A chance encounter with a dragon princess

Wang Shi waded merrily through the seawater, breathing in the air of freedom and savoring the joy of it.

He had traveled across the sea for a full year.

And that was with him running at full speed.

Who knew how many flying fish he had crashed into and killed along the way?

At last, he left the sea behind.

He still disliked the sea. He felt he could never move freely there.

Just then, the sounds of a fierce fight caught his attention.

"Save me!"

A cry for help rang out ahead of him.

A flying dragon swept past him and instantly ducked behind his back.

"Please save me, immortal! I am Ao Xi, princess of the Dragon Tribe. If you save me, the Dragon Tribe will reward you handsomely."

Wang Shi shook his shoulders impatiently.

"Ahem, I have nothing to do with her. Fight and kill each other all you like, but don't drag me into it."

He turned and walked away, with no intention of saving her.

But while he had no intention of saving anyone, the powerful demons ahead had no intention of letting him go.

"You there, brat! Since you've run into us, blame your rotten luck."

"Take him back with us."

These powerful demons were Demon Generals of the Demon Court, sent to capture the Dragon Tribe's princess and force the Dragon Tribe to submit and join the Demon Court.

This was also one of the Demon Court's usual methods of expansion.

Still, such methods could never bear the light of day.

"Ahem, I won't attack unless attacked. You're the ones picking on me here. If I hit back, that counts as self-defense."

The Demon Generals surrounded them, unable to make any sense of the bullshit Wang Shi was spouting.

"Heavenly Net, ensnare!"

Together, they cast out an enormous net, trapping the two firmly within it.

The Heavenly Net was forged from the finest ores and was extraordinarily tough. It could grow or shrink, loosen or tighten, making it an excellent tool for capturing enemies.

The Dragon Girl was horrified and burst into frightened tears.

"Boohoo, I was wrong! Father, save me! I'll never run off again!"

The poor girl had only sneaked out to play, never imagining that these heavenly generals would set their sights on her.

They had pursued her relentlessly, driving her straight into a corner.

Wang Shi shook his head helplessly.

"Rotten luck. When your luck turns bad, every strange thing imaginable comes your way."

With a casual wave of his hand, he tore apart the Heavenly Net before him and walked straight out.

He glanced back at the sobbing Dragon Girl and snapped at her.

"What are you crying for? Aren't you tired of it? Come on, I'll take you home."

The Dragon Girl froze for a moment, then hurried after him.

She looked curiously at the great net behind them. It looked so sturdy. How had he torn it apart so easily?

The Demon Generals stared, dumbstruck.

"It's ruined! The Heavenly Net is actually ruined! We're finished, finished! The Demon Marshal will definitely punish us!"

"What should we do?"

Their gazes settled on Wang Shi, who was making his escape at a leisurely stroll.

"Kill him!"

The Demon Generals charged after him with murderous ferocity.

In a dense grove, a flying dragon was breathing out dragon breath nonstop.

"More fire, more fire! How are you this useless? Losing a fight is one thing, but you can't even cook meat through?"

Wang Shi casually sprinkled a handful of salt over the meat, and a delicious aroma instantly spread through the surroundings.

He had not intended to hold those fellows accountable for blocking his way.

Unfortunately, these demons had been far too generous, insisting on delivering him a feast.

Drool trickled from the corner of his mouth. He could barely hold himself back anymore.

Poor him, he had only been able to fill his stomach with assorted fruits on the Three Immortal Islands.

When had he ever gotten to eat meat?

According to the Three Pure Ones, all things in the world contained various impurities, and eating them would hinder cultivation, so they only allowed him to eat fruits from the forest.

Wang Shi had always scoffed at that. His three masters were far too devoid of worldly desires.

What normal living creature didn't eat? If he couldn't satisfy his appetite, what was the point of taking human form? Wouldn't it be better to remain a pile of rocks and cultivate slowly?

He casually tore off a large leg and began eating with relish.

The three demons had all been ordinary chickens that had taken form, so he had made roast chicken, clay-pot chicken, and beggar's chicken.

Ao Xi, the Dragon Girl, watched from the side, dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, dragon saliva kept dripping from her mouth. She looked utterly pitiful.

"All right, eat if you're hungry. It's all cooked anyway. There's enough for you."

Ao Xi, the Dragon Girl, shook her head.

"No, no! These were Demon Generals of the Heavenly Court. You roasted them so brazenly. Aren't you afraid the Demon Emperor will hold you accountable?"

Wang Shi gave her a puzzled look.

"So what if he's the Demon Emperor? What's the big deal? He's just a Demon Emperor. I don't think anything of him."

"But you're a princess of the Dragon Tribe, at least. How could people chase you down so freely? Doesn't your Dragon Tribe do anything about it?"

The Dragon Girl gave a bitter smile.

"I sneaked out. I'm the daughter of the current West Sea Dragon King. I'd been cooped up in the Dragon Palace for too long and wanted some fresh air."

"Then a bird caught my attention, and before I knew it, I'd wandered far from the West Sea. And, well, I ended up here."

"Then people started hunting me down."

Wang Shi looked at her speechlessly. This Little Girl truly was a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. She was only a Golden Dragon at the Mystic Immortal level. Though she possessed a True Dragon Bloodline, the strength she could actually unleash was still quite weak. With that temperament of hers cutting her fighting prowess down even further, it was no wonder she had been chased into howling for help.

"Ahem, you're out of danger now. Once you're done eating, you should hurry on your way!"

He glanced at the drumstick in her hand. In the time they had spent talking, she had already polished off two.

He hurriedly pulled out the beggar's chicken and started gnawing on it. He had good reason to suspect that if he ate too slowly, this little female dragon would eat everything.

When she heard Wang Shi tell her to leave,

Ao Xi suddenly felt that the drumstick in her mouth no longer tasted so good.

She quickly finished it, then pouted angrily and turned her head away.

She was a proper little princess, the daughter of the West Sea Dragon King! Why did this man seem to regard her as a burden?

After sulking for a while, she could not help turning back.

"Um, could you take me home? As long as you take me back to the West Sea Dragon Palace, my father will reward you handsomely."

"My family has tons of treasures. Spiritual treasures are everywhere. You can pick whichever one you want."

Wang Shi paused. As a disciple of the illustrious Three Pure Ones, did he lack spiritual treasures? What he lacked now were medicinal herbs—herbs that could improve his cultivation.

But then Wang Shi suddenly smiled. Something had occurred to him.

"I've heard that your Dragon Tribe's Dragon Transformation Pool possesses the power of creation and can transform someone down to their very bones. Could you let me use it?"

His eyes shone with golden light.

The Dragon Transformation Pool! This was definitely one of the rare treasures in the Primordial World that could help strengthen his physical body.

It had not occurred to him earlier, so naturally he had lacked motivation. Now that he had thought of it, he was unwilling to let the opportunity slip away.

Ao Xi frowned.

"Well, our tribe's Dragon Transformation Pool only works on creatures with dragon blood. You wouldn't be able to use it, would you?"

Wang Shi laughed heartily.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell me whether you can let me use it."

Ao Xi thought it over carefully. Oh, well. Without his escort, she would probably be captured by the Demon Tribe.

Things would certainly end miserably then. Given her status, letting him use it once should be fine, right?