For some reason, Han Tao felt a little thirsty.
He tried to distract himself by thinking of other things, but his gaze remained fixed on him.
Fu Mingxu seemed oblivious, muttering something under his blanket. Han Tao could only see his lips moving, but couldn't hear him clearly.
His golden eyes darkened considerably, and a golden storm began to rise. He struggled to control his emotions, convincing himself that he was simply leaning in to listen to what the other person had to say.
What if he needs dragon blood as before?
The memory of being surrounded by a cold, malevolent aura and having his life force dissipated completely convinced Han Tao's self-confidence. In an instant, the dragon flame entered Fu Mingxu's dantian, causing the heat within his dantian to surge and the chaotic energy to become restless.
Fu Mingxu was lost in a boundless dream, constantly muttering to himself.
He dreamt of a cold, red light, which was then instantly surrounded by scorching flames. He was then entangled by a giant dragon and taken to a place where the sky and earth collapsed.
Han Tao slowly approached him and saw the unease in his eyes.
In his sleep, Fu Mingxu's babbling gradually became clearer. He was tightly entangled by the dragon's tail, and in his panic, he managed to break free: "Han Tao, no."
A vortex swirled in his golden eyes, and Han Tao's voice was hoarse: "Don't want what?"
What do you not want? Fu Mingxu heard someone ask in his absurd dream, but no matter how hard he tried to think, he couldn't find the answer.
He bit his lip unconsciously, without even realizing it, until he left teeth marks on it.
Han Tao was afraid that he would bite her, so she subconsciously reached out and touched him. When her fingertips touched the warmth, she shuddered.
The sharp tip, unable to retract in time, touched intimately with the rough fingertip, seemingly curiously following the trace of the fingertip.
Han Tao stood up abruptly, his head spinning. He staggered and turned to run away, almost falling to the ground as he lost his footing.
He struggled to steady himself and barely managed to regain consciousness in the cold mountain wind.
He unleashed a wisp of dragon's breath, which enveloped the houses behind him, the powerful dragon energy asserting its dominance over the deep mountains in the night.
After doing all this, he immediately disappeared from the spot.
In the darkness, the crescent moon was hidden behind the clouds, and the cold pool at the top of the back mountain was silent.
A giant dragon plunged headfirst into the icy pool, completely ignoring the pain in its dragon soul.
The water in the pool churned and splashed until dawn, and only when the first light of day appeared did he leave calmly.
The next morning, Fu Mingxu woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the mountains. He propped himself up and sat for a while before the dizziness in his head subsided.
Memories of last night gradually returned to his mind, and in a daze, he vaguely remembered that it seemed to be Han Tao who had come.
Thinking of this, he recalled the bizarre dream he had last night, filled with all sorts of strange and wonderful things, but the part that happened after he was swept away by the dragon was the most embarrassing.
For some reason, he had an unexpected dream response to Han Tao.
He rubbed his temples to banish the strange thoughts from his mind before getting up.
The storage bag could now be opened. Fu Mingxu changed out of his long-loose blue robe and paused when his gaze fell on the black outer robe by the bed. Only then did he realize that Han Tao had indeed come while he was unconscious last night.
He stood by the bed, his gaze complex as he looked at the blankets on the bed. After a while, he sighed, casually folded the blankets, and then neatly placed his black outer robe on top of them.
He took a deep breath and opened the door, his eyes meeting Han Tao's.
As the sun rose and the morning glow filled the sky, Han Tao stood between heaven and earth and walked towards him. When he got closer, you could see that the ends of his hair were slightly damp and his body seemed to be covered in moisture.
After a long pause, Fu Mingxu finally reacted and gave a perfunctory greeting: "Good morning."
The world was transformed overnight. Han Tao drew closer to him, his gaze falling on Han Tao's drooping hair ribbon. The hand hidden in his sleeve tightened, and the hand that was clutching the tattered hair ribbon secretly moved behind his back.
"How are you feeling?" Han Tao asked after a pause.
Fu Mingxu smiled, his eyes brimming with the spiritual energy of the mountains, and said in a relaxed tone, "I feel full of energy, it's great."
He was telling the truth; apart from that incredibly shameful dream that made him unable to look Han Tao in the eye, everything else was fine.
Han Tao knew that the dragon blood was effective for him, and he was immediately relieved.
Fu Mingxu, however, felt that his reaction was somewhat of a cover-up, so he took the initiative to ask, "What about you? I heard a dragon's roar last night, so you must have broken through the barrier. Is there a problem?"
Han Tao wanted to say that he was fine, but for some reason, he remembered the situation between the two of them in the forbidden area, and the words he had prepared were forced back down.
He coughed lightly at the two of them, then lowered his eyes slightly: "I feel very unwell."
Fu Mingxu was shocked. He couldn't care less about whether it was a dream or reality at this moment, and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
Han Tao coughed lightly twice, his brows furrowing slightly, and said with pursed lips, "The repaired Dragon Soul is half broken."
He wasn't lying, but he didn't mention that he had shattered the dragon's soul himself.
For dragons, the Dragon Soul is like the Dantian to humans; needless to say, one can imagine how painful it would be if it were to rupture.
"Don't move." Fu Mingxu took two steps forward, placed his palm on the man's chest, and let the chaotic energy move at his will. With his divine sense, he indeed saw the broken dragon soul and the black seed inside the exposed dragon soul.
"A demonic seed?" A storm raged within him, his thoughts racing. He abruptly looked up. "You've been planted with a demonic seed? Who planted it in you?"
So this is why Han Tao is prone to falling into demonic possession? But he previously thought it was because the Dragon Soul shattered, causing the other party's cultivation to be completely destroyed, and that's why the other party pursued greater power.
In an instant, guilt and unease swept over me.
He seems to have misunderstood Han Tao.
Han Tao's gaze fell on the back of his fair hand, and he said in a deep voice, "I don't know."
He was telling the truth; he had always known that there was a demonic seed within the Dragon Soul, but he didn't know why.
However, he didn't tell Fu Mingxu that his current ability to control his own descent into demonic possession only meant enduring more pain.
Hearing this, Fu Mingxu automatically interpreted it as him being maliciously infected with a demonic seed, and powerless to change his own demonic nature.
The imagery of a demonic seed, the complete destruction of one's cultivation, falling into demonic possession, and being ambushed and killed formed the predicament of Han Tao in his previous life.
What a pitiful dragon it is, he thought.
Han Tao felt a moment of guilt, but this guilt was suppressed deep within her when she heard what Fu Mingxu said next.
"Don't be afraid." Fu Mingxu noticed his momentary hesitation, patted his arm, and pretended to comfort him. "I will help you."
Sigh, he knew things wouldn't be that easy. Sure enough, he was destined to be a busybody.
He tilted his head back as he spoke, his long, slender neck exposed to the sunlight, seemingly gleaming.
Han Tao lowered his gaze and met those clear, starry eyes sparkling with light. The morning breeze was slightly cool, and the strands of hair he lifted seemed to fall into his heart and entwine endlessly.
"I..." Han Tao's heart was surging with emotions, but he didn't know how to speak. Looking into those eyes, he could only suppress the urge to hug him and turn his head slightly.
The sun rose high above the horizon, its brilliant rays sweeping across the land and dispelling the lingering gloom of the night. Golden eyes shone even brighter in the sunlight, as if overflowing with light.
Fu Mingxu happened to catch a glimpse of his slightly reddened eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.
Han Tao, could he have been so moved that he cried?
A note from the author:
Fu Mingxu: This dragon is so pitiful, so sensitive. I need to take better care of him.
Han Tao: My wife cares about me so much, it's so beautiful, I'm so thinking about it that my eyes are red.
Chapter 27
Once this thought crossed his mind, Fu Mingxu felt a little embarrassed to look at him.
After all, how could such a majestic dragon shed tears in front of people? So it's no wonder he turned his head away.
He understands everything.
Therefore, Fu Mingxu completely missed the glance Han Tao secretly gave him.
Plunder, possessiveness, and infatuation are the animalistic instincts that dragons find hard to conceal when faced with a partner they desire.
The atmosphere became awkward and ambiguous for a moment. Fu Mingxu covered his lips with his hand and waved to Zhang Yanran when he saw her not far away.
"Could you please come over here for a moment?" The voice was clear and bright, and the smile was as bright as the morning sun.
Zhang Yanran had been standing at a distance for a while, but seeing the two of them standing very close together, seemingly whispering to each other, she consciously did not approach.
Hearing Fu Mingxu call her, she jogged forward, politely cupped her hands to the two of them, and then said, "Lord Han, the Asura Demon has been captured. Thank you for your help this time. My senior brother and the other disciples will send him to the Tianxuan Sect later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Mingxu saw Zhang Hengbo and the others walking towards him.
"Lord Han," Zhang Hengbo said, slightly relieved to see his junior sister there. His tone was respectful and polite. "This Asura Demon slaughtered the entire Xuan Village and needs to be taken to the sect for trial. I have come to take my leave."
He had already decided that, to avoid attracting attention, he would have Zhang Yanran search for the Heavenly Mystic Beast here.
"Once the city lord and Young Master Fu have finished their business, have my junior sister take them to visit the sect so we can express our gratitude and fulfill our duty as hosts."
Han Tao understood his meaning, but did not agree to be a guest. Instead, he said, "After we finish our business, I will trouble your junior sister to take us down the mountain."
They could actually go down the mountain on their own, but Fu Mingxu guessed that this meant Han Tao hadn't forgotten to help them find the Heavenly Mystic Beast and would continue to fulfill their friendship agreement.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hengbo was completely relieved and his gratitude was evident. He bowed to the two men and solemnly said, "I am very grateful to you both this time. If you ever need my help in the future, I will certainly do so."
The gratitude in the eyes of the senior and junior disciples was genuine. Others only thought that the two were grateful to them for saving the sect's disciples, but Fu Mingxu guessed that the Xuan Beast must have been of great use to them that day.
Zhang Hengbo trusts his junior sister so much that he's not afraid she'll fuse with the Heavenly Profound Beast and keep it for herself. He probably doesn't intend to use the Heavenly Profound Beast on themselves.
Perhaps it is meant for someone who is very important to both of them.
Fu Mingxu was unaware that his casual guess had yielded such a broad assessment. He looked behind the two men, where the Tianxuan Sect disciples stood ready in front of a huge cage, and asked, "How will you deal with him?"
Zhang Hengbo was taken aback for a moment, then reacted and replied, "According to convention, those who massacre villages affiliated with the Tianxuan Sect will be punished by the Punishment Hall according to the circumstances."
Judging from his expression, Fu Mingxu felt that this punishment hall was definitely not a good place.
The fact remains that Xuan Zhong massacred the entire village, and even if things turned out differently, that cannot be changed.
Perhaps, going to the punishment hall is not as painful as regaining half of his humanity when he is sober.
"Where is that bird?" Fu Mingxu asked again.
Zhang Hengbo was stunned for a moment, then realized he was referring to the colorful phoenix.
"He belongs to the demon race, yet he lured humans into the demonic path. I don't know how to deal with him, so let's bring him back for now." After he finished speaking, he looked at Han Tao, "I wonder what City Lord Han thinks?"
After all, the Rainbow Phoenix Clan belongs to the Feather Clan. The Feather Clan, Dragon Clan, and Human Clan are unrelated to each other. If it weren't for the fact that the Rainbow Phoenix's actions were too heinous and that it had a deep karmic entanglement with the Asura Ghost, he wouldn't have wanted to bring this hot potato back to the sect.
Han Tao offered no advice, but instead said calmly, "This is a matter within the Tianxuan Sect, and your sect leader will know how to handle it."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hengbo wholeheartedly agreed, feeling that it was the duty of the enforcers, and that he was responsible for sending the ghost and the colorful phoenix back to their sect.