Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 252 The Price of Survival
Shehuo (a traditional folk performance) is usually enshrined in a place called the Dragon God Temple.

The place in Chang'an where the ancestral fire was enshrined was called the Dragon God Temple.

The places where Shehuo (a type of folk performance) is worshipped in various prefectures and cities are also called Dragon God Temples.

If the main hall belongs to the Dragon God, then doesn't that mean the Shehuo (a type of folk performance) is the Dragon God's guest?

Calling him a guest might be too much of an exaggeration; Yun Ce felt he was more like a prisoner.

This was not something Yun Ce made up on the spot, but rather an inspiration he drew from his own experience. She Huo had spared no effort in dealing with the dragon power within Yun Ce.

The dragon, who was forced into a physical form by the Shehuo performance, is now taking advantage of Yun Ce's severe injuries to regain control of the body. Therefore, the treatment is meticulous.

Yun Ce could even hear the sound of his bones healing. The dog was no longer hiding inside the Dragon Ball; eight tentacles emerged from the Dragon Ball, staring intently at Yun Ce's body, observing any changes that occurred.

Yun Ce's internal energy flowed through his body, joyfully flowing along the channels opened up by the dragon energy, delivering energy to every cell capable of storing it.

This process was very long; Yun Ce lay in bed for a full day and night.

The two days and two nights of peace at the inn were broken only when the chestnut horse brought Yun Ce a visiting card from the gate.

Yun Ce pushed aside the wooden block blocking the gate, stood at the entrance, and watched the sun rise slowly from the east, shining brightly on the thick white snow. He let out a long breath and felt that everything was new.

The disappearance of that faint dragon's roar saddened Yun Ce for a while.

Shehuo was extremely ruthless. Just after the dragon's energy had reorganized Yun Ce's body, when it was extremely weak, a bright yellow flame entered Yun Ce's body. Then, all of Yun Ce's orifices began to spew fire, and even the tears that flowed out were no longer water, but drops of flame.

Yun Ce did not feel any discomfort. Although his body had become a battlefield, his mind was like that of a calm bystander.

This inexplicably reminded Yun Ce of the war that took place between Japan and Germany in Shandong. Although the land of Shandong belonged to China, that war had nothing to do with China, and the government even made a special statement that China would remain neutral.

It sounds absurd, but such an absurd thing really happened, and now it's happening again inside Yun Ce's body.

The dragon's roar sounded furious at first, then weakened, and later sounded more like a sigh, before finally disappearing completely.

Shehuo then left Yun Ce's body and plunged into the Dragon Pearl, whereupon it remained motionless.

Looking at his hands, Yun Ce felt that his hands, which were like withered wood, were at least a hundred years old. When he passed by the mirror and saw his own face, Yun Ce felt that he was even older than Liu Changsheng.

This scene is very similar to Shandong after the Japanese-German battle.

Anyone who has ever grilled meat knows that the first thing to be removed during grilling is the moisture inside the meat.

Yun Ce had roasted a lot of meat, so he knew a lot about it. In addition, every cell in his body seemed to be calling for water. So, after getting up from the bed that had been burned by fire, he fell headfirst into the well.

After climbing out of the well, Yun Ce felt that he had aged thirty years, and now he looked like he was fifty.

This is clearly because he hasn't replenished enough water. However, he can only replenish this much water right now; the rest will take time.

Rumors of the young nobleman killing hundreds and his hair turning white in two days still spread throughout Taizhou City. Although Yun Ce was certain that there was no one on the street when he opened the gate and that the people he had planted in the ground had disappeared, the rumors still spread throughout Taizhou City.

Everyone seemed to know that the young nobleman's killing of so many soldiers had not come without a price.

The invitation card stated that the time was sunset and the meeting place was the Taizhou City Lord's Mansion, but it was morning now.

Yun Ce avoided the burning gaze coming through the crack in the window of the brothel across the street. He knew without guessing that the gaze belonged to the brothel madam.

Before, Yun Ce was young and dashing, and she, a middle-aged woman, was not easy to approach. But now, Yun Ce, with his gray hair and aged face, yet extraordinary charm, is exactly the kind of man a woman her age would adore.

A hero whose days are numbered is a perfect match for a woman like her, who is experienced in love and worldly affairs and is past her prime.

Yun Ce didn't look at her with the same deep affection, which disappointed the madam. She opened the window, exposing her plump body to Yun Ce's view.

For some reason, Yun Ce was no longer as sarcastic as usual, nor did he have the rage of a dragon. Instead, he smiled and waved to the madam before entering the inn again.

Although this smile caused many wrinkles to appear on Yun Ce's face, perhaps because of his bright eyes, the madam suddenly became shy, hurriedly closed the window, and covered her chest, as if afraid that her heart would jump out.

Back at the inn, Yun Ce rushed to the outhouse and began vomiting and having diarrhea. After he finished and returned to his room, he realized he had aged ten years. He quickly lit a small stove to brew tea and cooked porridge in a large pot. He kept drinking tea, brewing tea, drinking porridge, and cooking porridge, and then he started vomiting and having diarrhea again, his age hovering between forty and sixty.

By the time his dry stomach finally stopped bothering him, the sun was already setting.

The time for Han Qi, the governor of Taizhou, to extend his invitation is fast approaching.

Yun Ce had his chestnut horse carry a gold ingot to the brothel madam across the street.

Soon after, the madam led a group of women into the inn, trembling with fear.

Yun Ce, in his forties, stood under the eaves with a smile as warm as the winter sun. He said to the madam, "I am going to a banquet and need to bathe, change clothes, and dress up. Please help me, madam. If you need anything, please leave from here."

Seeing Yun Ce hand over another heavy gold ingot, the madam bowed and accepted it, saying, "This is exactly what women are good at. I just didn't know that you are an official or not, sir. If you wear this incorrectly, it would be impolite."

Yun Ce smiled and said, "I am the heir of the Prince of Changsha."

Upon hearing Yun Ce announce his identity, the love that was about to overflow in the madam's eyes vanished completely.

This was an extremely intelligent woman. If Yun Ce were a wandering knight or a minor official, she might have had a chance with him. But now, upon hearing the words "Prince of Changsha," the madam immediately focused all her attention on the gold ingot in her hand.

In fact, the greatest skill of the women in brothels was not to please men with their beauty, but also to use their hands. When Yun Ce lay down in the slightly warm bath, a pair of slender hands, as white as scallions, pressed on his neck. The force was not strong, but it made his blood flow smoothly, and he easily fell asleep in the swirling steam.

Yun Ce was half-asleep when several women pulled him out of the water and placed him on a specially arranged soft couch. A short woman wearing a short shirt and shorts massaged his most tired spots with her hands, elbows, knees and feet. After spoonfuls of warm water were poured over him, Yun Ce, who was originally sleepy, immediately woke up.

A woman had already styled his hair, and whether she had applied oil or something else, his hair, which had been dry and yellow not long ago, was now much better than before, although it was still a bit frizzy.

After Yun Ce put on the silk undergarment prepared by the madam, the wide-sleeved robe made of dark silk, and the golden crown that only a king was entitled to wear, he looked at himself in the mirror and people would believe he was thirty years old.

When the madam draped a black fur coat over Yun Ce, her eyes were filled with sorrow. She already knew that Yun Ce's trip to the governor's mansion would likely not end well.

Mounting his equally well-maintained, gleaming chestnut horse, Yun Ce said to the madam as he was leaving, "This inn is for you, Madam."

The madam said regretfully, "Is the young master not coming back?"

Yun Ce glanced at the fog-shrouded city lord's mansion and nodded, saying, "I'm not coming back."

A troop of armored soldiers galloped from the other side of the street. This group of cavalry was different from the cavalry that Yun Ce had killed not long ago. Their helmets and armor were gleaming and they were as disciplined as the Imperial Guards of Chang'an.

"They're still a bunch of good-for-nothings; there's no one worth taking advantage of."

Yun Ce ignored the complaining dog, nodded to the armored soldiers who came to greet him, and was then surrounded by them. His warhorse galloped briskly towards the city lord's mansion.

The madam watched the departing procession and said regretfully, "What a pity, what a terrible pity."

A woman chimed in, "Mom, have you really taken a liking to it?"

The madam swallowed hard and said, "What a pity—she's going to die."

Han Qi, the governor of Taizhou, was a man who valued etiquette highly. Even though Yun Ce killed his eldest son and slaughtered more than 300 of his men, he even suspected that Yun Ce was the one who had trespassed into the Dragon God Temple and caused the Shehuo riot.

Although the people of the Divine Dragon Palace swore that the madman who trespassed into the Dragon God Palace had been burned to ashes by the enraged Shehuo, Han Qi still felt that the matter of the Divine Dragon Palace was inseparable from Liu Chang'an, the heir of the Prince of Changsha.

Even if he didn't do it himself, it was most likely done by his accomplices.

Even now, there's still one thing he can't understand: why would the Prince of Changsha want to mess with Shehuo? If he needs Shehuo's help, he should just go find the Prince of Changsha or the High Priest Liu Changsheng. There's no need for him to covet the small-time Taizhou Shehuo.

He decided he had to find out tonight whether this Prince of Changsha was really the apple of the eye of the King of Changsha, the High Priest Liu Changsheng, as rumored.

Yun Ce rode his chestnut horse and entered the inner city where the city lord's mansion was located through the main gate for the first time. When he passed the Divine Dragon Hall, people had already cleaned up the bricks and tiles of the collapsed side hall. The deep pit that had been smashed by the Shehuo (a type of folk performance) had also been filled in. When he passed the main gate, he could even hear the chanting of the Taoist priests.

Just as they were about to enter the city lord's mansion, Yun Ce pinched the chestnut horse's ear, and the chestnut horse casually sneezed in response to Yun Ce.

If things don't look right, run away; if you can't escape, pretend to be an ordinary Thunder Smoke Beast and find another chance to run away. The Chestnut Horse felt it was very familiar with this routine.

　Normal updates will resume tomorrow.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)