When the Jiao spoke in human tongue, how could anyone present not realize that the Jiao-dragon in the old man's story—the one who failed its Crossing Jiao and had been trapped in Shouzhou—was the old man himself?
“M-M-M-M-M... M... Monster...”
The group turned deathly pale. The broker shook like a leaf, trembling as he hid under a table, closing his eyes tightly and wishing he had never been born into this world.
The father and son acted as though facing a mortal enemy, hurriedly retreating behind a table. Both gripped a handful of colorful rings that looked like props used for magic tricks—
“It's Lord Jiao of Shouzhou City!”
“Run!”
“Spare us! Lord Jiao, spare us!”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak! Spare us! Spare us!”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak—”
The shop hands scattered in panic, hiding and ducking everywhere like startled rats.
Driven into a corner, one hand clutched his head and dove straight into a wine vat, leaving only half of his plump, white butt sticking out.
It was round and white, covered in soft fluff, with large patches of brown needle-like quills on its back.
Nan Zhi felt truly eye-opened.
—The hands in this foot-shop had all transformed from millstone-sized hedgehogs.
Even the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old young hand fell to the ground in terror, leaving behind only a mess of clothes, from whose collar poked out a red hedgehog the length of a palm.
This little hedgehog was much smaller than its companions. Seeing that it had nowhere to run, it actually squeezed right under Nan Zhi's stool and refused to come out.
No wonder they had told them not to wander out at night if they had nothing to do. It turned out they were afraid someone would catch sight of their true forms!
Who knew monsters could also mimic humans and run businesses?
Nan Zhi remained quiet, using her foot to gently nudge the curled-up hedgehog ball further underneath.
“You look like a dragon! You look like a dragon... a dragon... completely like one!”
Overwhelmed by the giant Jiao's pressure, the pear seller lay pathetically on the floor, the pants beneath him already wet:
“Grandfather Dragon, Immortal Lord, this humble one has no grudges or enmity with you... I... I never said any nonsense to offend you either! I have elderly parents above and a young child below, all relying on me alone to sell pears and feed the family. If I die, the burden of supporting the family will fall onto my wife. She's in poor health and takes medicine year-round... Immortal Lord, Grandfather Dragon, Lord Dragon! I beg you, spare my miserable life! Once I get back home, I'll definitely commemorate your benevolence every day and have people build a monument and burn incense for you! If I'm lying to fool you, feel free to strike me with lightning—”
Crack!
Rumble! Rumble!
The thunder in the distance seemed to draw closer, as if rushing the Jiao, or perhaps reminding him.
“No grudges or enmity? How nicely said! Humph!”
Lord Jiao, transformed from the old man, grunted sharply. Two streams of white mist burst from his nostrils, heavy gusts blowing onto the floor:
“Do you not find the story this old man told earlier familiar at all? The herb gatherer in that story was your grandfather, pear seller, and that little boy was your father! Back then, after I survived the Dragon Transformation Tribulation, I was preparing to follow the floodwaters into the sea. But upon falling into the river, I saw a man holding his young son, trapped by the flood. Thinking of my own young daughter, my heart softened for a moment. I transformed into withered wood to help the father and son escape danger. But who could have known! Who could have known?!”
Lord Jiao suddenly flew into a rage, flicking his long snake tongue, the arc-shaped gills on both sides of his head flaring wide. He was clearly furious to the extreme:
“This old man showed a moment of kindness, yet who knew your father would be so despicable? At the critical moment, he blurted out my true form, preventing me from transforming into a dragon and severely depleting my vitality, forcing me to hide beneath the waters of Shouzhou for over forty years! All my previous efforts were lost, and everything I strove for turned to dust! How dare you say I have no grudges or enmity with you?!”
Lord Jiao's rage filled the hall, an indescribable pressure weighing heavily upon everyone.
High above in the sky, within the cloud layer, phantom shapes seemed to dance as roars echoed again and again, mingling with deafening thunderbolts—
Nan Zhi found it difficult to describe this sensation.
It was as if her shoulders, neck, back, and the top of her head were all being suppressed by an invisible force, forcing her to slowly bend forward in the direction of that force—
As if if she forcefully resisted, she would be instantly torn apart and crushed into mud by this colossal pressure.
【Cultivator affected by Dragon Might (Pseudo): Combat Power -50, Will to Fight reduced by 20%】
Nan Zhi glanced around and noticed that the ordinary people in the shop seemed completely unaware of it; only she and the father-and-son duo of cultivators could sense it.
The paper umbrella at her side showed no movement at all. Nan Zhi was anxious, terrified that Wanniang might have met with some misfortune.
Yet under the current circumstances, she couldn't leave even if she wanted to.
...
“Spare me! Grandfather Dragon, spare me! What did the events of back then have to do with me?! Forty years ago, I didn't even know where I was wandering as a spirit!”
The pear seller slammed his head repeatedly against the floor, begging frantically for mercy:
“When my grandfather was alive, he always instructed us never to eat snake meat or kill serpents! Even if a snake entered our house, he only had us catch it and release it into the wild, never harming it! My father was the same! I beg Grandfather Dragon to consider that my father was just a young child back then, and spare my miserable life! I'll definitely be grateful for Grandfather Dragon's kindness in the future!”
Before Lord Jiao could respond, the nun who had been sitting quietly in the corner suddenly stood up and stepped in front of the pear seller.
“Amitabha. Lord Jiao, pray appease your anger. What this young benefactor said just now is true. The events of the past were merely an unfortunate turn of fate. Lord Jiao acted out of kindness to save people, and the child committed an unintentional blunder. Why harbor resentment?”
With her hands pressed together, the nun spoke in a voice as gentle as spring sunlight, brushing away the chill from everyone:
“Heavy rain pours over Shouzhou. If Lord Jiao lingers here, I fear it may bring a merciless natural disaster. Since the descendant of the child back then has acknowledged with his own mouth that Lord Jiao is a true dragon, I trust your knot of resentment is resolved, and it is time for you to take your path.”
The nun wore simple cloth robes, with only a string of red prayer beads hanging at her waist, and the brim of her nun hat was even slightly curled. Yet none of this prevented a soft halo of Buddhist light from shimmering around her.
This was no exaggeration.
She was truly glowing.
Nan Zhi widened her eyes, wanting to take a closer look, when she saw Lord Jiao slightly tilt his massive head, his pair of vertical pupils staring straight at her.
A sudden chill shot up her back, as if her scalp were exploding, and icy coldness raced from the base of her spine straight to the top of her skull.
It was a shudder from the depths of her soul—the feeling of being targeted by an apex predator.
“Nun Miaoyun, your Demon Suppression Division is indeed powerful these days. Even a little demon suppressor possesses such insight.”
Lord Jiao slithered with interest, coiling directly above Nan Zhi's head. The massive shadow almost swallowed her whole:
“If you hadn't brought it up, I would have almost forgotten that this little child was the first to guess my true form earlier. What a clever child indeed.”
The nun was actually part of the Demon Suppression Division too?
“Lord Jiao flatters me.”
Nan Zhi was startled inside, but faced with the overwhelming pressure, she did not shrink back. She replied neither humbly nor haughtily:
“In the past, Lord Jiao saved lives, yet your path and life were nearly ruined. You then lay low and cultivated for decades, and now you attempt dragon transformation once more, which proves how grand your providence is. Revealing yourself before people once again was merely to collect the debt of a propitious word from this pear seller. They say good things take time and hardship; having endured a few extra decades of hardship and possessing such a magnificent heart, Lord Jiao truly deserves to attain the Great Dao and become a true dragon.”
“Hahaha! Hahahahaha! What a fine 'good things take time and hardship'! I like hearing your words!”
Hearing this, Lord Jiao's gills fluttered beside his ears, his deep voice carrying a tone of smug delight.
He raised his head, thoroughly enjoying the praise, and parted his serpent mouth to look at Nun Miaoyun, who was smiling gently:
“If she weren't a member of your Demon Suppression Division, I fear I would have taken her away to keep my young daughter company at home. What a pity indeed.”
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