Chapter 33 Confrontation with the Dragon Master
"cough……"
A soft cough suddenly sounded behind you, drawing your attention back.
"You're back. Is everything done?"
"Mm." Dan Heng nodded gently.
"I heard that her reincarnation is now in the Alchemy Bureau. Shall we go and see her?"
"..."
Danheng knows who you're talking about.
The culmination of the Dragon Transformation Technique, Bai Heng's reincarnation—Bai Lu.
"Let's go." After a long pause, he uttered two words and walked with you toward Bailu's residence.
As soon as we entered the courtyard, we encountered several Vidyadharas who, upon seeing us arrive, bowed respectfully to us.
"Greetings, Lord Dragon Lord."
Upon hearing this, Dan Heng frowned but said nothing.
"Looks like they're still not convinced," you remarked with some emotion.
He acknowledges the previous Dragon Lord but is not convinced by the current Dragon Lord, clearly showing that he doesn't take Bai Lu seriously.
"As long as the power of dragon transformation is not passed down, they will forever harbor unrealistic fantasies," Dan Heng revealed the truth.
“Currently, the Ming Dynasty has split into two major factions. Those conservative Dragon Masters still believe that Bai Lu is not worthy of being the Dragon Lord.” You share the information you have with Dan Heng. “She is also a child with a tragic fate. At the age when she should be carefree, she was used as a pawn by two groups of people.”
"..."
"Is this the destiny of the Dragon Lord?" You thought of Danfeng. Even though he was the most powerful among the generations of Dragon Lords, he was still restrained by the Dragon Master.
Generation after generation, immortal and indestructible.
"..." Dan Heng didn't know what to say.
"I don't want to learn those things!" As they remained silent, Bai Lu's angry, childish voice came from the inner room.
You and Danheng quickened your pace without saying a word, and just then you witnessed the Dragon Master forcing Bailu to learn the Chiming ritual.
"Stop!" Dan Heng shouted coldly, successfully intimidating the Dragon Master.
Seeing this, Bai Lu took the opportunity to slip out from under the Dragon Master's arm, quickly hid behind you, and made a face at the Dragon Master.
"Lord Dragon Master, I was merely instructing the Dragon Maiden on the etiquette of upholding enlightenment." The leading Dragon Master bowed calmly.
"Teach etiquette? Why use coercive methods?" Dan Heng's face darkened, his dignified appearance reminiscent of Dan Feng's former self.
"The Dragon Girl is young and loves to play, so it's natural to correct her bad habits. We've been carefully advising her; how can you say we're forcing her?"
"You're lying! You were clearly trying to force yourself on me just now, and my arm still hurts!" Little Dragon Girl boldly retorted to Dragon Master, relying on the support of others.
"The Vinaya of the Vidyadharas says that education should proceed step by step and be tailored to individual needs, but I have never heard of anyone being able to disrespect their superiors or the Dragon Master. Elder, you are so particular about etiquette, surely you know this?" You bring up the Vinaya of the Vidyadharas to refute the sanctimonious Dragon Master.
Speechless after being rebuked, the Dragon Master finally looked at you properly and began to launch a personal attack: "This... the widow of Lord Yinyue, you colluded with Danfeng back then, causing my Chiming to suffer and live in misery. How dare you say such things now? Even so, you are no longer the Dragon Lord's wife, so what status do you have to challenge me?"
The Dragon Master bluntly stated the cruel truth, and you tried your best to steady yourself and continue to confront him.
"Didn't Master Long interfere with the chaos of Drinking Moon? Who is secretly fueling the rampant spread of the Medicine King's Secret Teachings? For thousands of years, Chiming and Luofu have been at peace. Does the elder intend to break the alliance between Luofu and Chiming that has lasted for thousands of years? Or is someone with ulterior motives, violating the hunting expedition, and greedily seeking immortality?"
"Nonsense! Everything I've done is for the prosperity of my clan! You audacious witch, how dare you spread such heresies! Guards—"
At the Dragon Master's command, several guards with blades approached, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Bai Lu gripped the hem of your clothes tightly, and you could feel her trembling slightly.
"Don't be afraid." You turned your head and whispered to her, the long sword in your hand gleaming coldly.
Dan Heng stood beside you, the tip of his spear pointing straight at the ground, his eyes cold and stern.
Although he did not speak, his imposing aura made several guards hesitate to move forward.
"What, you dare disobey even the Dragon Master's orders?" the leading Dragon Master sneered. "Or are you going to join these two outsiders in a rebellion?"
The guards looked at each other, but finally gritted their teeth and charged forward.
"clang!"
With a sweeping motion, Dan Heng sent the front-row guards back several steps.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, you lunged forward, sword still sheathed, and precisely struck their wrists with the hilt, disarming them.
"you……!"
Master Long's face turned ashen; he clearly hadn't expected you to actually dare to make a move.
“Elder, that’s enough.” Dan Heng’s tone was calm, but carried an undeniable sense of pressure. “If you continue to pressure the Dragon Maiden, I don’t mind having the Dragon Master Council reconsider its choice.”
The threat in those words was extremely strong, and the Dragon Master's pupils contracted, clearly understanding the unspoken meaning.
Although Danheng is no longer Lord Yinyue, his influence within the Chiming Clan is still enough to shake the position of some people.
“…Very well.” The Dragon Master chuckled sinisterly. “Since Lord Dragon Lord is so determined to protect his own, I will grant you this favor today.”
He turned away with a flick of his sleeve, but gave you a meaningful look before leaving.
Bai Lu breathed a sigh of relief only after the Dragon Master and his group had completely left.
"Thank you, brothers and sisters. I was almost forced to recite my lessons again."
You sheathed your sword, put on your usual gentle smile, and knelt down to comfort Bai Lu: "It's alright, we're here, they won't dare to do anything to you."
Danheng also patted Bailu's head to comfort her.
"Lady Bailu!" A maidservant rushed over. "Are you alright?"
"Sister Baizhi, I'm alright. It was these two brothers and sisters who saved me." Bailu clearly trusted the maid in front of her.
Upon hearing this, the maid quickly glanced at you both, and then repeatedly thanked you: "Thank you both for your help, I am very grateful."
"Take good care of the Dragon Girl. I will come to check on her from time to time." Dan Heng displayed the imposing aura of a Dragon Lord, implying to the maid not to have any disloyal thoughts.
"This humble woman will respectfully follow your teachings, sir."
After saying this, the maid hurriedly led Bailu away.
You sighed softly, feeling a pang of sadness.
If it weren't for the chaos of drinking the moon, Bailu wouldn't have had to endure so much.
Hopefully, after this incident, those dragon masters will restrain themselves a bit.
...
After bidding farewell to Bailu, you and Danheng returned to Dandingsi and caught March 7th and Pioneer, who had been secretly following you.
"How did you end up here?" Dan Heng asked, quite surprised.
"March and I came to visit General Jingyuan, right?" The Pioneer nudged March 7, who quickly covered up the lie.
You knew about their existence from the beginning, so now you can calmly wait and see what outrageous reasons they can come up with.
Dan Heng belatedly realized that his whereabouts had already been exposed.
"Everyone read the train rules ten times. I'll check them tomorrow."
"No, Teacher Danheng!"
"Mom, save me!"
No matter how much the two children begged for mercy, it was no use. Danheng could only grab one of their arms and pull them back.
You followed slowly behind him, unable to help but laugh out loud.
Two clowns.
...
Upon their return, the two children were severely reprimanded by Danheng, who also threatened them to delete all their records.
You spread your hands to show that you are powerless and remain indifferent to the two people's pleas for help.
Only then did the two kids realize that you and Danheng were in cahoots.
A huge blunder!
After this incident, the two children became more restrained and stopped secretly following you.
You continued to help with the aftermath, and sometimes you would visit Jingyuan and Bailu at Dan Ding Si.
"I've heard about that matter." Although Jing Yuan was bedridden, he kept up with every news item.
“She angered the Dragon Master last time, and they won’t let it go easily. I’ll send more people to protect her during this time, and you should also be careful,” Jing Yuan instructed.
"Okay, I understand, don't worry."
You handed the medicine to Jingyuan, but no longer fed him spoonful by spoonful as before.
You've always treated Jingyuan as a friend, never imagining that he harbored feelings for you differently.
You've heard those outrageous rumors lately, and you don't want to cause trouble for Jingyuan or let him still have illusions.
You really can't fall in love with another person.
“This time…” Jing Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
“A dignified Shence General must learn to take medicine by himself; I can’t take care of you for the rest of your life.”
"If you'd like..."
"Jing Yuan—"
You hurriedly interrupted Jingyuan, your eyes darting away.
"I'm sorry, have the recent rumors affected you? If you don't want to hear them, I'll make them disappear and won't bother you." Jing Yuan gripped the bed sheet tightly.
"No... Jingyuan, let's just be friends..."
Upon hearing this, Jing Yuan's heart sank.
I was too hasty and scared you.
"Of course, the Shence Palace will always welcome you..."
After he finished speaking, the ward fell into a deathly silence.
Jingyuan drank his medicine in silence, while you deliberately avoided his gaze and looked at the big tree outside the window.
Jingyuan knows you want to sever any possibility between you and him, but he is unwilling to give up.
He missed you hundreds of years ago, and Danfeng beat him to it.
Centuries later you return, but Danfeng is already dead.
He had waited far too long; he didn't want to miss out again...
You remained silent for a while, and then you left the ward under the pretext of visiting Bailu.
...
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