The Dragon

A Great Turmoil Begins Today

Gu Fuyou: “…”

The bell lay motionless on the ground. Gu Fuyou approached with suspicion, picked it up, and and examined it closely.

The bell began to ring frantically again, causing a sharp pain in Gu Fuyou’s ears. It agitated her so much that she felt like smashing it to the ground.

“Is this the Yan’er Bell?”

Gu Fuyou turned to see Zhong Michu standing behind her, retracting the Gengchen. Her face had returned to its normal color, and the dragon horns on her forehead had vanished. Other than her tired look and slightly red eyes, she appeared normal.

“It should be.” In a moment of distraction, the bell slipped from her grasp.

Annoyed, Gu Fuyou exclaimed, “Hey!”

The Yan’er Bell flew directly towards Zhong Michu, circling her as if inspecting her. Finally, it gently swayed in front of her, its sound unexpectedly gentle.

Gu Fuyou remarked with a chuckle, “It’s a magical artifact that’s selective about its company.”

Zhong Michu noticed the blood on the Yan’er Bell and her gaze followed to Gu Fuyou, “Your hand…”

Hearing this, Gu Fuyou looked down at her palms. A deep gash on her right palm was oozing blood, dripping to the ground. Previously preoccupied with Zhong Michu, she had completely forgotten about the wound.

“Give me your hand.”

Gu Fuyou complied. Zhong Michu held her hand, summoned a small stream of water to clean the blood, and used her spiritual power to stop the bleeding.

Gu Fuyou smiled as she watched Zhong Michu tending to her wound, barely noticing the pain.

The Yan’er Bell gave a soft ring and settled on top of Zhong Michu’s head.

Seeing Zhong Michu with the bell atop her head, looking rather endearing, Gu Fuyou couldn’t help but chuckle, “It seems to like you a lot.”

Zhong Michu replied absentmindedly, “Mmm.”

Gu Fuyou thought that from the start, the Yan’er Bell hadn’t shown much aggression. If it were as powerful as described in the books, they hadn’t seen its full potential yet.

She speculated, “Maybe we intruded into its domain, rather than it attacking us.”

Their ensnarement in the illusion might have been due to unresolved matters in their hearts.

Gu Fuyou surmised that the outer formation was there to protect the Yan’er Bell. Perhaps Uncle Sishi had accidentally entered this place, was injured by the Yan’er Bell, leading to his mental injury.

Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her hand.

Zhong Michu quickly bandaged her hand with a handkerchief, tying it securely.

Looking at the knot on the back of her hand, which resembled upright rabbit ears, Gu Fuyou played with it.

Zhong Michu said, “Next time, don’t do something as foolish as grabbing a sword with your hand.” It was clear she remembered what had happened in the illusion

Just as Gu Fuyou was about to speak, the ground shook violently.

Gu Fuyou’s expression changed, “Is it Gu Huaiyou and the others?!”

Zhong Michu responded, “Let’s go and see.”

The two rushed towards the source of the disturbance. On their way, Zhong Michu took the Yǎn’er Bell from her head and handed it to Gu Fuyou, saying, “This Yan’er Bell has no owner. Try to control it for protection.”

Gu Fuyou held the bell, and it rang in protest.

Gu Fuyou smirked, finding the Yan’er Bell quite rebellious. Even controlling Gengchen seemed easier than this bell.

Exiting the stone corridor and following a pathway, they came upon a grand palace.

In front of the palace, two groups were fighting. One of them included Gu Huaiyou and Si Miao. Si Miao was hurling insults at someone, “You mongrel! Despicable and shameless, there’s no one in this world is as shameless as you!”

Gu Fuyou thought to herself that although Si Miao can be harsh at times, she was still a lady from a noble family and rarely spoke rudely. Now that she’s using such coarse language, she must be extremely angry.

The individuals fighting against Gu Huaiyou and Si Miao were skilled, matching them blow for blow.

Additionally, three people stood on the steps of the palace, observing from the sidelines. The person in the middle wore a white robe with golden edges and had a pale face. Looking down with a disdainful smile, it was Zuo Tianyi.

Si Miao’s insults were aimed at him.

Zuo Tianyi scoffed, “Those ignorant commoners sought their own death, and your father had the audacity to confront me over their insignificant lives. The Zuo family is chosen by heaven and protected by fate; yet when opposing us, your father met his misfortune by falling into a pit. He wanted to blame me, but it’s his own fault for seeking trouble; he can’t resent my blessings.”

Suddenly, two of Zuo Tianyi’s subordinates pointed towards the entrance where Gu Fuyou and Zhong Michu were hiding, saying, “City Lord, someone is coming.”

Noticing they’d been spotted, Gu Fuyou and Zhong Michu emerged from hiding.

There was a lot of hidden information in what Zuo Tianyi had said. Gu Fuyou was able to guess a bit from it and his tone became very unfriendly, “Zuo Tianyi, what are you doing here?”

Upon hearing the voice, Gu Huaiyou, in the middle of fighting, glanced over and saw them. He was relieved and shouted, “Ah Man, the citizens of Ning City who fell are inside the palace. Senior Sister Zhong, please lead them out with Ah Man quickly. Don’t get entangled with Zuo Tianyi.”

Gu Fuyou noticed Gu Huaiyou and Si Miao struggling against Zuo Tianyi’s two subordinates, Gu Fuyou wanted to have Zhong Michu assist. But she was also wondering where Gan Fengzhong was.

While lost in thought, the ground shook again, followed by a loud rumbling noise.

The roof tiles of the palace in front of them broke open. Between the surge of spiritual energy, two figures shot out, clashing fiercely in mid-air.

One had a shining blade, the other powerful palm strikes. All could see were thousands of blade flashes and countless palm shadows.

It was Gan Fengzhong battling against one of Zuo Tianyi’s subordinates, Yan Zhi.

Had the two not been holding back and if there hadn’t been a defensive formation here, this place would have been torn apart by their fight.

While Yan Zhi was engaging with Gan Fengzhong, he still kept an eye on Zuo Tianyi’s safety. When he saw Gu Fuyou and Zhong Michu, he suddenly shouted, “City Lord, the Yan’er Bell is in Gu Fuyou’s hands!”

His words struck like thunder, echoing in everyone’s ears.

Zuo Tianyi’s attention had always been drawn to Zhong Michu. He hadn’t paid much attention to Gu Fuyou until Yan Zhi reminded him, prompting him to glance towards Gu.

Gu Fuyou had wanted to hide the Yan’er Bell, but it was uncooperative. As a result, both Yan Zhi and Zuo Tianyi saw it clearly.

Zuo Tianyi had been discreetly trailing behind Gu Fuyou and the others. He had followed them back to this place with two motives: to silence the civilians of Ning City underground and to acquire the Yan’er Bell.

He had previously seen the Yan’er Bell here and found it familiar. Upon investigating, he realized its identity as the sought-after Yan’er Bell.

Recognizing its value, he naturally became greedy, yearning to possess it.

Zuo Tianyi laughed heartily, “Heaven favors me! Yue Po, Yun Hun, take the Yan’er Bell!”

Before, Zuo Tianyi had at least pretended to be polite, but now that they were in the underground cave, he was ready to take it by force. Gu Fuyou couldn’t help but exclaim, “Shameless!”

As she spoke, the figures behind Zuo Tianyi blurred and in an instant stood in front of Gu Fuyou.

Cold sweat broke out on Gu Fuyou’s forehead. The pair’s massive hands pressed down on her, and she found herself unable to resist.

It felt like time had slowed down. Just as the hands were about to touch her, she felt a tight grip on her waist and the next moment, she found herself standing in the palace corridor.

A figure stood in front of her, with fluttering black hair and flowing robes. Although slender and graceful, the figure seemed as immovable as a mountain.

Before they could even settle, Yue Po and Yun Hun had already caught up.

Zhong Michu, with Gengchen in hand, stepped in front of Gu Fuyou, blocking their path.

Si Miao warned, “Senior sister, be careful! These two are mid-stage Golden Core cultivators.”

They were on the same cultivation level as Zhong Michu.

Gu Fuyou was worried. Even though Zhong Michu was skilled in both internal and external cultivation, facing two opponents would be tough.

She wanted to help, but she couldn’t get involved in a fight between Golden Core cultivators. Even getting closer made her feel overwhelmed by their spiritual pressure.

As Zhong Michu parried an attack from the two opponents, she remained calm and composed, instructing Gu Fuyou, “Go inside and stay there for now.”

“But what about you…”

“The citizens of Ning City are inside the palace. You have others who need your help.”

Gu Fuyou suddenly understood, thinking, “By staying here, I’m only holding her back. Our top priority is to protect the people of Ning City. That’s why we came in the first place.”

She nodded, saying, “Okay,” but added with grave concern, “Be careful.”

“You too.”

Gu Fuyou’s gaze lingered on Zhong Michu. She retreated a few steps before turning towards the palace. As she passed the entrance, her eyes inadvertently caught the name plaque of the palace.

Ruizhu Palace.

Gu Fuyou’s eyes narrowed slightly, a mix of surprise and recognition stirring within her heart.

Why the Ruizhu Palace again?

Inside the palace, the lighting was dim. Apart from rows of tall pillars, there was nothing else. The vast space seemed endless.

“Is anyone here?”

“Sister Fuyou?”

Recognizing the familiar voice, Gu Fuyou looked towards its source and saw a girl, about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in plain clothes, hiding behind one of the pillars.

“Ah Meng?!”

Approaching with the dim light of a candle, Gu Fuyou observed the girl’s messy appearance: bloodied clothes, puffy eyes, and an expression laden with grief.

Ah Meng suddenly hugged her, breaking into tears.

Startled, Gu Fuyou softened her voice, gently stroking Ah Meng’s head, “What happened?”

“How did you end up here? Where’s Uncle Meng?”

The Uncle Meng Gu Fuyou referred to was a subordinate of Si Gonghou, and Ah Meng was his daughter. Whenever Gu Fuyou visited Ning City, it was always Ah Meng who looked after her, so they became quite close.

Ah Meng’s crying drew the attention of others in the hall. Two individuals emerged from the depths of the hall and, upon seeing Gu Fuyou, exclaimed, “Third Miss!”

Ah Meng was too overcome with grief to speak.

Gu Fuyou addressed the two individuals, “Are there any other people here?”

“Third Miss, please come with us.”

The two led Gu Fuyou deeper into the hall. They reached a spot where a defensive formation was set up, its spiritual light dim and on the verge of breaking.

Inside the formation sat five or six people, all citizens of Ning City, looking drained with bloodshot eyes.

When Gu Fuyou inquired about the mining incident, the two guides provided a brief account.

“At first, we went to the mountains for mining as usual, but we encountered people from Huo City mining illegally.”

One of them angrily said, They’ve gone too far. We usually turn a blind eye if they mine a bit more near the border, but we never expected them to grow bolder and openly mine in our territory.”

It was the same spot that had collapsed when Gu Fuyou and her group had arrived.

“Old Meng was angered and went to confront the people from Huo City. They were the ones who started the fight, and only then did Old Meng fight back. However, those beasts from Huo City somehow got in the good graces of Zuo Tianyi. Zuo Tianyi came down with his men and killed Old Meng without any word. We couldn’t defeat them…”

Both individuals began to cry, filled with grief and injustice.

“Sigh, poor Ah Meng. At that time, she had come down with her mother to deliver food for us. When Old Meng died, her mother went mad on the spot and tried to confront Zuo Tianyi. But she was just a mortal… Ah Meng had to watch both her parents die before her eyes.”

They continued to narrate with a mix of anger and sorrow, “Later, when Si Gonghou heard the news, he rushed down, furious, demanding that Zuo Tianyi hand over those responsible and give an explanation.”

A conflict ensued between the two parties. During the fight, the ground collapsed, and everyone fell into this hole.

From the description of the two individuals, Gu Fuyou realized they had fallen directly into this place through the ground hole.

However, once inside, they couldn’t find a way out.

Exiting from a hole in the palace ceiling didn’t lead back to the original path.

During their search for an exit, another dispute arose. Zuo Tianyi proposed using the common folk with lower cultivation levels to scout the way ahead and trigger potential traps, reducing the risk for them.

Si Gonghou, of course, wouldn’t allow that, which led to another fight. Si Gonghou set up a defensive formation, allowing those with weaker cultivation to hide within it to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

One person said, “We were concerned about the situation and secretly observed from behind the palace doors. We saw Zuo Tianyi sending someone to ambush the City Lord. Just as we were about to alert the City Lord, they suddenly vanished before our eyes and haven’t reappeared since.”

Another one added, “At first, we were worried until Miss Si Miao came and told us that the city lord had left.”

“Even though the City Lord made it out, he was seriously injured. Zuo Tianyi must’ve used some sort of trick.”

Gu Fuyou looked at the bell in her hand, the Yan’er Bell, which swayed lightly, producing two faint rings.

She thought to herself, Si Gonghou and his team must have been drawn into an illusion during their fight. Zuo Tianyi’s ambush must have been successful, otherwise, someone of Si Gonghou’s cultivation level wouldn’t have been so severely injured in an illusion.

Gu Fuyou sighed. Although they were trapped in an illusion, they had also escaped the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams formation. It’s unclear whether this is a blessing in disguise or a curse.

One of them cursed, “Damn it, that Zuo Tianyi is truly despicable.”

A chilling voice echoed within the palace, “Lowly peasants. If you can’t speak properly, I’ll tear out your tongue!”

Everyone looked up to see a tall, lean figure approaching — it was Zuo Tianyi.