Chapter 365: A Skill to Rely On
Dragon Jiaonan pounced forward, her voice sharp and fierce: "You little brat, it's your doing that I've ended up looking like this!"
Qin Mu raised his hand, and a burst of Buddha light flared as he clashed with her. Both of their bodies trembled violently. Suddenly, Dragon Jiaonan's once-luxuriant hair scattered and fell, revealing patches of bald spots on her scalp, and her skin abruptly sagged and loosened.
Qin Mu's qi and blood surged. He was about to strike again, but then he paused, refraining from attacking her.
Back on the East Sea, Dragon Jiaonan had nearly died under the combined assault of Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang. She had desperately shed her skin, but it had cost her life force. Although the Dao Lord had taken her away, she had not yet recovered.
Now, after this clash with Qin Mu, her wig had fallen off, and her taut skin had gone slack.
Dragon Jiaonan noticed her hair had been knocked loose. She let out a startled cry and frantically grabbed at the air, scrambling to pick up the strands. She tried to stick them back onto her head, but the hair was scattered—how could it possibly adhere?
"Sister Dragon, your remaining lifespan is very short. If you don't fight, you could still live for a few more decades like an ordinary person. But if you attack me again, I won't kill you—I only need to seriously wound you once, and you'll have no chance of survival."
Qin Mu shook his head and said, "You'll never have the chance to take revenge on me in this life. Why bother?"
Dragon Jiaonan shrieked, "You're the one who reduced me to this state, and now you're making sarcastic remarks!"
"You brought this on yourself, and your father, the Dragon King, also harmed you. It has nothing to do with me. Blaming me is just your way of finding an outlet for your anger."
Qin Mu looked at the massive, thick leg beside him and then gazed upward. The divine being was looking down, but not at them—he was surveying the mountains and rivers of the Yan Kang Kingdom.
Clearly, this deity paid them no mind at all, believing they posed no threat to him. Their greatest use to him was merely to raise his dragons.
Qin Mu steadied himself, calculating the possibility of escaping with his Heaven-Stealing Divine Leg technique, but he quickly dismissed the idea. The technique was extremely fast—at full burst, he could exceed the speed of sound by more than four times—but it could only last for a short while. After half an hour, his primordial energy would be exhausted, and his body would be fatigued.
Judging by the speed of the two flood dragons beneath this deity's feet, even if he could gain some distance, catching up to him would not be difficult.
Moreover, that useless Dragon Qilin had already collapsed into a limp heap and couldn't stand up. If he had to drag Dragon Qilin along, the distance he could cover would be limited.
Dragon Qilin was simply too fat and heavy!
"Raising dragons? I raise that fat dragon every day—this is easy for me!"
Qin Mu sat down. Beneath him was the body of a flood dragon, wide and spacious. With a skill to rely on, he had no fear. If he could raise that fat dragon, he could certainly raise other flood dragons!
"Senior, how should I address you?" Qin Mu called out loudly.
"You may call me Dragon Tamer Lord."
The divine being surveyed the mountains and rivers, his voice rumbling like thunder: "I am a god from the Celestial Realm. As long as you take good care of my dragons, I will spare your lives. Not only that, but I can also take you away from this filthy world to the Celestial Realm, where you can enjoy blessings while raising my dragons."
Dragon Jiaonan's eyes lit up, and she shouted, "Ancestral Master, I am a disciple of the Dragon Control Sect! The Dragon Control Sect was founded by you!"
Qin Mu shuddered inwardly. "This is bad! This Dragon Tamer Lord is the founder of the Dragon Control Sect!"
He immediately regretted asking the Dragon Tamer Lord's name. Now that Dragon Jiaonan had claimed kinship, he was doomed!
He wanted to flee, but he kicked Dragon Qilin, and the fat creature still lay on the dragon's back, weak and unable to rise.
"I have a skill to rely on! I have a skill to rely on!" Qin Mu steadied himself, comforting his heart.
"The Dragon Control Sect?"
The two flood dragons beneath the Dragon Tamer Lord halted. The towering deity looked down at Dragon Jiaonan, surprised. "I did create that sect once, but that was a long time ago. I founded the Dragon Control Sect on a whim and never paid it any attention after I went to the Celestial Realm. You're a disciple of the Dragon Control Sect? Who was that person who called you 'son' earlier?"
Dragon Jiaonan was both shocked and delighted. She quickly knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly: "That was my father, the current Sect Master of the Dragon Control Sect!"
"His cultivation is terrible. I kept flicking him away, but he won't die."
The twin dragons beneath the Dragon Tamer Lord began to descend. He said, "Since you are a disciple of the Dragon Control Sect, I will not trouble you. You seem to have damaged your primordial energy. Here, take this dragon pearl to nurture yourself. It won't restore your appearance, but it can replenish your true essence and extend your lifespan."
A bright, gleaming pearl floated down from above. Dragon Jiaonan quickly grabbed it, kowtowing repeatedly, and said fiercely, "Ancestral Master, this person is the mortal enemy of the Dragon Control Sect! He is the one who wiped out our sect!"
Qin Mu shrank his neck and shook his head. "Miss Dragon, don't slander me. What cultivation and strength do I have to destroy your Dragon Control Sect? The Dragon Control Sect is a vast sacred land, with countless experts, each one mighty and extraordinary, and all skilled at raising dragons. How could I possibly have the ability to destroy them?"
The Dragon Tamer Lord studied him. He appeared to be a very honest and simple young man, much more reliable-looking than Dragon Jiaonan. "This weak, chicken-like honest child destroyed the sect I founded? Are you all that weak?"
Dragon Jiaonan gnashed her teeth and shrieked, "This brat summoned demon gods and killed my entire clan, old and young!"
Qin Mu, with a simple and honest face, stammered in defense: "How could I? I studied medicine from a young age and am known as a divine physician. I only mix medicines and raise a Dragon Qilin, feeding him until he's fat and lazy. How could I summon demon gods to harm people? You're not only slandering me, but you're also... also slandering me!"
Dragon Jiaonan was furious. She leaped over and grabbed his neck, her voice shrill: "You are the Demon Lord of the Heavenly Demon Sect, full of malicious schemes, the devil among devils!"
Qin Mu couldn't breathe and rolled his eyes.
Suddenly, the Dragon Tamer Lord flicked his finger, sending Dragon Jiaonan tumbling several times.
She crashed to the ground and then noticed they had already landed. The two flood dragons beneath the Dragon Tamer Lord had brought them to the side of the Gold River.
"Did you raise this Qilin-breed dragon to be so fat?"
The Dragon Tamer Lord held Qin Mu in his palm, looking him up and down, and laughed, "You've fed him very well, very well. I appreciate you."
Qin Mu was face to face with him, his heart pounding. This Dragon Tamer Lord was enormous—his face alone was taller than Qin Mu, covered in dragon scales. His prominent brow bones, not surrounded by scales, had grown two eyebrows shaped like flying wings.
"Senior..."
Qin Mu gathered his courage and said, "I studied medicine from a young age, and my medical skills are passable. Every day, I feed Dragon Qilin half a dou of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills."
"Half a dou of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills?"
The Dragon Tamer Lord chuckled, "It seems your alchemy skills are indeed extraordinary, to be able to refine so many spirit pills every day. A little one like this, still in its juvenile stage, doesn't need half a dou every day. Just one bowl of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills is enough."
Qin Mu's face darkened instantly.
The Dragon Tamer Lord continued, "But he hasn't wasted all those pills. They've been converted into dragon essence and qilin essence stored in his body. If you can stimulate that energy, he can form a dragon pearl and qilin fire, which would be quite remarkable. Only then would he be considered an adult. I can see that although you know alchemy, you don't understand dragon raising. Would you be willing to become my disciple?"
"Disciple is willing!"
Dragon Jiaonan was furious. This black-hearted, shameless scoundrel was climbing up the ladder and would soon become her senior in the ancestral hierarchy!
"I'm not asking you to become my disciple, but rather to be a little attendant."
The Dragon Tamer Lord laughed, "Don't rush to bow to me as a master. I don't take disciples. If you take good care of my dragons, I might consider taking you as a disciple in the future. For now, refine a batch of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills and let me see."
Qin Mu immediately burst forth with his primordial energy, took some medicinal herbs from his gluttonous pouch, and began refining pills in the air. By the time the Dragon Tamer Lord finished speaking, he had already completed a batch of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills.
The Dragon Tamer Lord showed a look of surprise, which then turned into great joy. He laughed heartily, "Taking you on as an attendant will save me a lot of trouble. From now on, you'll refine the pills, and I can take it easy!"
He kicked Dragon Qilin and said, "Little one, I'll teach you the method to cultivate a dragon pearl and qilin fire. You can also help stoke the flames for alchemy."
Dragon Qilin finally managed to stand up, both shocked and delighted.
Qin Mu also relaxed. "Deaf Grandpa often said that all pursuits are inferior, only studying is noble. Medicine Grandpa's medical skills were useless—he cured people but ended up bankrupt from compensation. But reading and painting can earn a living anywhere. Yet Deaf Grandpa almost starved to death selling his paintings, while Medicine Grandpa's medical skills were welcome everywhere..."
"Little girl, come here."
Dragon Jiaonan stepped forward with her head lowered. The Dragon Tamer Lord looked her up and down, shook his head, and said, "You know a bit about dragon raising, so you'll be his attendant and help me raise the dragons. Remember this well, and don't keep slandering him, or I won't let you off!"
Dragon Jiaonan burned with rage but had to nod in agreement.
Qin Mu felt a surge of satisfaction and asked, "Dragon Lord, why have you come to the Gold River?"
"To find the main dragon vein of the Yan Kang Kingdom."
The Dragon Tamer Lord's earring shook, and a yellow flood dragon slithered down from his ear, growing longer and larger, its aura becoming increasingly terrifying as it swam into the river.
The Gold River's current was swift. As the flood dragon entered the water, it began to stir up waves. The water surged into the air, forming a river suspended in the sky.
"This is the dragon's belly of the Gold River. The dragon's claws are nearby."
The Dragon Tamer Lord looked down at the riverbed, showing disappointment, and shook his head. "This isn't the main dragon vein."
Qin Mu also looked down at the riverbed and was startled to see that the riverbed had been scoured into a series of dragon-scale-shaped stones. From the pattern of these stones, one could vaguely discern the shape of a dragon's claw!
"Rivers have river qi, and when river qi converges, it forms a dragon vein, which is water. Mountain qi converges into a dragon vein, which is earth. Fire qi and magma converge into a dragon vein, which is fire. These three types of dragon veins are well-known, but there is a fourth type: wind. A long wind howling for thousands of miles carves dragon tracks across the mountains and plains. This kind of dragon vein is wind."
The Dragon Tamer Lord looked up, murmuring softly, "I've already seen the wind veins and mountain veins, as well as the Tu River and the Gold River. Ahead, I need to look at the three fire dragon veins underground. With so many dragon veins in the Yan Kang Kingdom, it seems a great dragon is about to be born. If I take away the main dragon vein, the dragons will have no leader. Hah, chaos will ensue..."