A petite figure appeared outside the courtyard gate.
She peeked into the courtyard, a pair of large, emerald-green eyes appearing exceptionally clear under the sunlight, like two pools of spring water.
She blinked lightly, her long eyelashes fluttering, carrying a hint of curiosity.
“Is anyone here?”
“Who are you looking for?”
A clear, cold voice unexpectedly sounded right beside her ear.
The petite figure spun around sharply, only to see Qin Xuange standing beside her at some unknown time, arms crossed, her pretty face wearing a somewhat playful expression as she looked down at her.
Her lofty posture carried a hint of laziness and familiarity.
“Ah! You scared me to death!”
The Saintess of the Azure Dragon Clan, Ao Yao, shot a complaining glance at the tall Qin Xuange.
She patted her small chest, the movement carrying a childlike innocence:
“What are you doing here?”
Qin Xuange reached out and patted her head, her slender hand gently stroking over Ao Yao’s small, furry green dragon horns.
Those horns were only about an inch long, soft and warm, like tender bamboo shoots just sprouting.
She hummed lightly, “I thought you were looking for me. I didn’t expect you wouldn’t even know I was here?”
Ao Yao’s delicate, jade-like little face scrunched up. She swatted Qin Xuange’s hand away with annoyance and placed her hands on her hips.
“I’ve been cultivating recently, how could I possibly know you were here?”
She paused, tilting her little face up, her large emerald eyes looking directly at Qin Xuange.
“I’m here to find Jiang Zhun! Where is he?”
Qin Xuange’s heart stirred slightly, but her expression remained unchanged on the surface.
A memory flashed through her mind—of the conversation Jiang Huai had with Qin Qingyue when she was using Qin Xuange’s body.
The Yin-Yang Body required five great marks. Come to think of it, Jiang Huai seemed to still be missing the marks of the Azure Dragon Clan and the Yellow Dragon Clan.
Was this an Azure Dragon mark delivered right to her doorstep?
She lowered her head, looking at the cute girl standing before her with hands on her hips, and said calmly,
“Why look for him? Have you taken a fancy to him?”
Ao Yao pointed at herself, widening her eyes to look at Qin Xuange as if she had heard something utterly absurd.
“Me? I don’t think I’ve even spoken more than a few words to him! Taken a fancy to what?”
She paused, then suddenly narrowed her eyes, straightened her non-existent chest, lightly smoothed her pale green little skirt, and placed her hands on her hips again.
“What? Do I make you feel threatened?”
Qin Xuange’s mouth twitched.
She looked at the uniquely petite, loli-like figure belonging to the Azure Dragon Clan, at that delicate, jade-carved little face, at the chest that was trying so hard to puff out yet remained utterly flat, and managed to keep a straight face.
“No.” She said expressionlessly, “Not threatened in the slightest.”
It was a well-known fact that in this world, among the Five Great Dragon Clans, the most sexually attractive were the Red Dragons and the Black Dragons, followed by the Yellow Dragons and the White Dragons.
As for the Azure Dragons, due to their flat figures, cute faces, and delicate, petite jade-like bodies, they had always been considered less appealing than the other clans.
Ao Yao’s face instantly darkened.
She hugged her chest and huffed a few times, her voice carrying a mix of unwillingness and indignation.
“One day, everyone will be into us Azure Dragons!”
She snorted heavily.
“You’ll see then!”
With that, she unceremoniously walked into the courtyard, stretching her arms. Her small figure cast a slender shadow in the morning light.
As she stretched, her dress swayed, revealing a short blade at her waist.
Qin Xuange’s gaze immediately shifted to that short blade.
It was a short sword, worn at Ao Yao’s waist.
The scabbard was a pale cyan color, carved with vivid Azure Dragon patterns—a dragon’s head held high, its body coiling around, as if ready to burst forth from the sheath at any moment.
The material of the scabbard was neither metal nor jade, possessing an ancient, rustic texture that clearly marked it as no ordinary item.
Qin Xuange remembered that during their previous trials, it was this very short sword that had allowed Ao Yao to display such formidable power.
Back then, she hadn’t even drawn the blade; merely the moment the scabbard left its sheath had repelled numerous powerful enemies, allowing her to escape with Qin Xuange from the secret realm.
That scene had given Qin Xuange a thorough understanding of the might of this little Azure Dragon before her, leaving her with lingering fear and making her never dare underestimate this seemingly harmless loli again.
Ao Yao completely failed to notice Qin Xuange’s gaze.
She gave a light hop and sat down on a stone stool, her petite legs swinging in the air, her skirt swaying along, revealing half of her fair, tender calves. She said in a delicate voice,
“Didn’t you know? Clan Leader White Dew has returned.”
Qin Xuange was taken aback.
She had been staying here completely unaware that the Clan Leader of the White Dragon Clan had actually returned?
“The matter with the Northern Plains defense line has been resolved.” Ao Yao swung her legs, her tone carrying a hint of emotion. “The Extraterrestrial Demons can’t do much against the Northern Plains defense line for the time being.”
“Many cultivators who had been suppressing their cultivation at the Merging Stage were forced to break through to the Great Ascension Stage to resist them for a while.”
She paused, a complex light flashing in her large emerald eyes.
“It’s just… who knows how they will cope in the future, if the Heavenly Gate to the Immortal Realm opens again.”
Someone always has to sacrifice.
The world is never warm. It stands there, icy cold, never responding to any expectations.
For survival, the large number of Merging Stage cultivators from the Five Provinces finally stopped pursuing realms like Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, or Ghost Immortal, desperately raising their cultivation levels instead.
But if one day, the threat of the Extraterrestrial Demons vanished and the Heavenly Gate to the Immortal Realm reopened, how would they ascend then?
No one could solve this problem. The world would not provide an answer.
Qin Xuange paced over to Ao Yao’s side and asked softly,
“Isn’t Clan Leader White Dew coming herself? Why did she send you?”
Ao Yao snapped back to reality at this, swinging her little legs as she said,
“She doesn’t have time to come! She has a pile of matters to handle upon returning. Since I happened to be here, she asked me to call for Jiang Zhun.”
She added,
“The Old Ancestor of the Red Dragon Clan also wants him to go.”
With that, she suddenly placed a hand on her waist, looking at Qin Xuange with vigilance.
“I noticed you’ve been staring at my Azure Dragon Short Sword!”
She widened her eyes.
“What do you want?”
Seeing that she had been discovered, Qin Xuange decided to drop the act.
She said curiously,
“I’m just wondering, what exactly is the origin of that short sword of yours? It’s so powerful.”
Qin Xuange leaned in a bit closer.
“Can you draw it out and let me see it again?”
Ao Yao protectively covered the Azure Dragon Short Sword at her waist with her hand, her thighs twisting awkwardly, a faint blush spreading across her pretty face.
That awkward posture carried a hint of the shyness unique to young maidens, mixed with a bit of an embarrassing reluctance to speak.
“Every dragon clan has its own secrets!”
Her voice grew softer as she spoke.
“You can’t just draw it out normally. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Don’t ask about the secrets of my short sword anymore! Or I’ll stab you!”
Seeing that Ao Yao absolutely refused to talk and was acting this way, Qin Xuange felt it was inappropriate to press further.
A flash of light appeared. Jiang Huai, holding Jianjia, stepped out from the void.
“Finally out!” Lai Jia lay on Jiang Huai’s shoulder, her little dragon head looking around.
Upon learning that White Sandalwood had returned, Jiang Huai didn’t say another word. Holding Jianjia, he transformed into a stream of light and sped towards the direction of the White Dragon Palace.
White Dragon Palace, Council Hall.
The hall was solemn and majestic, with a high, expansive ceiling. The dome was carved with vivid White Dragon totems that, under the illumination of the spiritual light, seemed ready to break free and fly out at any moment.
In the center of the hall, a figure with a maiden’s physique sat upright on the dragon throne.
White Dew wore a plain white long dress embroidered with elegant silver patterns that shimmered with a soft luster under the light.
Her face was cold and clear, her features like a painting, carrying an innate sense of aloofness, like an immortal fairy untouched by worldly matters.
Yet that face was unmistakably a maiden’s visage—youthful yet bearing a hint of maturity, cold yet revealing a touch of softness.
She sat there, her figure clearly petite, yet exuding an unquestionable majesty, the aura befitting a clan leader.
Around her, a crowd of cultivators were busily discussing matters.
Some reported on the defense line situation, some requested instructions on resource allocation, some inquired about sect placements.
White Sandalwood listened quietly, occasionally nodding, occasionally shaking her head, occasionally speaking a word or two.
A stream of light landed outside the hall. Jiang Huai, holding Jianjia, strode in.
White Dew raised her eyes, her gaze falling upon Jiang Huai.
With a wave of her hand, she declared,
“All of you, withdraw. Today’s council is concluded. All matters are to be handed over to Saintess White Orange for processing.”
The cultivators looked at each other but dared not say more. They bowed one after another and retreated.
White Sandalwood, who had been slacking off to the side, stiffened. She sighed lightly in her heart, a forced smile on her face as she took over the pile of messy affairs, watching White Dew rise.
“Come with me.”
White Dew took Jiang Huai’s hand and, without further ado, led him through the great hall, through the corridors, through the moon gate.
“Mom! And me! What about me?” Little Lai Jia cried out behind them, hurriedly swimming after them, only to be blocked with a clang outside the moon gate, watching helplessly as her parents walked away.
“What about me? How could you forget me?”
The imagined scene of a family of three reuniting was shattered.
Finally, White Sandalwood and Jiang Huai arrived at a secret chamber.
The chamber was not large, simply furnished: a jade bed, a stone table, a few meditation cushions.
Several Night-Luminescent Pearls were embedded in the walls, emitting a soft glow.
It was so quiet here that only each other’s breathing could be heard.
The moment the door closed behind them, White Dew could no longer maintain her cold and aloof demeanor.
She raised her hand, placing it on Jiang Huai’s wrist, closing her eyes as she carefully examined his injuries.
A long time passed.
She opened her eyes. Those blue pupils shimmered with watery light.
“You’re finally alright.”
White Dew’s voice trembled slightly, carrying emotions long suppressed.
“Do you blame me for not coming to see you for so long?”
Without waiting for Jiang Huai’s answer, she continued on her own, speaking faster and faster.
“I was truly too busy. I didn’t have a moment to spare. Outside, I was constantly setting up连环阵法, arranging sect residences, mediating conflicts…”
She raised her eyes, looking directly into Jiang Huai’s. That gaze was full of longing, full of attachment, full of lingering fear.
“I missed you. I really, really…”
She reached out, continuously caressing Jiang Huai’s cheek.
The movement was gentle yet urgent, as if rehearsed countless times in her imagination.
Her fingertips traced over his brow bone, over the bridge of his nose, over the corner of his lips.
When she left, he had been lying in bed, almost like a dried-up skeleton.
Now, seeing him again, he stood here well and healthy, alive and kicking.
Jiang Huai felt somewhat unused to such enthusiasm from her. After all, in front of outsiders, she was always that cold, aloof White Dragon Clan Leader.
He hugged her and responded,
“I was very worried about you too. I’m glad you’re alright.”
“You’re really different from when you’re outside.”
White Dew hugged him back just as tightly, her small body buried in his embrace, her voice muffled.
“Being outside and being by your side are different.”
She paused, her voice growing even softer.
“I really don’t want to lose you.”
Jiang Huai felt White Dew’s breathing grow rapid.
That certain characteristic of the dragon race was burning within her bloodline.
She grabbed Jiang Huai’s hand, pressed it against his ear, her voice carrying a mix of shyness and anticipation.
“Let me tell you…”
White Dew’s breath brushed against his earlobe, warm and moist.
“Actually, I’ve been very obedient all along.”
“What do you mean?” Jiang Huai didn’t understand.
White Sandalwood didn’t answer.
She merely took his hand and placed it on that elegant tail beside her.
That tail was snow-white all over, its scales fine as jade, shimmering with a soft glow under the halo of the Night-Luminescent Pearls.
At this moment, the tail was slightly curled, carrying a hint of an uncontrollable, light tremor.
Jiang Huai could sense that although this tail felt realistic, it definitely wasn’t her real tail.
This was that fake tail, the one Jiang Zhun had given White Dew last time.
She leaned against his chest, a shy blush rising on the maiden’s cold face, spreading from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her ears.
She whispered, her voice as light as a mosquito’s hum.
Behind White Dew, her real tail was slowly growing out.
Snow-white scales appeared one by one, and within a few breaths, it was fully restored.
White Dew raised her blue eyes, shimmering with watery light, and asked Jiang Huai as if seeking praise.
Her voice was soft and coquettish, carrying a hint of playful wheedling, a hint of anticipation.
“Was I very obedient this time, Husband Lord?”