Mo Li does not want to speak, Mo Li wants to go back.
As soon as the black dragon ascended to the sky, it felt something was wrong.
It couldn’t fly…
To be precise, it was the wind carrying the dragon into the air.
The black dragon desperately swung its head and tail to discern the direction, but it could only barely keep its body from being spun upward by the wind.
Above, the thunder tangled in the clouds; below, the dense reeds swayed chaotically like a flooded wheat field, beaten down by “water.”
—Mo Li could hear the wind whistling past its ears and feel the rain pelting each of its scales.
Could it be that the dragon’s body had become tangible?
The black dragon looked down, and its long tail happened to sweep across the aerial roots of a banyan tree, passing through without any obstruction.
It seemed that the dragon’s form remained an ethereal manifestation of spirit energy, so what was with the wind and rain?
The violent rain striking the dragon head-on made it almost impossible to open its eyes.
Mo Li struggled to shift its direction in the wind, trying to turn its head to face away from the wind. Suddenly, a golden gleam appeared before its eyes, and in an instant, the wind and rain lessened.
The black dragon instinctively looked up, just in time to see the slow unfolding and swift flowing of golden scales.
“…”
Indeed, if one is fat, the wind can’t move them.
The golden dragon leapt upwards, and Mo Li followed involuntarily.
“The spirit energy is strange.”
Mo Li finally found the culprit. The massive amount of spirit energy carried by the wind and rain was mixing with the spirit energy of Feihe Mountain, creating an invisible vortex between heaven and earth. The vortex was so strong that it could pull and disperse the dragon veins’ bodies.
All the sensations of “not being able to open its eyes from the rain” and “feeling the rain hitting the scales” were merely illusions caused by the disintegration and rapid restoration of the dragon form.
The black dragon’s body was small, so the effect was stronger.
The golden dragon, however, with eyes wider than a pond, quickly restored the parts that had just disintegrated, so it wouldn’t go blind.
Black dragon: “…”
Mo Li didn’t want to speak, Mo Li wanted to go back.
“You can’t go back.” The golden dragon rumbled, “Haven’t you noticed anything different?”
“What do you mean?” The black dragon tucked its head under the golden dragon’s body, finally getting a break from the flickering light.
The golden dragon loosely coiled its body, shielding Mo Li from more wind and rain, and said slowly, “There’s no body for you in the house, you vanished suddenly.”
Meng Qi watched helplessly as his beloved disappeared, leaving only clothes slowly falling to the ground.
Fortunately, it happened in front of Meng Qi; anyone else would have fainted from fright.
It was a whole set of clothes, and the person inside suddenly vanished—
If you said it wasn’t a haunting, no one would believe it!
“Decades ago, I had a similar experience in Qingzhou. A strong wind blew, and somehow, dazed and confused, I ascended to the sky.” The golden dragon sighed, its voice fading in and out amidst the thunder’s rumble. “The next day… over the sea… spirit energy… post station…”
Ordinary thunder couldn’t drown out the conversation between the dragon veins, because they weren’t making sound; they were communicating through consciousness.
At this moment, the sky and earth were filled with spirit energy, shaking and swaying, severely interfering with the dragon veins.
Meng Qi had to wait for the thunder to pass before continuing haltingly: “The wind didn’t stop until the next day, and I found myself over the sea. Without enough spirit energy, I thought I’d return to the post station, but instead, I blacked out and fell into the sea.”
“As a person?”
If a human fell into the sea, they could swim, but a sand rat…
Meng Qi understood Mo Li’s unspoken concern but didn’t believe a sand rat would drown. He snorted and said, “As a human. When I woke up, I was floating in the sea, and after half an hour, I was lucky enough to encounter a pirate ship. I seized the ship, decapitated the captain, and took over. Then, I went to the island where pirates gathered and sowed discord, wiping out the two biggest pirate factions that often plundered Qingzhou.”
A capable person—no, a capable dragon—could accomplish great things even when swept away by the wind.
Besides, I was going to eliminate the pirates anyway, so why not take the opportunity?
“I’ve only experienced it once, and it seems to require extremely strong wind and rain, and the presence of a spiritual node in that location.” Meng Qi didn’t fully understand the reasoning behind it either.
Earlier, when Mo Li suddenly left, Meng Qi was startled.
He quickly realized that the spirit energy at Feihe Mountain was even more intense, and Mo Li might not be able to resist the wind and vortex. In a rush, he followed.
In his haste to undress, Meng Qi tore his undergarment and hastily folded it along with his clothes, tucking them into the center with his belt and sword. He figured that no one would closely inspect them. Mo Li’s two blunt knives were stuffed into the hidden compartment of the medicine pouch; otherwise, if they returned without clothes or weapons, Su Li would definitely suspect something had gone wrong.
In a hurry, that was all he could manage. At least he couldn’t leave the two sets of clothes hanging by the window or lying on the ground; that would be too strange.
Because they wouldn’t come down until the wind and rain stopped.
And who knew how far away they would be when it did?
Meng Qi immediately asked, “What were you thinking about before you turned into a dragon?”
“Yanzhou Luning County, under the jurisdiction of Prince Ning.” Mo Li was a bit uneasy.
The black dragon circled once within the small space formed by the golden dragon’s coil. It sensed the intensifying turbulence in the outside spirit energy and worriedly said, “It’s my fault.”
“No… As these invisible vortices grow stronger, even if you think of nothing, they will forcibly drag you along.”
As soon as the golden dragon finished speaking, Mo Li felt a gust of wind tear the two dragons apart.
Dark clouds churned, thunder wrapped around them.
Through the dense rain, Mo Li saw valleys and trees rushing by below.
To put it nicely, it was like riding the wind, but in reality, it was more like a kite with its string cut.
Mo Li was in a bit of disarray, and Meng Qi wasn’t faring much better.
The larger the body, the more vortices there were to encounter.
Endless vortices surrounded him from all directions, leaving Meng Qi so disoriented that he could only focus on chasing the silhouette of the black dragon ahead.
Occasionally, Mo Li glanced back at the golden dragon’s figure, feeling somewhat reassured as long as they weren’t separated. Meng Qi, on the other hand, had a harder time because the black dragon’s scales were difficult to discern in the dim and oppressive sky.
After being spun around the valleys and ridges by the vortex for who knew how long, Mo Li suddenly heard a dragon’s roar.
A green dragon shot out from beneath the cliff.
“Where are you going?” the dragon vein of Feihe Mountain asked in confusion.
The golden dragon, with the black dragon in tow, smashed through more than ten vortices in a row, and suddenly, Mo Li felt a lightness in its body.
It could move again.
After circling in the sky for a bit, Mo Li took advantage of the chance to choose a direction and immediately headed back toward the marsh. But it hadn’t flown far when another deadly vortex appeared.
This time, it pulled the black dragon and the golden dragon together.
The green dragon watched their retreating figures in bewilderment, lost in thought.
In truth, storms like these happened once every ten years at the longest, or every three years at the shortest.
Each time, they brought a massive influx of spirit energy. Since the green dragon didn’t have a human form, it could simply rest in the spiritual node without being affected. But seeing its kin running around outside while it was lying comfortably at home confused the dragon vein of Feihe Mountain, so it came out to take a look.
The spiritual energy in the underground node was abundant, so the green dragon wasn’t swept away by the vortex. After pondering for a while, it concluded that this must be some kind of special farewell ritual.
Or perhaps the strange storm was a rare sight, and since the black dragon’s true form was a fish, it enjoyed the sensation of water all around.
Fish are truly adorable.
Little dragon veins are quite amusing.
The green dragon stretched its neck to peer around, but when the rain started to lighten, it still didn’t see Mo Li again. Reluctantly, it returned to the valley to continue healing.
Only by recovering could it go find that human named Su Li.
***
None of the three dragon veins knew that this wind came from the sea, and the rain was brought in from the ocean.
A massive cloud system covered the land, and wherever it passed, there were violent winds and torrential rain.
From Yangzhou to Jingzhou, it rained everywhere.
The rain at Feihe Mountain was so heavy because it encountered spirit energy.
Mo Li realized that it couldn’t return; if it allowed itself to be swept away by the wind, the vortex would quickly change direction, and the result would be endlessly circling in place.
—This “place” was quite large, roughly the area of Feihe Mountain.
The black dragon flew against the wind, struggling yet surprisingly smooth, encountering the least number of vortices.
It was unclear how long it flew, with the rain alternating between heavy and light, but suddenly the spirit energy began to diminish.
They had left Feihe Mountain.
Would they die if they fell from the sky like this?
Mo Li was startled by this thought, and just then, the golden dragon caught up.
“Fly ahead, find a place with water,” Meng Qi urged.
Luckily, they were in the south, and with the heavy rain, they could always find a stream or lake.
As the black dragon flew and looked around, something seemed off.
Why was the golden dragon losing color?
Its scales were no longer as bright, and a layer of black mist seemed to have wrapped around it.
“Ah Li?”
Meng Qi was more shocked than Mo Li because he noticed the black dragon’s form was gradually disintegrating.
He reached out with his dragon claws to catch the black dragon in his hand.
Mo Li fell into the golden dragon’s palm, and then everything went black.
Meng Qi was horrified to see the black dragon disappear, while a familiar, cold spirit energy seeped from his palm.
“Boom!”
A twisted bolt of lightning split the sky, as if tearing apart the heavens.
Terrified, the common folk covered their ears, having never heard such a loud thunderclap, and many believed it was divine punishment for evildoers.
Those with guilty consciences were frightened, chanting Buddhist prayers incessantly, while children hid under beds, crying. Only a few bold martial artists glanced up at the sky, grumbling about the unusual rain. Summer storms usually passed quickly, but this one had been pouring for most of the day with no sign of stopping.
“It’s the Dragon King patrolling,” an elderly man running a tea house said knowingly, stroking his beard. “Every year around this time, the Dragon King of the sea leads his shrimp soldiers and crab generals on a grand patrol. Dragons are different from each other; those with good backgrounds and high status, like the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, bring more soldiers. The rain will last for three days and nights, and the flimsy houses near the coast will be blown away, turning entire villages into waterlogged lands. It’s terrifying.”
The martial artists scoffed, while the old man at the teahouse shook his head and said, “This year, we might have encountered the Dragon King of the East Sea. He only moves once every few decades and can reach as far as Jingzhou. The Dragon Kings of previous years didn’t have the same presence; they just patrolled the coastline. I’ve heard that there’s been a severe drought in Yongzhou in the north these past few years, so it’s time for the Dragon King to make an appearance.”
The teahouse assistant, busy building a brick threshold at the door, objected upon hearing this: “Old man, that’s not right! Look, the water outside is about to flood in. The East Sea Dragon King should stay home!”
“Hey, hey, go to the second floor, guests. This rain won’t stop until tomorrow. The ground floor will flood sooner or later,” the old man sighed. The town wouldn’t be too affected, but the rice fields outside would be ruined.
Several of the martial artists grew impatient, tossed some coins on the table, and prepared to leave.
No matter how much the teahouse owner tried to dissuade them, they wouldn’t listen.
“When the Dragon King steps into our town, the rain will get even heavier, and the wind will blow so hard you won’t be able to stand.”
“Ridiculous! We’ve been to Yangzhou many times, and some of us have lived here for over ten years. We’ve never seen the nonsense you’re talking about…”
Before they could finish speaking, a sharp wail rang out, like the cry of a ghost.
“What… what is that?”
“That’s the East Sea Dragon King’s chariot…” The old man started to explain but suddenly realized those men were staring up at the sky, their faces ashen with terror.
The assistant hurriedly slammed the door shut, which rattled loudly in the wind.
“Boss, there was a dragon! Just now, in the clouds!”
“I saw a dragon’s claw, and it was golden.”
“No, it was half gold, half black.”
“Nonsense! The black was just the clouds. The dragon was entirely golden.”
The group of martial artists began arguing, while the teahouse owner and assistant exchanged bewildered glances.
Debris, swept up by the wind, slammed repeatedly against the walls, making the whole building shake.
Everyone in the teahouse looked frightened, scrambling for places to hide, fearing that the house would collapse.
The wailing grew louder and more frequent, and although the rain was gradually easing, the scene was more terrifying than when it was pouring. No one dared peek outside to see if there really was a dragon.
***
When Mo Li regained consciousness, he was greeted by a massive cloudbank, towering like city walls.
Looking down, the ground was nowhere to be seen, and looking up, glimpses of the blue sky were faintly visible.
He struggled for a moment, but his body wouldn’t respond.
Out of the corner of its eye, Mo Li noticed that his body wasn’t black. It seemed to be overlapping with the golden dragon, with golden scales emerging beneath the black ones.
What was going on?
Mo Li’s awareness only lasted for a brief moment before he plunged back into darkness. He felt his body disintegrating, but then a familiar spirit energy reached out, enveloping and supporting him, helping him continue the difficult journey through the clouds.
The spirit energy of the Taijing dragon vein was abundant, enough to sustain both dragons’ consumption.
The black dragon grew weaker, and the golden dragon had to use its spirit energy to pry open the black dragon’s scales, keeping it intact.
The black dragon responded.
Its eyes opened, its drooping tail straightened suddenly, and its body expanded.
However, its gaze was empty, devoid of any clarity.
The golden dragon had no choice but to gradually withdraw some of its power and slowly infuse it again.
Spirit energy flowed rapidly, and an invisible vortex reappeared.
The two dragons, powerless to resist, were once again pulled into the vortex, their forms flickering in and out of sight as their spirit energy was consumed at an alarming rate.
The golden dragon could only shield the black dragon beneath it.
The spirit energy from their dragon bodies continued to dissipate, merging with the lightning and rain around them to form the vortex, which tore at them more forcefully with each turn.
Mo Li, barely conscious, felt the world spinning, his mind a blank.
—They had been dragged upward by the wind and were now trapped in this vortex, unable to escape.
As the golden dragon’s form gradually shrank until it completely merged with the black dragon, the storm raging around them finally broke. The bright patch of sky at the center of the vortex vanished, and the vortex shattered into pieces.
Back at the teahouse, the door was blown off its hinges, and water flooded in.
Just as it seemed the house would fall apart, the rain suddenly intensified, the wailing winds ceased, and the building stopped shaking.
“Boss, the Dragon King’s chariot has passed,” the teahouse assistant said, drenched in rainwater.
The old man crawled out, trembling, to see the pitch-black sky. After waiting a while and seeing no sign of the storm clearing, he happily declared, “It’s gone, it’s gone, and it won’t come back.”
Author’s note:
In the previous chapter, I completely forgot about the chubby rat’s rattle in the bundle—let’s add it now.
——
In this story, Yangzhou refers to the Han-era division, covering Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Fujian, Jiangxi, and parts of southern Anhui and Jiangsu.
——
It’s a typhoon, of course, not a Dragon King’s patrol.
A super typhoon is the East Sea Dragon King, while the smaller, casual rain-bringing typhoons are the river and creek dragon kings, less influential ones.
It’s impossible to defeat a typhoon by human strength…
