The Dragon Person Crown Prince watched the two of them chatting away and spat up blood. These two idiots—I'm lying right here! My head's spinning, and I'm about to pass out from blood loss. If this keeps up, I'll be dead before long.
He was a Crown Prince with a bright future ahead of him. He didn't want to die just like this. He tried to get their attention. At least show me some respect!
Wenren Longhong turned his neck and looked at the Dragon Person Crown Prince. He knew the fellow had a distinguished status, so he had let him live.
Compared to killing him, it would be better to use him to bargain for something valuable.
Wenren Longhong walked over to examine the Crown Prince's injuries and said, "This fellow should be Ao Ying Tian, the sixth son of Prince Guang of the South Sea Dragon Palace. His age matches."
After looking him over carefully, he recognized Ao Ying Tian.
Ao Ying Tian spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and said, "Who exactly are you two? I've never seen you at Tianling Temple."
"You don't need to know who we are. You're a captive now, so act like one. Tell us everything you ought to, and while you're at it, write a letter or leave a voice-transmission jade slip or something. That way, I can have your father come pay your ransom." Wenren Longhong flicked an arrow with his finger, making Ao Ying Tian bare his teeth in pain.
"Dream on."
Wenren Longhong planted his foot on Ao Ying Tian's wound and asked, "Are you Dragon People getting itchy again? You're already eager to start another war?"
Ao Ying Tian passed out from the pain. Wenren Longhong lifted his foot and left him alone. He pulled out the arrow, and blood spurted everywhere. Wenren Longhong flicked the arrow, leaving it spotless.
"What's it made of?" Mu Zibai asked curiously.
"Arsenic Iron. Weapons forged from this metal require extremely precise control of Qi to use, so it's especially suitable for making arrows. Once it wounds someone, the wound is difficult to heal, and the victim will bleed to death." Wenren Longhong put the arrow away.
"He'll be all right, won't he?" Mu Zibai saw Ao Ying Tian bleeding without end and hoped he wouldn't die.
Wenren Longhong supported Ao Ying Tian's body and said, "He'll be fine. Dragon People are tough. He won't bleed to death."
Mu Zibai nodded, then looked at the mask on Ao Ying Tian's face. He took it off, turned it over in his hands, and asked, "Big brother, take a look at this mask."
He took the mask and examined it closely. "It's made of silkworm silk, butterfly powder, body-shaping emulsion, and probably a few other things. The quality is excellent. If the wearer's cultivation isn't high, it can completely conceal his aura and make him look like someone else. It seems he used this mask to sneak into Tianling Temple."
Mu Zibai put on the mask, which looked just like human skin, but nothing changed.
"You have to use Qi and control the mask's subtle changes to make it look the way you imagine. But although this mask is ingenious, if you wear it for too long, I'm afraid your face will change along with it—unless you have bones as tough as a Dragon Person's."
At that, Mu Zibai promptly put the mask away.
"By the way, what were these two Dragon People doing at Tianling Temple?" Mu Zibai asked curiously.
"We'll have to ask Tianling Temple. But no matter why they came, they had no right to sneak into our territory." Wenren Longhong replied.
He noticed the Dragon Sinew in Mu Zibai's hand and asked, "What are you going to do with that Dragon Sinew?"
"Obviously, I'm going to make a belt out of it." Mu Zibai grinned.
Wenren Longhong fell silent. After a moment, he patted Mu Zibai on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.
Making a belt out of a Dragon Palace Crown Prince's Dragon Sinew? Extravagant—but it did look domineering!
Just then, the monks of Tianling Temple came down.
Next came Wenren Longhong's discussion with the people of Tianling Temple. Mu Zibai didn't take part.
"Brother-in-law, are you all right?" Wenren Qingyi asked with concern.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Mu Zibai looked a little bedraggled, but overall, he was fine.
But when he saw the concern in Wenren Qingyi's eyes, Mu Zibai froze and fell silent, wondering if Wenren Qingyi was up to something.
Seeing Mu Zibai's suspicious look, Wenren Qingyi put her hands on her hips, furious. I show you a little concern for once, and you suspect me!?
She huffed and ran off, probably to find Xiao E.
Wenren Longhong called Mu Zibai into a meditation room. Besides Wenren Longhong, there were several monks there. At their head was the abbot of Tianling Temple, Abbot Lanhua.
"Many thanks to you both for your help. Otherwise, we really might not have discovered the Dragon Person who had infiltrated Tianling Temple," Abbot Lanhua said gratefully.
Wenren Longhong smiled and said, "It was nothing. Xiao Bai was the one who stopped Ao Ying Tian in time."
Abbot Lanhua looked at Mu Zibai with kind, gentle eyes and nodded in gratitude.
He asked Mu Zibai how he had discovered Ao Ying Tian, and Mu Zibai recounted what had happened.
Of course, he left out a lot—such as what had happened with Wenren Qingyi inside the wooden hut.
When they heard the story, everyone smiled.
"So it really was a coincidence," Abbot Lanhua said with a laugh.
The monks of Tianling Temple hardly ever went out at night, and today Mu Zibai had just happened to run into him. If that wasn't a coincidence, what was?
"Abbot, I'm curious. What did they come to Tianling Temple for?" Wenren Longhong asked, puzzled.
Abbot Lanhua sighed and said, "It's no secret. I remember that Master Longhong took part in the campaign against the Dragon Palace back then."
"That's right. I wasn't assigned to the main battlefield, but I remember it well enough. Is this connected to that campaign?"
Abbot Lanhua nodded and continued, "Young Master Longhong, do you remember Prince Feng, one of the Dragon Person princes?"
"I remember. Prince Feng slaughtered many of our soldiers in that campaign. He was very powerful, but in the end, the Imperial Advisor killed him."
Wenren Longhong recalled it. He had witnessed the scene with his own eyes.
Prince Feng of the Dragon People had been tremendously powerful, having reached the peak of the Phoenix Nirvana Realm. Few could stand against him. He charged alone into the enemy ranks, inflicting heavy losses on the Great You army.
In the end, the Imperial Advisor had to personally step in and kill him.
"Prince Feng practiced poison techniques. In his final battle with the Imperial Advisor, he killed so many people, and the Imperial Advisor shattered his Dao heart. He fell into the demonic path, and after his death, his Dragon Pearl turned into a Poison Pearl.
"The Poison Pearl contains terrifying power. If it were to spread, it would bring disaster within a hundred li. The Imperial Advisor used the incense offerings of Tianling Temple to suppress it, hoping that their power would wear away its poison."
Wenren Longhong suddenly understood. "So they're after the Poison Pearl. Is it safe now?"
"It has been suppressed well all this time, and half its poison has been worn away. But if it were released, I'm afraid it would still bring no small amount of disaster."
Wenren Longhong nodded and continued, "If that's the case, the Dragon People are probably planning to start a war. It's been so many years. I guess they're itching for a fight again."
He rolled his wrist. There had been very few battles these past few years, just the occasional small skirmish. He was already ravenous for a fight.
"I'm afraid it will bring another tide of death and destruction. The Dragon People must have a plan in motion. General, you must be careful. If you need help, Tianling Temple is willing to offer what little strength we have."
"Good." Wenren Longhong nodded.
"How has the Imperial Advisor been lately?"
"He should be well, I suppose. You know how the Imperial Advisor comes and goes like a dragon. It's hard for people like us to see him." Wenren Longhong shrugged.
Abbot Lanhua recalled, "The Imperial Advisor fought four Dragon Person princes alone back then. His bearing that day is unforgettable, even now."
He then chatted with Abbot Lanhua for a while, while Mu Zibai listened from the side.
This matter certainly wouldn't be left at that. The South Sea Dragon Palace was powerful, and Tianling Temple alone could never afford to provoke it. They had already sent someone overnight to inform King Qi.
Once King Qi arrived, he would negotiate with the South Sea Dragon Palace.
Creak!
The door opened, and Monk Lanyuan walked in.
Monk Lanyuan was out? Mu Zibai and Wenren Longhong stood up and went over, asking with concern, "Master Lanyuan, how is Ling Meng?"
Mu Zibai was undoubtedly the one with the most complicated feelings. He wanted Wenren Lingmeng to wake up, and yet he didn't. What he hoped for was to rack up ten million points, then have her wake up. That would be best of all.
Monk Lanyuan sighed, his face full of worry. He pressed his palms together and said, "I'm terribly sorry. I was unable to cure Benefactor Ling Meng."
Wenren Longhong had been prepared for this, but he was still disappointed. Once again, hope had slipped through his fingers.
A wave of worry washed over him. What would it take for his second sister to wake up? Would she be lying in bed for the rest of her life?
"Thank you, Master Lanyuan, for your help." Although he hadn't cured her, Wenren Longhong had seen how much effort Monk Lanyuan had put in over the past few days, and he was grateful.
Mu Zibai pressed his palms together in thanks.
It seemed Wenren Lingmeng could only rely on herself after all.
Monk Lanyuan said, "There's no need to thank me. Benefactor Ling Meng's condition is strange. It isn't Soul Loss Syndrome, as people have said. On the contrary, she's perfectly normal."
"Then why hasn't Ling Meng woken up?" Wenren Longhong asked, puzzled.
If everything was normal, why couldn't she wake up?
Every physician said Wenren Lingmeng was perfectly normal, but she had been lying there for half a year. How was that normal?
Monk Lanyuan thought for a moment and said, "Benefactor Ling Meng's condition isn't Soul Loss Syndrome, and I can't say for certain what it is. In any case, she definitely isn't sick. As for why she hasn't woken up, my guess is that she may have fallen into a deep sleep."
"A deep sleep?"
"What do you mean?"
Mu Zibai thought it over and said, "Master Lanyuan, do you mean something like the deep sleep a monster beast enters when it's breaking through?"
Some monster beasts fell into a deep sleep when facing a breakthrough, healing their wounds, or striving to reach an important new realm. This let them build up Spiritual Power and gather their strength so they could break through in one go.
To wake from this state, they needed a surge of tremendous Spiritual Power.
"Exactly. That's what this benefactor means. I examined her with the silk-thread pulse diagnosis method, and she is perfectly safe. Master Longhong has also been channeling Spiritual Power into Benefactor Ling Meng all this time, but she hasn't shown the slightest change. Even I can't understand it."
Wenren Longhong sighed. Perhaps this was just Ling Meng's fate. "Sorry for the trouble, Master."
He left together with Mu Zibai.
Along the way, Wenren Longhong stayed silent, clearly worried about Wenren Lingmeng.
"Big brother, don't worry about Ling Meng. I'm sure she'll get better," Mu Zibai said comfortingly.
"Now you're the one comforting me." Wenren Longhong smiled and said, "In a couple of days, once we've discussed the Dragon People situation with King Qi, we'll leave."
"Mm." Mu Zibai nodded.
A quick answer to the questions people have been asking lately.
Don't ask me whether there'll be one heroine or multiple heroines. I don't know myself. The only thing I can say for sure is that Wenren Lingmeng will definitely be the heroine!
Also, I don't know why, but as I write, I suddenly feel like letting loose a little. For an author who's never been in a relationship, it's a bit hard to keep things under control _(:3」∠)_
You're also welcome to discuss the novel's plot, setting, characters, and anything else. Feel free to share your thoughts.
Before you continue