Chapter 56, shall we give it some clothes?

The old ancestor was determined to die.

Since that night, the inner disciples have firmly believed that Duan Jiuyou and Di Jiang would "use water" at night. It's just that they called for it a little earlier tonight. Last time, the Ancestor and the Wilderness Lord didn't call for water until the second half of the night, and now the first half of the night isn't even over yet.

Duan Jiuyou was completely bewildered by Liantang's arrangement.

Her first reaction was, "What is she washing? Didn't she already wash before?" Then, realizing what she had done, she was furious and her face darkened immediately! What had she done to make them think she and Di Jiang were so improper?!

That night they just slept together. Although things got a little heated later, it was just... well, not like what they imagined!

Besides, they clearly lacked worldly experience. If the two of them were really having an affair, wouldn't they have made a sound? The general's wife and the general were shaking the bed so hard it was practically a mountain! Even if she hadn't experienced it herself, she knew that it was a passionate and intense affair!

Besides, she has a hidden illness that hasn't been cured yet, so how could she possibly have anything to do with Dijiang?

But since it was inconvenient to say these words aloud, he could only scold, "What washing?! We're talking in bed, it's not what you think!"

—It hasn't even started yet.

Duan Jiuyou clearly saw these words on the faces of Liantang and the others.

It's utterly impossible to defend oneself.

Duan Jiuyou glanced at Di Jiang, who was watching the commotion from the side, and said angrily, "You're still laughing? It's all your fault that night. You'd better explain it to them."

"Explain what?" Di Jiang chuckled. "Explain why we haven't used any water tonight?"

The disciples lowered their heads so low they were almost touching the ground. This was a private matter between him and the patriarch; how could they dare to listen!

Duan Jiuyou clenched his fist in anger, thinking that this matter was only getting worse. Remembering that the important matter had not yet been dealt with, he glared at Di Jiang and turned to Liantang, saying, "I have something to ask you. You have been taming beasts for many years, have you ever seen a water-swallowing beast outside?"

Liantang, unsure how the conversation had turned to the Five Elements Beasts, said a beat late, "I've never seen one, but Lianxi mentioned it to me once, saying that she encountered one on Wangjin Mountain. The beast was entirely ice-blue, resembling a large cat, and was quite beautiful. Unfortunately, these Five Elements Beasts are born with intelligence and cannot be tamed, so they had to leave disappointed."

Lianxi is Liantang's younger sister, and she is even more passionate about taming beasts than Liantang. Lianxi was originally supposed to accompany Liantang on this trip to Yanshan, but she switched shifts with Liantang because the spirit beast she was handling was throwing a tantrum.

Duan Jiuyou asked, "Did Lianxi tell you how many water-swallowing beasts there are? Are they male or female?"

Liantang said, "There's only one left. It's a female beast, just like the fire-eating beasts we've seen. It's a lone survivor. But this water-swallowing beast is quite interesting. It's a benevolent beast that frequently travels to the human realm to help swallow floodwaters and relieve many floods. However, the water it swallows can't be digested in its stomach. Over time, it condenses into small, crystal-clear ice cubes and spits them out of its mouth."

This ice never melts, it's warm in winter and cool in summer; it can warm hands in winter and cool in summer, and it even glows at night. Seeing that it was piling up, the immortals simply set up a small stall on Wangjin Mountain. Many immortals living in nearby sacred mountains would go there to buy some, either to make hand warmers or to decorate their palaces. Because these small ice blocks looked exactly like water-swallowing beasts, resembling little water-swallowing beasts, it became a fascinating local spectacle, and many immortals who didn't buy its "children" still liked to go and see the spectacle.

Liantang found it amusing, but Duan Jiuyou thought it was a kind of illness.

The Water-Swallowing Beast is a water-type spirit beast, so there's no reason it couldn't digest that water. The only possibility is that it's also sick, or more accurately, it has this problem from birth. This is similar to the Fire-Eating Beast's violent illness, which worsens with age. It's likely that the marriage alliance between the two races was a way to use the opposing forces of water and fire to treat this disease.

The Fire-Eating Beast clan emerged in response to the calamity, suffering heavy losses. The Water-Swallowing Beast shared their fate, and after a long time, only Wang Jinshan remained as a Water-Swallowing Beast.

Duan Jiuyou said to Di Jiang, "In that case, let the two only sons meet."

However, there is still a big problem: will the beautiful water-swallowing beast be interested in the seemingly simple-minded fire-eating beast? For the two beasts to become husband and wife, they must both be willing.

The group went to observe the fire-eating beast overnight.

Even among beastmen, there are beauties and ugliness. The Fire-Eating Beast resembles a jackal in appearance and has a lion-like face. Most of them have a majestic and handsome appearance. However, this one is different. I don't know if it has gained weight since coming to Flame Mountain or if it has not fought for a long time. The whole beast looks swollen, with a big head and a round face. It looks dull and has a tendency to become a glutton.

When the group arrived, the Fire-Eating Beast was sleeping with its belly up, snoring loudly. Upon hearing the noise, it sat up with a start, its eyes wide as lanterns, showing no sign of intelligence.

Di Jiang said with a solemn expression, "Should we put some clothes on it?"

Duan Jiuyou thought about it carefully for a moment: "You mean to cover your face with clothes?"

—It's not impossible.

The two of them thought in unison, both with the mindset of an overprotective parent, worried that their son was too naive and the girl wouldn't be interested in him.

But no matter what, you have to show your face. It's like taking your son out on a blind date. How can you not let the girl see you clearly?

The Fire-Eating Beast looked at its two "cheap parents" with confusion and bewilderment.

"Didn't you say you were going to treat my illness? Why are you insulting me now?"

Duan Jiuyou didn't explain to it, but turned around and instructed his disciples: "Boil water, wash it clean first, then comb its fur and trim it, so that even if we're ugly, we'll be clean."

Upon receiving the instructions, the disciple immediately got to work. The water that had been prepared for Duan Jiuyou earlier came in a new use. They washed and cleaned the beast in the middle of the night. Duan Jiuyou personally trimmed the fur of the Fire-Eating Beast. It was a large creature, and washing and trimming it were not easy. By the time everything was finished, it was already two hours later.

What do you guys think?

Duan Jiuyou stood opposite the Fire-Eating Beast, her hands tucked into her sleeves, her expression grave. Behind her were the disciples of the Ao Sect who had worked with her until the wee hours of the morning. The group examined the Fire-Eating Beast again and came to a joint conclusion.

—Not good enough.

Liantang, especially after hearing Lianxi describe the appearance of the Devouring Beast, was extremely worried. In the human world, this was like the marriage between a rich man's foolish son and a merchant's daughter. The former did nothing but eat and sleep, while the latter was talented and beautiful. She even knew how to set up a stall to sell her many children. No matter how you looked at it, they were not a good match.

Duan Jiuyou waved his hand, signaling his disciples to go to sleep, and then walked to the other side.

There floated a cloud chair, where the emperor sat wrapped in a thick quilt.

He was standing there in a daze, perhaps thinking that he, the dignified Lord of the Great Wilderness, would one day be helping people find partners, or perhaps he was wondering if he really wanted to save those people from the Dragon Clan.

Duan Jiuyou moved to his side and tentatively said, "You ate two bowls of porridge from the old woman today."

People treated him well; they didn't leave him frozen in the snow just because he wasn't a dragon. The common people didn't distinguish between races; on the contrary, they showed more love than those so-called gods.

Di Jiang said calmly, "If she knew I was the Lord of the Great Wilderness, would she still have given me two bowls of porridge?"

Discussing this issue would inevitably lead to unpleasantness. Neither of them looked at the other, and while talking, they both kept their eyes on the fire-eating beast not far away.

Duan Jiuyou said, "Maybe not."

Di Jiang sneered: "There is no maybe, it is certain. The Dragon Clan avoids the Great Wilderness like the plague. The cowards have already run away, and the overconfident ones even clamor for revenge. They fear and hate the Wilderness Clan, while I am here playing their nameless hero. It is utterly ridiculous!"

"How could you be nameless? When the Desolate Clan takes over the Heavenly Realm, I will prove to everyone that it was you who relieved the Flame Mountain's predicament and saved the Fire Dragon Clan's people. At that time, the two clans..."

"Will the two races be able to live in peace and harmony then?" Di Jiang laughed at her naivety.

He didn't need her explanation or proof at all, because no one would believe it anyway.

"Whether we can coexist or not, we'll have to try and see," Duan Jiuyou said. "Besides, I always feel there's a misunderstanding here. On Da'ai Mountain, you said the Dragon Clan's Imperial Guard killed your Wilderness Clan's people, and in Tiansheng Ridge, someone else said you slaughtered the entire Dragon Mountain. Both sides have witnesses to prove that it happened, but you and Bai Yanxing both claim that you didn't harm the other's people. You're arrogant by nature, and if you really did it, you wouldn't bother to deny it. I haven't spent much time with Bai Yanxing, but I believe he's not the kind of person who indiscriminately kills innocent people or deliberately instigates war."

Di Jiang understood what Duan Jiuyou meant.

"Are you saying that someone is sabotaging this?"