GD Ch. 33

Chapter 33: Why Don’t You Coax Me?

The dragon inside the mustard seed struggled for a while, causing the seed to spin like an ant between Zhuyou’s fingers.

Zhuyou clenched her five fingers tightly around the seed, sending a strand of her consciousness into it, finally allowing her to see the scenes within.

Inside the seed was a completely different world, with mountains, rivers, and lush vegetation everywhere, resembling a paradise.

The black dragon was curled up in the lake, its slender body thinner than water grass. If not for a closer look, one might not even notice it was a horned dragon.

Changying seemed to have lost consciousness, her eyes tightly shut as she floated lifelessly in the water.

After entering the seed, Zhuyou materialized into a human form, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders. With a flick of her finger, the dragon in the water was lifted, dripping wet, and landed in her hand.

Holding the dragon, Zhuyou took advantage of its unconscious state and transformed into a strand of consciousness, diving into the sea of consciousness she had never fully understood.

The silver-haired, black-robed devil vanished, and the dragon in her hand fell onto the soft grass with a thud. Perhaps because the fall wasn’t painful, it didn’t wake her.

In Changying’s sea of consciousness, the fog that had once obscured her vision had thinned, revealing countless spiritual threads, too numerous to count. However, the clusters of spiritual threads remained untouchable, well-protected.

Zhuyou left the sea of consciousness and bent down to pick up the dragon lying on the grass, feeding a strand of spiritual energy to her mouth.

Changying’s eyes snapped open, and she woke up, lunging for the spiritual energy but biting into empty air.

Seeing her open her mouth, Zhuyou immediately withdrew the energy and pinched the dragon’s head, asking, “Do you remember what you just said?”

The dragon’s golden eyes lifted, and in a soft, childlike voice, she said, “My horns… aren’t fully grown yet.”

“You don’t remember,” Zhuyou said, both annoyed and helpless. She hadn’t expected the dragon to play such a trick on her and then forget about it.

Changying let out a confused “Hmm?” her voice returning to its usual tone.

Zhuyou’s consciousness returned to her body, and she finally relaxed her grip on the mustard seed.

***

With a splash, a figure fell into the cold pool, sending water droplets flying everywhere.

The icy pool was overflowing with spiritual energy, as if an endless surge of power was erupting from within, startling the disciples of the immortal sects who were eager to meditate on the spot. Before they could sit down, they were pulled up by their fellow disciples.

“The spiritual energy in Shenhua Mountain is even richer. Hurry up and dive in to find the mountain gate!” one of them urged.

Several others jumped into the pool, scrambling like carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, each vying to be the first.

The three-foot-thick ice that had covered the pool’s surface had melted, but the water beneath was still freezing cold. The disciples who had jumped in let out cries of shock, shivering uncontrollably, their legs nearly frozen stiff.

Zhuyou reflected for a moment. The voice she had just heard was quite pleasant… It seemed Changying was meant to sound like that—neither thin nor sharp, nor as soft and childlike as before. Cold and calm, it suited her.

But it was also unfamiliar. In the Heavenly Realm, there were only a few powerful dragons, and none matched this voice.

Suddenly, an even more intense surge of spiritual energy erupted from the pool, parting the bone-chilling water and shooting into the sky before vanishing in an instant.

The mortals standing by the pool were startled and quickly stepped back, peering into the depths with lingering fear but seeing nothing.

Zhuyou, however, had a rough idea. Perhaps someone had found the mountain gate, and with its opening, the spiritual energy of Shenhua Mountain had burst forth.

The pool water, overwhelmed by the surging spiritual energy, exploded like icy arrows in all directions. Zhuyou’s wrist twitched slightly, and the water droplets near her face suddenly veered away, avoiding her and shooting off in another direction.

Even she was slightly shaken by the overwhelming spiritual energy. After regaining her composure, she realized she could no longer sense the fool’s presence.

Disciples of the immortal sects continued to dive into the water, while those who couldn’t enter the gate slowly floated back up. They crawled onto the shore, drenched and shivering, one of them gasping for breath and lamenting, “I’ve already reached the Golden Core stage, why can’t I enter the mountain gate?” Frustrated, he slapped the water’s surface, his palm turning red as ripples spread across the pool.

Zhuyou frowned, trying to sense the fool’s presence, but it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

Could it be that, in her moment of distraction, the fool had entered the mountain gate?

The cursing disciple added, “There was someone who had just started cultivating, and somehow he passed through the gate. I tried to grab his sleeve, but the mountain gate’s restriction pushed me away.”

There weren’t many disciples who had just begun cultivating, and the fool happened to be one of them. Zhuyou had intended to send a strand of her consciousness to follow the fool into Shenhua Mountain. But if he had already entered, then she…

Several more disciples surfaced, some of them familiar faces—fellow disciples of the fool. They exchanged glances and asked, “Did our shidi just go in?”

“I saw him enter, but inside there are demonic beasts everywhere. If something happens to him…”

“I called out to him, but he didn’t even turn his head. Was that really him?”

The person who had been stabbed through the abdomen in the fool’s dream sneered, “It’s good if he dies in there. Shenhua Mountain isn’t a place you can just walk out of. If he entered, he should be prepared to die.”

Zhuyou lowered her gaze, staring at the unfathomably deep pool. She was about to leap in when the dragon inside the mustard seed suddenly bumped its head.

The seed was hit squarely, and while it wasn’t bleeding, with such force, it was bound to get a concussion.

She paused, twirling the seed between her fingers, and asked through her mind, You’re a dragon, are you really afraid of water?

After saying this, a doubt suddenly arose in her mind.

Something felt off. Upon closer thought, why hadn’t she seen Jing Kexin today? Had the fool really entered Shenhua Mountain?

After all, she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes. How much of it was true?

Jing Kexin was no pushover. She hadn’t shown up all day, likely hiding somewhere.

The dragon inside the seed seemed to want out. Normally, she could come out whenever she pleased, but without Zhuyou’s permission, she just kept bumping her head, which, in a way, showed she was being obedient.

Zhuyou chuckled inwardly and slowly stepped back from the pool. The people around her had watched her stand there for a long time, staring intently at the water’s surface but never touching it, assuming she was afraid.

They felt it was a pity. If she had found the mountain gate, she might have been able to enter and seek her fortune. Being so timid, she would never achieve anything.

Zhuyou left the valley at the back of the mountain and took out a paper-folded oriole from the mustard seed. The paper was inscribed with strange devilish patterns, resembling black vines twisting and turning. She tossed the paper oriole into the air, and the intricately folded bird suddenly came to life, flapping its wings and soaring.

The paper oriole flew high, emitting a melodious chirp, truly enchanting.

To ordinary ears, the bird’s song was no different from any other bird’s, but to the Devil Clan, it was like the deafening clash of gongs and drums.

Within a hundred miles, any devil would hear it.

As soon as the oriole’s song ended, a faint devilish aura appeared outside the valley. Perhaps the devil was trying hard to suppress it, so the aura didn’t leak much. But even that tiny bit was enough for Zhuyou to detect the devil’s location.

The moment the devilish aura leaked, the great bell on the main peak suddenly rang, followed by bells from the other peaks, echoing in response.

Zhuyou, still inhabiting the mortal’s body, held the tiny mustard seed in one hand and raised her other hand. The paper oriole fluttering in the cold wind was instantly recalled. She turned and dashed toward where the devilish aura had appeared.

Meanwhile, the tiny mustard seed trembled between her fingers, wriggling like a bug.

Zhuyou felt a headache coming on. She reassured herself: This little girl has no spiritual energy, and she looks no different from a mortal. After some thought, she finally released Changying from the mustard seed.

The dragon, once out of the seed, bumped into her, cold and damp. If not for her soft body, it would have felt like hitting ice.

When Zhuyou was bumped head-on, she was still in a daze, thinking that the dragon, which used to only reach her legs, was now up to her waist, as if it had suddenly sprouted like a seedling.

She wondered whose dragon could grow so tall just days after hatching. Oh, right, it was hers.

She looked down and saw Changying’s hair, black as ink and messy. She reached out to brush it aside and noticed two cowlicks on her head.

It was said that those with two cowlicks had difficult temperaments but were clever.

Changying looked up, her face still youthful but slightly more mature. Her pale face was framed by light-colored eyes, her eyebrows arched, and her gaze cold and almost ruthless. The small mole on the tip of her nose was more prominent now.

So young, yet already so stern.

Zhuyou was silent for a while, then sighed in relief. Hearing that deep, ancient voice earlier, she had feared the dragon would become entirely unfamiliar in human form.

She turned the mustard seed upside down and realized that half of the spirit stones she had taken from the Heart-Questioning Rock had turned gray. Dull and lifeless, like ordinary rocks.

She extended a finger and pushed Changying’s forehead away, saying with disdain, “You’re so picky, refusing to eat those spirit stones, yet you’ve managed to devour them all. You’re quite the actor.”

Changying, pushed back slightly, though taller now, still looked like a child. She blinked in confusion, “You wouldn’t let me eat, so I had to find my own food.”

Well, “find my own food” indeed—more like raiding the pantry.

The little dragon’s delicate body shivered in the snow-laden wind, coughing weakly. While others appeared genuinely frail when sick, she remained icy and aloof, as if ready to drag someone down to the eighteenth layer of hell with her.

Zhuyou had no time to question her further, nor could she just leave the dragon there. So she grabbed her by the shoulders and followed the cold wind rushing out of the valley.

She clenched her teeth, gripping tightly, and said, “I’ll settle this with you later. For now, think about how you’re going to explain yourself.”

Changying remained silent, not struggling, but as her feet left the ground, she felt the grip on her shoulders loosen. She suddenly dropped, quickly wrapping her arms around Zhuyou’s waist, holding on tightly, her eyes showing no fear.

On the snow-covered ground several feet away, the wind howled like a wolf, rushing out of the valley.

She held on for a while, then loosened her grip slightly, seemingly displeased with the now less slender waist.

Zhuyou had only meant to scare her, not actually drop the child. She pressed Changying’s back and in an instant, they were on the cloud-covered cliff of the outer peak.

The outer peak was mostly inhabited by disciples with mediocre talents, without powerful masters to guide them. They were clueless about most things, not even understanding the significance of the bell ringing.

Changying clung tightly to Zhuyou. Unable to fly yet, she feared the devil might drop her, nearly choking Zhuyou in the process.

Zhuyou gripped the back of her clothes, wondering if the little dragon was using such force as revenge, and said, “Are you trying to strangle me?”

Changying held on even tighter, looking up at the divine offspring who had turned into a devil. 

Zhuyou looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.

The paper oriole chirped a few more times, causing the devilish aura to reappear. Zhuyou remembered the exact location and descended onto the cloud-covered cliff.

***

The mountain wind howled, and the sky was a vast expanse of white, with snow and wind raging.

On the edge of the cliff, an ordinary mortal cultivator stood beside a cold-faced, beautiful child. The child, who had been holding onto his waist, silently let go after a while, retracting her icy gaze and muttering, “Not good-looking.”

She wasn’t referring to Zhuyou, but to the mortal’s body.

Zhuyou glanced at the dragon, hesitating to speak.

She stood precariously close to the edge, one step away from falling into the abyss below, shrouded in clouds with no bottom in sight.

Changying wanted to follow, but Zhuyou raised a hand to stop her.

Zhuyou frowned, her hand groping in the air. Suddenly, she clenched her fingers, and with a tearing sound, something was ripped apart. The gloomy sky seemed to tear open, revealing a devil and a person hidden beyond the cloud-covered cliff.

As the spell broke, Jing Kexin’s stunned and slightly fearful face was revealed. She held someone in her arms—the fool.

She and the fool stood in mid-air. If they fell, she might survive, but the fool would surely be crushed to death.

Zhuyou reached out, and Jing Kexin was instantly pulled toward her by an invisible force, her knees buckling as she nearly collapsed onto the cliff.

The fool in Jing Kexin’s arms was pale, his pupils trembling. Only when his feet touched the snow-covered peak did he start struggling fiercely.

“You’re avoiding me, and still trying to deceive me.” Zhuyou clenched her five fingers, and Jing Kexin immediately felt as if her neck was being gripped, her face turning crimson.

Jing Kexin was both shocked and frightened, yet she didn’t let go of the fool. She clenched her teeth and suddenly tore apart the spiritual energy encircling her neck. As the energy dissipated, her hand felt as if it was being burned, the tender white palm now scorched black.

After catching her breath, she cooed with a smile, “Your cultivation has indeed improved greatly, to be able to find me. I was just thinking of playing a little game of blindfold with you.” She paused, glancing at the child standing beside Zhuyou, and sneered, “You even keep this sickly girl by your side, so indulgent. Why not share some of that affection with me?”

The blindfold game was a common pastime in the brothels of the mortal world. Immersed in sensual pleasures, she didn’t feel ashamed comparing herself to a courtesan.

Changying watched her coldly, slowly raising her hand to tug at Zhuyou’s sleeve.

Although this devil now occupied a mortal’s body, making her uglier, it was still better to keep her close, lest someone else steal her away, she thought to herself.

“Do you really want to blindfold me?” Zhuyou couldn’t bring herself to smile at the sight of this devil, her expression now grim.

Jing Kexin, though fearful, still forced a smile, her face devoid of innocence, exuding a thousand charms. “Playing blindfolded is quite fun, don’t you want to try?”

Zhuyou felt nauseated and didn’t want to engage in such nonsense. “Give him to me.”

Seeing Zhuyou reach out, Jing Kexin quickly said, “Do you know who he is!”

Of course, Zhuyou knew. She wanted to lure this fool into Shenhua Mountain precisely because he was the reincarnated soul of the Devil Lord. Otherwise, why would he be dressed in black and wielding such a sword in his dreams?

Jing Kexin refused to let go, but she also didn’t want to release her devilish aura. After suppressing it, her cultivation was also slightly diminished. She knew the Heaven-Observing Mirror was still in Huacheng Sect. If she released her devilish aura now, it would surely alert the celestial beings above. She couldn’t take that risk.

Zhuyou reached out to snatch the fool, at the same time pushing Changying away to avoid involving her.

Changying stumbled, barely keeping her balance. Her face grew colder, her bloodless lips slightly pursed, her pupils instantly turning into narrow dragon eyes.

Zhuyou’s spiritual energy swept past, splitting the falling snowflakes in two.

Jing Kexin quickly pulled the fool aside to avoid it, intending to summon lightning but forcibly stopping herself. She bit her lip, and dark corpse energy emanated from her body, like a volley of sharp arrows, densely packed.

She had become a devil through ghostly means, and as she raised her hand, her nails suddenly grew longer. She pressed her sharp nails against her forehead, making a deep gash. A hideous scar slowly extended down her nose, her beautiful mask splitting in two, revealing a grotesque, bloody ghostly face.

Zhuyou waved her hand, dispersing the corpse energy, which vanished like feathers in the wind. She clenched her fingers, and her spiritual energy instantly formed a ten-foot-high cage, trapping Jing Kexin inside.

Jing Kexin repeatedly cast spells trying to break free, but the cage tightened, suffocating her.

The fool clung to her, screaming wildly, his voice hoarse, but no one came to his rescue.

Zhuyou had placed a restriction on the dark cage, ensuring no one within ten feet could hear the heart-wrenching screams.

“If the Devil Lord awakens, he will not spare you!” Jing Kexin shouted hoarsely.

Zhuyou pulled the fool out, while Jing Kexin tried to follow but was firmly trapped inside.

“This soul can only be extracted upon his death. Since he’s doomed, do you want to take him back and beg him to hang himself, then mourn him properly?” Zhuyou coldly mocked.

The fool gasped for breath, trembling uncontrollably, his throat emitting low groans.

“Once he reaches the Devil Realm, the Devil Lord’s soul will consume him, but you want to kill him!” Jing Kexin grabbed the cage, her fingers scorched black, the flesh shriveled over the bones.

In unbearable pain, she enveloped herself in ghostly energy and charged forward, barely breaking a corner of the cage.

Zhuyou held the fool, glancing back at Changying and coldly saying to Jing Kexin, “Isn’t the Heavenly Realm’s plan to lure the Devil Lord’s soul into Shenhua Mountain? The Devil-Suppressing Tower might be there. You want to trick me into going, don’t you? To use me as a substitute for his life?”

Jing Kexin’s pupils contracted, her ghostly claws suddenly extending, only to be burned by a burst of phoenix fire.

“Rather than watching the Devil-Suppressing Tower be completed, why not use this soul to draw out the tower and destroy its foundation?” Zhuyou turned back, only to find her dragon hadn’t moved closer, as if sulking.

“If the Devil Lord’s soul is lost, you will die!” Jing Kexin screamed, her already ugly face twisting into something even more horrifying.

Zhuyou paid no heed, saying to Changying, “Come.”

Only then did Changying reluctantly walk over, obediently grasping Zhuyou’s rough sleeve.

Zhuyou held one in her left hand and carried another in her right, descending towards the cloud-covered cliff, their figures soon completely obscured by the mountain mist.

The fool screamed again, flailing his arms wildly.

As soon as Zhuyou landed, she dropped him to the ground, slowly raising a hand to cover one eye. She had expended too much spiritual energy; if she left this body now, she might go blind again.

The fool crawled away on all fours, trembling all over. After a few steps, he was blocked.

“Didn’t I tell you? If you want revenge, you must enter Shenhua Mountain. No matter who tries to deceive you, don’t believe them. Don’t let those ugly things block your path.”

The fool quickly looked up, but the person before him was still a male cultivator, though the voice was familiar. It was the silver-haired beauty who spoke to him in his dreams.

He nodded hastily, stammering, “I… I understand.”

Only then did Zhuyou look up with satisfaction, gazing towards the rear peak.

The mountain gate wouldn’t stay open forever; soon it would be difficult to enter. Just as she was about to move, she felt a cold touch on her wrist—Changying had placed her hand there.

The dragon girl, now reaching her waist, stared at her intently, her vertical pupils still visible.

“I haven’t vented my anger yet, why are you sulking now?” Zhuyou casually ruffled her hair.

Changying pointed at the fool, her small face cold as she pouted. “You coaxed him, why not me?” Her pale lips pursed, and although she was still emotionless, she looked somewhat aggrieved.