Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and the field of vision was stretched infinitely, rising rapidly until it pierced through the dome of the world. Beyond the dome of the world was a slender river with many branches, and the world Bai Yu was in was merely an insignificant branch of this river.

As the view continued to rise, similar rivers appeared one after another, more and more rivers intertwining together. Due to the high altitude, they could no longer be clearly distinguished. These rivers seemed to have merged into one, transforming into a rushing torrent.

The field of vision rose again, and everything that could be seen vanished into nothingness. Within this nothingness, only the figures of two colossal dragons stood out: one was silver-white, and the other was half black and half white. The silver-white dragon was Kroni, the god of time and Bai Yu's master. At this moment, the god was glaring angrily at the distinctly black and white dragon before him.

"You dare to toy with time so recklessly? You're showing far too little respect for me! Even though I am not the God of Time in this world, time is still under my control! How dare you play with my disciple's time right in front of me! You'd better understand the consequences of your actions!" The voice of the God of Time echoed in the void, filled with boundless majesty and rage.

The black and white dragon merely smiled disdainfully. One of its eyes was pure white, while the other was a deep black. When its white eye lit up, its entire body turned pure white as well. Unlike Kroni, it did not open its mouth to speak; in its view, gods should not utter words like mortals.

"Playing with time?! Heh? So what? As long as we can find a glimmer of hope in this endless repetition of time, what harm is there in playing with this ethereal time? Besides, I am merely playing with time, while you devour it. Compared to you, I seem to be far inferior!" This voice resounded directly in the void, entering the mind of the God of Time.

Hearing this, the God of Time was even more enraged. What a high-sounding excuse! What a sophistry of deception! They even dared to pin a greater crime on Him. Devouring the time of other universes was indeed wrong, but if they hadn't done so, that chaotic and disordered time would have collapsed long ago. Without His divine power of time to support them, Bai Yu and the others would have been unable to leave that erroneous time.

"You bastard! You'll stop at nothing to achieve your goals! Is this the 'knowledge' you brought from the previous universe? Why do outsiders like you always act so drastically?! Don't you know the consequences of your actions?" the God of Time demanded sternly.

Hearing the Time God's question, the Black and White Dragons scoffed, "Heh! I'm not from some other universe; I'm just a pathetic creature who obtained a fragment of memory from another universe. Without my teacher, how could I have achieved this? Is it wrong to help my teacher become 'Bai Ze'? And you, as the Time God, have indulged your disciple in jumping through time; isn't that also wrong? The thing I hate most in my life is a hypocritical dragon like you!"

"You!" The God of Time trembled with rage, yet was momentarily speechless. He knew that arguing with this black and white dragon was pointless; His logic was so distorted that it could not be measured by common sense.

"Enough!" roared the God of Time. "I have no more arguments with you! You had better stop immediately, or I will stop you at all costs!"

"Stop me?" The white eyes of the black and white dragon flashed with a crazed light. "Can you stop me? Do you still think you're the omniscient and omnipotent God of Time you once were? You're nothing but a pathetic wretch trapped in this little world! When you come to someone else's universe, you have to know the rules of that universe. Don't you know that?"

"You..." The God of Time wanted to say something, but suddenly felt a wave of weakness. He knew that his power was gradually fading, the world's constraints on him were growing stronger, and he could no longer control time as freely as before.

"Hahahaha..." The black and white dragons let out arrogant laughter. "Kroni, just watch and see how I achieve my goal step by step! Just wait and witness the birth of 'Bai Ze'!"

"Don't even think about it!" the God of Time roared, struggling with all his might to break free from the shackles of this world, but all in vain. His power was severely weakened in this world, making him utterly powerless against the black and white dragons.

"It's no use, Kroni." The black and white dragon's voice rang out again. "You can't stop me. This world will eventually become the birthplace of 'Bai Ze'!"

The God of Time closed his eyes helplessly, knowing he was powerless to do anything. He could only watch helplessly as the black and white dragons ran rampant in this world, while he could do nothing about it.

"Bai Yu..." The God of Time silently called out to his disciple in his heart, "I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you... From now on, you'll have to walk the road ahead on your own..."

……

No one knows what happened here. The only ones who probably know are the God of Time and the black and white dragon. Meanwhile, with everyone else away, Cheng Yu returned to the underground space of the Kurosawa mansion. After passing through the corridor filled with various professional props, he came to the 12 wooden puppets again. He felt that there might be more clues on these puppets.

The puppets are almost identical in color, but their carved shapes are different, making it easy to see that these 12 statues represent the 12 dragons: Kurosawa, Bowen, Heavy Fist, Rock, Gale, Wild Hammer, Shadow Blade, Enlightenment, Piety, Holiness, Priest, and Sharp Blade.

Because these puppets really look exactly like them.

When the three of them first arrived in this timeline, Chongquan excitedly left to find Heize, while he and Baiyu stayed behind to observe the puppets for a while before leaving. At that time, they weren't given enough time to observe them, but now that they had plenty of time, he wanted to take a good look at what secrets these puppets held.

Cheng Yu began to carefully observe each puppet, but to his surprise, no matter what angle he looked at it from, it was just an ordinary puppet. Cheng Yu shook his head in disappointment, but did not give up on his idea. Since observation alone could not reveal anything, what would happen if he touched it?

Just as Cheng Yu was about to try out this idea, a white dragon suddenly appeared behind him, startling him so much that he withdrew his claws and turned around to look at the white dragon with some embarrassment.

Upon seeing the white dragon, Cheng Yu recognized it as Bo Wen, which made Cheng Yu even more troubled. This was definitely the most difficult white dragon to deal with here. Why would it suddenly come here?

Bowen looked at Chen Yu, but there was no panic or other emotion in his eyes. It was as if he had expected Chen Yu to come here.

Bowen approached Chen Yu, patted him on the shoulder, and said that he would not tell anyone else about what was going on here, and that Chen Yu should figure it out himself. Then he prepared to leave.

At this moment, Cheng Yu called out to Bo Wen, asking him to stop and then inquiring if he could talk to him. Bo Wen turned around, smiled faintly, and nodded as if he had expected this. His expression was so confident, as if every action of Cheng Yu was within his control.

Looking at Bowen's wise face, Cheng Yu felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him. He knew that Bowen was the most intelligent and enigmatic of all the white dragons, and conversing with him was both a challenge and an opportunity.

"You seem to have many questions." Bowen's voice was calm and gentle, as if he could see into people's hearts. "What do you want to know?"

Cheng Yu took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and asked, "Why did you come here? Did you know I would come?"

Bowen smiled slightly and nodded: "Yes, I knew you would come. Because you, like them, are full of curiosity about these puppets. You all want to know what secrets are hidden behind these puppets."

"Them?" Cheng Yu keenly caught the key words in Bo Wen's words. "You mean, other people have also been here?"

“Of course.” A subtle, profound meaning flashed in Bowen’s eyes. “In fact, since you arrived in this timeline, it has never been quiet here. Everyone has their own purpose, trying to find answers from these puppets.”

Cheng Yu was silent for a moment. He realized that he wasn't the only one interested in puppets. This discovery both excited and unsettled him. He was excited because he might gain some clues from the explorations of others; he was unsettled because he didn't know who these people were or what their motives were.

"And what about you?" Cheng Yu raised his head, looking directly into Bo Wen's eyes. "Why did you come here to find me?"

Bowen's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile: "Me? I'm here to find answers, just like you. However, the answers I'm looking for might be different from yours."

"What do you mean?" Cheng Yu pressed.

Instead of answering directly, Bowen asked in return, "What do you think these puppets represent?"

Cheng Yu pondered for a moment and replied, "They represent Kurosawa, Bowen, Heavy Fist... and nine other dragons. Their appearance is exactly the same as these dragons, which should not be a coincidence."

“That’s right.” Bowen nodded approvingly. “These puppets do indeed represent us twelve dragons. But they represent not only our appearance, but also our… destiny.”

“Fate?” Cheng Yu frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“You will understand.” Bowen’s eyes deepened. “When we find all the answers, everything will become clear.”

Cheng Yu wanted to press further, but Bo Wen suddenly changed the subject: "You just said you wanted to touch these puppets? Why?"

Cheng Yu was taken aback, not expecting Bo Wen to suddenly ask this. He hesitated for a moment, but still answered truthfully, "I just feel that it might not be possible to discover the secrets of these puppets by observation alone. I think that perhaps by touching them, we can feel something different."

"An interesting idea." Bowen nodded thoughtfully. "Then why don't you give it a try?"

Cheng Yu glanced at Bo Wen, then at the puppets, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He didn't know whether Bo Wen's words were encouragement or a test.

"What, are you scared?" Bowen seemed to see through Cheng Yu's thoughts and asked with a smile.

"I..." Cheng Yu was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

“Don’t worry.” Bowen gently patted Chengyu’s shoulder. “I won’t stop you. On the contrary, I’m looking forward to seeing what you can discover.”

Hearing Bowen say this, Cheng Yu finally made up his mind. He took a deep breath and slowly walked towards one of the puppets—the puppet representing Kurosawa.

He reached out a paw and gently touched the surface of the puppet. The puppet felt cold and smooth, without any abnormalities. Cheng Yu closed his eyes, trying to feel it with his heart, but he could feel nothing except coldness.

"So, did you find anything?" Bowen's voice rang out from behind.

Cheng Yu opened his eyes and shook his head: "No, there's nothing."

"Really?" Bowen seemed unsurprised. "Then, how about trying other puppets?"

Cheng Yu nodded and walked to another puppet—the one representing erudition. He reached out his paw again and touched the surface of the puppet. This time, he still didn't sense anything unusual.

Cheng Yu touched several puppets in succession, but the result was the same. He found nothing; these puppets seemed to be just ordinary puppets.

"It seems your method isn't working," Bowen's voice rang out again. "Perhaps we should try a different approach."

Cheng Yu turned around and looked at Bo Wen: "What are your thoughts?"

Although he knew that Bowen's willingness to help him was not a good thing, Bowen was the only one who could help him now.

Bowen smiled slightly: "I have an idea, but I need your cooperation."

"Me?" Cheng Yu pointed to himself. "What should I do?"

“It’s very simple.” A sly glint flashed in Bowen’s eyes. “You just need to… close your eyes.”

Cheng Yu was stunned. He didn't understand why Bo Wen wanted him to close his eyes. However, looking at Bo Wen's enigmatic smile, he ultimately chose to believe him.

He slowly closed his eyes, surrendering his senses entirely to the darkness.

“Very good.” Bowen’s voice rang out in the darkness. “Now, concentrate your mind and feel everything around you.”

Following Bowen's instructions, Cheng Yu tried to concentrate and sense his surroundings. He heard his own breathing, Bowen's breathing, and some faint sounds that seemed to be coming from the puppet.

"What did you hear?" Bowen asked.

“I…I heard some sounds,” Cheng Yu replied. “Those sounds seemed to be coming from the puppet.”

“That’s right.” Bowen’s voice carried a hint of approval. “Those voices are the puppet’s ‘inner thoughts’.”

"A voice of the heart?" Cheng Yu was even more puzzled. "How could a puppet have a voice of the heart?"

“Nothing is impossible in this world.” Bowen’s voice became ethereal. “As long as you feel with your heart, you can hear the voice of all things.”

Cheng Yu nodded, seemingly understanding, and continued to concentrate on listening to the sounds. Gradually, he discovered that the sounds seemed to become clearer; they were no longer chaotic noise, but had transformed into fragmented...words.

"...Kurosawa...danger..."

"...Well-informed...be careful..."

"...a heavy blow...betrayal..."

"...Fate...cannot be changed..."

The sounds were intermittent and indistinct, but Cheng Yu could still make out some of them. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Bo Wen: "These sounds, they're talking!"

Bowen nodded: "Yes, they are talking. They are conveying a message to us."

"Information?" Cheng Yu's mind was in chaos. "What information? What are they trying to tell us?"

“This is the answer we need to find.” Bowen’s eyes deepened. “These puppets are not just puppets, they are also… prophets.”

"Prophets?" Cheng Yu exclaimed in surprise. "You mean, they can predict the future?"

"Perhaps." Bowen's lips curled up slightly. "Who knows? The secrets of this world are far more numerous than we imagine."

Cheng Yu stared at the puppets, his heart filled with shock. He had never imagined that these seemingly ordinary puppets could hide such an astonishing secret.

"So, what should we do next?" Cheng Yu asked.

“Next…” A glint of light flashed in Bowen’s eyes, “we will verify these prophecies and see if they are true or false.”

"Verify the prophecy?" A strange excitement welled up in Cheng Yu's heart. "How do we verify it?"

“It’s very simple.” Bowen’s smile became mysterious. “We just need to… wait.”

"Wait?" Cheng Yu asked, puzzled. "Wait for what?"

"Let's wait for fate to decide." Bowen looked into the distance. "I believe we will soon know the answer."

Cheng Yu looked at Bo Wen, his heart filled with doubt and anticipation. He didn't know what Bo Wen meant by "the arrangement of fate," nor did he know what kind of future they were about to face.

At this moment, without Cheng Yu noticing, a strange smile appeared on Bowen's face, but it vanished in an instant.