No sooner had Shu Yang finished speaking than Ruan Wei, who had only just managed to settle down, bristled with rage once more. The dragon scales on his face pulsed as a spray of frigid frost erupted from them, nearly freezing the loose hair draping over Shu Yang’s shoulders. “You!”
“Ruan Wei!” Ruan Tong was truly angry now. “How can you be so disrespectful?”
Without hesitation, she reached out and punched Ruan Wei. “Apologize!”
Ruan Wei’s stubborn temper flared. He turned and stormed off, but not before placing a prohibition on the Dragon Palace that forbade Shu Yang from stepping a single inch outside.
Shu Yang: “…”
A pounding headache began to throb behind his temples. However, since his entire right hand was practically crippled, he could not even rub his temples to seek relief. He could only appeal to Ruan Tong. “Look, the ice on my hand and this injury…”
Ruan Tong looked down at the wound inflicted by the ice arrow and sighed apologetically. “My apologies. This arrow wound can only be soothed by the dragon breath and dragon saliva of an Ice Dragon.”
She added, “I am a Flower Dragon; I cannot unravel the breath of an Ice Dragon.”
As if fearing Shu Yang would not believe her, she held up her fingertips. Faint, pale pink spiritual energy swirled around them, and countless peach blossom petals drifted down from the ceiling. “I can only command flowers, not ice and snow.”
Shu Yang: “Then what am I supposed to do now?”
He asked, “I feel like I will have to amputate if this goes on for another half hour.”
Ruan Tong: “…”
She hesitated for a moment before saying, “My mother is an Ice Dragon.”
Shu Yang immediately said, “Then have her—”
Ruan Tong interrupted, “But she has gone out on a journey. I am afraid she will not return until next month for her thousandth birthday.”
Shu Yang: “…”
He felt a strong urge to curse, but looking at Ruan Tong’s genuinely guilty and apologetic face, the words died in his throat.
Eventually, Ruan Tong thought of a remedy. She suggested that the heat of a Flame Pellet could counteract Ruan Wei’s ice dragon breath, and she rushed off to the treasure vault to retrieve it. However, Ruan Wei had long since hidden the pellet away, and she could not find it anywhere.
Shu Yang knew Ruan Wei would not let him off so easily. So, when Ruan Wei came to see him that night, Shu Yang sat waiting in the hall.
Ruan Wei assumed Shu Yang was resting. When he entered and saw Shu Yang sitting cross-legged in meditation, he froze, his body rigid in the doorway, afraid to move.
Seeing Shu Yang remain motionless, Ruan Wei finally let out a breath of relief. He quietly closed the door, tip-toed to Shu Yang’s side, and stared at his face for a long time. Then, as if possessed, he reached out a finger to poke Shu Yang’s cheek.
Before he could make contact, Shu Yang’s eyes snapped open, and he seized Ruan Wei’s wrist.
His warm palm held a ferocity entirely at odds with his elegant, refined appearance. Ruan Wei let out a pained shriek: “Let go!”
Shu Yang not only refused to let go but tightened his grip, his voice low and dangerous: “Heal my right hand, remove the prohibition, and let me out.”
“I will not.” Ruan Wei flatly refused. “I will not let you leave.”
Snap.
Shu Yang broke Ruan Wei’s right wrist.
Well, if he had ruined one of his hands, he would ruin one of Ruan Wei’s. It was only fair. Shu Yang was the type to seek retribution for every grievance. After successfully retaliating, he slowly released his grip, leaving Ruan Wei’s broken wrist hanging limp.
Ruan Wei was in too much pain to speak. Tears welled in his eyes as he glared viciously at Shu Yang. Snow-white dragon scales emerged at his temples, shimmering with a faint spiritual luster like polished jade. Shu Yang could not help but stare at them for a moment before meeting Ruan Wei’s eyes again. “Will you heal it? Hmm?”
“Only if you agree to be my concubine.”
Ruan Wei panted in pain while using his spiritual energy to heal his hand. “Since you have fallen into my hands, you will never escape.”
“Is that so?” Shu Yang said lightly. “I hear your mother is returning next month.”
He continued, “I hear your mother is a woman of strict principles who detests those who take things by force.”
Shu Yang’s tone was laden with hidden meaning. Sure enough, Ruan Wei’s expression shifted instantly: “You!”
“The right hand—heal it.”
Shu Yang suddenly surged forward, pinching Ruan Wei’s cheeks and looking down at him. His eyes were cold, like a pool of frozen water. “Otherwise, one day, I will make you taste something a hundred times more painful than a broken wrist.”
Ruan Wei: “…”
He did not know if he was stunned by Shu Yang’s icy tone or frightened by those pitch-black eyes that seemed to emanate cold air. His pupils trembled, and after a moment, he nodded.
Seeing this, Shu Yang sat back down and released him. Ruan Wei’s cheeks were soft, and Shu Yang’s fingers still tingled from the sensation. He subconsciously hid his hand behind his back, rubbing his fingertips together.
“Take off your clothes,” Ruan Wei said, looking somewhat reluctant. But since Shu Yang had invoked his mother, he chose to compromise.
“What for?” Shu Yang asked.
“Your hand is injured; it needs my dragon breath.” Ruan Wei gestured to Shu Yang’s arm. “Take off your clothes.”
Shu Yang: “…”
He had not forgotten Ruan Wei’s earlier claim about making him a concubine, and he grew instantly alert. But he was no match for Ruan Wei, who lunged forward, climbed onto his waist, and stripped his upper body bare.
Shu Yang struggled instinctively, but in the end, both were exhausted, panting heavily as if they had just engaged in something illicit.
“Don’t move.”
Ruan Wei threw his hair back, leaned down, and licked Shu Yang’s shoulder: “You are injured here. If I do not treat it with my dragon breath and saliva, your hand will be ruined.”
Shu Yang thought to himself that this was all Ruan Wei’s fault, but before he could say it, Ruan Wei licked his shoulder again.
“…” The hot, moist sensation crawled up his neck. Shu Yang felt his scalp tingle and covered his mouth.
The rustling of clothes and the sound of friction masked their heavy breathing. As Ruan Wei continued licking downward, Shu Yang’s frozen hand gradually regained sensation, replaced by a tingling, searing numbness.
Shu Yang tensed, his upper body bare, one leg propped up, leaning against the wall. He tilted his head, watching as Ruan Wei clutched his hand, kissing it all the way from the wrist to the fingertips.
When Ruan Wei kissed him, his eyes were innocent, devoid of any ulterior motives, as if he were truly just treating the wound. But his mouth and tongue were so searingly hot that Shu Yang’s heart skipped a beat. When Ruan Wei took his fingertip into his mouth to melt the frost, Shu Yang reached out, caught Ruan Wei’s tongue between his fingers, and pulled it gently.
Ruan Wei’s eyes widened in shock at the action. Before he could speak, Shu Yang increased the pressure, forcing Ruan Wei to keep his mouth wide open, unable to utter a sound, while dragon saliva dripped down Shu Yang’s fingers.
There was a streak of malice in Shu Yang’s bones. He teased Ruan Wei’s mouth for a moment before withdrawing his fingers. Once his hand was out, Ruan Wei collapsed to the floor, coughing violently until his throat went hoarse and tears streamed down his face.
Shu Yang ignored him, shook his hand, and satisfied that the numbness was gone, stood up and put on his clothes.
Ruan Wei, still disheveled and coughing on the floor, muttered weakly, “So… about being my concubine…”
“Dream on.”
Shu Yang said, “If you have the capability, just kill me. If not, let me leave.”
Ruan Wei: “…”
He spewed another mouthful of dragon breath in his rage.
Thus, Ruan Wei and Shu Yang remained at a stalemate. He would neither let Shu Yang go nor kill him, until Ruan Wei’s mother, Ruan Xiuzhen, returned from Chuan.
As soon as she returned, she summoned Ruan Wei and Ruan Tong. The family shut themselves in a room to discuss matters. Even the reckless Ruan Wei looked troubled. Because of certain unspoken circumstances, Ruan Xiuzhen had not wanted to hold a birthday banquet, but Ruan Tong argued that failing to do so would only cause panic among the people. Ruan Xiuzhen finally agreed.
On the day of the banquet, Shu Yang was invited as a guest of the Dragon Palace.
He brought the cub along, looking like a young master with a family of his own. Even so, many dragons approached him, each wishing they could wrap him in their tails and carry him home. Shu Yang was accustomed to such scenes; he handled them absently while remaining preoccupied. He had not come to hunt for beauty, but to meet Ruan Xiuzhen. If there was one person in the Dragon Palace who could break the prohibition placed on him, it was Ruan Wei’s mother.
Ruan Xiuzhen, though a thousand-year-old mother dragon, did not look old—she appeared to be in her early thirties. Dragons lived for thousands of years, so she was still very young. Still, she was Shu Yang’s senior, so he stepped forward and greeted her politely: “Palace Master Ruan.”
Ruan Xiuzhen had been sitting on her throne with an indifferent expression. But the moment she saw Shu Yang, her face changed instantly. She stood up, her tone becoming respectful: “Lord of Purple Star? Is it you?”
Shu Yang: “No.”
He did not intend to reveal his identity: “I am merely a mortal who happens to resemble the Lord of Purple Star.”
“Ah…” A flash of disappointment crossed Ruan Xiuzhen’s eyes. Even so, she showed no disrespect to the mortal who looked so much like the Lord, whispering, “I understand.”
She added, “I only thought that if it were you, the floods in the north might be saved.”
“Floods?” Shu Yang was stunned. “Is the Phoenix clan in trouble in the north?”
“Yes,” Ruan Xiuzhen said softly. “The Phoenix clan’s young master was meant to wed my daughter, Ruan Tong. But the Purple Star fell, and the accompanying stars—Tianchu and Xuanji—lost their primary star and veered off course, crashing through the Mirror of Qinsui. Now, the Heavenly River has poured into the mortal world, tearing the Phoenix clan’s territory to pieces. Even after I used the Dragon’s Water Extraction, I could not guide the Heavenly River’s waters back. The Phoenix clan’s patriarch is critically injured, and there is no one left to lead.”
Her words were filled with lament.
Shu Yang: “…”
He felt his heart sink. He had forgotten he was the primary star while drunk and had privately descended to the mortal realm, inadvertently causing such a catastrophe. He hurriedly asked, “Then did you see the Tianchu and Xuanji stars? Where are they now?”
“After veering off course, they privately descended to the mortal realm. They are now Fallen Immortals. They have lost all memories of the Celestial Realm and are aiding demons in invading the mortal world. The north is in total chaos.”
Ruan Xiuzhen shook her head: “I intend to send people to find the Lord of Purple Star. Otherwise, given the current situation, who else could stop this calamity?”
Shu Yang remained silent.
Ruan Xiuzhen assumed he was displeased because of Ruan Wei, so she promised repeatedly that she would lift the prohibition and let him leave, and even made Ruan Wei swear never to mention the concubine matter again.
Though he had achieved his goal, Shu Yang’s mood did not improve. He returned to the inner palace with a heavy heart. In a daze, he realized why he had seen so many humans and dragons living together in Xuanling State City—the humans had lost their homes to the flood and were forced to seek the protection of the dragons.
He had to head north immediately, find the Fallen Immortals Tianchu and Xuanji, send them back to the heavens, and find a way to repair the Mirror of Qinsui. If the cracks continued to widen, the entire mortal world would soon be submerged.
Just as Shu Yang was lost in thought, a faint movement came from the rafters. Shu Yang thought it was the cub crawling around again, but the sound grew louder. As he looked up, ready to scold it, he froze: “Immortal Lord Shuide?!”
“You finally noticed me.” His close friend in the Celestial Realm, Immortal Lord Shuide, sat on the rafter with a sigh. “I heard you encountered a difficult problem?”
“Do not talk nonsense at a time like this.”
Shu Yang said, “How did Tianchu and Xuanji end up descending with me? Is Nanming down here too?!”
“What else?” Shuide spread his hands: “Do not forget, you are the primary star. The Heavenly Dao initially entrusted you with the governance of ten thousand stars. Now that you have gotten drunk and jumped into the mortal world, Tianchu and Xuanji naturally followed you down.”
A sky without stars, only the moon—it was terrifying. Shu Yang’s brow knotted.
“Do not be afraid. You have caused a great disaster, but fortunately, the Heavenly Dao still loves you,” Shuide said. “The Dao has sent me to enlighten you.”
“You?” Shu Yang tilted his head. “How will you enlighten me?”
“By helping you seek your affection,” Shuide said sagely. “Shu Yang, when you chose to practice the Way of Supreme Forgetfulness, you became an immortal but could not become a god. The essence lies in the lack of an emotional root; you failed to penetrate the true meaning of the words ‘Supreme Forgetfulness.'”
“Now that you have descended to the mortal world, bringing a calamity upon the earth, you must renovate the mortal world yourself to atone for your grave mistake. In this process, if you find your emotional root, cultivate again, and realize the true meaning of Supreme Forgetfulness, you can instantly ascend to godhood. Once you become a god, those who suffered because of you will have a chance to be reborn. But if you fail, your merit of hundreds of years will dissipate, your soul will scatter, and you will fall into the cycle of reincarnation as a beast for eternity as penance.”
“…” Shu Yang asked: “The key is, where do I find my emotional root?”
Shuide smiled, tossed a blood-red ring to Shu Yang, and said: “This is the Ring of Seeking Affection; it will help you find your true emotional root.”
“When you approach someone who has touched your emotional root, the ring will glow. You only need to follow them to regain it.”
With that, Immortal Lord Shuide vanished into thin air.
Shu Yang: “…”
He sat in silence for a moment before picking up the ring and studying it in the candlelight. Once the candle burned down, Shu Yang put the ring on his finger, half-doubting, intending to test it on someone random.
As soon as he stepped out the door, he saw Ruan Wei transformed into a dragon, his tail coiling around the cub as he flew overhead. When Ruan Wei swooped past, the ring on Shu Yang’s finger erupted with the brightness of a hundred-watt lightbulb, the blinding glare nearly burning his eyes out.
Shu Yang: “…”
He squinted, watching the ring dim as Ruan Wei flew off, feeling a bit confused.
Wait. Is this Ring of Seeking Affection a cheap knock-off? Why would it glow for just anyone? If it was so eager to glow, why did it wait until I stepped outside?