STNS: Chapter 523 (Patreon)

Loong Feng had just returned home from confronting Wu Jian, and he was in a foul mood. A servant stood at the doorway when he entered his abode. She was a young girl who had yet to reach full maturity. The horns on her head were quite small, just like her, and she wore a simple loin cloth that covered her groin and chest.

Her name was Loong Lei. She was, technically, Loong Feng’s granddaughter, but she was also a constant reminder of his family’s disgrace.

His daughter had been a powerful and beautiful flood dragon. She had been so strong that Loong Feng had felt certain she would eventually take over the position of matriarch, and he had spared no expense in training her to be the best. By the time she was eighteen years old, she was already strong enough to take on everyone in the village except the elders and the matriarch herself.

However, his daughter had disgraced herself by falling in love with a human and giving birth to this child.

Magical beast clans like theirs placed a strong emphasis on bloodline purity. This was not just because their blood was inherently superior. Many powerful magical beast clans, theirs included, granted unique, powerful abilities. Purity of blood also correlated with higher cultivation potential. A pureblood Flood Dragon would cultivate much faster than a half-breed. What’s more, their clan had several techniques that were reliant on their blood, meaning if your bloodline wasn’t pure enough, you couldn’t learn the techniques.

That was why there were laws in place against the union between a Flood Dragon and another, lesser, race.

And yet his daughter had fallen for a human and given birth.

Humans were quite rare on the Da Continent. Occasionally, a human with a chip on his shoulder would travel here in search of power, but they usually didn’t last long. Most died within a few days. A few were enslaved and sold to powerful magical beasts with strange proclivities.

Loong Feng did not know much about the human who seduced his daughter. He didn’t know where this human had come from, or what his goal had been. When he found out about his daughter’s pregnancy, he had flown into a rage, killing the human despite his daughter’s tearful pleading. He then banished her from the clan.

That should have been the end of it.

But then he found this child.

It had been during one of his excursions to the outside world. While the Flood Dragons were an insular people, that did not mean they could afford to ignore other clans. There were many powerful clans even among the dragons who could pose a threat to them. There were also other races that possessed just as much power like the White Tiger Clan. They could ill-afford to ignore those powerful groups.

Loong Feng had been wandering through a small village with no name when he came across this child and instantly sensed their relation. 

Blood is thicker than water. Many people fail to understand the meaning of this old idiom, but magical beasts clans like theirs could easily sense when someone carried the same blood as them.

He didn’t know why, but he took the girl in. Perhaps he had taken pity on her. Even he didn’t understand why he had done something like this when, by all rights, he should have just ignored her.

“Èr Zhǎnglǎo Feng, welcome back,” Loong Lei said with a bow.

Loong Feng grunted a greeting as he walked into the house.

His residence reflected his esteemed status as the second elder of the Flood Dragons. The structure resembled the form of a coiled dragon when viewed from above and possessed curved rooftops resembling dragon wings, with upturned eaves that mimicked claws grasping the sky. It was a grand, multi-story pagoda with a unique shape, and at the very top was an open-air pavilion from which he could meditate and gaze upon the valley.

“I have much to think about and do not wish to be disturbed,” he said.

“Of course, Èr Zhǎnglǎo Feng.” 

It was the pavilion that Loong Feng traveled up to, leaving the young girl behind. The pavilion spread out before him after he climbed up the curved staircase. Dragon statues were spaced symmetrically apart, forming a circle in the center, where a cushion awaited him. He sat down with his legs crossed, leaned forward, and placed his chin upon his hand.

“What to do…”

Loong Feng did not approve of letting outsiders into their clan like this. He had vehemently protested against letting Wu Jian and his ilk into their midst, but his protests had fallen on deaf ears. Loong Mei would hear none of it and ordered him to shut up, so in spite of doing his best, they now had these outsiders within their midst.

It’s all because of that blasted woman… This would have never happened if Loong Chen was still our patriarch…

Before his change, Loong Chen had been the premiere example of what a patriarch should be. He had exuded an aura of power and authority, he had been an excellent strategist, and while he rarely engaged in combat, every battle he entered was swift and decisive. Most importantly, he had upheld the traditions of their clan.

Traditions that Loong Mei wanted to overthrow.

Traditions are the lifeblood of any clan’s identity. They connect the current generation to their ancestors, ensuring their history, values, and achievements are remembered and honored. More importantly, traditions help leaders maintain control and order within their clan. Without order, there was only chaos. They needed those traditions to prevent their clan from descending into anarchy.

“What do I do about this…”

Loong Feng had initially thought of goading Wu Jian into acting out, which would have given him the justification he needed to kick the boy out, but Wu Jian was savvy enough not to fall into such a trap. He had underestimated the boy.

Maybe I should interfere with his cultivation… but no. Such actions are beneath me.

Loong Feng was many things--ambitious being the foremost among them, but that didn’t mean he was willing to disgrace himself for power. Still, was there really nothing he could do but sit here and watch as the time-honored traditions of their clan were trampled upon by these outsiders?

***

Wu Jian stared at the pill for what seemed like an eternity. It was a combination of blue, red, and gold. Glowing with an ethereal light, the very core seemed to pulsate with a deep crimson hue. A halo of golden energy swirled around it, while faint whisps of blue and white mist drifted from its surface. More importantly, this pill had beautiful green veins running across its surface.

“No wonder your cauldron was destroyed. I can’t believe you give a pill this advanced pill veins,” Wu Meiying said in astonishment.

Zhou Lihua’s smile was a touch tired. “It was not actually my intention to give this pill veins. I just wanted to refine the best pill I could.”

Wu Meiying nodded. “Emotions often act as a catalyst for great things. It’s clear your feelings were infused into this pill.”

“What now?” asked Youmei. She tilted her head curiously as she sniffed the pill.

“Now, we go somewhere where Wu Jian can take this and regrow his legs.” Wu Meiyign was about to glance at Wu Jian when she paused and turned back to Zhou Lihua. “I did not notice it because the pill lightning masked your Heavenly Tribulation, but congratulations on your breakthrough.”

Wu Jian turned back to Zhou Lihua and studied her in more detail. He had been too busy paying attention to the pill she had refined to notice that her cultivation had risen. She had reached the Deva Realm quite a while ago, before they had helped Mei Xilan Sui reclaim her kingdom. Zhou Lihua’s cultivation had not risen since then.

Zhou Lihua used the Seven Colored Flames Cultivation Method, which was a cultivation that involved consuming powerful flames to increase one’s power. Of course, cultivators and alchemists who used this method could cultivate normally, but the best way to grow was to consume flames.

For alchemists, the best method of cultivation was refining pills. Pill refinement required both power and control, meaning that refining pills was a great way to acquire both.

Anyway, Zhou Lihua was now at the Second Subrealm of the Deva Realm, which meant she had one more subrealm before she could break through to the Seeker Realm.

None of them were at the Seeker Realm yet. Youmei and Wu Meiying had the highest cultivation right now. While injured, Wu Meiying was at the peak of a half-step Seeker Realm cultivator. Once she healed, she could attempt to break through to the Seeker Realm. Youmei had just recently reached the third subrealm of the Deva Realm. She still had a ways to go before she could attempt another breakthrough, but her progress since they wound up on the Da Continent had been remarkable.

“Congratulations, Lili,” Wu Jian said.

Zhou Lihua’s tired smile widened. “If you really want to congratulate me, then give me a reward once you get your limbs back.”

“I’ll do that,” Wu Jian said with a smile.

The group made their way back down the mountain. They drew a lot of attention from the flood dragon clansmen--of course they would. Three of them were human and one of them was a black yāomó panther. Everything about them stood out, but Wu Jian and the others were used to being the center of attention and ignored them. It wasn’t long before the four of them were inside of their abode.

The guest house they had been given was attached to Loong Mei’s residents. It was a modest, single-story structure made of dark jade-green stone and bamboo. Such materials were apparently abundant on the Da Continent. The curved, sloping roof tiles resembled dragon scales as they shimmered in the misty air. Slightly elevator on stone stilts to protect it from mists and flooding, the building had an open floor plan, with large sliding wooden panels instead of doors. It was a tranquil yet quaint building that suited their little party well.

Wu Jian and his company sat in the main room, which was sparsely furnished with a low, polished wooden table in the center surrounded by cushions. ‘A woven reed mat covered the floor. It was warm and comfortable.

Zhou Lihua and Youmei arranged  the pillows for Wu Jian to sit on, and Wu Meiying slowly unwrapped the bandages. His legs had healed over again, so Wu Meiying was forced to shave off the edges of flesh. The feeling of his nerves and veins being cut open once more caused pain to flare. However, he was so used to it now that Wu Jian didn’t even flinch. After the nerves had been severed, Wu Meiying retrieved his legs from a storage ring, put them against his stumps, and tied them together with more bandages.

“Take this whenever you’re ready,” Zhou Lihua said, handing him the pill.

“No time like the present,” Wu Jian said before pushing the entire pill into his mouth. It was a bit larger than most of the pills he had taken. He needed to open his mouth wider to take it, but once he did, he broke the outershell with his teeth and the bitter medicinal liquid gushed down his throat.

Wu Jian did not even have time to gag before the pill began taking effect. Pain assaulted him even worse than when his legs were getting constantly severed to keep them from healing. It was very brief. Barely even a second. But that single second felt like his mind was breaking. Then it was over, and a soothing chill appeared around his legs. He looked down, but he couldn’t see anything because they were wrapped in bandages. However…

“They’re attached,” he whispered.

“Try moving your legs,” said Zhou Lihua.

Wu Jian started by attempting to wiggle his toes. It had been so long that he was worried he might have forgotten how, but sure enough, his toes began wiggling. He wiggled them one at a time, then all at once, then moved his feet back and forth.

“It feels strange,” he mumbled.

“That’s natural,” Wu Meiying said. “It’s been several months since your legs were severed. You’ve gone so long without legs that it probably feels unnatural to have them now. You’ll get used to them once you begin moving.”

“Mmm.”

After moving his feet around some more, Wu Jian removed the bandages to find that his legs had been completely reattached. If someone hadn’t seen him without legs, they would have never known he’d lost them. He stood up with Wu Meiying’s help and walked around. She needed to help him at first. His balance was screwed up, but once he got the hang of it, he began walking on his own. He walked back and forth across the room for a couple of hours. The others watched him with smiles. Zhou Lihua looked relieved, but Wu Mieying looked like she was going to break down in tears.

Once satisfied that his legs were restored, he turned to the others, his expression serious.

“Now that I’m healed, we need to begin training,” he said, and the others all nodded. “There’s only one year before Hou Jingshu will be forced to marry that prick from the Azure Dragon Clan. We need to take advantage of that time to get as strong as we possibly can.”