The Dragon

The Dragon Egg and the Two Maidens’ Perilous Adventure

The more Gu Fuyou grew up, the less she cried, except in front of her father, where she would get emotional like a child. In front of others, the more upset she was, the less she was willing to shed tears.

Yet, in Zhong Michu’s presence, an unforeseen tide of sorrow breached her defenses, causing her to cry unrestrainedly.

She cried throughout the night and finally fell into a restless sleep near dawn, only remembering that she had soaked Zhong Michu’s sleeve with her tears.

When she got up the next day, the sun was high in the sky, and it was already midday.

Gu Fuyou felt much calmer, as if all the long-accumulated mess in her heart had been swept away. She felt relaxed and clear-headed.

Although she felt embarrassed thinking back on her state the previous day, she thought, she had already lost face in front of Zhong Michu more than once or twice, so there was no good image to uphold.

Moreover, she was eager to see her, pushing any lingering embarrassment to the back of her mind.

Gu Fuyou, with her hands clasped behind her back and a spring in her step, walked up to Zhong Michu’s door and knocked.

“The door is not locked.”

Gu Fuyou pushed the door open, stood at the doorway with half her body leaning in, a bright smile on her face, and lightly called, “Senior sister~”

The truth was, Gu Fuyou didn’t have any particular business with Zhong Michu; she simply wanted to see her.

She felt very happy when she woke up, as if something good was waiting for her. But when she thought about it carefully, there was no good news, just that she could see Zhong Michu right away.

“Come in.”

Gu Fuyou entered the room. Zhong Michu was meditating on her bed. Seeing Gu Fuyou approach, she stopped and got up.

Reflecting on the battle with Yu Dongsheng the previous day, even though they emerged victorious through strategy, it was no doubt a tough fight.

Of course, it was a hard fight for Gu Fuyou. Because her injuries had not fully healed, the two agreed to rest for two days before going to the market.

Gu Fuyou walked to the bed and saw a brocade box lying on the wooden cabinet beside it. The lid of the box was open, and the moss-covered stone they had won yesterday was lying inside.

She picked up the stone, examined it carefully, and asked, “Senior Sister Zhong, you said there’s something inside this stone worth a million spirit stones. What exactly is inside?”

Zhong Michu looked at her in surprise, seemingly amazed that she had recovered overnight, as if the person who cried messily last night wasn’t her.

After a long pause, Zhong Michu said, “It’s a Golden Dragon’s egg.”

“What?!” Gu Fuyou almost dropped the stone in shock.

She tapped the stone with her finger and sent a trace of her spirit into it but couldn’t make anything out.

Although she couldn’t believe that this dark stone in her hand was a dragon egg, she thought that Zhong Michu, with her deep knowledge of beast taming and some study of the dragon clan, must have seen something special about this stone. And Zhong Michu wouldn’t lie to her about this.

Caught between surging excitement and the cautious fear of being overly hopeful, Gu Fuyou whispered, “Is it truly a Dragon egg?”

If it was, it was worth far more than a million spirit stones; it was a priceless treasure!

There were records of the dragon clan in the “Records of the Azure Emperor,” but she couldn’t remember the details. She only remembered that dragon horns, scales, tendons, blood, flesh, and bones were all excellent for crafting, pill refining, or cultivation. In short, every part of a dragon was a treasure.

Seeing Zhong Michu nod, Gu Fuyou nearly shrieked with joy.

There are three branches of the Azure Phoenix clan. Among the Dragons, there are two main branches: the Five-clawed Divine Dragon and the Nine-clawed Golden Dragon.

These two mystical beast clans were worshipped as deities by mortals in ancient times and held immense power.

However, tens of thousands of years ago, a conflict arose between the two clans, eventually escalating into war.

In the final battle, almost all members of the Azure Phoenix clan were wiped out, reportedly leaving only three survivors, while the Golden Dragon clan suffered heavy losses, with no members of the royal bloodline surviving

This war greatly weakened both clans, significantly reducing their power and giving rise to the human immortal sects. This was one of the main reasons why the human sects could gradually take control over the other four continents from the Azure Phoenix clan.

Despite their losses, both clans remained dominant forces due to their sheer power and the deep-seated reverence and fear they inspired in humans. Even the Four Immortal Sects were reluctant to provoke the Azure Phoenix and Dragon clans.

This was also why, despite the immense value of their bodies, no one dared to hunt them. Dragon scales and Phoenix feathers were extremely rare and invaluable, only obtained as gifts from the clans themselves or traded by the clans.

Gu Fuyou’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, “Senior Sister, do you have a way to hatch it?”

Zhong Michu shook her head. “The young dragon inside is dormant, having slept too long and missed the hatching period. Waking it up is not easy, and hatching it is impossible.”

“The young dragon inside is in hibernation, having slept for far too long and missing its hatching window. Waking it is difficult; hatching it is impossible.”

Gu Fuyou’s face fell in disappointment, “Ah? So it’s basically a dead egg?”

Even though the dragon egg, even as a dead egg, was still priceless, it was useless to them.

They couldn’t use it for crafting, nor could they risk damaging it.

The Dragon clan was fiercely protective. Especially now, with the Golden Dragons in decline, if they discovered someone had obtained a Golden Dragon egg and damaged it, there was no telling if they’d tear that person limb from limb or grind them to dust.

If the Golden Dragon egg were still alive and could be hatched, things would be different.

She and Zhong Michu could raise the little golden dragon together, maybe sneakily pluck a bit of dragon whisker or something. Even if it has to return to the Four Seas in the end, she and Zhong Michu have put in their hard work if not meritorious deeds. Presumably, the Dragon clan won’t just reward them with some dragon scales but also some rare treasures from the sea.

Alas, what a pity.

It looked like a treasure, but in reality, it was of little practical use.

Gu Fuyou touched the dragon egg, suddenly feeling a prick of pain in her hand. The pain made her hiss, and she drew back her hand as if she had been electrocuted.

“What happened?”

Gu Fuyou was also surprised, turned the dragon egg around, and it turned out that the circle of rough stone wrapped around the dragon egg was not smooth.

The place Gu Fuyou touched had a gap, and the edge of the stone at the gap was very sharp, like a sword’s edge. As Gu Fuyou touched it, she cut her finger, and fresh blood flowed from the fingertip, dropping into the gap and seeping in.

It looked as if it had been bitten.

She was disappointed and even got hurt.

Gu Fuyou pinched her injured finger, threw the dragon egg back into the box, and muttered, “It’s really like the dragon clan, still so fierce even in hibernation.”

Zhong Michu, who was arranging the brocade box, turned and asked, “Are Dragons that fierce?”

Gu Fuyou showed her the cut, “Isn’t this proof?”

Zhong Michu: “…”

Gu Fuyou’s disappointment didn’t last long, and she cheered up again.

After all, this dragon egg indirectly helped her earn ten million spirit stones. Besides, the dragon egg originally belonged to Zhong Michu, so it was up to Zhong Michu to decide what to do with it. She might as well pretend she didn’t know it was a dragon egg.

With that thought, she put the matter behind her.

After resting for a day, the two went on shopping for several days. With plenty of money to spend, Gu Fuyou wanted to buy everything she saw.

Considering Zhong Michu found a dragon egg on the first day, Gu Fuyou not only believed in her discernment but also thought she was extremely lucky. She dragged her back to the raw stone stalls.

As Gu Fuyou expected, Zhong Michu had an impeccable knack for making choices.

Although they were not extremely rare and precious items, they could be sold for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

They discovered two spiritual artifacts. One was a Thunderstone, a thunder-attributed spiritual treasure. After absorbing it, one could not only improve their cultivation but also refine the power of thunder, summoning thunder with a booming sound that could shake the heavens and shatter enemies, perfectly suitable for those with a thunder spiritual root. The other was a core of a Nascent Soul Stage spirit beast, a very pure Fire Spirit Pill.

When these artifacts were revealed, not only did the stall owner offer to buy them back, but passing cultivators also made high bids.

Gu Fuyou refused to sell.

She’s not short of money now.

Of the two spiritual treasures, she fed one to Ah Fu, and planned to keep the other for Si Miao.

Gu Fuyou, with Zhong Michu by her side, spent days around the raw stone stalls. Both Gu Fuyou and the stall owners were driven mad — she was mad with joy at Zhong Michu’s treasure-finding ability, while the stall owners were horrified, opting to flee at the sight of the duo.

They played at the market for several days until the time of the canyon race.

This time, the race was held in the Yunduan Grand Canyon outside the East City, starting at Moon Exit Pass.

The two, along with Ah Fu, headed to Moon Exit Pass, the uniqueness of its geography evident right from the entrance.

The entrance to the Moon Exit Pass was a pavilion, situated on the cliffs on both sides, connecting the two ends, with a hollow valley underneath.

There were guards in front of the pavilion, and inside was a table where a guide sat, ready to answer any race-related questions for the visitors.

Gu Fuyou glanced at him and asked curiously, “Weren’t these usually handled by Mr. Qu in previous years?”

The guide, a man in blue robes with a long beard, replied, “Mr. Qu is ill, so I’m filling in for him.”

Gu Fuyou didn’t think much of it and handed over their entry tokens. The man in blue took them, checked them, and then asked, “What do you want to know?”

“The rules for this year’s race?”

“The same as previous years.”

“Is it a ground race or an air race?”

“Ground.”

Gu Fuyou gave him a few hundred spirit stones, saying, “Thank you.”

The man smiled slightly, “Safe travels to you both.”

The two of them, along with their beast, passed through the entrance to the Moon Exit Pass.

The Yunduan Grand Canyon stretched for thousands of miles, like a sword from beyond the skies had slashed the earth in half. Viewing the canyon from midair on a flying sword, the scene was extraordinarily majestic.

The Moon Exit Pass was located in the middle section of the Yunduan Grand Canyon, with peculiar peaks towering on both sides, shrouded in mist, reaching straight into the clouds.

The race wouldn’t start until the next day, so the two found an inn to stay for the night.

This inn was unique, built into the cliffside, carved out of the mountain to create individual stone rooms.

Climbing up the narrow, man-made mountain path, they could vaguely see lights below. This side of the mountain had many ‘rooms’ up and down.

The young guide led the two into one of these rooms. While it was spacious, the interior – with its stone bed, stone table, and stone stools – felt cold and hard.

The young man said with pride “Guests, this is the best room in our inn.”

“The best?” Gu Fuyou questioned with a hint of skepticism.

With a grand gesture towards the outside, the boy elaborated, “Of course, this is our inn’s best room with a mountain view. The view is excellent. To the left, you can see the treacherous winding dragon path of the Yunduan Grand Canyon, and to the right, the lush green summer scenery of Cuiyun Peak. In the distance…”

The room featured a large, square entrance that did not obstruct the view. However, a barrier had been set up so that while those inside could see out, those outside couldn’t peek in.

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Gu Fuyou handed over some spirit stones as payment and dismissed the boy.

Gu Fuyou sat on the stone bed and took out a bag of spirit stones to feed Ah Fu as a snack.

Ah Fu crunched noisily. Gu Fuyou pinched the flesh on its cheek and said, “Ah Fu, the race is on you tomorrow. I don’t expect you to finish first, but don’t end up last either.”

Ah Fu responded with a “woof” of understanding.

Gu Fuyou felt both proud and jealous. Ah Fu’s cultivation was growing rapidly, having already reached the peak of Qi Practicing, catching up to her.

Moreover, Ah Fu had grown bigger, strong as a bull.

Gu Fuyou added, “Luckily it’s a ground race. You can carry me. If it were flying, with your cultivation, you wouldn’t be able to soar. I’d have to trouble myself finding another spirit beast.”

Turning to Zhong Michu, while hugging Ah Fu and rubbing her face against its fluffy chest, Gu Fuyou inquired, “Senior Sister Zhong, are you participating in tomorrow’s race? I’ve never seen your spirit beast.”

Zhong Michu stood by the rocky wall, seemingly admiring the mountain view. The mountain breeze caused her dress to flutter and her hair to dance in the wind.

Seeing this, Gu Fuyou smiled, realizing Zhong Michu must have fallen in love with the place.

In Yunduan Grand Canyon, one could best feel the vastness of the world.

Zhong Michu finally responded, “I don’t have a spirit beast.”

Surprised, Gu Fuyou asked, “Have you not summoned it yet?”

Zhong Michu shook her head, saying, “I can’t summon.”

Gu Fuyou assumed she meant she’d tried and failed. Indeed, there were cases where, despite one’s abilities, they received no response during the summoning ritual. Such individuals were not uncommon.

Silently, Gu Fuyou reflected, “So, Senior Sister Zhong also has her limitations.”