Chapter 65

Chapter 65

As Azure Dragon and the elders finished speaking, the inn instantly fell into an eerie silence.

The innkeeper and the waitstaff all halted in their tracks, casting complicated looks at Lu Yuanyin and the assembly of dragon clansmen, their faces a mix of hard-to-describe emotions.

The innkeeper’s smile froze for a moment; he stared blankly at the bizarre scene before him. Even a seasoned operator like him, adept at spinning tales to suit any crowd, found himself speechless for a bit.

His eyes twitched. The dragon clan powerhouses, usually so stern and unsmiling, now completely out of character, bowing respectfully to a barely-twenty-year-old girl and calling her “Second Aunt”…

This scene was way too shocking and dramatic. He fell silent for a long stretch, as if the lofty image he’d held of these seniors had come crashing down.

Wiping his forehead, the innkeeper tried to act like he hadn’t seen a thing, but his eyes kept sneaking glances at them.

Even Qingnong hadn’t expected such a ridiculous scene. He couldn’t help pursing his lips, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

Still frozen in the act of about to bow, Lu Yuanyin stared at these white-haired, ethereal dragon clan elders as they bowed deeply to her with reverent respect. Her mind went completely blank for a moment.

After a long pause, she snapped back to reality. Hastily stepping back two paces, her expression turned awkward, and she quickly bowed back, her voice urgent. “Elders, what are you doing? Please rise quickly…”

Azure Dragon smiled faintly at the corners of his mouth. He instinctively patted Lu Yuanyin on the shoulder, trying to come across as gentle, and said softly, “Since you’ve bonded with the Dragon Lord as dao companions, by custom, we should call you Second Aunt out of respect.”

“??” Lu Yuanyin blinked, looking bewilderedly at Azure Dragon. She couldn’t help feeling baffled—when exactly had she become Huo Wuyan’s dao companion?

She had no idea.

Yet, facing the imposing auras and distinguished bearing of these elders, she wisely chose to keep her mouth shut; rarely did she feel so flustered.

Seeing that the younger dragons behind them were also stepping forward, Lu Yuanyin feared they might open their mouths and call her something like “Great-Grandmother”! The thought alone made her scalp crawl!

She waved her hands hastily, speaking a bit dryly, “No need for such formalities, elders. Please, all of you, have a seat!”

Lu Yuanyin couldn’t help reaching for her storage pouch. Since they had called her “Second Aunt,” she felt she ought to give them some kind of welcoming gift. But after some thought, she realized she had nothing suitable to offer.

Even if Lu Yuanyin was naive, from their sheer presence alone, she could tell these elders were certainly high-ranking figures within the dragon clan. She fidgeted, not knowing what to do.

To her surprise, Azure Dragon and the other elder dragons each took out exquisite storage pouches from their sleeves. One of them, a burly, towering figure like a small mountain, boomed, “Last time we met, we didn’t get to greet you properly. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Second Aunt, please don’t decline!”

“We weren’t sure what you’d like, so we brought a bit of everything! We heard you like spirit herbs—when we went to find snow lotuses, we also brought back many other plants. Take a look and see which ones you fancy!”

Lu Yuanyin: “…”

The more she thought about it, the more awkward it felt.

Just as she was at a loss, a low voice came from outside the inn, “Accept them.”

Somehow, the hazy morning mist had dissipated, and bright sunlight was pouring down everywhere. Lu Yuanyin looked up and saw the tall male cultivator walking slowly toward the inn from outside.

The elders respectfully called out, “Dragon Lord!”

Lu Yuanyin’s gaze froze. There stood Huo Wuyan, expressionless as he entered the inn, but not in his usual casual attire. Today, his long hair was bound high, a jade crown atop his head, and he wore a long black robe woven with gold. As he walked, the golden threads on his sleeves shimmered in the sunlight, making him appear even more majestic and aloof than usual.

Huo Wuyan cast a faint glance at the group of elders, then lowered his gaze, focusing intently on the flustered young woman. He said in a low, firm voice, “No need to be polite.”

Lu Yuanyin blinked. Since Huo Wuyan said so, she didn’t refuse anymore. Her eyes curved in a smile, and she said cheerfully, “Then thanks, elders!”

The elder dragons couldn’t help sneaking another look at Lu Yuanyin. Back then, they had only seen her from afar and hadn’t gotten a clear view of her face before she was whisked away by Huo Wuyan.

Lu Yuanyin was indeed extraordinarily beautiful, but upon closer inspection, they realized how terribly young she appeared.

For cultivators, a hundred years is but a snap of the fingers; their physical appearance could stay unchanged for millennia. But bone structure doesn’t lie—no matter how you looked at her, she was clearly just a young girl.

Now that the two stood together, the more they looked, the more complicated their expressions became. They had known Huo Wuyan for a long time and understood his temperament well—they knew how eccentric, moody, and volatile he was.

He had always been indifferent to women, aloof in his dealings with others. Not just women—even they, this group of elder dragons, sometimes felt daunted by him. They had wondered what kind of formidable woman could possibly endure him, yet here she was, this soft, delicate young girl…

For a moment, their gazes at Lu Yuanyin were filled with an indescribable complexity.

Detecting their strange looks, Huo Wuyan’s eyes turned cold as he locked onto them. “Follow me.”

With that, he walked expressionlessly into the inn.

The elders exchanged glances, then handed their storage pouches to Lu Yuanyin, muttering, “Here, have fun with them!”

Then, with serious expressions, they fell in step behind him.

Lu Yuanyin glanced at the pouches in her hands, then at Huo Wuyan’s retreating back. She frowned, lost in thought.

A moment later, her eyes went wide. It suddenly struck her—if these dragon clan elders called Huo Wuyan “Second Uncle,” then exactly how old was he?

Based on his appearance and behavior, she had assumed Huo Wuyan was a young dragon in his prime, but could he actually be that old?

She tugged at the storage pouches in her hand, her expression was complicated.

Turning to Qingnong beside her, she couldn’t help whispering, “Do you know how old Huo Wuyan is?”

Qingnong was startled. He scratched his chin. “I don’t actually know. Dragons live a long time, so age isn’t something people talk about much.”

When he was a kid, Huo Wuyan was already a notorious killer in the spirit beast clan. Aside from the well-known stuff, he hadn’t heard anyone mention Huo Wuyan’s youth.

As for his exact age, maybe only his parents know.

Lu Yuanyin pursed her lips. She put the pouches into her sleeve and was about to leave, when Qingnong handed her a small bag.

She looked at it curiously. “What’s this?”

Qingnong raised an eyebrow. From the bag, he took out a silk face mask. “A silk face mask. Wear it—even though you have cultivation to protect you from poison, the smell is still way too strong.”

“Huo Wuyan has clan matters to attend to today. I’ll go out of the city with you first. If anything comes up, you can find him later.”

Lu Yuanyin chuckled lightly. “Thanks a lot!”

She hadn’t even thought of that. The smell was indeed overwhelming. She didn’t ask how Qingnong knew about her plans; almost everywhere in the city was watched by the inn’s informants. Perhaps as early as yesterday when they first entered the city, Qingnong already knew everything that had happened the night before.

Qingnong put on his own mask. “Do you have enough spirit herbs? If not, ask Huo Wuyan for more—he has plenty.”

“That dragon, besides everything else, is quite generous.”

Lu Yuanyin curled her lips but said nothing.

Sure, he was generous, but she was still mad.

Lu Yuanyin and Qingnong made small talk as they slowly made their way toward the city gates. The stench outside seemed even stronger than before, the wind carried a sickening stench of decay.

Overnight, the situation outside the city appeared to have worsened.

Thinking of the villagers from last night, Lu Yuanyin grew worried. She quickened her pace toward the forest. As they drew closer, the foul stench grew more intense, and beneath the disgusting odor, the faint smell of blood wafted in.

A vague unease crept over her.

Qing Nong looked around, his brows furrowed slightly. "It's the smell of blood."

Lu Yuanyin parted the grass with her longsword, and suddenly, her pupils constricted. The ground was covered with dried, dark patches of blood. Several villagers lay bloodied beneath the trees, their chests no longer rising and falling.

The remaining villagers were nowhere to be seen.

Lu Yuanyin's expression changed slightly, and even Qing Nong couldn't help but frown. Hearing faint sounds in the distance, the two silently leaped onto a giant tree nearby, using the shade to conceal themselves. They concealed their aura and silently observed their surroundings.

After a while, several young disciples in the standard robes of the Chongyao Sect walked by with looks of disgust, crimson blood dripping from their longswords. One male cultivator, his face full of revulsion, couldn't help cursing, "These things are so disgusting! Who knows how long this will drag on—wasting my time!"

The others chimed in, "Even looking at them makes me lose my appetite! Can't these people just die somewhere farther away?"

"This bunch of bumpkins doesn't deserve such good spiritual pills. Who knows where they stole them from. Today, I'm doing the heavens' work."

Lu Yuanyin's pupils constricted. She saw the very small jade bottle in the male cultivator's hand, the one she had given to the villagers the night before. She gripped her sword tightly, her knuckles turning white.

From their words, it wasn't hard to piece together what had happened. Even though she already knew that the Chongyao Sect was thoroughly rotten, hearing them speak like this, she still couldn't help but clench her sword tightly.

Qing Nong's expression also darkened. Those cultivators always said our spirit beast clan is brutal and bloodthirsty, but even we wouldn't do such a thing to our own kind—directly massacring a large number of the weak, sick, and disabled.

Seeing the disciples receive a message and then run off to the southwest, Lu Yuanyin exchanged a glance with Qing Nong. They moved quietly and stealthily followed them.

When they chased after them to a stream, a sudden, piercing scream came from the distance, accompanied by the faint crying of a child. Several sword lights flashed across the sky, instantly cutting a giant tree in half, sending dust flying.

Recognizing the crying, Lu Yuanyin's expression darkened. She quickly rushed forward.

The woman from the previous night was kneeling on the ground, weeping and begging the blue-robed female cultivator before her, "Please, spare my child. She's only one year old. Killing me is fine! Fairy, I beg you, spare her!"

Behind her lay dozens of villagers scattered about, all lifeless. Stinking blood stained the ground, and everywhere was a mess.

The blue-robed female cultivator sneered. Holding her longsword, she slowly approached the woman. "You pests, go continue your mother-daughter bond underground!"

With that, she thrust her sword straight at the woman's back.

The woman instinctively turned her back, shielding her child tightly. She closed her eyes in despair, cloudy tears streaming down.

The sharp sword tore through the air, bringing a harsh whistling sound. She could almost smell the lingering blood on the blade—it was her husband's blood.

But the expected pain never came.

The woman opened her eyes in a daze, only to see a slender figure suddenly leap down from the tree. Her sword twisted and thrust straight at the blue-robed female cultivator's chest.

The strike was extremely tricky. Tong Lanyi, without a second thought, hastily retreated and yelled sharply, "Who dares stop me?! Show yourself!"

As her words fell, a slender figure landed lightly before her. When she recognized that familiar, detestable face, her pupils constricted.

Her once fairly pretty face twisted into an indescribably ferocious expression. She glared at Lu Yuanyin, eyes nearly splitting with rage, and forced out from her throat, "You bitch! You still dare to show up?!"

"I'll kill you!"

Author's note: Here I am! Let's have a little plot development; the little one is coming soon!