Ruan Wei could not understand the taunting in Shu Yang’s tone, which held no malice. He flicked his tail, coiled it around Shu Yang’s wrist, and forced Shu Yang’s fingertip to press onto the contract.
The moment both handprints were pressed onto the paper, the black characters slowly drifted off the surface and transformed into gold. The contents of the contract and their names flowed through the air, then surged into the door, instantly received by the Heavenly Dao.
With the contract sealed, Shu Yang did not know whether he should feel relief or remain on high alert. He lowered his head to look at Ruan Wei, who was attempting to coil around his arm, his expression flickering with indecision.
After a moment, he reached out and used his spiritual energy to evenly sprinkle the ground Yulin Cicada powder onto the wounds on Ruan Wei’s dragon horns and heart-protecting scales.
Though the name Yulin Cicada contained the character for cold, it was actually a heat-natured herb. When applied to wounds, it burned with incredible intensity, as if one were walking naked through a raging fire. Ruan Wei, an Ice Dragon who feared even hot water, could not bear it. He shrieked in agony, his body swelling several times in size, bursting through the bamboo hut.
He twisted, writhed, and crawled along the ground, his instincts driving him toward the pond water outside to cool his burning body. But Shu Yang would not allow it. If the pond water washed away the medicine, his efforts would be in vain.
Shu Yang lunged forward, rolling across the ground with Ruan Wei. As Ruan Wei tried to bolt for the water, Shu Yang erected a barrier, trapping them both inside. Ruan Wei’s eyes turned blood-red, his pupils narrowing into sharp needles. He thrashed and clawed at the barrier, trying to break through with raw strength, but it was useless. Shu Yang rode his back, unmoved by the dragon’s frantic roars and thrashing.
Finally, Ruan Wei ran out of strength, his massive dragon form collapsing to the ground with a force that shook the earth. As he fell, his body gradually shrank, and Shu Yang’s barrier adjusted, closing in until it became a radius of three meters.
Shu Yang jumped off Ruan Wei’s body, looked down at the dragon’s head resting weakly on the ground, and paused. He knelt and gently stroked the dragon’s head. Ruan Wei wanted to nuzzle him, but the pain felt as if he were being flayed alive. He could only manage to open his mouth and lick Shu Yang’s hand.
Like a puppy.
Perhaps thinking of this, Shu Yang’s eyes softened involuntarily. He picked up Ruan Wei, who had shrunk to the length of an adult’s leg, and held him like a child, resting the dragon’s head on his shoulder.
If they could make it through the night, Ruan Wei’s wounds would likely heal. Then, Shu Yang had to find a way to team up with Ruan Wei to kill the Sui within this illusion. When they first entered the illusion, their goals were aligned: they believed killing the source of the resentment would lead them out. But Shu Yang eventually realized that no matter how many of his enemies Ruan Wei killed, the illusion remained unmoved.
These people were not the ultimate source of the Sui. While Ruan Wei was busy fighting, Shu Yang had spent long hours in contemplation and finally realized that his resentment had not come solely from his hatred of others, but rather from his hatred of his own incompetence.
For the proud Shu Yang, he hated himself more than anyone else. In countless sleepless nights, he had cloaked himself in the guise of his own impotence; the more he thought about it, the deeper his resentment grew, which in turn nourished the past self, who then rose up to constrain him.
Having solved the mystery, Shu Yang rushed to save Ruan Wei, who was nearly killed by the illusion’s version of himself. He needed to keep Ruan Wei alive, partly because Ruan Wei was an innocent dragged into this, and partly because he needed Ruan Wei’s help to defeat his past self.
With that, Shu Yang bowed his head to look at the sickly Ruan Wei resting on his lap, silently hoping for a speedy recovery.
Fortunately, Ruan Wei was resilient; despite having his horns severed and his scales stripped, he survived and was back to his lively self the next day, pestering Shu Yang for dual cultivation.
Shu Yang pressed on the dragon’s head. “You have not fulfilled your end of the bargain yet. Why the rush?”
Ruan Wei huffed, resting his head on Shu Yang’s shoulder and digging his claws into Shu Yang’s chest, looking utterly sulky.
The illusion would solidify over time. Calculating the days, Shu Yang knew today was the perfect time for the final battle. He took the recovered Ruan Wei to the Liuxian Sect to face the illusionary Shu Yang.
The Shu Yang of the illusion perfectly inherited all of the real Shu Yang’s early flaws: selfishness, ruthlessness, and the willingness to exploit anyone equally. Shu Yang did not know when he had changed, eventually severing his emotional roots and beginning to cultivate serenity. That memory had faded with the loss of his emotional roots, and the strike of the heavenly lightning had shattered his memories, leaving only fragments. He could only remember those who were either vital to him or those to whom he owed a debt so great it troubled his conscience even after becoming an immortal.
He did not know if Ruan Wei belonged to the former or the latter. It did not matter; he had no feelings for Ruan Wei. Agreeing to dual cultivation was merely another form of exploitation.
With this in mind, Shu Yang mounted Ruan Wei’s back and rode toward the Liuxian Sect. The illusionary Shu Yang had gained the horns and scales and was powerful, but because both versions of Shu Yang were of the same origin, they possessed identical strength. If one were significantly stronger, the destruction of the other would make all their previous experiences meaningless, causing time to collapse. The Heavenly Dao forbade this, so the battle was a stalemate of power.
Shu Yang had to kill his past self.
He issued a challenge. The illusionary Shu Yang accepted, likely out of the same arrogance and inability to refuse a fight that Shu Yang had possessed at that age.
Watching the illusionary Shu Yang flying toward him on his sword, Shu Yang narrowed his eyes, wondering if he had truly been that pretentious, wearing white robes and showing off with such floral displays. He did not care, but Ruan Wei—a dragon, and thus a creature that loved beautiful things—began to drool at the sight of the elegant figure.
Shu Yang: “…”
You silly dragon. If you were tricked out of your horns and scales, blame your own vanity.
He felt inexplicably irritated. Before the illusionary Shu Yang could reach him, he formed a seal, and a giant palm descended from the sky, swatting the illusionary Shu Yang into the ground.
The illusionary Shu Yang, still mid-pose: “…”
Are you okay?
Ruan Wei, who leaned toward the strong, saw that his Shu Yang had won. He immediately lost interest in the other one and began to lick Shu Yang’s cheek affectionately.
Shu Yang flicked Ruan Wei’s body with his fingertip, looking at the bewildered dragon in deep thought: “It seems it is true.”
Ruan Wei coiled around Shu Yang’s arm and rubbed against him, but Shu Yang grabbed his body and held him in mid-air: “No wonder you said you wanted me to be your concubine the moment we met.”
Ruan Wei, overwhelmed by the kiss and acting purely on instinct, wanted to mate with Shu Yang. He impatiently swatted Shu Yang’s arm with his tail, trying to snuggle closer.
“What a lustful dragon.”
Shu Yang grabbed Ruan Wei, keeping him from moving, and said softly, “Do one thing for me. If you succeed, when we get out of here, I will be your concubine, how about that?”
Ruan Wei’s pupils turned from slits to round, indicating he was briefly lucid, and nodded. But fearing Ruan Wei would not keep his word once sober, Shu Yang rose to fetch a piece of paper, wrote down a few points, and asked Ruan Wei to sign.
The contract stipulated that Ruan Wei must do anything Shu Yang asked within the illusion. If he succeeded, Shu Yang would become Ruan Wei’s concubine upon exiting. Ruan Wei lay on the paper, staring at the black and white text. He used his tail to wrap around the brush, added a funnel-shaped supplementary symbol over “concubine,” and above the words “service twice a day,” he pressed his claw stained with red ink onto the paper.
Once Shu Yang pressed his own handprint, the contract would automatically take effect. Even within the illusion, it would be under the supervision of the Heavenly Dao; if the promise was not kept, they would be struck by lightning.
Shu Yang: “…”
He watched as Ruan Wei used his tail to grip his fingertip, trying to press it onto the ink pad and then onto the contract paper. Looking at Ruan Wei’s earnest efforts, Shu Yang nearly laughed out loud.
He picked Ruan Wei up and said in a low voice, “You are getting bolder.”
In response, Ruan Wei leaned over and rubbed against him affectionately. Now that he was a beast, he acted purely on instinct, knowing only to be close to Shu Yang, having long forgotten his human dignity and past memories.
Shu Yang lowered his head to look at Ruan Wei’s missing horns. For some reason, he remembered Ruan Wei’s horns in the real world, which had seemed to grow back. After a long silence, he sighed softly. “I am afraid of you.”
He said, “You silly dragon.”