A Dragon in My Dream!

Screams, the sound of running, and the noise of objects falling or shattering mixed together.

Li Mu Yang stood at the center of the storm, completely unmoved by the chaos around him.

His blood-red eyes were fixed on the Crow, on the culprit who had pierced his palm again and again, triggering his berserk physique.

Clang—

He pushed aside the table that had fallen on his leg, its leg broken, and walked step by step towards the Crow lying on the ground.

Crunch—

Crunch—

Crunch—

Each of his steps was forceful, and the Jade Water leaves or fruits scattered on the ground crunched loudly under his feet.

Li Mu Yang was no longer in control of his own mind. It was as if a monster was hidden within his body, and that enraged monster was driving him to do even more insane things.

"Li Mu Yang—" Cui Xiaoxin scrambled to her feet and urgently called out Li Mu Yang's name.

She had been knocked down by the explosive surge of energy, and her face and hands were covered in cuts. These wounds did not detract from her beauty; instead, they gave her a tragically beautiful aura.

She had only seen Li Mu Yang charge at the assassin impersonating a Beast-Faced Pavilion attendant, then the assassin was sent flying, and she herself was thrown by a powerful force, hitting the wall and then sliding down it.

She felt as if her body was about to fall apart, but she gritted her teeth and stood up, rushing towards Li Mu Yang.

She didn't know what was happening, but she knew Li Mu Yang was doing something extremely dangerous.

"Damn you." The Crow's body floated up from the ground.

Not crawling, not standing. Without any external force, his body floated in the air like a ghost.

He initially floated horizontally, but once in mid-air, he straightened up again.

He stood in mid-air, glaring fiercely at the approaching Li Mu Yang, his voice as cold as if from hell, saying, "You courting death—"

He made a few gestures in the air with his right hand, and a silver-glowing door frame appeared.

He uttered strange sounds, and then a swarm of crows, completely black and exuding an aura of death, lunged towards Li Mu Yang.

The crows were immense in number, filling almost the entire space of the Beast-Faced Pavilion.

They were silent, but their fierce, greedy eyes were identical to their master's.

Flap, flap—

They flapped their wings, enveloping Li Mu Yang as if a black cloud was about to swallow him, then gnawing him down to the last bone.

"Abomination." A roar echoed.

A red sphere of light appeared above Li Mu Yang's head, and golden light erupted throughout the Beast-Faced Pavilion. The black crows turned into black smoke and scattered with the wind upon touching the golden light.

The golden light persisted for a long time, until all the black crows that had filled the room had turned into black smoke.

The red light sphere disappeared, and the void gate that summoned the black crows also vanished.

All the crows were gone, and the thick smoke had also dissipated.

The assassin Crow was gone, and even Cui Xiaoxin, who had come to the Beast-Faced Pavilion with Li Mu Yang, had disappeared.

Li Mu Yang looked around and, waving his blood-stained hand at the terrified attendant hiding under the table, shouted, "Quick, take me to a doctor—"

Before he could finish speaking, the world spun.

His vision went black, and he fell to the ground.

"You insignificant humans, you traitors—"

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. What you plot, this King will bring down as divine punishment—"

"Kill—kill—"

Giant dragons roared, and wildfires burned.

The entire world was filled with that soaring, colossal figure. You couldn't see its whole body, only parts of it. Its gloomy, black, and indestructible scales, shimmering with flowing clouds and lightning patterns, shone like countless bronze mirrors in the firelight, reflecting the wails and suffering of humanity. And their almost negligible struggles and resistance.

It carried a suffocating majesty, soaring through clouds and mist, destroying cities and conquering nations.

With every flick of its tail, a city would be annihilated.

With every outstretched claw, city walls would crumble.

When it opened its mouth, its world-ending Dragon's Breath would melt everything in sight.

Human bodies of flesh and blood, towering thorn trees reaching into the sky, magnificent city walls built of bricks and stones, all turned to ash in an instant—

Li Mu Yang was an observer in this strange world, a witness to this war.

He was high above, just like—just like that rampaging dragon.

That dragon also discovered his presence, turned its head, and flew towards Li Mu Yang, enveloped in wind and thunder.

Dense dark clouds were broken through, and icy winds were blown away.

He could almost feel the heat radiating from its mouth, even hear the thumping heartbeat within its chest cavity.

Li Mu Yang strained his eyes, wanting to get a clear look at the Dragon.

He saw it. He saw the Dragon's eyes.

The Dragon's eyes were incredibly similar to his own.

Just as he was pondering this, the colossal Dragon charged straight at him, then, dragging its long tail, burrowed into his body.

He watched with his own eyes as his body was torn open, and then his mind went blank.

BOOM—

The entire world fell silent.

Except for the burning embers spreading further into the distance, this world plunged into eternal darkness.

When Li Mu Yang opened his eyes, the sun was shining brightly outside the window. Unknown colorful birds were chirping and flitting about in a giant Mimosa tree, their joyful movements as if celebrating Li Mu Yang's awakening.

The Jiangnan City in June was hot and yet refreshingly clear, like a beautiful woman dressed in a thick, flowing robe. It was windproof and airtight, yet it didn't make you feel stuffy.

The women of Jiangnan were naturally elegant; without any adornment, they were a pleasing sight.

Li Sinian was a prime example of this.

Li Sinian's hair was messy, her small face was dirty, and her eyes looked like they belonged to a panda. Yet, she stared at Li Mu Yang with her bloodshot, wide eyes, unblinking.

So, the moment Li Mu Yang opened his eyes, he met those watery, big eyes head-on.

"Brother—" Li Sinian cried out, startled. "You're awake? Are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Wait, I'll go get the doctor—"

Without giving Li Mu Yang a chance to speak, she turned to run outside.

Li Mu Yang reached out to stop her but found his right arm tightly bound, making it impossible to move.

Fortunately, his mouth was not injured, so he quickly called out, "Li Sinian—"

Li Sinian turned back and asked Li Mu Yang, "Brother, what is it?"

"Wait," Li Mu Yang said. He tried to smile, only to discover his face was also bandaged. Li Mu Yang's face fell, and he asked, "My face—is it okay?"

"Brother—" Li Sinian's expression turned somber, and she looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Li Mu Yang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's fine. I'm ugly anyway, so maybe disfigurement is just another form of rebirth—"

"Brother—" Li Sinian looked at Li Mu Yang, shook her head, and said, "Your face is perfectly fine. It's just a bit swollen on your forehead. The doctor wrapped your entire head. It looks more aesthetically pleasing this way."

"Then why do you look so sad?" Li Mu Yang asked, confused.

"Because I suggested finding the Empire's best doctor to do some facial adjustments for you—that way, when you woke up, I could give you a big surprise—" Li Sinian said resentfully, "But they all disagreed."

"—"

"Brother, don't worry," Li Sinian walked over and gently stroked Li Mu Yang's injured right hand, looking into his eyes earnestly and saying, "Once I start working and earning money, I will definitely hire the most famous doctor in the Empire to help you with reconstructive surgery—"

"My appearance—is it really that bad?" Li Mu Yang felt a pang of pain even as he breathed.

"It's alright, isn't it?" Li Sinian grinned, putting her arm around Li Mu Yang's shoulder, and said, "I'm used to it anyway. Even if the whole world thinks you're ugly, I'll think the whole world is blind."

"As expected of my good sister," Li Mu Yang said, looking blissfully happy. He looked at Li Sinian a bit sheepishly and said, "I want to ask you a question, but you're not allowed to laugh."

"Brother, don't worry. You've been like this for so many years, when have I ever laughed at you?" Li Sinian patted her chest emphatically.

"Really not laughing?"

"Really not laughing."

"Alright then—" Li Mu Yang's face flushed slightly, his eyes darted away, and he asked weakly, "Do you think—I'm like a colossal Dragon?"

"Hahahaha—"