Wang Muran rode up on his stag, shaking his head. "Old people are always trouble."
Qin Mu was surprised. "You've got them too?"
Wang Muran nodded. "There are thirteen of these old codgers in Xiaoyujing, and now the old Daoist priest and the old monk have shown up, so that makes fifteen."
Qin Mu laughed. "Our village only has eight and a half, so I suppose I'm lucky."
Wang Muran said, "Fortunately, Senior Sister Qingdai and Senior Brother Long Yu are here to help me share the burden."
Qin Mu's face darkened. His village only had him as a young person. Grandma Si was technically young too, but she liked to act old.
The two rode on at an unhurried pace, waiting for Mu Qingdai to bring back Long Yu. Before long, Mu Qingdai dragged the man over. This young expert was a disheveled mess—he had stripped off all his clothes. When Mu Qingdai found him, he was running wild through the city in nothing but his underwear, singing and dancing, babbling nonsense.
At the time, Mu Qingdai had to slap her senior brother two or three times hard across the face before he snapped out of it. Long Yu spat out a few mouthfuls of phlegm that had muddled his mind, then followed her dejectedly to catch up with Qin Mu.
Wang Muran had the two of them climb onto the stag's back. Although Long Yu was no longer insane, he was still completely despondent.
Qin Mu said with a smile, "Senior Brother Long Yu, what's the difference between knowing how high and thick the sky is versus not knowing? The sky is right there—whether you know about it or not, it doesn't change. Keep a steady heart, cultivate diligently, and one day break through this sky to see what lies beyond. That's what truly matters."
Long Yu said gloomily, "I understand everything the Human Emperor says, but when I think about how all of this is fake, I can't help but lose my fighting spirit."
Qin Mu understood this feeling well. Not everyone could walk out of their shadow as quickly as Daoist Master Lin Xuan.
The revelation that the celestial phenomena were fake had hit Daoist Master Lin Xuan the hardest, yet he had been the first to recover. Long Yu didn't have Lin Xuan's status or the experience of shouldering heavy burdens from a young age, so his ability to withstand such a blow was somewhat weaker.
But given some time, Long Yu would find his way out of the shadow.
"Since Senior Brother Long Yu is here, let's pick up the pace."
At Wang Muran's command, the stag's hooves immediately spawned clouds, and it soared into the air. Qin Mu urged the Dragon Qilin onward, and the beast hurried to follow. The stag glanced back over its shoulder with a look of disdain and sped up.
The Dragon Qilin flew into a rage and pushed itself harder. After running for over a hundred li, it was panting wildly, rolling its eyes. "Why should I compete with a stupid deer? Master, tell me—I'm right, aren't I? It's not about speed; it's about endurance!"
Qin Mu grunted with a grim face.
The Dragon Qilin slowed its pace, and before long the stag carrying Wang Muran and the other two had vanished without a trace.
After running five thousand li, the Dragon Qilin was so exhausted it could barely breathe and demanded a rest. Qin Mu let it stop, lit a fire, and cooked a meal. The Dragon Qilin lay beside him, snoring loudly.
After Qin Mu had eaten and drunk his fill, it took a long time of calling before the Dragon Qilin finally crawled up, extremely reluctant to continue the journey. They chased through the night and into the dawn, but still couldn't see the stag or Wang Muran and the others.
"That stupid deer's endurance isn't bad either..." the fat dragon muttered guiltily.
Qin Mu grunted grimly again, tossed over a Red Fire Spirit Pill, and said, "Your rations for today."
The Dragon Qilin still had a bit of self-awareness—it carefully licked the pill, not daring to swallow it in one bite. It took over a dozen licks to finish one Red Fire Spirit Pill. Qin Mu couldn't bear to watch and grabbed a handful more.
The Dragon Qilin was overjoyed and quickly gulped down the Red Fire Spirit Pills. "Don't worry, Master! I'll run my heart out and definitely catch up with that stupid deer!"
"That deer isn't stupid. The stupid one is my Dragon Qilin," Qin Mu thought to himself.
The Dragon Qilin carried him through the sky. Before long, a winding, spiraling sound of a flute drifted over. Qin Mu looked around in surprise. The Dragon Qilin was running through midair—although its speed couldn't match the stag from Xiaoyujing, it wasn't exactly slow either. The wind howled around them.
Yet the sound of the flute was able to reach them here. It couldn't be played by an ordinary person.
As he was thinking, the Dragon Qilin suddenly staggered like a drunkard, swaying its head as it followed the sound of the flute, descending from the sky.
The flute sound was quite playful, its notes dancing high and low with cheerful exuberance. The Dragon Qilin pranced through the air as well, its four hooves hopping about joyfully, its great tail sweeping with a loud whoosh.
The flute drew out a long note, and the Dragon Qilin dove straight downward, heading unerringly toward a mountain forest.
"Dragon Fatty, stop!"
Qin Mu shouted urgently, but the Dragon Qilin was seemingly possessed—it couldn't hear a word he said, and seemed unable to control its own body, charging straight toward the mountain forest.
Qin Mu immediately vaulted into the air and flashed to the front of the Dragon Qilin. He pressed both palms against its forehead and pushed with all his might, shouting, "Dragon Fatty, wake up!"
He infused his voice with the Buddhist true words, his shout like thunder. But the Dragon Qilin merely pushed against him, continuing to charge forward, completely deaf to his commands.
Qin Mu unleashed all his strength, but it still wasn't enough to match the Dragon Qilin's power. He was shoved into the mountain forest, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The flute sound grew clearer and clearer, closer and closer.
He looked back and saw an enormous red flood dragon coiled among the mountains. Its massive head lay flat against the ground, its gaping maw open like the entrance to a giant cave, its teeth sharp as stalactites, dripping with slaver.
The flute sound came from the forehead of this red flood dragon. A girl in a long dress sat atop the dragon's head, playing the flute. Though the melody was cheerful, her face was covered in frost.
"Long Jiaonan!"
Qin Mu's heart lurched. He quickly looked around. This flood dragon had to be the Dragon King's red flood dragon. If Long Jiaonan and the red flood dragon were both here, was the Dragon King nearby as well?
The flute wound on, melodious and enchanting. The Dragon Qilin happily pushed Qin Mu toward the flood dragon's enormous mouth.
A cold glint flashed in Qin Mu's eyes. The Wuyou Sword shot into the air, and eight thousand swords flew forth, hurtling toward Long Jiaonan without hesitation.
Long Jiaonan let out a cold laugh. The red flood dragon's tail whipped over, and the countless flying swords clanged against it, one after another bouncing back.
Qin Mu's heart sank. This red flood dragon was an existence on the level of a Cult Master, its power inconceivable. He was afraid he might not be able to escape.
Just then, a massive hand suddenly reached down from the clouds in the sky. A voice like thunder boomed from above, "What wonderful luck. A little stroll in the lower realm, and I find a flood dragon just lying around."
The hand reached for the red flood dragon. Its fingers and palm were covered in rough scales. Below, the red flood dragon's face contorted in terror, and it collapsed to the ground, limp.
The Dragon Qilin also flopped down with a thump, too frightened to move. Long Jiaonan frantically channeled her qi to power the flute, but the red flood dragon remained utterly still, huddled there.
Long Jiaonan quickly leaped into the air to dodge the giant hand. She watched as the hand descended, gently grasped the Dragon King's red flood dragon, and withdrew back into the clouds.
The voice above laughed, "There's also a Dragon Qilin. What a pity it's too young. I'll let it graze for a few more years before coming to collect it. This trip to the lower realm was quite worthwhile—I've gotten myself a flood dragon."
Qin Mu's mind reeled. He looked up and saw, amid the clouds, a giant deity standing with one foot on a green flood dragon and the other on a red flood dragon, with two yellow flood dragons hanging from his ears, flying across the sky.
"A god..."
Qin Mu shook his head, struggling to steady his mind. He looked again. The deity's green and red flood dragons swam beneath his feet, carrying him southward.
"My father's dragons!"
Long Jiaonan screamed and sprinted south in a frenzy. Qin Mu suppressed the shock in his heart, raised his hand to summon back the Wuyou Sword, and thrust it forward. The eight thousand swords transformed into a cloud of blades, then rained down like a storm, embedding themselves all over the hillside.
Long Jiaonan grunted, weaving like a great serpent through the mountains to dodge the sword light, but several beams still found their mark, wounding her.
"Long Jiaonan, do you remember? I told you—if you ever attacked me again, I would show no mercy!"
Qin Mu kicked the Dragon Qilin awake and strode forward. The sword light howled upward, slashing toward Long Jiaonan. Her figure darted like a nimble serpent, impossibly fast. But the next instant, Qin Mu's speed exploded. He soared into the air, riding the cloud of swords forward.
Long Jiaonan howled continuously, channeling her magical power and unleashing her divine abilities to withstand his sword light head-on.
The Dragon Qilin finally regained consciousness and charged forward, opening its mouth to release a thunderous dragon roar that shook Long Jiaonan to her core.
Although Long Jiaonan was a powerhouse at the Seven Star realm, she was still outmatched by the Dragon Qilin. Her qi was scattered by the roar, and Qin Mu seized the opportunity, pointing his sword downward. Countless flying swords surged like a torrent, orbiting the Wuyou Sword and spinning as one, like an enormous blade thrusting straight at Long Jiaonan!
"Who dares bully my child?"
A deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out. Qin Mu's heart shook violently. "The Dragon King is here!"
He hastily withdrew his sword and was about to flee when a dragon-shaped dark cloud hurtled toward them through midair. Long Jiaonan looked up and shrieked, "Father, it's the Heavenly Demon Cult Master!"
Qin Mu dashed to the Dragon Qilin's side and shouted, "Dragon Fatty, I've raised you for a thousand days to use in a single moment—run!"
The Dragon Qilin was about to charge forward when its legs went weak and it collapsed to the ground. "Master, it's coming again!"
"What's coming again?"
Qin Mu heaved the Dragon Qilin up with both arms and was about to run for his life when the sky suddenly darkened. A voice like thunder boomed from above, "I still need two dragon-raising attendants—a boy and a girl. Perfect timing to take you both..."
The Dragon Qilin went completely limp, as if dead.
Only then did Qin Mu realize what had returned. The world spun around him, and against his will, he was lifted into the air and deposited into the clouds. Along with him fell Long Jiaonan, equally shaken and pale.
"What sorcerer is this? Release my son!" The Dragon King's voice rang out, approaching fast.
Qin Mu saw two thick, muscular legs standing in the clouds beside him, covered in rough scales. Between those legs, two flood dragons swam through the mist, carrying them southward.
He looked up and beheld a colossal deity over ten zhang tall. His robes billowed in the wind, his face was covered in scales, his brow ridge was prominent, and horns grew from his head.
"Noisy little insect."
The deity flicked his finger, and the Dragon King of the Dragon-Gate Sect went flying backward, spewing blood all the way, crashing into a mountain range with a thunderous boom. His fate was unknown.
"Boy and girl—attend to my dragons well."
The deity lowered his gaze toward the two figures in the clouds, bared his full set of sharp fangs, and grinned. "Otherwise, I'll use you as a snack."
Qin Mu set the Dragon Qilin down and boldly said, "Senior, I'm no longer a boy..."
Long Jiaonan hurriedly added, "And I'm no longer a girl either!"
The deity sneered, "Then there's no use keeping you around. Better to just eat you."
"I am a boy!" Qin Mu declared with righteous conviction. "This little wench isn't a girl. Please kill her, Senior!"