LAVW – Chapter 65 Brother Qian Brushes the Dragon

Shi Qian thought for a moment and remembered that the clam shell wasn’t that big right now.

So even if the black dragon couldn’t bite it open, there was still the possibility it could swallow it whole.

Imagining himself being eaten alive by Long Ye made Shi Qian feel utterly miserable, like a distressed chinchilla.

What’s more, the clam shell was a keepsake left to Shi Qian by Brother Clam. It wasn’t something Long Ye could go around gnawing on.

Shi Qian immediately woke up the sleeping Black Sword: “Squeak Squeak!”

Wake up! Big Black, time to run!

The Black Sword let out a “zheng” in confusion, rattled by the sudden jolt.

There was no time to explain. Shi Qian quickly controlled the clam shell to grow larger.

Large enough to be the size of a house — big enough that even a dragon couldn’t swallow it in one bite.

Then, Shi Qian cautiously sniffed around, making sure the direction he picked didn’t give off any dangerous scents. He cracked open a small opening, sent the sword dashing through space, and bolted a good distance away.

The moment he exited the clam shell, he didn’t dare make a sound.

Shi Qian turned his head and, through the dimly glowing blue lake surface, saw the majestic black dragon still gnawing on the massive clam shell.

Due to the lighting, the lake water wasn’t very clear.

The black dragon’s dark scales shimmered in flickering light and shadow, mysterious and dignified. Wisps of pale white cloud hovered under its feet, as though it were treading on auspicious clouds.

The wounds on the dragon’s body had long since healed, with no sign of its previous misery. Now, as the undisputed overlord of the cold lake, it stretched its long, powerful body freely.

The black dragon coiled its body and twisted its head around.

A pair of dark red eyes locked onto Shi Qian.

Then, in its not-quite-clear-headed state, the black dragon spat out the oversized clam shell, swiped its claws, and swiftly swam toward Shi Qian — who clearly smelled tastier.

Shi Qian: Ahhhhh!!

“Squeak Squeak!”

Brother Ye, don’t come over here!

The black dragon didn’t listen at all and, in the blink of an eye, was already upon them.

The Black Sword carried Shi Qian and took off running, but the large tail behind them locked on and refused to let go.

Shi Qian realized this couldn’t go on. He circled back, retrieved the clam shell, shrank it down to the size of a peanut, and clipped it to the chain of his storage necklace hanging on his chest.

Now with his hands free, he began tossing things at the black dragon.

Various ores.

Different spiritual fruits.

Books and jade slips that Long Ye liked.

None of it worked. The black dragon happily ate the ores and fruits, spat the books and jade slips to the side, and continued chasing Shi Qian and the Black Sword.

Shi Qian: ……

Look at that — even after turning into a demonic beast, Long Ye has lost interest in studying. Clearly, studying isn’t meant for beasts.

While mentally complaining to relieve his stress, Shi Qian flung out his golden bowl, hoping to trigger a sliver of Long Ye’s consciousness.

But after glancing at it twice, the black dragon bit into Shi Qian’s golden nest and crunched it down in two chews, swallowing it happily.

And it even looked like it enjoyed it.

Shi Qian: This guy’s a lost cause.

Then Shi Qian specifically dug out some spiritual herbs and ores that were supposed to enhance bloodlines and tossed them toward the black dragon.

The dragon clearly liked them better — it started gobbling them up even faster, not even bothering to chew.

They had flown until Black Sword was nearly exhausted, and even the top-grade spirit stones Shi Qian was using for energy were running low. It had already been nearly a whole day of nonstop chasing.

Shi Qian felt like the icy lake water had even warmed up a bit.

After one more burst of escape, he finally managed to shake the black dragon off for a moment. Exhausted, Shi Qian glanced up at the lake’s surface but still chose not to break through the ice.

There was more space above, sure, but he was afraid the black dragon would go up and cause chaos — there were too many people up there.

His head spinning from the long chase, Shi Qian grabbed a storage pouch at random. He reached in and threw a bunch of things before realizing — it was full of spirit melon seeds and peanuts.

Clutching the pouch, Shi Qian felt a little desolate: “Squeak Squeak…”

Stop chasing me, Brother Ye! You’ve nearly wiped out my entire fortune!

Even a rich spirit beast can’t survive without food storage.

Shi Qian had worked hard for over ten years in the cultivation world, and he was almost driven to bankruptcy in a single day by Long Ye.

The black dragon bit into a few melon seeds, finally pausing, and then chased after the floating ones — vacuuming up the water along with them.

After eating, the black dragon spun around happily and breathed out dragon breath at Shi Qian.

Shi Qian, being at least half a dragon himself, understood that this meant the dragon was very pleased.

He finally let out a big sigh of relief: “Squeak Squeak——”

If you liked this stuff, you should’ve said so earlier.

I’ve got plenty more.

Because they had been out at sea, Shi Qian had saved his snacks to share with everyone. After returning to Sword Sect, everyone had given him a lot as thanks.

He could literally measure it in storage bags.

At the time, Shi Qian had been curious why everyone’s gifts were so uniform, as if they had coordinated beforehand.

After some inquiries, he learned that Wang Xingzhi had already asked where the best spirit melon seeds were sold and had specially prepared them for him. This led everyone to know that he liked them, so they all tacitly gave the same thing in abundance.

Counting the storage pouches of spirit melon seeds in his storage necklace, Shi Qian’s confidence reignited.

He was sure that before the seeds ran out, he could mend his relationship with Black Dragon.

Black Sword: “Zheng zheng—”

C-Can we rest for a while now?

Shi Qian was exhausted too, so he decided to stop struggling. Gasping for breath, he said, “Squeak.”

No… not running anymore.

Shi Qian clutched his dizzy little head.

After a whole day of space jumping and continuous feeding, if it weren’t for his now much stronger body, he would’ve collapsed.

At worst… he’d just go into Long Ye’s stomach and teach him how to be a proper dragon from inside.

Shi Qian sat numbly on the equally drained Black Sword.

Looking at the approaching massive black dragon, he compared their size difference and, with a spinning head, had some outrageous ideas.

Maybe… crawl into the dragon’s ear?

If that’s not acceptable, even a nostril could work.

But as the black dragon opened his massive mouth and drew closer, Shi Qian couldn’t help but chicken out and tried to warn Long Ye.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, calm down, calm down. I’m your Brother Qian!

“Roar—”

The black dragon let out a roar, but it had no particular meaning—it was just a roar. It seemed he hadn’t regained intelligence yet, not even capable of expressing simple ideas.

Shi Qian thought for a moment and attempted to imitate the dragon’s roar.

What came out was: “Roar-Squeak—”

Mouth open, nothing like a dragon.

His language ability was about on par with the black dragon’s.

When Shi Qian finished roaring, he found the dragon’s massive head had come closer, the crimson in its eyes fading to a dark red-black, making them seem less ferocious but still glinting coldly. Reflected in them were two small white furballs.

Shi Qian: …

This kind of self-reflection view is terrifying.

Who said this was romantic?

Shi Qian was ready to catch that person and feed them to the dragon.

The black dragon tilted his head, and the long whiskers drifting in the water brushed against Shi Qian.

Black Sword subtly retreated a bit.

He was really worried the little master might get swallowed whole.

The black dragon moved again, inching even closer.

Key detail: This dragon still had his mouth open, revealing sharp white fangs that had bitten through a flood dragon.

Shi Qian reached out his little paws in resistance: “Squeak Squeak.”

Back off, Brother Ye.

As he spoke, he tossed a handful of spirit melon seeds far away, trying to show the black dragon to keep his distance.

But being so close, the toss didn’t go very far.

Smelling the scent he liked, the black dragon opened his mouth and did a wild dragon inhale, sucking in both water and seeds in one breath.

In that moment of chaos, Black Sword—along with Shi Qian on its back—got caught in the swirling current and were sucked straight into the dragon’s mouth.

Shi Qian: ?

“Zheng—”

Black Sword let out a distressed hum, curled itself around its little master tightly, and urgently teleported them out from inside the dragon’s mouth.

Fortunately, Shi Qian was small, so the escape was smooth.

Carried by Black Sword, Shi Qian fled the dragon’s mouth and saw the black dragon spitting out water, as if realizing he had accidentally swallowed something he shouldn’t.

After a few spits, the spirit melon seeds floated back to the water’s surface. The black dragon lifted his head, both big eyes fixed on Shi Qian, and blew out a puff of dragon breath on the spot.

One breath could stir up massive waves—that was the power of a close-range dragon breath.

Having barely escaped danger, Shi Qian tried to comfort himself.

At least when he was swallowed, the dragon didn’t chew—he realized and spat him out. That’s… not bad?

Shi Qian tried negotiating with the black dragon: “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, can you go play by yourself for a bit? Don’t follow me.

Let my exhausted soul have a break—I don’t have the energy to train a dragon right now.

But the black dragon wasn’t tired at all. He had just advanced and was full of energy.

However, after chasing this little white ball all day and being fed full, the black dragon wasn’t in a hurry to eat this very fragrant “big tonic.”

The black dragon swayed his body, closed his mouth, and swam over to the little white ball.

He reached out his dragon claw, realized it was too big, then curled it back and used a bent dragon finger instead.

Still very big—but the black dragon was trying his best.

Shi Qian, who had been lazily lying down, immediately protected the storage necklace and shell on his chest when he saw the giant dragon finger approaching. Warily, he asked: “Squeak?”

What are you trying to do?

“Squeak Squeak.”

There’s nothing left, really. You’ve nearly eaten me out of house and home.

“Squeak Squeak—”

Where’s your own storage pouch?

The black dragon, who was clearly trying to steal, let out a guilty “Roar—” and quickly withdrew his claw.

Shi Qian saw through the dragon’s guilty conscience and widened his shiny black eyes: “Squeak Squeak.”

You look all majestic and imposing like a real dragon, yet you’re being sneaky and stealing stuff?!

Black Sword emitted a confused sound: “Zheng—”

Can that still be considered “sneaky”?

Shi Qian: …You’re not wrong.

But there was no point wasting energy correcting it.

Staring at the black dragon’s massive head, Shi Qian still felt it was too dangerous to be watched like this.

He turned to discuss with Black Sword again: “Squeak Squeak.”

Big Black, how about we go onto the black dragon himself?

Black Sword fell silent.

Shi Qian explained his logic: “Squeak Squeak.”

If we hide on the black dragon, he won’t be able to eat us, right?

“Zheng—”

Dragons have bad tempers.

Shi Qian: “Squeak Squeak.”

Then I’m going up.

Black Sword: ?

Shi Qian directly steered the Black Sword and flew toward the top of the Black Dragon’s head, making the dragon raise his head to look.

“Squeak.”

Brother Ye, lower your head.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Cooperate a little, and I’ll crack some melon seeds for you.

Shi Qian didn’t even dare to take out any spirit melon seeds to demonstrate, afraid that the Black Dragon would swallow him again.

Successfully “landing,” Shi Qian climbed down from the Black Sword and carefully made his way along the scales toward the dragon horn on the Black Dragon’s head.

The dragon’s head was a bit too big, so standing near the edge gave Shi Qian a better grip on a “handrail.”

Hugging the Black Dragon’s horn, Shi Qian finally felt truly safe: “Squeak Squeak.”

At least now I don’t have to worry about being swallowed in one bite by Brother Ye.

The Black Dragon shifted its head slightly, clearly not used to the sensation, let out a low growl, and suddenly surged forward.

The icy lake water surged like waves, crashing over the dragon’s head.

Shi Qian hid behind the dragon horn, clutching tightly with all four limbs, refusing to let go.

In truth, the main target of the rushing water wasn’t him, but the extremely heavy black brick—Black Sword. After all, no one would be comfortable with a massive brick on their head.

Black Sword was sent tumbling by the waves and, too lazy to resist, just floated motionlessly on the surface.

After a while, Shi Qian noticed that the Black Dragon seemed to have completely ignored him and considered chasing away the Black Sword as the end of it.

He turned to look at Black Sword. “Squeak Squeak.”

Big Black, you follow on your own.

Then Shi Qian wiggled his butt and arrogantly sat beside the dragon horn, enjoying the experience of dragon surfing in the lake.

The Black Dragon circled around the lake a few times, then lifted its head and charged toward the surface.

Worried that the dragon would lead with its head again, Shi Qian hid behind the horn once more.

The Black Dragon didn’t notice the small detail, roared furiously, and shattered the ice layer on the lake surface with its dragon roar, revealing the dim sky before soaring into the air.

For a moment, Shi Qian forgot to worry about anyone else—watching the dragon soar was simply too thrilling.

The Black Dragon seemed born to fly. It had no wings, but with just a few movements of its body, it was already soaring through the sky.

Shi Qian recalled seeing clouds under the Black Dragon’s feet while it was in the water.

He leaned out curiously, stretching his neck with great effort, and finally saw the few small clouds.

Shi Qian: ?

That can’t be enough to support flight, right?

Shi Qian suspected that the mist under the dragon’s feet was purely for show—just for the vibe. Riding the clouds, soaring through fog and all that.

But then the cloud and mist aura surrounding them puzzled him again.

The Black Dragon swam through the gathered clouds, rolling and rubbing, shedding the wetness on its scales, which now gleamed even brighter, making it look majestic and divine.

Shi Qian: “Squeak?”

Is this… a bath?

He secretly rolled in the cloud mist himself and realized it really did feel like a bath. The spirit-infused clouds dispelled the damp chill clinging to his body after soaking in the lake.

After a few rolls, Shi Qian suddenly remembered something serious.

He clung to the dragon’s tail and peered down at the city below—Cold Ice City.

He had seen the people outside the city before—full of spirit, lifelike.

But now, the people within Cold Ice City looked like mannequins. They had lost that human essence, mechanically portraying joy and happiness, like unqualified actors brought in to fill the scene. Everything about them felt fake.

Worse still, scattered among the crowd were “corpses” that were completely ignored, and Shi Qian’s heart sank.

The people in this city… they must have been truly alive once.

Such was the cultivation world. A single cultivator with great power could wipe out an entire city—or even a whole country.

Shi Qian now counted among such cultivators. But after mingling in the cultivation world for so long, he still felt that his soul bore the imprint of his past life.

Fairness, justice, law, and harmony… Amitabha.

A faint sound echoed in his ears—“Amitabha,” right? Shi Qian almost thought he was hallucinating, but after focusing, he realized it was real.

His gaze shifted from Cold Ice City below to the vast sky overhead.

The entire city seemed to be enveloped by something.

The sky here was low. The horizon lay just beyond the city’s edges. The sky was a bizarre mix of black, gray, and red.

Shi Qian summoned Black Sword and flew up, extending a paw to touch the “sky.”

A light membrane rippled in front of him. He poked it, slashed it a few times, and had to reluctantly accept the truth—he couldn’t get out.

“Squeak Squeak.”

If we want to take him down, we need the real body, not just an avatar.

Shi Qian was too familiar with this trope from all those “Long-AoTian” stories.

But it was just another piece of useless experience. Knowing didn’t help—he couldn’t beat it.

He dropped Black Sword and returned to the Black Dragon’s head.

Reaching out to pat the dragon’s skull, he said, “Squeak—”

Brother Ye, when are you going to wake up?

I really need you right now!

The Black Dragon simply continued flying through the clouds and mist, not stopping at all.

Shi Qian asked again: “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, where are you going?

“Roar—!”

The Black Dragon let out a roar and, shrouded in clouds, flew even faster.

There was a response—but also not really.

Shi Qian sighed, pulled out some melon seeds, and casually cracked a few.

Melon seed shells started falling from the clouds.

The Black Dragon caught the scent, intercepted the shells mid-air, scooped them into its mouth, chewed a couple of times, and swallowed.

Shi Qian: …That really wasn’t on purpose.

Blame it on Brother Ye being too proactive.

Shi Qian began properly storing the seed shells, then skillfully cracked out a handful of kernels and tossed them into the clouds as compensation for the earlier mistake.

After a couple of nibbles, the Black Dragon reached its destination.

Shi Qian realized—it had landed on a mountain of graves.

He thought of Long Ye’s mother—perhaps she was buried somewhere on this mountain.

But… could a mindless Black Dragon really find the right place?

Apparently—it could.

The black dragon precisely arrived in front of an earthen grave mound. It stretched out its powerful, muscular claws and, with just two swipes, dug open the top of the grave.

The movement was so quick that Shi Qian, who was perched on the dragon’s head, was caught off guard.

“Squeak Squeak!”

What are you doing, bro?!

Shi Qian quickly jumped down and tried to stop him, only to be splattered with dirt by the black dragon. He had no choice but to raise a spiritual shield just in time to protect himself.

When he looked up again, the black dragon had already dug deep into the ground, revealing the decayed soil layer below.

At first, Shi Qian thought the decay was due to rot, but when he didn’t see even a single piece of wood scrap, he realized it was an “empty grave.”

“Squeak?”

Did we get the wrong spot?

The black dragon dug out a massive pit—large enough to fit its giant head—but found nothing. It raised its head and let out a furious roar.

“ROAR——”

As its angry cry echoed, lightning surged outside the sky curtain, rumbling thunder followed.

Before long, the sound of pattering could be heard.

Large raindrops began to fall.

But instead of marveling at the mystical ability of the dragon to summon rain, Shi Qian felt only sorrow.

He frowned and remembered how You Fang had ordered the demonic cultivators to scavenge dragon-related items, even dragon bones.

The downpour came crashing down, washing away the dirt the black dragon had excavated. It gathered into muddy yellow puddles in the lower ground, surrounding the grave and dispersing all lingering scents in the air.

The black dragon collapsed into the puddle, coiling its body and pressing the soil back down again.

Then, it let out another series of angry roars, dispelling the mist in the area.

In the curtain of rain falling in all directions, this single spot remained dry.

Shi Qian jumped aside, shook the rainwater off his body, and then trotted across the filthy dragon’s body to its head.

He reached out a little paw and patted the black dragon’s pitiful, filial head.

How would the black dragon know that digging up a coffin was wrong? He just wanted to find his mother. Unfortunately, he was in a foolish state now, doing foolish things.

This time, Shi Qian touched the dragon’s head from the front.

At the moment of contact, amidst his instinctual sadness, the black dragon also felt a bit nervous.

Because it had regained a bit of clarity and suddenly remembered—it was this tiny thing that knocked out the flood dragon, giving it a chance to bite the creature to death in two bites.

Could this be… one of his kind?

The black dragon’s nose twitched. It sniffed the familiar scent and felt he might have forgotten—this little guy was his kind. Although it didn’t look like one, and was ridiculously small, it did smell like a dragon—different from that flood dragon.

Can’t eat him.

The black dragon let out another low rumble, its tone deeper and more subdued.

Shi Qian, now emotionally touched by his own imagination: Bro, don’t cry!

“Squeak Squeak.”

When we get back, I’ll take you home and split half of my mouse mom with you.

Out of pity for his Brother Ye, when the black dragon was bathing again, Shi Qian pulled out a small brush that Long Ye had bought him before.

He started on the dragon’s head, brushing it a couple of times.

Unexpectedly, the black dragon shook its head, curled its long body, and flipped over, signaling the little guy to keep going.

Shi Qian understood—exposing a soft, vulnerable belly was a sign of trust.

To think that raising favorability was this easy! No need to worry about getting eaten anymore!

Shi Qian happily sat on the dragon’s belly and began brushing.

After brushing about half a meter, Shi Qian tapped the black dragon’s protruding—probably chest—area with the brush.

He heard two crisp bang-bang sounds in his ears.

So dumb… a full dragon belly is hard as a rock. Vulnerable and soft, my foot.

Shi Qian gave up halfway: “Squeak Squeak.”

I’m not brushing anymore.

The black dragon reached out a claw, pinning down the little guy who had made him feel so good: “Roar——”

Shi Qian, tearfully continuing to brush: “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, you trying to make me pay it all back in one go? That’s cruel.

A single large dragon probably equaled who knows how many Totoro-sized critters.

The black dragon didn’t understand him. It just extended its claw again in front of the little guy, the meaning obvious:

Come on, brush the claw next.

Shi Qian cleaned it up and sneakily bit the claw.

Sure enough, he couldn’t pierce the skin.

But if he bit me, that’s another story. Never mind, I’ll endure it.

Sitting on the dragon’s belly, Shi Qian used spiritual power hands to continue brushing diligently.

Every stroke of this hard work had better raise the favorability! Otherwise, this dragon’s behavior would just be rude.

Shi Qian had only heard a couple of “Amitabhas,” but in reality, outside the sky curtain of Cold Ice City, there were hundreds of great monks chanting sutras diligently.

The Buddhist Sect’s sacred treasure had been stolen, corrupted into a demonic artifact, and used by demonic cultivators to harm others.

The great monks could only gather here, trying to purify the Blissful Bowl to see if it could be restored and used again. If not, well, someone still had to clean up the mess.

Hua Qing listened to the waves of chanting as she watched the equally hard-working Hei Mao beside her.

The giant black-golden rat, after growing larger, had an even more imposing presence—just one rat could occupy the space of eight great monks.

Hei Mao chose a spot and began frantically attacking the same spot on the light barrier.

Its sharp claws slashed viciously, each strike piercing into the glowing membrane.

But the elastic barrier merely flickered with a trace of light and quickly returned to its original form.

Aside from the claws, there were also heavy body slams—and of course, plenty of biting.

What scared Hua Qing was—why did Hei Mao need to smash his head too?

After venting his energy, Hei Mao turned back in satisfaction to look for his little sister.

“Squeak——”

Huahua! Bath time!

To make his sister work, Hei Mao generously dragged out a bloodied demonic beast.

Stored in a high-grade storage necklace, the beast’s body was still fresh.

Hei Mao thought human cultivators had a lot of good stuff—like the necklace his little sister had offered up.

At first, Hei Mao found wearing it around the neck annoying. But later, he never took it off again.

Hua Qing’s subordinates took the beast away to be handled—it was for the general to eat later.

Hua Qing took out a spiritual jade bucket and prepared a medicinal bath for Hei Mao.

She was even more afraid than Hei Mao—that he might hurt himself from overexertion.

If anything happened to Hei Mao, Hua Qing would be in an even worse situation.

Hei Mao reverted to his original form and jumped into the bucket. “Squeak—”

So small.

Hua Qing: …

Do you have any idea how much those spiritual herbs used to heal your internal injuries are worth? If the people from Sword Sect found out, they’d want to rob you.

But reasoning was pointless, so Hua Qing chose to fudge the explanation. “General, the smaller the bucket, the better the medicinal effect.”

Hei Mao didn’t know how to argue back—big buckets could hold more medicine. But he couldn’t think that fast.

Still, Hei Mao had thoughts of his own. He sighed and tapped his big head.

“Squeak.”

Alright then.

Even though the lake at his front door was much bigger than this bucket, what could he do? His little sister was living a hard life.

Her whole mountain didn’t even have one decent spirit beast.

Hua Qing had no idea she was being pitied. If she knew, she might not be able to control her expression.

Thinking back, the celestial cranes of Divine Flower Valley used to love flying around her. Now… they screamed and fled at the sight of her.

After settling this revered ancestor in the medicinal bath and preparing good food, Hua Qing finally went to consult a Buddhist master.

“Master Chan Hua, I would like to ask if the general, being so close to a demonic artifact, will be affected.”

Her silver hair was simply tied into a braid that hung before her chest, her skin like white jade, and her features, shaped by the cultivation of Divine Flower Valley, radiated holiness.

At that moment, her cold and beautiful face carried a faint trace of sorrow in her brows, stirring compassion even in the monk’s merciful eyes.

The monk in his robes put his palms together and bowed. “Amitabha, Saintess need not worry.”

“The general acts out of devotion to his brother. He is sure to move the heart of Buddha. Moreover, his mind is pure and unstained, clear as a moonlit mirror. He will not be tainted.”

Hua Qing, who often spoke in riddles herself, understood.

What he meant was—Hei Mao is simple-minded. There’s no need to worry. If it were someone clever, then she’d really need to be concerned.

Hua Qing’s expression softened, and she spoke gratefully, “Thank you, Master, for resolving my doubts. I can now set my worries aside.”

“Buddha is compassionate,” the monk said, then changed tone. “But it is possible that the general’s efforts may bear no fruit.”

The Buddhist masters knew their sacred artifacts better than anyone, even those that had fallen into demonic hands.

The Supreme Joy Bowl was a primordial soul-type treasure, and the bowl itself was made from the world’s most rigid yet supple materials—not something that could be damaged by external force or a mere Nascent Soul-stage beast.

In Hua Qing’s heart: I can’t control him. Might as well let Hei Mao find a way to burn off his energy.

Out loud, she only sighed, her brows carrying a mix of helplessness, indulgence, and a touch of emotion.

“He has searched for his brother for years. How could he let go?”

Meanwhile, soaking in his medicinal bath, Hei Mao felt himself growing stronger and was filled with even more joy.

Chewing on a roasted spirit beast prepared by a human cultivator, Hei Mao thought: No wonder Mom kept collecting younger brothers. Turns out they’re really useful!

When I see my little brother again, I’ll definitely teach him this.

Hei Mao bathed and ate his fill, body warm and cozy, and soon fell asleep in the bucket.

After checking on the monks’ progress, Hua Qing returned to find Hei Mao sound asleep.

She looked at the slumbering giant rat and thought: Hei Mao must still be thinking about his brother, right?

Even though Hei Mao didn’t seem anxious at all, even though he ate well and slept soundly, even though he seemed to really like that layer of light membrane outside Ice City…

How could I possibly doubt a spirit beast that’s searched for his brother for over ten years?

Hua Qing closed her eyes and joined the monks in chanting sutras, clearing the stray thoughts from her mind.

Meanwhile, inside Ice City, Shi Qian watched the black dragon sleeping amid clouds and mist. After finishing brushing its tail, he sneakily destroyed the brush to hide the evidence.

Next time, he’d just tell the dragon it broke.

Shi Qian lay down on the dragon’s tail, stretching his limbs and staring at the sky.

Just lying like that, he was about to fall asleep when the black dragon’s aura suddenly surged again—his cultivation was rising once more.

All that feeding hadn’t been in vain.

After devouring so many good things, there were finally results.

Shi Qian thought: With all those treasures that strengthen bloodlines, maybe, just maybe, they could fix Brother Ye’s brain.

Hopefully when he wakes up, he’ll be back to normal.

Because Shi Qian really missed his good brother. Definitely not because he was nearly eaten by a dragon and then forced to brush it.

While Shi Qian waited hopefully, his own cultivation skyrocketed in just a few days to the late Nascent Soul stage, but the black dragon still didn’t wake up.

Bored, Shi Qian took his black sword and began exploring Ice City.

But the city was full of “fake people.” No matter how he looked at it, everything felt staged. After two days, he was sick of it.

Out of boredom, Shi Qian finally started attacking the fake people.

He entered one household’s courtyard—this family had all generations present.

Inside, the young couple had their routine daily quarrel.

When the wife went to do laundry, she found a pink handkerchief in her husband’s clothes—sparking a domestic war.

The wife accused the husband, tearfully making a scene, drawing in relatives to mediate.

Then the husband began sobbing, even kneeling to swear his innocence.

Shi Qian, perched in a tree, summoned a bolt of lightning right above their courtyard.

The wife froze, tears on her face, disbelief in her eyes.

Very experienced in lightning strikes, Shi Qian added another bolt—this time aimed at the husband, nearly zapping the lying scoundrel.

Indeed, everything the man said while swearing was a lie.

Shi Qian had clearly seen the man’s belt in the neighbor’s house. It had been lovingly hand-stitched by the wife and even came up in their argument.

The husband clearly didn’t expect divine punishment for lying. His face turned pale, and he began pleading with the heavens.

The wife tore the handkerchief apart, and her frail body erupted with fury, pushing the husband into the courtyard. “Let the lightning strike you dead, you heartless bastard!”

With that curse, her eyes lit up, her spirit returning. Her gaze became lively again. But her body had weakened—she collapsed.

Shi Qian: ?

He never imagined these “fake people” weren’t dead—they were just trapped in an illusion of “happiness.” He had thought they’d been refined into puppets.

No wonder they had seemed so lifelike before—they really weren’t dead.

Shi Qian discovered a new hobby—staging tragedies in Happy City.

Some setups failed, but even if he just acted like a brat and set a house on fire, the shock would wake the parents up.

And once the adults woke up, the kids would get a good spanking—and be “saved.”

Shi Qian: I may set fires and summon lightning, but I swear I’m a good dragon-cat.

With the key to saving people in hand, Shi Qian quickly turned Ice City into a lively mess.

Then he claimed to be the Dragon God and declared that he had smote the deceiving Celestial Venerable. To the now-awakened citizens of Ice City, he issued “divine orders” to rescue the others.

The Celestial Venerable used “brainwashing,” but Shi Qian had literally hung a massive black dragon in the sky for all to see.

The black dragon slumbered for half a month. Thanks to Shi Qian’s efforts, even the sky above Ice City was beginning to clear.

Outside the city—

The monks were overjoyed.

“As expected of a divine artifact! The Supreme Joy Bowl is cleansing the filth from within!”

“Surely its true nature remained untainted by demonic energy and could still hear our chants—thus it began saving itself.”

“Saintess, good news. In just a few more days, we’ll be able to enter and exit Ice City.”

Back with Hua Qing, Hei Mao had learned the light barrier was about to disappear. He stopped sleeping entirely and focused on growing stronger.

Even though he missed his brother dearly, this was the first time he’d met such a strong “opponent” who didn’t even fight back.

He couldn’t bear to part with it.