Chapter 3 - Flee Immediately
Although Di Jiu wanted to pull himself together after Zhen Man’s departure, the memories of her beautiful looks and the apology she had given him before she left had drained whatever fighting spirit was left in him.
Di Jiu would have continued wallowing in decadence if it had not been for Qu Xiaoshu.
Ever since he had become a wastrel, Di Jiu’s only friend had been Qu Xiaoshu. Qu Xiaoshu had martial roots, but he did not like to practise martial arts. Instead, he would loiter around Pearl City with martially rootless Di Jiu. Although Di Jiu had not planned on becoming a bully, it was a fact that no one in Pearl City dared to bother him. Whenever Di Jiu and Qu Xiaoshu showed up somewhere, everybody would go out of their way to avoid them.
On a particular day two years later, eighteen-year-old Di Jiu and Qu Xiaoshu started drinking at a restaurant until they got a little tipsy. Di Jiu had seen Zhen Man, who had returned to Pearl City to visit her relatives. Zhen Man was with a handsome young man in white clothes who carried a long sword on his back.
Eighteen-year-old Zhen Man was more beautiful and refined than she had been two years ago. As she walked down the streets of Pearl City, her graceful silhouette made the entire city pale in comparison. Judging by the look in Zhen Man’s eyes, Di Jiu knew that he no longer existed in her heart.
The way she stood next to the young man in white made them look like a couple. The sight made Di Jiu’s heart ache, even though he knew that they were not meant to be together. As soon as he had seen the two of them together, he had realized that he had never gotten over her.
“This sucks… Oh, Jiu… If you had martial roots, 100 girls like Zhen Man would be throwing themselves at you. Come on, bottoms up…” Qu Xiaoshu stammered out. His eyes were half-closed as he lifted up another cup of wine and drank it.
Di Jiu did not drink. He suddenly recalled his initial motive for studying medicine. He had started studying medicine because he had been worried that he would not be able to pass the martial roots test when he turned 16 years old. He planned on looking for a solution for his martial roots problem through medicine. Why had he lost his original determination after failing the test?
He had been doing nothing but wasting his time for two years. Although his father had not said anything, Di Jiu was aware that he was disappointed.
A bolt of pale gold lightning struck down from that black crack, landing right on his head. Di Jiu unconsciously closed his eyes as his face turned pale.
It felt like having ice water with an electric current poured down the top of his head. Di Jiu’s entire body turned chilly. He suddenly started to feel a little numb.
Am I alright?
Di Jiu lifted his head. The black rift was still in the sky. He unconsciously looked at the grayish stone. To his shock, he saw a pale gold filament on the stone.
Wasn’t this the pale gold lightning bolt that he had seen just moments ago? The shape was identical. Why had it been reduced to a small mark in the middle of a stone? He remembered clearly that the stone had not had that golden filament when he had first discovered it. Plus, his hand…
His wrist and arm had a faint trace of black dirt on them. He immediately felt like he had experienced an indescribable change. His mind had suddenly become crystal clear. Di Jiu had known all along that he was very intelligent, but he was certain that his brain had absolutely not been as clear as it was now.
This grayish stone was a brilliant item, and the golden filament on the stone was special. The golden lightning bolt had not struck him. It had landed on the stone and been assimilated by it.
Di Jiu was not in the mood to keep digging for herbs anymore. He wanted to take the stone home so his father could take a look at it and determine what it really was. He also had to report the black rift in the sky to King Ming Yi. He might not be able to contribute on the battlefield like his elder brothers, but he could help his country by reporting this incident.
What would he request from King Ming Yi when the King offered him a favor? He should request to leave the Ji Nation and visit the Lu Yuan Empire.
“Oh, Jiu. You need to flee immediately…” Di Jiu was still daydreaming when he heard an anxious voice behind him.
“What’s the matter, Xiaoshu? Why do I have to flee right now?” Di Jiu asked his friend, who was dashing towards him, unsure what was going on. His father, Di Shan, was a general. He was the second most powerful man in the Ji Nation. What reason did he have to flee?