The turbid air-laden wind struck her face—the sensation was far from pleasant. Xuan Yi covered her head and face with her sleeve and continued sleeping, only to discover her sleeve reeked of a pungent wine smell that mingled with the rolling turbid energy. The stench was indescribably foul.

She was forcibly awakened by the smell and opened her eyes with extreme dissatisfaction. What met her gaze was a somewhat familiar yet not entirely familiar sky. The sky was quite blue, the clouds quite white, but they seemed so distant. The sun looked like a tiny speck and wasn’t so glaring anymore.

Xuan Yi didn’t turn over or move, only letting out a soft sigh.

How was it that she and the mortal realm were so fated to meet? Last time she was forced down to the mortal realm, the consequence was her right leg nearly being crippled. This time she had inexplicably fallen down again—who knew what the consequence would be.

Beneath her, the nine-headed lion let out a roar. The next moment, Fucang’s detestable face appeared in her field of vision. His usually ice-cold eyes actually carried a trace of gentle concern as he asked in a low voice, “How are you?”

Xuan Yi still didn’t move, lying face-up and staring fixedly at him.

It was him again.

For some reason, she found that intimate gentleness in his eyes so offensive to look at. She hated it—hated it even more than she previously hated his entire person, hated it the way one hates a terrible flood or ferocious beast.

She avoided his gaze, slowly sat up, turned her back to him, and used her fingers to slowly comb through her long hair. Without a word, she gazed at the flying clouds passing by. The nine-headed lion galloped through the sea of clouds. Below their feet, verdant mountains stretched endlessly, and right through the center, a long black river passed through like a black silk ribbon embedded in jade.

“Where is the Sea of Severed Regret?”

Xuan Yi inserted her golden hairpin and looked around in all directions. Earlier, there had been such a huge commotion in the divine realm—how was it that the mortal realm looked so calm? Speaking of which, the Sea of Severed Regret had been frozen by her clan’s ancestor, yet she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of it before falling to the mortal realm. What a tremendous pity.

“The mortal realm’s territory is vast. Who knows where the Sea of Severed Regret has fallen.”

Fucang used his hand to smooth the soft lion fur that she had mussed up while sleeping. Their luck was good—they hadn’t fallen into the Sea of Severed Regret itself. Given her meager level of skill, plus his not-quite-proficient swordsmanship, if two young deities fell into the Sea of Severed Regret, eight or nine times out of ten they would only perish on the spot.

“What about my senior martial brothers?”

“The clear and turbid air currents collided violently. The deities who fell should all be scattered in various places.”

Hmm, all the other disciples were scattered in various places, yet she was unlucky enough to end up with this fellow. Xuan Yi sighed, “Where is this?”

Her questions came rapidly one after another. Rarely, Fucang showed no impatience and answered quite calmly, “This should be near the Black Water in the mortal realm. Returning to the Southern Heavenly Gate will take approximately five days of mortal time.”

Xuan Yi’s eyes immediately brightened. “Black Water? Then isn’t Mount Kunlun also nearby? I remember there’s a hot spring on the mountain peak that the Dark Goddess used in the past.”

She sniffed the unpleasant odor on her hair and immediately issued him an imperious command, “I want to bathe. Make this stupid lion go down.”

Fucang didn’t turn his head, his voice indifferent, “In the middle of nowhere, what bathing is there to speak of? Endure it.”

What she was talking about were matters from ancient times. Mount Kunlun had long since fallen to the mortal realm—who knew what demon clan now occupied it.

Xuan Yi pointed at the Black Water stretching below, “Then that Black Water down there—there’s so much water, enough for me to wash.”

“Don’t mention this again. Not open for discussion.” Fucang looked back at her impatiently. The fall of the Sea of Severed Regret this time was truly a natural disaster. The mortal realm also had countless demon clans—who knew what impact there would be. Instead of thinking about returning quickly, why did she have so many demands?

Xuan Yi smiled slightly at him and said gently, “Senior Martial Brother Fucang, I can also return to the Southern Heavenly Gate by myself. Why don’t you go ahead first?”

Fucang looked toward her injured right leg. She wanted to go by herself? How? Crawl with her hands?

She looked particularly earnest, “Really, I can go by myself.”

Fucang said flatly, “Don’t mention this either. Sit properly.”

The situation in the mortal realm seemed calm, but the fall of the Sea of Severed Regret absolutely couldn’t be as if nothing had happened. The Dragon Princess’s injury still hadn’t healed—he absolutely couldn’t let her go alone. He had also figured out this Dragon Princess’s vile temperament. Who knew what startling thing she might do next? He immediately grasped a section of her long garment in his hand and wound it around several times.

Xuan Yi narrowed her eyes and stared at him. Now this Fucang of the Huaxu Clan was becoming more and more like an iron plate. He neither bickered with her nor quarreled with her anymore. Each time he just acted directly, relying on knowing a bit of swordsmanship. He practically wanted to climb on top of her head.

She took a deep breath and smiled at him again, “I insist on going.”

Fucang instinctively tightened his grip on her long garment. Suddenly, with a “poof” sound, the Dragon Princess before his eyes vanished, and the long garment in his hand also suddenly disappeared. A pitch-black little loach used its tail to support its body and hopped and bounced on the lion’s back. Not even a rabbit could bounce as fast as her—with a whoosh, she dove into the sea of clouds.

He couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. She… could normally transform into a loach too?

Xuan Yi tensed her body and shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring. Her injured right leg couldn’t exert strength, but fortunately her dragon body had a tail. Flying didn’t take much effort. Originally, after obtaining human form, casually transforming back to dragon form was a disgrace for the Zhuyin Clan. However, since there were only the two of them here anyway, she was full of tricks and had no inhibitions.

With a splash, she plunged into the icy Black Water and comfortably blew countless bubbles.

Why must she travel together with this brute? She could return to the Southern Heavenly Gate by herself, and moreover, her dragon form was faster.

Xuan Yi burrowed back and forth in the smooth sand at the river bottom, letting it carry away the strange odor from her body, while simultaneously speeding toward the direction of the Southern Heavenly Gate. Suddenly she heard the sound of water stirring behind her. She saw countless chaotic currents suddenly arise from the river bottom. The originally clear river water was churned until it became murky and turbid. Two silver dragon-like spells swiftly darted past her sides, then rolled up the river water ahead.

She froze for a moment, then immediately understood—this was Fucang searching for her. The Zhuyin Clan was immune to all spells. He was using magic to churn the river water until it was topsy-turvy—wherever was calm, that’s where she would be hiding.

How was this vicious brute so good at adapting to circumstances!

She hid her body in the sand and kept tunneling. Suddenly, a cold light flashed before her eyes. The Pure Jun sword intercepted her midway, its tip pointed right at the unscaled spot on her belly. She braked hard, changed direction, and dove down into the mud and sand. But a hand had already grabbed her and fished her out of the Black Water.

Xuan Yi struggled desperately. Just as she was about to transform back to human form, she suddenly felt her body being lifted before Fucang’s eyes. He stared at her for a long time, so long that she felt a chill run down her spine, before slowly saying word by word, “First, you’re not allowed to flee again. Second, you’re not allowed to transform back to human form, or else I’ll cut your hair.”

This fierce warning was far more terrible than his previous ones. Xuan Yi was finally completely subdued. Listlessly, she curled up into a ball in his palm, hiding all her limbs and tail beneath her belly.

Fucang looked down at the little loach in his palm. Her pitch-black scales once again reflected a cold gleam in the morning light.

The belly full of evil fire he’d been suppressing from yesterday until just now suddenly dissipated into smoke. She really was better suited to being a loach.

—

The rolling turbid air of the mortal realm was completely blocked outside by Fucang’s sleeve. Xuan Yi curled up in a ball inside the sleeve.

She slept and woke, woke and slept—it had already happened three or four times. Now she only felt a burning hunger in her belly and could no longer sleep. This fellow didn’t have any scent on him at all. If only Shao Yi were here—at least he had the scent of tea cakes on him that she could sniff to relieve her craving.

She pressed her face against the sleeve and looked out with all her might. Outside, it seemed to already be nighttime in the mortal realm. The howling wind brushed past his sleeve. Occasionally, a wisp of mortal cooking smoke would drift into her nostrils. It still didn’t smell good, but she was truly desperately hungry. This bit of cooking smoke actually aroused her appetite, and her stomach let out a tremendous rumble.

The sleeve immediately opened. Her body was grasped by Fucang. She continued to close her eyes and play dead, only feeling him cradling her in his palm as he said flatly, “If you’re hungry, there’s a mortal town below. Will mortal food do?”

Xuan Yi opened her eyes to a slit. The expression on his face was very calm. The malice and gentleness that made her feel disgusted were nowhere to be seen. So she nodded.

The nine-headed lion swiftly descended through the clouds. By this time it was already deep night. In the town, only a sparse scattering of lights still burned. Everything looked peaceful. The fall of the Sea of Severed Regret seemed not to have affected this place.

Xuan Yi’s head turned in all directions. Suddenly her nose twitched and she bit Fucang’s sleeve, “There’s cooking smoke to the south. Go there.”

The night wind brushed past. Fucang drew a breath. That wasn’t cooking smoke but incense smoke. Presumably there was some mortal temple built there, only it wasn’t like the Qing Di Temple from last time with its abundant clear energy—instead, turbid energy rolled forth. However, this matter wasn’t particularly unusual. Ever since the Heavenly Pillar was shattered, and later after experiencing Mount Kunlun and Mount Taihang falling to the mortal realm, the turbid energy in the mortal realm had grown increasingly thick. The deities who once enjoyed playing in the mortal realm gradually stopped coming down. It was common for temples to be occupied by demon clans.

Judging by the degree of rolling turbid energy, it shouldn’t be any powerful demon clan. Fucang paid it no mind and turned to drift southward. Suddenly he added, “You’re not allowed to speak.”

Xuan Yi was extremely indignant, “Why not?”

“Loaches can’t speak.” They can only squeak.

“Well now you’ve met one that can speak.”

The small temple to the south was quite dilapidated. The red paint on the door was peeling. Inside was enshrined a statue of the Dark Goddess that looked nothing like the Dark Goddess herself—it was garishly colored, draped in who-knows-what inferior silks and satins, with two splotches of bright red rouge painted on its face.

Fortunately there was no temple to the Zhuyin Clan, or else she would definitely freeze the statue inside to ice.

On the altar table were offered some not-very-fresh pastries, along with some peaches, tangerines, and the like. Xuan Yi picked up a rock-hard thousand-layer cake in her mouth and complained while eating, “Terrible, terrible.”

As she spoke, she ate half a dish of pastries until they were completely clean.

Fucang watched as she stuffed her mouth full of pastries and hid her limbs beneath her belly. The dim yellow candlelight danced on her pitch-black scales. Her small eyes appeared bright and sparkling. The two rice-grain-sized dragon horns on her head also appeared increasingly delicate and interesting.

Between the two small dragon horns, on her bald little scalp, there was still a bump protruding—the one he’d bitten out in his drunken state.

Xuan Yi was swallowing the rough, inferior mortal pastries with extreme disdain when suddenly a finger lightly pressed against her forehead. She twisted her neck with all her might but still couldn’t shake it off. Right now she was in dragon form, so she couldn’t engage in close combat either. Moreover, if they fought too fiercely, this brute would cut her hair. She didn’t believe anything else, but cutting her hair she absolutely believed.

She simply closed her eyes and didn’t move, only continuing to chew the food in her mouth.

This finger slowly rubbed the bump protruding from her forehead, then caressed her two little dragon horns a few times. Then, he actually let out an extremely soft and gentle laugh.

Had he lost his mind?

Xuan Yi opened her eyes to a slit again. The dim yellow candlelight in the Dark Goddess temple fell on the space between his brows. It wasn’t bright at all, yet it was terribly dazzling to look at.

“It’s like you’ve grown three dragon horns.” Fucang laughed gently, and the frost in his eyes instantly melted away like ice and snow.