86 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Zheng Yiwen, who had spiked the drink, couldn't help but regard the girl with a peculiar gaze. He He was taken on as Xiang Shiyan's disciple half a year ago. Because she was quite young and had just embarked on the path of cultivation, she mostly moved between the Mo Bamboo Peak and the main peak. Gradually, she became familiar with her senior sisters, but male cultivators like Zheng Yiwen knew little about her. The girl, whose features had yet to mature, possessed an innocent charm that was not quite on par with the beauty of Xiang Shiyan or Huai Ye, but hinted at a future radiance. Zheng Yiwen secretly gritted his teeth, lamenting her youth and the difficulty it presented compared to Huai Ye, whose secrets made her easier to manipulate. Elder Yuehua was known for being discerning and intolerant of deceit. Moreover, though she appeared obedient, this unfamiliar junior sister exuded an unsettling, eerie aura. Children’s faces usually carried an innocent bewilderment, but whether it was a trick of his eyes or not, Zheng Yiwen noticed that whenever he met He He's gaze across the campfire, the flickering flames cast shadows that made her deep black eyes seem abysses, too intense to face. In the solitude of the canyon, when the wind howled eerily, his mind was not on his playful companions. His nerves, already taut, were startled by the sudden sounds. The girl sat quietly amidst the lively atmosphere, her eyes harboring a probing curiosity, as if she had seen through his sordid heart, which inexplicably added to his fear. He He didn’t appear to experience any abnormalities, conversing warmly with her friendly senior sisters. Qin Miao struggled to hide his disappointment, casting a subtle glance past two people at the expressionless Zheng Yiwen. In Qin Miao's memory, the drug Zheng Yiwen administered wasn’t supposed to be fast-acting, prompting him to recall the events of his previous life. Huai Ye was straightforward and lacked defenses against her fellow disciples. Orphaned early, she felt an extraordinary sense of belonging to the sect and genuinely regarded her sect mates as siblings. No matter how troublesome they were, she never saw them as threats. Yet, even blood ties can be tinged with rivalry, let alone disciples who share no real familial bonds and have conflicting interests on certain issues. Zheng Yiwen was a man filled with jealousy and egotism; Huai Ye had once witnessed him bullying the thirteen-year-old Qin Miao and had driven him away but didn’t give the matter much thought afterward. She seemed never to pay special attention to Qin Miao’s affairs. Everything about Qin Miao was brought by Xiang Shiyan. Without his master’s protection, Qin Miao would likely have perished long ago. Were he not Xiang Shiyan’s disciple, the Jade Blue Mountain sisters probably wouldn’t have spared him a glance! In his previous life, they became separated from the main group and by coincidence encountered Zheng Yiwen leading a team in the misty gorge. The events that followed mirrored the present: Huai Ye and the senior sisters bonded jovially, while Qin Miao found himself awkwardly amidst the senior brothers who had bullied him. Not only did he see Huai Ye consuming the drugged food without reaction, but a gleeful Zheng Yiwen, with undisguised delight, whispered insults into the ears of his competitors when no one was watching. Then... a quarrel erupted between Qin Miao and Huai Ye. Huai Ye found Qin Miao’s childish tantrum incomprehensible and bluntly advised him to grow up, accusing him of childish antics to garner Xiang Shiyan’s attention. She claimed her aid to him was merely to preserve the dignity of their martial uncle’s line... This could not be true. Qin Miao knew that after he stormed off in anger, she couldn’t resist following him, where the drug took effect, and she softly apologized for her impulsive words. So gentle that it seemed as if Huai Ye wasn’t speaking, but something else was manipulating her strings, compelling the usually emotionally reserved girl to feign a seductive smile. The slight unnaturalness didn’t concern Qin Miao; after all, even exceptional women were merely youthful girls, and speaking contrary to their feelings before their crushes was common. Knowing he was the only man to see Huai Ye this way excited Qin Miao even more. As for why such a proud, possessive girl became his echo, or why his senior sister fell for him... Qin Miao never pondered this. In a cultivation world far more civilized than a feudal society, his thoughts remained primitive. Like many, he believed that being "outstanding" was an exchange of a mere fragment of his heart to gain a license for others’ wholehearted devotion. Thus, Qin Miao sincerely believed that in his past life, his romantic interests were all wholeheartedly devoted to him, and sharing themselves with him was the honor of those remarkable women. At this moment, he ardently hoped Zheng Yiwen had more schemes at the ready. Zheng Yiwen's drug was potent but required time to take effect... If anything happened to He He at midnight, it would be easy to trace back to the food consumed and Zheng Yiwen’s unusual attentiveness. This wasn’t Qin Miao’s concern; he was just frustrated at missing a golden opportunity. No matter how long he waited, Zheng Yiwen made no further move, nor did He He show any abnormality. Perhaps the drug was ineffective on someone who hadn’t fully matured. As the night grew deeper, Qin Miao, despite his reluctance, had no choice but to pull back, always keeping an eye on Zheng Yiwen's actions. On the other hand, Zheng Yiwen spent the night in anxiety, relieved when the drug failed to manifest, unsure of how he would defend himself otherwise. Only the individuals involved and Huai Ye detected anything amiss. Huai Ye, with her senses honed to near perfection, heard strange noises as if something was moving beneath He He's skin. Glancing questioningly at the girl lying beside her, she suddenly felt that the adorable child’s body was merely a “shell”, ready to break open as something monstrous stretched beneath it. The disturbing sound, heard only by her, soon dissipated, and He He's shallow breaths evened out, as if it was all just her imagination. Swallowing her confusion, Huai Ye quietly asked, “Is something wrong?” He He trembled, curling into herself and murmuring, “Nothing, just cold.” Within her body, a potent aphrodisiac stirred a storm. Though outwardly a child, it was merely He He's facade to avoid standing out too much; her body had been slowly reverting to its former state over the past half year. She couldn’t use human chronology to gauge herself, but she was quite certain her body was more matured than it appeared. She was a creature harbored beneath a human skin, a beast with eyes gouged, scales torn off, skin peeled, bones removed, and flesh consumed. She had no idea what lay beneath her thin layer of humanity, whether it was the repulsive form she imagined. Her bloodless and soft, scaleless, and bare form was perhaps an ugly sight not meant to be seen. He He had been an alchemist in her past life, knowledgeable in external alchemy and healing techniques, and her resilient body made her fearless of poisons. That’s why she dared to eat what was intended for Huai Ye. Despite the drug’s potency, it was fundamentally a restorative that increased vitality, offering her little benefit but unavoidable pain. Yes, the aphrodisiac hadn’t worked as intended; it merely intensified the agony of her decayed body. Simultaneously, she sensed an unusual feeling within her body—something was slowly growing. He He’s control over her own body exceeded that of humans or demons. Furthermore, a human form wasn’t her true self; if necessary, she could alter her appearance and age when transforming. The involuntary growth left her feeling helpless. With most of her memories lost, retaining only fragmented knowledge, she sought help from the essence within her mind, “Yuan Jiu… what’s happening?” Her once vast, bleak mental sea had begun to glow again. The golden ocean, stirred to the edges, was kept from the ice-blue mark at the center. The mark hovered above the gray expanse, emitting rings of white light, freezing part of the sea. It was Xiang Shiyan’s soul imprint, constructing a bridge between herself and He He—a nearly untried method of connection. Though Xiang Shiyan was largely unaware of this bond due to the disparity in soul strength, He He kept her end of the bridge closed, quietly peering into Xiang Shiyan’s heart. Even so, it still brought some influence upon He He. Beneath the gray floes, the Black Dragon lay coiled within the icy water, enveloped in sleep. Her body emitted a black field, stabilizing the tainted gray water stained by Xiang Shiyan’s mark, gradually reverting it to He He’s own hues. Yet, even the Black Dragon, which formed He He's essence, wasn’t spared from being affected. With each breath Yuan Jiu took in her slumber, a thin layer of frost settled upon her scales, quickly dissolving into the currents. This interplay contributed to the gradual formation of the ice above. Stirred from a haze by He He’s call, Yuan Jiu lazily flicked her tail in the waters, questioning, “What is it?” “I feel… strange.” The Black Dragon shifted irritably within the waters, her movements reflecting the changes in He He's mortal body. “What is happening?” “You don’t know? I thought the seal was prematurely loosening.” “No, I’ve reinforced it. It shouldn’t ‘hatch’ for at least two more years,” responded Yuan Jiu, recovering memories from her time asleep. “What have you eaten? Why get involved with her affairs?” Now that the transformation was complete and the growing pains subsided temporarily, He He managed to catch her breath. “Letting those filthy men succeed would make me uncomfortable.” Her indifferent answer strangely soothed the irate Yuan Jiu. Though indifferent to others’ fates, there was nothing she despised more than such vile intentions—her hatred for such acts was the very fire driving her back from death. The two quickly reached a consensus: even if revealing her true form upon ‘hatching’ now were to expose her to all, it was preferable to letting such a disgraceful event occur. She couldn’t let the suffering endured by “that person” repeat on anyone else. “That person”… who was it? He He pondered briefly, but quickly dismissed the thought, realizing it wasn't a question for the present. As her memories gradually returned, she would eventually remember. The child let out a few whimpers before drifting into a fitful sleep, exuding a faint, unsettling aura that made Huai Ye uneasy—colorless, odorless, intangible like flowing water. Perhaps due to her recent transformation, uncontrollable, scentless pheromones wafted lightly from the nape of her neck, quickly dissipating in the canyon breeze. Realization dawned on Huai Ye, and her heart skipped a beat. Although she had previously been skeptical of Xiang Shiyan's casual excuses, her bodily changes were undeniable. For Huai Ye, the reasons behind them didn’t matter; all she recognized was the enticing scent offered by Xiang Shiyan, akin to that of a female beast, stirring an undeniable urge to draw nearer. It was her instinct. Identifying other competitors came instinctively as well; previously, her only rival in this unspoken race was that enchantress with questionable intellect. Now, a new challenger appeared. Huai Ye's previous wariness towards He He was driven by a possessive jealousy, yet the situation had shifted dramatically. Instinctively, she realized she needed to be more cautious of this young junior sister than she was with Qin Miao. Caution aside, as Huai Ye listened attentively to He He’s breath, she noted it was the first time in several days that He He had fallen asleep. He He would often feign rest at night and remained untired by day, seeming not to need sleep at all. She had expected He He to resemble more the timid child she had witnessed in New Sun City once asleep, but the pains of phantom growth and maturation rendered the sleeping girl’s expression unexpectedly mature. The breathing of the two unsleeping boys in the silence of the night was so pronounced, as if constantly on guard, unable to rest. Only then, Huai Ye remembered Xiang Shiyan’s warnings before departure, now realizing her master’s uncanny foresight. Unbeknownst to herself, she had let He He take a setback meant for her. This debt would be repaid another day. In the darkness, her gaze turned icy, sending a shiver down the spines of both Zheng Yiwen and Qin Miao. The next morning, Huai Ye declined the group’s invitation to accompany them, insisting on taking Qin Miao and He He towards their original destination, the Lingguan Mansion. The much-needed sleep hadn’t improved He He’s spirit, and Qin Miao, tense from the night, hadn’t regained his usual serene poise from a night’s cultivation. As the three emerged from the Mist Gorge, none of them noticed, not even Xiang Shiyan with his connection, that Qin Miao’s halo value had slightly decreased again.