70 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

### Chapter 70: Disdain Zhu Yun slowly exhaled and attempted to loosen her hands, which were forcibly clutching her own neck, but surprisingly, she couldn't break free from Xiang Shi Yan's grip. The woman hadn't squeezed her tightly, yet Zhu Yun still looked at her in surprise. "Shishu, what are you—ugh!" A chill of spiritual energy flowed into her body, causing Zhu Yun to shudder. Her meridians, naturally fragile, trembled under the influx; even though her physique could contain others' spiritual energy, the anticipated pain made her close her eyes instinctively. Zhu Yun's body had been tested with spiritual energy by various individuals. Back when she was a "perfect" product, her father only allowed potential buyers to infuse her with spiritual power for identity verification. Any further actions were strictly prohibited. Despite her early wisdom, she was just a ten-year-old child, clueless about the matters of the bed. The languishing eyes and charming demeanor were skills her father had someone teach her. In truth, she only vaguely understood how "harvesting" worked, merely knowing it involved exchanging spiritual energy with another and that it would be intensely painful. This wasn't out of consideration for her young age from Zhu Cheng, but because of her frail body. Her slender meridians couldn't withstand a full infusion of spiritual energy; any damage wouldn't be worth it. Zhu Cheng's plan was to broaden her meridians using pills and spiritual herbs once she was slightly older. The Zhu family head appeared as if he were a madam from a brothel. Xiang Shi Yan easily discerned Zhu Cheng's intentions for his daughter and thought mockingly that if it were really said that way about him, he might even believe he was maintaining and reviving the family. Small-minded women wouldn't understand due to their lack of vision. Blessed as she was with a heavenly spiritual root, Zhu Yun's weak constitution made it difficult for her to embark on the path of cultivation. Xiang Shi Yan had seen similar descriptions in the original text but mainly to highlight Zhu Yun's noble birth; even with such poor meridians, pills could remold them, allowing her to cultivate like a normal person. Only now did she truly sense how fragile Zhu Yun's body was. The spiritual energy pierced through the thin skin at her neck and circulated within Zhu Yun's body under Xiang Shi Yan's mental control. Clearly gifted with a heavenly root, yet her barely child-like meridian fragility seemed like some sort of punishment. Despite Xiang Shi Yan's cultivation being stalled at the late Nascent Soul stage, she never ceased honing her spiritual sense. However, even as she refined the chaotic energy within the girl, she didn’t dare to lose focus. In the end, she realized she had been reckless earlier. The injuries sustained then had mostly healed, but the damage to her soul was not easily repaired. Xiang Shi Yan's current strength was around three-fifths of her past potential, which made meticulous control paramount. Zhu Yun's heavenly root absorbed spiritual energy rapidly, and though her physique wasn't incapable of reusing other's infused power, she hadn't yet begun cultivating and couldn't refine the residual energy left by others. Her meridians couldn't bear even a bit of spiritual energy, and these unruly remnants expanded her meridians to the point of pain. She was long accustomed to the discomfort, showing none externally, and Zhu Cheng thought nothing of it. Despite Xiang Shi Yan minimizing her energy threads, Zhu Yun still perspired profusely from the pain. The icy spiritual energy, unfamiliar to her, spread from her neck throughout her body. Simultaneously, the torment left her feeling feverish. She gripped Xiang Shi Yan’s collar uncomfortably, looking at her in bewilderment — why would Xiang, who earlier seemed righteous, suddenly act like this? This could be for the best; it might discourage Xiang Shi Yan from meddling any further... However, when locking eyes with the woman’s unclouded gaze, her heart inexplicably skipped. She awkwardly turned her head away. The spiritual energy poured into Zhu Yun had been pre-filtered by Xiang Shi Yan. As it meticulously brushed through her meridians, the cool stream inexplicably relaxed her, as if dispelling something persistently lodged within — leaving her refreshed and invigorated. Once she expelled all the non-native spiritual energy from Zhu Yun, Xiang Shi Yan carefully withdrew her own, avoiding a new accumulation. After completing everything, Xiang Shi Yan let out a long breath. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and then turned to see a black-scaled snake coiled on the bed, eying her as she held the girl. Xiang Shi Yan: "..." Du Ruo: "..." The two exchanged looks, and Xiang Shi Yan felt Du Ruo's gaze was somewhat peculiar. The strangeness ebbed away like a receding tide, the residual internal pain dispelled. Despite being soaked with sweat, Zhu Yun felt unprecedentedly serene. Resting against Xiang Shi Yan's chest, enveloped by a sense of safety, fatigue and sleepiness crept over her senses. She rubbed against Xiang Shi Yan in a half-daze, murmuring softly, “Shishu, this is... harvesting...” “What?” Xiang Shi Yan frowned, “No.” However, Du Ruo had already raised her scales, hissing and biting her hand angrily. Though not with full force, the snake’s sharp fangs stung, and Xiang Shi Yan flicked her arm without success. Du Ruo seized the opportunity to coil herself entirely around Xiang Shi Yan's arm. Though only two fingers thick, if she truly intended harm, she might change back to her full size. Thus, even without understanding Du Ruo’s sudden frenzy, Xiang Shi Yan allowed her to coil firmly around her forearm as she placed the already slumbering Zhu Yun back on the bed. In sleep, Zhu Yun resembled a pliant porcelain doll, lighter in weight than some large vases. Her relaxed brow suggested sweet dreams, enveloped in her slumber. A tenderness stirred within. Xiang Shi Yan adjusted her blanket before darkly turning to pinch the little snake’s head. Du Ruo released her grip but continued to slap her tail against Xiang Shi Yan’s arm. Placing the snake on the table, Du Ruo coiled and emitted strange noises, surprising Xiang Shi Yan with the variety of sounds a snake could make. Being in her snake form, although Xiang Shi Yan carried some beast blood, species difference meant that without spiritual sense communication, she couldn't understand Du Ruo's words. The little snake on the table seemed to be voicing its disapproval with hissing sounds, occasionally shaking her head or tapping the table with her tail. Xiang Shi Yan couldn't comprehend any of it, only vaguely sensing a misunderstanding, prompting her to frown and stare at Du Ruo. She asked the system, “Can you decipher what she’s saying?” A translation line appeared at her vision's edge: [Beast Tongue Translation Activated] She then heard the small snake hissing in an exasperated tone: "I painstakingly infiltrated to move the hostage, and you dare to perform such indecencies with a child here!" "The other little girl is still outside, yet you dare... is this how a fox behaves?" "I truly misread you..." Xiang Shi Yan coldly retorted, “Misread me in what way?” Du Ruo raised her head, her slit pupils reflecting a peculiar fury, "I heard it all!" She chided, "I understand that being trapped in your cultivation for years might lead to other thoughts. Still, at least wait until the child grows up. You've waited for so long, what's another decade or so..." Her speech was abruptly halted by Xiang Shi Yan pinching her mouth shut. Du Ruo furiously glared back, seemingly interpreting Xiang Shi Yan’s actions as an admission of shame for her previous behavior. The woman frowned, "Stop spouting nonsense. I merely dispersed the unrefinable spiritual energy within her; the child was confused. How could you lack discernment?" "Even if she is a heavenly-spirit root vessel, she hasn't begun cultivation; she offers me no benefit. Moreover, at her tender age, how could I bring myself to act? Not to mention..." Not to mention what? Du Ruo eyed the woman skeptically, amazed to see Xiang Shi Yan, usually impassive, deliberately avoiding eye contact, her cheeks faintly flushed. “Not to mention, as women, how could I harvest from her?” Du Ruo gaped, "Are you alright?” She no longer cared much about Zhu Yun's condition; her curiosity was now about what Xiang Shi Yan thought during their encounter in Xinyang City. Did she imagine Du Ruo was trying to swap clothes with her? Albeit chiding her actions as contrary to ethics and incomprehensible, Xiang Shi Yan's reaction belied some familiarity with such matters. What had catalyzed this change in her? Du Ruo's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. When Xiang deliberately sought her instead of the annoying Huai Ye for this assistance... Xiang Shi Yan hadn’t noticed Du Ruo’s peculiar gaze. After calming her thoughts, she attempted to place the small snake into her sleeve pocket, transmitting, “Have you completed the task I assigned you?” Du Ruo nuzzled the bite mark she'd left, making amends. Shrinking herself to the thickness of a finger, she carefully coiled around Xiang Shi Yan's arm again. "While you were busy playing with the little sisters, I wasn't idle either. Those women have all been settled elsewhere," Du Ruo hesitated and then asked, "Why would the head of the Zhu family treat his own bloodline like this?" "Because she isn't his own child," Xiang Shi Yan replied, "It's part of his business." Du Ruo wanted to inquire further, but Xiang Shi Yan had already lifted the curtain and stepped out, coming face to face with Zhu Yu, who wore an indifferent expression. In those fragmented memories, Zhu Yu had always been deeply attached to her. She was so jealous of Xiang Shi Yan's attention toward Qin Miao that she often played tricks on him and schemed against him in private. At that time, Qin Miao had just cleared his name and returned from exile to Jade Green Mountain, now much stronger and unwilling to suffer any more humiliation. Consequently, he retaliated against his young junior sister in ways that were more than just innocent pranks. After some mental gymnastics that Xiang Shi Yan couldn't quite comprehend, Zhu Yu abandoned her master and happily cozied up to her senior. According to the original text, Xiang Shi Yan was the only one who genuinely cared about Zhu Yu. While she didn't expect Zhu Yu to be overly affectionate, she didn't anticipate being outright rejected either. Indeed, she closely resembled Zhu Yun, yet her aura was entirely different. At this moment, Zhu Yu regarded her with a look of disdain and resentment. ### Author's Note: What nonsense! 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