Recap
“They’re eager,” Black Sickle said, his voice filled with pride. “Once we master this new language, humans will tremble before the might of our settlement.”
He opened the door. A swarm of mantises surged out, their excitement palpable.
“Fuck your mother fuck your mother” They exclaimed loudly, flapping their wings, “fuck your ancestors”
“Bastards sons.”
“Son of a bitch, you’re all sons of a bitch.”
It was very lively all the time.
Shen Chaomu: “…”
Shen Chaomu: “…………”
He looked at Long Shiyu, who had a ⊙▽⊙ expression.
Black Sickle was shocked, then became extremely angry: “Damn dragon, what have you done to our great settlement?”
Black Sickle stayed up all night, thinking about his plan to revive the settlement.
The mantises did learn other words, such as “hello” and “goodbye”, but they couldn’t pronounce “fuck your mother” clearly.
He demanded Long Shiyu remove the offensive Flamingo Lily, but the damage was done.
Cunning, hateful dragon.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window, rousing Long Shiyu. The heat was a stark contrast to the icy climate of Bei En. He yawned and looked at Shen Chaomu, who was already dressed. “Are you going out?”
“Yes, to see Romeo,” Shen Chaomu replied, adjusting his collar. “Black Sickle sunned the epiphyllum this morning, and it bloomed. I thought we should have him examine your injury. If it works on the mantises, it might work on you too.”
“Okay.”
Shen Chaomu paused. “What did you do when you were injured before?” he asked.
“I healed myself.”
“You should find a doctor.”
“They don’t treat strange beasts.”
Shen Chaomu sighed, grabbing Long Shiyu’s horn and shaking it gently. “Silly dragon.”
Half an hour later, they boarded the aircraft, Black Sickle accompanying them. The mantis seemed sullen, as if he hadn’t slept. Romeo’s treatments, however, were clearly effective; his wounds looked much improved.
They arrived at the tower, its facade overrun with lettuce, long golden hair fluttering from the window. Long Shiyu, remembering his shattered princess fantasy, felt a pang of disappointment.
A strange, burnt odor permeated Romeo’s room.
“Sit, sit,” Romeo greeted them distractedly, waving a hand. “I’m examining this material.”
The crystal ball glowed, surrounded by objects suspended in mid-air by his spiritual power. The burnt smell intensified, and two minutes later, a small explosion sent the objects flying.
“Still haven’t found the right balance…” Romeo muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
Black Sickle presented the Scorching Sun Epiphyllum, which Romeo accepted with reverence. “With this, I’ll find a solution soon,” he said. “But there’s only one, and I don’t dare use it directly.”
“I’ve contacted the association,” Shen Chaomu said. “They’re not required to assist with this, but they’ve agreed to keep an eye out for more epiphyllums.”
“Excellent.” Romeo turned to Long Shiyu. “Let’s try again, using the gentlest method. Have your side effects from last time subsided?”
Shen Chaomu rubbed his forehead. “Yes, they have.”
Long Shiyu sat before the crystal ball, Shen Chaomu’s spiritual energy forming a protective barrier around them. Romeo arranged the ingredients, plucking a petal from the epiphyllum. The objects on the table vibrated, then dissolved into dust. Long Shiyu’s reflection appeared in the swirling light of the crystal ball.
“Lettuce!” Romeo chanted.
The room exploded with light. Wind buffeted them, and Romeo was thrown back, crashing into the wall. The impact, in the same spot as before, cracked the already unstable structure, sending dust raining down. He coughed, the backlash worse than before.
Shen Chaomu rushed to Romeo’s aid. He helped him to a chair, where he sat gasping for several minutes. His spiritual energy was clearly in turmoil.
Long Shiyu brought him a glass of water. Romeo took it and gulped it down. “The direction is wrong,” he rasped.
“What do you mean?” Shen Chaomu asked.
“I wasn’t sure last time,” Romeo said, taking another sip, “but now I am. The direction is definitely wrong.” He explained, “Theoretically, the Scorching Sun Epiphyllum should stabilize any magic, preventing serious consequences. This backlash means my initial assessment of the injury was incorrect.”
“But the dragon’s injury is identical to those in our settlement,” Black Sickle hissed. “I can sense that man’s evil power.”
“That’s what I can’t understand.” Romeo finished the water and turned to Long Shiyu. “Any thoughts? Is there something unusual about this wound?”
Long Shiyu, who had been staring longingly at an apple pie, blinked as Shen Chaomu nudged him. “Probably…no,” he mumbled. “It was a long time ago. I don’t remember much.”
“A long time ago?” Romeo sputtered. “You don’t remember such a serious injury?”
“It really was a long time ago,” Long Shiyu insisted, his gaze returning to the pie.
“Okay,” Romeo sighed. “Let me know if you remember anything. At least there are no new side effects this time.”
“True,” Long Shiyu agreed.
“Ying,” Shen Chaomu added.
Romeo stared at him.
Black Sickle remained with Romeo, who attempted another healing spell, using a petal from the epiphyllum. This time, it was successful. A thin, black film formed over the mantis’s wounds, a sign of healing in their settlement.
“This is so strange…” Romeo muttered. “It’s the same method.”
He used the crystal ball to examine Long Shiyu’s wound again, scribbling incomprehensible symbols on a piece of paper, declaring that he needed to research further.
Before they left, Long Shiyu, as a consolation prize, received a slice of apple pie. He settled happily into the aircraft, munching on his treat and playing his card game as they flew over the vast forest.
“Why do I feel like you don’t actually want to be healed?” Shen Chaomu asked after watching him play for a while.
“No, I do,” Long Shiyu replied.
“Show me your tail before you answer.”
Long Shiyu quickly tucked his tail under a pillow, but Shen Chaomu caught it.
“Ying!”
“Don’t ‘ying’ at me. Do you want to be healed? If you don’t answer, no more delicious food.” He paused, then added, “And I’ll step on your tail until you breathe fire in frustration.”
This threat was effective. Long Shiyu hesitated. “No…yes…” he stammered.
His tail twitched nervously in Shen Chaomu’s grasp.
“No,” he corrected himself, trying to smooth his tail. It immediately curled up again.
“Ying!”
Shen Chaomu frowned. “Are you stupid? This is a serious injury. Who knows what will happen if it’s not treated, especially with Shen Di still out there.”
Long Shiyu took a large bite of pie, avoiding his gaze.
“Answer me.” Shen Chaomu tugged on his tail.
He suddenly recalled Long Shiyu’s evasiveness. “Are you hiding something again?” he asked, his voice sharp. “What’s really going on with your injury?”
Long Shiyu remained silent.
Shen Chaomu confiscated the rest of his pie.
Long Shiyu started to chew on his fingers.
“Don’t do that!” Shen Chaomu cried, pulling his hand away. “What if you bite it off?”
Long Shiyu, after a long silence, finally mumbled, “I don’t know anything.”
“If you don’t want to be healed, why did you go to Romeo in the first place?”
Long Shiyu hesitated. “Because…because you would have been angry if I didn’t,” he whispered.
Shen Chaomu’s expression darkened, and he confiscated Long Shiyu’s gaming currency.
“You went just to appease me?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.
The atmosphere remained tense.
As they returned to the Green Inn, they encountered Yang Zhiming delivering a meal to the Black Knight. He looked at their grim faces with concern. “What’s wrong with you two?”
“Nothing,” Shen Chaomu replied curtly.
“Don’t be angry,” Yang Zhiming chided. “Don’t they say the best couples fight and make up in bed? Talk it out. Look what you’ve done to poor sister-in-law.”
Shen Chaomu took a deep breath. “Didn’t I explain? He’s not your sister-in-law.”
Yang Zhiming gave him a disgusted look that clearly said, “You heartless scoundrel.”
Shen Chaomu sighed.
Back in their room, Long Shiyu, aware of his transgression, remained unusually subdued. That afternoon, Shen Chaomu went to assess the wildfire situation. Long Shiyu was sleeping soundly, so he quietly slipped out.
Dry winds fanned the flames, the wildfire spreading rapidly through the dense vegetation. Bai Yiyi was actively involved in the containment efforts; this was her home, after all.
Wildfires on Tabu were always accompanied by strange beast riots. The intense heat seemed to awaken them from their slumber. They emerged from the western continent and the deep forests, drawn to the chaos. It was a natural cycle on this planet – fire, destruction, rebirth, the emergence of strange beasts, their defeat, and a return to dormancy.
Shen Chaomu patrolled the area surrounding the town, ensuring no strange beasts threatened the residents. On his way back, he bought snacks for Long Shiyu, who seemed to enjoy all kinds of food. The dragon’s robust digestive system was a blessing; with their iron teeth and powerful stomach acid, they could consume almost anything without fear of food poisoning.
If nature were a game, dragons were definitely the players who paid for extra perks. Though Long Shiyu didn’t exactly exude “apex predator” energy.
As dusk approached, painting the sky in fiery hues, Shen Chaomu prepared to return to the inn. His terminal buzzed with a message from Romeo.
Mr. Lettuce: Good news! I found a clue!
Mr. Lettuce: I consulted the family archives and discovered that certain injuries can interfere with the epiphyllum’s healing properties. These injuries are usually caused by specific types of strange beasts.
Shen Chaomu frowned. What are the possibilities?
Mr. Lettuce: Primarily scavengers and corpse-eaters, like water ghosts and ghouls. You likely know more about strange beasts than I do, so I’ll be blunt: I suspect this wound was caused by a vampire.
A vampire?
Yes, it’s just a suspicion, but my crystal ball and magic point to this. Ask your wife if she’s encountered any vampires.
I’m certain this wound was caused by a human.
Mr. Lettuce: It’s hard to say. The materials involved in a mixed injury would be different. This explains why my magic failed.
Mr. Lettuce: If not for the potent corrosive energy masking the other components, we might have noticed this sooner.
Could there be a vampire connected to Shen Di? Shen Di was collaborating with the Church, and the only vampire that came to mind was their bishop, Lilith. But Lilith hadn’t been seen in over a century. And even among legendary monsters, she was notoriously powerful and cunning.
How could Long Shiyu be involved with such a creature?
He set the terminal aside, a sense of unease growing. Reaching the Green Inn, he hurried to their room.
It was empty.
Long Shiyu was gone.
The terminal chimed with a message:
[Marshal, your wife has been sold as a hostage by you for three years. Did she admit her mistake? No, she has started trafficking robbers.]
Shen Chaomu stared at the message, a sense of dread creeping over him. Something was very wrong.
___
Long Shiyu sat in a dilapidated warehouse, surrounded by three terrified orc residents who had witnessed his “abduction.” Several masked mercenaries, armed with guns and light swords, stood before him.
“Are you the boss of ‘Zhanshu’?” one of them demanded.
“No, I just went out to get a snack,” Long Shiyu replied, munching on meatballs. With the princess gone and no readily available food at the inn, he had ventured out, only to be bundled into a van by these mercenaries after purchasing five skewers of cuttlefish balls.
“You’re lying,” the mercenary snarled, his expression growing more menacing. “Going out without even a few bodyguards. You’re arrogant. I’ll tell you now, you’re going to die here today.”
Long Shiyu blinked, confused, and popped another meatball into his mouth.
The mercenary, enraged by his apparent nonchalance, growled, “Someone wants you dead, and I’m happy to oblige.”
Long Shiyu, still puzzled, reached for another skewer of cuttlefish balls.
This was the final straw. The mercenary drew his gun and, amidst the terrified gasps of the orcs, fired at point-blank range at the back of Long Shiyu’s head.
The gunshot echoed through the warehouse.
Long Shiyu turned his head and continued eating.
The mercenary stared, speechless. The orc residents gaped.
“Wait a moment,” Long Shiyu mumbled around a mouthful of meatball. “Let me finish this bite.”
He had promised Shen Chaomu he wouldn’t do anything unusual, and that included playing dead prematurely. He was an honest and trustworthy evil dragon, devoted to his princess. But the cuttlefish balls were simply too delicious to waste.
He quickly swallowed the remaining food, then slumped to the floor. Deciding this wasn’t convincing enough, he rolled onto his stomach. “Ah,” he declared, “I’m dead.”
___
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