One careless word became an eternal regret. For the entire night that followed, I became like a pustule, taking turns with Xuanyue to water the divine dragon like we were watering flowers. I could use water manipulation techniques, but Xuanyue had it much harder, having to fly up and down carrying small bowls of water in its mouth.

The divine dragon’s face was quite thick, too. Even though Xuanyue and I were both minors, it felt no impropriety in using us, instead sitting back and enjoying it like a Grand Empress Dowager.

Sometimes our ancestors’ words are truly filled with life philosophy, worth spending a lifetime contemplating. For example: “Tangled silk is hard to sort, shrewish women are hard to manage.” I’d bet ten pieces of Xuanyue’s chubby little bottom that this divine dragon was an ancient unmarried female dragon. With such a strange temper, instead of properly considering its lifelong romantic prospects, it only knew how to bully little girls and small tiger cubs.

Thinking this, I sneakily glanced at it sideways. I couldn’t blame it. Women don’t fear being fat; they only fear being too robust. No matter how handsome it looked, being as magnificent and mighty as Kunlun’s Luwu beast, look, just taking a bath nearly drained Xiang’e Lake dry. Which elegant young dragon gentleman would dare marry it home? Now injured on top of that, it was truly damaged in both body and spirit. Forget it, poor thing – I’d better keep it company a while longer.

Xuanyue and I worked busily until midnight before preparing to leave. Before departing, I said: “Divine Dragon, this humble one will return to rest first and come see you again tomorrow morning. You rest well, too. This humble one takes leave.”

The next morning, I rose early and headed to Qiong Wood Forest carrying an empty basket. Qiong Wood Forest wasn’t on Cultivation Peak where I lived, so I had to make a special trip to the post station to ride a Luanniao to the forest on the opposite mountain. The post station was built on a northern peak, still quite far from the disciples’ activity areas. Therefore, those who used the post station were mostly semi-immortals who couldn’t fly well yet and immortals traveling far distances.

Early morning found them all diligently cultivating, so the post station was empty. I watched as all manner of strange beasts flew through clouds and mist from all directions, all stopping for a while, then flying away again upon seeing I had no intention of boarding. On the cliff was a bulletin board carved from Qiong wood, clearly listing:

Wenrao — West Sea — Kunlun — Blackwater — Fanye — Mount Zhaoyao

Three-legged Crow — East Sea — Penglai — Shaohao — Tianwen

Paoxiao — North Sea — Danhu Mountain — Mount Buzhou — Changjing Country

…

…

Xiangshe — North Heaven — Xuanyuan Constellation

Suanyu — North Heaven — Yaoguang

…

…

The front listed the mythical beast names, the second showed their assigned realm, and after that were the stops. Routes to Jiuzhou generally had many stops, while within the immortal realm, they usually only went to one place. Curiously, some immortal realm destinations were followed by notes like: “Transfer to Fire Phoenix for Divine Realm Yemo,” “Transfer to Wind Dragon for Divine Realm White Tiger Mountain,” or “Transfer to Panlong for areas outside the Divine-Demon Chasm.”

Seeing these words for the first time, my immediate reaction was: Good heavens, the Divine-Demon Chasm is the passage connecting the divine and demon realms, where demons constantly cause trouble – who would dare go to such places!

Qinghong Mountain’s post station had good benefits – riding Luanniao was completely free. The local Luanniao only operated within cultivation territories, so I could easily reach Qiong Wood Forest. I sat in a chair built from thousand-year-old tree roots, comfortably stretched, and waited for the Luanniao to arrive, but I unexpectedly bumped into someone.

Turning to look, it was an immortal disciple with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He said: “Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”

Before I could answer, a familiar girl’s voice rang out: “She’s a new disciple of Master Gaoyang Lingren. She fainted at the mountain’s foot initially – we were the ones who saved her.”

Looking toward the voice’s source, the newcomers were the three disciples who had rescued me. This thick-browed disciple looked me over and said: “Your appearance differs from ordinary people. Are you a semi-immortal?”

The girl said, “What semi-immortal? Second Senior Brother, you’re confused. She’s a half-demon. What immortal looks like this?”

I said: “I’m not a demon. Master Uncle Xuxing said I have no demonic aura.”

“Don’t use Master to pressure us. The old man is compassionate – he’d even release ants that crawled into his bowl. We’re not so easily fooled. You say you’re not a demon, then tell us – what are you?” The girl walked straight toward me, quite aggressively.

Second Senior Brother said, “Junior Sister Ruoli, you can’t throw young lady tantrums.”

Ruoli said, “So what if I throw young lady tantrums? My father is Xuchang’s richest man. If he hadn’t married my mother, who ascended to immortality, I would naturally have been born a thousand-gold young lady.”

The fat man said: “Junior Sister is so impressive, hehe, hehe…”

Great, a mere daughter of some Jiuzhou city’s richest man daring to discuss young lady status with me, the Little Princess of great Suzhao.

“Natural-born thousand-gold”? I’m a “natural-born princess”! I wanted to pour all the water from Snow Peak Mountain on her head to wash it clean. If this conversation had happened a year ago, this thousand-gold lady would already be kneeling on the ground calling me great-aunt. Unfortunately, this princess has fallen quite low now! I must endure!

Unexpectedly, this thousand-gold junior sister pushed her luck further, staring at me with eyes full of criticism: “Hey, you, among the six realms – gods, immortals, humans, ghosts, demons – you don’t resemble any of them, just like a demon. Most likely, you’re born from a human and a demon.”

She insulted my parents! This was truly unbearable! I mentally threw tens of thousands of ice balls at her while still smiling sweetly: “Senior Sister shouldn’t say such things.”

“She’s still saying I’m wrong.” Ruoli ignored me and coquettishly complained to Second Senior Brother: “Second Senior Brother, look at her – so pale and demon-like. She’s probably transformed from a snow demon.”

The fat man said, “Junior Sister, don’t you especially like being praised for your fairness?”

Ruoli angrily said, “Shut up!”

“Senior Sister saying such things is naturally inappropriate. Think about it – you’re so beautiful, you surely have many admirers on Qinghong Mountain. If you guess I’m a demon and you’re right, it won’t affect their affection at all, since Senior Sister is already flower-like in beauty, needing no embellishment. If you guess wrong, it might give the impression of being outwardly beautiful but inwardly foolish.” I glanced outside the cliff – the Luanniao had already arrived – and smiled again. “Don’t you think so, Senior Sister?”

Ruoli was stunned, her anger seemingly diminishing: “I’m not such a shallow person. As long as Third Senior Brother likes me, that’s enough. As for you, stop changing the subject – we’re still discussing what you are!”

“I’m an orphan, so I can’t ask my parents whether I’m human or a ghost. But Senior Sister’s curious question interests me even more. Therefore, if someday I discover what I am, I’ll tell Senior Sister first. If I am a demon, Senior Sister can punish me then.”

Second Senior Brother said, “This junior sister speaks with some reason.”

The Luanniao happened to arrive just then. Seeing she still intended to speak, I quickly jumped onto the bird’s back and waved goodbye to them.

Flying to Qiong Wood Forest, I gazed at the morning glow, somewhat puzzled. This outside world was truly different from what I had imagined. From childhood, Suzhao in the far north was like a divine capital. We had the world’s most beautiful moonlight, most mellow fragrant wine, and all the surrounding demons and mortals desperately wanted to squeeze into our homeland. The Suzhao Clan was also the most beautiful race in the eyes of all demons and humans. Even those seductive fox spirits loved imitating us Suzhao women, painting their skin snow-white. That widely known line from Prince Xijian’s poetry – “Old friends gone ten thousand li away, new guests still come through Jiuzhou” – fully reflected how many admirers came from afar.

I couldn’t understand why, after becoming a stranger myself, life had become somewhat difficult. Sighing at the world’s vastness and endless wonders, looking north toward my homeland now, alas, I only felt homesick thoughts hard to contain…

Wait, I was forgetting the pain after the scars healed! It was all because of that unreasonable, stinking Second Sister – because of what she called my “intimate relations” with Royal Brother, I was injured like that and nearly lost my life. If I weren’t young, I’d probably be a scarred tiger-skin person by now. With parents, Big Sister, and brother all gone, what was there to return to?

That bastard Second Sister said she didn’t want Lord Kaixuan, but her heart wasn’t honest at all, hmph. These two months, I secretly cried so much in the woodshed, yet no one came looking for me. Since that’s the case, I’ll never go back this lifetime! From now on, I’ll make the four seas my home and let them fend for themselves!

After thinking it through, I felt more at ease. The urgent matter was first visiting the terrifying Divine Dragon.

Returning to Xiang’e Lake, the Divine Dragon was indeed still lying in the water, not even changing position. It was awake but didn’t acknowledge me at all. Being this lazy, even gods couldn’t save it. However, I had overexerted my spiritual power the previous night and really couldn’t muster the energy to water it. I greeted it with good morning and cleaned the lakeside with Xuanyue.

After cleaning the lakeside, I looked at the Divine Dragon’s back: “Divine Dragon, is your wound better now? Should I help wipe around the wound area? It might feel more comfortable?”

It glanced at me without answering – I knew this was consent. Aha, this was a great opportunity to ride a dragon! I sneakily eyed its tail resting on shore, joyfully ran over, grabbed the silver fur on it, and climbed up like a caterpillar climbing a tree…

Who knew something terrifying happened?

The Divine Dragon’s throat emitted a hoarse, muffled roar that shook the lake water. I was so frightened I dared not move. Then its body trembled, causing earthquakes and mountain shaking. It raised its tail and threw me tens of thousands of li away.

While flying out, I stretched my hands forward: “Why?!!!”

Just for touching a tail – was it necessary to be so prudish?!!!

The greatest advantage of raising an ancient, fierce beast was that even with sealed divine power, its reflexes were not on the same level as ordinary little tigers. Just before landing, Xuanyue bit the collar at the back of my neck, preventing me from falling too hard, though my bottom still hit the ground first and was bruised badly.

Crawling in the lush grass, I discovered I was truly brilliant – my earlier guess that it was female was correct. Only girls would be so shy, getting angry after being touched a little. Then I contemplated a secret my parents had never told me in my forty-odd years of life: I was a masochist.

Being treated like this, I still wanted to magnanimously run back and see how the Divine Dragon was doing.

Even more helplessly, I did so.

Returning to the lakeside, it had long since calmed down, but the lake water was tinged with red. The struggle had reopened its wound. But a Dragon God was still a Dragon God – even so, it didn’t make a sound, maintaining its cold, arrogant appearance, acting like it was worth 258,000.

This girl was a tough one. I decided to magnanimously engage in gentlemanly negotiations with it.

I clenched my fist: “Divine Dragon, let’s discuss something. I’m here caring for you, and even if I accidentally touch your reverse scale, you can’t get physical with me. Otherwise, I quit!”

I held my fist up, waiting as cloud after cloud drifted by. Fine, it didn’t listen.

Thereafter, Xuanyue and I divided the work. It collected firewood while I served the Divine Dragon. When hungry, we went to the nearby woods and picked immortal peaches like monkeys. We spent nearly an hour picking a full basket of peaches to offer the Divine Dragon.

It opened its giant mouth, bit the basket’s edge, tilted its head back, and swallowed everything whole without even chewing. Xuanyue and I simultaneously widened our eyes, as shocked and heartbroken as seeing a water god devour sacrificial village children.

Then the Divine Dragon stretched its long, elegant neck, placed the basket back on shore, lay down, and looked at us somewhat challengingly.

I understood. I patted Xuanyue’s shoulder: “Come on. Second basket.”

“Aowaowaowaowaowao! Aowu! Aowu!!” Hearing Xuanyue still complaining and flapping its wings nonsensically, I grabbed its tail and dragged it back to the immortal peach grove.

Until evening, when colorful clouds were brilliant and densely intertwined, we finally bid farewell to the Divine Dragon, tottering with exhaustion, and returned to rest. From that day forward, I developed the good habit of bringing Xuanyue daily to care for the Divine Dragon.

One night, with darkness like the sea and crescent moon like a hook, I returned after dinner to find the Divine Dragon’s wound had mostly healed. Excitedly hugging Xuanyue and spinning several times: “Divine Dragon! Your wound is healed! Now you can leap through dragon gates like a lively jumping carp!”

This flattery lacked skill. The Divine Dragon only rolled its eyes before ignoring me again. Seeing its ordinary reaction, I inexplicably felt somewhat melancholy, hugging Xuanyue and sighing: “Sigh, people have joys and sorrows, the moon waxes and wanes – there’s no feast under heaven that doesn’t end. The Divine Dragon will probably leave soon, and we won’t see it anymore.”

The lake water was misty, the sky azure and glowing, when a young man’s voice echoed between the valley mountains: “What do you want? Speak.”

His speaking tone was indifferent, but this voice was deep, slow yet melodious, like ancient qin music in empty mountain clear valleys, so pleasant it made me involuntarily shiver with tingling from head to toe. But after the tingling, I immediately sensed something wrong and quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowing three times: “Thunder Lord, spare my life! This humble one won’t dare again!”

Indeed, no heavenly thunder fell. I was so clever. But the man said again: “What nonsense are you calling? Get up.”

Burying my forehead in the ground for a moment, I found the voice’s source and slowly raised my head: “Divine… Divine Dragon…?”

“What?”

“You’re male?! You can even speak!!”

It consecutively ignored both my questions: “You’ve served me here for some days – you must have ulterior motives. Speak, what do you want?”

“Yes, yes! My homeland…”

Halfway through, I choked up. Remembering what Immortal Lord Huangdao and Elder Ruyue had done, who knew if the Divine Dragon was allied with them? Even if not, it couldn’t possibly oppose so many immortals for these few days of simple care.

I changed my words: “My homeland has no dragons! Could the Divine Dragon carry me flying for a while?”

I never would have imagined that after being a good person for so many days and enduring its hundred torments, the last thing it said to me was only three words. After speaking, it flew from the lake, immediately stirring furious waves and frost-snow, earth-shaking and heaven-moving, reaching the clouds in an instant.

Those three words were: “In your dreams.”

The next morning, with nothing to do, I ran to the library to flip through the “Divine Immortal Beast Manual” dragon volume, truly feeling like spring thunder – a shocking revelation. The first page’s colored illustration was identical to the Divine Dragon, with two large characters: Azure Dragon. The first line of introduction read:

“The Azure Dragon is the Eastern God, one of the Four Symbols. Commanded by gods, its mighty grace spans six realms. Eastern jiamu wood-water-silver, clarifying without emotion…”

From childhood we learned in books: The Four Symbols are Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise, White Tiger. That is to say, this nitpicking, fault-finding, demanding dragon was actually the Azure Dragon… I don’t believe it!! This book must be copied wrong!!

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind me: “Junior Sister?”

Turning around, the person behind me was actually Second Senior Brother. I quickly closed the book: “Ah, Second Senior Brother, good morning.”

Second Senior Brother said: “Junior Sister actually has such refined interests, reading alone here so early.”

“Hahaha, yes, yes – not eating makes one hungry, not reading makes one foolish.” I looked around. “But in the past, when passing here, the library seemed to have more people than today.”

Second Senior Brother said: “That’s because Taishi Jun was in closed-door healing the past few days, but emerged these two days and is now discussing matters with Master.”

“I see…”

I chatted absentmindedly with Second Senior Brother for a while before hurriedly saying goodbye. I couldn’t help it – my little heart truly couldn’t calm down. The Dragon God wasn’t just Divine Dragon – it was Azure Dragon, even more shocking than Taishi Jun being a Divine Venerable…

Knowing this earlier, when it asked what I wanted last night, I should have directly said: “Mountains of gold and silver, handsome men as companions.” How painful.

I shook my head, walking out of the library, but saw Ruoli’s figure flash by the entrance. However, I paid no attention, just returned to the woodshed to get my basket, brought Xuanyue, and went to Qiong Wood Forest.

As expected, the Divine Dragon no longer appeared at Xiang’e Lake – this wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was that after collecting firewood for two hours and returning the same way to put the wood away before coming back, we stepped into a trap on the road and fell into a deep pit. I don’t want to recall this struggling process. In short, even using all its nursing strength, Xuanyue couldn’t lift me an inch.

I told it to go find Master for help, but just as it emerged, it let out a milk-tea-like scream.

Then someone put Xuanyue in a cloth bag and waved it at the hole opening above: “If I don’t teach you a lesson, you really can’t stop your demon woman nature.”

I suddenly looked up: “…Senior Sister?”

Xuanyue thrashed in the bag like a loach. Ruoli snorted: “Luowei, I always felt I’d seen you somewhere. You’re a demon, a water demon from Suzhao. It was bad enough seducing your royal brother, now you want to seduce Second Senior Brother too. Stay down there properly!”

“Wait! Senior Sister, you misunderstand! We can talk this through!” I called from the pit bottom for a long time, but no one responded. She seemed to have gone far away.

That night, heavy snow fell. With snow water, I finally emerged from that dirty, stinking hole, but had become dirty and stinking myself. Having touched neither grain nor water all day, I returned to Cultivation Peak half-dead.

However, before my bottom even touched a chair, disciples came to inform me that the Master wanted me to kneel in punishment at Yiyao Hall’s north gate, giving no reason. But I thought it should be Ruoli complaining to him. Since explanations wouldn’t be heard anyway, come on – if I must kneel, I’ll kneel!

After one night, I regretted that backbone…

Heavy snow covered Qinghong Mountain, connecting with distant snow-capped peaks into one expanse. I hung my head, covered in mud, utterly disheveled, the extreme cold accumulated snow so freezing my bones nearly shattered. Cangying God, my ancestor, did you trip on your path of protecting me?

Immortal disciples flew about on their own, not casting even a sympathetic glance at me.

Cultivating immortality was truly difficult – diluting seven emotions and six desires, in other words, being cold-blooded and heartless. Just when I barely had the strength to breathe, I heard a middle-aged man’s voice gradually emerge from Yiyao Hall: “…With her qualifications, she’ll only cause trouble, truly infuriating me. Divine Venerable, such trivial matters naturally need not involve you personally. I’ll go bring this disaster away immediately…”

Then several figures approached. I instinctively raised my head. Following behind were Master, Master Uncle, and a group of highly respected immortals. Among the three walking in front, on the left was the peach-blossom-eyed Divine Lord Lingyin I’d seen before, on the right was the white-haired venerable, who should be Taishi Jun.

And the person in the middle was actually…

That young man stood on the jade steps, skin snow-white, tall with broad shoulders, wearing floor-length azure-blue magnificent robes, long hair covering the long robe like deep stream water, with flowing water-pattern divine marks on both cheekbones.

Just standing there quietly, he became the only color in the vast snowy landscape.

It was he, the young man who kept appearing in illusions.

I was stunned. Why was he here?

A cold wind blew past, his black hair floating like clouds. His cold gaze toward me was even more profound than the vast sea.

At this moment, Master said, “Luowei, what are you spacing out for? Quickly kowtow to Taishi Jun!”

“Greetings… greetings to Taishi Jun.” In kowtowing matters, I was always quite diligent and immediately complied.

“Rise.”

The speaker wasn’t the white-haired venerable, but the young man in the middle.