Dealing with Zheng Xian is extremely mentally exhausting, but the roast duck tastes great.
Biting into this crispy skin and sweet bean sauce again made Su Ming feel as if a lifetime had passed. Leaders are leaders after all—they have taste. If you sent Mordo to buy roast duck, he probably couldn't even find such an authentic little place.
It wasn't some famous old establishment. After coming up from underground, Zheng Xian drove him in circles through hutongs, left and right, and finally stopped at what looked like an ordinary residence—a siheyuan with not even a shop sign.
This must be what they call the "private kitchen" prototype, right?
After a few rounds of drinks, Zheng Xian brought up business again. He set his little cup down and wiped his mouth:
"Mr. Wilson was unwilling to talk about the Holy Shield in front of my subordinates before. Is there some taboo?"
Su Ming was in the middle of placing scallion dipped in sauce onto a wrap. This old-timey place really was nice: "You're sure it's safe here?"
"Naturally. The Sensei's whole family here are Mutants. Didn't you notice how perfect the roast duck's heat control is?" Zheng Xian said lightly.
The subtext being, of course, that he, Zheng Xian, was holding something over them.
So it wasn't hung-roast duck at all, it was Fire Element roast duck. No wonder....
Smells amazing.
Su Ming stuffed a roll into his mouth and chewed a few times: "I was just worried your men are too young to withstand the impact of reality."
"Oh? Why would you say that, Mr. Wilson?"
"The Holy Shield Brotherhood is planning the Destruction of the world—or rather, the Destruction of the world is already halfway done. Do you believe that?"
"Wha... heh, sir, please don't joke. The fact you could find this place means you know our background. The Holy Shield and Holy Spear were one family to begin with. There may be filth between us, but our goal is the same: we exist to protect Earth."
Zheng Xian froze for a moment at first, but very quickly relaxed and smoothly slipped into his own spiel.
"This is no joke. I don't just know your Origin, I also know about that Alien Species." Su Ming picked up another spring pancake. There were only two of them and they'd ordered four Ducks, and Zheng Xian was hardly picking up his chopsticks. Once it gets cold, how are you supposed to eat it?
When he heard that, Zheng Xian's expression instantly grew serious. The moment this man mentioned an Alien Species, it meant big trouble.
Even though the Holy Spear Association's policy had always been "only sweep the snow before your own door, don't worry about the frost on others' tiles," now that the demolition crew had shown up, they really couldn't sit it out anymore.
Zheng Xian pondered for a moment. Perhaps part of him was still hoping to get lucky, perhaps he feared Su Ming was trying to trick him. Smiling, he asked, "Then could you tell me about this Alien Species you know of?"
Su Ming picked up a few pieces of Duck skin, lightly dabbed them in sauce, glanced at Zheng Xian's squinting eyes, and smiled faintly: "Why not?"
.....................
Han Dynasty, Luoyang.
The autumn wind was bleak, the grasses and trees withered yellow, and down the long stone steps buried beneath a rain of falling leaves, two figures descended, both clad in Bright Armor, bearing extraordinary bearing.
The one in front wore red robes with Armor over them, long hair loose over his shoulders. This was Zhang Heng.
Behind him, a man walked in lockstep, hands cradling a golden Long Spear. The spear was about one zhang and eight chi in length, blades opening at both ends, the spear edges like the wings of an Eagle, the shaft wrapped in white gauze.
As they strolled forward at an unhurried pace, the leader gave instructions to the retainer following behind.
"Should this journey of mine fail, thou shalt inherit this spear, and slay the monster."
The General behind him furrowed his brows at these words, lifting the Long Spear before his eyes: "My lord, forgive my bluntness, I have observed it closely. It is but wood shaft bound to iron blade. The tales that it holds boundless Divine Power are truly..."
Zhang Heng twirled the long beard upon his chest and said calmly, "So-called Divine Artifacts have ever been so since ancient days. Its Shield abideth in the West, its spear resideth in the East. Thou must hold firm in thy heart; only then canst thou grant it the Divine Power it ought possess."
While the two conversed, they had already arrived before a magnificent structure. This edifice soared into the clouds, wrought with surpassing craftsmanship—a five‑hundred‑story pavilion.
Its name was the 'Great Edifice', a high platform built for conversing with the Celestial Gods.
"My lord, can this attempt truly succeed?" the young General asked once more, for Zhang Heng had already begun preparing to ascend the tower.
Zhang Heng smiled and said, "I have no choice but to try. Our world should not end thus."
With that, he hitched up his robes and began to climb, leaving only the General gripping the Long Spear to wait below, his face written with worry.
What a majestic sight a tower of several hundred stories was, yet Zhang Heng, having attained the Dao, was no ordinary man.
With Gales howling, he passed through the clouds. Before long this lofty tower lay beneath his feet, and even the distant mountain ranges now bowed their heads in submission.
But before Zhang Heng's eyes, there was more than this—there was also an enormous silhouette, standing motionless amidst the circling birds.
Even after stepping onto the five‑hundred‑story tower, Zhang Heng could only reach the height of its shoulder.
It was a golden Giant, its entire body forged of metal, as though a mountain range had come to life, and the three eyes upon its face that shone with Red Light were like suns.
Behind it, Zhang Heng could see that half of Luoyang City had already been destroyed, and even the distant green hills now bore deep ravines.
Facing the gale, he ignored the giant hand reaching out to grab him, and shouted loudly.
"Ah! Goddess of the Celestial Kingdom, your majesty makes us bow in submission, the hope shining all around you is like the blazing sun driving away the winter night. You and your kind have cared for humanity, so why do you now seek to harm us?!"
The forelimb, as massive as a Giant Dragon's, halted, and the raging wind stopped above Zhang Heng's head.
One member of the Celestial Gods Group stopped its advance. It drew back its great hand and, just like Zhang Heng, crossed its legs and floated up. A voice like thunder resounded through the entire city: "Human, a choice / decision / sacrifice must be made."
"I beg the Goddess for clear instruction!" Zhang Heng sat down, Calm and Relaxed. The fact that the other party could communicate eased his heart.
At least there was hope of saving Earth; what the Celestial Gods Group was, he naturally understood.
The Celestial God answered him. It could speak plainly, because it was unmatched.
"At the center of this planet / world, there exists a dormant Celestial God egg / fetus. In the Future, this egg / fetus will hatch / give birth to a Celestial God. Accompanied by newborn hunger, it will consume / Devour this planet / world. That is the purpose / method of my coming."
When its words fell, all sounds vanished; in Zhang Heng's ears remained only the flow of air.
He pondered for a moment, gently twirling his beard, then answered loudly: "If you wish to take it away, we would gladly assist."
The three massive red eyes of the Celestial God shone with a strong light. The metal on its body began to shift and Transformation, like a gigantic machine opening up to reveal the intricate structure within.
"No, you misunderstand me, let me explain. Up to now, all Celestial Gods have been born within planets, but I carry within my body a new / unique / forbidden structure. Replication / breeding is coming. There is a child inside me."
At the same time, the Armor on its abdomen unfurled like a Lotus, revealing the things deeper within.
It was a special existence composed of metal, flesh and blood, Energy, light, and a large amount of fundamentally unrecognizable chaotic laws. A clump of Nebula—or rather, a mass of Red Light Energy—churned before Zhang Heng's eyes, but human wisdom could not comprehend its essence nor the reason for its existence.
After this display, it closed its abdominal cavity, and its gigantic metal head moved close to Zhang Heng. "This process will ultimately consume / destroy me. I will pay the price for this act... but for now, I need food, because the process has already begun. Devouring your planet, Devouring all living things, will provide me with Energy, and the world-ending Chaos will follow."
The Celestial God's thinking was just like that: it was undergoing an inevitable process and paying the price for it, while Earth didn't even count as a price—only as food.
Hearing this, Zhang Heng stood up and laughed loudly.
"How magnificent this act of the Divine Mother, but please allow me one word." As he spoke, he raised his arm above his head, his finger pointing at the sun. "May the Divine Mother look: this here is precisely the source of our Life, and it provides corresponding nutrients to feed the child of the stars. Its Energy surpasses Earth's by tens of thousands of times. If you cast yourself into it, you can make the fetus even stronger. Would that not be splendid?"
The Celestial God lifted its head and stared directly at the Fixed Star, silent for a long time as it calculated. A moment later, it soared into the sky, leaving behind a thunderous roar.
"Proposal accepted."
The enormous Black Shadow flew higher and higher, then, like a moth plunging into Flame, it dove into the sun, sending up a spray of fire....
.......................
Zheng Xian emptied the Moutai in his glass, then squinted and poured for the two of them again. "I really didn't know that you, as a foreigner, could tell storytelling performances."
Su Ming stroked his beard and lifted his glass. "Storytelling's nothing— I can do crosstalk too. But digging into my identity is pointless. The problem now is that the Alien Species is about to finish hatching."
"The Alien Species of the Celestial Gods Group, huh..." Even Zheng Xian now felt a splitting headache. "Sensei really left me a big mess. He kicked his legs and went off happy, and now I'm the one stuck with the headache."
"The mother body originally planned to eat Earth, but Zhang Heng tricked her into eating the sun instead. Now that the infant has hatched, it still doesn't have the ability to convert Fixed Star Energy, it can only eat planets. I'm guessing with so many living beings on Earth, it probably tastes even better—like a dessert sprinkled with Sesame."
Su Ming also spoke out the part of his comic-book memories, and he knew that someone within the Holy Shield Brotherhood was already planning to offer Earth for the Celestial God to eat.
Because that person had seen the end of time. He believed the apocalypse to be inevitable, and rather than struggle meaninglessly, it was better to enter the apocalypse directly and then rebuild the world.
The first step was to weaken Earth's defensive power; otherwise, a young Celestial God would have a hard time taking its first bite. By inciting a full-scale war between the Blood Race and the Inhumans, all lifeforms including humans would be wiped out in one go.
Of course, this was only speculation; whether reality lined up with the comic's plot was another matter. But hadn't Zheng Xian already bought into it?
Zheng Xian gave a bitter smile. Since this matter originated with his Sensei, he had to repay the debt himself. The Supreme Mage knew every bit of this clearly; even if he wanted to muddle through, it would be impossible.
He raised his glass and clinked it against Su Ming's. "Our Earth, to many beings, is like a Purple Sweet Potato–filled rice dumpling. Celestial Gods Group, Planet Devourer, Annihilation Insect Race—every one of them wants a bite of us."
Su Ming drained his wine, then sucked his teeth with a tsk. "I thought it was assorted filling."
Zheng Xian shook his head and said meaningfully, "Chaos is deep crimson, and the chaotic apocalypse is deep purple—that's the color of Death mixed with Flame."
"I've heard a bit. Originally, the Alien Species needed a Bai Wan years to hatch, but Zhang Heng's proposal shortened that hatching period to 1,700 years. Am I right?"
Su Ming rolled up another piece of Duck. He couldn't just eat by himself; he had to sneak some to Strangulation too.
Zheng Xian understood—this was the mess Sensei had left behind. He closed his eyes and sighed. What else could he do? The Supreme Mage had described it word for word....
"I understand."