177 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 177 - Exposed "Senior Yu Ming, since there's no trouble, please take your leave. After all, this place is bustling, and I'm afraid it might sully your eyes again," the young girl's tone was laced with mockery. Long Rui Qing put down her brush, casting a cold glance at the somewhat uneasy woman, her intention to send her away clear without needing words. The word "again" was emphasized heavily, a clear indication of her displeasure with Yu Ming's previous intrusion and some words she had spoken. Even though so much time had passed, Yu Ming had never detached herself from the "Teacher" role. Although she never acted the part of a master usually, now she acted sanctimoniously, reprimanding Long Rui Qing, who, with furrowed brows, seemed to be lost in thought. Long Rui Qing had indeed fantasized about the possibility of reconciling with Yu Ming if she survived this ordeal. While she roamed restlessly after leaving the Azure Wood Forest, avoiding the pursuit of the Shadow Tribe and searching for a place to rest, she often reminisced about her time spent on the Jade Mountain. Those placid, uneventful years had become something she dearly missed. Simple-minded, honest friends, adorable junior sisters... and her awkward teacher. Long Rui Qing had indeed cherished that seemingly faultless yet foolish mentor. Only yesterday did she realize that she couldn't be indifferent; the rift in her heart was irreparable. Her youthful infatuation and admiration had been torn apart when Yu Ming drunkenly called her "Sister" while holding her hand. The casualness of Rune Scholars in handling affairs and considering themselves irreplaceable for being somewhat helpful might have been delusions of grandeur in her youth. "Yesterday, I did speak out of line..." Yu Ming cradled the items Long Rui Qing handed her, momentarily forgetting to store them properly, awkwardly holding the box in her arms, tongue-tied in front of the indifferent girl. "If you're unsure of what to say, just go back," the ink on the paper outlined the contours of mountains and rivers, capturing Long Rui Qing's focus. She noticed the mountain's shape was somewhat reminiscent of Populate Peak. Annoyed, Long Rui Qing tightened her grip on the brush. What did Yu Ming mean? Did she believe that simply standing before her, her long-devoted disciple would eagerly seize the chance to return to her side? Say something! "I just... don’t want you staying in this smoky place..." Yu Ming, known for her awkwardness, realized too late that her words might once again anger Long Rui Qing. It was always like this... Whenever Long Rui Qing's heart softened a bit, this woman had a way of reminding her that they were not of the same world. At eight, Yu Ming wandered with the famine-stricken refugees, and at eight, Long Rui Qing sheltered her young sister, living off scraps in the city, their lives diverging drastically from there. The daughter of refugees at ten started her immortal path, treasured by her sect, while the descendant of the primary branch of the Shadow Tribe was forced to learn survival skills to become a spy sent to distant sects; the apprentice-leader and her sisters at fifteen slowly gained fame by descending the mountain to exterminate demons, whereas the demon spy at fifteen was transmitting messages to the Shadow Tribe's covert agents, buying time for herself and her master with each communication. Long Rui Qing had wished countless times to end it all, wanting to scream at her oblivious teacher, wishing she would quickly be exposed, so her anxiety-ridden days would end immediately. Before she left the demon tribe's territory, Xiao Luan came to see her one last time, showing some affection towards her blood relative, squeezing her shoulders and telling her that all her sacrifices and sufferings were for the Shadow Tribe's future, her mother, her sister, and the whole clan would remember her contributions. In truth, Long Rui Qing knew well that the clan would only remember her as a disgraceful half-breed. The elders took her away without any resistance from her mother, and the clan's glorious future did not include her. Since she was fourteen, the reason why the young, love-stricken girl hadn’t ended her life hastily was to prolong the life of an unaware Yu Ming. "Heh, you're at it again. Since you find this place filthy, why force yourself? If not for my talents, being assigned to Jade Mountain, allowing our so-called fateful encounter, else it would be me sitting here today, greeting guests with a forced smile!" The ink on paper rippled, smearing the ink painting with trembling strokes, obliterating much of the mountain structures. Long Rui Qing looked at the chaos on the desk, sighed as if finally feeling tired, and said, "Anyway, by then you’d find someone more like her to become your disciple." The atmosphere froze instantly. Long Rui Qing didn’t turn to see the panicked woman whose gestures always softened her heart, but this wasn’t a situation of missing a meeting or ruining a small courtyard during charm inscriptions. Long Rui Qing, more so than Yu Ming, understood how heavy youthful love could be. She thought she could willingly be a substitute, but the truth was, human desires are never satisfied. So why not take this opportunity to cut ties cleanly? "No, I... I thought you asked Little Yan to send back the worm because you still... If you have nowhere to go, I can also—" Yu Ming regretted it, realizing she shouldn't be entangled with Long Rui Qing here. Leaving immediately might allow her to catch up with Xiang Shi Yan, which would be better than this blow to her self-esteem. "Senior seems to misunderstand. I’m also held by this Gu. Solving your issue was merely convenient. The Gu on you is my doing, thus it's my responsibility to resolve it. That’s true closure. Besides, I have some dealings with your good junior sister. Without the support of Songhe Hall, I couldn’t escape this far. Of course, I’m happy to return the favor to her." Long Rui Qing stood up casually, wearing borrowed clothes—a peach-colored dress too flamboyant, not quite matching her gentle and elegant demeanor, yet fitting with the dimly adorned inner room. Standing behind a thin veil, her expression was hard to decipher. Sensing a damp, swirling atmosphere, a blush crept up Yu Ming's neck, compelling her to take a step back, but that person reached out from the veil and grabbed her. Long Rui Qing tugged Yu Ming’s wrist, pulling her forward with such strength as if to bring her into her embrace. The distance between them was but a palm's width and a thin veil—whose breath it was that moved the veil, blurring each other's expressions. "What do you take me for—a stray dog from the street? I am a defector, a former spy of the Shadow Tribe. The clan leader is my elder sister, my newly appointed lieutenant sister is merely twenty, and my mother handles major dealings in the capital. Did you really think I was an orphan picked up by demons? Do you know how many lives and secrets I hold? A single hint of my survival, and Xiao Luan would have eight hundred of you killed." Long Rui Qing's voice turned slightly hoarse, with a hint of a sob, making Yu Ming stare back in disbelief, unsure if this tone was just her imagination. Every person has a place and purpose, except for Long Rui Qing, a wandering soul with no anchor, unable to even serve as a phantom in Yu Ming's heart any longer. "Could you really shelter me? Where would you take me? Into the estate to sit beside those two nieces of yours who resemble Gong Ning perfectly? How would you explain my resurrection to them? Would they even want to handle a hot potato like myself?" After asking, Long Rui Qing softened her voice, saying with a light chuckle, "Senior, if you wish to indulge once more, I'd be happy to accompany. I’m penniless, relying on this acquaintance for lodging isn’t a solution. If you still recall the past sentiment, a generous hand would suffice." The woman she held shivered slightly, looking at her fostered disciple in disbelief that she could utter such words. Long Rui Qing crossed the veil to see the disappointment in Yu Ming’s eyes but failed to pull away, gripping tighter instead. Their warm breaths mingled again, the warmth of her grasp felt almost scalding, making Long Rui Qing lick her teeth, wishing her teacher would delay discarding her. However, the expected resistance didn’t come. Just as Long Rui Qing was confused, she heard the weak yet resolute female cultivator gritting her teeth, "If you wish to debase yourself, I have no means to stop you." "What?" Long Rui Qing suddenly had a bad premonition, trying to retract her hand, only for Yu Ming to reverse the grip firmly—unlike the day when Yu Ming allowed her liberties, they were now significantly differing in cultivation by a major stage. Her master's leniency often made Long Rui Qing forget that this woman was a well-established Nascent Soul cultivator. Escaping was impossible right now. "In this way, we are clear of each other." Frankly, Xiang Shi Yan worried about her sister and niece's situation, fearing their continued interaction might develop into something unhealthy. Yet, it was ultimately an internal matter between master and disciple, something Xiang Shi Yan couldn't meddle with, especially with her own affairs in chaos, leaving her with no strength to intervene in theirs. Those two shouldn’t come to any immediate trouble, perhaps in a few days a letter might clear things up. Xiang Shi Yan left Huaihai City, continuing east, toward the territory of the Taixu Sect. According to the system's tracking, Qin Miao had remained near a small town close to the Taixu Sect headquarters for the last few days. Xiang Shi Yan recalled the place somewhat—it was likely a black market. It seemed Qin Miao was trying to lay low in an area beyond her influence for the time being. Indeed, without the system’s assistance, tracking down Qin Miao might have been much more challenging for Xiang Shi Yan, and by that time, he might have already moved to another location. Logically, someone like Qin Miao, eager to escape, wouldn’t linger in one place for long. Was something holding him up? Since Xiang Shi Yan began trailing Qin Miao from Jade Mountain, five days had passed. Surely, he wasn't foolish enough to believe he could stay safe there indefinitely. In this world, due to Xiang Shi Yan’s deliberate concealment, Qin Miao hadn't shone as he should have. The Taixu Sect merely harbored suspicions about him, the Qin family’s orphan, without confirmation that the Dragon Bone Sabre was in his possession. However, there's always the chance they noticed Qin Miao’s lingering, possibly deciding to capture him. Xiang Shi Yan stealthily entered the town, careful not to alert anyone from the Taixu Sect of her presence. The bustling crowd appeared as usual. Xiang Shi Yan glanced at the people coming and going and swiftly slipped into the local branch of Songhe Hall. “Can we pinpoint the location more accurately?” Xiang Shi Yan asked both the manager about recent happenings and if anyone from Taixu Sect had appeared, while also asking the system in her mind. "The support team is working hard to decode it; we’ll soon locate him," the system assured her. "I still don't understand why, after so long without trouble, I was offline for just a month, and you got tangled up with that minor-character village girl." The system felt fortunate that the fan fiction plan had been called off during the prior animation caused upheaval; otherwise, it could've led to who-knows-what kind of disaster. “It seems you all aren’t very surprised about Qin Miao?” Xiang Shi Yan rubbed her temples. On her way there, they teased her about it countless times, and she couldn’t just evade them like others. Thankfully, they meant no harm—more like a chattering flock of sparrows flitting in her mind, but with a hint of well wishes, it wasn’t truly offensive. Xiang Shi Yan herself was unclear about her current relationship with He He. She wasn't opposed to the girl; it was just that the impulsive chaos of that time was largely driven by pheromones and mating season instincts. Once clear-headed, she felt a bit lost facing He He. “Protagonists aren’t all good people; we’ve run into such scenarios more than once. The protagonists are often highly influenced by their creators, almost acting as their agents. Given the era and background of the creation, it's frankly not that surprising,” the system remarked coldly. Suddenly, a young woman’s voice interjected, “Speaking of which, Huai Ye seemed to have displayed a similar inclination before, and I remember you rejecting her quite firmly, didn’t you?” Xiang Shi Yan had considered the differences between Huai Ye and He He. Since taking Huai Ye in, she had cared for her almost as if she were her own child, while He He... “Got it, got it, childhood friends can’t beat new arrivals, right? Ah, if only the one I shipped wouldn’t be so timid, it’s normal she couldn’t compete with someone who makes direct advances...” someone lamented, “Darn it, the taboo tension of stepmother-daughter is the best!” “…” “Ha, you don’t understand, do you? I picked Du Ruo to ship precisely because I knew this pair could never happen.” “Enough, we’re all losers here!” The familiar mental commotion erupted, and Xiang Shi Yan sighed: “Could you not joke about other people’s relationships?” Despite the mirth and laughter in the background, and the hellfire jokes exchanged, only the unobtrusive supervisor by the microphone’s side spoke with a clear voice laced with a hint of comfort: “Regardless of who you choose in the end, we hope you’ll be happy.” “…Thank you,” Xiang Shi Yan replied awkwardly. The woman’s face eased too, perhaps accepting this relationship without overthinking it wasn’t so bad. “Host, sorry to interrupt, but further searches are complete. I’m sending you Qin Miao’s exact location now.” Xiang Shi Yan opened the map to check and immediately set off without hesitation, muttering, “The agent here didn’t report any Taixu Sect activity in the black market during this time, so if Qin Miao isn’t entangled with the sect, why is he lingering here?” Originally, the system could only narrow down Qin Miao's general vicinity, with precise location hindered by the world’s interference, and at any moment, the system might be expelled again, thus Xiang Shi Yan dared not delay. Oddly, during the past days, Qin Miao stayed in town, not leaving at all. Shortly after Xiang Shi Yan entered town, he fled towards the outskirts, as if somehow aware of her presence. This peculiar feeling gnawed at Xiang Shi Yan, setting her on edge. How did Qin Miao anticipate her moves? Could there be a connection between the Dragon Bone Sabre and the Xuanlin Armor within her, alerting him ahead of time? Regardless, with the system’s pinpointing, Qin Miao couldn't escape far. Finding this town so rapidly was strange in itself, and logically, even with extra people searching both town and underground markets, it should take time. Her swift response perhaps caught Qin Miao off guard, leaving him no time to retreat once more. Xiang Shi Yan encountered Qin Miao on a desolate plain. As she descended from her spiritual sword, near her were a campfire and a man sitting by the flames, she felt as though her feet were rooted, unable to move an inch. Qin Miao had only disappeared for five days, yet upon seeing him again, he seemed transformed—from a robust adult to a withered figure, pale and frail as if aged prematurely. Even Xiang Shi Yan was taken aback. He appeared dazed, lost in a dream, unaware of the slow blood seepage from his body, staring vacantly at the flickering fire. The blood drenched his garments, pooling beneath him, and seeped into the parched ground of the plain. Xiang Shi Yan's distant gaze fell upon Qin Miao and the young girl lying not far from his side. He He's unexpected presence there, pale-faced and prostrate in a pool of blood, was inexplicable—a severed arm lay discarded nearby, and the girl's vacant eyes seemed to silently implore Xiang Shi Yan. He He, who ought to be safely waiting atop Jade Mountain for her return, now lay in uncertain peril on this barren land, and Xiang Shi Yan couldn’t fathom why. Could Qin Miao have not left after all? Had he, upon realizing his plans failed, assumed that annoying junior sister reaped the spoils, thus hiding on Jade Mountain until Xiang Shi Yan pursued him, then capturing He He? Impossible. The system’s tracking couldn’t have been wrong—by that time, Qin Miao had already fled far. Suddenly reminded of a possibility, the shadow of someone still lingered in her mind’s perception—the unreasonable black dragon who claimed her as his own, even marking her in such a base manner. If Xuan Jiu had been monitoring her through the Xuanlin Armor, perhaps his displeasure at Qin Miao's audacity in striking against her could extend to rage over He He's presumptuousness. He He was bleeding—how could someone so fragile have so much blood to lose? Xiang Shi Yan felt as if she could almost smell the girl's life ebbing away; her keen senses, heightened by bestial instincts, discerning He He’s scent amidst the blood—a blend reminiscent of a sultry summer, warm sapodilla clean, and herbal notes from her hair. Somehow, Xiang Shi Yan's awareness plummeted back to a childhood summer, her mother's tears and a sorrowful "I'm sorry" resounding at her death. Xiang Shi Yan should have rushed to aid immediately, but a sense of anomaly paralyzed her. In that instant, thoughts of a now aggressive girl, one inexplicably involved in every event before, erupted—all the things her subconscious had long suppressed swelled to the surface. How had Xuan Jiu known about the Zhu family affair? Why did that person always seem to understand her every move? Why did He He always seem entangled in events orchestrated by Xuan Jiu? Besides the incident involving Lin Zhao Di, had she seen He He before every peculiar occurrence, before resolving the incidents? The breathing of the white-robed woman became rapid, suspicion like an undercurrent, dragging her into a whirlpool, trembling as she attempted to steady her breaths, her vision blurred inexplicably—the long-buried delusions and anomalies she had denied resurfacing, pricking at her like needles. A strange darkness clouded Xiang Shi Yan’s vision, only seeing the eerie drama playing out—a girl slowly sitting up. He He's familiar smile appeared, impish as if caught in a prank, “Ah, using the same trick twice doesn’t work after all." She picked up the severed hand from the ground, casually inspecting her own sliced flesh. Aligning the hand with the amputated limb, it swiftly healed without a trace, as if it had never been severed. He He moved her fingers freely, as agile as ever. Xiang Shi Yan stood, dumbfounded, watching the girl before her. The vibrant crimson robes transformed into an extravagant black gown with golden embroidery, and even He He's familiar face morphed into something foreign. Words eluded her; she couldn't muster anger, only confusion. She remembered the first encounter with the mist-like specter of Xuan Jiu and the warm brown eyes therein. Xiang Shi Yan realized how foolish she'd been and laughed bitterly. “You really are…” she began, voice hoarse and unrecognizable. “How did you find me?” The true form of the demon stood confidently before Xiang Shi Yan, genuinely perplexed by her unexplainable exposure. “All these years, I never fully grasped your secrets, your inexplicable insights…" Facing He He’s composure, Xiang Shi Yan struggled with her emotions. “This was your plan? Infiltrate, wait for a chance to strike those who might hinder you, watch me fall into your trap, unaware of your guise, like a puppet in your play. You must be thrilled.” Her voice, blistered by internal fury, carried a tone she didn’t intend—rendering her all the more pitiable. He He stood beside Qin Miao, lightly resting her hand atop his head. He had lost all semblance of sanity amidst the prolonged torment, staring vacantly at the flames like a lifeless husk. “From the start, there was no need for us to be enemies. I must ask why you insist on seeing me as the villain?” He He looked at Xiang Shi Yan, her expression complex in a way Xiang Shi Yan didn't wish to decipher. “As long as you and Jade Mountain stay out of my affairs, I promise not to interfere with you.” “I had no intention of harming the innocent. My quarrel is with Taixu Sect alone. Why meddle?” "The cultivation world is intertwined. Taixu Sect is the foremost of the thirteen celestial sects. While powerful you may be, to uproot it entirely is impossible without involving the other factions," Xiang Shi Yan took a step forward. "Moreover, even if Taixu Sect had caused you grievances, the current disciples are innocent!" “Such compassion is lost on me, Master.” “Don't call me Master!” Xiang Shi Yan’s voice rose sharply, breaking with frustration. She clenched her fists, teeth gritted. He He shook her head, disappointment evident. “I thought you could understand me, but that was my mistake.” Xiang Shi Yan found it ironically amusing—a girl so seemingly kind could wear such a chilling smile that perfectly matched the gentle eyes she once adored, planting a notion in her mind: “This truly is Xuan Jiu’s real form.” “Ha, for years I misjudged you. How… foolish of me.” Xiang Shi Yan laughed at her own naivety. “Come to think of it, I can't even pinpoint when you started acting strangely. All these years… I…” Bitter words caught in her throat, Xiang Shi Yan felt a chilling fire burning within her, turning from searing rage one moment to an icy paralysis the next. “You’re a good actor. Well, you’ve succeeded in deceiving me—are you pleased? After using me so many times, are you satisfied?” Xiang Shi Yan’s expression inexplicably calmed, she laughed lightly, raising her spiritual sword to point distantly at the demon. “Today, we sever our ties.” He He sighed, fingertips resting against Qin Miao’s nape with a hint of resignation as she raised her hand— In an instant, the man’s flesh erupted, like a brilliant crimson blossom unfurling swiftly. His spine, pale as snow, thrashed in the air like a whip, arcing before aligning into a formidable blade. “It seems I cannot let you leave here.” Author’s Note: Qin Miao’s Spine Sword!!! In a few chapters, we'll change the map. Thank you to the little angels who supported me from 2022-10-05 22:29:14 to 2022-10-09 35:39:59 by casting power votes or watering with nutrient solutions! Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solutions: Cangyang Jiacuo 20 bottles; 38033515 2 bottles; I really appreciate everyone’s support, and I'll keep working hard! 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