Chapter 186: The Four-Winged Dragon Beast, Ye Luo Bai Hua in Mo San State

One longing, countless sorrows; one tear, eternal grief. Who can say who is wrong? Who can give anyone an answer? In an instant, it becomes an eternal promise for a thousand years; in a flash, it turns into a vow that will last forever…
Some say a man has one love in his life—a blessing from heaven. Others say he has two loves—a source of his own sorrow. Yet others claim he has three loves—a result of his own helplessness, for he has hurt those who love him.
The sky was deep blue, filled with stars. Occasionally, meteors streaked across the horizon. The moon was incomplete, casting a pale light over this desolate world. Gentle breezes blew from time to time, carrying the scent of yellow earth. It seemed as though only three people were moving swiftly through this vast expanse. Sitting on their wind-beast mounts, Liu Yi enjoyed the speed and the softness of the wind. Unconsciously, the pressures in his heart were carried away by the wind.
The place was desolate, with only strange plants and peculiar beasts around. Though Liu Yi couldn’t see them, from July’s descriptions, he could clearly sense the loneliness, strangeness, and vast emptiness of this world.
As the speed increased and time passed, about half an hour later, the three stopped in front of a large inn. The inn consisted of four three-story buildings. Next to it grew several large leafy plants over ten feet tall, green in color with blue flowers in their centers. It appeared grand, but isolated in this desolate world, it seemed rather small.
The three dismounted. A man dressed as a waiter came out, bowing deeply to greet them and leading their mounts aside. A Fei said with a smile, “Hero, this is Mo Chen Inn. What do you think? It’s the largest inn here. There’s excellent roasted meat, top-quality leaf wine, and very convenient lodging.”
Liu Yi couldn’t see, so he merely nodded. July replied, “Mm, it’s good. Let’s go in.” Following July, Liu Yi and A Fei entered the second floor of the main building. Business was quite good here—over twenty tables on the second floor, with at least eighteen occupied. July found a seat by the window. Though Liu Yi couldn’t see, the air here was fresh, and July seemed to like the spot very much.
Liu Yi and July placed two strange swords beside the table. Although Liu Yi said nothing outwardly, he had already decided to use the drinking as an opportunity to learn more about the Netherworld. So when asking the waiter for wine, he ordered three jars of the best leaf wine, intending to tease A Fei, who was too spoiled.

In a short while, the waiter brought over several plates of different roasted meats and three jars of fragrant leaf wine. Although July and Liu Yi hadn’t tasted such things in days, the aroma of the roasted meats really stirred their appetites. As July poured wine for Liu Yi, she observed the people around them—diverse in appearance, most of whom seemed to be from the martial world, armed with either strange long knives or unique long swords.

Turning her gaze back to Liu Yi, she smiled slightly at his serene expression.

At that moment, A Fei began drinking and eating while saying, “At first, I thought you were from the Ye Luo clan. Thankfully, you’re not; otherwise, we brothers would be in trouble.”

Liu Yi tasted the leaf wine in his mouth and asked, “Oh? Why would you think we’re from the Ye Luo clan?”

A Fei poured himself some wine and drank it all at once before saying, “Judging from your weapons, the Ye Luo clan is best known for using long swords, and each sword is different—some can even cast magic.”

Curious, July asked, “From what you say, it seems the Ye Luo clan is quite powerful. Isn’t the Netherworld ruled by the Nether King? It should be ruled by the Lan clan, right?”

Hearing this, A Fei quickly put his index finger to his lips and said, “Shh…” He glanced around to ensure no one was listening before continuing in a low voice, “Young lady, living on the immortal mountain, you may not know this, but the Nether King indeed once held ruling power. But thirty years ago, the Nether King disappeared, and the realm was ruled by Emperor Lan Ying. Later, Lan Ying also disappeared for some reason. But that’s not important, because there are still six other Emperors of the Lan clan. However, in the thirty years since the Nether King vanished, another clan grew rapidly, and their martial skills are terrifyingly high. According to some martial world rumors, at least half of the people in this world now belong to the Ye Luo clan—just showing how powerful they are.”

After saying that, A Fei took another sip of wine. Hearing his words, Liu Yi also drank up the wine in his cup…

July took a small sip of wine, cut off a piece of roasted meat with her dagger, and asked while eating, “So, from what you say, the Netherworld is mainly ruled by the Ye Luo clan and the Lan clan now?”

A Fei took a large gulp of wine and replied, “Not necessarily. There’s another clan—called the Ming Yue clan. But the Ming Yue clan is very mysterious. All we know is that their leader has extremely high martial skills, rarely interferes in martial world affairs, and remains calm, unlike the intense conflicts between the Lan and Ye Luo clans these days.”

Liu Yi asked, “Are the Lan and Ye Luo clans fighting fiercely?”

A Fei took a big bite of roasted meat and said, “Yes, it’s all over territory. But the lower-ranking members of the Lan and Ye Luo clans don’t get involved in these fights. They don’t fight each other either, just like the people here. Although they belong to the Lan and Ye Luo clans, they’re not part of their clans, so they don’t get involved.”

Finally, Liu Yi asked, “What do you mean by ‘part of their clans’?”

Ah Fei continued, “The people within the clan are the ministers directly under the clan leader, along with those who are closely related by blood. These people all possess terrifyingly high martial skills, and only they would participate in those struggles. However, the relationship between the Lan clan and the Ye Luo clan is very tense. Although others belong to external clans, for the sake of their own clan’s interests, they still try to avoid contact with outsiders.”
Liu Yi poured himself a full glass of wine and drank it in one gulp, then nodded and said, “So it seems that the clan relationships in the Netherworld are quite tense. Perhaps because the foundations of these clans are quite stable, it’s hard to shake them.”
Ah Fei nodded and said, “Yes, that’s right. In such chaos, heroes and beauties must put safety first.”
July smiled and nodded, “Safety first, haha.”
The three of them fell silent, as Liu Yi didn’t think of any further issues for now. At least he knew there were three clans in the Netherworld, and he already knew the relationship between the Ye Luo clan and the Lan clan was tense. But upon further reflection, it seemed unrelated to those nine types of tears. Liu Yi sighed and took a large gulp of wine.
Just then, a voice beside him reached Liu Yi’s ears, “Have you heard of the Princess of a Hundred Flowers from the Ye Luo clan?”
Another voice, slightly drunk, said, “Princess of a Hundred Flowers? Yes, I know her. I dream about her every day.”
Following the sound, July and Ah Fei also turned to look. It turned out that some burly men, figures from the martial world, including the innkeeper, had gathered together to discuss this Princess of a Hundred Flowers from the Ye Luo clan.
July asked Ah Fei, “What exactly is this Princess of a Hundred Flowers?”
Upon hearing this, Ah Fei quickly explained, “The Princess of a Hundred Flowers isn’t just some ordinary person. Her full name is Ye Luo Bai Hua. She is the only daughter of the Ye Luo clan leader, only twenty years old. Her beauty is recognized by the Lan clan, the Ming Yue clan, and the Ye Luo clan itself. Because of her beauty, countless talented men, heroes, and chivalrous figures have tried to propose to her, but so far, none have succeeded.”
July nodded and said, “Oh! So Ye Luo Bai Hua is the most beautiful woman in the Netherworld?”
By now, Ah Fei was already somewhat drunk. Hearing July mention Ye Luo Bai Hua again, he replied with blurred eyes, “Yes.”
At that moment, a voice came from the crowd, “Have you heard? The Princess of a Hundred Flowers is publicly selecting her chosen one in Mozang Province.”
Another voice asked, “Is that true? Is Ye Luo Bai Hua in such a hurry to get married?”
Another voice replied, “What do you know? I think no one can succeed in choosing her chosen one this time. It’s not that she’s in a hurry—she’s simply trying to gain support for the Ye Luo clan. She made it clear that anyone from any clan can participate in the selection, but those who fail will have to stay with the Ye Luo clan and obey them forever.”
Another hoarse voice asked, “Why can’t anyone succeed? Is the selection that difficult?”

That voice continued, “A competition essay, plus answering Ye Luo Baihua’s three questions, and getting her approval. Even if you’re skilled in both literature and martial arts, do you know what those three questions are? Can you answer them? Even if you can, if Ye Luo Baihua isn’t satisfied, you still fail. I think you’d better assess yourself before going.”
Another voice replied, “Then, by your logic, will anyone go?”
That voice answered, “Hey, you’ve got it backwards. Who in this world wouldn’t desire Baihua’s beautiful face? It would only be foolish not to go. Even if they can’t pass the selection, just being able to work under Princess Baihua would make them overjoyed.”
Another voice said, “In that case, I really should give it a try.”
As a bunch of people discussed loudly in chaos, the second floor of the inn became bustling, suddenly full of activity. Listening to this, Qi Yue grew curious and said to Liu Yi, “Scholar, why don’t we go to Mosang State first to see Ye Luo Baihua?”
Liu Yi downed the wine in his cup in one gulp and said, “Why go see her? We have other things to do. If you want to go, then go. I’ll just go look for those Nine Tears by myself.”
Qi Yue replied, “Since we have to search the entire Netherworld anyway, let’s start from Mosang State. We can take the chance to check it out. I really want to see how beautiful Ye Luo Baihua is.” Though she was also a woman, hearing someone exaggerate Ye Luo Baihua’s appearance piqued Qi Yue’s curiosity, and she wanted to see what she was like.
Liu Yi poured himself more wine, drank it, and shook his head with a wry smile. “You want me, a blind man, to accompany you to see what Ye Luo Baihua looks like? Are you joking?”
Qi Yue said, “I didn’t say you have to go see her. What’s the use? Even if a beautiful person is right in front of you, it’s just a stone to you. But don’t you find the word ‘Baihua’ familiar?”
The wine halfway to his lips stopped. Hearing Qi Yue’s words, the word “Baihua” instantly merged in his mind with another word, and an idea struck Liu Yi—could the “Blessing Tear of Baihua” among the Nine Tears refer to a person? If so, could that person be Ye Luo Baihua? Suddenly, Liu Yi seemed to think of many things.
Qi Yue seemed to notice something and asked, “What? What did you think of?”
Liu Yi replied, “The word ‘Baihua’ is very familiar. Among the Nine Tears I need is the Blessing Tear of Baihua. I was wondering… if ‘Baihua’ refers to a person, could it be Ye Luo Baihua?”
Hearing this, Qi Yue finally understood why the word “Baihua” felt familiar. She quickly said, “That’s very possible. Then let’s go see her. We can also figure out a way to make Ye Luo Baihua cry, so we can see if those tears are what we need.”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “Mm, okay. Let’s do that. We’ll head to Mosang State tomorrow.” Though it was just a wild guess, it was still a glimmer of hope. As long as there was a sliver of hope, Liu Yi would keep striving to pursue it.

In July, looking at Afey who had fainted from drinking, she said, “Let’s get a room to rest. We still need him to show us the way tomorrow.”
Liu Yi nodded, helped Afey up, and followed July’s true energy as they headed downstairs…
The night wasn’t very long, especially since Liu Yi had sealed his six senses like July had. It was just an instant. When July opened her eyes again, the sun had already risen in the east.
When she opened the window and looked down, she saw Liu Yi already standing at the inn’s entrance. A gentle breeze blew past him as if he was enjoying the fresh air.
July picked up the “Dance Moon” sword and headed downstairs. As she reached the second floor, she woke Afey, who was still drowsy. Though still a bit drunk, Afey followed July as soon as he saw her going downstairs, asking along the way, “Miss, where are we going?”
July took out a gold coin and tossed it to him, saying, “Take us to Mozang State. We want to watch the Princess of a Hundred Flowers choose a husband.”
Upon hearing this, Afey was overjoyed—he’d get a gold coin and could also go to Mozang State to enjoy the festivities. He nodded and quickly brought over three Wind Horn Beasts.
Although Liu Yi couldn’t see through July, he still smiled at her through her red true energy and said, “Let’s set off.”
July nodded and said, “Okay.”
The three rode on the Wind Horn Beasts and sped eastward. Along the way, Afey said, “Mozang State is a large continent made up of Jingxi City, Qi City, and Yeluo City. I think the Princess of a Hundred Flowers will choose her husband in Yeluo City—after all, it’s where the Yeluo clan is most concentrated. Of course, there are other clans too. This will be quite exciting; Yeluo City must be packed.”
After a pause, Afey added, “I think you two should use fake surnames when entering Yeluo City. That will make things easier.”
Liu Yi asked, “What surnames?”
Afey replied, “Use the Yeluo surname. That way, it will be easier for us to do anything once we’re in the city. After all, Yeluo City is the territory of the Yeluo clan.”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “Okay, I understand. Just call me Yeluo Yi.”
July thought for a moment and said, “So I’m Yeluo July?”
Afey laughed heartily and said, “That’s much better. It’ll save us from unnecessary trouble. It takes a day to reach Mozang State, and another three days to get to Yeluo City in the middle.”
Liu Yi nodded. By noon the next day, the three had reached the border of Mozang State. Compared to the desolation outside, this border area was much better, with more plants and animals around. While the three were staying at the border, they suddenly felt the ground shaking. Afey panicked and shouted, “What’s happening? Is it an earthquake?”
Liu Yi quickly turned around and said, “It’s not an earthquake. Someone is coming—just a large group. It’s the sound of their mounts.”
July also turned to look. Behind them, dust was flying everywhere, filling the sky with yellow. As they got closer, a convoy of riders on monstrous beasts rushed toward them. From afar, the beasts’ bodies were covered in blue armor.
Afey hurriedly said, “It must be important people from the Lan clan.”

Qiyue asked, “How do you know?”
Afei replied, “Look at the mount at the front— the ‘Four-Winged Dragon Beast.’ It’s a divine beast. Such divine beasts are far more difficult to deal with than spiritual or demonic beasts, and they possess special abilities. There are only three divine beasts in the entire Lan royal family. Unless one is an important figure, who would dare ride one?”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “They’re moving so fast. Let them pass first.”
Afei also nodded and said, “Yeah. We can’t afford to provoke them. Let’s step aside.”
Qiyue was somewhat dissatisfied but still obeyed and stepped aside with Liu Yi and Afei, walking slowly along the side.
Soon, a group of beast riders sped toward them. Qiyue took an extra look. From such close range, he could observe those monsters more clearly. There were eight men in blue clothes behind them, all handsome youths with piercing eyes. They carried four-foot-long, slender curved swords at their waists. Though they appeared young, their sharp eyes revealed their high level of cultivation. The mounts beneath them had lion heads and horse bodies, covered in scales, with armor made of some unknown material on their limbs. They were arranged in neat rows of four.
At the front was a youth in dark blue clothes. He was exceptionally handsome, with arched brows, large eyes, a high nose bridge, and skin as white as snow. His long hair was neatly tied back, giving him a gentle and refined appearance. Strangely, he carried no weapons, yet his mount was precisely the ‘Four-Winged Dragon Beast.’
They thought the group of beast riders would pass by quickly since they were traveling so fast, but instead, the ‘Four-Winged Dragon Beast’ stopped beside Liu Yi and the other two, letting out a shrill screech. As that sound came, the wind horn beasts beneath Liu Yi and the others seemed to encounter a natural enemy and began to circle frantically in place…