"Uh..."
On the shore,
Luo Yue looked at the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon hiding away with only the trembling tip of her tail exposed, then met her mother's tranquil gaze. A rare trace of embarrassment appeared on her little face.
Beating someone's child in front of her mother, and beating her so badly at that, did seem a little unfair.
This big fellow won't take it out on me, will she? Luo Yue wondered.
She had no strength left for another fight. Manifesting those two visions embodying the true essences of Taiyin and Taiyang had drained every last bit of divine power from her Life Spring.
To subdue the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon in one fell swoop, she had stopped just short of hurling the Heaven-Mending Stone...
Seeing this, Jiang Wei hurried forward to smooth things over. He cupped his hands toward the Cold Pool and said clearly, "Senior Nether Flood Dragon, please forgive us. When juniors spar, they sometimes fail to hold back. Little Yue is exceptionally gifted and got carried away for a moment. Please be generous enough to overlook it."
The enormous Nether Flood Dragon made no sound in response, but the deep, brooding aura enveloping the island slowly subsided, losing its earlier oppressive weight.
She gave a slight nod of her enormous head in acknowledgment of Jiang Wei's words. After resting her gaze on Luo Yue for another moment, she slowly sank into the depths of the Cold Pool, leaving only enormous rings of ripples spreading across its surface.
The Little Juvenile Flood Dragon hiding beneath her belly naturally sank down with her mother.
Mother and daughter left just like that...
At the sight, Luo Qingluan patted her ample chest and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But before anyone could react...
Bang!
With a tremendous crash, water exploded from the Cold Pool! The Little Juvenile Flood Dragon had been sent flying by a lash of her mother's tail. She spun wildly through three hundred and sixty-five degrees in midair, utterly dazed by the blow.
Finally, she landed on the ground with a splat.
Looking at the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon lying on the ground with stars swimming before her eyes, Luo Yue and the others exchanged bewildered looks.
Well... there's no need to vent your anger by beating your child, is there?
Luo Yue muttered inwardly.
"Awoo~"
The Little Juvenile Flood Dragon crawled up from the ground.
She tried to burrow back home, only for another sweep of the Flood Dragon's tail from the bottom of the pool to send her flying into the sky before she crashed heavily down again.
Her mother's strange behavior left the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon feeling terribly wronged. She lay on the ground in a daze, clearly at a loss.
Luo Yue looked at the aggrieved Little Juvenile Flood Dragon with her disheveled scales, then at the bottomless Cold Pool, whose ripples were gradually settling. How could she fail to understand the Nether Flood Dragon's intent?
"So... she's leaving me to deal with this?"
A trace of helplessness crossed Luo Yue's icy-blue little face. But seeing how pitiful the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon looked, wanting to return to the bottom of the pool yet not daring to, her heart softened in the end.
After a brief hesitation, she took out a White Jade Cauldron and poured some earth-milk spirit liquid into it. Luo Yue walked over, crouched down, and gently pushed the White Jade Cauldron full of earth-milk spirit liquid in front of the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon's nose.
After all, she was the one who had beaten the child to tears. She could only hold her nose and accept it...
A rich, pure fragrance brimming with the earth's vitality instantly wafted from the White Jade Cauldron.
"Awoo?"
The Little Juvenile Flood Dragon's drooping head shot up.
Her golden, slit-pupiled eyes went wide, staring fixedly at the milky-white liquid gleaming temptingly inside the cauldron.
Drool spilled involuntarily from the little Flood Dragon's mouth and dripped onto the cold stone.
Grievances? Fear? Before the irresistible lure of delicious food, all of it was instantly flung beyond the ninth heaven!
An eager gurgle rose from the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon's throat. Abandoning all restraint-not that she had much to begin with-she plunged her head into the little cauldron.
"Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug-!"
The sound of her astonishingly voracious drinking rang out.
The little cauldron's opening was rather cramped for her enormous head, but she forced her way in anyway and drank with wholehearted delight.
The tip of her tail, which had been trembling with pain, now wagged merrily from side to side, slapping against the ground.
Luo Qingluan watched, dumbfounded, and could not help muttering, "This little thing certainly knows what matters. She was so defiant just a moment ago..."
Jiang Wei's eyes filled with amusement at the sight, and he said to Luo Yue:
"Little Yue, it seems Senior Nether Flood Dragon has acknowledged you and entrusted this little fellow to you. Their lineage possesses extraordinary spiritual intelligence and immense potential. Besides guarding the Divine Island, she'll be a great help to you in the future."
Watching the young Flood Dragon diligently lick up the very last drops of spirit liquid, Luo Yue also found herself amused.
Still,
She rather preferred that proud, untamable look the dragon had worn earlier...
"I hope she doesn't eat too much."
Luo Yue reached out her little hand and gently touched the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon's nose as she busily licked away.
At that,
The Little Juvenile Flood Dragon abruptly froze and looked warily at Luo Yue with her golden eyes. But the lingering taste of spirit liquid in her mouth soon melted away her guard.
After a brief hesitation, she moved closer and rubbed her cool, wet nose against Luo Yue's palm of her own accord. Then she looked at Luo Yue with longing written all over her face.
Her meaning could not have been clearer: got any more?
Speechless, Luo Yue patted her hard, cold forehead and said:
"No more. Behave yourself next time, and we'll see."
The Little Juvenile Flood Dragon smacked her lips, still craving more, but she also knew how precious such a thing was.
She transformed into a streak of deep black light, her body shrinking rapidly until she was only about a foot long, like an exquisite chain of black jade. With a whoosh, she flew onto Luo Yue's slender little wrist.
Her tiny golden eyes half closed, she rubbed her head against the back of Luo Yue's hand and gave a contented gurgle. Then she coiled into a ring, looking determined to stay put.
Feeling the cool, slick touch against her wrist, Luo Yue found it rather amusing. She had not expected this little thing to be able to change her size at will.
"She really will call anyone who feeds her 'Mother.' She's already accepted a master," Luo Qingluan said, pursing her lips.
Jiang Wei chuckled at her words, then turned to Jiang Yue and said solemnly:
"Since Senior Nether Flood Dragon has no objections, and this little fellow has accepted Little Yue as her master, from this moment onward, Little Yue is the rightful master of Cangming Divine Island."
As he spoke, he pointed toward the ancient halls nestled among old trees and marshes deep within the island and continued:
"Those halls were once the residence and place of enlightenment of our Jiang Family's female Divine King ancestor. There may be inscriptions she left behind and arrangements she made within them. You possess the divine king body and have gained the Nether Flood Dragon Lineage's acknowledgment, so you should be able to enter and look around. Perhaps you'll gain something."
"Still, you must be tired after today, and it's already getting late. Why not settle in first and get a good night's rest? Once you've replenished your strength and are fully refreshed tomorrow, there will be plenty of time to explore those inscriptions."
Luo Yue did indeed feel weariness wash over her like a tide. Forcing herself to unleash a vision infused with the true essences of Taiyin and Taiyang to subdue the Little Juvenile Flood Dragon of the Dao Palace Realm had left her uninjured, but had taken an enormous toll.
Now that her mind had relaxed a little, that drained feeling became especially pronounced. She nodded:
"You're right, Uncle Wei."
Seeing this, Luo Qingluan immediately stepped forward and supported Luo Yue's little shoulders with tender concern. "Yes, rest first! Your aunt will have someone tidy up the villa right away."
As she spoke, she instructed the dozen or so Luo Family servants she had brought to prepare their lodgings.
"This is the jade token for Cangming Divine Island's grand formation. From now on, you are the [Lord of Cangming]."
With that,
Jiang Wei took out an ink-black jade token engraved with a Cangming dragon pattern and handed it to Luo Yue.
"Thank you, Uncle Wei." Luo Yue accepted the jade token.
With everything settled, Jiang Wei stayed no longer. He nodded to Luo Qingluan as well, then transformed into a streak of cloudy light and left Cangming Divine Island.