Chapter 64: Summoning the Dragon in Progress

The next morning, within the shadows of a narrow alley only a short distance from the Dragon Calling Parade site.

“So, where did you two go last night?”

Yao Xueyue crossed her arms, her silver eyes scanning Qiu Qiqian and Li Meng from head to toe.

Outside the alley, the clamor of gongs and drums mixed with the noise of the bustling crowd. Inside, the atmosphere was slightly… peculiar.

Qiu Qiqian’s gaze drifted, her eyes glued to a peeling patch of wall, refusing to meet hers. Li Meng clasped her hands in front of her, fingers intertwined so tightly her knuckles turned white, her head lowered.

“Let me guess… you two got dragged into the Inner World by some Guiyi and barely made it out, right?”

Yao Xueyue followed the most logical train of thought, not letting her mind wander elsewhere.

“Huh? Yeah… that’s exactly what happened.”

Seeing that the other party had already crafted a perfectly reasonable explanation on her own, Qiu Qiqian simply went along with it and nodded. Beside her, Li Meng immediately nodded as well.

After all, in a sense, she really had been pulled into the Inner World by some “Guiyi,” and then barely (blissfully) failed to escape.

Even now, the sensation in her palm still lingered—that plump, springy softness, and that faint, slightly distracting wetness.

Isana stood behind Yao Xueyue. She watched Qiu Qiqian and Li Meng’s overly unnatural body language and couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

So, while Yao Xueyue was questioning them up front, Isana quietly circled around behind them and made two circles with her hands in front of her chest.

Then…

(friction) (friction)

Li Meng, who hadn’t understood the gesture the first time, now saw Isana’s motions and blushed even deeper than before, the red spreading all the way to her ears.

“Huh? Why is your face so red?”

Yao Xueyue looked baffled.

“I mean, Miss Li Meng, you’re a Youxun with exceptional power, but everyone makes mistakes. Getting trapped in the Inner World isn’t shameful. But…”

She shifted her tone, a hint of teasing directed at Li Meng.

“But it must have been a pretty powerful Guiyi to trap even Miss Li Meng, right?”

“Mm…”

Li Meng nodded again.

But this time, her thoughts uncontrollably drifted to the side.

From the corner of her eye, she caught the outline of Qiu Qiqian’s curves, full and undulating, traced by her white clothes.

Yes, indeed…

Plenty powerful…

So powerful… I couldn’t swallow it all in one go…

Yao Xueyue seemed to suddenly realize something. She whipped her head around and caught sight of Isana behind her, messing around with that… overly peculiar “gesture” again.

Two sharp gazes collided briefly in the air.

The next second, a “No lewdness” iron fist whooshed through the air.

Bam!

A precise strike landed squarely on Isana’s forehead.

“You really don’t give me any peace of mind…”

Yao Xueyue withdrew her hand, patted her palm as if wiping away the other’s strange thoughts.

“Since you two are fine, go meet up with Xia Xinglian already. The Dragon Calling Parade should be starting soon.”

She gave Isana another fierce glare, conveying a “shut up” command with her eyes.

Isana rubbed her forehead expressionlessly and obediently walked ahead to lead the way, with Yao Xueyue following closely behind.

“Let’s go. Forget about last night for now… focus on the main task.”

Qiu Qiqian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the inexplicable restlessness inside her, and said softly to Li Meng in a voice only the two of them could hear.

She had to admit… where did this girl learn so many “moves” last night?

She looked so innocent and harmless…

Could it be that this was what they meant by a high-end hunter appearing as prey?

Thinking about last night, Qiu Qiqian’s legs still felt… weak.

But…

This girl… was indeed quite tasty…

Hearing Qiu Qiqian’s words, Li Meng lifted her head. The blush still lingered on her cheeks, but the corner of her mouth curled up into a sweet smile.

“Yeah… it was really dangerous…”

Isana seamlessly chimed in with her trademark flat, monotone delivery.

The two of them played off each other perfectly, their synchronization terrifying.

Qiu Qiqian and Li Meng felt as if their faces were on fire, the heat spreading all the way down their necks, as if they were about to transform into two cherries and explode on the spot.

Fortunately, Yao Xueyue still firmly remembered the purpose of their trip.

She cleared her throat heavily, forcibly breaking the increasingly strange atmosphere.

“You two… put away those weird jokes. What’s the plan now?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Xia Xinglian tilted her chin, signaling them to look at the temple gate, which was packed solid.

“The Dragon Calling Parade starts from here. The villagers will carry the newly made Dragon Statue along a fixed route, eventually reaching the Artificial Sinkhole behind the village, where the dragon calling begins. I’ve seen the process once before.”

As she finished speaking, a heavy, rhythmic thumping sound came from the direction of the temple gate.

Several prop dragon poles used for dragon dances were raised high above the crowd, roughly clearing a path.

Then, amid the crowd’s intense gaze, the “Dragon Statue” was slowly carried out.

Exactly as Xia Xinglian had seen last time.

It was as blasphemous as ever, as twisted as ever.

Dark red flesh and unknown materials were mixed together, forming a counterfeit, deeply unsettling shape.

Li Meng only took one look and felt a familiar chill rise in her heart.

The last time she felt this way was when facing Number 1198, the Guiyi that disguised itself as a human.

Logically, facing such a horrifying, grotesque statue, ordinary people should feel disgust, fear, and even spit in contempt.

Yet, the crowd’s reaction was the complete opposite.

“Wow! Is that the Dragon Statue for this year’s Dragon Calling Parade? It’s so lifelike!”

“The craftsmanship is amazing! I wonder how much they spent on it!”

“It’s the symbol of an emperor! So majestic!”

Far from being afraid, the onlookers burst into exclamations of wonder and praise.

It was as if this ominous lump of flesh radiating evil energy wasn’t a blasphemous creation, but the sacred appearance of their “divine dragon” that they believed it should have.

“These people… are their aesthetics okay?”

Qiu Qiqian frowned.

Looking at the oil-slicked statue under the sun, she could only say its ugliness was comparable to some low-level Guiyi she had encountered.

“But even if a few individuals have weird tastes, it’s impossible for everyone to be like this. Could it be…”

Li Meng touched her chin, raising her doubt.

Then, she raised a finger, about to voice her thought, but Isana beat her to it.

“It’s… Cognitive Modification.”

Everyone immediately looked at her.

But they found that the usually composed purple-haired girl was now frowning, one hand clutching her head tightly.

Her purple eyes had lost focus, looking dazed. She was in a highly uncomfortable state.

“Isana!”

Yao Xueyue’s heart tightened.

She stepped forward immediately, firmly supporting Isana’s shoulders and carefully checking her condition.

“What’s wrong? Are you affected?”

Isana nodded slowly.

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

Fighting the searing pain in her head, she lifted her eyes again to look at the Dragon Statue.

The surrounding noise continued to rush in. She couldn’t even clearly distinguish her four companions.

The entire world began to distort and spin before her eyes.

Light seemed to come from all directions, stabbing her eyes painfully.

Yet, that Dragon Statue alone…

In the chaos, it was terrifyingly clear, blindingly bright.

It even emitted an almost sacred, inviolable light.

Seeing Isana’s eyes starting to glaze over, Yao Xueyue acted on impulse. She pressed her hand on Isana’s shoulder, forcing her to turn around.

Then, she began shaking Isana wildly, with a frequency and force that any normal person couldn’t withstand.

“Hey—snap out of it already—!”

“—I’m gonna get shaken out of it—!”

Isana responded in her usual calm yet exaggerated monotone.

Though she looked pathetic, at least it proved her consciousness was still intact.

Confirming the situation wasn’t fatal yet, Li Meng and the others turned their attention back to the Dragon Statue, which was slowly moving forward, surrounded by the crowd.

“Should we just destroy that Dragon Statue?”

Qiu Qiqian lowered her voice.

She had seen in some stories that things showing abnormalities before a ritual started should be dealt with immediately.

If not handled in time, who knew what disaster would strike after the dragon calling ended.

“Mm, I agree with Xiao Qian’s suggestion.”

Li Meng immediately expressed her support.

“Hold on.”

Xia Xinglian raised her hand to stop them, the playful smile on her lips fading slightly.

“If we destroy it now, it’ll be hard to catch the ‘dragon’ hiding behind it. You should all feel it too, right? There’s a faint Nether Breath in the air… it means that Guiyi is lurking in this village.”

“If that Guiyi really needs this Dragon Statue to complete some ritual, I’ll blow it up at the most opportune moment.”

“Anyway, let’s get to the Artificial Sinkhole ahead of time and wait.”