Chapter 78

At the back of the formation, a large group of ragged bandits were surrounded by the soldiers. Their hands were broken and tied in a way that was almost twisted. The pain on their faces revealed that this was a form of bone-breaking torture...

The bone-breaking torture was ordered by Zheng Yu. All the captured bandits had their joints broken.

In fact, any city lord who heard about the bandits' actions after raiding villages and towns would have wanted to execute them on the spot.

Zheng Yu also suppressed his anger, using this bone-breaking torture to escort them back to Dwarf Mountain City.

"Brother Zhu, did you not have a smooth journey either?" Zheng Yu asked with a bitter smile when he saw Zhu Minglang.

"One of my junior sisters died," Zhu Minglang replied.

"Which one?"

"I only know that her surname was Yang. The first time I met her, she said I didn't look strange at all..." Zhu Minglang's memory of this junior sister was limited to these few details.

But for some reason, this made him feel even more sorrowful.

A young woman, whose full name he never even knew, had passed away.

It was no wonder Jin Minjun and the other junior sisters left without any fighting spirit. They had been full of enthusiasm and high hopes, and the journey had been filled with laughter. In the end, they could only hold the cold, lifeless body, immersed in thoughts of her and their own pain, and the most tormenting of all was the self-blame!

"Alas, when I arrived at their hideout, I saved a few women. I asked them where they lived, and told them I was an official, but they begged me to give them a way out... It was the path to the netherworld, the gate of death, and they preferred to go there rather than stay in this world for a moment longer." Zheng Yu's expression darkened as he slowly narrated the event to Zhu Minglang.

Just a few simple words conveyed the shock and anger Zheng Yu felt at the time.

Zhu Minglang glanced at the bandits who were enduring the bone-breaking torture, and now he understood why Zheng Yu, despite capturing them alive, still chose to do this.

Any person with a shred of humanity would have done the same!

In comparison, Junior Sister Yang at least died in her sleep, without experiencing pain, fear, or suffering.

"Brother Zhu, may you find solace."

"Brother Zheng, may you also find solace."

...

The city lord used all the words of gratitude he could think of, trying to persuade Zhu Minglang and Zheng Yu to stay longer, but neither of them had any intention of lingering.

The matters were all settled, but their moods were heavy. They knew that to ensure peace in this world, they still had a long and arduous journey ahead, no matter how weary they felt.

Riding the fine horses gifted by the city lord, the two of them followed the official road to the next upstream city.

Qingliu River City was their next destination. Along the way, they stopped at a post station. Considering Zheng Yu's weak constitution, Zhu Minglang decided to stay at an inn for the night.

"Brother Zhu, what is the energy bead in your hand?" Zheng Yu asked curiously.

"This is a demon soul bead. I extracted it from the Night Vine Rat Wolf demon. I plan to feed it to my little Qingzhuo. The Night Vine's attributes are very suitable for its natural abilities," Zhu Minglang explained.

A demon-level soul bead, with a market value high enough to buy a fairly wealthy town, was a significant gain from this demon slaying.

"Have you heard that raising dragons often requires a lot of gold? Brother Zhu, with your outstanding abilities, why don't you occupy a few cities and collect taxes? I've seen some dragon masters do this. They protect the area and also collect expensive taxes..." Zheng Yu asked.

"I don't have such plans for now, but if I ever become destitute, I might just occupy some cities. At that time, I'll trouble Brother Zheng to manage them for me," Zhu Minglang laughed.

"Speaking of occupying cities, the female lord's iron army has already advanced to the south. It's said that they have broken through ten cities, expanding the territory of the Ancestor Dragon City State even further..." Zheng Yu said.

Zhu Minglang scratched his head awkwardly.

Maybe in the future, he would just be a slacker, guarding the cities that Li Yunzi had conquered, slaying demons, and eliminating evil...

Helping his wife protect the territory she had won.

After purifying the residual malevolent and evil energy from the demon bead, Zhu Minglang fed it to little Qingzhuo.

Little Qingzhuo, already injured and young, would benefit greatly from such a demon bead. At the very least, it should help it advance to the growth stage after digestion.

A thousand years of cultivation!

If the Night Vine Rat Wolf had been a vegetarian, eating things like spirit fruits, immortal leaves, or demon roots, little Qingzhuo might have inherited several hundred years of cultivation. Unfortunately, the conversion rate of demon beads is always low, and the compatibility with little Qingzhuo is limited.

Originally, Zhu Minglang had planned to buy a demon bead to enhance Dahuaya's cultivation, but this one, while suitable for Qingzhuo, did not match Dahuaya's attributes. Feeding it to Dahuaya would be far less effective.

For Dahuaya, he would need to find a demon bead at an auction, especially one from an ancient dragon lineage, which is more important for Dahuaya.

After consuming the demon bead, little Qingzhuo retreated to the spirit realm to sleep. Zhu Minglang could clearly see the unique luster emanating from its bark-like skin, changing repeatedly...

Its feathers were also transforming, from fine, soft green down to tough, needle-like blue pine leaves.

It was evident that these pine leaf feathers, when fully hardened, would form a sharp, iron-like fan, capable of slicing through even rock when it spread its wings!

From the beginning, Zhu Minglang had noticed that little Qingzhuo's appearance was very different from its brother. As it evolved into the growth stage, little Qingzhuo developed in a unique direction.

Its skin was like jade and wood, its feathers like iron and leaves, and its tail was more magnificent than some spirit birds. Its entire body occasionally emitted a green holy feather glow, which seemed to provide a unique protection...

Its vertical pupils could command all the green forests, and even at this young age, it displayed an extraordinary ability to control the holy forest. Watching little Qingzhuo change and grow under the nourishment of the demon bead, Zhu Minglang felt a sense of relief.

From falling off a cliff, being injured all over, and helpless like a dying puppy, to now radiating a green feather glow and about to display the true form of a divine wood green holy dragon, it was all worth the struggle and perseverance!

"A growth-stage little Qingzhuo should be stronger than Dahuaya without the silver-green heavy armor," Zhu Minglang began to look forward to it.

"Oooooo"

Perhaps sensing Zhu Minglang's thoughts, Dahuaya let out a mournful cry.

"Don't worry, don't worry. We have a lot of money, all prepared to buy you a demon bead. When you consume a two-thousand-year-old ancient dragon demon bead, you might directly reach the Dragon General level," Zhu Minglang consoled Dahuaya's sense of imbalance.

If Dahuaya reached the Dragon General level and wore the heavy armor, it could probably match Bai Qi now.

Thinking about how his three dragon babies would soon be able to stand on their own, Zhu Minglang's smile became as warm as a father's.

"Brother Zhu, are you missing the female lord? Why are you smiling like that?" Zheng Yu asked, taking a sip of tea and looking at Zhu Minglang.

"Cough, cough, cough. Let's get going after we rest." Zhu Minglang tried to cover up.

At the stable, as he climbed onto the horse, Zhu Minglang suddenly thought about little Qingzhuo's rapid growth in the spirit realm...

Little Qingzhuo has the bloodline of a forest dragon, so in the growth stage, its size should be closer to its mother. This means he would soon have a green holy dragon for transportation!

The flying bird pseudo-dragon flew too slowly and was often disobedient, making Zhu Minglang very uncomfortable when riding it. That's why he chose to ride a horse to Qingliu River City this time.

Horses have limited speed and need to follow the official road, which is also troublesome. The thought of soon being able to ride a green holy dragon through the sky made his lips curl up even more!

This is what a dragon master should look like!

...

In Honglian City, the red lotus flowers, like colorful lanterns during a festival, swayed gracefully in the river below the city gate.

The red lotus flowers, which bloom all year round like flames, are one of the most beautiful sights in Honglian City, attracting many visitors from upstream cities...

In previous years, the river and its surroundings would be filled with people admiring the red lotus flowers. Now, due to the man-eating demons, the once bustling Honglian City appeared somewhat deserted, with only the winter red lotus flowers blooming as beautifully as ever.

On a long wooden bridge, a man with slightly dark cheeks slowly walked into the city. He stopped to gaze at the river of red lotus flowers, admiring them for a while.

After a long time, he continued walking, stopping again as he looked at the still bustling streets. His gaze swept over the various travelers passing by him.

Soon, his eyes fell on the shops on both sides: gold and silver shops, tall teahouses, grand pavilions, and the magnificent city gate behind him...

After hesitating for a moment, Zhan An continued walking, but his pace was much slower than before.

"Sir, please come in and sit?"

"Fine jade hairpins, fine jade hairpins, come and take a look!"

"Candy skewers, candy skewers... I'm not selling this one; it's for my daughter."

"Even a pancake can be bargained for, two copper coins is two copper coins!"

Zhan An continued walking, and the bustling and noisy surroundings were no different from any other city he had seen. However, to him, there was something indescribably strange.

What was wrong?

He couldn't put his finger on it.

When he entered the city, he smelled a strong ink scent, even though there were no shops selling ink or calligraphy nearby. The ink smell seemed to come from everywhere...

Suddenly, the floor tiles ahead began to ripple strangely. They were neatly laid along the main street leading into the city, but they rippled like waves in a lake, spreading out in circles on the stone floor!

These ripples spread to the two rows of gray-roofed buildings, causing the buildings and shops to sway as well, as if he were looking at a reflection in water, which was extremely bizarre!

The people and shops around him suddenly froze.

The noise came to a complete stop in an instant.

A traveler dressed as a scholar in white robes walked past Zhan An.

As he walked, he sank into the ripples on the ground.

As he walked, he turned into ink!

Zhan An looked behind him.

The road, the street, the people, and the city gate behind him...

At some point, they had all turned into a giant ink painting, vividly and clearly depicted!

And he, a living person, found himself in this ink-painted world—a vividly depicted city!

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(Chaotic Sky: There are two live streaming events, just before and after World Book Day.

One is on the 22nd at 8 PM in the "QQ Browser & QQ Kandian Novel Channel Live Room." I plan to reveal some secrets, and if everything goes well, multiple authors in the industry will be in trouble. Hmph, hmph, hmph, those who say I look like Cat Nip and those who say I look older than Elbow, just wait!

The other is on the 24th at 9:30 PM on Kuaishou Live. Follow the "Yuewen Writers" account. On the 24th at 9:30 PM! There will be many small gifts for everyone. I'll share my journey from being a professional e-sports player to a writer, and the bittersweet experiences that led me to this path of no return.~~~)

(By the way, why are people still asking if I am Fish in the Sky? I am Fish in the Sky. Welcome, old readers, to confront me in person.)