A corrupted dragon's scales turn red, and it develops a double heart, unable to control its most primal desires. The most primal desire of a dragon is to devour its loved ones. Lu Qingjiu's grandfather was a corrupted dragon. Strangely, he didn't devour Lu Qingjiu's grandmother, but instead devoured Lu Qingjiu's parents. And based on Lu Qingjiu's questioning, he admitted to doing so.
Lu Qingjiu asked Bai Yuehu what the dragon he was fighting was.
Bai Yuehu sat in his rocking chair, slowly nibbling on a juicy mountain pear. He explained to Lu Qingjiu, "After Pangu created the world, the dragon clan split into two factions. One, led by Yinglong, is close to the human world, while the other, led by Zhulong, hates interacting with humans and believes them to be selfish and cruel." He took a bite of the pear and continued, "At that time, the spiritual energy and power of faith in the human world were very rich, so spirits, gods, and monsters could also travel between them without any boundaries."
Lu Qingjiu said: "But why is it gone now?"
"Later, as time passed, the spiritual energy and power of faith in the human world grew weaker and weaker. Without the spirits' reliance on survival, the human world gradually separated from the other realms," White Moon Fox said. "But because humanity has lost its spiritual energy and power of faith, it has also lost many powerful individuals in the mortal world who can protect it. Humanity is physically weak and is no match for the spirits. If this continues, we risk extinction."
His voice was still lazy, but what he said made the listeners hold their breath and concentrate: "Later, the Luwu clan under the Emperor of Heaven joined forces with Xihe, Zhurong and other gods to build a barrier for the human world, and sent Yinglong to guard the entrance to the barrier. These barriers need to be guarded for many years before they can be completely integrated between heaven and earth. Now, the human world only has the Water Palace as the entrance. The other guardians have gradually dispersed. Some are still there, but some have completely integrated into human society." This is probably referring to Jiang Buhuan.
However, according to Bai Yuehu, even if these people don't want to integrate into human society, they can't, because after the barrier is built, the spiritual energy of the human world will become weaker and weaker. In addition, people in the mortal world now don't believe in ghosts and gods at all, and the power of faith is almost non-existent, so their supernatural powers will become less and less until their bloodline disappears completely.
Lu Qingjiu listened with great interest. He asked, "So the monster you were fighting with was from the Zhulong clan?"
Bai Yuehu nodded.
"So what exactly do they want to do?" Lu Qingjiu was a little confused. "Are they going to kill the people guarding the barrier? Then their target should be me."
Bai Yuehu said, "Yes, their target is indeed you, but I am here to protect you, so they dare not act rashly."
Lu Qingjiu thought of his parents and his grandmother who had never wanted to leave Shuifu Village. It seemed that his grandmother was a guardian, just as Bai Yuehu had said. It was precisely because of this special identity that she had never agreed to let Lu Qingjiu leave Shuifu Village until she died alone here due to illness.
Lu Qingjiu felt a little melancholy when he thought of this. He sat down next to Bai Yuehu and said, "So now there's only one Shuifu Village left in the world?"
Bai Yuehu: "About the same."
Lu Qingjiu: "Then what should we do to pollute the dragon?"
White Moon Fox sighed, "The cause of the contamination remains a mystery. The only known method is to kill the guardians near the barrier, but this method doesn't always work... Many guardians have died, but the dragons around them have not been contaminated."
The surviving dragons can welcome their second guardian, just as the surviving guardians can welcome their second dragon.
Lu Qingjiu's grandmother watched her lover being contaminated, fleeing from her and leaving the human world. At that time, she was probably pregnant with her own little life, looking forward to their reunion, but she didn't know that when they did, a more terrifying future was waiting for them.
Bai Yuehu seemed a little tired after talking, and when Lu Qingjiu came to his senses, he had already fallen asleep with his eyes closed in the rocking chair.
Lu Qingjiu looked at his sleeping face and suddenly remembered that the White Moon Fox seemed to have just experienced a fierce battle. Although it didn't seem to be seriously injured, it was not an easy battle. Thinking of this, he slowed down his pace, stood up and returned to the house. He rolled up his sleeves and planned to cook a delicious meal to comfort this lovely vixen.
The deep spring has passed and it is early summer.
The temperature is showing signs of gradually getting hotter, the sun is getting brighter, and the grass is growing more lush.
Lu Qingjiu found a nice afternoon and had Bai Yuehu slaughter the remaining large white pig. For the first time, he used the blood to make blood sausage. Unlike meat sausage, blood sausage had a more delicate and delicious texture, especially with the addition of half-cooked glutinous rice and special spices. It tasted fragrant and sticky, without the fishy smell of blood, and was very popular with the family.
Around mid-May, Lu Qingjiu's dragon horns gradually disappeared and hid in his forehead. Bai Yuehu took Lu Qingjiu to the city hospital and met the lucky god Taifeng, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
Taifeng looked much better than he did a year ago, but he was not happy. He squatted in the garden in front of the inpatient department and pulled innocent grass.
When he saw Bai Yuehu and Lu Qingjiu coming, he raised his head and said good afternoon.
His lifeless appearance made Bai Yuehu so angry that she raised her foot to kick him, but he dodged it.
"Why are you so half-hearted?" White Moon Fox said, "Don't you want my help this year?"
Taifeng shook his head.
"What happened?" Bai Yuehu frowned and looked at him.
"No need anymore." Taifeng scratched his head, "She's gone."
Bai Yuehu was silent.
Lu Qingjiu thought of the girl in the inpatient department who had a bright smile. She seemed to have been ill for a while. He thought that with Taifeng protecting her, she should be fine, but she was gone so suddenly. But Taifeng didn't seem too sad, just a hint of loss on his face. This is probably the difference between humans and gods. Gods are immortal. In their eyes, the brief decades of human life are just a moment.
"Tsk." Bai Yuehu tsks unhappily, "Since the person is gone, what do you want me to do?"
Taifeng threw away the grass in his hand, stood up, stretched, and said, "I'm lucky, so I want to treat you to a meal."
Bai Yuehu asked, "What to eat?"
Taifeng said, "I only have money for dumplings now, but that may not be the case by the time we get to the hospital."
Lu Qingjiu didn't understand what Taifeng meant at first. It wasn't until the three of them were walking towards the hospital entrance that Taifeng found a few hundred yuan and a lottery ticket on the ground. Without even looking at the numbers on the ticket, he casually put it in his pocket, saying he'd won the lottery and was going to use the winnings to treat Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu to a nice meal.
Although Lu Qingjiu knew that Taifeng was an auspicious god, this was a bit exaggerated, so he couldn't help but ask: "How do you know that this lottery won?"
Taifeng said disdainfully: "A lottery ticket that doesn't win is not worthy of appearing in front of me."
Lu Qingjiu: "..." This is too domineering. Looking at the poor Bai Yuehu who couldn't even afford a two-dollar lottery ticket, Lu Qingjiu felt a little sad.
They walked to the lottery station near the hospital. Taifeng took out the lottery ticket he had picked up and exchanged it for a prize of 3,000 yuan. Lu Qingjiu was stunned watching from the side.
After exchanging his winnings, Taifeng took a taxi and took Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu to a famous high-end buffet restaurant in the city. As Taifeng was about to pay, the restaurant manager suddenly appeared and announced that Taifeng was the restaurant's 19,999th customer. The three of them were then given a free meal and a year-round membership card, which allowed them to bring one person to dinner every week, but they had to be present.
Bai Yuehu was used to Taifeng's luck, but Lu Qingjiu looked dazed. If this restaurant had not been booked just now, he would have suspected that Taifeng had already made arrangements with this place in advance and was deliberately putting on an act for him.
Under the envious gazes of the crowd, the three of them sat down slowly and the waiter brought them menus for them to choose from.
Taifeng also knew Bai Yuehu's huge appetite, so he waved his hand and asked for three servings of each item on the menu, and then finished taking the order in the waiter's astonished eyes.
"You're so lucky." Lu Qingjiu took a sip of red wine to moisten his mouth and calmed down.
"It's okay," Taifeng said. "I've been unlucky for so long, I'm a little uncomfortable with it."
Lu Qingjiu hesitated: "That girl..." He spoke in a very cautious tone, intending to change the subject immediately if Taifeng showed any discomfort. Unexpectedly, Taifeng didn't mind. Instead, he laughed when talking about this matter. Although there was no warmth in his smile, there was not much sadness either. It just looked a little melancholy. "I met her when I was a child. She was still a little girl at that time. She was quite cute."
The dishes we ordered came out very quickly, and plates of all sizes filled the entire long table.
Bai Yuehu was not interested in Taifeng's story and lowered his head to eat. Taifeng said to Lu Qingjiu while eating: "When I met her, she was lost. When I helped her find the way, I made a promise with her."
Lu Qingjiu asked: "What agreement?"
Taifeng said, "I made an agreement with her that if she wanted to believe in a god, she should believe in the auspicious god Taifeng."
Lu Qingjiu was slightly stunned.
Taifeng held a piece of cod in his mouth and slowly swallowed it. "You know, people these days are becoming less and less trusting of these things." Gods and ghosts are unreliable, and the best thing to do is rely on yourself. Of course, there's nothing wrong with this kind of thinking. For ordinary people, gods are nothing but illusions. Rather than pinning all their hopes on illusions, it's better to work harder. But for a god who requires faith, this kind of thing is too deadly, especially for a god like Taifeng who doesn't have many believers to begin with.
A god who is not remembered by anyone is not needed. The moment the name Taifeng is forgotten is the moment he disappears.
"She's a very good girl," Taifeng said. "She kept our promise." When he said this, his eyes curved into an arc, and it was obvious that he was smiling very happily. "She became Taifeng's believer, set up a candlestick for me, and placed offerings on it." He supported his chin with a satisfied look on his face. "I haven't tasted the taste of incense and candles for a long time... It's just a pity..."
It’s a pity that the good times didn’t last long, as the girl fell ill.
"I've always been with her," Taifeng said. "I thought I could be with her until old age, but now I find I don't seem to be so lucky." He clapped his hands, making a gesture of empty hands, "My good luck has run out."
The girl was able to survive until now purely by luck. Perhaps with his protection, the girl would only have a one in ten thousand chance of death, but a one in ten thousand chance is not impossible to happen, and this is the best example.
He is just a lucky god, not the King of Hell who controls life and death.
The girl left, taking him with her to poke his tail hair. He no longer needed his friends to help him, and he was alone again.
They are just passers-by in each other's lives.
Lu Qingjiu felt a little uncomfortable when he heard this, but all he could say was reduced to two words: "My condolences."
Taifeng said: "Well, besides expressing our condolences, what else can we do?"
Lu Qingjiu said: "She must like you very much."
Taifeng smiled and said, "I like her too. Hey, White Moon Fox, do you think humans really have reincarnation?"
Bai Yuehu raised his eyes and said, "What if there is, what if there isn't."
Tai Feng smiled innocently: "If there is, can I find the old people again? Let them remember their past lives?"
Bai Yuehu: "Even if there is, it's like drinking Meng Po soup to forget the past relationship. You are still you, but she is no longer herself." He paused for a moment and took a sip of the abalone and chicken soup. "What if she believes in Christianity in her next life? What will you do?"
Taifeng's expression twisted slightly when he heard this.
Lu Qingjiu chuckled.
Afterwards, Taifeng changed the subject and stopped talking about the girl's past. Lu Qingjiu could see that although he acted very carefree, he still felt a little reluctant. However, because he knew that these reluctances were unnecessary, he suppressed them abruptly, as if if he didn't mention it, it would really not exist.
Although he was not interested in the story, fortunately the buffet was very much to Bai Yuehu's liking. Under the astonished gaze of the waiter next to him, he had already ordered the third round of menus.
Taifeng smiled and said that if he had not left the hospital today, he would definitely not bring Bai Yuehu to the buffet, because this was too unethical and it felt a bit damaging to his character.
Bai Yuehu glared at Tai Feng and said, "Even food can't stop your mouth."
Tai Feng was not afraid of Bai Yuehu at all. He smiled and chatted with Lu Qingjiu, who was already full: "Hey, do you know how I met Bai Yuehu?"
Lu Qingjiu: "I don't know. How come you didn't know each other before?" He thought Bai Yuehu and Taifeng knew each other in another world.
"Of course, he is a noble and cold foreigner." Tai Feng said, "I am just a small lucky god, how could I know him?"
Lu Qingjiu: "Then how did you two meet?"
Although Bai Yuehu had been giving Tai Feng a cold look, Tai Feng was clearly fearless. Knowing that Bai Yuehu wouldn't do anything to him while Lu Qingjiu was around, he raised his eyebrows and sold Bai Yuehu out in one breath: "When he first came to Shuifu Village, he didn't have a common currency for humans and couldn't afford to buy food. One day, I bought an ice cream and was eating it on the road when I suddenly felt a sharp breath... Oh my god, I swear that was the closest I ever felt to death in my life."
With a snap, the White Moon Fox bit off a small stainless steel spoon.
Tai Feng's expression remained unchanged as he continued to dig up Bai Yuehu's dark history with Lu Qingjiu: "Then, I had already recognized Bai Yuehu's identity. Foxes, in my memory, are very ferocious animals. He stood in front of me and stared at me. I thought he wanted to eat me directly, but who knew..." As expected of Bai Yuehu's good friend, he did not forget to help Bai Yuehu cover up his identity.
Lu Qingjiu had already imagined the scene at that time and couldn't help laughing: "Who knew that he was staring at the ice cream in your hand?"
Taifeng slapped his thigh and said, "Yes!"
Lu Qingjiu laughed heartily.
Taifeng spoke excitedly, dancing with joy. He had a lot of dark history with Bai Yuehu, but what could he do about it? He had nowhere to talk to. Now that he finally had someone to confide in, he couldn't help but pour it all out like pouring beans. "He walked up to me and asked me, 'Is it delicious?' It took me at least a minute to realize he was asking about ice cream. I replied shakily, 'Yummy!' Then I asked him if he wanted some, and Bai Yuehu nodded."
He laughed so hard that tears almost came out: "Then I took him to a nearby ice cream shop, watched him eat all the ice cream in the shop, and then I reluctantly went back."
Lu Qingjiu looked at Bai Yuehu sitting next to him with a gloomy expression, but couldn't help wanting to kiss such a cute guy.
"We became friends after that," Taifeng said. "I'm lucky, and I'm not short of money, so it's okay for me to treat him to a meal occasionally. But since the child got sick, I haven't treated him to a meal in a long time. Today I'm making up for it..."
Bai Yuehu stared at Taifeng's refreshed look and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth: "Don't you want to live anymore?"
Taifeng scratched his head and pretended not to hear Bai Yuehu's threat.
Lu Qingjiu said, "Okay, okay, it was just a joke, Yuehu. I'll make you ice cream when we get home tonight. Let's make a super large one."
Bai Yuehu snorted.
Seeing the two interacting, Taifeng sighed sincerely: "After all these years, you finally met someone who dares to stroke you."
Bai Yuehu no longer paid attention to Tai Feng and raised his chin proudly. If there weren't countless empty plates in front of him, his expression might have been more convincing.
After finishing a buffet that made the waiter and the restaurant manager break out in cold sweats, the three said goodbye to each other and went their separate ways.
Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu returned to Shuifu Village, while Taifeng took a taxi to another place alone.
Lu Qingjiu was the last one to leave. He heard where Taifeng was going. It seemed to be a cemetery where people who passed away in the city were usually buried.
Taifeng probably went to visit the girl's grave. It seems that he is not as heartless as he said.
But to be honest, Lu Qingjiu couldn't tell whether it was good or bad for the gods to be ruthless. It was said that heaven and earth were unkind and treated all things as straw dogs, but if the gods were sentimental and attached to every life that passed away, how could they save all living beings? This was a contradiction in itself.
Lu Qingjiu couldn't figure it out, so he gave up trying. Not every question in this world has an answer. He tilted his head to look at Bai Yuehu. His vixen, having eaten her fill, dozed off in the passenger seat. Her long eyelashes drooped slightly, casting a subtle shadow beneath her eyelids. He looked less like the cold King of Ten Thousand Scales and more like a fragile flower with dewdrops clinging to its leaves. It was tempting to reach out and gently stroke his soft eyelashes, delicate skin, and lips pursed into a straight line.
Because the small truck can drive automatically, Lu Qingjiu was distracted for a long time and did not react. When he came to his senses, he realized that he had been smiling at Bai Yuehu's profile for a long time, so long that even he realized that something was wrong.
Lu Qingjiu coughed dryly, trying to cough away some fermented emotions.
Bai Yuehu woke up when she heard his cough. She looked at Lu Qingjiu with dark eyes and said, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Lu Qingjiu said: “Um…no.”
White Moon Fox: "Then why are you coughing?"
Lu Qingjiu felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by Bai Yuehu. They had looked at each other countless times, but for some reason, this time Lu Qingjiu felt that Bai Yuehu's gaze was a little scorching. "I... just have a sore throat."
Bai Yuehu asked, "Really?"
Lu Qingjiu: “Yeah.”
Bai Yuehu remained silent, but suddenly reached out and pressed Lu Qingjiu's forehead. "Your face is red, too." He remembered a time in winter when Lu Qingjiu fell ill. During that time, Lu Qingjiu's entire body was as red as a grilled shrimp. Humans were very fragile, unlike the rough-hewn dragons. A single illness could take their lives. Bai Yuehu remembered that before coming to this world, his mentors had repeatedly warned him to ensure that if he found a human sick, he would ensure they received prompt medical treatment.
"I'm just a little hot." Lu Qingjiu felt like he couldn't go on like this. Bai Yuehu's touch nearly made him explode, but he had to feign composure. "Let's not talk about that. What flavor of ice cream would you like tonight? Orange is okay? We're running low on honey, though. I'll have to ask Yin Xun to get some more from the backyard. Hmm, we'll just use the honey made by the bees that Jiao Chong brought. I'll save some of Qin Yuan's honey for Zhu Miaomiao's acne..." He rambled on about trivial matters, not noticing Bai Yuehu's expression beside him, which softened as he muttered.
"Why aren't you talking?" Lu Qingjiu asked Bai Yuehu.
Bai Yuehu said, "It's okay, just keep talking." He said softly, "I just want to hear you talk."
Lu Qingjiu laughed: "Really? Don't you think I'm being long-winded?"
Bai Yuehu: "I don't mind." After he said this, he seemed to be afraid that Lu Qingjiu would misunderstand him, so he added seriously: "I like to listen to whatever you say."
Lu Qingjiu said, "Well... okay." He continued, "So what flavor of ice cream do you want to eat?"
White Moon Fox: "Let's just have orange."
Lu Qingjiu was about to nod when Bai Yuehu continued, “It tastes a bit similar to yours.”
Lu Qingjiu: "With me?"
White Moon Fox: "It's a little sweet, but not that sweet."
Lu Qingjiu tilted his head: "But my name is Jiu."
Bai Yuehu: "Your name is wine, so you are wine?"
Lu Qingjiu smiled mischievously upon hearing this: "Your name is Fox, aren't you also a fox?"
White Moon Fox: "..."
Lu Qingjiu: "Am I right?"
Bai Yuehu held it in for a long time before finally saying one word: "Yes."
Lu Qingjiu couldn't help but burst into laughter. Before, he was always speechless because of Bai Yuehu. This time, it was finally his turn to take revenge, and he did it by using Bai Yuehu's vest with only one button left.
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