Chapter 296: Showing Off
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Why tree got no leaves? Where leaves go?” Chao Chao asked in her tiny, curious voice as she sat on Li Siqi’s shoulders. She pointed at a strange willow tree by the riverbank. Just a little while ago, the tree had been full of green leaves like the other ones around it. Now, it looked empty and bare.
“Forget the tree! The dragon dance is about to start!” someone shouted from the crowd.
“Dragon dance! Dragon dance! Me wanna see!” Chao Chao clapped her small hands, her face lighting up with excitement. Li Siqi laughed at her eagerness and lifted her higher on his shoulders. From up there, Chao Chao could see the whole street, but her big, round eyes stayed locked on the dragon dance.
“Look! Look! Big dwagon!” Chao Chao squealed, waving her arms.
The dragon dance team grabbed everyone’s attention. The dancers, dressed in bright and colorful costumes, moved perfectly together, making the long, shiny dragon look like it was alive. The crowd cheered, completely mesmerized by the performance.
Off to the side, Nan Mu Bai watched with a smug look on his face. “What’s so great about a dragon dance? In the Southern Kingdom, we have ceremonies where we summon gods during our big festivals. Anyone here ever seen that?”
He went on, his voice dripping with pride, “Our priests call real gods down from the sky to bring rain and blessings. Not like this silly dragon dance. What’s so special about that? And North Zhao doesn’t even have real gods,” he added, his smirk widening.
“Who says North Zhao got no gods?” a man nearby shot back. “We got the Little Goddess! Our Goddess Statue is super powerful! Just recently, we saw a carp jump over the dragon gate because of her blessings.”
People in the crowd nodded and murmured in agreement. Nan Mu Bai just scoffed. “Your so-called goddess isn’t even in the Divine Record. She’s just a low-level, wild god,” he sneered. “In the Southern Kingdom, we worship the Justice God. He rules over all justice in the divine realm. Now that’s a real god!”
The people of North Zhao turned red with anger. “You’re talking nonsense! Our Goddess is a real deity! We’ve been worshipping her for years, and she always answers our prayers!” one of them argued.
“Real gods are recorded in the Divine Record,” Nan Mu Bai said arrogantly. “I don’t see your goddess’s name there. Has she ever given you any power? Has she ever come down to the mortal world? Ha! Ridiculous!”
His words made the crowd even angrier, but seeing his fine clothes from the Southern Kingdom, they hesitated to argue further. Sensing this, Nan Mu Bai puffed up his chest and kept bragging.
“In the Southern Kingdom, we summon divine birds during our festivals,” he boasted. “Ever seen a divine bird? The Blue Luan, third in the Divine Record, is a god’s mount and a symbol of good luck! Only the Southern Kingdom can call such a creature.”
Nan Mu Bai’s face beamed with pride, his eyebrows raising triumphantly. “One day, come to the Southern Kingdom and see what a real festival looks like. Now that’s impressive!”
Nearby, his guardian beast, a nine-headed hydra, paid no attention to the argument. It was busy stripping branches from the willow tree while a servant below collected them in a big bag.
“The branches of this tree are so soft, just right for brushing teeth. But don’t strip all the branches from just one tree,” the servant murmured quietly.
One of the hydra’s heads turned to look at the servant, showing its sharp, scary teeth. Normally, this sight would have terrified the servant, or worse, gotten him eaten. But today was different.
[I think it’s yummy,] Chao Chao thought, her eyes wide with innocent wonder as she watched the hydra.
The hydra’s heads then turned toward Chao Chao, noticing her small, interested face. It tried to smile, but with its big teeth, it only made the servant tremble more.
Caught up in its branch-stripping, the hydra had forgotten why it was really in North Zhao—to help the prince show off the strength of the Southern Kingdom. Now, all it cared about was finding more willow branches for its unique way of brushing its teeth.
“If your gods are so amazing, why not summon one now? Show us instead of just bragging!” someone from the crowd shouted.
“Yeah! Bring out the Blue Luan Divine Bird and your Justice God!” others joined in, challenging Nan Mu Bai. “You always say how great the Southern Kingdom is, but we never see anything real!”
Nan Mu Bai’s eyelid twitched at the challenge. Summoning the Justice God? Even the entire royal family couldn’t manage that. But the Blue Luan—that might be possible.
“Hmph, I’ll show you country bumpkins something you’ve never seen before!” he declared, his eyes gleaming with determination.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Ming Lang, his advisor, gently tugged at his sleeve. “Your Highness, we’re here to find the princess,” he whispered cautiously.
“Quiet,” Nan Mu Bai snapped, waving him off. “I might not be able to summon the Justice God, but I can call the Blue Luan. Let’s show them the power of the Southern Kingdom!”
He began making a hand sign, and a glowing pattern started to appear beneath his feet, with lines crossing and shining brightly.
Chao Chao watched closely, her big eyes full of wonder. “What dat?” she mumbled in her baby voice.
“This is the power of the Justice God,” Nan Mu Bai explained. His family had a connection with the Justice God, giving them limited access to divine power. But the Justice God rarely showed up in the mortal world.
A soft glow appeared in Nan Mu Bai’s hands. Standing in the glowing star array, he slowly lifted his hands toward the sky. “With the power of the Justice God, I summon the Blue Luan Divine Bird to the mortal world!” he chanted, his voice deep and focused. He repeated the words three times.
Suddenly, the quiet night was broken by a loud, sharp cry from above. “Did you hear that? Was that a bird?”
The crowd looked up, startled, as a bright blue light shot across the sky, coming closer fast. It was indeed a bird, its feathers a beautiful mix of blues and greens, with a long tail trailing gracefully in the moonlight.
“It’s the Blue Luan Divine Bird!” the crowd whispered in awe.
The Blue Luan spread its wide, magnificent wings as it flew through the sky. The starlight seemed to dance on its feathers, leaving everyone below amazed.
“See that? You country bumpkins, have your eyes opened yet?” Nan Mu Bai taunted. “If you can, try summoning something with your goddess’s power. A wild god is still just a wild god.”
Lu Yuan Xiao clenched his fists, his face turning red with anger. [How dare they insult our Little Goddess? My Chao Chao is the Goddess!]
“The Goddess saved the world once! She’s not some wild god! So what if the Southern Kingdom can summon gods?” he shouted, his voice trembling with emotion.
Just then, the sixth prince, who had been hiding in the crowd, stepped forward with a confident grin. “You think you’re so great? Well, I can summon too! With the power of the Goddess, I summon the Dragon and Phoenix!”
“Dwagun… Fennix, come fwoth!” Chao Chao giggled, repeating his words in her tiny voice.
Nan Mu Bai’s face darkened, his eyes narrowing. He hadn’t expected this challenge.
At that moment, Chao Chao felt a warm glow on her forehead. [Someone is using my divine power,] she realized, glancing at the sixth prince, who was grinning like a fool.
A rush of power filled the prince, and a bright light exploded beneath his feet, far brighter and stronger than Nan Mu Bai’s array.
The crowd gasped as the ground shook. Light shot upward, and suddenly, a dragon and a phoenix appeared in the sky, their shapes shining with divine light. The dragon roared, swirling in the air, while the phoenix spread its fiery wings, lighting up the street with a warm glow.
Chao Chao’s eyes widened. “Woah, big dwagun! Big fennix!” she cheered, clapping her hands.
Nan Mu Bai’s face turned pale, his confidence shattering. “How is this possible…?” he muttered, stunned.
The sixth prince, filled with the divine power, flashed a triumphant smile. “See that, Nan Mu Bai? This is the power of our Little Goddess! Try to match that!”
Chao Chao giggled, her cheeks puffed up with pride. [Hehehe, they using baby’s power! Baby strong!]
As the dragon and phoenix circled above, their majestic forms glowing with divine light, the people of North Zhao erupted into cheers. For the first time, they had a spectacle that could rival any from the Southern Kingdom.