Thunder Ze

"Cang Gege, don't worry. I'll be sincere with you. If you want the stars in the sky, and I have the ability, I'll pluck them down for you."

Lei Jiani patted her chest as she promised.

She used to laugh at Big Sister for being so infatuated with love.

Now, the man she'd fallen for had almost driven her just as crazy as Big Sister.

Of course, she was different. She liked a Demon Race member of her own kind—and one who belonged to the Flood Dragon line, no less.

"Then I'll get in the water and play with you. Just don't let me down."

Zhou Er said it again.

He'd truly been frightened by that madwoman Zhu Yan.

When Lei Jiani saw Zhou Er enter the water, she wanted to draw near but didn't dare get too close. She could only edge over to him little by little, then quietly take his hand.

After that, the two played together in the water. First, they held hands.

Then Lei Jiani tentatively touched Zhou Er's scales.

"Cang Gege, your scales don't have any slime!"

Lei Jiani noticed the difference between Zhou Er and herself.

Zhou Er also touched the fine scales behind Lei Jiani's ears. They were smooth and delicate, with a little slime that carried a trace of poison.

But that little bit of poison was naturally nothing to Zhou Er, who had cultivated Poison Cultivation and possessed the Hundred Poisons Immunity trait.

"Gege, do you like slime?"

Lei Jiani asked shyly, afraid Zhou Er would find it disgusting.

Zhou Er didn't think much of it. In the seawater, the slime would wash off quickly, so he shook his head.

Lei Jiani was delighted.

The two swam through the surrounding waters, riding sharks, sea turtles, devil rays, and whales as they went about playing.

As time passed, they grew bolder and bolder.

First came kisses. Then they hid on a bed of seaweed...

"Gege, how are you so experienced?"

Afterward, Lei Jiani was happy to be one with Zhou Er in heart and body.

But this had been her first time, while it hadn't been Zhou Er's. She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

It wasn't that she disliked Zhou Er. She just wished she'd met him sooner.

Seeing Lei Jiani's mood turn sour and a sad look appear on her face, Zhou Er asked:

"Jiani, before I met you, someone from the Blade Spider Clan deceived me."

"What? Who was it? How dare they deceive you, Gege!"

Hearing that Zhou Er had been deceived, Lei Jiani grew so angry that sparks of electricity flickered from the scales behind her ears.

Zhou Er only stroked Lei Jiani's floating hair and said:

"It's all in the past. Let's not talk about it. Now I have only you."

"Okay."

Though Lei Jiani badly wanted to know more, she thought of Zhou Er's heartbreak and didn't dare ask.

"Gege, are you willing to come home with me now?"

Lei Jiani asked, wrapping her arms around Zhou Er.

"Let's wait a little longer. We can have more fun out here."

Zhou Er didn't rush things. He decided to deepen his relationship with Lei Jiani first.

Of course, he also wasn't ready to face Lei Jiani's Demon King father.

Besides that, Zhou Er planned to wait until Lei Jiani was pregnant with his child.

Only then would he have the confidence to face Lei Jiani's Demon King father-in-law.

With a child, even if Lei Jiani's father discovered later that he was human, he wouldn't go so far as to kill him.

Besides, Lei Jiani could protect him.

He figured she wouldn't join in shouting for his death, at least.

The two wandered the seabed and played to their hearts' content.

One evening, they heard a melodious song.

"That's Big Sister's voice. Gege, I have to introduce you to her."

Lei Jiani said with a smile, taking Zhou Er's hand.

Zhou Er was also curious to see what Lei Jiaxin, who went mad for love, looked like.

They swam to a rocky beach and saw a young woman in a light dress sitting on a reef beneath the moonlight, singing sadly.

Her clothes were thin, and the moonlight revealed her full curves beneath them.

The two watched from afar, not wanting to interrupt.

"Big Sister!"

After Lei Jiaxin had finished singing, and there was no one else around, Lei Jiani took Zhou Er over to her.

The young woman turned around, and Zhou Er saw a stunningly beautiful human girl.

Her skin was delicate, and she looked even more beautiful in the moonlight.

"Jiani!"

Lei Jiaxin looked at Lei Jiani in surprise.

Then she noticed Zhou Er. She stared at him for a long while before leaning over to smell him, but Lei Jiani stopped her.

"Big Sister! Cang Gege is my Dao Companion. Why are you getting so close to him?"

Lei Jiani angrily stepped between them, claiming Zhou Er as her own and refusing to let Lei Jiaxin approach.

"I just smelled a familiar scent on him."

Lei Jiaxin said casually.

"What scent?"

Lei Jiani asked, pouting.

Lei Jiaxin said nothing. She gave Zhou Er a meaningful look and said:

"I don't know, either."

"Forget it. I'm not playing with you."

Lei Jiani pulled a face, then grabbed Zhou Er and prepared to leave.

"Have you told Mom and Dad that you found a Dao Companion?"

Lei Jiaxin asked.

"That's none of your business."

With that, Lei Jiani plunged into the seawater with Zhou Er.

"It's fine. Mom and Dad said we can choose our own Dao Companions as long as we're happy. They even said we could look for girls if we wanted."

Lei Jiani told Zhou Er.

Zhou Er knew about this. The Thunder Eel Clan had a secret technique that could change one's sex.

But it was rarely used.

The two frolicked for months. Then Lei Jiani noticed her lower belly had grown slightly round, and realized she seemed to be nurturing a new life.

She was overjoyed by the fruit of her love with Zhou Er.

Now, she also wanted to go home.

"Gege! I think I'm pregnant!"

Lei Jiani took Zhou Er's hand and had him feel her belly.

Zhou Er held Lei Jiani, feeling the time was right, and said:

"Jiani, I'll take responsibility."

"Then let's go home."

Lei Jiani affectionately rubbed her face against Zhou Er's, kissing him now and then and nibbling at his lips.

Though they'd been together day and night for nearly half a year, they were still inseparable and never tired of one another.

The two swam several thousand li before finally reaching the Thunder Eel Clan's Underwater Royal City.

The city was vast, and countless glowing jewels illuminated the area, making the seabed bright as day.

The entire city was built from coral and jewels, dazzling to behold.

At the city gates, a group of merfolk with fish for their upper bodies and human legs patrolled on guard.

"Second Miss!"

The merfolk greeted Lei Jiani respectfully as soon as they saw her.

"This is my Dao Companion, Cang Er of the Azure Nether Poison Flood Dragon Clan."

Lei Jiani proudly introduced him.

"Second Son-in-law!"

The merfolk immediately bowed to Zhou Er in greeting.

Zhou Er gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

The two passed through the underwater city and went by buildings made of sea anemones and coral, arriving outside a palace.

"Dad! Mom! I'm back!"

Lei Jiani pulled Zhou Er along and eagerly swam into the palace.

"Second Miss, the King is in seclusion."

Several clownfish maids who were somewhat human in appearance explained.

"Then where's Mom?"

Lei Jiani asked again.

"Madam is in seclusion with the King."

The clownfish explained.

Lei Jiani was a little disappointed, but didn't dwell on it. She took Zhou Er to her room.

Inside was a giant sea anemone. Its soft, delicate tentacles served as Lei Jiani's bed, and they were wonderfully springy.

The two lay on the anemone bed for a while. Then Lei Jiani showed Zhou Er her shell collection, which she'd kept since childhood.

Besides that, she also had Memento Stones from when she was little, and she watched them all with Zhou Er.

One showed Lei Jiani playing with a Whale Race Girl. She was only one-tenth the girl's size, making for a striking contrast.

"Gege, should we hold a Dao Companion ceremony like humans do?"

Lei Jiani wrapped her arms around Zhou Er's neck and looked into his eyes.

"Sure! As long as you like."

Zhou Er said with a smile.

"That's wonderful."

Lei Jiani excitedly kissed Zhou Er.

Their passion grew so intense that they nearly went too far. In the end, they managed to hold back. After all, Lei Jiani's body still needed time to recover.

Still, pressed close together, they were more than content simply to feel each other's affection.

Afterward, Lei Jiani found some shells and began writing letters, imprinting them with her Spiritual Sense to tell her friends that she'd found someone who shared her feelings and had decided to hold a wedding.

Spirit Beasts of the Flying Fish Type, swift as the wind, carried the shell letters to their recipients.

Though Lei Jiani's parents were still in seclusion, her Big Sister stepped forward to preside over the wedding, and her Second Sister returned from tens of thousands of li away to offer her congratulations.

Of course, the sea didn't have all that many rules, so they more or less threw the whole thing together in a haphazard fashion.

Even so, all the Water Race clans within ten thousand li learned that Lei Jiani had found herself a fine Dao Companion.

As time passed, Zhou Er spent his days cultivating the Bi-Sea Tide Sound Technique in Thunder Dragon City, within the Thunder Eel Family, then went to the water's surface at night to cultivate through Moon Absorption.

Although he was already at Foundation Establishment Peak, he could still make a little progress by inching forward.

The Moon Absorption trait was especially effective. It let him absorb moonlight and gradually break through his limits.

The tides ebbed and flowed, and Lei Jiani's belly grew larger and larger. She could increasingly feel the little life inside her growing stronger.

Lei Jiani had already chosen a name for her future child: Cang Hao.

Zhou Er didn't care which of them the child took its surname from. He wasn't surnamed Cang, after all, and didn't care about surnames.

He devoted more effort to Cang Hao than he had to Zhu Ying, and felt more affection for him, too.

But what Zhou Er cared about most was still breaking through to Golden Core.

As Lei Jiani's due date drew nearer, the two of them grew more and more nervous.

Lei Jiani had already prepared many tools that might come in handy.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Cang Hao was a boy, born with all his limbs intact, with only a small patch of scales behind his ears that kept discharging electricity.

Zhou Er was also relieved that the child had inherited some traits from the Thunder Eel Clan. If he'd been a pure human, that would've been bad.

Lei Jiani had already reached the second tier. Not long after giving birth to Cang Hao, she recovered and started playing with him.

"Xiao Haohao."

Lei Jiani held Cang Hao affectionately and even taught him to control his electric current.

Besides that, Cang Hao had too few scales to cover his private parts, so Lei Jiani made him several little outfits by hand.

Aside from cultivating every day and enjoying the happiness of family life, Zhou Er waited for his Cheap Father-in-law to emerge from seclusion.

He couldn't pursue Golden Core without his Cheap Father-in-law's help.

Whenever Lei Jiani wanted some private time with Zhou Er to enjoy the pleasures of married life, she left Cang Hao in the care of her Big Sister, Lei Jiaxin.

Another six months passed, and Lei Ze emerged from seclusion.

His Thunder Law had grown more profound. As soon as he came out, he saw Lei Jiani holding Cang Hao.

He wasn't too surprised by this. Lei Jiani had already told him she was pursuing a man from the Azure Nether Poison Flood Dragon Clan.

After enjoying the happiness of doting on his grandchild, Lei Ze called Zhou Er aside to a stretch of water.

"Xiao Cang, I regret that I couldn't attend your wedding with Jiani."

Lei Ze looked at Zhou Er and spoke with a hint of apology.

"Father-in-law, you're in seclusion. How could Jiani and I dare disturb you?"

Zhou Er said with a smile.

He wasn't in a hurry to bring up the opportunity to form a Golden Core. He wanted to build a good relationship with Lei Ze first.

The rest would have to be plotted out slowly in the future.

Lei Ze looked Zhou Er over, then said,

"You have more than the bloodline of an Azure Nether Poison Flood Dragon in you. I can also catch a trace of the Golden Cicada."

Zhou Er quickly understood. He guessed that Lei Ze had noticed his Cicada Concealment trait.

"Father-in-law, you have keen eyes. My ancestors did indeed have the Golden Cicada Bloodline, so I inherited a Golden Cicada Divine Ability."

Zhou Er explained at once.

"So that's why I could smell the Golden Cicada's aura on you."

Lei Ze roared with laughter.

"By the way, why did you come to the East Sea? The Azure Nether Poison Flood Dragon Clan is a land-dwelling Demon Race, isn't it? It doesn't belong to our Water Race."

Lei Ze's smile vanished as he asked.

Zhou Er had considered this question for a long time. He answered immediately,

"Father-in-law, the Demon Chaos has risen again on Wansheng Continent. The Bone-Eating Devil Lord is in power, enslaving my Clan Members."

As he spoke, Zhou Er ground his teeth, as if he truly had some blood feud with the Bone-Eating Devil Lord.

Then he continued with the story he had made up.

He told how, with his parents' help, he had escaped the Bone-Eating Devil Lord's capture and fled to the East Sea, afraid to go ashore.

The tale was full of twists and turns. As Lei Ze listened, he even began to feel as if he shared Zhou Er's pain.

At that moment, Zhou Er seized the opportunity to say,

"If I can someday become a Heavenly King, I'll definitely return to the land and take the Bone-Eating Devil Lord's dog life!"

Hearing this, Lei Ze clapped again and again.

"Good! Good! You've got ambition."

"But you're still too weak for now. It's best not to go ashore. Stay here in Thunder Dragon City and focus on your cultivation."

Lei Ze said.

In truth, Lei Ze would much rather Zhou Er stay and strengthen the Thunder Eel Family.

The Thunder Eel Family had been in decline for many years. Now, they had gained a promising new member.

After the father-in-law and son-in-law had talked, Lei Ze let Zhou Er leave.

"Brother! My father didn't give you a hard time, did he? If he did, I'll ask my mother to deal with him."

Lei Jiani looked at Zhou Er, afraid he might have been wronged.

Zhou Er patted Lei Jiani and Cang Hao on their little faces and said,

"It's fine. Father just told me to treat you well from now on."

Lei Jiani and Cang Hao blinked their pale blue eyes and returned to their room with Zhou Er.

After spending another year in Thunder Dragon City, Zhou Er sighed when he finished cultivating.

"Brother! What's wrong?"

Lei Jiani looked at Zhou Er. She knew something was weighing on his mind.

"Nothing. I've just hit a bottleneck in my cultivation, and I don't know when I'll be able to become a Demon King."

Zhou Er said quietly, a trace of sadness in his voice.

He had already spent several years in Thunder Dragon City without finding an opportunity to form a Golden Core, so naturally, he was anxious.