Long Jiaonan lunged forward, her voice sharp: "You brat, this wretched state I'm in is all your doing!"
Qin Mu raised his hand, and Buddhist light blazed forth as he clashed head-on with her. Their bodies trembled violently from the impact. Suddenly, Long Jiaonan's thick, lustrous hair scattered and fell away, revealing patch after patch of baldness on her scalp. Her face skin also suddenly loosened and sagged.
Qin Mu's qi and blood surged, and he was about to strike again when he paused abruptly, holding back his attack.
Out in the Eastern Sea, Long Jiaonan had nearly died under the combined assault of Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang. She had desperately molted to escape, but it cost her life force. Though the Dao Lord had taken her away, she still hadn't recovered.
Now, after clashing with Qin Mu, her wig fell off instantly, and her tightly stretched skin became loose and saggy.
Long Jiaonan also noticed her hair falling out. She let out a startled cry and frantically scrambled around, picking up strands of hair from everywhere. She grabbed a lock and tried to stick it back on her head, but the hair was already scattered—how could it stick back on?
"Sister Long, your lifespan is already running out. If you don't push yourself, you could still live a few decades like an ordinary person. If you attack me again, I won't even need to kill you—just one serious injury, and you won't have any chance of survival."
Qin Mu shook his head. "There's no possibility left for you to seek revenge on me in this life. Why bother?"
Long Jiaonan's voice was shrill: "You're the one who turned me into this wretched state, and now you have the nerve to make such callous remarks!"
"You did this to yourself, and your father, the Dragon King, did it to you as well. It has nothing to do with me. You're just latching onto me because you need someone to vent your anger on."
Qin Mu glanced at the thick, sturdy leg beside him and looked up. The divine being was gazing downward, but not at them—he was surveying the mountains and rivers of the State of Yankang.
Obviously, this divine being didn't consider them a threat at all. The only use he saw in them was tending to his dragons.
Qin Mu steadied himself and calculated the possibility of using the Heaven-Stealing Divine Legs to escape, then quickly dismissed the thought. The Heaven-Stealing Divine Legs were indeed extremely fast—at full power, he could exceed the speed of sound by more than four times. But the duration was short; he could only maintain it for half a quarter of an hour before his energy was exhausted and his body fatigued.
Judging from the speed of the two flood dragons beneath this divine being's feet, while he might get a head start, catching up to him wouldn't be difficult.
Moreover, Dragon Qilin, that useless lump, had gone completely limp and couldn't stand up at all. If Qin Mu had to drag Dragon Qilin along, the distance he could cover would be severely limited.
Dragon Qilin was simply too fat and too heavy!
"It's just raising dragons, isn't it? I take care of this fat dragon every day—this is easy for me!"
Qin Mu sat down. Beneath him was the body of one of the flood dragons, broad and expansive. Having a skill to rely on made him fearless. If he could even raise a fat dragon like that one, what was so hard about raising other flood dragons?
"Senior, how should I address you?" Qin Mu called out.
"You may call me Lord Who Nurtures Dragons."
The divine being surveyed the landscape, his voice rumbling like thunder: "I am a god from the Upper Realm. As long as you serve my dragons well, I will spare your lives. Not only will I spare you, but I can also take you away from this turbid world to the Upper Realm to enjoy bliss while raising dragons for me."
Long Jiaonan's eyes lit up, and she called out loudly: "Ancestor! I am a disciple of the Dragon Taming Gate. The Dragon Taming Gate is the sect you founded!"
Qin Mu shuddered. "This is bad! This Lord Who Nurtures Dragons is the founder of the Dragon Taming Gate!"
He regretted asking Lord Who Nurtures Dragons for his name. Now that Long Jiaonan was recognizing their connection, he was doomed!
He wanted to slip away, but he only gave Dragon Qilin a kick. The fat lump was still sprawled on the dragon's back, its muscles and bones too weak to move.
"I have a skill to rely on, I have a skill to rely on!" Qin Mu steadied himself, comforting inwardly.
"The Dragon Taming Gate?"
The two flood dragons beneath Lord Who Nurtures Dragons halted. The towering divine being looked down at Long Jiaonan and said in surprise: "I did create that sect once, but that was a long time ago. I founded the Dragon Taming Gate on a whim, and after going to the Upper Realm, I paid it no further attention. You're a disciple of the Dragon Taming Gate? Who was the one just now who called you 'son'?"
Long Jiaonan, both startled and delighted, hurriedly prostrated herself, kowtowing repeatedly: "That is my father, the current Gate Master of the Dragon Taming Gate!"
"His cultivation is quite poor. Being knocked away by my flicks like that—he won't die."
The two dragons beneath Lord Who Nurtures Dragons began descending. "Since you are a disciple of the Dragon Taming Gate, I won't make things difficult for you. It seems your vital energy is damaged. I'll give you a dragon pearl to recuperate on your own. It won't restore your appearance completely, but it can replenish your true essence and extend your lifespan."
A bright orange pearl flew down from above. Long Jiaonan hastily caught it in her hands and kowtowed repeatedly. "Ancestor! This person is the sworn enemy of our Dragon Taming Gate. He destroyed our entire sect!"
Qin Mu shrank back his neck and shook his head. "Miss Long, don't slander an innocent person. What level of cultivation and strength do I have? How could I possibly destroy your Dragon Taming Gate? Such a vast holy ground, with experts numerous as ox hairs, all possessing great powers and extraordinary abilities, and every one of them skilled at raising dragons—what ability could I have to destroy them?"
Lord Who Nurtures Dragons sized him up. He looked like an honest, guileless youth—much more reliable than Long Jiaonan. "This weak, chicken-like, honest child destroyed the sect I created? Were you all that weak?"
Long Jiaonan gritted her teeth and hissed: "This boy summoned demonic gods and killed my entire clan!"
Qin Mu looked honest and stammered in defense: "How could I? I've studied medicine since childhood and am revered as a divine doctor. I usually just mix potions and raise this Dragon Qilin, feeding him until he's fat and content. How could I summon demonic gods to harm people? You not only slander me, but you also... you also slander me!"
Long Jiaonan flew into a rage, leaping over to choke his neck, her voice shrill: "You are the Heavenly Demon Cult Master—a heart full of wicked schemes, the darkest of the dark!"
Qin Mu gasped for breath, rolling his eyes.
Suddenly, Lord Who Nurtures Dragons flicked a finger and sent Long Jiaonan tumbling several somersaults through the air.
Long Jiaonan crashed headfirst into the ground. Only then did she notice they had already landed. The two flood dragons beneath Lord Who Nurtures Dragons had brought them to the banks of the Golden River.
"Are you the one who fed this Qilin's dragon so fat?"
Lord Who Nurtures Dragons held Qin Mu in his palm, examining him up and down, and laughed: "You've fed it very well, very well indeed. I'm quite pleased with you."
Qin Mu faced him directly, his heart clenching with fear. Lord Who Nurtures Dragons was simply too enormous—his face alone was larger than Qin Mu's entire body, and it was covered in dragon scales. The raised brow ridges were not surrounded by scales but instead sprouted two wing-like eyebrows.
"Senior..."
Qin Mu mustered his courage. "I've studied medicine since childhood and my medical skills are passable. Every day I feed the Dragon Qilin half a peck of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills."
"Half a peck of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills?"
Lord Who Nurtures Dragons chuckled. "It seems your alchemy skills are truly remarkable, to be able to produce so many spirit pills every day. A little one at this juvenile stage couldn't possibly eat that much each day. He only needs one bowl of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills."
Qin Mu's face immediately darkened.
Lord Who Nurtures Dragons continued: "But he hasn't wasted all those spirit pills. Instead, they've been converted into dragon essence and qilin essence stored within his body. With just the right stimulation, he can refine them into a dragon pearl and Qilin Fire—quite impressive. Only then would he be considered an adult. I can see that while you understand alchemy, you don't know how to raise dragons. Are you willing to join my sect?"
"I am willing!"
Long Jiaonan was furious. This scoundrel was slippery and opportunistic, climbing up the pole to become her senior ancestor!
"I'm not asking you to join as my disciple, but to serve as a page boy."
Lord Who Nurtures Dragons laughed. "Don't rush to bow as my disciple—I don't take disciples. As long as you serve my dragons well, taking you as a disciple in the future is not out of the question. For now, refine a furnace of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills to let me see."
Qin Mu immediately burst forth with his true essence and took out several herbs from the Glutton's Bag, refining pills in midair. While Lord Who Nurtures Dragons was still speaking, he had already finished refining a furnace of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills.
Lord Who Nurtures Dragons showed a look of astonishment, which quickly turned to delight. He laughed heartily: "Having taken on this page boy, I've saved myself a great deal of trouble. From now on, you'll handle the alchemy, and I can relax!"
He lifted his foot and kicked Dragon Qilin. "Little one, I'll teach you the technique for refining dragon pearls and Qilin Fire. You can also help tend the fires for alchemy."
Dragon Qilin finally managed to stand up, filled with both surprise and joy.
Qin Mu also relaxed. "Deaf Grandpa always said that all pursuits are inferior to reading and studying. He said Medicine Grandpa's medical skills were useless—treat someone wrong and you'd lose everything. But reading and painting could sustain you anywhere. Yet Deaf Grandpa nearly starved to death selling paintings, while Medicine Grandpa's medical skills opened doors wherever he went..."
"Little girl, come here."
Long Jiaonan lowered her head and approached. Lord Who Nurtures Dragons looked her up and down and shook his head. "You also know some dragon-raising methods. Then you'll serve as his attendant and help me raise dragons. Remember well—stop slandering him, or I won't spare you!"
Long Jiaonan's heart burned with fury, but she had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Qin Mu felt a surge of satisfaction and asked: "Lord, what brings you to the Golden River?"
"To find the main dragon vein of the State of Yankang."
A ring hanging from Lord Who Nurtures Dragons' ear jiggled, then slithered down from his ear, transforming into a yellow flood dragon. It grew longer and larger, its aura increasingly terrifying, and swam directly into the river.
The Golden River's current was swift. As soon as the flood dragon entered the water, it stirred up wind and waves. Suddenly, the water surged into the air, floating above and transforming into an aerial river.
"This is the belly of the Golden River's dragon. The dragon's claw should be nearby."
Lord Who Nurtures Dragons looked down at the riverbed, his expression one of disappointment. He shook his head. "This is not the main dragon vein."
Qin Mu also looked down at the riverbed and was slightly taken aback. The river bottom had been scoured to reveal stone slabs shaped like dragon scales. From the arrangement of these stones, one could faintly make out the shape of a dragon's claw!
"Rivers possess river qi. When river qi converges, it forms dragon veins, and these dragon veins are made of water. Mountain qi converges to form dragon veins, and these are made of earth. Fire qi and magma converge to form dragon veins, and these are made of fire. These three types of dragon veins are well-known, but there is a fourth type—the wind dragon vein. Howling winds roar for ten thousand miles, carving dragon traces across mountains and plains. This dragon vein is made of wind."
Lord Who Nurtures Dragons raised his head to the sky and murmured: "I've already inspected the wind veins and mountain veins. I've also examined the Tu River and the Golden River. Moving forward, I need to check the three fire dragon veins beneath us. The State of Yankang has so many dragon veins... a great dragon is likely about to be born here. Take away the main dragon vein, and the dragons will be without a leader. Heh heh... the world will descend into chaos..."