One river cannot hold two flood dragons

On the banks of the Qiantang River.

The river surged, its depths unfathomable.

Jiang Yuechu reined in her horse by the river, letting the wind tousle her black hair.

"This is the place."

Yue Huaiyuan stood beside her, watching the river with a grave expression.

"That beast built an underwater estate on the riverbed. It usually hides inside."

As he spoke, the great general of Yuhang knitted his brows, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes.

"Arrogant as it is, the beast cherishes its life. It knows human martial artists are ill-suited to the water. Once submerged, they lose seventy or eighty percent of their prowess and have to divide their attention to hold their breath. So unless it needs to feed, it won't take so much as half a step out of its lair."

"But..."

He abruptly unfastened his heavy black-iron armor, then began removing the soft armor underneath.

"What are you doing, General Yue?" Jiang Yuechu glanced over.

"Luring it out."

Yue Huaiyuan bared his upper body, revealing a crisscrossing web of scars. Even amid the bitter wind and rain, steam rose from his skin.

"The flesh and blood of an ink-point perfection martial artist are a potent tonic to that beast."

"Normally, while I'm in the city, it wouldn't dare fight me. But if..."

As he spoke, he used his spearhead to slash a deep cut into his arm.

Blood instantly welled out.

"If I strip off my armor, suppress my true qi, and splash around down there pretending to be wounded and exhausted, I refuse to believe it could keep its jaws shut with such a fat morsel delivered to its doorstep!"

This was hardly luring it out.

He was using himself as bait, gambling with his life.

Once he entered the water, if that