Recap
In the next moment, a sturdy, dark figure leaped from the skylight of a pursuing vehicle like a panther, the heavy off-roader sinking with the force of his jump. It was Augusta, wielding his arc double knives. He wore only a short-sleeved shirt, the boiling blood of the strange beast rendering him impervious to the cold and imbuing him with fearsome speed and strength. The muscles in his arms were taut, veins bulging like grotesque tree roots, crackling with lightning-infused spiritual energy.
He swung his knives directly at Long Shiyu’s neck.
“Sister-in-law!” Song Qianqian shouted in alarm.
Shen Chaomu had already turned, and golden flakes surged toward Augusta like a tidal wave.
“Come on!” Augusta roared.
Long Shiyu met Augusta’s charge with an uppercut, sending him flying. He flew for more than ten meters.
Shen Chaomu, Song Qianqian, and Li Jianchun stared, dumbfounded.
Shen Chaomu finally broke the silence with a cough. “Your sister-in-law,” he explained, “may, um, have a little bit of strength.”
___
“Brother Shen,” Song Qianqian murmured, “you’ve redefined ‘a little bit strong.’”
The mercenaries were stunned into hesitation. They had been in a state of bloodlust, their minds clouded, driven to impulsive action. It was one thing for Shen Chaomu to appear and overpower them; that was almost expected. But what was going on with that unassuming young man?
Long Shiyu finally caught up to Shen Chaomu, wobbling slightly. Shen Chaomu had been meaning to explain the situation to Song Qianqian and the others, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
Sensing his hesitation, Long Shiyu said ingratiatingly, “Ying.”
“Stop sobbing,” Shen Chaomu said, lighting a cigarette. “You just sent a strong man flying for more than ten meters.”
Augusta had gotten to his feet. His sturdy physique prevented any broken bones, but his whole body ached as if he had been run over. He gritted his teeth at Shen Chaomu. “I never thought I’d see you here,” he snarled.
“Why are you still wearing that?” Shen Chaomu asked, indicating Augusta’s trench coat, which bore the emblem of the dragon-hunting family on the back. Augusta’s family should have lost the skills of dragon hunting long ago. They hadn’t been doing well in recent years; their numbers were dwindling, and many of their members had turned to crime. Unlike the Shen family, not many people feared them anymore.
Augusta gripped his double knives, licked his chapped lips, and said with a sneer, “It’s not just the Shen family in this world who can hunt dragons. After all, we were originally one family. Where did the camaraderie of our ancestors, fighting side-by-side, go?”
“I’m not interested in fighting alongside a wanted criminal,” Shen Chaomu said flatly.
Long Shiyu tugged on his sleeve. “Ying.”
Shen Chaomu paused, remembering Long Shiyu’s two unbelievable arrest warrants. “I’m not interested in fighting alongside a wanted criminal like you,” he amended.
“I’m just a mercenary driven by profit,” Augusta retorted. “And what are you? Who are you to accuse me of betraying the family? You know about the High Wind plan. Don’t you think that’s even more hypocritical?”
“What is the High Wind plan?” Song Qianqian asked Li Jianchun. “Why haven’t I heard of it?”
Li Jianchun shook his head.
“I have my own judgment,” Shen Chaomu said to Augusta.
Augusta licked his lips again. “Oh, I forgot,” he sneered. “You don’t even know who your parents are. If it weren’t for the Shen family’s special spiritual ability to recognize your ancestors, you might be worse off than me. Why do you obey those old bastards?”
Shen Chaomu flicked the ashes from his cigarette and said with a smirk, “The talent is there. Even if I come from a ‘gangster background,’ you still can’t beat me? Tell me, how can there be such a huge gap between people?”
To be fair, Augusta’s strength wasn’t truly formidable. At least, among the notorious monsters in the dragon-hunting family, he was like an innocent little rabbit. He was better at covert activities, gathering intelligence, and organizing other mercenaries. In combat situations, he simply followed orders. His employer was generous, so there were always plenty of people willing to work for him.
Shen Chaomu’s words hit a nerve. Augusta’s neck flushed, and the veins bulged. “Okay, okay, you asked for this! You’re still so infuriating!”
He lunged at Shen Chaomu, snowflakes swirling around him. The strange beast’s blood surged, and he reached Shen Chaomu in the blink of an eye. “You don’t even look at who you’re with—” he roared.
Long Shiyu punched Augusta, sending him flying. This time, Augusta flew horizontally, crashing into an off-road vehicle and nearly flipping it.
“What is that man yelling about?” Song Qianqian asked, bewildered. “What does ‘you don’t even look at who you’re with’ mean? Is he talking to himself?”
Li Jianchun shook his head.
“Do you have a grudge against him?” Shen Chaomu asked Long Shiyu. This was the first time he had seen Long Shiyu initiate an attack.
“No,” Long Shiyu said sincerely.
Augusta got up again, even more furious. He roared at Long Shiyu, charging once more.
Long Shiyu sent him flying again.
“He must have something wrong with his head,” Song Qianqian whispered. “He’s always yelling.”
Li Jianchun nodded in agreement.
“Where did you get that bad habit?” Shen Chaomu asked Long Shiyu. “Yelling during a fight. It’s just incompetent rage.”
Long Shiyu wrung his fingers, feeling guilty. Fortunately, Augusta hadn’t actually called out his name.
Augusta was about to lose it. The words “Akasa Mo” were stuck in his throat, and it was incredibly frustrating. Meanwhile, other hunter convoys had appeared. Learning from the previous encounter, their response this time was swift. All the hunters were ready to fight, their weapons trained on the now-stationary mercenary convoy.
Augusta had made a suicidal move by appearing here with mercenaries and engaging the hunters. Shen Chaomu alone was a formidable opponent, and now he faced an entire team.
Things are abnormal; don’t take it lightly, Lu Shanhuai reminded everyone in the tactical channel.
The logo of the Hunter Association—knives and swords encircled by thorns—appeared in the air. A cold, mechanical female voice echoed, “Please remain calm, follow instructions, and cooperate with the lawful enforcement of the Interstellar Hunter Association.”
The hunters surrounded the mercenaries. Augusta, battered and bruised, was undeterred. Like most of the mercenaries behind him, he showed no fear. He wiped a smear of blood from his face and grinned ferociously. “Today will not be the day I am captured without a fight,” he declared.
Golden flakes surged toward him like a tide, a glittering golden snow, beautiful and deadly. Augusta couldn’t resist, and neither could all the mercenaries combined. After all, they faced the most talented individual in the history of the dragon-hunting family.
But Augusta’s grin widened, a bestial madness flickering in his eyes. The moment the golden flakes reached him, the ice beneath their feet cracked, and pitch-black seawater surged upward, eager to devour them all.
A hand emerged from the sea, blocking the golden light. Clean, pale, with the softness of someone pampered and protected. A tsunami of mental force erupted as a girl in a magnificent cake-like dress materialized from the depths.
As she rose from the water, her skirt billowed, yet her body remained dry. Her blond hair shimmered like sunlight, and a small blue flower, the kind that grew in the deepest trenches of the icy sea, was tucked behind her ear. It had been found and given to her by the skeletal mermaids.
The ice beneath her shattered completely, and skeletal mermaids swarmed upward. Vehicles sank, and everyone struggled to maintain their footing. Those with quick reflexes unleashed their spiritual energy, barely resisting the tide of mermaids.
It was an ambush.
Wilpan, the siren—both possessed immense spiritual power, far beyond the reach of ordinary humans. Shen Chaomu was a once-in-a-millennium exception.
The terrifying spiritual forces of both sides clashed. Perhaps only monsters could fight monsters. As the two powerful beings wrestled with their mental strength, the sea roiled, ice shattered, and off-road vehicles were torn in half like paper. Everyone present was overwhelmed; fierce winds arose, and they couldn’t even unleash their own abilities.
The remains of another car were torn apart in the confrontation, and the siren’s eyes suddenly fell on Long Shiyu. Years had passed, but old friends remained the same.
“Is it you?” she asked, startled. It was no wonder she hadn’t recognized him immediately; Long Shiyu was bundled up like a little bread loaf, a fluffy ball from a distance.
This momentary distraction put her at a disadvantage. She couldn’t defeat these two, especially not with Akasa Mo present. She frowned at Augusta. “You didn’t tell me he was here.”
Augusta laughed. “Would you have summoned the skeletal mermaids if you knew? Listen, just follow the boss’s plan. Your illness can’t be delayed any longer. This is the best chance to seize the throne.”
The girl didn’t look happy. Augusta’s words weren’t entirely unreasonable. Her spiritual power was still surging, but her body was weak. She had to continuously lure people to their deaths with her song to replenish her strength.
“But they are all my friends,” she protested, gesturing to the skeletal mermaids. “I can compete for the throne myself. You should have told me. I don’t want them involved.”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Augusta interrupted. “Your ‘friends’ were all born from corpses. They have no sanity and will be killed by the association sooner or later. You caused so many shipwrecks; they won’t let you go. I was unlucky today, and we have to retreat, but if you don’t fight the association with me, you will die. Trust me, the boss knows…he knows…” He didn’t dare say the name. “He’ll find an opportunity to be alone with you.”
The girl pursed her lips. Because of that distraction, her mental strength was faltering. With Akasa Mo beside her, she couldn’t stay long. Fortunately, she knew this new king somewhat. He was completely different from the irritable, manic old Dragon King. As long as she didn’t provoke him or challenge the throne, Akasa Mo generally ignored other strange beasts.
The sea was her domain; escape wouldn’t be difficult. Augusta was already urging her.
But before leaving, she took a deep breath, and amidst the raging winds of spiritual energy, she looked at Shen Chaomu and shouted, “Can you change the name of this incident?”
Shen Chaomu’s spiritual energy pressed down on her, the terrifying wind from the golden flakes whipping her golden hair and skirt. The surrounding mercenaries panicked under this assault.
“What are you doing?” Augusta hissed. “Why don’t you leave?”
Shen Chaomu, surprised, asked, “What do you want to change it to?”
Every serious incident caused by a strange beast was named after the creature or the location. For example, fifty-seven years ago, the incident of skeletal mermaids swarming from the Land of Eternal Night to the main island of Bei En was called the “Eternal Night Wave.”
The siren hadn’t expected Shen Chaomu to answer her. “Can you ask them to change the name of this incident to ‘Edgeworth’?” she pleaded, speaking quickly. Those shocking events, especially those involving legendary monsters, would be constantly recounted by the alliance, commemorating the dead and serving as a warning. They would be recorded in history books and remembered for hundreds, even thousands, of years.
“You might want to consider whether Edgeworth Murphy himself would like to be remembered in this way,” Shen Chaomu countered.
The girl paled. She bit her lip, unable to speak, her hands twisting the hem of her skirt. “Of course, I know…but this is the only way to make everyone remember him forever. I promised him…”
It was too late if she didn’t leave. With a final, pale glance at Long Shiyu, she raised her hand, and the ice beneath the mercenaries shattered. They plunged into the deep sea, and the skeletal mermaids swiftly pulled them away.
The attack was so sudden that the hunters, lacking suitable boats and equipment, were caught off guard. The skeletal mermaids were at their peak strength.
Shen Chaomu didn’t pursue them. He looked back to see Long Shiyu floating on a piece of broken ice, paddling furiously with his hands, trying to reach him, but drifting farther away.
Shen Chaomu sighed. Long Shiyu was really going to great lengths to avoid being exposed in front of the other hunters. He propelled the ice floe back with his golden flakes.
“She’s gone,” Long Shiyu said.
“Yes.” Shen Chaomu thought for a moment, then added, “With me here, she won’t hurt you.”
“Oh.” Long Shiyu smiled. “You’re really amazing.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were back in the car, preparing to return to the land. Li Jianchun was driving.
“They were targeting the Yermak,” Shen Chaomu said. “They didn’t expect me to show up.”
“Yes,” Song Qianqian agreed. “It’s really difficult for us to move forward without the icebreaker. It would be great if the Pied Piper could be salvaged. It shouldn’t be that badly damaged. It’s a pity we don’t have the manpower or the time.” She clicked her tongue. “The bridge was blocked after we arrived. These mercenaries must have come to the Land of Eternal Night before us. It was probably premeditated with the siren.”
“But why did they retreat so decisively?” Shen Chaomu frowned. “The siren and the skeletal mermaids are very strong. They ambushed us, even evading the association’s scanning system. The sea is their home turf; they should have at least tried to fight us. Unless…”
Unless there was another presence they feared. His eyes settled on Long Shiyu.
Long Shiyu was looking at Flamingo Lily with some sadness.
Flamingo Lily has been outside for a long time, and was so frozen that his speech was a little trembling: “Fuck, fuck your mother…”
However, the siren shouldn’t be too afraid of the third-generation dragon, at most it’s just troublesome, waiting for a better opportunity next time to be on the safe side. And this time Augusta was also a bit silly, no one knows if it was because of his bad condition, he kept repeating “ahhhh” today.
Shen Chaomu dismissed this idea.
——He completely selectively forgot that the appearance of the third-generation dragon in history was also a relatively large threat.
He doubted that even as a third-generation dragon, Long Shiyu, the weakest and poorest among them, silly and only knowing how to throw a few punches, would be considered a threat by legendary monsters.
“I’ll discuss with Lu Shanhuai again and see if we can locate the Pied Piper’s wreckage,” Shen Chaomu said. “Fifty years ago, the skeletal mermaids destroyed its power and balance systems, causing it to sink. The shipyard is still operational; it would be great if it could be repaired.”
“Yes,” Song Qianqian agreed. “It’s best to be prepared. Fortunately, our icebreaker’s defenses are strong. Uther is…” She glanced at her terminal. “Oh, Uther just lost contact.”
Shen Chaomu sighed inwardly.
“So, Brother Shen…” Song Qianqian began.
Shen Chaomu knew what she was going to ask and interrupted her. “I’ll tell you when we get back.” He didn’t want to discuss this in front of Long Shiyu.
When the vehicle reached the coast, they took a rubber boat back to the Yermak. Long Shiyu started to head upstairs but noticed that Shen Chaomu hadn’t moved. “Aren’t you going to your room to rest?” he asked.
“You go up first,” Shen Chaomu said. “I need to talk to them about something.”
Long Shiyu returned to his room to wait. He built another nest, then rolled around outside it with a pillow in his arms. He was drowsy and nearly asleep before Shen Chaomu finally returned.
“What were you talking about?” he mumbled, lifting his head.
“Nothing,” Shen Chaomu said, sitting down on the bed.
He had told them what had happened, including their encounter with the sky settlement on the snow mountain. But he hadn’t revealed that Long Shiyu was a dragon, only that his special blood allowed him to track them. Now wasn’t a good time; not everyone would be as accepting as Fang Qing. At least not until the siren incident was over.
“Is it about my identity?” Long Shiyu asked, wrapping his tail around Shen Chaomu’s wrist. “I shouldn’t have done that today…”
“No, they didn’t ask,” Shen Chaomu reassured him. “You were right to do it. Augusta was coming for you.”
“How could they not ask?” Long Shiyu’s tail loosened, and he tapped the bed with it in frustration. “You lied to me.”
Shen Chaomu smiled, rubbing his head. “You were a smart dragon today,” he said. “Don’t worry about this; I’ll handle it.”
It was still early. Long Shiyu nestled in the bed and slept while Shen Chaomu and Lu Shanhuai discussed locating the Pied Piper. Finding the wreck wasn’t complicated, and the area near the shipyard was relatively safe. Lu Shanhuai immediately dispatched two underwater teams.
Long Shiyu ate and slept on the ship, finally waiting until nightfall for Shen Chaomu to return, having finished sorting and analyzing the data.
“You’re back!” he said happily, lifting his head. “I already made the bed. Can I have a bedtime story today?”
“No, I can’t make one up.”
Long Shiyu’s tail drooped in disappointment.
They still squeezed into the same bed at night.
Shen Chaomu asked: “Why do you want to sleep with me recently?”
“No reason.” Long Shiyu said, “It’s just warm to nest together in the lair, and I can wrap my tail around you.”
He showed his kindness to the princess in the considerate way of an evil dragon.
“It’s not cold in this room.” Shen Chaomu looked suspiciously, “If you want, you can turn up the heating a bit.”
“No, I just want to huddle with you.”
“…Are you afraid of anything other than thunderstorms?”
Long Shiyu flicked his tail dissatisfiedly: “There is a very famous thing on the Internet called ‘straight man’.”
Shen Chaomu said: “I’m bent.”
Long Shiyu: “…Ying.”
Shen Chaomu was shocked: “It’s useless for you to cry.”
Long Shiyu flicked his tail again.
His princess really didn’t understand the romantic feelings of an evil dragon.
After a while, Shen Chaomu remembered what happened during the day: “Augusta wasn’t like this before. The him I knew before was a very good person.”
“Isn’t Siren the same?” Long Shiyu said, “I think she was a good person before.”
“Yeah. No matter how much you want to live, you can’t deprive others of the right to live. Love should never be distorted at any time.” Shen Chaomu said.
He paused again: “…I know that the concept of the dragon clan is different from that of humans, but I hope you can always remember this.”
“I remember. I always remember.”
“…Always?”
Long Shiyu didn’t answer, and suddenly sat up halfway and moved closer to Shen Chaomu: “Can I give you a goodnight kiss?”
Shen Chaomu was about to say why he wanted a goodnight kiss, when he almost instinctively thought that Long Shiyu probably said this after hearing Augusta mention his parents.
Those ghosts in the trial hall said that they could give him wealth, fame, and all fighting skills. No one has ever offered to give him this kind of thing.
Void, ethereal, and meaningless.
Outside the small window of the room, there was a faint warm yellow light from the ship passing by.
The light was hazy and dim, fleeting like a fleeting image, but it outlined the lines of the people around him and the bright expectation in his eyes.
Like a hazy dream, swaying gently with the ship.
So Shen Chaomu said: “I don’t need a goodnight kiss.”
He pressed Long Shiyu back to lie down, lowered his head, and kissed his forehead: “But, I can give you one.”
___
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