Was my choice back then right or wrong?
Wu Zhaohua took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, only icy determination remained within them.
She straightened her back, standing tall like a pine in the wind and snow, and once more sank into meditation.
Only now, the sword aura swirling around her felt even lonelier and sharper than before.
Jiang Huai slowly opened his eyes, his mind clear.
He’d had a decent rest, and his spirit was much recovered.
Thanks to having reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, he no longer needed sleep as long as ordinary people, and his body recovered at an astonishing pace. But still, what was this thing stuck to him?
He lifted the Brocade Quilt in confusion, and the scene before his eyes made him freeze instantly.
A tiny dragon, its body covered in fine, jet-black scales like carved black jade, was curled up peacefully by his leg, sleeping soundly.
Most deadly of all, its petite dragon snout was firmly… biting down.
Showing no sign of letting go.
“Hiss—” Jiang Huai sucked in a cold breath, a vein throbbing at his temple.
Gritting his teeth, he reached out and grabbed Qin Qingyue’s slender dragon tail, lifting it up with an exasperated tone:
“Let go! Get up!”
Without Qin Qingyue making mischief, his body no longer had that inexplicably slippery feeling.
Jiang Huai easily lifted her entire form—she felt cold and tough to the touch, her scales shimmering with a dark luster in the morning light.
He shook his hand, trying to rouse this currently utterly undignified member of the Dragon Race.
“Mmm…” The little black dragon was shaken awake, lazily lifting her eyelids.
Her red vertical pupils still held the daze of just waking, blinking innocently as she met Jiang Huai’s gaze.
She even stuck out a small, pink tongue to lick the corner of her mouth.
“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you turn into a human?” Jiang Huai wiped the corner of her mouth in distaste.
Even though she was his, he still felt rather put off.
Is this the Dragon Clan’s Desire Period? Isn’t this a bit too perverse?
Qin Qingyue twisted in midair, seemingly seeking a more comfortable position. Her dragon tail gently coiled around Jiang Huai’s wrist as he held her up.
“But I’m a dragon. If I look like this, you won’t love me anymore?”
Her dragon form was indeed far from menacing; her smooth lines exuded the mysterious and elegant beauty unique to the Dragon Race.
In her current shrunken state, she even looked strangely adorable.
“As a husband of the Dragon Race, how can you dislike the dragon form?”
Her slender body twisted and turned with boneless agility, slipping easily out of Jiang Huai’s not-so-firm grip.
The fine black scales brushed against his palm, leaving a faint cool and slick feeling.
In the next moment, the black-jade luster flowed and coalesced silently in the morning light.
The curled-up dragon form rapidly elongated and transformed.
In the blink of an eye, a stunning beauty, her graceful body adorned with just a few shimmering scales, replaced the little black dragon, reclining lazily atop the rumpled Brocade Quilt.
Her ink-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, making her skin seem even fairer than snow. Her exquisite curves were outlined by the soft morning light, radiating a breathtaking allure.
Qin Qingyue propped her head with one hand, her red dragon eyes glimmering with a half-smile as she gazed at Jiang Huai.
In the flow of her gaze, there was both lazy charm and a trace of playful mischief.
“Do you like me better like this?” Qin Qingyue asked as she sat up.
Jiang Huai reached out and touched her dragon horns, speaking softly, “I like you no matter what form you’re in—just don’t sleep like you did last night again.”
“Blame that thing.”
He really didn’t want to wake up every morning to see a dragon performing sword-swallowing acrobatics.
Qin Qingyue shrugged, lying through her teeth with an innocent look:
“That’s not my fault. Blame the Dragon Clan’s Desire Period.” “When will your Desire Period end, exactly?” Jiang Huai pressed.
Qin Qingyue’s dragon eyes flickered with cunning.
She rose gracefully, a black robe instantly materializing around her as she tidied herself elegantly.
As she strolled leisurely toward the door, she tossed back a vague reply:
“It varies from dragon to dragon. Who knows?”
“A month or two, maybe. Even a year or two wouldn’t be a surprise.”
She stopped at the door, turning back to urge him:
“Hurry up and get dressed. Come with me to the Central Continent Dragon Palace, I have some matters to handle.”
Central Continent Dragon Palace, Azure Dragon Hall.
Delicate jade feet stomped hard on the mirror-smooth blue jade floor, producing crisp echoes.
Ao Shuang, the Azure Dragon Clan’s Clan Leader, her exquisite face carved from pink jade, was flushed with anger, berating the leisurely Chi Hong, Clan Leader of the Red Dragon Clan, who was seated as a guest:
“Are you crazy? If you’re sick, why don’t you go see a doctor?” Ao Shuang’s voice was clear and bright, brimming with barely suppressed fury.
“What are you doing here? Tell me! Why are you here?!”
She pointed a fair, delicate finger at the other woman:
“If you want to go against Qin Qingyue, just go! What’s this about calling upon all the Dragon Race to crusade against Qin Qingyue?!”
“If Qin Qingyue attacks, you can go deal with her yourself, don’t drag the Central Continent down with you.”
She had only just rejoiced at sending off the calamity that was Qin Qingyue, and now someone dared to publicly denounce her—right here in her own territory, no less!
Wasn’t this just begging Qin Qingyue to come visit Central State?
Chi Hong lifted her dainty teacup awkwardly, taking a small sip. As she set it down, her ample chest quivered slightly.
She unfolded her Yugu Folding Fan, half-covering her face as she smiled in an attempt to placate:
“Now, now, Shuang’er, don’t get upset. It’s just a stopgap, that’s all—a stopgap.”
Standing together, the pair—one petite and delicate, the other voluptuous and mature—looked for all the world like a housewife leading an angry little loli daughter.
“So why don’t you go to the Northern Plains to find the White Dragon, or to the Western Desert for the Yellow Dragon? Why stick to me?” Ao Shuang fumed.
Even so, over the past few days, she hadn’t actually kicked Chi Hong out—she just kept throwing tantrums.
“I can’t, I really can’t.” Chi Hong fanned herself, tone full of self-justification.
There was nothing she could do—after all, the Wenxuan Sect was in Central State. Otherwise, how would Qin Qinghong come and go so easily?
“By the way, has your Desire Period started?” Chi Hong changed the subject, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
Instantly, two spots of red appeared on little Ao Shuang’s cheeks.
She was just about to retort when a tall figure strode swiftly into the hall, light flickering at the doorway.
“Clan Leader Ao, Clan Leader Chi.” The newcomer was none other than Qin Qinghong, who hurriedly offered a bow, her face filled with barely concealed anxiety.
“It’s already been three days. The White Dragon of the Northern Plains and the Yellow Dragon of the Western Desert haven’t sent anyone yet?”
With only the power of their three clans, going up against Qin Qingyue was no different from smashing an egg against a rock.
If the Yellow Dragon and White Dragon Clans could lend their support, their odds of victory would be far greater.
In this operation, she wasn’t one of the core planners, had no knowledge of the inside story, and had been led around by the nose by Chi Hong the whole time.
At the mention of this, Ao Shuang’s temper flared anew, and she nearly started cursing aloud.
Usually so proud and aloof, and now she wanted their help to restore the Eastern Wasteland Dragon Clan?
Who exactly was supposed to help revive the Eastern Wasteland Dragon Clan?
Chi Hong, quick to react, rose and gently pressed her jade hand to Ao Shuang’s petite shoulder, her face adorned with a confident smile as she reassured Qin Qinghong: “Soon. By tomorrow, Bai Lu of the Northern Plains Dragon Clan will arrive.”
Hearing Bai Lu’s name, Qin Qinghong felt a little more at ease.
She knew Bai Lu had once helped Wu Zhaohua oppose Qin Qingyue, and was herself a Supreme Sage Great Ascension cultivator of outstanding power.
Chi Hong gave a solemn assurance, then added greedily: “When the Five Clans join forces and help you reclaim the Dragon Palace, don’t forget to give us a little something in return, all right?”
All the bustling in the world is for profit, and Qin Qinghong understood this truth all too well.
Though anxious, she forced herself to stay calm and made a solemn promise:
“Rest assured, Clan Leader Chi! If we succeed, there will be generous rewards!”
Vital energy could recover with time—what mattered most now was leveraging external power to revive the Eastern Wasteland Dragon Clan and reclaim her position.