The Zhulong dwells in the Far North, within the towering peaks known as Mount Zhangwei. It was a realm unreachable by the human world, a hidden paradise that only the Zhulong himself could find.
Every ten years, Bo Jin returns to Mount Zhangwei to clean his true form. While he calls it “cleaning”, it is actually an effort to polish his scales until they are shimmering and bright.
Although dragons and phoenixes look nothing alike, it must be said that they share certain common tastes, specifically, a mysterious obsession with their own fur or scales. This manifests as a need to be blindingly radiant, ideally to the point where a single ray of sunlight reflecting off them would dazzle any living creature within a five-mile radius.
Sometimes, when he has nothing to do, Pei Shiyi likes to stand atop the introduction board on the second floor of the cat café to preen his feathers. His spread wings would cast iridescent, flowing light under the sun.
Every time he came out to sunbathe, a crowd of fluffballs would squat beneath the board, looking up at him with longing eyes, waiting for him to finish grooming so they could get a “whiff” of the phoenix.
In short, Pei Shiyi fully understood Bo Jin’s habit of ditching the Supernatural Management Bureau every decade to tend to his scales, even telling him, “It’s fine, I’ll wait for you at home.”
Bo Jin: “……Aren’t you coming with me?”
Pei Shiyi was cradling Jing Zhe in his arms. Jing Zhe, who had grown to weigh thirty-five pounds, was the largest cat in the entire café. He had the face of an “imperial alpha” and an aura of majesty that warned strangers to keep their distance, yet his temperament was the exact opposite. He is utterly gentle.
It was no wonder Maine Coons were called “gentle giants”.
Faced with Bo Jin’s question, Pei Shiyi fell into deep thought. To go, or not to go?
Bo Jin crouched down in front of him, taking the hand Pei Shiyi was using to squeeze the cat’s paw and giving it a little shake. “Are you sure you won’t come? Mount Zhangwei is covered in snow year-round. Beneath this year’s fresh snowfall lies my collection from over the millennia, everything you can imagine.”
Gold, silver, jade, and rare treasures from across the ages. Any treasure one could think of was there.
Pei Shiyi let his hand be shaken, his gaze lingering on Bo Jin’s grip. “Alright, then.”
…
The so-called “Zhangwei” was not just a single mountain, but an endless range. Only with a phoenix’s keen eyesight could one spot the distant borders of this snowy domain.
Mount Zhangwei was a world unto itself. Summer lasted only a brief month. Once it passed, heavy snow would fall, and the entire region would once again be locked in ice. And the peak of the range where the Zhulong resided was in a state of eternal winter.
Bo Jin and Pei Shiyi landed on the main peak. The air was thin enough to kill an ordinary person and cold enough to pierce the lungs.
Pei Shiyi, however, adapted perfectly to the sub-zero temperatures. He brushed a finger over the red mark on his left ring finger. The mark transformed into a crimson cloud that lifted him off the ground.
Pei Shiyi stared at Bo Jin with great interest. “Hurry up and shift.”
He had never seen his boyfriend in full armor of scales. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t curious. Plus, he’d soon get to see his boyfriend rolling around in dragon form. At the thought of that scene, Pei Shiyi couldn’t help but curl his lips. He wondered if Bo Jin polishing his scales looked anything like a cat rolling on the floor.
Bo Jin took a few steps back. This mountain range, silent for years, finally welcomed back its master and seemed to spring to life in an instant. The wind and snow swirled into a wall of white before Pei Shiyi’s eyes. He blinked. As the blizzard subsided slightly, a dragon’s roar echoed through the air.
Aside from the master of this mountain range, no other divine being would dare to cause such a commotion upon these snowy peaks.
Amidst the dragon’s roar that seemed to wrap itself in wind and snow, a gargantuan dragon clad in bluish-black scales appeared. Pei Shiyi had seen many dragons across the four corners of the world—Chilong, Lilong, Kuilong… but this was his first time seeing the one and only Zhulong of heaven and earth.
Only a landscape as boundless as this could possibly accommodate such a colossal creature. It coiled around nearly the entire mountain range, its head resting upon its own body, close enough that its breath reached Pei Shiyi. Encircled by the dragon’s form, the six-foot-tall, slender man looked like a delicate jade statue of a beauty in comparison. The bluish-black scales were distinct and vivid, and a massive tail lay right beside him.
The tip of the Zhulong’s tail was covered in a layer of ink-colored fur. Feeling a sudden itch in his palms, Pei Shiyi reached out and grabbed a handful. The texture was stiff and slightly prickled his hand.
Bo Jin’s tail tip twitched involuntarily, brushing away a patch of long-frozen ice and snow.
Pei Shiyi couldn’t help but chuckle as he reached out his hand.
Bo Jin naturally tilted his head, pressing it against Pei Shiyi’s palm.
In his dragon form, Bo Jin possessed deep golden eyes that held the vast sky, the falling snow, and the distant mountains within them like a golden, frozen sea. In just those few moments, snowflakes had already caught on his gnarled dragon horns. Pei Shiyi reached out to pick one off. The shimmering six-pointed crystal didn’t melt in his palm. He gently blew it toward Bo Jin’s face.
Bo Jin was momentarily dazed. His hot breath stirred the hair on Pei Shiyi’s forehead as he leaned in, seemingly wanting a kiss.
Pei Shiyi smiled and pushed the massive head away. “No way. If you kiss me like that, won’t you just cover me in drool? Hurry up and go polish your scales.”
Reluctantly, Bo Jin backed off a short distance. The giant dragon began to swim slowly around the frozen main peak of Mount Zhangwei. Shards of ice and flurries of snow were scraped away by the bluish-black scales, crashing into the frigid seawater below and sending up massive plumes of spray.
The moment he started scrubbing, Pei Shiyi’s dream of watching the “Zhulong Cat Roll” was utterly shattered. A dragon this size caused a mini-earthquake just by flicking its tail. Polishing its scales was nothing short of a small-scale natural disaster.
A beast’s coquetry is truly the most lethal.
Pei Shiyi couldn’t stand staying where he was. He released a bit of spiritual power, reverting to his attire as the Crown Prince: hair bound in a golden crown, dressed in magnificent red embroidery, standing mid-air. He beckoned to the little red cloud that was busy dodging falling ice. The cloud scrambled into his arms, where he gave it a soothing pat before molding it into a folding fan.
As the ice and snow fell away, the true face of Mount Zhangwei was revealed. Even though Pei Shiyi had seen the most luxurious jade palaces in all four corners of the world, and even though he possessed his own treasury overflowing with heavenly materials and earthly treasures, he was still shaken by the sight of Mount Zhangwei.
This colossal peak stretched from the seabed to the very heavens. Its entire body was encrusted with hard cold-jade and ice crystals. Rare treasures were hanging directly from the jade, while others were nestled within the interlocking clusters of crystal. The entire main peak of Zhangwei was Zhulong’s private vault. Treasures rare to the world were scattered everywhere like common stones.
However, compared to these glittering baubles, the dragon’s scales, which were gradually regaining their luster, were much more captivating. As the scales rubbed against the cold-jade and crystals, the bluish-black surface began to glow with the sheen of cold nephrite. Under the reflection of the sun and the snow, they looked almost translucent.
Pei Shiyi pressed his fan against his lips, his eyes sparkling.
Perhaps because his boyfriend was watching, Bo Jin was exceptionally meticulous with his grooming this time. Once he was certain every single scale radiated a luster that satisfied him, he shifted back into human form. Clad in wide-sleeved black robes, he stood atop the summit of the Zhangwei main peak. He picked up a small golden crown from a cluster of crystals, carefully wiped away the water droplets, and brought it over to Pei Shiyi.
Pei Shiyi held his fan in one hand and used the handle to tip up the little golden crown, saying with a smile, “A whole mountain of treasures, and you’re giving me this?”
Bo Jin replied, “I am yours, so naturally, everything on this mountain belongs to you. The reason I brought this to show you is that it’s special.”
Pei Shiyi picked up the little crown and inspected it thoroughly. Finding nothing particularly unique about it, he looked at Bo Jin with a puzzled expression.
Bo Jin explained, “It’s just an ordinary golden crown for binding hair. It doesn’t serve any other purpose. However, I remember the origin of every single item on this mountain except for this one. Yet, it was placed at the very top of Zhangwei Peak, so I assume it must be something quite precious.”
“I can’t see anything wrong with it either,” Pei Shiyi mused. “But it does look a bit… familiar?”
Bo Jin said calmly, “I find it familiar as well. Do you remember that bird’s nest we picked up together back when we went to the Four Directions?”
Pei Shiyi nodded.
Bo Jin continued, “In that nest, there was a golden crown with a design almost identical to this one.”
Pei Shiyi tilted his head, having no recollection of such a thing. “I must have been too busy looking at my uncle to notice it. Hey, what are you doing with my hair?”
Bo Jin raised his hand to unfasten the golden crown binding Pei Shiyi’s hair, placing the two crowns side by side for comparison: “Take another look at these two.”
With his long hair cascading down, Pei Shiyi looked more like cold jade than ever. He pressed the handle of his fan against his chin and watched for a moment. “Hmm… the carving techniques are nearly identical… Is this thing mine?”
Pei Shiyi thought back carefully. “Now that you mention it, I do have a slight impression of that crown in the nest. When I arrived at the altar back then, I was fully dressed in formal regalia. I took off my crown and cloak and set them aside. The cloak probably blew away, but the crown was small, so it must have frozen in place.”
“But this crown… I truly have no memory of it. While a hair crown isn’t exactly an intimate item, I certainly wouldn’t just leave it lying around anywhere.”
Pei Shiyi was completely baffled. “Did I come here in the past?”
Bo Jin held up the small crown in his palm. “Shall we perform a retrospection on it?”
All things have a spirit. As long as one’s cultivation is high enough, they can use an object to trace back through every moment and scene it has experienced.
Pei Shiyi agreed: “Let’s do it. I’m also very curious about how this thing ended up here.”
Each of them gripped one side of the golden crown and slowly infused it with spiritual power. Their two distinct energies met within the small crown, seemingly tripping a switch that pulled their souls inside.
The world went dark before Pei Shiyi’s eyes. Once the scene before him became clear, he was startled. This was actually the sleeping quarters where he had lived for centuries! Immediately after, his body began to move of its own accord, heading straight out of the palace.
The bronze mirror hanging in front of the hall reflected his current appearance. He was clad in cold, rigid armor, yet he looked like a fragile jade statue, clutching a spiritual tool that had been refined into a fan.
The side profile in the bronze mirror carried a hint of youthful innocence. Pei Shiyi vaguely recalled that this was the day after his coming-of-age capping ceremony. He was dressed in armor, headed off to do something unknown. His lips were slightly pursed, and there was a chilling, sharp edge to his features.
This was not yet the future Crown Prince, the one who was meticulous in every detail and capable of controlling his emotions most of the time. He was still just a young prince whose extraordinary natural talent made him a bit difficult to get along with.
Right, he seemed to be on his way to complete a task assigned by his mother. Upon his return, he was to be formally invested as the Crown Prince.
Pei Shiyi had a faint sense that this day was significant, yet when he tried to think more deeply, he couldn’t recall any specific memories of it.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152