The Flood Dragon Comes Looking

A black cane struck the water with a vicious blow. The surface exploded with a bang, sending a blue-green longtail fish half the length of a person flying onto the bank, where it flapped its tail furiously in its final struggle.

The girl in blue deftly knocked the fish unconscious and cleaned it. Before long, it was roasting over a fire, giving off a mouthwatering aroma.

The girl in blue was, of course, Sang Ying, who had left the inheritance grounds. She had now been in the secret realm for a month. After stumbling into the inheritance grounds, she had obtained Immortal Lord Fusheng's inheritance, taken the Pill Formulas, and left through the teleportation array in the great hall.

Only later did Sang Ying hear that a group of cultivators had broken into the inheritance grounds she had visited not long afterward. They had fought one another over the inheritance that was no longer there, causing many to perish.

Hearing this, Sang Ying was glad she had left early, but she also gained a clearer understanding of the cruelty of the cultivation world.

"Sure enough, only the strong have the right to speak!" Sang Ying murmured softly.

Before she could sink any further into her thoughts, the Gale Hound pulled her back to reality.

It wagged its tail and circled Sang Ying several times, yowling eagerly at the roasted fish. It looked as though it could hardly wait.

Amused, Sang Ying picked up a dagger and sliced off a piece of cooked fish for it. The fish was also a spirit beast from the secret realm, and its flesh contained some Spiritual Qi, making it a good choice of food for both cultivators and Demon Beasts.

After the woman and the Demon Beast had eaten their fill, they tidied up briefly and prepared to rest. Though they called it resting, only the Gale Hound lay down beside Sang Ying and fell asleep. Sang Ying set up a simple defensive array and continued cultivating in meditation.

During her month in the secret realm, Sang Ying had been alone. She had encountered plenty of danger and escaped perilous situations several times.

Fortunately, these experiences had also helped her swordsmanship improve by leaps and bounds. Her cultivation was now stable, and she reckoned she would soon break through from Foundation Establishment Early Stage to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Even she was somewhat surprised by such rapid progress.

As for the Gale Hound, though it had been extremely resistant to Sang Ying at first and unwilling to approach her, after all this time together, the little black ball had finally grown familiar with her. They could be said to have relied on each other for survival.

In a few more days, the Qishan Secret Realm would reopen, and they would have to leave.

Sang Ying had gained a great deal in the secret realm and would have no regrets even if she left now. But the thought of facing Su Fuyun as soon as she got out gave her something of a headache.

Given Su Fuyun's character, she would never admit to pushing Sang Ying. Even if Sang Ying could produce evidence, Gu Huaiwei would not take her side. And the sect master, who was accustomed to smoothing things over, would force Sang Ying to forgive Su Fuyun, just as he had once forced Gu Huaiwei to take her as a disciple.

Raising a hand to rub her temples, Sang Ying considered the matter for a moment and decided to tell Gu Huaiwei about it after all. She had already decided to sever ties with the master and disciple someday. Rather than wait until she suddenly betrayed her sect and was condemned for it, she might as well lay the groundwork early.

As for their master-disciple romance that shook heaven and earth and made ghosts and gods weep, they could torment each other with it!

Time passed unnoticed in cultivation. Sang Ying had only closed her eyes, and by the time she emerged from meditation, the sky was already bright.

She made a simple breakfast and filled both their stomachs.

Sang Ying did have Grain Avoidance Pills. Such basic pills had not been lost to time, and they even tasted better now than before. But Sang Ying did not like taking pills and cared somewhat about her food, so even if it took more effort, she enjoyed it.

After breakfast, Sang Ying packed her things and erased the traces of the array she had set up there. She planned to head toward the secret realm's teleportation array and leave as soon as the entrance opened.

For some reason, she had felt uneasy these past few days, as though something bad were about to happen.

The little black ball knew nothing of Sang Ying's worries. Even as they traveled, it kept pawing at her, acting cute and seeking affection.

They traveled for two days without resting, deliberately avoiding spirit beasts and cultivators along the way. On the evening of the second day, Sang Ying saw that the Gale Hound was showing signs of fatigue, so she stopped and prepared to rest for the night.

To their surprise, however, it was that very night that brought them trouble.

Sang Ying had already set up a defensive array. She had thought the secluded spot and the array's protection should be enough to keep them safe. But before the Gale Hound could fall asleep, a powerful pressure descended over them, blotting out the sky.

Sang Ying could never forget that familiar sensation. When she instinctively looked up, an enormous golden vertical pupil was staring fixedly at her.

"Where is my thousand-year ice lotus?!" The furious voice charged straight into Sang Ying's mind, leaving her dazed for a few moments.

For some reason, the Ice Flood Dragon was considerably smaller than before. Perhaps it too feared making too much of a commotion and letting word of the ice lotus spread, so it used voice transmission to question Sang Ying.

The Ice Flood Dragon's sharp claws were right in front of her, as though it would crush her whole if she failed to give it a satisfactory answer.

At that moment, Sang Ying was both angry and helpless.

She could only explain, "The ice lotus isn't with me. The female cultivator who stole your ice lotus was only deceiving you. She never gave it to me at all."

Sang Ying made no hesitation in calling what Su Fuyun had done "stealing."

"Ha!" The Ice Flood Dragon sneered. "You cultivators are all liars. Don't think I'll believe you just because you say so. Give my ice lotus back at once!"

The Ice Flood Dragon sounded both angry and anxious. Sang Ying did not know who had made it suffer a loss, only for it to seize her and vent its anger on her now. But she could tell that if she could not hand over the ice lotus today, she might really die here.

"Awoo!"

A black shadow lunged at them, trying to make the Ice Flood Dragon release its grip on Sang Ying. But the dragon swiftly slapped it away with its other claw, sending its small body crashing into a tree trunk.

Before the Gale Hound could let out more than a few cries of pain, the Ice Flood Dragon grabbed it too and lifted it in front of Sang Ying.

"Don't hurt it!" Sang Ying cried.

The Ice Flood Dragon said, "As long as you hand over the ice lotus, I'll let this little whelp go."

The Gale Hound lay quietly in the Ice Flood Dragon's grip. Sang Ying looked closely at its belly and saw that it was still rising and falling. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as it was alive, that was enough.

"I really didn't take your ice lotus..."

The Ice Flood Dragon moved as if to hurt it.

"But!" Sang Ying continued, "I can give you a better one. But I want you to remember that this ice lotus is a gift from me, not something I owe you."

The Ice Flood Dragon was so angry it laughed. It had searched the entire secret realm for so long and found only that one thousand-year ice lotus. If the one she had was not its own, where had she gotten it?

The Ice Flood Dragon did not believe a word Sang Ying said, thinking it nothing more than a human cultivator's lie. But it did not matter. They could not escape the palm of its hand anyway, so there was no harm in watching how this human cultivator kept up the act.

So the Ice Flood Dragon said coldly, "Fine. If you can produce a better one for me, I'll let bygones be bygones and grant you three requests!"

Sang Ying's eyes lit up at those words.