prince Umbral immediately pricked up his ears, ready to note down Dragon-Qilin's true name and pray him to death.
Dragon-Qilin laughed, "I have long hidden in the mountains, contemplating the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth, mastering the arts of numerology. I call myself the Dragon Mountain Wanderer."
"Dragon Mountain Wanderer? I am honored!"
Sean Payne bowed deeply to him, then staggered away, his voice trailing off in a mix of sobs and lament: "You're still so young, still just a youth! The title of First Celestial Teacher under Heaven now belongs to you..."
Dragon-Qilin could not hide his pride, thinking, "In ancient times, I too have made my name. Hmm, I probably shouldn't reveal my true name. If I did, that rascal Prince Umbral would surely curse me to a miserable death. Still, Dragon Mountain Wanderer is a resounding name!"
He brimmed with satisfaction, only regretting that, having taken human form, he had no tail to wag and show off.
That was his only regret.
Quinn Shepherd coached him in shattering the Heavenly Court's various armies, but the toll on his divine sense was too great, and he fainted once again.
Black Tortoise Palace was now secure. Crown Prince Yooming had not reclaimed the Glass Azure Firmament Banner, leaving it to safeguard the palace. He himself rushed around, tending to the wounded and burying the fallen clansmen, busying himself with endless tasks.
As for Dragon-Qilin, Annie, Prince Umbral, and the others, Yooming settled them in Jade Capital City for the time being, treating them as honored guests and tending to their needs with utmost courtesy.
A few days later, Crown Prince Yooming finished his tasks, Prince Umbral's injuries were much improved, and Queen Serena Gong finally managed to calm her own chaotic divine sense, becoming ever more adept at controlling her new body.
True to her word, as soon as her divine sense was stabilized, Queen Serena Gong helped Quinn Shepherd heal his divine sense wounds.
"In your battle with Grant, his Supreme Divine Sense gravely injured you. It wasn't that your divine sense techniques were inferior, but your cultivation simply couldn't match his."
While treating him, Queen Serena Gong observed Quinn's divine sense and was deeply shaken. She said, "Such mastery of divine sense should belong only to a Creator, never to a postnatal being. Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, your origins truly intrigue me."
After her treatment, Quinn awoke looking much better, and smiled, "I'm half a Creator myself."
Queen Serena Gong's eyes flickered. "The Creators have gone extinct—only a single branch escaped into the void, forging a new world. With Supreme Emperor dead and my own body destroyed, neither of us are Creators anymore. In this universe, perhaps only you are half a Creator. Your background is truly strange; can't you share more details?"
Quinn didn't answer directly. "Someday, when I ascend from Earth-Mother Origin World to Heavenly Court, we will meet again. Then you will understand everything."
Queen Serena Gong did not press further. "I repay my debts. You saved me from the Ancestral Court, and now again from Heavenly Court—two rescues. This is my first repayment; in the future, I will repay you a second time. Then our accounts will be settled."
Quinn sighed, "With your divine sense, you could easily have forced your way into my mind and stolen all my secrets. Yet you refrained. Does even an ancient God-King possess a gentleman's virtue?"
"Who says a gentleman must be a man?"
Queen Serena Gong sneered, "I despise men like you, always preaching virtue and morality while behaving like thieves and degenerates behind the scenes—so hypocritical, so revolting!"
Quinn felt a pang of guilt.
"I don't mean you. I just had poor taste in men—I'm talking about Supreme Emperor and the Taichu Heavenly Emperor."
Queen Serena Gong finished healing him and stood up. "I'm leaving now. Your divine sense is still deeply depleted. Though your wounds are healed, your cultivation won't recover overnight. Train well, and until you've regained your strength, don't act recklessly—or you may never recover at all."
Quinn nodded. "What are your plans, Ms. Gong?"
"Ms. Gong?"
Queen Serena Gong couldn't help but laugh. "Why call me Ms. Gong?"
Quinn replied, "One calls a true gentleman 'sir.' You are a true gentleman, worthy of the title."
Queen Serena Gong shook her head with a smile. "I'm not really the kindhearted gentleman type. This host body is of poor aptitude—I may set her free, but I'll erase her memories of this period. Later, I'll look for someone with true talent to 'borrow birth' once more."
She gazed up at the starry sky beyond the Celestial River and said softly, "There are no more Creators in this world. It's time I let go of that old glory and truly live. Once, I was one of the Three Kings. When I am reborn, I will again become one of the strongest beings in existence!"
She smiled. "If someday you meet a woman named Gong, famed throughout the world and wielding great power, that will be me! I will cast off the past, embrace this era, and become the brightest star in these heavens!"
"Farewell, Shepherd Heavenly Venerable!" Her figure suddenly vanished.
Quinn rose and stepped out from Annie's halo, but she was already gone without a trace.
"What a remarkable woman. Neither Supreme Emperor nor the Taichu Heavenly Emperor deserved her," Quinn marveled.
Annie said joyfully, "Young master, are your wounds fully healed?"
Quinn smiled, "My life is no longer in danger, but I can't use my divine sense for some time. I need to rest, so please don't disturb me. Where's Bruno?"
Annie replied, "Fat Dragon was dragged off by Crown Prince Yooming to prepare a victory celebration. He also said Prince Umbral harbors ill intent and plans to steal the Glass Azure Firmament Banner, probably during the festivities. Young master..."
She looked at Quinn, hesitating whether to continue.
Quinn understood her meaning and, after a moment's thought, said, "You two decide. Crown Prince Yooming is an honest man, but honest men never live to see the end of the Dragon-Han Era."
Annie's heart trembled slightly. She left the room, closed the door behind her, and found Bruno. "Young master says honest men never live to see the end of the Dragon-Han Era."
Bruno replied gravely, "I understand. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Annie looked at him and suddenly smiled. "Bruno, when my mother is resurrected, will you propose to me?"
Bruno was busy preparing for the celebration, but at her words he fumbled in a panic, blushing fiercely and knocking over a pile of dishes and bowls.
Annie pouted, "Do you think I'm too fat? Or too ugly?"
Bruno hurriedly said, "No, no! I've been fat and ugly too. Whether you're chubby or slim, you're always beautiful. And if you can't lose weight, I'll get fat with you—slowly, together."
Only then did Annie's anger turn to delight.
"I'm just worried about the cult master."
Bruno looked troubled. "The cult master is no longer young, yet he hasn't settled down. If I get married first, I might care less for him, and that would weigh on my conscience. He's brilliant, but never lets anyone rest easy—I worry about him all the time."
Annie smiled, "If we live well, he'll see and envy us—maybe then you won't have to worry so much."
"That's true enough."
The two nestled together, sweet and loving. Crown Prince Yooming came over and, seeing them, laughed, "What a devoted couple—you make others envious."
He didn't know that the phrase 'dog couple' would haunt him for the next six hundred thousand years of his suppression; every time he thought of this loving pair, he couldn't help but curse them.
——Four chapters again. It's mid-month—may I ask, fellow Daoists, do you still have any monthly votes?