Chapter 12
The priest believed that no dragon could resist the temptation of knowing it could have its destined one, so he still believed Han Zhengzhi's words.
In the end, even he had to marvel at Han Tao's good luck.
"Perhaps, he is the dragon lord destined never to fall," the priest murmured. Next, he would tell the other dragons that they did not need to fly across the Sea of Illusion to return to their ancestral land to slumber.
Han Zhengzhi watched his departing figure and let out a heavy sigh of relief. He hadn't forgotten what Fu Mingxu had told him. He turned around and returned to the folded space, finding the city lord on the other side of the lake, which was far away from the Green Bamboo Courtyard.
He stood under a large willow tree, its branches swaying in the wind. His gaze drifted away, only to be cut off by a large clump of green bamboo.
Han Zhengzhi guessed what he was looking at and stepped forward, calling out, "City Lord."
Han Tao finally withdrew his gaze, his eyes turning cold, sending chills down one's spine.
"Is everything done?"
He originally planned to do those things himself, but when he thought of Fu Mingxu's resistance towards him, he summoned Han Zhengzhi.
"Yes, this is a pill given by Master Fu. He said it would be beneficial to your injuries, City Lord. Just crush it and sprinkle it on the wound." Han Zhengzhi carefully changed his form of address. Seeing that the City Lord's face did not change, he continued, "He said he wanted to nurture the alchemy furnace and did not want to be disturbed. He asked me to find you a list of the spiritual herbs that need to be prepared and give them to him in five days."
Han Zhengzhi handed him several bottles of pills. Seeing that he didn't move after taking the pills, he reminded him, "City Lord, here's the list of pills."
Unexpectedly, Han Tao took out a piece of paper covered with dense writing but did not give it to him. Instead, he pointed to the stone table and benches next to him and said, "You can copy it down once."
There was absolutely no intention of giving him Fu Mingxu's handwritten list.
It wasn't until Han Zhengzhi sat on the stone bench and looked at the white paper and pen in front of him that his mind returned to normal.
He looked up, his lips twitching slightly: "Lord, is that really necessary? I won't ruin the list."
Han Tao's golden eyes narrowed slightly, his emotions unreadable. "I'll read, you remember."
Han Zhengzhi, who had absolutely no knowledge of any kind of spiritual plants, immediately picked up a pen: "Let me copy it down."
With Han Tao standing in front of the table supervising, under the intimidation of Jin Mou's gaze, Han Zhengzhi had no intention of appreciating the elegant and graceful handwriting at all, and finished copying the list as quickly as possible.
"Go and prepare." As he was about to finish the last stroke, Han Tao put away the list without hesitation.
Han Zhengzhi, utterly helpless, said in a huff, "Won't the city lord let me check it? What if I copied it wrong?"
Han Tao gave him a cold look and said, "Then you're useless."
Cultivators are sharp-witted and perceptive; there is no way they would make a mistake while copying the list.
Han Zhengzhi choked, and could only put away the handwritten list, stand up and say helplessly, "At least I helped you, the city lord, to marry her."
If it weren't for him, Fu Mingxu probably wouldn't even know what his master looked like.
When Fu Lu came to deliver the message, he appeared to be furious, but after Fu Lu left, he quickly ordered people to hang up the red silk again and even took away the Heart-Asking Stone, which was a must-have at the entrance of the Dragon Clan wedding, just in case Fu Mingxu was forced to come unwillingly.
Upon hearing this, Han Tao's expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "You did a good job on this."
Upon receiving the praise, Han Zhengzhi instantly forgot about the handwritten list and excitedly went to prepare the necessary medicinal herbs.
Han Tao stood alone by the lake for a long time until someone reported that the Colorful Phoenix Clan had arrived, at which point he made a move.
The Cai Feng clan came mainly to investigate the truth of the rumors that the City Lord of Yunhan City was unconscious. The two had already confirmed that Han Tao was seriously injured and unconscious on their way here, but they never expected that he would have woken up after entering the City Lord's mansion.
The Le Chao brothers couldn't tell whether his cultivation had been damaged or not; they only saw him standing there unharmed, his sharp golden eyes still as unbearable to look directly at as ever.
Le Chao glanced at her more than Le Qing and couldn't help but say, "We heard that Lord Han has gotten married, but we were unaware of it, so we didn't bring any congratulatory gifts. Please forgive us."
He stood in the main hall dressed in black, his golden eyes concealing a fierce glint, his sharp brows and indifferent expression making him resemble the most ruthless deity.
Le Chao recalled his valiant appearance during the great battle and became even more curious about the person who had transformed into a black-eyed figure to accompany him.
What kind of mortal was he that deserved such treatment?
"We will definitely make up for the gift; it's a token of our appreciation to City Lord Han," Le Chao said solemnly. Then, he changed the subject, "Now that the City Lord's Mansion has a new master, I wonder if we could have the honor of seeing our new master?"
To their surprise, Han Tao glanced at them lightly and said coldly, "No."
Le Chao's brow twitched, but he wasn't angry. He then got down to business: "The Feather Clan's New Life Ceremony is approaching. My brother is here on the orders of the Feather King to invite Lord Han. You can bring your wife with you."
A fiery red feather appeared in his palm, emanating the aura of the Feather King.
Han Tao slightly raised his finger, and the feather automatically flew to his palm, transforming into a book-shaped scroll with the words written by the Feather King himself.
After reading it, the book raft transformed back into feathers, then shrank to the size of a leaf, with white veins slowly forming, and finally became a leaf-shaped map.
Following this route, one can penetrate deep into the heart of the Feathered Tribe territory.
Han Tao clenched his fist and nodded: "I will go."
“In that case, my main task has been accomplished.” Le Chao cupped his hands and said, then gave an apologetic smile. “However, it is getting late now, and King Yu has also sent the two of us to purchase rare and precious materials needed for the New Life Ceremony along the way. The Cold Cloud Jade of Cloud Cold City is one of them. I’m afraid we will need to stay at the City Lord’s Mansion for a few more days.”
The Dragon Clan and the Feather Clan have always been on good terms. Han Tao himself has a decent personal relationship with the Feather King. Normally, it would be a trivial matter for the two of them to stay at the City Lord's Mansion for a few days.
Han Tao didn't care whether Yue Chao recognized him or not; his expression was indifferent: "Okay."
Fu Mingxu will probably be refining pills and making medicine in the folded space for a while, and by the time he comes out, the Rainbow Phoenix Clan will probably have already left.
"The mining rights to Han Yunyu are in the Shen family's possession, and only their shops can sell it. I'll have someone take you there tomorrow." A clear, deep voice came from the main seat. As dusk approached, Han Tao gradually lost his patience.
Le Chao pulled his younger brother back, who was about to ask something, and shook his head at him subtly.
A gentle evening breeze swept through the hall, and Han Tao simply said, "Someone will take you to rest later."
After he left, Yueqing asked him, "Brother, did you figure anything out?"
As dusk settled, Le Chao's face, hidden in the shadows, lost its daytime cheerful smile. He simply shook his head and said softly, "Not yet, don't worry."
Leqing always listened to him, and nodded upon hearing this.
Soon after, members of the Dragon Clan arrived and led the two brothers to the northwest corner of the City Lord's Mansion, where a courtyard had been specially set aside for guests to stay.
Le Chao thanked the man, then looked around at the four of them to make sure no one was there before speaking: "Get some rest tonight, we can talk about it tomorrow."
They've just arrived and don't even know the layout of the City Lord's Mansion in Yunhan City, so now isn't a good time to investigate.
They came as instructed by the Feather King, but the patriarch of the Rainbow Phoenix Clan had other instructions.
They needed to find out if Han Tao's cultivation had been completely destroyed after being severely injured, as the secret letter stated.
"Go and rest first." Le Chao glanced at the darkening sky, sniffed, and said, "I can smell the increasing humidity; heavy rain is coming tonight."
The winged people, who often soar through the sky, always have an accurate sense of the weather. Sure enough, as darkness fell, the gentle evening breeze began to strengthen. By the time Fu Mingxu heard the rustling sound of bamboo leaves colliding outside, large raindrops were already falling from the sky.
The raindrops pattered on the ground, waking him from his slumber.
The dragon flames burned quietly in the alchemy furnace, and the surging, continuous heat kept his current residence in a dry and warm state.
Han Zhengzhi sent more than ten kinds of single flames, and it took him half an afternoon to identify them one by one before finally choosing the most suitable dragon flame.
Although this dragon flame is not the most docile of these alchemical flames, it is most suitable for refining and boiling pills and medicinal liquids for the dragon race to heal.
After being woken up, Fu Mingxu couldn't fall back asleep. In the end, he simply got up fully clothed, his black hair casually draped behind his head, and leaned lazily against the chair in front of the alchemy furnace.
Both the alchemy furnace and the alchemy fire are of excellent quality, and the furnace has been successfully nurtured. He estimates that three days will be enough to complete the four-day plan.
Hopefully, Han Zhengzhi's purchase of the necessary medicinal herbs will also go smoothly.
After watching for a while, Fu Mingxu became drowsy again amidst the dense rain outside. His eyes were half-closed, but his thoughts drifted far away with the sound of the wind.
I wonder if Han Tao will turn into a half-dragon tonight.
The dry, warm environment made him feel completely relaxed. He drifted off into thought, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
Just as the wind and rain were raging outside, a knocking sound suddenly rang out at the door.
The sound grew more urgent with each note, as if it were accompanied by a violent storm.
His heavy drowsiness was so startled away that Fu Mingxu almost slipped off his chair. When he finally opened his eyes, he was still in a daze, not knowing what day it was.
"Master Fu! Master Fu!" The knocking continued, and a familiar, loud voice came from behind the door.
Is it Han Zhengzhi?
There were only three people in this folded space, and Fu Mingxu easily figured out who they were.
The rain was too loud, and he didn't hear Han Zhengzhi's specific shouts. He pulled his clothes tighter and then yanked open the tightly closed door.
The wind and rain rushed in the moment the door opened, and Fu Mingxu's thin, snow-white undershirt was instantly soaked with moisture. Before he could ask anything, he heard a "thump" and Han Zhengzhi fell to the ground.
After he struggled to close the door and turned around to ask, he was astonished to find that Han Tao was carrying on his back.
Han Zhengzhi scrambled to his feet and hurriedly asked, "Master Fu, what's wrong with the City Lord?"
The city lord, who was clear-headed and unfathomable during the day, seemed to lose his disguise as night fell. He lay on the ground with his eyes closed, his face completely bloodless.
A faint scent of dragon's blood permeated the air.
Fu Mingxu bent down and waited. He pondered for a moment, then flicked his finger. Just as Han Tao's clothes loosened, Han Zhengzhi's terrified scream came from behind him.
"What are you going to do to the city lord?"
Fu Mingxu glanced back at him briefly, his expression unchanged, and said, "Of course, it's taking off your clothes."
A note from the author:
The conscious Lord Han: He...he took off my clothes!
Chapter 13
"Take...take off your clothes?" Han Zhengzhi's eyes widened like copper bells, and a faint golden light appeared in his pupils.
Unfortunately, Fu Mingxu only glanced back at him before turning back to continue what he was doing.
The aroma of dragon's blood grew stronger, and a strange hunger swept over him from the depths of his body. He was afraid that if he didn't hurry, he wouldn't be able to resist doing something.
Fu Mingxu quickly pulled open Han Tao's shirt, revealing a perfectly toned and well-proportioned upper body.
The crisscrossing scars on his chest had faded considerably thanks to the previous medicine, but they were still a shocking sight up close.
If the wound hadn't penetrated deep into the flesh, how could the powerful physique of the dragon race have left such an indelible mark?
At a glance, Fu Mingxu could tell that apart from the recent new wounds, there were mostly old, light brown wounds.
After a brief moment of surprise, Han Zhengzhi finally came to his senses and breathed a slight sigh of relief after seeing him examine the injuries.
Fu Mingxu couldn't determine the condition of the dragon soul within Han Tao's body. However, seeing that the wound on his chest hadn't changed, he felt it didn't need any treatment.