The Hidden Dragon Emerges from the Abyss

Night falls at the almshouse in Flying Sky Stockade.

Ao Mo walked away without looking back, his footsteps making no sound, just like a ghost.

When he reached the Xiao Xi at the entrance, Ao Mo leaped in without hesitation, immersing almost his entire body in the water. Whew!

A familiar feeling of comfort welled up inside me.

When Ao Mo resurfaced from the water, he no longer had a human form; instead, he had a menacing, evil head.

It was a head that combined the characteristics of both a dragon and a snake.

The head is elongated and flat, resembling that of a snake, and its slender eyes appear exceptionally ferocious.

However, on its lower jaw, it has whiskers typical of dragons, and a strange reverse scale can even be faintly seen gleaming in the darkness. In addition, the single Single Horn leaning to the right looks particularly terrifying.

Unlike the antlers of typical dragons, that Single Horn resembled a spiral reaching for the sky.

Are you planning to leave?

Suddenly, a slightly melancholic voice came from the shore.

Ao Mo was startled and instinctively looked in the direction from which the sound came as he surfaced.

"Sister Hanzhi?"

Contrary to his ferocious appearance, Ao Mo's voice sounded rather guilty at this moment.

To Ao Mo's surprise, Hanzhi didn't seem to have any intention of stopping him from leaving.

"I saw it a long time ago: you're different from everyone else; you're just temporarily staying here."

"You'll leave sooner or later when the time is right."

As Hanzhi approached Ao Mo step by step, Hanzhi carefully examined the other's appearance, which she had never seen before.

Is this your true self?

Ao Mo, who timidly sank into the water with only half of his head above the surface, did not reply.

He hated his current appearance, not only because he inherited it from Ao Fei, but also because this appearance always reminded him of his past cowardice.

"Your heart harbors regret and hatred."

Seeing this, Hanzhi took the initiative to walk into the water.

Only after half of her body was submerged in the water did Hanzhi stroke Ao Mo's head and smile, amidst his timid gaze.

"But I can also see that you have compassion and tolerance in your heart."

"Don't take what Lü Yan said to heart. He's not you, and he doesn't understand what you've been through."

Seeing Ao Mo still looking somewhat bewildered, Hanzhi's smile softened even more.

Someone once told me that no matter how many grand principles one understands in this world, it's not as valuable as personally doing a small, insignificant thing.

"Lü Yan is someone who understands many grand principles, yet can't even do a trivial little thing well."

"If it weren't for my help, he wouldn't even have been able to cook you a meal."

Seemingly understanding something, Ao Mo's head slowly surfaced again.

"Did the 'elder sister' you mentioned also say these things?"

No longer timid, Ao Mo asked in a low voice, a hint of curiosity unconsciously appearing in his previously timid eyes.

The children at the orphanage had all heard of the older sister that Hanzhi often mentioned.

Unfortunately, no one has ever seen her.

Even the second and third sisters that Hanzhi mentioned, none of the children had ever seen them.

Even if they were on the main peak of Flying Sky Stockade, as long as they didn't come to the orphanage, the children there would never see them. Ao Mo had understood this principle long ago.

The only reason this orphanage exists is because Hanzhi lives here.

Once Hanzhi leaves, even if the Mountain Folk of Flying Sky Stockade don't expel the children, they will certainly be dispersed and resettled in different places. This has nothing to do with any personal moral stance.

It was simply an inevitable choice for the large group of people from the Hundred Lands Mountain Range.

The Hundred Lands Mountain Range are only willing to accept those who wish to join Hundred Lands Mountain Range and have no "roots" outside. For example, Ao Mo himself, no matter how much he expresses hatred for the South Sea Dragon Race.

As long as the South Sea Dragon Race exists, it will be difficult for Ao Mo to truly integrate into the Hundred Lands Mountain Range.

Ao Mo was fully aware of this.

Putting yourself in their shoes, Ao Mo would never accept an individual with a complete clan outside into the large family they've worked so hard to build. After all, sometimes all it takes to "betray" someone is a reason.

Similarly, who can guarantee that an individual who always has their own community outside the community is genuinely joining the Hundred Lands Mountain Range?

Or, to be more precise, who can guarantee that he will always stand on the side of Baidi Qunsheng, instead of betraying Hundred Lands Mountain Range at a crucial moment?

Incomplete naturalization is equivalent to no naturalization at all; this is a universally applicable principle.

Everyone will be waiting for you to come back...

"The children are like this, I'm like this, and even Lü Yan is like this."

Seemingly sensing Ao Mo's thoughts, Hanzhi didn't answer his question, but instead continued to stroke his head and said this.

"Yes, I will come back."

Submerging its head in the water again, Ao Mo's voice sounded unusually muffled this time.

The next moment, Ao Mo's figure sank completely into the water, and then he turned and swam downstream.

Splash...

Watching the waves stirred up by Ao Mo's departure, Hanzhi's smile turned to sadness once again.

Hanzhi wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Ao Mo's figure had grown larger at that moment, and even his appearance had become more ferocious.

Is it an illusion?

Slightly narrowing her eyes, Hanzhi muttered to herself with some uncertainty.

Ao Mo harbors too many secrets, and he is also reclusive, so even Hanzhi wasn't sure if it was just her imagination. "How could it be an illusion?"

Without a sound, Yunxiao appeared behind Hanzhi.

Startled, Hanzhi immediately turned around and noticed Yunxiao's ambiguous smile.

"Big sister?"

Looking at Yunxiao with a face full of surprise, Hanzhi revealed a side of herself that the children had never seen before.

It was the look of a child seeing their parents, a mixture of joy and a touch of attachment.

Because in front of Yunxiao, Hanzhi's social status was no different from that of the children in the orphanage—all the most pampered juniors in the family. "Eh? Is your only concern your eldest sister?"

I knew you'd be biased!

Amidst two teasing voices, Qiongxiao and Bixiao emerged one after the other from behind Yunxiao.

"No way!"

Her face flushed instantly, Hanzhi quickly grabbed the two men's arms and cried out.

"You two deliberately hid, just wanting to see me make a fool of myself!"

Watching the three of them playfully bickering, Yunxiao's smile never faded.

However, occasionally, Yunxiao's gaze inevitably drifted in the direction Ao Mo had left, and a thoughtful look gradually appeared in his eyes. In Yunxiao's perspective, Ao Mo was not simply someone whose size had increased and whose appearance had become ferocious.

As he traveled downstream, the Earth Veins began to stir, the water veins surged, and a damp mist spread outwards. This was Divine Ability, Law Technique, and a rare ritual.

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