Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The egg beneath his claws suddenly felt scorching hot. As Lu Yuanyin finished speaking, Huo Wuyan instinctively wanted to transform back into human form, or simply flee this suffocating, oppressive room. Yet his reason told him both options were unwise. He caught his breath.

Lu Yuanyin silently stared at the little golden dragon before her. She could see his pupils dilating and the golden scales slowly standing on end around him. As their eyes met, the room fell into a strange, deathly silence. The originally gentle, lingering wind now seemed inexplicably sharp and piercing.

Huo Wuyan's body was stiff. His crimson eyes were fixed straight on Lu Yuanyin, gazing at those beautiful almond-shaped eyes behind the bead curtain. His mind went blank for a moment, his throat feeling dry.

His claws curled slightly inward, the tips unconsciously digging into the brocade quilt beneath him, leaving deep scratches in the fragile fabric.

The night wind blew in, scattering fine cotton fibers everywhere, dusting her face. Lu Yuanyin blinked. Unlike the earlier towering, imposing giant dragon, he now looked more like an exquisitely crafted, intricate toy.

Even though his gaze was cold, it carried no real threat.

Lu Yuanyin felt she should say something to ease the awkwardness. Her red lips moved, forming a faint smile, and she blurted, "You know, your hatching position isn't right. It can easily make the eggs heat unevenly."

Although she primarily cultivated alchemy and occasionally worked as a medical cultivator, she had also been invited to help care for spirit beasts that had recently given birth within the sect. So she knew a thing or two about it.

Huo Wuyan: "..."

Seeing his increasingly fierce stare, she couldn't help but fall silent for a moment, then said dryly, "You're really quite virtuous."

Huo Wuyan: "..."

Huo Wuyan's expression turned even colder. He took a deep breath, silently sat up, his sharp claws glinting coldly under the clear moonlight.

Qing Nong, seeing this, bit his lip hard, digging his nails into his palm to keep from laughing out loud. He hunched his neck, trying to make himself inconspicuous, his face flushed red from holding back laughter. If not for fear that Huo Wuyan would kill him in a fit of rage, he would have rolled under the bed laughing by now.

He stared at the stiff little golden dragon, seeing for the first time an undeniable, almost fragile and bewildered expression on Huo Wuyan's face. He looked like he was about to shatter...

Qing Nong took a deep breath. He hadn't expected Lu Yuanyin to silently enter this room.

Seeing Huo Wuyan's body grow even stiffer, Qing Nong reluctantly glanced at the two of them, then quietly slipped out of the room. Once Huo Wuyan came to his senses, he might not do anything to Lu Yuanyin, but he certainly wouldn't let Qing Nong off easily!

He wanted to watch the drama, but he valued his life more!

With Qing Nong's departure, the room grew even quieter. Lu Yuanyin tilted her head. Seeing the little golden dragon only staring at her coldly, she belatedly felt a flicker of fear. She fidgeted with her fingers and said softly, "Let me teach you."

Lu Yuanyin arranged the soft brocade quilt into a nest, then picked up the two eggs and placed them inside. She gently poked the stiff dragon tail lying to the side and said, "Just lie on top of them."

Huo Wuyan looked at her expressionlessly, saying nothing.

The clear moonlight streamed through the cracks in the window, covering him entirely. Golden scales overlapped, spiritual light flickering. Seeing him like this, Lu Yuanyin inexplicably felt like laughing. She never imagined that Huo Wuyan and Qing Nong had been hiding from her just to secretly hatch eggs. She whispered, "Huo Wuyan, thank you."

"You've worked hard~"

Her voice was naturally soft, and now her voice trailed up, like a whisper or a coquettish murmur in his ear. Huo Wuyan's palm inexplicably itched. He lowered his eyes slightly and saw Lu Yuanyin casually resting her head on her arms by the bedside, half her face buried in her clothes, revealing only a pair of sparkling almond-shaped eyes filled with laughter, as if studded with starlight.

The pent-up frustration and irritation in his heart inexplicably dissipated a little. Huo Wuyan responded in a low voice, his body flickering with spiritual light.

In a moment, as the light faded, the little golden dragon's form suddenly grew, transforming into a tall male cultivator. His clothes were slightly disheveled, and the originally spacious room suddenly felt cramped with his presence. Huo Wuyan looked down at her and said coldly, "Did you need something from me?"

Lu Yuanyin's eyes curved into crescents. She blinked innocently and said, "I just came to see you. I felt like I hadn't seen you all day..."

Huo Wuyan paused. His palm felt as if a feather had lightly brushed it, growing itchier. His Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.

She's so clingy.

Lu Yuanyin chatted with Huo Wuyan about various trivial matters—or rather, she did most of the talking for a while—before finally smiling and returning to her room.

Just as she was comfortably nestled in the soft bedding, the jade token in her sleeve flickered incessantly. Lu Yuanyin thought Senior Sister Huang might have something urgent, so she stealthily pulled out the token. Then she froze.

It was a message from Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuanyin was surprised. She hadn't expected Lu Yuan to suddenly contact her.

She knew Lu Yuan and his wife too well. They valued face above all but were cowardly and timid. In the past, they dared to bully her only because her parents had passed away, leaving no one to protect her. Now that she was with Huo Wuyan, they were probably scared out of their wits, eager to keep a low profile. Why would they actively seek her out?

Lu Yuanyin pondered for a moment, then opened the jade token. Her expression changed instantly. She clutched the token tightly, her knuckles turning white, a murderous intent spreading in her eyes.

The other end kept sending messages: "A Yin, your uncle doesn't want to make things hard for you, but he has no choice. Don't blame me."

"If you want your parents' remains and belongings, meet me at the grave in seven days."

After a while, as if not receiving her reply, the other end grew impatient: "You know, if you push me too far, I'll do anything! Don't blame me then!"

Lu Yuanyin stared blankly at those two lines. A surge of overwhelming anger erupted from her heart, rapidly filling her entire being. Her chest heaved violently, bloodshot veins appearing in her eyes.

Beyond anger, there was heartbreak and boundless hatred.

Only one person knew where Lu Yuanyin had buried her parents: Gu Lingqiu.

She never imagined Gu Lingqiu could stoop so low! He actually told those beasts where her parents were buried!

Lu Yuanyin clenched her fists tightly, her sharp nails digging deep into the soft flesh of her palms, a faint smell of blood spreading around her. Back when her parents were killed and the Lu family was massacred, she returned to bury the scattered remains with her own hands.

After being taken in by Granny, she would return to the graves every year on her parents' death anniversary. During those days, sensing her distress, Gu Lingqiu secretly followed her and saw her paying respects.

At that time, he swore before her parents' graves that he would protect her forever and never let her suffer any harm. Yet now, he had personally handed her parents' remains to those people, letting them humiliate and threaten her, using her parents' corpses to force her to show up!

Lu Yuanyin stood up abruptly. In a fit of rage, she wanted to smash the teacup in front of her, but seeing the room full of priceless treasures, she finally deflated and silently placed the teacup back on the table.

If she could go back to the moment they first met, she would take a dagger and personally cut Gu Lingqiu into pieces.

Lu Yuanyin stared blankly at the jade token in her hand, reading those lines over and over, feeling an indescribable irony. She leaned weakly against the corner of the wall. Whenever she thought there was a glimmer of hope and she could return to peace, reality always slapped her hard. She was destined to be nothing more than a supporting character for the male and female leads.

Just moments ago, she had been looking forward to the arrival of the two cubs, thinking about making them a beautiful little bed tomorrow. But now, these few words had torn apart all her illusions.

Lu Yuanyin sat in the corner for a long time until her legs went numb and sharp pains shot through them. Only then did she slowly stand up. The bits and pieces of the past years flooded into her sea of consciousness like a film reel.

Lu Yuanyin had always believed in the saying, "A gentleman can wait ten years for revenge; as long as there's life, there's hope." As long as there was a glimmer of hope, she would do her utmost to survive. She didn't care if others called her cowardly or trash; she just wanted to live a good life.

But at this moment, she felt that death wasn't so terrifying. If she had to watch these beasts dig up her parents' graves, defile their remains, and disturb their peace even after death, while she could only hide behind Huo Wuyan and scrape by, how could she face herself in this world? Why would she even bother pursuing immortality?

Lu Yuanyin didn't sleep a wink all night. She watched the sun rise and the morning glow bloom, her eyes dry and gritty.

Lu Yuanyin had always been a selfish person. In the past, she would have unhesitatingly sought out Huo Wuyan and begged for his help by any means. But thinking of the little golden dragon earnestly hatching eggs earlier, she fell silent, which was rare for her.

She wasn't sure whether to tell Huo Wuyan about this. She didn't know how many people were involved. Since they dared to openly summon her, they must have a way to deal with Huo Wuyan, or perhaps they were targeting him and the dragon cubs from the start.

Lu Yuanyin's emotions were indescribably complicated. She had dragged Huo Wuyan into this mess out of personal grudge. He had never done anything wrong to her. She didn't want to drag him into this.

Besides, there were now two cubs who needed him. They hadn't even hatched yet. Huo Wuyan couldn't afford to get into trouble.

Lu Yuanyin picked up the long sword on the table and carefully counted the spiritual pills in her storage pouch. After a moment, as if an idea struck her, she took out a cauldron and began to refine pills. She wasn't a match for those people, but even if she died, she would make sure they couldn't rest in peace.

The warm flames flickered, casting heavy shadows on her face. Lu Yuanyin stared fixedly at the gradually forming spiritual pill in the cauldron, a crazy thought taking root in her mind.

Lu Sisi was right about one thing, at least: she was indeed a selfish person.

She might not drag Huo Wuyan down with her, but she would definitely find a way to squeeze every last drop of value out of him.

Daylight had fully come.

Huo Wuyan was looking at a blue book in his hands, his pure white hair scattered messily across the bed, when he heard a soft knock at the door. He lifted his eyes and said in a deep voice, “Come in.”

The door was pushed slightly ajar, and soon after, Lu Yuanyin entered the room carrying a redwood tray, stepping in softly. Warm sunlight streamed through the gaps in the window, spilling over her, making her small face appear even more fair.

She slowly walked to the bedside and said softly, “Huo Wuyan, do you have time today?”

Huo Wuyan paused, looked up, and gave her a strange look. After a moment, his gaze lingered on the tray in her hands, and he asked in a deep voice, “Something on your mind?”

Lu Yuanyin looked at his cold, stern face. The warm sunlight fell on his brows and eyes but couldn’t melt the chill in his gaze. Her palms were damp from nervousness.

Lu Yuanyin lowered her head and said quietly, “Can you spend the day with me?”

Huo Wuyan stared coolly at the young woman before him, then at the brown medicinal soup. His expression grew complicated. He was silent for a moment, and after a long pause, he said coldly, “You want to drain my cultivation energy again?”

Author's note:

None.