After the Great Yellow Dog's eyes emitted a deep and profound azure glow, it became limp again and let out a low cry of "So tired." Then it fell back asleep.
Chen Xia and Zhang DaoMing frowned and sized it up, unable to discern the reason.
"A dead cat bounce?" Zhang DaoMing asked doubtfully.
"Its breathing is still audible, so it shouldn't be a dead cat bounce. It's likely just a sporadic fit, but hard to say exactly what's going on," Chen Xia speculated.
Then he stepped forward and patted the dog's head again, scolding, "Say something if you're going to sleep. Have some manners, why don't you?"
"It can hardly have manners now," Zhang DaoMing supplemented, shaking his head.
"I didn't expect it to just say those couple sentences after waking up. How boring. I thought a mighty Emperor really might emerge and then I could brag about kicking an Emperor's ass," Chen Xia said, turning to Zhang DaoMing.
Zhang DaoMing frowned. "I hope you can maintain that defiant attitude if an Emperor really does show up one day," he critiqued.
"Naturally. I'm consistent," Zhang DaoMing scoffed.
Chen Xia didn't say anything more. He turned back to look at the Great Yellow Dog, furrowing his brow slightly.
He could hear urgent breathing and a racing heartbeat.
Zhang DaoMing noticed too. "That doesn't seem like sleeping," he murmured.
Chen Xia nodded. "It's like heavy breathing after intense exercise."
"How did it get so tired just from sleeping?" Zhang DaoMing furrowed his brow deeply, then added, "Or could it be for other reasons?"
Zhang DaoMing didn't specify, but they both knew what he meant.
None other than the Emperor.
But the specifics were still a mystery.
Chen Xia rubbed his cheek and gestured to the Great Yellow Dog, conferring with Zhang DaoMing, "Should we discuss with the Emperor?"
Zhang DaoMing curled his mouth. "You try."
So Chen Xia stepped forward, his tone carrying a negotiating air. "Your Majesty, take it easy. Slow down, okay?"
Abruptly, an azure glow sprang up around the Great Yellow Dog, blasting Chen Xia back over ten meters. Fortunately there was no killing intent, so Chen Xia wasn't really injured.
He planted his foot and halted his retreat, furrowing his brows. "Still upset, huh?" he muttered.
Zhang DaoMing knitted his brows and quietly retreated behind Chen Xia.
Right now they were powerless even against the sleeping Great Yellow Dog, unable to say or do anything. They could only leave the Great Yellow Dog laying in the middle of the yard.
Fortunately, despite its hurried breathing and racing heart, the Great Yellow Dog didn't have any accidents, same as always.
The yard was all wind and sunlight.
Chen Xia had wanted to build the Great Yellow Dog a pavilion, but Zhang DaoMing said it wasn't necessary, that experiencing nature in its purest state would nurture the most transcendent growth.
Although he knew those words were nonsense, Chen Xia still agreed.
Because he was too lazy to build one anyway.
Besides, wind and sunlight truly weren't bad things. They prevented dampness.
But it did rain sometimes. At those times, Chen Xia had an excuse - the rain could prevent wind and sun damage.
He had grasped the positives and negatives perfectly.
But during the occasional torrential downpour, Chen Xia would still stand next to the Great Yellow Dog holding an umbrella over himself but not the dog, just because he liked watching the dog get rained on.
If the rain got heavy enough that Chen Xia had to go back inside, he would wait for it to lighten up before coming back out.
It was fine for the Great Yellow Dog to get a little wet. Dogs were born knowing how to swim - it was an innate racial talent.
It remained unclear who was more dog-like.
Aside from that, Chen Xia would also practice alchemy in the yard. He had progressed to the Spirit Medicine chapter, with medicine preparation and techniques reaching the Spirit Medicine level.
He attempted using orthodox methods to concoct Spirit Medicines, but the initial results weren't ideal. With inferior Spirit Medicine ingredients he could only produce mediocre Spirit Medicines.
This was clearly unsatisfactory to Chen Xia. Fortunately he had the spirit to learn from mistakes and forge ahead, continuing to research Spirit Medicine alchemy, memorizing pharmacological properties, and honing his techniques.
In his thirtieth year, Chen Xia was finally able to use inferior Spirit Medicine ingredients to produce inferior Elixirs.
Following the records in the Spirit Medicine books, he concocted Elixirs at a pace of one every ten years, initially only able to produce inferior Elixirs.
Whether using inferior or mediocre Spirit Medicine ingredients, he could only make inferior Elixirs.
The difference was that the Elixirs produced from mediocre Spirit Medicines were slightly better.
This obviously failed to meet Chen Xia's standards for himself. He kept trying in the following years, but was unable to break through, always lacking something.
What exactly was lacking?
Was it profound comprehension of alchemy, or needed further refinement of his techniques?
Or was it the quality of the pill furnace, or the level of Spiritual Fire?
Or even incorrect timing.
These were all difficult points in alchemy that had to be noted and done well.
After long consideration, Chen Xia finally identified the key issue.
It boiled down to lacking fortune.
With sufficient fortune, even Great Medicines would be no problem concocting.
Chen Xia sighed and murmured to himself, "Turns out I'm still not working hard enough."
If he could work hard and live to be hundreds of thousands of years old, with that much fortune alone he would probably be invincible.
It's my fault.
He was at peace with it.
Chen Xia didn't do much alchemy after that. He just read books and honed his techniques, letting things take their own course.
With nothing to do at home, Zhang DaoMing would also go out drinking, nothing fine but not too bad either, carrying a little jug at his waist and taking swigs whenever he felt like it.
"Tastes good?" Chen Xia asked curiously when he saw it.
"Don't know. I don't really taste the richness or mellowness others describe. Just tastes like liquor to me," Zhang DaoMing shook his head.
"Let me try." Chen Xia beckoned.
"Here." Zhang DaoMing untied the jug from his waist and tossed it over.
Chen Xia held it high and let a drop fall into his mouth, sipping it down and smacking his lips. He furrowed his brow slightly.
"How is it?" Zhang DaoMing asked with a laugh.
"Spicy," Chen Xia frowned, then added, "It reminds me of a saying I've heard before."
"What's that?" Zhang DaoMing asked curiously.
"Drink the strongest wine, sleep with the wildest women," Chen Xia answered.
Zhang DaoMing seemed to pause, then glanced at the Great Yellow Dog and shook his head.
"I advise you to be virtuous."
"Kidding," Chen Xia laughed lightly, raising the jug to let another drop fall into his mouth. "But this wine really has no taste, just spicy. Maybe I don't know how to appreciate wine," he mused.
"Neither do I," Zhang DaoMing replied. "I just like the drunk taste. Lets me not think about things so much."
"Coward," Chen Xia criticized contemptuously.
Zhang DaoMing shook his head. "You're still young. Some things really are beyond your control."
"Young? I'm not that young," Chen Xia said noncommittally with a laugh.
He wasn't the scion of a great Emperor in the Vast Heavenly Sword Sea, nor an immortal of a minor heaven, much less a constable of Tail Creek Town.
Over the flowing millennia, things and people change.
He had changed, yet remained the same.
He couldn't always be someone, but would always be Chen Xia.
Youthful vigor and spirit forever retain their youth.
Not bound by heaven or earth, nor mired in the mortal world.
If described in two words, it would be...
Transcendence!