Siming, the Star Lord of Fate, governed the destiny of all things.
Yet she could not arrange her fate. If she had one wish, it would be to live life according to her designs, to become one of those destined souls she wrote into existence.
Drifting hazily into chaos, she knew not where she was. It seemed bottomless, pitch black all around.
She closed her eyes, letting herself fall endlessly downward. Suddenly, her back touched what felt like an iron wall, halting her descent. She reached out to touch it—her fingertips met cold steel. As the wall shifted slightly, she gathered her wits and immediately opened her celestial vision.
Two points of light flashed in the distance, and immediately after, the iron wall against her back began to violently shake. She leaped upward with all her might, hovering in the air. Looking back, even someone as composed as she couldn’t help but be shocked.
“Holy hell.”
Through the swirling mist beside her lay a massive black dragon, curled up in slumber.
Dragons—divine creatures of antiquity. They had vanished into the depths of time ages ago.
The black dragon awoke, its coiled body gradually unfurling, its domineering aura spreading outward. It turned its head to look at the woman standing before it: “What manner of being are you?”
The overwhelming pressure made the woman’s chest tighten, but she had always been one to put on a brave face. Standing straight-backed, she met the dragon’s gaze directly and said, “I am Siming, the Star Lord of Fate from the Ninth Heaven.”
“Siming?”
“I govern the fate of all things.”
The black dragon silently appraised Siming for a long while, then suddenly let out a roar so deep it shattered her internal organs: “Heaven creates all things, yet a mere trifle like you presumes to govern the fate of everything? Fate is forged by oneself—let’s see how you govern my destiny.”
Siming wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and honestly shook her head: “I don’t have such great abilities. But even if I cannot write your predetermined fate, I know that dragons no longer exist in this world. This place’s energy is stagnant, without a trace of spiritual power flowing through it. Rather than a dwelling, it’s more like a prison, cut off from the outside world. You say fate is self-forged, yet you’re confined here. Without even freedom, how can you forge your destiny?”
“Such provocative words. Do you not fear death by my hand?”
“I still have attachments in my heart and don’t wish to die early. But the difference in our strength is obvious—if you want to kill me, a few nice words won’t stop you. Since I can’t defeat you anyway, I might as well say a few more things before you strike. In the best case scenario, I might anger you to death. Then I could still escape with my life.”
Hearing this, the black dragon laughed instead of growing angry. It suddenly soared upward, the massive air current it created sending Siming stumbling, forcing her to flip several times in the air before steadying herself.
Siming glared at the dragon resentfully: “I am a person of status—you may kill me, but you cannot humiliate me, much less toy with me!”
The dragon said: “You are quite interesting. I have been lonely here for a long time. Having a companion to amuse me would be entertaining. Siming, if you can keep me in good spirits, I shall spare your life. What do you say?”
Siming pondered silently for a moment before saying: “Sparing my life alone isn’t enough to make me swallow my pride and entertain you. This is intellectual labor—I want other benefits.”
“Siming, you are the first who dares to negotiate terms with me.” The dragon paused, “Speak, let me hear them.”
“Ancient books record that every part of a dragon is a treasure. I never believed this—let me verify it.”
“How would you verify this?”
Siming stared at the black dragon with gleaming eyes: “Take a dump and let me see. Is it treasure?”
The black dragon was speechless for quite a while: “Choose something simpler.”
Siming asked, puzzled: “What’s so difficult about excretion? If it’s difficult, I can help you dig it out. Once we dig it out, everything will flow smoothly!”
“I haven’t eaten mortal food for tens of thousands of years. What waste could there be?” The black dragon looked at Siming: “What’s with that look in your eyes?”
Siming pursed her lips and said: “Big Black Dragon, we’re in the same boat now—you can’t get out, and I definitely can’t get out. Since we’ll be stuck together for a long time, you don’t need to hide these things from me. Constipation is an illness that needs treatment.”
The black dragon fell silent.
Siming covered her mouth and giggled for a while, then said: “Everything I said before was just jokes to amuse myself, don’t take it seriously. But no matter what, we’re both stuck in this dark place now. You use me for entertainment, so naturally I’ll use you for entertainment too. Joy shared is joy doubled. Saying things like ‘I have to make you happy to stay alive’ will only increase the distance between us. Then, I’ll be miserable, and you won’t benefit either.”
Siming clasped her hands and bowed, smiling sweetly: “Big Black Dragon, shall we be friends? I’ve held this position so long I’ve forgotten my original name, so you can just call me Siming.”
The dragon’s body coiled before Siming, its eyes glowing with an ethereal light in the chaos, blinking twice:
“My name is Chang Yuan.”
“Chang Yuan, you have a good name.”
“Siming, you have a good nature.”