The Dragon of the Fallen Demon Master Sister in a Book - Chapter 17

A human, a dragon, and a cat sat atop the backs of Bloodthirsty Wolves. True to their reputation as ferocious beasts at the Foundation Establishment stage, the wolves were incredibly fast. Moreover, with three of them moving together, they seemed to gain an additional speed boost, charging forward with all their might. In just a few leaps, they had already reached the edge of the jungle.

 

Just as they were about to step onto the mountain peak, Feng Qingzhuo reached out and patted the fangs of the wolf beneath her, signaling it to stop and go no further.

 

Fangs was the fastest and largest of the three Bloodthirsty Wolves—the alpha of the pack. Having fought alongside Feng Qingzhuo for years, Fangs immediately understood her intention and found a secluded spot in the jungle to let her dismount.

 

Chris lay perched on Feng Qingzhuo’s shoulder. Though still a dragon hatchling, she had grown considerably by now, weighing at least as much as a medium-sized dog. Worried she might be too heavy, Chris flapped her wings slightly, trying to lighten the load.

 

However, sensing what her little dragon was up to, Feng Qingzhuo firmly pressed her down with a hand and said, “Don’t move.”

 

“You’re not heavy.”

 

“You’re very light. I was lying to you last time.” As soon as Feng Qingzhuo said this, Chris immediately stilled, pressing her head against Feng Qingzhuo’s cheek, quiet as a mouse.

 

The awakened cat, however, suddenly felt uneasy—not from poor sleep or a stiff neck caused by bad posture, but from a feline’s unique intuition. It abruptly poked its head out of the woven basket, sensing that something ominous was about to happen.

 

An unusual scent lingered in the air.

 

The smell of fire.

 

The fragrant aroma of burning wood.

 

The cat disliked this scent.

 

Before being captured, the cat had been an ice-attribute beast, so encountering fire now made it genuinely uncomfortable.

 

The situation seemed to be taking a turn for the worse.

 

The cat trusted this sixth sense completely. If not for this instinct, its current state wouldn’t be that of a cat—once a great tiger—abandoned in this place, but rather a corpse discarded somewhere or devoured by some unknown beast.

 

Anxiety gnawed at the cat, making it meow incessantly and paw at the edges of the basket. It wanted to leave.

 

It absolutely couldn’t stay here any longer.

 

Chris noticed, and naturally, so did Feng Qingzhuo, who signaled the sprinting Bloodthirsty Wolves to halt. After dismounting, Feng Qingzhuo lifted the cat from the basket.

 

Chris realized that Feng Qingzhuo wasn’t the least bit concerned about their home being secretly set on fire. Her A-Zhuo expressionlessly picked up the cat and spoke a few words to it. “Go.”

 

“You can’t stay with me anymore.”

 

Without waiting for the already eager-to-flee cat to react, she stuffed it back into the bamboo basket. The cat, tense to the point of unsheathing its claws, even flattened its ears into airplane mode—yet none of this stopped Feng Qingzhuo from grabbing it and unceremoniously rolling it back into the basket with a few swift motions.

 

The three Bloodthirsty Wolves huddled together, secretly mocking the cat for being so useless. How could it be so timid? It was just a fire! Just a few two-legged creatures! How could something like this scare it out of its wits? They were dying of laughter!

 

But before they could finish ridiculing the cat, Feng Qingzhuo grabbed a tuft of their fur and instantly seized control of their fate by the scruff of their necks.

 

The three wolves stared blankly, their eyes wide as they looked at Feng Qingzhuo, only to see her already strapping the bamboo basket—with the cat stuffed inside—onto Saber (Little Grass)’s back.

 

Saber was utterly confused. Why would their two-legged friend tie this cowardly cat to their back? Did she think they, the Bloodthirsty Wolves, were the kind to fear death? Were they some dishonorable pack? Their friend’s cave had been burned down—did she expect them to tuck their tails and flee like those spineless dogs? That was just too much!

 

The three wolves widened their eyes, lowering their heads in disbelief as they stared at Feng Qingzhuo. Then they heard her say, “I need you to do me a favor—take it away first.”

 

“The enemy is after you and it.”

 

“Get it out of Tianxuan Sect’s territory.” Feng Qingzhuo absentmindedly stroked the patch of pure black fur on Saber’s head and added, “Don’t come back after this.”

 

“The Tianxuan Sect’s lands were never suitable for Bloodthirsty Wolves to grow.” She looked up. “You need to return to the Endless Forest—that’s where you truly belong.”

 

“You’ve grown too fast. You’re already at the late Foundation Establishment stage. The next step is the Golden Core realm, and the Tianxuan Sect would never allow a Golden Core-level beast to exist here. So…”

 

“Don’t let yourselves get caught. Leave the way you came—no need to stay here with me any longer.” Feng Qingzhuo forced a smile, shrugging nonchalantly before rubbing her dragon cub’s head as if to say,

 

“Of course, I know you won’t. After all… so many Foundation Establishment cultivators came to capture you before, and none even caught a glimpse of you.”

 

“Awooo!” The three wolves whined reluctantly, their emerald-green eyes fixed on Feng Qingzhuo. They flicked their tails, their pupils reflecting her image, then howled again, puffing out their chests as if declaring, “No way, absolutely no way! Do you even know who we are?!”

 

The dragon cub didn’t understand. The dragon cub fell into deep thought. The dragon cub scratched her head in frustration and could only turn to her mentor for help. She asked, “Dragon Soul, what are they saying?!”

 

Dragon Soul tilted her head and explained, “Your two-legged friend is discussing their escape route from the Tianxuan Sect.”

 

She locked eyes with Chris and sighed, adding with exasperation, “It’s about time you properly studied the languages of other races. Once we return to Dragon Valley, you’re coming with me for intensive training. For now, just memorize some basic words.”

 

Chris stiffened, her dragon body trembling as a sense of foreboding washed over her. She was already a university student—studying? Studying what?! Might as well head to the docks for some fries! How about we discuss what to eat tonight instead?

 

Faced with Longhun’s sharp gaze, the dragon cub fell silent, instantly recalling the saying: a wise dragon doesn’t fight when outmatched.

 

And so… Chris backed down. She could only lower her head and promise, “Yes, Elder Longhun, of course, I will, Elder Longhun.”

 

By the time Chris turned around, Feng Qingzhuo had already finished her communication with the creatures.

 

No one knew what method she had used, but the three bloodthirsty wolves reluctantly nuzzled her hand with their heads, their emerald-green eyes glowing faintly. Led by their alpha with bared fangs, they turned and dashed into the forest.

 

It had to be said that bloodthirsty wolves were truly the darlings of the jungle. With their long limbs, agile bodies, and well-proportioned muscles, their massive silver forms shot forward like arrows the moment Feng Qingzhuo gave the command. Three dark shadows vanished into the woods in the blink of an eye, leaving Chris utterly dumbfounded.

 

Watching her animal friends depart, Feng Qingzhuo gave a slight nod. Then, with the dragon cub in tow, she turned and walked into the snowstorm.

 

Human and dragon stepped into the snowy wilderness.

 

Chris pressed her head against Feng Qingzhuo’s neck. As a fire-attribute black dragon, her body temperature was significantly higher than a human’s. Now, with her head resting on Feng Qingzhuo’s neck and her tail coiled around the woman’s shoulder for stability, the dragon cub nuzzled her gently and whispered in her ear:

 

“A-Zhuo, why don’t you seem very worried?”

 

Shouldn’t normal people feel angry or indignant when their home was stolen? Or perhaps… resentful?

 

Being an affectionate dragon, Chris quite enjoyed physical contact with Feng Qingzhuo—it was rather comfortable. As she pondered this, she nuzzled Feng Qingzhuo again, her draconic eyes filled with confusion.

 

“Ah? Hmm… oh…” Feng Qingzhuo paused, her response halting. She seemed unprepared for such a question from the dragon cub, but patiently explained, “Because my master told me that when I feel unable to control my emotions, I must recite the Heart-Cleansing Mantra.”

 

“Heart-Cleansing Mantra?” Chris echoed in confusion.

 

“Mn.” Feng Qingzhuo nodded and began reciting the mantra aloud.

 

Chris: ?

 

She didn’t quite understand it. Moreover… she felt like this Heart-Cleansing Mantra had no effect on dragons. Did it only work on humans?

 

But… why was there such strict control over one’s emotions? Did cultivation forbid emotional attachments? What kind of ridiculous rule was that! Chris found it all very strange, so she turned her gaze toward Longhun, hoping for an explanation.

 

Yet Longhun merely furrowed his brows slightly. After some thought, he answered, “I don’t really understand the cultivation methods of you two-legged creatures.”

 

“No dragon has ever attempted human cultivation methods before.”

 

Since even Longhun—practically a walking encyclopedia and the dragon cub’s guide—didn’t know, Chris had no choice but to let the matter drop.

 

Feng Qingzhuo walked onward, and before long, her wooden cabin came into view.

 

Chris froze, lifting off from Feng Qingzhuo’s body. The fire had been burning for a long time, reducing the once exquisite wooden house to nothing but a charred skeleton. Flames still licked at the remains, thick smoke billowing into the sky. Outside, three wintersweet trees had been chopped down, leaving only blackened stumps.

 

Even the five-petal lotus marble table beneath the trees hadn’t escaped destruction—it had been kicked over, and one of the stone stools was missing.

 

At the sight of all this, Chris fell silent.

 

Chris was stunned.

 

Chris: “…”

 

Damn idiots! Who the hell did this?! Fvck!!! They even took her favorite wintersweet trees?! And not just that—they had to burn the stumps too?! What the hell! And they stole her stools?! Were these people so desperate they’d never seen a stone table before?!

 

At first, Chris hadn’t realized how serious this was. After all, her A-Zhuo was the sect leader’s personal disciple—who would dare burn down his house? That would be a slap in the sect leader’s face! But apparently… she had really run into these morons.

 

Unbelievable! These bastards had gone completely lawless!!!

 

The dragon cub was furious. Suddenly, Chris realized that, as a dragon, she didn’t need to restrain her temper like Feng Qingzhuo. So, she spread her wings and took flight, her draconic pupils locking onto several black-clad figures still rummaging through the wreckage. Without hesitation, she dove straight toward them.

 

A sudden dragon’s roar startled the people scavenging through the ruins. They looked up just in time to see a winged shadow hurtling toward them.

 

One of the black-clad men raised his sword, remaining calm even in the face of danger. He shouted to his companions, “Second Brother, Third Brother! Some black beast is flying at us! It must be the Foundation Establishment-level savage beast Young Master Li mentioned—the one kept by the owner of this place! Quick, form the formation! Gather around me!”

 

The three of them swiftly arranged themselves into a defensive formation, weapons raised. They found a slightly elevated spot near a fireplace that could serve as cover and took position. Against a Foundation Establishment-level beast, they couldn’t afford to be careless—one wrong move, and they might lose their lives to this unknown creature.

 

“When facing savage beasts in the wild, formations are humanity’s greatest weapon. The cultivation world has many types of formations, generally categorized into nine purposes: offense, defense, suppression, sealing, gathering, illusion, concealment, refinement, and teleportation. The one these three are using is the Shield-Fire Offense-Defense Formation—a hybrid of attack and defense.”

 

The dragon spirit never missed a chance to educate Chris. It added, “Formations are also divided into four tiers: Mortal, Spirit, Earth, and Heaven. The Shield-Fire Formation they’re using is only a mid-tier Mortal-grade formation, but it’s particularly troublesome for dragons. In any case, this is your first real battle—be careful.”

 

“Sis! Bro! My Dragon Soul boss! Didn’t you say you didn’t understand human cultivation methods?! Yet you remember this formation so clearly?!” Though Chris silently complained in her heart, she still nodded.

 

The young dragon didn’t have many attack techniques at her disposal, but her speed was incredibly fast, and her mastery of dragon breath had improved significantly since the beginning. So, Chris tentatively exhaled a stream of dragon fire.

 

The scorching flames and terrifying heat were unlike anything the three had encountered from any Foundation Establishment-level beast before. However, their coordination was seamless—like a well-oiled team, they balanced offense and defense without a trace of fear.

 

Dragon Soul glanced at Chris, seemingly sensing her thoughts, and said, “In terms from your world, formations in the cultivation realm consist of four roles: offense, defense, healing, and support. Though this ‘Shield-Fire Offense-Defense Formation’ currently only has three members, it covers attack, defense, and healing. If you want to overpower them, you can’t let up on the dragon breath—you must break through their defenses first, or they’ll eventually wear you down.”

 

Chris was someone who listened to advice. Since Dragon Soul wouldn’t deceive her, her eyes flashed, and without hesitation, she intensified her dragon breath, not daring to slacken even slightly.

 

The man in the central defensive position—referred to as “Second Brother”—immediately raised his right hand. A layer of rock instantly coated his arm, solidifying into a sturdy shield that completely shielded the trio. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator with earth, water, and fire spiritual roots, he was the most suited to counter the flames.

 

But how could Chris’s dragon breath be so easily blocked?

 

The supposedly flame-resistant rock shield instantly melted into lava, scalding the defensive cultivator so badly he howled in pain. Yet, as the shield-bearer, he couldn’t abandon his post. He could only endure the agony, watching helplessly as the lava consumed nearly half his arm. Though he continuously reinforced the shield with spiritual energy, it was ultimately futile.

 

The offensive and healing cultivators beside him witnessed everything without blinking, communicating through action rather than words. The water-wood dual-spiritual-root cultivator, serving as the healer, swiftly applied water-based healing to the lava, trying to free the formation’s shield.

 

This was undoubtedly a team with ample combat experience—in short, they were professionals, while Chris was still a novice. Yet, realizing this only made her fight more fiercely, awakening the battle instincts ingrained in her draconic bones.

 

Meanwhile, the offensive-position cultivator, aiming to prevent the winged black lizard from spewing fire again, pointed his sword directly at Chris, intending to end the battle by eliminating the spirit beast at its source.

 

The attacker was a lean, gold-fire dual-spiritual-root Foundation Establishment cultivator—the same one who had first spotted the approaching beast and alerted the other two to defend. By all appearances, he was the leader of this team.

 

The Metal and Fire spiritual roots were both adept at offense. With these two roots working in tandem, plus the team having solid defense and healing capabilities, this squad could wear down most ferocious beasts. Clearly, these three had come prepared to kill them—only…

 

They had encountered Chris and Feng Qingzhuo.

 

When sensing their attacking stance, Chris was warned by the dragon spirit: “Dodge. They can’t handle your dragon breath and are coming for you now.”

 

The cultivator with dual Metal-Fire spiritual roots executed his moves with practiced ease, fluid as flowing water—this technique had probably doomed many humans and spirit beasts. Unfortunately for him, Chris was nothing like those humans or beasts.

 

As a dragon who had mastered flight, Chris instinctively twisted her body and soared upward, evading the barrage of flaming arrows raining down upon her.

 

The moment Chris moved aside, Feng Qingzhuo raised her sword.

 

What awaited the three black-clad men was a hailstorm of ice swords condensed from frost qi.

 

The sword in Feng Qingzhuo’s hand was utterly ordinary. At mid Qi Condensation stage, she shouldn’t have been able to manifest so many ice swords through sheer spiritual energy alone—but this was the summit of Misty Peak!!!

 

This was the domain of ice and snow.

 

Her home turf.

 

As a pure Ice spiritual root wielder, battling on Misty Peak’s snowy terrain gave her nothing but advantages—the very environment amplified her power.

 

Dozens of qi-forged ice swords shattered the trio’s flaming arrow formation instantly. When ice met fire, explosions erupted midair. Staring at the glittering ice crystals filling the sky, the Metal-Fire dual root leader—the trio’s strongest—realized with dawning horror that he’d bitten off more than he could chew.

 

They’d been duped by that little bastard Li Haochen!!! This was no opponent wandering Foundation Establishment cultivators like them could afford to provoke. Regret flooded him.

 

Thinking further—if Li Haochen had used them three as disposable shields while remaining safe as an inner disciple of Heaven’s Mystery Sect, they’d be left holding the bag. As outsiders, they couldn’t even afford to die properly here! Better flee now before actually harming the girl!!!

 

Though young, this girl had reached mid Qi Condensation stage. More shockingly, she’d effortlessly blocked his strongest Foundation Establishment strike. Even accounting for Metal-Fire roots being weakened in snowy terrain, no Qi Condensation cultivator should manage this.

 

Yet she’d prevailed with absurd ease. That snow-to-swords technique alone proved her combat awareness surpassed all three of theirs combined. No decorative pillow—this was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

 

Realizing hopeless defeat, he bellowed, “Second! Third! Retreat!”

 

With practiced coordination, they shifted formations to full defense, backing away step by step.

 

Chris found it both ironic and amusing. She scoffed, “You think you can just leave whenever you please?”

 

Once again, Chris spewed dragon flames. The kitten had taught her many things before, and now they came into play. The dragon flames transformed into a massive Fire Cage, imprisoning the three within a cage forged from celestial fire. Even cultivators with fire spiritual roots would be scorched upon contact with the dragon flames, leaving them with no means of escape.

 

The little dragon flew back to Feng Qingzhuo’s side, who then cradled Chris in her arms. After expelling such a vast amount of dragon breath, Chris felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

 

You must understand, she was just a newly hatched juvenile dragon! Chris could only weakly nestle in Feng Qingzhuo’s arms, slightly raising her head to gaze at the three people trapped within her Fire Cage.

 

“Qingzhuo, hungry hungry, food food,” Chris said helplessly, weakly flicking her tail in Feng Qingzhuo’s embrace as the little dragon’s stomach growled loudly.

 

This wasn’t her intention, but juvenile dragons indeed required massive amounts of food—otherwise they might fail to grow properly or even die prematurely.

 

After such an intense battle, Feng Qingzhuo naturally wouldn’t feed her dragonling anything without nutritional value. So, what Chris received was… several pieces of dried meat jerky.

 

Chris sniffed the scent, her eyes lighting up instantly.

 

This was Fangtooth Rabbit jerky!

 

The dragonling immediately stuffed the jerky into her mouth with her claws, her round crimson dragon eyes fixed on the three prisoners in her Fire Cage. Just as she was about to speak, Feng Qingzhuo uncorked her waterskin and fed her another mouthful of spirit beast milk, terrified of starving her precious dragon.

 

Chris: “……”

 

Chris ate tearfully.

 

Fine, she’d eat like crazy then.

 

Feng Qingzhuo simply found a spot to sit cross-legged on the ground. In this vast world, the dragonling took priority—no matter what happened, she couldn’t let the still-young Chris go hungry.

 

Meanwhile…

 

The three black-clad men trapped in Chris’s Fire Cage stared at each other in disbelief, whispering among themselves. They couldn’t comprehend how someone could be so indifferent about their burned-down residence or their captives, instead focusing entirely on feeding their spirit beast?!

 

And who in their right mind would feed their spirit beast Foundation Establishment-level Fangtooth Rabbit jerky and late Foundation Establishment spirit yak milk?! These were delicacies even they couldn’t afford as humans, yet this girl’s winged black lizard was gobbling them down two at a time, with the girl even worrying it might choke… She was truly pampering this spirit beast like a treasure!!!

 

It wasn’t until they saw Feng Qingzhuo that they realized… such people truly existed in this world. Despite not specializing in beast taming, she cared for her spirit beast with such devotion…

 

Only after the dragonling had eaten her fill did Feng Qingzhuo stand up, gently draping Chris around her shoulders again—successfully acquiring a scaly, heat-radiating black dragon shawl that clung to her neck with tiny claws.

 

Approaching the Fire Cage, Feng Qingzhuo questioned the three men inside: “Speak up. Who sent you? And what were you doing at Misty Peak?”

 

Thanks to the time Feng Qingzhuo had given them while feeding Chris, the three had coordinated their story. Their leader stepped forward without hesitation, immediately betraying his employer:

 

“Esteemed cultivator, the truth is we were hired by Young Master Li. He claimed there was an ice-attribute cat demon on this mountain beguiling people…”

 

Feng Qingzhuo raised an eyebrow at this, coldly interrupting: “Then take a good look—do I appear bewitched by any cat demon?”

 

The leader paled dramatically, realizing his blunder. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he hastily corrected himself, eyes widening as he scrambled to flatter:

 

“How could this be! This fellow cultivator is graceful, handsome, and extraordinary—more like a heroine among women. Your swordplay is simply divine, truly remarkable for one so young. Anyone can see that a cultivator like you could never be bewitched by some petty cat demon!”

 

His words were righteous and impassioned, as if he’d poured out every idiom he’d ever learned, desperately showering praise in hopes this young female cultivator might spare them—at least leave them with their lives.

 

The second of the three brothers shifted his gaze to the little black dragon perched on Feng Qingzhuo’s shoulder, inwardly grumbling: You don’t look bewitched by any cat demon—you’re clearly under the spell of this winged black lizard spirit!

 

For wandering cultivators like them, even spirit beast yak milk was beyond their means, let alone dried spirit beast rabbit meat. Such hunted goods were usually traded at markets with other cultivators just to obtain spirit stones for cultivation.

 

All three were rogue cultivators from Beixiang Country—first-generation cultivators in their families, pockets emptier than their faces. Truly, they didn’t have a single spirit stone left. Otherwise, they’d never have taken such risks, blinded by greed for spirit stones to commit this act.

 

“We can testify for you! It was Young Master Li who sent us!” Seeing the dragon cub on Feng Qingzhuo’s shoulder open its eyes to glare fiercely, the leader hastily promised, “If you don’t trust us, we’ll go with you to the Discipline Hall! We rogue cultivators have long heard of Tianxuan Sect’s Discipline Hall—they say they can uncover any truth. Just spare our lives, and from now on we’re yours! We’d walk through fire for you without hesitation! Please, let us live!”

 

“Let’s go.” With a wave, Feng Qingzhuo had Chris retract the Fire Cage, then took out the Binding Chains artifact to restrain the three. She rubbed Chris’s head and handed her a small pastry, saying, “We’re going to the Discipline Hall.”

 

Eyes lighting up at the treat, the dragon cub clutched the pastry with both claws, taking a bite before mumbling, “Okay~”

 

–

 

Tianxuan Sect, Inner Sect, Discipline Hall.

 

In all her years at Tianxuan Sect, this was Feng Qingzhuo’s first time visiting the Discipline Hall.

 

After her master brought her to the sect, he’d only taught her basic cultivation methods and some practical techniques. The Clear Mind Mantra and fundamental sword arts were what she’d learned during that period.

 

Each sword technique was divided into four realms: Novice, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, and Perfection.

 

The first sword technique Feng Qingzhuo practiced was called [Frozen Blade], created specifically for ice spirit root cultivators.

 

Ice spirit roots were variant roots—single ice spirit root cultivators like her were exceptionally rare. Having trained in Frozen Blade for over a year, she’d already reached Minor Achievement. Anyone who saw her would praise her natural talent, calling her a sword prodigy. Yet she’d always practiced in seclusion at Misty Peak, so no one was there to applaud her progress.

 

Upon entering the Discipline Hall, Chris curiously surveyed her surroundings. As a dragon hatchling highly sensitive to temperature, she noticed the room had grown significantly colder, carrying a faint trace of bl00d in the air.

 

It was already midnight, and the hall was sparsely manned, with some guards even dozing off. The on-duty disciple was a woman who merely lifted her eyelids at Feng Qingzhuo’s arrival, asking for her disciple token to register.

 

When Feng Qingzhuo handed over her token—bearing the mark of the Sect Leader’s personal disciple—the woman jolted awake, staring in disbelief at the token before scrutinizing Feng Qingzhuo from head to toe. Confirming the gold-embroidered white robes of a personal disciple, her attitude did a complete turnaround, instantly turning respectful.

 

“Please wait a moment, Senior Sister,” she said hastily. “This matter involves the Sect Leader’s personal disciple and is beyond my authority. Let me fetch my master to assist you.”

 

No sooner had she spoken than the female disciple gathered her things, preparing to lead Feng Qingzhuo to her master—only to suddenly brighten and wave at someone behind them. “Master! Senior Brother Li!”

 

Like a nimble deer, she bounded over to a middle-aged man in elder’s robes, his build robust, and a youth dressed in identical gold-trimmed white robes. Her voice was light as she addressed the elder, “Master, what perfect timing! I was just about to find you to oversee this matter. This Senior Sister is named Feng Qingzhuo—she’s Sect Leader Bai’s personal disciple.”

 

The elder chuckled. “Ling’er, go rest now. I’ll handle this.”

 

Then, as if reconsidering, he called out to the departing Xing Linger, “Ah, Ling’er—before you go, prepare some fine tea for your Senior Sister!”

 

“Right away!” Xing Linger replied before hurrying off.

 

The elder then turned his gaze to Feng Qingzhuo, introducing himself, “My surname is Xing, full name Xing Wukan. As Sect Leader Bai’s junior brother, you may address me as Elder Xing.”

 

However, Chris noticed something amiss. The three rogue cultivators behind Feng Qingzhuo kept their eyes fixed on the youth beside Elder Xing, their gazes flickering uneasily as if avoiding his attention.

 

A sudden realization struck Chris—could this youth be the “Young Master Li” they were looking for? Li Haochen?

 

The dragon hatchling frowned, watching as Elder Xing continued to fuss over Feng Qingzhuo, even inviting her to sit for tea. An inexplicable discomfort settled in her chest.

 

If he and Young Master Li were allies, what then? Would Elder Xing still help her and A-Zhuo? And what exactly was the relationship between this Discipline Hall elder and Li Haochen?

 

After all, it was midnight—what were they doing here together? Given their apparent closeness, there was no telling whether the three rogue cultivators might suddenly betray them.

 

Seeing Feng Qingzhuo truly sit down as if oblivious to everything, chatting amiably with Elder Xing, Chris suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. The dragon hatchling grew anxious, pacing in circles.

 

But Chris’s words were incomprehensible to anyone except Feng Qingzhuo. Moreover, she was just a newly hatched, underage dragon hatchling—no match for this mid-stage Nascent Soul elder before her.

 

The Discipline Hall was the most unique department within the Tianxuan Sect. Its current head was Xing Wukan, under whom served numerous law-enforcement elders. Whether in terms of cultivation, authority, or status, Xing Wukan could undoubtedly be considered second only to Sect Master Bai Wugui.

 

“I heard Nephew Feng has been cultivating on Misty Peak all this time. What brings you to our Discipline Hall at this hour?” Xing Wukan took a sip of tea, feigning concern.

 

Feng Qingzhuo didn’t touch the tea placed before her. Instead, she replied expressionlessly, “Someone burned down my residence.”

 

Xing Wukan appeared shocked. “Who would dare? In broad daylight, no less! Nephew Feng, tell me who it was. This uncle will surely seek justice for you.”

 

“Li Haochen,” Feng Qingzhuo answered.

 

The name dropped like a stone, plunging the surroundings into utter silence.

 

“Nephew Feng, there must be some misunderstanding,” Xing Wukan narrowed his eyes, his tone laced with threat. “As you know, unity is paramount in a sect. Slandering a fellow disciple is a grave offense.”

 

Xing Linger, who had turned back upon hearing “Li Haochen,” frowned after eavesdropping for a while. Unable to stay silent, she spoke up in defense: “That’s right, Senior Sister. I know Brother Li’s character—he would never do such a thing!”

 

With both of them speaking this way, Li Haochen at the center of the storm remained conspicuously silent, making Chris increasingly uncomfortable. The scene felt eerily familiar.

 

Having devoured countless novels and recognized the tropes, the dragon soul within her chimed in, “Doesn’t this resemble the classic harem protagonist plot?”

 

Chris had an epiphany.

 

It really did!

 

The resemblance was uncanny!

 

Facing this millennium-old fox across from her, Feng Qingzhuo remained impassive and unruffled. She replied deliberately, “Uncle, if you want evidence… I’ve brought it.”

 

Xing Wukan first glanced subtly at Li Haochen beside him before nodding at Feng Qingzhuo. “Where is it?”

 

“There.” Feng Qingzhuo pointed at the three black-robed rogue cultivators bound by the Binding Chains artifact. “I caught these three at the scene. They confessed that Junior Brother Li ordered them to burn down my master’s residence on Misty Peak. As for proof… a soul search will reveal everything.”

 

She intentionally emphasized “my master,” applying subtle pressure.

 

“They’ve also volunteered for the soul search.” Feng Qingzhuo tilted her chin up as the three promptly chorused, “Yes, yes! We volunteer willingly.”Soul search was a unique technique of the Discipline Hall—a method to directly extract and display someone’s memories for all to see, a signature skill of Tianxuan Sect’s disciplinary body.”

 

However, those subjected to soul-searching might easily end up mentally impaired if things go wrong. Moreover, if the person being searched isn’t willing, prolonged torture is required to break their will and increase the success rate of extracting evidence through soul-searching.

 

The three rogue cultivators didn’t quite understand what soul-searching for evidence entailed, but they were now caught between Feng Qingzhuo and Li Haochen. If they didn’t take a stance soon, death would be their only fate.

 

As for what kind of person Li Haochen truly was, these three commoners from Beixiang Kingdom might not know much. But if you asked about the Li royal family, these native Beixiang residents certainly had plenty to say! Even in death, they would remember the emperor of Beixiang Kingdom!

 

If the current ruler of Beixiang truly had a compassionate heart and cared for his people! If the royal family had worthy successors! Then why would ordinary folks like them be driven by hunger to embark on the path of cultivation? Practicing unknown techniques, entering this deadly world of cultivation, becoming three rogue cultivators?

 

Wasn’t it precisely because, though life in the cultivation world was hard, at least they could scrape by and survive?!

 

In the end, everyone was just trying to stay alive.

 

Because they knew exactly what kind of person the Beixiang emperor was, they could never side with him in matters of life and death!

 

As the saying goes, like father, like son. With such an emperor ruling Beixiang, the Fifth Prince probably wasn’t much better. Having betrayed Li Haochen once, switching sides to him now would likely still end with their deaths.

 

In short, that path was closed. Now they had no choice but to side with this young girl!

 

“Niece Feng,” Xing Wukan could see that despite her youth, Feng Qingzhuo wasn’t someone easily fooled. He smiled warmly at her, adopting a senior’s demeanor, and said,

 

“The saying goes, ‘To forgive is divine.’ Did your master Bai never teach you this?” Xing Wukan took another sip of tea, sighed, and continued,

 

“Or can Niece Feng really bear to see these three men turn into idiots under soul-searching? To become unable to survive in the cultivation world and die obscure deaths?”

 

With just a few words, the dynamics had shifted.

 

He seemed certain that a young girl like Feng Qingzhuo would naturally be compassionate.

 

Unfortunately…

 

She really wasn’t.

 

And besides, she had the dragon whelp with her.

 

“Hey, uncle, save your breath. My A-Zhuo only addresses you as ‘Uncle Xing’ out of respect for you being her master’s junior.”

 

“But…” Chris sighed, struggling to make her speech clear enough to be understood as she said in her muddled accent,

 

“Uncle, you must be senile. With intelligence like yours, how did you even become head of the Punishment Hall? If your brain isn’t working, why not donate it? Really, no one would laugh at you.”

 

Nodding to herself, Chris smiled and added, “Shall I award you a certificate for brain donation?”

 

“Damn it all! They nearly burned my house down and almost took my dragon life, and you’re telling me to forgive them? Tell me, who’s the crazy one here—you or me?”

 

“If one day your wife finds a male lover, cuckolds you, then the two of them hit it off before kicking you to the curb, I sure hope your first reaction is to forgive them both instead of grabbing your sword to kill them and using soul-searching spells for evidence.”

 

The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent.

 

Xing Wukan’s face cycled through shades of green, white, red, and purple at breakneck speed—all because the dragon cub’s voice was loud. Though her speech was slightly unclear, nearly everyone present heard her clearly.

 

What Chris didn’t know was… the scenario she casually made up was actually true.

 

His dao companion really had taken a male lover and planned to dump him. And he really had killed and buried them both.

 

He’d kept this matter extremely secret—no one knew about it. When outsiders asked about his dao companion, he’d always smile and say, “Her? She’s in secluded cultivation in the Heavenly Mountains.” (Meanwhile, she was buried beneath some unknown tree serving as fertilizer.)