Don’t Discriminate Against Species

Some said that the seabed was the most fantastical world.

There were all sorts of never-before-seen fish, bizarre deep-sea plants, as well as beautiful deep sea landscapes.

When Fu Li woke clear-headed, a mass of gold filled his vision. The smell of blood and dragon pervaded his surroundings. He shifted his body, and then realized that the gold was Zhuang Qing's scales. Zhuang Qing was curled around him.

His memories were a chaotic mess. Shaking his head, he asked softly, "Zhuang little dragon, Zhuang little dragon?"

There was no reaction from Zhuang Qing. He jumped out with a kick of his hind legs. Landing on the ground, he turned into his human form and saw the wounds on Zhuang Qing's body that had turned white from soaking in seawater. What was scariest was the wound on his tail - it was so deep that bone was visible. The floor was covered in blood, and his tail was curled up somewhat unnaturally.

He remembered now. Just as the Taowu was about to kill him in one bite, Zhuang Qing had turned into his dragon form and shielded him…

Too busy to pay any heed to his current location and what had happened after that, Fu Li took out medicinal pills, pried open the dragon's mouth and shoved the medicine in. Despite being tossed around like this, Zhuang Qing didn't wake up; it was clear that he had suffered severe injuries. Fu Li found medicine for external injuries, then used his spiritual force to remove the surrounding clotted blood before applying the medication.

No matter how steady Zhuang Qing was usually, the current unconscious golden dragon didn't yet have the look of an adult. The mottled dragon scales on the dragon's body and the old wounds incapable of healing chronicled the scars left by time.

Fu Li had been coddled from young and could not imagine how the young dragon had lived without the protection of elders. After applying medicine to all the wounds, Fu Li made his way to the dragon's head and sat cross-legged. Looking at the still motionless Zhuang Qing, he reached out and touched his horns.

Zhuang Qing had already saved him twice, and each time ended in him being heavily injured. This dragon often said he was dumb and lacking in life experience, but in reality, he was the true dumb yao. If he were really intelligent, why would he risk his life to save him? Was he not aware how powerful the Taowu was?

"I hate smooth, furless creatures, but…" Fu Li watched the coiled-up Zhuang Qing. Even in the moment before he lost consciousness, this dragon still didn't forget to erect a barrier and protect him with his body.

"Are you a fool?" Fu Li poked the dragon's head. "Are you a fool?"

He raised his head, sizing up his surroundings. The place they were in was a luxurious palace hall, and the decorative items inside were very tastefully chosen. It was just that it was cold and unfriendly, without even the slightest bit of life in it. This place had likely been uninhabited for a very long time. There was some resemblance between this palace and the azure dragons' palace, though it was even more lavish and exquisite. Fu Li had a rough idea what place this was.

The golden dragon clan's palace.

As the sole descendant of the golden dragon clan, only Zhuang Qing would be able to remove the restriction on the palace. But there was an absence of dragon guards and servants at this place that rendered even the most luxurious place cold and cheerless. In the end, the golden dragon clan that had been an illustrious existence for thousands of years still met such a mournful closure.

He let out a sigh. Pressing his hand against Zhuang Qing's forehead, spiritual qi entered the dragon's body through his palm and into his meridians, nourishing his resplendent dragon pearl.

After transmitting his spiritual qi, Fu Li realized that his cultivation had advanced by quite a bit. He lay against the dragon's head lazily and thought back to the incident that had occurred. He had broken through, encountered a heart tribulation, and entered a meditative state in Zhuang Qing's car. After that, he went through the tribulation of heavenly lightning. His cultivation base advanced greatly. After that…

He furrowed his brows. His memories stopped at Zhuang Qing blocking the blow from the Taowu for him. There was nothing after that. But looking at Zhuang Qing's injuries, it was clear that it was not only his tail that was injured. That being said, he would already be considered a genius in the yao world for battling the Taowu for this long with only 1900 years of cultivation, even if he had joined with the nation's fate. If Zhuang Qing were to fall from the skies because of him, even he would find it unacceptable.

"How long do you want to lean against me?"

Fu Li hurriedly turned around upon hearing this cold voice. "You're awake?"

"En," Not wanting anyone to see his gaunt, scar-riddled body, Zhuang Qing transformed into his human form. He stood up. "Come with me to the inner palace."

Fu Li stretched out a hand and supported him by the arm. Zhuang Qing glanced at Fu Li silently, not pushing away his hand.

The golden dragon palace was very big and very pretty. Just the majestic building was enough to let Fu Li imagine just how glorious the golden dragon clan had been in those years. He inclined his head, looking at Zhuang Qing's face. The other party's expression was calm, seemingly bereft of emotions towards this palace.

"What are you looking at me for?" Zhuang Qing turned his head all of a sudden, meeting his eyes.

These eyes were really handsome.

Fu Li laughed dryly. “I’m not very familiar with this place, can you give me an introduction?”

“No,” Zhuang Qing’s rejection was very blunt.

Fu Li: &#k2026;

“This is my second time here,” Zhuang Qing looked at the signboard outside the palace with the three words &#k2018;Chen Fang Palace’. “I last came to this place 1900 years ago, I was only around ten years old at that time.”

"So young?" Fu Li helped Zhuang Qing up the stairs. "You didn't come over at all these few years?"

In Zhuang Qing's eyes, every plant and tree in this place was extremely foreign. It was all very cold. "What is there to come for?"

They entered Chen Fang Palace, inside which was a bedroom. The brocade quilt on the bed was still clean and soft, as if its owner had merely left temporarily and would return before the sky turned dark. Fu Li removed the quilt from the bed and took out new bedding from his Qiankun pouch as a substitute. Worried that Zhuang Qing would sleep in discomfort, he even specially added a few more layers of bedding. "Lie down first and rest for a while."

"This is Jiaoren yarn?" Zhuang Qing lay down on the bed. The cozy sensation caused his entire body to subconsciously relax.

"Maybe," Fu Li didn't care about these mere worldly possessions. There was a mountain of things in his Qiankun pouch that he himself didn't know the origins of, so it was natural for him not to care about it.

"Fu Li…" Zhuang Qing thought of the strange woman who claimed to be Fu Li's elder. That woman seemed to be the Taowu's bane; the moment she appeared, the Taowu no longer had the ability to retaliate. "Did all the yao at that time have these things?"

"I don't know," Fu Li stuffed another medicinal pill into Zhuang Qing's mouth. "I haven't seen many yao, and the length of time I spent away from the mountain is even less. My understanding of the entire yao world stems from the verbal narrations of the mountain's elders. However, all the yao cultivators on the mountain took these to be common things, perhaps they were not rare in the past."

Zhuang Qing stroked the quilt made out of Jiaoren yarn with complex feelings. Jiaoren yarn was considered an extremely rare item in all relevant information records, even if these records were ancient texts dating back to two thousand years ago.

So, had the people who recorded it in the ancient texts seen too little of the world, or was it the yao cultivators of Reflecting Mist Mountain who were closed-off?

"Fu Li, there was a female cultivator just now who claimed to be your eld…"

Someone broke through the barrier outside the golden dragon palace!

As the only master of the golden dragon palace, Zhuang Qing's level of awareness of the palace was extremely high. His expression turned severe and he sat up on the bed, saying in a heavy voice, "Who is it who comes? Why have you entered my dragon palace without permission?"

Seeing Zhuang Qing's tense expression, Fu Li got up and guarded the bed, gripping his red whip.

There was no response from outside, but Fu Li heard the sound of footsteps.

The footsteps were very light, and the person was walking very slowly, but the person eventually came to a stop in front of Chen Fang Palace. A palace door stood between them. Fu Li didn't move and neither did the person outside the palace. With a contemplative look, Zhuang Qing looked at Fu Li, who was shielding him.

"Those who visit are guests who should be treated with due respect, but this humble one's friend is injured and is temporarily unable to receive your honored self," Fu Li didn't know who this person was, but if they were a friend, they would not remain silent now, which was why he was very cautious. "I request the forgiveness of your honored self."

Listening to this familiar voice, Zhu Yue smiled as if she was crying. She ascended the steps, her hand touching the palace door.

All she needed to do was push open this door to see the child they had raised for more than two thousand years.

"Your honored self has trespassed on the dragon palace. Are you not willing to even leave a name?"

This child had grown up in the close to two thousand years they had not met. He no longer acted like a spoiled child, nor was he still ignorant. He now knew how to put on airs.

Zhu Yue grinned, revealing a smile. Though she was smiling, the rims of her eyes had reddened.

She took a deep breath. Her voice trembled lightly as she said, "This humble one is a little yao of Weishui, Reflecting Mist Mountain's Zhu Yue."

The palace suddenly quietened. Zhuyue couldn't help but wonder worriedly if the child would blame her, get angry at her, or… if he had long forgotten the elders after making a new friend.

Reflecting Mist Mountain's… Zhu Yue?

Fu Li thought that something had gone wrong with his ears. Reflecting Mist Mountain had been destroyed. All the yao on the mountain were buried in the bellies of dragons, so how was it possible…

"Zhuang Qing, what did she just say?" Fu Li looked back at Zhuang Qing blankly, wanting to know if he had misheard.

"She said…" Zhuang Qing looked at the absent-minded Fu Li. His eyelids drooped. "She said she's Reflecting Mist Mountain's… Zhu Yue."

That was a woman with such beauty that no man under the Heavens would be able to look away from her.

Zhuang Qing covered his chest. That place hurt terribly. It had probably… suffered an internal injury that had yet to heal.

Fu Li suddenly rushed towards the door, screeching to a stop right before he opened the door. He turned towards Zhuang Qing on the bed. The pale-faced Zhuang Qing had already sat up on the bed and was gazing at him with dark yet bright eyes.

"Be careful," Fu Li walked back to the bed and set up a few barriers in succession. "I'm worried this is a trap."

"I'm not as stupid as you," Zhuang Qing coughed softly. "Go take a look, it might be real."

If it was real, Fu Li would have relatives. He would no longer be all alone.

After helping Zhuang Qing to settle down, Fu Li once again walked back to the door. Just as he was about to pull open the door, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Creak.

The door that had been unused for many years let out a heavy sound. Time seemed to come to a standstill the moment the door opened.

Fu Li saw the figure standing outside clearly. His eyelids trembled slightly. There was none of the anger and surprise that Zhu Yue had imagined. He merely looked at her silently, his good-looking eyes gleaming with tears. He was still as cute as he had been those years.

"Little Li," Zhu Yue wanted to show a nicer-looking smile, but her voice just kept shaking. "Have you been well these years?"

Fu Li cocked his head as he looked at the person outside the door. After a long while, he asked, "Are you real?"

Zhu Yue could no longer maintain the smile on her face. She nodded, her eyes red. She covered her mouth, unable to say anything.

Fu Li walked towards her, reached out, and brought her into his embrace.

"Long time no see, Sister Pheasant."

"Impudent. Call me Sis Zhu Yue."

"The King said before that pretty ladies should be called sister."

"I told you not to listen to that damned pig. It's been so many years, why do you still remember his words?"

"The words all of you said," Fu Li smiled, his eyes curving. "I remember them all."

Zhuang Qing watched the man and woman embrace at the palace door. His chest felt increasingly stuffy and even somewhat achy, seething in his chest painfully. He clutched his chest, his face completely expressionless.

It was just this tiny bit of pain. He could endure it.

Fu Li hadn't met his relative for many years. He couldn't destroy the atmosphere just because of this tiny matter of his.

"Little Li, I…"

"Sister Pheasant, what about the King and the rest? Are you with them?" Fu Li didn't ask why they didn't pass away that year or where they had been the past few years, but instead asked about the whereabouts of the other yao.

Zhu Yue shook her head silently. "I don't know."

She had been in deep sleep for two thousand years. When she next woke up, Reflecting Mist Mountain was no longer in the world. She had gone to great lengths to find Fu Li, but didn't dare to get acquainted with him. Only when the Taowu wreaked havoc, and Fu Li and Zhuang Qing seemed to be unable to hold on did she have no choice but to reveal herself.

"What happened that year?" Fu Li asked. "All the yao said that you were eaten by the azure dragons. I didn't believe them, so I lit many Migu Branches, but I couldn't find you."

If someone could not be found by a Migu Branch, there could only be one reason. They were either already dead, or had gone to a place unreachable by Fu Li.

"That year…" Zhu Yue had just opened her mouth when a sudden clap of thunder sounded outside the palace. She smiled. "Some major incidents happened that year, let's not mention it for now. I saw your friend receive a severe injury to protect you just now, I'll help take a look at his injury."

"Okay," Fu Li hurriedly nodded. "Sister Pheasant, Zhuang little dragon has many old scars on his body and the medicine I have with me can't cure him completely. Do you have a way?"

"He has a stuffy dragon personality and likes keeping things in his heart. He doesn't tell others even if he's injured," Fu Li sighed. "Really worrisome."

"Didn't you hate this sort of furless, smooth yao in the past?" Zhu Yue looked at Fu Li, whose thoughts were already completely occupied by his friend. There was a faint disappointment in her heart. The young bird had finally flown out of his nest and found his partner.

"We have to look at problems comprehensively," Fu Li withdrew the barrier. "He's different from other hateful dragons."

Zhu Yue saw the man behind the barrier. He was handsome, had outstanding bearing, and possessed countless virtue. He was an extremely powerful yao cultivator. With time, perhaps he would accomplish great things.

She didn't know if it was good for Little Li to be friends with such a yao.

Zhuang Qing raised his pale face and smiled politely at Zhu Yue, cupping his hands in greeting. "This junior, Zhuang Qing, wasn't aware that Senior really had past relations with Fu Li. May Senior forgive me if I have offended you in any way."

"No worries, you did so for Little Li's protection."

He was a polite child who knew how to respectfully call her elder.

Ilyz: half of me is happy for FL and the other half is hurting for ZQ 😢