电车之狼系列

“Your Excellency, are you really going up again?” Jian Wendi knew the answer, but he still had to ask again.

Li Qiye smiled: “Yes, what must come shall come. I have to face it after all. You should know that no one can stop my journey to the very end. I am destined to do so because someone must.”

Jian Wendi knew that nothing could change this. The truth was that he knew what the answer was long ago.

In the past, his sister had tried to stop him as well, but like Li Qiye said, no one was able to stop his destiny.

“An age of gods and emperors together...” Jian Wendi sighed and didn’t know what to say. Perhaps he should wish Li Qiye luck.

Li Qiye looked at him and smiled: “It is a brilliant era that makes the blood boil. At the same time, it is also a cruel place. The greater the momentum, the more merciless it is.”

“I know, it is a shame that I won’t be able to see the scene of dragons competing against tigers with my own eyes.” Jian Wendi nodded softly.

Li Qiye replied: “You had the chance back then, you could have avoided Hong Tian’s generation and came out a few years later to become an emperor. Then you would have been able to see this brilliant era.”

After hearing this, Jian Wendi revealed a smile that encompassed many different emotions. There was a mix of inexplicable bitterness yet acceptance as he answered: “Immortal Emperor... so what? Invincibility, so what? It is only an ephemeral firework blossoming above the river of time. I am very content with how many descendants I have now. There’s nothing else I would ask for.”

Li Qiye felt sentimental while looking at Jian Wendi. Neither of the brother and sister could overcome the void in their hearts.

Their father had left an unsurpassable shadow in their minds. It caused them to prefer a mundane life untempted by invincibility. Both were apprehensive about becoming an existence like their father.

Jian Wendi regretfully said: “I do wish that I could follow Your Excellency to the end of the world like Immortal Emperor Min Ren and the others.”

“I’m very happy about what you have today. Your Jian Clan is prosperous and stronger than anything.” Li Qiye happily smiled: “Plus, even if you become an Immortal Emperor, I wouldn’t want you to follow me to the end of the world. Like Immortal Emperor Min Ren and Empress Hong Tian, they have their own paths as well.”

Li Qiye flatly explained: “The ultimate war is my personal ambition and desire. It has nothing to do with others, so I don’t want to tie them to my war chariot.”

Jian Wendi quietly nodded. There were too many things beyond his reach since someone as extraordinary as him was still trapped by his fate.

After a while, Li Qiye smiled and asked: “Has the old man run out again?”

Jian Wendi smiled back and replied: “It’s only natural that after being still for so long, Master would want to take a break and play outside.” [1. There is an idiom that is quite difficult to translate. The meaning is about a pendulum swinging from the extreme; the raw translation would be “motion from stillness”. In this case, Wendi is saying that his master has been quiet/reclusive for very long, so he naturally will want to come out and play as this is the natural order. I couldn’t really incorporate this particular idiom into the sentence without it sounding extremely rigid.]

“That’s good, I want to see him.” Li Qiye chuckled.

With that, he gently tapped Jian Wendi’s shoulder and calmly said: “I should go now. Take care.”

Jian Wendi was quiet for a moment before nodding: “Your Excellency, take care. There is still a ways to go, I believe that you will eventually become invincible.”

Li Qiye smilingly said before turning to leave: “Yes, nothing can stop my determination. Take care and live well!”

“Your Excellency!” He only managed to take a few steps before Jian Wendi shouted: “Will, will I be able to see you again?”

Li Qiye didn’t turn around, but he responded in a carefree manner: “I don’t know. Just consider this as our final farewell so that you can stop worrying about it.”

With that, he casually created a portal and disappeared.

Jian Wendi continued lying there in silence. Time seemed to have stopped for him.

Eventually, he quietly murmured: “See you again, Father.”

Tears inadvertently wetted his eyes as they closed.

“Splash!” The water splashed again as he sank into his water coffin to re-enter deep slumber. Perhaps when he woke again, it would be a different era.

***

In Rainbow City, there was a place where no one could visit. Many people didn’t know about it, including those from the Jian Clan. However, among those who did know, they called it the highest city or the final city in this region. Of course, some also referred to it as the place above the clouds.

It was not suitable to call this place a city since it was more of a garden floating in the clouds. At least, in appearance it was.

This great garden was not located in Dragonhark, Dragonwell, or even Dragonspring. It was floating in an unknown location.

Odd flowers and strange grasses were in full bloom. The whole garden had a wafting floral fragrance. Elegant and rich scents came from these flowers alongside very strange fragrances. This place had all kinds of rare species of the nine worlds. In the middle was a wooden house built in an exquisite manner.

It was difficult to imagine the craftsmanship that had gone into it. Perhaps during the building process, each wooden plank, beam, and column were dedicated for this building. Their weight, size, and appearance were scrutinized with an incomparably strict standard. The weight had to be perfect in order to make this house into a work of art.

There were many busy figures in this garden. Some were watering the flowers while others were taking care of the weeds or trimming the bushes. A few were loosening the soil and more were catching worms...

On a careful inspection, these busy people were all old men. Gray robes, huge coats, sleeveless shirts... all of their outfits were different as well.

They also looked different in terms of figures. Some were normal while others were incredibly thin or fat. However, at a second glance, regardless of their uniform or body shape, there was something very similar about them. It was difficult to pinpoint the similarity; perhaps it was their silhouette. This familiar contour gave others the feeling that they had seen these old men before.

In fact, if people were to think about it for a second, they would realize that they really had seen these old men before. For example, the old man that summoned the rainbow fish, the collector at Dragonhark Valley, or the shopkeeper at Rainbow Inn. All of them gave off this sense of familiarity, a deja vu of sorts.

Li Qiye appeared in this garden that was forbidden to outsiders without express permission from its master. Regardless of how powerful or heaven-defying one might be, they wouldn’t be able to enter this place.

Li Qiye had a beaming smile on his face while looking at the busy old men in this garden. He didn’t greet them and only headed straight for the wooden house.

The old men ignored Li Qiye as well and continued with their tasks as if they didn’t see his arrival.

In front of this cabin was a tea table with two wooden chairs. On one side was an old man fanning a fire to boil his tea. All of his attention was on this task. His eyes seemed to be jumping along with the fire while he was unaware of Li Qiye.

Li Qiye didn’t break the old man’s focus and only smiled as he sat down. The wooden chair was so comfortable that it made people want to close their eyes to sleep. It was as if it was specifically tailored for Li Qiye. It fit his body perfectly. Just a bit longer would be too big while an inch less would make it too narrow. There was no room for criticism.

He slowly closed his eyes as if to sleep. Meanwhile, the old man making his tea still didn’t notice Li Qiye. All of his focus was on making his tea.

Eventually, the old man finally finished and added the tea leaves. A sweet fragrance came out as he poured himself a cup and one for Li Qiye as well.

The steam that rose from the hot tea actually condensed above the cups to form dragons. One could even faintly hear the wondrous cries of these dragons.