Chapter 253: See You Again, Higan
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Fifteen days.
“It still took me 15 days to get back.” Tang Long thought he could return to Starstay City, to the Floating Domain and Sky Castle earlier.
However, in the end, he arrived at Sky Castle on the night of the 15th day.
“Young Master Long.”
Many people were present at the castle to welcome Tang Long. More precisely, he was the master of the castle, and every single boy and girl who trained there would eventually be part of Tang Long’s army. These boys and girls all had outstanding genetic chains that were at least four-star talent. If there were six-star genetic chains or higher, plus an extra or a special talent, they would be transferred to the core.
The core would be the famous Sixteen Prodigies of Sky Castle. In fact, the number of the group was just a t.i.tle as it could be Seventeen, Eighteen, or any other number. While there were many positions within the core, only a handful of candidates fit the criteria.
Draconic Ten, Draconic Five, Draconic Nine, Draconic Thirteen, Draconic Fifteen…these few were part of the Sixteen Prodigies and they were currently in the Sky Castle. The other young masters of the core were scattered all over the world, minding their own businesses.
Those who were present at Sky Castle had to come forth and welcome Tang Long because he was the one true master who would be the one to lead them to the peak of the world. Someone stood next to Tang Long to take his coat while the other young prodigies stood in front of him.
Glancing at them, Tang Long felt a little more respectable. “I’m going to visit Higan. Get prepared and call the others. We will depart for the True Capital. I’ll officially introduce you all in the upcoming celebration in the True Capital.” His words were brief but powerful, and short yet clear.
“Yes, Sir!” The prodigies’ eyes were gleaming with excitement. Had it finally begun? Were they heading to the True Capital, partic.i.p.ating in the internal gatherings before the World Summit Compet.i.tion?
It would be their debut and also a declaration of sorts. The World Summit Compet.i.tion would happen during winter next year and Tang Long wanted to officially bring the Sixteen Prodigies to partic.i.p.ate in the junior division of the War G.o.d Path Ranking Compet.i.tion.
Should the sixteen get a decent ranking in the compet.i.tion, it would make a beautiful debut on the world stage and nothing could be grander than that because nothing was more important than the War G.o.d Path Ranking Compet.i.tion.
Despite the categorization of age in the compet.i.tion not being like the old civilization, not every teenager in the Purple Moon era had the luck to partic.i.p.ate in the War G.o.d Path Ranking Compet.i.tion because it was never held during a fixed period.
Those who got a solid ranking in the compet.i.tion would have their strength acknowledged by the world.
The junior division was not as hot-blooded as the senior and master divisions, but it would be the best launching board to get into the higher divisions. Besides, if the top 100 of the junior division were able to grow well, why would they not be the ones to command the world in the future? Why would they not end up as the s.h.i.+ning stars in the higher division?
Although the core Sixteen Prodigies did not have the ambition to get to the peak, they were confident of getting into the top 100. As for the No. 1 position of the junior division, they already a.s.sumed that it would belong to Tang Long.
Tang Long was calm in front of the burning gaze of his prodigies as he said, “While it’s just an internal celebration, many genius teenagers from powerful factions will be there. There will be people who are always better than you. I’m bringing you all there not to show off but for you to learn how to be humble.
“How strong you are now doesn’t equal to how strong you will be during winter next year. Before that, all the geniuses of the world will have an important chance, a chance to break through to become a Purple Moon Warrior. This chance comes in the form of the Storm Summit at Darkness Port which was happening in May next year. It won’t be any easier than the War G.o.d Path ranking in the winter, and if all of you don’t get anything during that precious chance, even if I’m bringing all of you to the War G.o.d Path Ranking Compet.i.tion, all of you will be nothing but useless over there.”
It was rare for Tang Long to speak so long in a single breath, but all he wished for was that the Sixteen Prodigies would grow stronger quickly. He could not completely forget what Tang Ling had done to him during their last encounter.
He and Tang Ling were destined to compete against each other and the compet.i.tion would not just be between the two of them, but their respective teams would eventually clash as well.
The List of Seeds that Tang Feng left behind must have ended up in Tang Ling’s hands. Unfortunately, the list no longer existed.
All these years, the Stardust Council had killed countless babies and teenagers who might be a possible candidate on the list. At the same time, Tang Long had also raised an army that was no fewer than the names on the List of Seeds. It might sound cruel, but it was necessary for compet.i.tion.
Tang Long was in the lead and he would never give Tang Ling the chance to catch up. The recent indirect fight ended with Tang Ling’s victory, but Tang Long did not lose in terms of strength. If he were to fight Tang Ling face-to-face, he could kill the latter three times over in a minute.
Powerful as he was, Tang Long was a perfectionist, so he could not allow himself to be weaker than others, especially his little brother, Tang Ling.
While Tang Ling, the List of Seeds, and many other trivial matters popped up in his mind, his concentration was quickly exhausted. He sent everyone away with a wave. All he wanted to do was see Higan as soon as possible. However, he dared not appear in front of her in such a condition.
The warm water soaked Tang Long’s chest. Despite being a teen, he was 180 cm tall with a strong and buff body in golden proportions. His chiseled body granted him the masculine charms of a grown man.
After wiping his body dry, he stood in front of the mirror in nothing but a pair of shorts.
On the stone table beside the mirror were the fresh clothes the maids had prepared. Tang Long put them on quietly and then looked into the mirror.
He loved the color white, hence his white uniform. The fitted cut made the uniform look delicate. Although it was clean and plain, the silver-edged embroidery near the sleeves and the unique logo plus the color screamed of exquisiteness. The uniform made Tang Long look like the perfect man, and he was. Be it his face, his temperament, or his presence, everything about him was charming.
Whenever he looked at himself in the mirror, he would think of his mother who was a woman of mystery.
Back when he was young, a single scene always played out in his blurry memories. A woman with a blurred out face would hug him in her arms. “My dear Long, you are the perfect one. Tell me, is there anyone in this world as handsome as you? Tell me, is there anyone who can outs.h.i.+ne you?
“No, no one will be better than you. No one! Even if that man has another child, he is nothing. You will always be the superior one.”
Tang Long frowned. His arms started to hurt and he stopped himself from thinking right away because, at the end of this memory, that woman that was blurred out would go mad. She would grab his arms tightly and scream about how superior he was. He was helpless about it because the woman was his mother. He was sure of it.
However, he had no idea who his mother really was. He did not even know whether she was still alive or already dead. Therefore, it was not a beautiful memory.
Tang Ling? What about him? That man really has another son and it’s Tang Ling…So, is he better than me?
Tang Ling’s face appeared in Tang Long’s face over and over again. He realized that Tang Ling was not as handsome or tall as him, but was that important?
Tang Long ironically laughed as a strange thought popped up in his head uncontrollably. If Tang Ling somehow meets Higan, will he be as nervous as me? Will he be as paranoid as me like how I daren’t even get close to her with a speck of dust on me?
With that in mind, Tang Long frowned. What a lame question! Higan belonged to him and only him in this life. From the moment that he met her in that mysterious s.p.a.ce and after they spent two years living together, no one could replace their relations.h.i.+p.
Tang Long was infatuated with Higan. He loved her unconditionally, and he could not afford to lose her. His heart beat faster when he thought of Higan.
He straightened his body, tidied his collar and walked out of his room.
…
Higan would only appear at the top of Sky Castle during the evening, except for during the Mirage Fire season when she would sit there all day long.
Unfortunately, the red leaves of the Mirage Fire tree had a short life span, so the fiery scene usually only lasted around 10 days. It was already the eighth day and most of the fiery leaves were already yellowish and falling off from their respective branches.
For some reason, Higan was saddened by the falling leaves. She did not even appear at the top of Sky Castle in the recent evenings, except for today because she was waiting for someone.
Under the starry night, she sat on the ledge at the top of Sky Castle, hugging her knees. Her heart was filled with doubts only known to her. She wanted to wait for Tang Long’s return to be sure about whether her mood had changed or not.
“Higan.” A tender voice echoed at the top of the castle.
Higan turned around and saw that familiar figure. Her smile widened and was as bright as a blooming flower. It was able to melt snow and outs.h.i.+ne even the stars in the sky. Earlier, she had been sulking like an icy doll until she saw the person who called her name. Then, she finally looked lively again.
Her smile softened Tang Long’s heart, so he returned the gentle curve of his lips. He would only smile without worries when he was with Higan. A pure and carefree smile would spread across his face as there was no compet.i.tion and nothing mattered except for Higan.
The two of them did not talk because Higan was not a talker at all.
She quietly stood up and hopped over to Tang Long with her hands behind her. Twisting her body bashfully, she gazed into Tang Long’s eyes with her crystal-like pupils. “You came back.”
“Yeah, I came back.” Tang Long reached out to her hair and tucked a few strands behind her ears.
The two of them then sat down on the ledge of the castle with Higan leaning on Tang Long’s shoulder. This was the closest they could get. Any further intimacy would attract Higan’s discomfort and strong resistance, so they could not even hold hands.
It pained and satisfied Tang Long at the same time. He was pained because he always wondered what happened to Higan in her heart. What trouble did she bury inside that made her so resistant towards people? Even after spending two years together and having been through life and death, all she could do was show the slightest contact and love for him. Other than Tang Long, no one could not even get close, and if it was not absolutely necessary, no one was allowed to be within 3 meters of her.
Tang Long was satisfied because he was the only one that she would lean on and only he bore her hope and dreams. With his eyes closed, he felt so blissful at this moment and was at peace. He believed that he could be closer to Higan if he had the time. If only he had the time…
Higan, on the other hand, got carried away. It was still the same shoulder and the familiar smell, yet this time, something was missing. That particular something that could calm her was missing.
She would still think of the young boy that she saw in the newspaper all the time. The thought was getting out of control as she would think of him day and night and whenever she was free. As if the boy was the one that she missed the most and was the deepest part of her heart that hurt the most, the slightest touch would hurt her.
But who exactly was the boy? Who was he?
She could not find someone named Tang Ling in her memories. As for whose son he was and what he did, Higan did not care about all that at all. The feeling within her made her nervous and frustrated. Even though she was never at peace, she had never been this bothered before either.
She did not know what to do because she was afraid to break her daily routine or stop her habits. Even when she leaned on Tang Long’s shoulder, she was unable to feel the same anymore.
“What are you thinking about?” Tang Long softly asked.
“Nothing. When are you leaving this time?” Higan spoke. Her voice was not the usual cold tone when she talked to Tang Long.
“I will bring you to the True Capital first, and after that, I will leave for Darkness Port.” Tang Long never held any secrets from Higan.
“Darkness Port?” Higan’s heart raced all of a sudden.
“Yes, Darkness Port. It’s not a decent place. It’s messy,” Tang Long tried to explain the place to Higan.
Higan was too quiet. She was lonely and always solitary. No one could force her into doing things she did not like and no one understood her either. In fact, she could have ventured the world, but she only wanted to stay in Sky Castle. All she wanted to do was look at the sunset and repeat the boring days over and over again.
Tang Long really wanted to tell Higan how beautiful this world was and how different it had been. Most importantly, he wanted her by his side as he traveled the world even though his request had never succeeded before.
Just when Tang Long started his description of Darkness Port, Higan interrupted him, “I want to go.” She peered into Tang Long’s eyes with a doubtful and yearning gaze.
“Why do you want to go to Darkness Port? Are you serious?” This time, Tang Long was shocked. Although his heart might feel excited, he dared not believe what he heard.
“I want to go.” Higan’s voice was meek and her chin was propped onto her hand while her eyes gleamed with mystery as she had once again entered her own world.
Tang Long had no idea what Higan was thinking about, but he also did not expect her to answer him. Looking at her from the side, he said, “Sure, let’s go.”
Higan turned to him and smiled like a flower again, making the whole starry sky appear dim with her smile. Tang Long’s heart swelled with love. He really wanted to kiss her, but even he did not have the courage to do it.
…
“How beautiful!” Draconic Ten looked up at the top of the castle and exclaimed as he watched Tang Long and Higan’s figures.
Looking at the dreamy Floating Domain under the starry sky together with the beautiful and exquisite Sky Castle with a pair of lovers sitting at the ledge, what else was more beautiful than this scene?
“It’s beautiful, but I’m afraid only Young Master Long matches the queen well. Only he is allowed to sit by her and it’s difficult not to be envious about it,” Draconic Thirteen also marveled at the scene.
The lovebirds were the best sight at Sky Castle, and on top of that, they were destined to reach the peak of the world.
How powerful was the queen exactly? No one had the answer, but legend had it that the queen’s power was terrifying. Not even Young Master Long could fight her.
How much did the heavens favor this girl to have granted her peerless beauty and astonis.h.i.+ng power at the same time? If she was not as cold and solitary with a fluctuating mood, she would probably be the happiest girl in the world.
Draconic Five could not help but share his opinion with his peers.
However, was the queen truly happy? Those who had seen her before would say her eyes were cold and empty as if there were countless problems buried in her heart. Unfortunately, only a handful of people were allowed to approach her and no one was able to unlock her heart, not even Young Master Long.
What was the queen like? It felt surreal for her to be in a world like this.