Chapter 778 Coveting the Purple Mist
The residence in Huaiye Lane.
Outside the courtyard of Yinbingzhai, a Silla maid named Banxi was waiting quietly.
Unbeknownst to her, a strange scene was unfolding in the courtyard just a wall away:
A pretty young girl and a woman in white stood and sat at the table.
What they had in common was that they both closed their eyes and held the same bronze longsword.
The two bowls of noodles were finished, but the two bowls of tea remained untouched.
Yu Nianyuan frowned, closed his eyes, and his eyelashes trembled slightly.
Zhao Qingxiu is left-handed and holds the sword with her left hand.
At the same time, she opened her right palm, and the strange little dragon trapped in her right palm was slowly flowing through her slender body toward the bronze longsword tightly held in her left hand. The speed was very slow.
The longsword, with its rust-green blade, emitted a crimson glow.
The trapped dragon in the palm slowly moved towards it, and its light grew brighter and brighter. Fortunately, it was broad daylight, so the blood-red halo could not spread very far, otherwise it would have attracted the attention of Ban Xi, who was waiting outside the courtyard.
The scene inside the courtyard seemed to be the conduct of some mysterious ritual...
Dream Abyss.
The source of the incessant flow of evil dragons was where the bronze sword hung upside down.
There are countless illusory images of hidden female rulers.
Most of the female rulers remained motionless.
At this moment, only five illusory female rulers, each with their own unique characteristics, were able to move freely and had gathered together.
The left-side double-ringed temple lady, the right-side double-ringed temple lady, and the white-clad lady who should logically be the next to possess the Dragon-Trapping Technique after the tall, blonde lady, all had their eyes fixed on the palms of Zhao Qingxiu and Xue Zhongzhu.
This is not something that "Lady Dream" can possess. Lady Dream only has the qualification to enter the Dream Abyss, but slaying and capturing the dragon is a demanding condition for the next major realm of the Yue Nu Dao lineage.
The Yue woman slaying the dragon was incredibly difficult, let alone besieging it.
The fact that the anonymous female rulers are gathered here clearly indicates that, prior to this, only Xue Zhongzhu possessed a trapped dragon.
Even Yu Nianyuan, the white-clad female ruler who holds the second-highest position in this generation's female ruler's palace, has not yet achieved this.
However, this quiet and gentle white-clad lady is in a very special situation.
For her, each realm of the Yue Nu Dao lineage was like an insurmountable barrier.
However, the benefits of each realm after advancement are exceptionally great, far surpassing those of ordinary, anonymous female rulers.
If the White-Clad Queen were to slay a dragon in the Dream Abyss, the benefits would be immeasurable, and she would inevitably be struck by lightning again.
Because during the recent resounding zither music that echoed throughout the hundred-mile radius of Xunyang, the pillar of spiritual energy around her was predominantly black, similar to that of the old Taoist priest who had been resurrected and revived using Li Dalang's body a hundred miles away.
Clearly, both are going against the natural order, and naturally they will face numerous difficulties.
When God is unhappy, He will send down a torrent of thunder.
Regardless, at this time, Zhao Qingxiu was only a newly promoted sixth-rank "Dream Lady," but she possessed extraordinary good fortune and became the second special Yue woman on the field to possess the "Trapping Dragon" skill, standing shoulder to shoulder with her senior sister, Xue Zhongzhu.
This is something that no previous Yue maiden had ever done when she was at the sixth rank. At least Yu Nianyuan, who had read through all the books in the palace's secret archives, had never heard of it. This extraordinary deed of Zhao Qingxiu, the current Yue maiden, will surely be recorded in the secret book of the Queen's Palace for future queens to admire.
Zhao Qingxiu was surrounded by her senior sisters, who observed her closely in a completely silent atmosphere.
Xue Zhongzhu had already loosened her embrace... This was a rare display of her composure in front of her junior sisters... She was also examining the dragon trapped in Zhao Qingxiu's palm.
Zhao Qingxiu felt a little embarrassed by the stare and lowered her head slightly.
Xuezhongzhu and Yu Nianyuan exchanged glances.
The two women had previously received a letter from Zhao Qingxiu, and vaguely knew that the benefits Seventh Junior Sister gained from breaking through her cultivation level seemed to be related to that young man.
Seeing this extraordinary blessing, they all fell silent.
The flickering candlelight in the snow seemed to be frowning.
Only the two women with double-ringed sideburns on the left and right were unaware of this, and at the moment they were all looking at their seventh junior sister with great curiosity and admiration.
The woman with double-ringed hair on her left side suddenly reached out and pointed at Zhao Qingxiu.
Xuezhongzhu and Yu Nianyuan snapped out of their daze and looked in the direction he was pointing, discovering something unusual.
A faint purple halo shrouded the illusory figure of Zhao Qingxiu's slender body, including her eyes, which were surrounded by a strange purple mist.
This purple mist was different from the superior-grade purple aura on Xue Zhongzhu's body; it was sometimes thick and sometimes thin, flowing over like viscous water.
At the same time, the purple mist dragon trapped in Zhao Qingxiu's palm was different from the snow-white dragon in Xue Zhongzhu's palm.
The latter is quiet and reserved, with a touch of noble languor.
The former spins in place in a continuous loop, as if trapped in the palm of the hand, as if anxiously spinning in circles.
Whenever the purple mist aura around Zhao Qingxiu flowed across the edge of her palm, the little purple mist dragon would spin exceptionally fast, as if yearning for something, yet unable to escape her palm.
The women looked at each other, puzzled.
It is a rare and extraordinary blessing, naturally strange and special, without precedent, and difficult to understand.
Yu Nianyuan lowered his eyes, reached out and touched the purple mist halo around Zhao Qingxiu, examining her closely.
After a moment, she looked up and shook her head at Xue Zhongzhu and the others who were looking at her with probing eyes.
I don't understand either.
While being scrutinized by her senior classmates with various motivations, Zhao Qingxiu focused her attention elsewhere.
This was her first time entering the Dream Abyss as Lady Dream.
At this point, the differences between this dream and the original one were also discovered.
There was no sound.
Indeed, they are merely projected phantoms, so how could they possibly have a voice? In fact, they have no hearing at all.
The female rulers could only communicate through simple hand gestures.
These are all short phrases, too numerous to describe in detail.
Zhao Qingxiu is particularly good at this area.
She has been mute since childhood, so she is naturally familiar with sign language. However, most people she has encountered in her life, such as Ouyang Rong, do not know sign language, so she can only rely on writing as a simple and crude method.
Currently, in the Dream Abyss, unable to write, they can only use sign language.
Zhao Qingxiu saw that the eldest senior sister made a gesture to the second senior sister.
The general meaning is:
Where are you two?
Yu Nianyuan replied with a simple gesture:
Still in the city
Xuezhongzhu frowned in displeasure and waved his hand.
The meaning is simpler: urge them to come back quickly and not delay.
Before Yu Nianyuan could answer, Zhao Qingxiu tugged at Xue Zhongzhu's sleeve and made a series of gestures to explain Tanlang's situation.
Xuezhongzhu tilted his head slightly, a look of confusion on his face.
The illusory figures of the two women with double-ringed sideburns beside them also tilted their heads, equally confused.
I didn't understand any of it.
Zhao Qingxiu realized that her gestures were too complicated.
Yu Nianyuan glanced at his seventh junior sister, whose face looked helpless.
Although she didn't understand the gestures, she roughly guessed what her seventh junior sister was saying.
But Mengyuan is dangerous and it's not advisable to stay long. They came together this time not to gossip.
Yu Nianyuan reached out and patted Zhao Qingxiu's shoulder gently, offering comfort.
Xuezhongzhu glanced at Yu Nianyuan, then at Zhao Qingxiu, his brows furrowing with increasing suspicion.
At that moment, the tall, blonde queen suddenly looked up.
Yu Nianyuan, Zhao Qingxiu, and the others also looked up.
It seemed as if a dark shadow swept across the sky.
Immediately, a wriggling phantom descended from the sky, landing vertically in front of the abyss, bouncing a few times before twitching slightly on the ground.
The fall to the ground was silent and unnoticed.
Upon closer inspection.
Only then did I realize that it was a white sturgeon.
Because of the fall from a great height, he bled from all seven orifices and would occasionally twitch and bounce around stiffly.
Yu Nianyuan and Zhao Qingxiu glanced sideways.
Xuezhongzhu's eyes were cold as he stretched out his palm.
The snow-white little dragon in my palm seemed to have just woken up, lazily raising its head.
Its attention was drawn to the small purple mist dragon in Zhao Qingxiu's palm, and it turned its head to look.
The little purple dragon also turned its head to look at it.
Two little dragons, each in the palm of a hand, gaze at each other across the distance.
The tall, ethereal shadow of the candle in the snow slowly approaches the white sturgeon in front.
Just then, someone tugged at her sleeve.
Looking back, the candle in the snow saw Yu Nianyuan.
However, before she could even look at him with a puzzled expression, she noticed that Yu Nianyuan's gaze had moved past her shoulder and was looking behind her.
Xuezhongzhu turned around and saw that her seventh junior sister, Zhao Qingxiu, had stepped forward, passed her, and, holding the purple dragon, came to the dying snow sturgeon.
One more step forward leads to an abyss teeming with monstrous dragons.
At first, Xue Zhongzhu looked confused, but after seeing Yu Nianyuan's gesture, he roughly understood what was going on.
Some watched in silence as their seventh junior sister stepped forward.
Zhao Qingxiu replaced Xue Zhongzhu.
Although Xue Zhongzhu couldn't understand why her junior sister had suddenly stepped forward to share her burdens, and didn't know if her junior sister's behavior was an attempt to gain merit or seek favor, Xue Zhongzhu still pursed her lips and let her do as she pleased.
Seventh Sister also has a dragon.
She is qualified.
Xue Zhongzhu, who had always stood at the forefront over the years, had a slightly dazed look in her eyes. She vaguely remembered the day her master handed over the heavy responsibility before he left. At that time, apart from her second junior sister, the other junior sisters were all very young.
While the Great Queen of Yunmeng was lost in thought, Zhao Qingxiu had already stopped and stood in front of the dying snow panda.
She held the dragon's right palm and, as if scooping up water, turned it over.
The little purple mist dragon reluctantly left its mist-shrouded mistress and darted into the snow sturgeon's body like lightning.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Yinbingzhai, Zhao Qingxiu, who was standing by the table with her eyes closed, had the small purple mist dragon in her right palm completely enter the bronze longsword after wandering around, leaving her palm and coiling around the sword!
At this moment, before the abyss of dreams, a snow panda suddenly froze.
It gradually developed a bronze-like sheen.
Its flesh and blood seemed to have undergone some kind of miraculous transformation.
Zhao Qingxiu looked down at him.
Xuezhongzhu seemed lost in thought.
Yu Nianyuan and the two ladies with double-ringed sideburns stood with their hands clasped, looking solemnly at this scene.
Just then, something unexpected happened!
From the abyss in front of Zhao Qingxiu and the snow sturgeon, a purplish-red evil dragon rose.
The purplish-red evil dragon has two heads!
One head was old and white-bearded, with a weak complexion; the other head was in its prime, full of vitality, but blind in one eye, making it look even more ferocious and savage.
The aged dragon head appeared timid and weak, while the middle-aged dragon head's only remaining eye was cold and cruel. A rusty sword was stuck diagonally into the blind eye, its owner unknown.
A purplish-red evil dragon with two faces, eerie and terrifying.
Its body seemed to be dominated by that strong, middle-aged dragon head, while the old dragon head bent its head and body, reluctantly following; the moment it broke free from the vortex of slaughter among its own kind and rushed out of the abyss, it rushed towards Zhao Qingxiu, who was surrounded by purple mist.
The vertical eyes of the mature dragon head reflected Zhao Qingxiu's purple mist phantom, and the purple mist surrounding her drew out the monstrous desire for gluttony deep within those vertical eyes.
This sudden scene shocked everyone present!
Snow Candle instantly appeared in front of Zhao Qingxiu, blocking the head of the adult dragon. Using the small white dragon as a sword, she swiftly sliced off the head of the one-eyed dragon with lightning speed... Her afterimage faded considerably, as if she had expended a great deal of energy.
But in the next instant, the timid and old dragon head, who had been reluctant to follow, suddenly took the opportunity to bypass Xue Zhongzhu, a cunning glint flashing in its turbid old eyes.
It rushed to Zhao Qingxiu's side, ignoring the snow sturgeon possessed by the purple dragon on the ground, and swallowed the phantom of the little queen surrounded by an incomparably delicious purple mist in one gulp.
Xue Zhongzhu was shocked and furious, and Yu Nianyuan and the other female rulers rushed forward.
The old dragon, having lost its companion, ate the most delicious food in the world and then plunged back into the abyss without looking back.
Before Xuezhongzhu could stop it, the old dragon was about to slip away.
At this moment.
"Tick-tock—!"
Suddenly, the women heard the sound of liquid dripping.
Unlike ordinary water droplets, it sounded like the dripping of incredibly viscous blood.
At the very top, unseen by the others, hung an upside-down bronze sword, a drop of blood falling from its blood-embroidered tip into the abyss.
then.
The old dragon paused in mid-air, its body beginning to age and turn into withered bones. The remaining flesh and blood rapidly peeled off, becoming a blood-red ball of light that surged toward the bronze sword above.
Below, in the abyss, the evil dragons that had been eagerly awaiting the old dragon's return and vying for food had all aged into skeletons, while streaks of blood-red light surged toward the bronze sword above.
The slender female figure, originally swallowed by the old dragon, drifted down and was also "split in two".
The purple mist was separated from it, turned into a ball, and was absorbed into the bronze sword that looked down on all living beings above the abyss and seemed emotionless... After absorbing the purple mist, the rust on the bronze sword was slightly reduced, but no one noticed it at the moment.
In mid-air, only the slender figure of the female ruler remained, drifting down slowly like a feather, and was caught by her senior sisters.
Xuezhongzhu suddenly looked up, his angry eyes fixed on the small bronze sword.
The bronze sword remained motionless, like a dead object, or like an audience looking down on all living beings, indifferent to everything.
In a moment, Zhao Qingxiu heard many sounds.
Even though she entered the Dream Abyss in her Dream Lady form and couldn't make a sound, she still heard it in her dazed state.
She couldn't remember any of the anxious, concerned words from her senior sisters. Instead, her mind was filled with the gentle voice she'd heard from Tanlang during their tender moment of separation not long ago, and one particular line—the one that had made her laugh the most—faintly echoed in her ears:
"Embroiderer, wait for me, let's go to Luoyang together."
...
"What's wrong, Senior Brother? Are you feeling unwell?"
The ruins of the inner quarters of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
After Xie Lingjiang finished reciting the last words of the Celestial Master, she noticed that her eldest brother's expression was a little off.
Ouyang Rong lowered his head and remained silent, frowning as he pondered something.
“The bowl is too big… the bowl is too small… an excess of good fortune…” he murmured.
After Xie Lingjiang finished speaking, she shook her head in confusion:
"I don't know why the old Celestial Master said that, but he was just praising you, Senior Brother, for your great fortune. He just warned those around you to be careful, lest they be unable to handle the good fortune you're showing... Could it be just a matter of official rank and wealth?"
Xie Lingjiang blinked: "Luckily, I don't want to enter officialdom, nor do I want my senior brother to give me money."
Ouyang Rong looked up at his junior sister, scrutinizing her closely, lost in thought.
"Why are you looking at me, Senior Brother?"
Ouyang Rong suddenly said:
"Let's go, let's evacuate first, go to Pei Shisan Niang's place, meet up with Xiu Niang and Auntie, and then leave the city. Go and urge the Prince, don't delay him."
"oh oh."
Xie Lingjiang quickly turned around, preparing to urge Li Xian and the others, but found that her senior brother was walking faster than her, passing by her and heading out of the palace.
It seemed she wasn't going to wait for them anymore; her figure receded quickly.
(End of this chapter)
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