Princess Sophia was out of character today. Instead of wearing that fussy and flashy princess attire, she wore a white shirt and tight black breeches, with black riding boots under her feet and her light brown hair tied up high in a competent and sharp manner.
Bai Lixin went to the castle gate to greet them. The moment he saw Sophia get out of the carriage, he whistled inwardly.
Not bad, not bad at all. This free and easy appearance was much prettier than in that squirming princess outfit she was wearing before.
After Sophia got off, Hillman, the personal guard, also stepped out of the carriage.
Hillman didn’t look too good as he stepped out of the carriage, and he chanted an incantation to the white horse with a silvery glow beneath him, and the not-so-normal glow disappeared.
Bai Lixin raised an eyebrow and laughed, “So Squire Hillman has magic in him; he’s a hidden gem.”
It was an acceleration spell that, when attached to his feet, could travel a thousand miles in a day, which was why they could travel to two countries in two hours, although the journey by horse took three or five days.
Hillman straightened his back and bowed, “I thank King Alexander for his praise, but it is not enough.”
Bai Lixin shook his head and said, “That is not a false compliment. Harnessing magic is a rare thing. Moreover, you are just a bodyguard. It’s a talent.
Despite Bai Lixin’s praise, Hillman’s face did not look any better. He nodded imperceptibly and respectfully as he glanced at Di Suo, who was standing straight behind him, and said, “Even a man of Di Suo’s extraordinary ability serves as a mere guard at His Majesty’s side, so what is so strange about me being a guard?”
“No, no, no, no,” Bai Lixin raised his right hand and waved it with his index finger, “You misunderstand? Di Suo is not my guard, he is my kinsman, my closest person. ”
Not only Hillman but also Di Suo froze slightly at Bai Lixin’s words. His golden eyes were inscrutable as he quietly looked at Bai Lixin from behind, gauging the truth of his words.
Hillman, on the other hand, could not help but look at Sophia, hoping to get some sort of answer from her as well.
Sophia lived up to her expectations and opened her mouth, smiling sweetly, “Hillman is not just any guard either; he is like family to me.”
When Hillman heard Sophia’s words, the uncertainty in his heart eased a little, and his face looked a little better.
Because she had already met him once, she didn’t feel as rusty as she had last time. When she finished, she reached out and tugged at the hem of Bai Lixin’s sleeve and said, “Your Majesty, you still owe me an ending from last time. Do you remember?”
Bai Lixin laughed and said, “It’s only been three days. How could I forget? Would you like to hear the rest? ”
Sofia nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, “Yes!”
“Then please, my princess.” Bai Lixin made a gentleman’s salute and led Sophia towards the garden.
Hillman looked at the distant Sophia and then at Di Suo, who remained where he was, and hesitated for a moment before following Sophia.
At that moment, Sophia’s voice came from a short distance away: “Hillman, tell Di Suo something interesting about the humanities of our country, and I will come back to you later.”
Hillman gave a start, and the half-raised foot was retracted. He frowned at the lone man and woman, his heart eating him up.
But he wasn’t the only one frustrated. Di Suo looked at the two, laughing heartlessly, with dark waves in his eyes. He had just said something about “being closest to him”, but in the blink of an eye, he had forgotten all about him for a woman.
He breathed heavily in annoyance, gave Hillman an impatient look, and whispered, “Come with me. I want to talk to you about something.”
Hillman hurriedly followed Di Suo after hearing this. The dragon race was warlike and worshipped the strong. He had lost the spar with Di Suo and had long since succumbed to his strength.
The Silver Dragon was 210 years old and had just opened its mind ten years ago, which meant he had just become an adult.
The dragon was at his weakest when the mind had just opened, and coincidentally, he was flying outside when he was hit by an arrow and landed in front of Sophia.
Hillman had just opened his mind, and Sophia was the first human he had ever seen. At the age of five, Sophia was soft and delicate, with light-colored eyes that were crystal clear, and he instantly fell in love with the elf-like girl.
It wasn’t until eight years later, two years ago, that he was finally able to take human form. And the first thing he did when he took human form was to go and look for the girl of his dreams.
The dragons have always loved their own people, and Di Suo was no exception. Remembering Bai Lixin’s words, he called Hillman aside and asked, “Have you ever thought of destroying the Saron Empire?”
Hillman was stunned by Di Suo’s question. He looked down and thought about it, and shook his head gently, “No. But Lord Di Suo, aren’t the Saron Empire and the Stress Mountain clan your enemies? Why are you willing to be a lapdog for them? ”
In Hillman’s view, the powerful black dragon should soar in the sky with dignity, not be a hound prostrate at the feet of his enemies. Although Bai Lixin claimed that Di Suo was his closest person, he didn’t believe a single punctuation mark of that hypocrite’s words!
How could a centuries-old hatred be dissolved just by saying that it could be dissolved?
When Di Suo saw Hillman, who was outraged, he smiled, “I don’t even feel anything. What are you outraged about?”
Hillman frowned, “Lord Di Suo, if I were you, I would have eaten Alexander the moment the seal was lifted. Do you know what is written about you in the official history of the dragons? ”
Di Suo sat down casually on a stone bench at the pavilion and looked at him with his head on his hand, saying, “Come on, tell me, what do the dragons say about me?”
Hillman saw Di Suo’s indifferent attitude and his anger poured out. He looked down at the black dragon who had no dignity and said coldly, “Lord Di Suo, it is written in history that it was because you listened to the sinister human that the dragons’ lair was exposed and that our dragon clan not only almost lost two young dragons, but also had to move elsewhere. You are a sinner in the history of the dragons, Lord Di Suo. ”
Di Suo sneered, “The history says I am a sinner of the dragons.”
The official history was one of the most valuable books about the dragons, and although the dragons were powerful, they were few in number, and any of them would have made the record.
And now he, the abominable black dragon, is defined in dragon history as a “sinner of the dragon race”.
That was not what the Dragon King had said when he set out to save the two young dragons hundreds of years ago, when he held his hand and cried out for him to save his children, saying that he was a hero of the Dragon Clan.
A slight chill rose in Di Suo’s heart; it didn’t hurt to be hurt by the enemy; what hurt was being forcefully stabbed in the back by one of his own.
What about the two young dragons I saved? Where are they now? Are they all right? ” Di Suo asked calmly, suppressing his anger.
Hillman replied, “The two young dragons are both royal sons and are now kept in the Dragon Hall. All is well.”
Di Suo asked, “And the Dragon King? Is everything okay too? ”
Hillman nodded, “He too is well and in good health.”
Di Suo nodded in satisfaction, relieved to know that they were all well.
If they weren’t, how could he go back and give them a good beating?
Di Suo spat coldly in his heart as he looked up at the sky.
It seemed as if there was no place for him in all the world.
The dragons had abandoned him, and the humans were trying to kill him all the time.
God, do you want to kill me so badly?
The more you want to kill me, the more I will live.
When he has completed Ansel’s contract and had his soul, he will raze the land inhabited by humans to the ground. Then he’ll go straight back to the dragons and turn the world upside down!
You say I am a “sinner”?
Then the name “sinner” must be made true in order to be worthy of history.
A wicked smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he said, “Hillman, since all humans are evil, you should listen to the Dragon King and hide in the Dragon realm, find a dragon and live a good life.”
Hillman hurriedly shook his head, “No, Sophia is special.”
Sophia, again with this Sophia.
Just a milky yellow haired girl, what was so beautiful about her that could attract so many people?
The thought of Ansel’s unsuspecting smile made Di Suo sulk, and he was actually more depressed than when he had just learned of the Dragon King’s betrayal.
He shook off the strange stirring and anger and then looked at the silver-haired youth standing straight beside him and said, with a grin, “Come, let’s fight again. Let me see if you’ve grown.”
Hillman: “……”
Do you really a good idea to start a fight at the drop of a hat, Lord Di Suo?
………
Bai Lixin and Sophia walked shoulder to shoulder down the wooded path. Sophia cocked her head and looked at the well-manicured flowers and plants in the garden not far away, a look of envy in her eyes.
“Speaking of last time, Princess Sophia, where did I end?” Bai Lixin glanced at Sophia and said without moving.
“You mentioned the puppet doll ripping off its little legs and twisting its arms to be free.” Sophia’s voice trembled slightly, a gleam in her eyes, “What happened after that, Your Majesty?”
Bai Lixin pondered for a moment and said, “After that, it pushed open the door to its room and escaped. But her arms and legs were broken, so how could she escape her master’s pursuit? Just as the master was about to catch up with her, a noble man appeared. He was an old man in a wheelchair.”
“The old man had secretly hidden the doll behind him and escaped its master’s pursuit. Not only that, but the old man was a carpenter who fitted the doll with stronger calves and arms, strong enough for her to walk alone. The puppet sobbed at the sight of her second life. She thanked the old man and set off on her journey alone, and from then on, the puppet doll travelled the length and breadth of the country, no longer under anyone’s control. ”
“Everywhere she went, she thought of the old man and the miserable days when she was still a puppet. While she was grateful for the old man’s help, she was also glad she had made the decision in the first place. ” Bai Lixin paused and looked at Sophia with soft watery eyes. “If one wants something, one has to give something, to die before one can live. Don’t you think so, Sophia?”
With a firm gaze, Sophia nodded, “You are right, Your Majesty.”
As they spoke, they had reached the end of the wooded pathway, which ended in a deserted square.
Sofia looked at Bai Lixin, thinking about the dream that had been haunting her and about the story he had told her about.
She felt more and more that Bai Lixin was the old man in the story, and that she was the puppet doll.
She had two brothers and two sisters above her, and two sisters below her. As the middle one, she had not been loved by her father since she was a child, and this time, when she found out she was marrying Ansel, her loving nurse sighed countless times, saying that Ansel was cruel and violent.
That’s why she was so cautious and fearful when they first met.
But Ansel was not only gentle, but his words were also full of wisdom. He hadn’t made it clear, but she had always felt he was alluding to her when he told the story.
When she thought of her father’s ruthlessness in her dream and the pain that Hillman had brought to her in her dream, Sophia shuddered.
Such a country must be left.
She must not allow her dream to come true!
Seeing Sophia, who was lost in her own thoughts, Bai Lixin did not wake her up, but stood by her side.
It was a long time before Sophia broke free from her own fears and looked at him with a bemused expression, “What should I do if I want to be free of my puppet fate?”
Having already trusted Ansel completely, she could not help but spill out the thoughts in her mind.
Bai Lixin smiled and rubbed Sophia’s head as he said, “The eagle must have strong arms if it wants to soar in the sky, and the camel must have extraordinary stamina if it wants to cross the desert. From now on, if you want to break the chains, you must not only strengthen your body, but also your mind. ”
Sophia nodded with seeming understanding. “So what should I do now?”
After looking up and down at the smartly dressed Sophia, Bai Lixin looked around the small square and smiled, “I see you are dressed for the day. Be a good girl and run twenty laps around the square first.”
Sofia: “… Why?”
Bai Lixin raised his eyebrows and said, “Naturally, it is to strengthen the body. What, is the princess timid? ”
Sofia thought of that dream and said, with a grit of her teeth, “No fear, twenty laps is nothing, another twenty laps is no problem!” With that, she rolled up her sleeves and ran around the square.
Bai Lixin looked at Sophia, who was seriously running laps, and smiled in his heart.
In the original ending, although Sophia was united with the Silver Dragon, Sophia did not have a good life as the Silver Dragon had just reached adulthood and was still unable to suppress his constant desires.
She gave birth to one child a year, and in just nine years she gave birth to nine children for the Silver Dragon.
After that, Sophia remained married, had children, and seemed happy. But she felt trapped in the castle by love and family all her life and didn’t leave it until her death.
To Bai Lixin, this was not happiness at all, but captivity.
When Sophia became the instrument of childbirth, she had to become gentle and kind and think of others, but who really thought of her?
Although the Silver Dragon loved Sophia, he could not control his own desires, and he did not have the sound mind to truly understand her.
Bai Lixin licked his tongue and looked towards Sophia, who was already breathing heavily. He was now about to turn a delicate flower into an iron-blooded rose.
Princess Sophia was out of character today. Instead of wearing that fussy and flashy princess attire, she wore a white shirt and tight black breeches, with black riding boots under her feet and her light brown hair tied up high in a competent and sharp manner.
Bai Lixin went to the castle gate to greet them. The moment he saw Sophia get out of the carriage, he whistled inwardly.
Not bad, not bad at all. This free and easy appearance was much prettier than in that squirming princess outfit she was wearing before.
After Sophia got off, Hillman, the personal guard, also stepped out of the carriage.
Hillman didn’t look too good as he stepped out of the carriage, and he chanted an incantation to the white horse with a silvery glow beneath him, and the not-so-normal glow disappeared.
Bai Lixin raised an eyebrow and laughed, “So Squire Hillman has magic in him; he’s a hidden gem.”
It was an acceleration spell that, when attached to his feet, could travel a thousand miles in a day, which was why they could travel to two countries in two hours, although the journey by horse took three or five days.
Hillman straightened his back and bowed, “I thank King Alexander for his praise, but it is not enough.”
Bai Lixin shook his head and said, “That is not a false compliment. Harnessing magic is a rare thing. Moreover, you are just a bodyguard. It’s a talent.
Despite Bai Lixin’s praise, Hillman’s face did not look any better. He nodded imperceptibly and respectfully as he glanced at Di Suo, who was standing straight behind him, and said, “Even a man of Di Suo’s extraordinary ability serves as a mere guard at His Majesty’s side, so what is so strange about me being a guard?”
“No, no, no, no,” Bai Lixin raised his right hand and waved it with his index finger, “You misunderstand? Di Suo is not my guard, he is my kinsman, my closest person. ”
Not only Hillman but also Di Suo froze slightly at Bai Lixin’s words. His golden eyes were inscrutable as he quietly looked at Bai Lixin from behind, gauging the truth of his words.
Hillman, on the other hand, could not help but look at Sophia, hoping to get some sort of answer from her as well.
Sophia lived up to her expectations and opened her mouth, smiling sweetly, “Hillman is not just any guard either; he is like family to me.”
When Hillman heard Sophia’s words, the uncertainty in his heart eased a little, and his face looked a little better.
Because she had already met him once, she didn’t feel as rusty as she had last time. When she finished, she reached out and tugged at the hem of Bai Lixin’s sleeve and said, “Your Majesty, you still owe me an ending from last time. Do you remember?”
Bai Lixin laughed and said, “It’s only been three days. How could I forget? Would you like to hear the rest? ”
Sofia nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, “Yes!”
“Then please, my princess.” Bai Lixin made a gentleman’s salute and led Sophia towards the garden.
Hillman looked at the distant Sophia and then at Di Suo, who remained where he was, and hesitated for a moment before following Sophia.
At that moment, Sophia’s voice came from a short distance away: “Hillman, tell Di Suo something interesting about the humanities of our country, and I will come back to you later.”
Hillman gave a start, and the half-raised foot was retracted. He frowned at the lone man and woman, his heart eating him up.
But he wasn’t the only one frustrated. Di Suo looked at the two, laughing heartlessly, with dark waves in his eyes. He had just said something about “being closest to him”, but in the blink of an eye, he had forgotten all about him for a woman.
He breathed heavily in annoyance, gave Hillman an impatient look, and whispered, “Come with me. I want to talk to you about something.”
Hillman hurriedly followed Di Suo after hearing this. The dragon race was warlike and worshipped the strong. He had lost the spar with Di Suo and had long since succumbed to his strength.
The Silver Dragon was 210 years old and had just opened its mind ten years ago, which meant he had just become an adult.
The dragon was at his weakest when the mind had just opened, and coincidentally, he was flying outside when he was hit by an arrow and landed in front of Sophia.
Hillman had just opened his mind, and Sophia was the first human he had ever seen. At the age of five, Sophia was soft and delicate, with light-colored eyes that were crystal clear, and he instantly fell in love with the elf-like girl.
It wasn’t until eight years later, two years ago, that he was finally able to take human form. And the first thing he did when he took human form was to go and look for the girl of his dreams.
The dragons have always loved their own people, and Di Suo was no exception. Remembering Bai Lixin’s words, he called Hillman aside and asked, “Have you ever thought of destroying the Saron Empire?”
Hillman was stunned by Di Suo’s question. He looked down and thought about it, and shook his head gently, “No. But Lord Di Suo, aren’t the Saron Empire and the Stress Mountain clan your enemies? Why are you willing to be a lapdog for them? ”
In Hillman’s view, the powerful black dragon should soar in the sky with dignity, not be a hound prostrate at the feet of his enemies. Although Bai Lixin claimed that Di Suo was his closest person, he didn’t believe a single punctuation mark of that hypocrite’s words!
How could a centuries-old hatred be dissolved just by saying that it could be dissolved?
When Di Suo saw Hillman, who was outraged, he smiled, “I don’t even feel anything. What are you outraged about?”
Hillman frowned, “Lord Di Suo, if I were you, I would have eaten Alexander the moment the seal was lifted. Do you know what is written about you in the official history of the dragons? ”
Di Suo sat down casually on a stone bench at the pavilion and looked at him with his head on his hand, saying, “Come on, tell me, what do the dragons say about me?”
Hillman saw Di Suo’s indifferent attitude and his anger poured out. He looked down at the black dragon who had no dignity and said coldly, “Lord Di Suo, it is written in history that it was because you listened to the sinister human that the dragons’ lair was exposed and that our dragon clan not only almost lost two young dragons, but also had to move elsewhere. You are a sinner in the history of the dragons, Lord Di Suo. ”
Di Suo sneered, “The history says I am a sinner of the dragons.”
The official history was one of the most valuable books about the dragons, and although the dragons were powerful, they were few in number, and any of them would have made the record.
And now he, the abominable black dragon, is defined in dragon history as a “sinner of the dragon race”.
That was not what the Dragon King had said when he set out to save the two young dragons hundreds of years ago, when he held his hand and cried out for him to save his children, saying that he was a hero of the Dragon Clan.
A slight chill rose in Di Suo’s heart; it didn’t hurt to be hurt by the enemy; what hurt was being forcefully stabbed in the back by one of his own.
What about the two young dragons I saved? Where are they now? Are they all right? ” Di Suo asked calmly, suppressing his anger.
Hillman replied, “The two young dragons are both royal sons and are now kept in the Dragon Hall. All is well.”
Di Suo asked, “And the Dragon King? Is everything okay too? ”
Hillman nodded, “He too is well and in good health.”
Di Suo nodded in satisfaction, relieved to know that they were all well.
If they weren’t, how could he go back and give them a good beating?
Di Suo spat coldly in his heart as he looked up at the sky.
It seemed as if there was no place for him in all the world.
The dragons had abandoned him, and the humans were trying to kill him all the time.
God, do you want to kill me so badly?
The more you want to kill me, the more I will live.
When he has completed Ansel’s contract and had his soul, he will raze the land inhabited by humans to the ground. Then he’ll go straight back to the dragons and turn the world upside down!
You say I am a “sinner”?
Then the name “sinner” must be made true in order to be worthy of history.
A wicked smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he said, “Hillman, since all humans are evil, you should listen to the Dragon King and hide in the Dragon realm, find a dragon and live a good life.”
Hillman hurriedly shook his head, “No, Sophia is special.”
Sophia, again with this Sophia.
Just a milky yellow haired girl, what was so beautiful about her that could attract so many people?
The thought of Ansel’s unsuspecting smile made Di Suo sulk, and he was actually more depressed than when he had just learned of the Dragon King’s betrayal.
He shook off the strange stirring and anger and then looked at the silver-haired youth standing straight beside him and said, with a grin, “Come, let’s fight again. Let me see if you’ve grown.”
Hillman: “……”
Do you really a good idea to start a fight at the drop of a hat, Lord Di Suo?
………
Bai Lixin and Sophia walked shoulder to shoulder down the wooded path. Sophia cocked her head and looked at the well-manicured flowers and plants in the garden not far away, a look of envy in her eyes.
“Speaking of last time, Princess Sophia, where did I end?” Bai Lixin glanced at Sophia and said without moving.
“You mentioned the puppet doll ripping off its little legs and twisting its arms to be free.” Sophia’s voice trembled slightly, a gleam in her eyes, “What happened after that, Your Majesty?”
Bai Lixin pondered for a moment and said, “After that, it pushed open the door to its room and escaped. But her arms and legs were broken, so how could she escape her master’s pursuit? Just as the master was about to catch up with her, a noble man appeared. He was an old man in a wheelchair.”
“The old man had secretly hidden the doll behind him and escaped its master’s pursuit. Not only that, but the old man was a carpenter who fitted the doll with stronger calves and arms, strong enough for her to walk alone. The puppet sobbed at the sight of her second life. She thanked the old man and set off on her journey alone, and from then on, the puppet doll travelled the length and breadth of the country, no longer under anyone’s control. ”
“Everywhere she went, she thought of the old man and the miserable days when she was still a puppet. While she was grateful for the old man’s help, she was also glad she had made the decision in the first place. ” Bai Lixin paused and looked at Sophia with soft watery eyes. “If one wants something, one has to give something, to die before one can live. Don’t you think so, Sophia?”
With a firm gaze, Sophia nodded, “You are right, Your Majesty.”
As they spoke, they had reached the end of the wooded pathway, which ended in a deserted square.
Sofia looked at Bai Lixin, thinking about the dream that had been haunting her and about the story he had told her about.
She felt more and more that Bai Lixin was the old man in the story, and that she was the puppet doll.
She had two brothers and two sisters above her, and two sisters below her. As the middle one, she had not been loved by her father since she was a child, and this time, when she found out she was marrying Ansel, her loving nurse sighed countless times, saying that Ansel was cruel and violent.
That’s why she was so cautious and fearful when they first met.
But Ansel was not only gentle, but his words were also full of wisdom. He hadn’t made it clear, but she had always felt he was alluding to her when he told the story.
When she thought of her father’s ruthlessness in her dream and the pain that Hillman had brought to her in her dream, Sophia shuddered.
Such a country must be left.
She must not allow her dream to come true!
Seeing Sophia, who was lost in her own thoughts, Bai Lixin did not wake her up, but stood by her side.
It was a long time before Sophia broke free from her own fears and looked at him with a bemused expression, “What should I do if I want to be free of my puppet fate?”
Having already trusted Ansel completely, she could not help but spill out the thoughts in her mind.
Bai Lixin smiled and rubbed Sophia’s head as he said, “The eagle must have strong arms if it wants to soar in the sky, and the camel must have extraordinary stamina if it wants to cross the desert. From now on, if you want to break the chains, you must not only strengthen your body, but also your mind. ”
Sophia nodded with seeming understanding. “So what should I do now?”
After looking up and down at the smartly dressed Sophia, Bai Lixin looked around the small square and smiled, “I see you are dressed for the day. Be a good girl and run twenty laps around the square first.”
Sofia: “… Why?”
Bai Lixin raised his eyebrows and said, “Naturally, it is to strengthen the body. What, is the princess timid? ”
Sofia thought of that dream and said, with a grit of her teeth, “No fear, twenty laps is nothing, another twenty laps is no problem!” With that, she rolled up her sleeves and ran around the square.
Bai Lixin looked at Sophia, who was seriously running laps, and smiled in his heart.
In the original ending, although Sophia was united with the Silver Dragon, Sophia did not have a good life as the Silver Dragon had just reached adulthood and was still unable to suppress his constant desires.
She gave birth to one child a year, and in just nine years she gave birth to nine children for the Silver Dragon.
After that, Sophia remained married, had children, and seemed happy. But she felt trapped in the castle by love and family all her life and didn’t leave it until her death.
To Bai Lixin, this was not happiness at all, but captivity.
When Sophia became the instrument of childbirth, she had to become gentle and kind and think of others, but who really thought of her?
Although the Silver Dragon loved Sophia, he could not control his own desires, and he did not have the sound mind to truly understand her.
Bai Lixin licked his tongue and looked towards Sophia, who was already breathing heavily. He was now about to turn a delicate flower into an iron-blooded rose.
