Chapter 280 - Biyang Imperial Capital
Luck had played a part in Long Chen’s growth since the Star Devil Prison incident. The special qualities of a Dragon Warrior played an even larger role, while his own resilience and intelligence were other reasons.
Ling Xi was enamored by the stories he told of his recent experiences. She said she was not going to sleep, but she had a mortal’s body, so it was impossible for her to not rest. As she listened to his stories, she fell into a deep sleep.
Before dawn the next day, Long Chen ran to the Jade Royal Palace’s handmaiden quarters to find sets of female clothing. He did not care how much Ling Xi actually needed; he took a huge pile so she could pick from them.
No girl would be able to resist pretty clothing. Ling Xi was excited because she no longer had to wear his loose male clothes. She mustered up her courage and gave him a peck on his cheek, like a dragonfly touching the water surface.
Long Chen and Xiaolang waited outside.
After a while, the door opened gently. Long Chen’s eyes brightened when he saw the well-dressed Ling Xi. The clothes belonged to the handmaidens, so they were not very luxurious, but it was different because they were now on Ling Xi. She wore a long, pale pink and white silk dress with yellow flowers embroidered around the edges of the skirt and sleeves. Large hydrangeas covered the beautiful dress; there was a white ribbon densely embroidered with strange patterns tied around her waist, accentuating her balanced proportions. Her shoes were embroidered with lilies and lined with soft fox fur, with a jade accessory hanging on each shoe.
She wore two silver bangles on her jade-like wrists, which clinked melodiously whenever she lifted her hand, and tassel earrings hung from her ears. Her silk-like, ink-black hair floated gracefully at waist height with only a few milk-white pearl hair accessories in it that contrasted with her shiny hair.
Long Chen felt like she was a fairy who had mistakenly entered the mortal realm and was absolutely mesmerized, falling for her all over again.
“Brother Chen ...” This was her first time dressing up for him, so she was not confident. She walked up to him and looked at him. “How do I look?”
“As beautiful as a fairy from the heavens,” Long Chen answered instinctively.
“Really?” Ling Xi was as happy as a butterfly, spinning and letting her dress flutter. “So, this is sunlight ...” She looked up and squinted at the sky.
“Don’t be silly. Also, keep the clothes; they’re all yours now. Let’s go meet the Ninth Prince.” Long Chen smiled and grabbed her hand to head to the Ninth Prince’s pavilion while she peered around her. She looked like a little princess under Long Chen’s protection.
Xiaolang followed them a little miserably. From today onwards, he would officially be forgotten. Ling Xi observed the wolf behind them. From Long Chen’s explanation, she understood that the Sun Devouring Wolf was indeed terrifying, and Mo Xiaolang’s spirit was currently in its body. She had seen Mo Xiaolang in Baiyang Town previously, and when she heard that he had been through near-death experiences with Long Chen, she already saw him as a little brother.
“Brother Chen, he called me ‘sister-in-law,’” Ling Xi said with a giggle, blushing slightly.
Long Chen looked at Ling Xi and Xiaolang. After Yang Lingqing left with Li Xuanji, these two were the most important people in his life. He privately swore to protect them well for the rest of his life. Naturally, with the Sun Devouring Wolf’s body, Xiaolang was likely to go far in the future too.
From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like there were only two people present. Mo Xiaolang now played the role of a pet, walking by Long Chen’s side. It was likely that he would remain in this state for a while.
When they were walking, the Ninth Prince had already sent someone to greet him. The guard was startled when he saw Ling Xi next to Long Chen, because she looked like a fairy from the legends—innocent but sophisticated, invoking an onlooker’s shame when they laid their eyes on her. No impure thoughts would be roused by such an innocent presence.
Very soon, Long Chen arrived at the Jade Royal Palace’s main building and saw the Ninth Prince’s mount, the Piercing Wind Dragon Falcon. When the Category Nine beast smelled Mo Xiaolang’s dark and terrifying aura, it quickly stumbled a few steps back and whined, showing that it was submissive.
Tamed beasts were usually not as fierce as wild ones, so how would it dare rebel in the face of a wickedly powerful beast like the Sun Devouring Wolf?
The Ninth Prince was already waiting in the palace. His arrival in Yuanling City had previously required all the human and wealth resources of the three factions, but his departure only involved himself and Old Yan.
When the Ninth Prince was about to declare their departure, he spotted the extremely beautiful girl next to Long Chen and froze, his eyes fixed on her.
“She’s one of my people, Ling Xi. She wants to go with me to the Biyang Imperial Capital; that’s not a problem, right?” asked Long Chen. Ling Xi was just too beautiful, and he had an odd feeling about the Ninth Prince’s gaze, so he had no choice but to speak up.
“She’s the beauty of the century, the kind of beauty that can crumble a kingdom. You’re lucky! I was mesmerized,” said the Ninth Prince with a smile after Long Chen’s words woke him up.
The Ninth Prince’s gaze made Ling Xi uncomfortable. Grabbing Long Chen’s arm, she hid behind him.
“You’ll be settling down in the Biyang Imperial Capital from now on, so of course you need to bring her. There’s no time to waste; let’s go now.” The Ninth Prince nodded and no longer looked at them, walking in front. Long Chen grabbed Ling Xi’s hand and mounted the Piercing Wind Dragon Falcon’s wide back.
There were many tall mountains and deep valleys along the journey to the Biyang Imperial Capital. Since the Dragon Falcon could fly, it was not affected by the terrain. However, it would greatly affect Xiaolang, so even though he could run faster than the Dragon Falcon could fly, he had no choice but to ride the Dragon Falcon together with Long Chen.
The Piercing Wind Dragon Falcon was terrified of Xiaolang, and its whole body trembled. Old Yan comforted it for a while, and the beast eventually realized that the Sun Devouring Wolf was not going to hurt it. It finally unfolded its gigantic wings and they departed.
There was a gust of wind, and in the blink of an eye, Long Chen was up in the sky above Yuanling City. Because Ling Xi was afraid of the cold, he had to take a blanket from his Universe Pouch to wrap her tightly, then he used his body to block the wind with her in his arms.
Ling Xi felt much better in this state. Long Chen looked down and whispered, “Hold on for a little longer. We’ll reach the Biyang Imperial Capital very soon.”
“I’m fine, Brother Chen. I’m very warm with your arms around me,” she said with a smile.
Xiaolang was a boundless heat source, so Long Chen grabbed him and thrust him into Ling Xi’s arms to keep her warm, outside the thick cotton blanket.
Poor Mo Xiaolang stared at Long Chen innocently, causing Ling Xi to burst into giggles.
As the Piercing Wind Dragon Falcon flew ahead, the Ninth Prince turned, saw them talking, then turned back around silently. He stared straight ahead, his gaze cold and quiet.
“Your Highness?” Old Yan could guess his thoughts.
“There’s no need to hurry. Anything that is mine will always be mine. No one can take anything from me,” said the Ninth Prince maliciously.
Time passed slowly. Although Ling Xi’s body was weak, she did not fall sick under Long Chen’s meticulous care. Xiaolang’s body heat was extremely useful too. The Sun Devouring Wolf was a fire elemental beast, so if he did not release the peculiar Nine Devils Ancestral Fire, his body was hot.
Sunlight constantly poured in Xiaolang’s direction.
“Brother Chen, I have a feeling that our trip to the Biyang Imperial Capital will be treacherous. It will be difficult to get the Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit in the Counter Essence Realm,” Ling Xi said worriedly.
Powerful cultivators were as common as clouds there. Long Chen was nothing compared to them, so of course it would be dangerous for him.
“Don’t worry. Pressure also means growth. When I first went to Yuanling City, my cultivation was not even stabilized yet. However, in the capital, although my cultivation level is lower than theirs, I am as good as they are in all other aspects,” he said with determination.
Indeed, in terms of Earth-tier techniques, he already had the Level Three Blazing Thunder Combat Body, the intermediate Earth-tier Azure Dragon Combat Technique, the intermediate Earth-tier defensive technique Nine Spinning Fire Shields, as well as the advanced Earth-tier Divine Fire Clone. Furthermore, he had skills unique to a Dragon Warrior such as Blood Transmutation, which strengthened as he did. Even the Soul Swallowing Gaze, the technique he received from Li Xuanji, was starting to become useful to him.
Long Chen also had Xiaolang with him now, who was the ultimate demonic beast, as his sidekick.
“It doesn’t matter how deep the waters are in the Biyang Imperial Capital; we will do our best! Let’s take risks while we’re young!” said Long Chen with a chuckle.
There were super powerful factions in the Biyang Imperial Capital. Long Chen could peer at the tip of this iceberg based on the Ninth Prince’s strength. He estimated that he was no match for the Ninth Prince, even if he fought him together with Xiaolang.
Ling Xi suddenly looked up and said nervously, “Brother Chen, Xiaolang told me just now that he noticed malicious intent in the Ninth Prince’s gaze.”
She knew that Long Chen was still too weak to fight the Ninth Prince, and this made her anxious.
Long Chen had noticed it too. One simple look was enough for a person to reveal their true intentions. The Ninth Prince, Lin Cangtian, treated their relationship more like a business exchange, and he intended to use Long Chen. It was not friendship.
“Don’t worry, I have my methods,” Long Chen said, patting her head.
The Ninth Prince had mentioned that with the Dragon Falcon’s speed, their journey would be five days long. After almost five whole days, the Piercing Wind Dragon Falcon started to slow down and started its slow descent. Long Chen could now see the landscape below clearly, which was a patch of lush, green forest. Rivers criss-crossed through the forest, and he saw a mirror-like lake.
“We’re arriving soon,” said the Ninth Prince.
That was when a black ray of light shot up into the air from their flank, heading straight for the Dragon Falcon!
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