GD Ch. 41 Part 2

Chapter 41: Why Is There a Dragon Aura?

Raising a dragon was no easy task. Once they were back, she ordered Hanzhu to bring out ink and brushes. Tilting her chin slightly, she instructed Changying to write.

Changying had an excellent memory—far too good to be someone who didn’t remember things. She only needed to hear a poem once before she could recite it perfectly. Seeing this, Zhuyou concluded that she must already know how to read and ordered her to write the poem down as well.

Once she had sent the dragon off to practice writing, Zhuyou leaned lazily against the soft couch. She recalled something she had asked Hanzhu to investigate earlier. “I nearly forgot—when you went to Shangxi City, did you see Wu Buzhi? What did he say?”

Hanzhu replied, “Wu Buzhi said that in all his years, he has never heard of anyone successfully reconstructing a body. That kind of technique would have to date back to the very beginning of time, when the gods first split the heavens from the mortal world.”

Zhuyou raised an eyebrow, silent for a moment. That seemed highly unlikely.

Meanwhile, Changying was diligently copying her writing. When she was done, she carefully held up the paper, the ink still wet.

Zhuyou took one look at the writing and was immediately dumbfounded. The characters were older than her own years, each one strange and incomprehensible—she could barely recognize them.

Since the dawn of chaos?

This dragon?

“Mistress?” Hanzhu called cautiously.

Zhuyou tapped her fingers idly on the armrest, her gaze shifting toward the dragon, whose face remained cold and indifferent. “Who taught you this writing?”

Changying’s expression did not change as she replied, “It seems I was meant to know how to write these characters.”

“Oh? And I suppose you were meant to ascend to the heavens too?” Zhuyou scoffed. She felt a headache coming on. She had no idea what kind of creature she had hatched, but it seemed her sacrifice of blood wasn’t in vain. She had gambled her life on this—apparently, it wasn’t a bad bet after all. Turning to Hanzhu, she ordered, “Bring out any literacy books you have from the Mortal Realm.”

Hanzhu rummaged through her belongings and, surprisingly, pulled out a stack of books half as tall as a person.

Zhuyou raised a hand, and the topmost book was swept up by the wind, landing neatly in her palm. She flipped it open and, seeing the lively illustrations of farm animals, pointed to a small character beside one. “Do you know this word?”

Changying’s pale eyes shifted slightly, staring at the character for a long time without speaking.

“This is ‘pig,’” Zhuyou said.

Standing nearby, Hanzhu instinctively covered her face. Was her mistress intentionally humiliating the dragon?

However, Changying’s blank and silent reaction made Zhuyou think—She truly doesn’t know. Poor thing.

Zhuyou stared at the neatly written characters and cleared her throat. “Repeat after me.”

Changying’s expression remained cold, showing no sign of reluctance. She moved her lips and, sure enough, followed along.

As the two took turns reciting the words, Hanzhu pressed her face further into her hands. She couldn’t help but wonder—who was the real fool in this Grand Hall?

Oh, maybe she was. Even if not her, someone had to be.

Zhuyou had been reluctant to teach at first, but Changying learned quickly and was incredibly obedient. Whatever she was told to read, she read—capable of drawing inferences with a brilliance that was truly remarkable.

A beautiful and intelligent one—who wouldn’t like that?

But their peaceful days didn’t last long before someone came knocking.

Zhuyou tossed the book aside and told Changying to read aloud from it. As she listened, she caught the sound of rustling outside the hall doors. Even through the door panels, she could sense a few presences—some strong, some weak.

Changying picked up the book, her expression unreadable as she began reading in a calm, detached tone. In just one pass, she could already recite it backward without error.

Yet Zhuyou wasn’t listening at all. She was too focused on the movement outside the hall, wondering what those sneaky devils were up to.

The reading suddenly halted, and Changying said flatly, “You’re not listening.”

“I am,” Zhuyou replied.

She lounged on the soft couch while Changying sat on the embroidered carpet below—one high, one low. With just a small reach, Zhuyou could touch the top of Changying’s head. Her hair was now neatly combed, a stark contrast to the messy tufts from her younger days. The two cowlicks from before had disappeared. Zhuyou found it strangely disappointing.

Changying resumed reciting, her voice devoid of any emotion, making what should have been an engaging tale sound more like a death sentence.

Meanwhile, the rustling outside continued. The figures outside seemed to inch closer but hesitated to knock.

Zhuyou found it odd. Since her return, hardly any little devils had dared to approach the Grand Hall. Most avoided her at all costs—why would they now throw themselves into the lion’s den?

One aura felt particularly familiar—wasn’t it Jing Kexin?

Jing Kexin never brought good news. Zhuyou had no intention of opening the door, but then came the voice from outside—

“I’ve found a treasure and brought it to show you, Your Grace.”

Changying was immediately interrupted. Her face darkened, looking distinctly unamused.

“Throw it in,” Zhuyou said impatiently.

“How could I toss in a treasure if you don’t open the door?” Jing Kexin’s voice was sweet and coy.

Hanzhu immediately turned to her mistress, hesitating about whether to open the hall doors.

Zhuyou didn’t bother responding. She simply pinched her thumb and forefinger together—snap. A small spell was cast.

Changying had looked displeased before, her pale complexion making her seem perpetually ill. But the moment Zhuyou cast the spell, her expression softened just a little.

Zhuyou had used this spell before—it muted all sounds from the outside.

With the spell in place, she lifted her chin slightly, signaling for Changying to continue reading.

Changying’s long lashes trembled. Her pale face bore a tiny, striking mole at the tip of her nose. She parted her lips and obediently resumed reading.

But after only two sentences, she sensed something was off. Her gaze immediately shifted toward Zhuyou.

Zhuyou didn’t just cast the spell on Changying—she cast it on herself as well. So now, not only was Changying unable to hear anything, but Zhuyou couldn’t either.

She was basically reciting the book for nothing, yet Zhuyou still put on an act of listening attentively, even nodding from time to time.

Changying: …

As expected, devils were all skilled liars.

Jing Kexin, though met with silence, didn’t leave dejectedly. Instead, she transmitted a message directly to their minds, her voice sweet and delicate as she prattled on.

Doesn’t Your Grace want to take a look at this treasure I’ve brought? It wasn’t easy for me to obtain it.

This treasure of mine is meant only for Your Grace’s eyes. No one else is allowed to see it.

Why won’t Your Grace open the door? I still haven’t thanked you for the matter of the Heart-Questioning Rock yesterday.

Zhuyou had reached her limit. No matter how innocent her eyes might appear, they now carried a trace of impatience. With a flick of her hand, the Grand Hall’s doors burst open with a loud bang, sending a fierce gust of wind rushing inside.

However, her gaze didn’t land on Jing Kexin or the other devils outside the hall. Instead, she was already considering where she should hang this devil up.

The moment the doors opened, Jing Kexin’s smile blossomed, and before the hall’s master could speak, she flitted inside, dragging a few small devils in with her.

She stood steadily in the center of the Grand Hall, but the small devils weren’t as fortunate—they tumbled to the ground, their appearances decent enough, yet they fell in a rather unsightly manner.

It was only after they entered that Zhuyou caught a whiff of something unusual.

Faint—so faint it was barely noticeable. If she hadn’t focused, she wouldn’t have smelled it at all…

Dragon aura.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she swept her gaze over the group, immediately spotting a clam demon among them. That faint trace of dragon aura was coming from her.

A creature that wasn’t a dragon could only pick up such a scent by lingering in the Dragon Palace for a long time. Though the clam demon had concealed it well, Zhuyou still caught it.

So… it was a Dragon Palace clam demon that Jing Kexin had captured. Looked like Luo Qing was right—they really had run into Dragon Palace spies.

Jing Kexin’s smile was dazzling, the corners of her lips curled like hooks. There was no mistaking her intentions—she had deliberately brought this clam demon before Zhuyou.

Zhuyou turned and pulled the book from Changying’s hands. Then, rather reluctantly, she lifted the silencing spell. As she did, her gaze flickered toward the clam demon.

She knew exactly what Jing Kexin was trying to do—bringing the clam demon here in an attempt to flush out whatever Zhuyou had taken from the Dragon Palace.

With a lazy curl of her finger, she hooked a lock of Changying’s hair in her grasp, dragging her tone as she asked, “Are these little devils the ‘treasure’ you wanted to show me?”

Jing Kexin quickly replied, “I only thought Your Grace could use some attendants. Since you don’t fancy me, otherwise, I would’ve served you myself. But the treasure I have for Your Grace is still right here in my arms.”

Zhuyou stretched out a hand, her palm smooth and pale.

Jing Kexin immediately tossed over a book, which landed neatly in Zhuyou’s grasp. The cover was completely blank, devoid of any words.

Zhuyou thought to herself—was this some kind of ancient text?

Changying also lifted her gaze slightly, seemingly curious.

The book was thin and looked incredibly old. Zhuyou opened it, thinking to let Changying have a look as well—to see what kind of “treasure” Jing Kexin had brought.

But the moment she flipped the first page, she froze.

What… in the world was this?

The illustrations depicted two women, barely clothed, seemingly engaged in some rather indecent activities.

Zhuyou inhaled sharply and, in an instant, shredded the book to pieces. The white paper fluttered to the ground like drifting snow.

Jing Kexin covered her lips, her eyes crescent-shaped with mirth. “Why not take a longer look, Your Grace?”

Zhuyou wasn’t sure how much Changying had seen. Her eyes lifted, and through gritted teeth, she said to Changying, “Never accept things from devils so easily. Remember that.”

Changying’s gaze drifted toward the pile of demon weapons and devil artifacts stacked in the corner of the Grand Hall.
After a long pause, she finally nodded, thinking, But then why have you accepted so many?