Chapter 3: The Shocking Change at Longhu

"Palace Master, it's windy outside. Let's go inside to avoid catching a cold."

Looking at the wind and rain outside the pavilion, Qin Yuning shook her head slightly, her beautiful face showing undisguised worry. "I'm a little worried about Xuan'er. The rain is so heavy. It's okay if he stays on the boat, but if he can't get down the mountain in time, I'm afraid he'll catch a cold."

Lu Zhongming immediately comforted him, saying, "Xuan'er has practiced martial arts since childhood and is very healthy. Palace Master, you don't need to worry too much. Besides, he might already be on the ship right now."

A bolt of lightning ripped through the dark sky, as if signaling a message, followed by a series of lightning strikes, and then a deafening roar echoed through the heavens.

Lu Zhongming looked at the gloomy sky, a hint of confusion on his face.

"Speaking of which, this rainstorm came so suddenly, without any warning, and the wind and rain were accompanied by such thick fog, it was simply unprecedented."

Qin Yuning suddenly remembered something and said somewhat uncertainly, "When I was a child, my father mentioned that since our ancestors built the palace on Penglai Island, roughly every hundred years or so, a storm would appear without warning, with lightning and thunder, accompanied by a thick fog that would linger for a long time. It's somewhat similar to the situation we're facing now. My father said that it was a strange phenomenon caused by the Dragon King going out to sea."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhongming laughed, "Dragons are just legends left by our ancestors. Who on the continent has ever actually seen a dragon? The so-called dragons on the Western Continent don't count; they're just large lizards. Even the so-called flying dragons are just large lizards with wings, completely different from the dragons described by our ancestors."

Just then, the old butler, Uncle Hua, rushed over.

"Your Highness, the fishermen outside say that the tide rose as soon as the rainstorm started, and the sea level is now very high, already reaching the shore. Even when the tide is high in the past, it never reached the shore. The fishermen have never encountered such a situation before, and they are all panicked. Many small fishing boats have been capsized and sunk into the sea. Currently, only the larger boats in our palace are still stable."

Qin Yuning frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Uncle Hua, tell everyone not to panic. The palace will make arrangements after the storm passes." "Yes, Madam, this old servant will go and comfort them."

Lu Zhongming muttered, "This is truly strange. Could it really be the Dragon King emerging from the sea?" He laughed at his own thought, "How could that be?"

Qin Yuning looked at the howling wind and rain outside the pavilion, lost in thought.

◇◇◇ "Roar!"

Just as the cabin turned to splinters, two shadows, one large and one small, collided in mid-air. "Clang!"

The sound waves, like metal clashing, instantly dispersed the wind and rain, and a strange circular rainless band appeared on the ground. The two shadows suddenly separated, and Lin Zixuan, who had been knocked to the ground by the two consecutive loud sounds, froze when he saw the scene before him.

Its massive body, nearly ten zhang long, was covered with layers of black scales, and a strong, fishy smell wafted from it. Its four giant claws were strong and powerful, and two long whiskers fluttered in the wind. Its two giant horns on its head were forked, with one side broken off. At this moment, it had red eyes like lanterns on its head, revealing a fierce glint in them.

A fear, seemingly rooted deep within his body and innate, was triggered by the monster before him. Lin Zixuan felt as if his blood had frozen, his breath caught in his throat, a tremor ran through his entire body, and he began to shake violently. "Dragon!"

He used almost all his strength, gritting his teeth as he uttered that word.

The appearance of the dragon completely overturned Lin Zixuan's previous understanding of things. "Stand behind me."

Just then, a man's cold shout rang in my ears.

Lin Zixuan quickly stood behind the man. Only then did he notice that the rust on the longsword in the man's hand had disappeared, replaced by a gleaming luster like gold, with tadpole-like inscriptions appearing in the center of the blade.

Lin Zixuan was exceptionally intelligent and had read various classics since childhood, including the difficult texts of the Western Continent, but he had never seen such texts before.

He stood frozen in place. Just moments ago, the man seemed to have fought a dragon, at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye…

The man said in a deep voice.

"The Demonic Dragon, the most powerful creature in the world, a true dragon. I will entangle it. You must leave as quickly as possible, without stopping."

Lin Zixuan gritted his teeth: "I'm not afraid. If we join forces, we can definitely defeat it."

The man coldly retorted, "Don't do anything foolish. You're too weak. The power of the demonic dragon is beyond your imagination." He paused, then softened his voice, "Take good care of your mother."

Lin Zixuan stared at the man's imposing back, her throat feeling as if something was blocking it.

The black dragon opened its blood-red maw, unleashing a deafening roar like a thunderclap from a clear sky. Lin Zixuan felt a sharp pain in his ears, and the next moment he heard the man shout, "Go!"

Lin Zixuan exerted all his strength and ran wildly, channeling his true energy beyond his previous peak state, fleeing into the forest.

The sharp sound of metal clashing came from behind. Without turning around, he knew that the man was already fighting the demonic dragon. The demonic dragon roared with rage. Lin Zixuan had already run a hundred feet away, but he could feel the heat behind him growing stronger and stronger. He couldn't help but turn around and look. The scene before him shocked him greatly.

The dragon spewed out eerie blue breath, igniting trees in its path, a blaze that even the damp rain could not extinguish. The dragon roared repeatedly, and several long sword marks were clearly visible on its massive body, its steel-like black scales sliced ​​open.

An astonishing aura erupted from the man; his expression was cold and stern, and the golden sword in his hand clashed repeatedly with the giant claws of the demonic dragon.

Lin Zixuan was shocked on the spot.

Of all the people he had ever met since childhood, the one with the highest martial arts skills was none other than Master Qingyi of Mount Shu, followed by Qin Yuning and Lu Zhongming. In Lin Zixuan's eyes, their martial arts skills were beyond the mortal realm.

However, the martial arts skills displayed by the man before them had transcended the boundaries of "humanity".

The torrential rain in the sky stopped abruptly when it was about ten feet away from the man's body. His body transformed into a phantom and pounced on the demonic dragon with ghostly speed.

A dazzling, bright light burst forth in the pitch-black twilight.

The dragon was momentarily overpowered by the man and fell into a disadvantageous position.

For a moment, Lin Zixuan was stunned by the shocking scene before him and forgot to run away.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

The dragon's icy gaze fell upon Lin Zixuan from a hundred feet away. Instantly, Lin Zixuan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. His body stiffened strangely, and his legs seemed to be frozen in the snow and ice, losing all feeling.

The dragon's massive tail swept across, and the man blocked with his sword. Although he was unharmed, he was swept more than ten feet away. Abandoning its opponent, the dragon slammed its giant claws into the ground, and its enormous body leaped several feet off the ground, soaring towards Lin Zixuan at unimaginable speed.

The legend is true. The dragon is not like the so-called flying dragons of the West, which have wings, but its huge body can ride the clouds.

This horrifying scene made Lin Zixuan scream in his heart, "It's over!"

The dragon soared and fell in the air a few times before arriving in front of Lin Zixuan. However, Lin Zixuan was completely unable to move and could not help but lament that his life was over.

The man in the distance landed and, upon seeing this, immediately roared, "Wangcai!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a black shadow burst forth from the side of the forest, leaping high into the air and landing on the dragon's back. Without a word, its sharp claws and teeth began to lash out at the dragon.

The dragon roared furiously and turned to strike the dog on its back.

Wangcai was struck with the full force of the dragon's giant claw, instantly propelled at an even greater speed, crashing into the forest, his fate unknown. "Wangcai!"

Lin Zixuan's eyes turned red. The demonic dragon was already in front of him. It was too late to escape. Fueled by rage, Lin Zixuan drew his sword without hesitation and thrust it with all his might into the demonic dragon's eyes.

The crisp "ding" sound exploded in Lin Zixuan's ears like a thunderclap.

Facing a legendary creature like the Demon Dragon, this sword strike, infused with all of Lin Zixuan's true energy, was truly his most powerful attack. Regardless of the outcome, this strike would instantly deplete his true energy; even if it couldn't injure the Demon Dragon, it would at least repel it.

However, the dragon merely flicked its claws, and the longsword shattered instantly.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Zixuan felt his body being slammed hard by the dragon's tail. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and before he lost consciousness, he seemed to see a golden sword light, accompanied by a man's roar, flying towards him and striking the dragon.

The rain was falling steadily.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Zixuan woke up.

It was Wangcai who licked him awake. Lin Zixuan was shocked to see Wangcai covered in wounds.

He sat up, a sharp pain shooting through his back where the dragon had struck him. Before him lay a devastated forest, but there was no trace of the dragon.

The downpour had gradually subsided, but a light drizzle continued, and all around was quiet.

Lin Zixuan struggled to pull the man's sword from a giant rock; the golden blade had once again become rusty. Most of the surrounding trees were destroyed. The mountain peaks in the distance appeared as if they had been cleaved cleanly by a massive weapon, the cut surfaces perfectly smooth.

Lin Zixuan stared blankly at all of this.

He looked at Wangcai and asked, "Wangcai, where's my dad?"

Wangcai's body was covered in wounds, the most conspicuous of which was the deep claw mark left by the demonic dragon on his abdomen.

His response was a few mournful cries from Wangcai.

Lin Zixuan felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she sat heavily on the ground.

After a while, the sharp pain in his back lessened a bit, and Lin Zixuan said to the dog beside him, "Wangcai, you stay here and don't go anywhere. I'm going to find him and I'll be back soon."

Wangcai lay on the ground and responded.

Lin Zixuan returned to the lakeside. All around was quiet. The dark clouds in the sky had gradually dispersed, and the rain had gradually stopped. It was hard to imagine that not long ago there had been a violent storm with thunder and lightning.

As darkness fell, Lin Zixuan found nothing. The man and the demonic dragon seemed to have vanished from the world without a trace.

He returned to the cabin, which had been reduced to rubble by the dragon's roar. The ground was a mess, but Lin Zixuan was still not giving up. He searched the ground for a long time and found only a small blue bundle.

He opened the small bundle, which contained only a simple item: an elegant wool coat and two paintings.

Lin Zixuan recognized the coat; it was made by Qin Yuning herself after they got married, taking many days and nights to complete.

Lin Zixuan unfolded one of the paintings. The painting was viewed from top to bottom. In the painting, Lin Zixuan was practicing swordsmanship with Wenren Wan in the garden, while Qin Yuning sat in the pavilion next to them, watching leisurely.

He stared blankly at the painting. He remembered the day depicted in it, but Lu Zhongming was also there that day; he and Qin Yuning were drinking tea and admiring the painting together in the pavilion. That happened a year after the man left. How did the man know about it and even paint it?

The figures in the painting are lifelike, and the technique is completely different from ordinary paintings. The richness of the colors and the realism of the figures are unprecedented. The painting style seems to be quite similar to that of the Western Continent, but it is even better.

Lin Zixuan unfolded another painting. In the painting, Qin Yuning, dressed in a white dress, sat quietly in a pavilion. The painting was extremely finely crafted. Lin Zixuan could even see that Qin Yuning in the painting was gazing into the distance with a hint of melancholy in her eyes, which was very different from her usual lively image.

At this moment, Lin Zixuan finally understood.

He loved her deeply.

These two paintings were painted by the man when he secretly went back to see them.

For some reason, Lin Zixuan suddenly remembered a sunny afternoon from his childhood. He was in the garden, and a man was letting him ride on his back, shouting excitedly. Qin Yuning, on the other hand, watched the father and son playing with a smile.

Tears streamed down Lin Zixuan's face.

He once hated that man, hated his incompetence, hated his lack of ambition. He had needlessly pushed his beautiful mother into the arms of another man, tearing apart what was once a happy family.

But now, he didn't hate men at all, because he wasn't a coward, but a real man. He only hoped to hear that cynical voice of a man again, to hear him call him "Dad" one more time.

Lin Zixuan's mind went completely blank.

He had a vague feeling that none of this was possible.

He carefully packed the small bundle away, carrying it with him along with the sword, and returned to the original spot. Wangcai looked extremely weak, so Lin Zixuan carefully bandaged it up before hurriedly carrying it away.

Wangcai was badly injured, so Lin Zixuan dared not linger. Fortunately, his injuries were not too serious, and he recovered some of his true energy. By noon the next day, he finally crossed Longhu Peak.

A clear chirping sound rang out, followed by a small, fiery red bird that flew to Lin Zixuan's shoulder.

Surprisingly, after the dragon appeared, the little lark, who had run away in fear, actually found Lin Zixuan.

The little lark hopped and jumped on Lin Zixuan's shoulder. Wangcai chirped weakly twice before quieting down. Lin Zixuan was pleasantly surprised to see the little lark, but then he fell silent again when he thought of its original owner.

The boat that Lin Zixuan came on was still there. As soon as they saw Lin Zixuan's figure in the distance, several servants on the boat immediately ran over.

When the servants saw Lin Zixuan's disheveled appearance, they were all taken aback. "Young Master, are you injured?" "I'm fine. Quickly, prepare some medicine. I need to change Wangcai's dressing." "Yes, Young Master, we'll prepare it right away."

Five or six people came with Lin Zixuan, and they were all in a flurry of activity. "Young Master, you're finally back! You have no idea how worried we were!"

"Yes, young master, yesterday's rainstorm was truly terrifying. There was lightning and thunder, and the sea level rose so high it was frightening. We were so worried about you going up the mountain alone."

Everyone was talking at once, recounting the strange phenomena of yesterday.

Legend has it that dragons can overturn rivers and seas. Lin Zixuan knew in his heart that it was caused by a demonic dragon, which had extraordinary power to influence nature.

He didn't know whether the dragon was alive or dead, but he wouldn't tell anyone, because the man had said that no one would believe him.

After changing Wangcai's wound medicine and bandaging it, Lin Zixuan, having also taken medicine after being struck on the back by the demonic dragon, felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. He closed his eyes, but various images kept flashing through his mind.

After he fell into a coma, the man must have engaged in an earth-shattering battle with the demonic dragon. He really wanted to know why the man, who clearly possessed unparalleled martial arts skills, had kept it a secret from everyone. For years, he had remained stationed at Dragon Lake Peak; how did he know that a demonic dragon would appear at Dragon Lake Peak? What was his true identity?

And this sword...

Lin Zixuan stroked the seemingly rusty longsword. He had played with this sword a lot when he was a child; apart from being a bit heavy, it wasn't anything special. However, when the man picked it up, why did it suddenly gleam like gold?

Lin Zixuan knew that this was no ordinary sword, but even the well-informed Qin Yuning called it a broken sword, which indicated that the sword had a mysterious origin.

Thinking of this, Lin Zixuan couldn't help but sigh. "Father, just who are you...?"

◇◇◇

Lin Zixuan returned to the palace late at night.

The maids wanted to inform the palace master, but Lin Zixuan stopped them. "It's late, don't disturb my mother's rest. I'll pay my respects to her tomorrow morning." "Yes, young master."

The maids were curious as they looked at the dog that Lin Zixuan was holding in his arms. Some of the maids who had been in the palace for a long time recognized the dog as belonging to the former master of the palace. They hadn't seen this silly dog ​​that liked to run around the palace for a long time since he took it away.

Lin Zixuan returned to his small building, took Wangcai to his room, and, exhausted, slept until dawn.

Early in the morning, Xing'er carried a basin of water into the room.

"It's dawn, young master, get up. Madam asked you early this morning if you were back. Oh, Wangcai, it really is you! I heard they said the young master brought you back. Oh dear, what happened to you?"

Wangcai was badly injured and had difficulty walking. The little maid chattered on and on, but Wangcai only whimpered a few times before closing its eyes and lying down again.

Lin Zixuan had just finished washing up when she heard Xing'er call out from outside the door, "Madam."

Qin Yuning, dressed in a long emerald green dress, walked in gracefully. "Your child greets Mother."

Qin Yuning's slender foot had just stepped across the threshold when her expression changed instantly. "Xuan'er, you're injured."

Her eyesight was incredibly sharp; just from the slight difference in Lin Zixuan's gait, she immediately deduced that he had injured his back.

"It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about, Mother," Lin Zixuan quickly replied.

Qin Yuning gently stroked Lin Zixuan's back and said with heartache, "Does it hurt? I should have let Zhongming go with you." "I've taken some medicine for my injuries, and I'll be fine in a few days."

The two sat down at the table, and Qin Yuning gave Lin Zixuan a light kiss on the cheek, saying, "It's good that you're alright. I've been a little uneasy these past two days, and I've been worried about you. I'm relieved to have you back."

She then exclaimed, "Oh!" "It's that silly dog ​​again. How did it get so badly injured?"

When Wangcai saw its former mistress, it struggled to its feet and walked over with difficulty. It let out a low, mournful whimper and gently rubbed its head against Qin Yuning's long, beautiful legs.

Qin Yuning disliked this dog, saying that when it ran around, its tongue would dangle, making it a complete idiot. She never liked it and even disliked Lin Zixuan playing with it when he was little, saying that it would make Lin Zixuan stupid.

Surprisingly, this time Qin Yuning didn't kick it away. Instead, she reached out her slender hand and gently stroked its head, her eyes filled with tenderness.

There was not a trace of disgust.

Wangcai enjoyed the mistress's touch for the first time and closed his eyes comfortably.

Qin Yuning asked somewhat casually, "Xuan'er, where did you find Wangcai?"

Lin Zixuan's heart sank. He realized that Qin Yuning's seemingly nonchalant question was actually a deliberate attempt to appear casual, which precisely indicated that she cared.

Lin Zixuan was heartbroken, but he couldn't show the slightest pain on his face.

He smiled and said, "I found Wangcai on the mountain. It fell down the mountain and got injured, so I brought it back."

Qin Yuning paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Take good care of it. Wan'er will be back in a few days. Now that you've gotten a little lark, she'll be very happy. With Wan'er's beauty, there must be many young talents pursuing her at Bailu Academy. Don't think that being close to her will make you the first to get her, understand?" "Understood, Mother."

"After you recover from your injuries these next few days, and once Wan'er returns, I have an important task for you both."

In the past, Lin Zixuan would have been full of enthusiasm at the thought of doing something for his mother, but today, he simply nodded and said calmly, "Mother, don't worry, I will do my best to complete the task."

Qin Yuning patted his cheek and smiled, "That's my good son. You should get some rest today."

After Qin Yuning left, Lin Zixuan sighed in dejection.

◇◇◇

As Lu Zhongming strolled through the garden, the servants and maids along the way would stop and greet him respectfully.

He liked this feeling of being the master.

Passing through the long garden corridor and following a row of palace lanterns, an elegant pavilion comes into view. In the night, lotus flowers are blooming brilliantly in the surrounding blue lake under the glow of the lanterns.

Inside the pavilion, Qin Yuning, the Sword Maiden, sat overlooking the lake. Her emerald green dress trailed on the ground, and her slender figure resembled a goddess descending to earth. Her skin was as white as snow, and her red lips were luscious and tempting, exuding a myriad of charms. Truly, the scenery was beautiful, but the person was even more beautiful.

Lu Zhongming felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He dismissed the maids one by one and strolled away. "What is the Palace Master looking at so intently?"

Qin Yuning didn't turn around, but simply said calmly, "I didn't see anything."

Lu Zhongming noticed that she seemed rather unenthusiastic, so he said, "I heard Xuan'er came back last night, but why haven't I seen him all day?"

Qin Yuning then turned around.

"Xuan'er got a little injured while catching the lark, so I told him to rest for the next couple of days. What are you looking at?"

Lu Zhongming chuckled: "Look at you, no matter when, the Palace Master is more and more beautiful the more you look at her, even the goddesses in the heavens are no more beautiful than her."

Qin Yuning glared at him, "You call yourself a Martial Grandmaster, yet you're not serious at all."

"Emperor Wuzong is also a man. Every man, when facing the Palace Master, will fall head over heels for her."

Qin Yuning finally chuckled, "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."

Her smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, brightening the world. "Palace Mistress, you're so beautiful..." "You say I'm beautiful, but where are your hands touching..."

As Lu Zhongming spoke, his left hand had already touched one of Qin Yuning's long, beautiful legs through her skirt.

"You are beautiful from head to toe, Palace Master. You have no idea how much I've endured these past few days. Now that three days have passed, tonight we can..."

"Ha, a three-day deadline? It won't be until midnight tonight. You wish! And what are you doing, taking someone's shoes like that..."

As they were talking, Lu Zhongming reached under her skirt and took off one of Qin Yuning's green embroidered shoes. Through her white lace socks, he held her delicate foot in his hand and began to caress it.

His actions had dampened Qin Yuning's gloomy mood.

Moreover, Lu Zhongming quickly followed suit, removing the other embroidered shoe from under her skirt. He then held her long, beautiful legs in his arms, his hands caressing her slender feet encased in white socks and her rounded calves beneath her skirt.

Qin Yuning felt a tingling sensation in her heart as he touched her. Through the thin white socks, she could feel Lu Zhongming's masculine member hard as an iron rod on the soles of her feet.

Qin Yuning's heart pounded wildly, and her beautiful eyes almost welled up with tears.

Looking into the man's burning gaze, she knew she was probably going to be kept up until the wee hours of the morning again.