Main Text - Volume 3, Chapter 157: The Dragon Maiden

Shi Zhen, who had been sitting calmly at the head of the table, stood up the moment he caught sight of the monster's true appearance. He took a single stride forward, stopping right in front of the two of them, and asked, "Yu Mu, where did you find her?"

"Right inside the prison cell where I was locked up. Could it be that you old folks actually know what she is?"

Shi Zhen looked the monster up and down with a careful gaze, then muttered in deep thought, "If I'm not mistaken, she is a Dragon Maiden, one of the legendary Dragon-kin race."

"The Dragon-kin!" Everyone was startled.

"Great Grand-uncle, what is the Dragon-kin race?" Xiaomin asked immediately, unable to suppress her childlike curiosity.

Shi Zhen glanced around at the crowd, put his hands behind his back, lifted his chin, and said with a distant tone, "The Dragon-kin are a legendary race. It is said that in ancient times, dragons truly existed in this world, alongside a group of humans who dedicated themselves to serving them. These people were called the Dragon-kin."

"Whoa~" Not only Xiaomin, but everyone else looked at the Dragon Maiden with entirely different eyes now.

Shi Zhen continued, "The Dragon-kin had a dependent relationship with the true dragons and thus received their protection. Furthermore, their ancestors were all baptized in dragon blood, granting them a portion of the dragons' abilities."

"Dragons' abilities?! Doesn't that make them incredibly powerful?"

"Of course. They are born with formidable combat strength. It is even said that on rare occasions, a Dragon-kin might experience an atavistic awakening and transform into a true dragon."

"Wow, a true dragon!" By now, Xiaomin had completely transformed into an inquisitive little girl, circling the Dragon Maiden and staring endlessly. "So are they considered human, or spirits?"

"That I cannot say for sure." Shi Zhen shook his head. "They possess human traits yet carry dragon blood. I suppose they could be considered a special kind of existence, half-human and half-spirit."

Yet the Dragon Maiden, who had attracted everyone's astonished gazes, paid no attention whatsoever to these people pointing and gesturing at her. From the moment she entered the room, her eyes had not left the table full of delicious food.

'Could this creature still not be full? She seems like she'd be awfully hard to feed!' Yu Mu inwardly laughed wryly. After securing Shi Zhen's permission, Yu Mu signaled to the Dragon Maiden that she was free to enjoy the feast before her.

Without the slightest pretense of modesty, the Dragon Maiden immediately launched her twin claws like flying blades and began devouring the food wildly. In an instant, cups and dishes were left in utter disarray, with soup and sauces flying everywhere.

Looking at the Dragon Maiden displaying her raw, uninhibited nature, Shi Zhen sighed and said, "Alas! Because of the Dragon-kin's strength and absolute loyalty, after the dragons departed, they became targets hunted down by various factions. This caused the population of the Dragon-kin to plummet drastically, leading to widespread rumors that they had gone extinct.

"Of course, there were also legends saying they had long since escaped into the vast ocean and gone into seclusion. I never expected to lay eyes on one here today, and to find that she had fallen into Jiang Zhu's hands."

"Then where did the dragons that protected them go?" Xiaomin asked, unable to keep a look of pity from creeping into her eyes as she watched the Dragon Maiden.

"Before the path to immortality was sealed, they left this realm. However, these Dragon-kin were not accepted by the Immortal Realm, so they were left behind."

"Are they naturally like this from birth?" Xiaomin asked, watching the Dragon Maiden feed like a wild beast.

"Of course not. Their intelligence is no different from that of humans," Shi Zhen replied. "This girl has simply lacked civilization, which has left her spiritual awareness unopened. I imagine she was separated from her people long ago, which explains her state."

"She is so pitiful!" Xiaomin said, her eyes welling with tears as she gently stroked the Dragon Maiden's cyan scales. "Would you like me to call you Big Sister Xiaoqing from now on?"

Seeing Xiaomin's action, Yu Mu turned pale with fright and immediately stepped forward to stop her, but it was already too late.

The Dragon Maiden's natural disposition was fierce and wild, making her extremely prone to harming people. Yet, she evidently possessed the discernment to tell good from evil. Thus, she made no violent reaction to Xiaomin's display of goodwill and simply continued eating ravenously.

"Yu Mu, do you still remember where the prison that held you is located?" Shi Xiong asked abruptly.

"Of course I remember." Yu Mu roughly described the location where he had been imprisoned.

"Ah! No wonder we could never find it—it was right under the very noses of the Shi family. As expected of the Sly Fox, how crafty." Shi Xiong was startled upon hearing this, then asked further, "Did you see a woman there?"

"I did. She was the one who chased us all the way here."

"That settles it then. Well played, Jiang Zhu, let's see where you can hide this time. Eldest Brother, there's no time like the present. Tonight, the two of us will go and raid his dog's den to vent our pent-up anger."

Shi Zhen merely gave Shi Xiong a calm, leveled look and asked, "Why should we raid it? Just to vent some anger?"

Shi Xiong was greatly surprised. "Eldest Brother, now that we know about this secret den of his, how can we just let it continue to exist?"

Shi Zhen countered with a question of his own, "Since we know about his secret den, why shouldn't we let it exist?"

Before Shi Xiong could figure it out, Xiaomin chimed in ahead of him, "Fourth Grand-uncle, you really are foolish. If you raid it, don't you think he'll just build another one where you can't find it?"

Only then did Shi Xiong see the light. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he feigned a fierce glare at Xiaomin. Xiaomin simply made a funny face back, causing everyone to chuckle and instantly lightening the mood considerably.

Shi Zhen continued, "Not only can we not raid it, but we must also pretend to be completely unaware of it."

"Pretend to be unaware?" Shi Xiong gestured toward Yu Mu and the Dragon Maiden. "Then what about their whereabouts..."

Shi Zhen suddenly spoke to Yu Mu in a grave tone, "Yu Mu, I do not know why Jiang Zhu would take personal action against you, and this time you even stole the Dragon Maiden. You certainly cannot remain in this city any longer."

"Great Grand-uncle..."

Shi Zhen raised a hand to cut off Xiaomin's words. "The saying goes that a open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. This matter is far too significant for Jiang Zhu. Even with all my efforts to protect you, it would be difficult to prevent every contingency. Therefore, I believe it is best for you to leave as soon as possible."

"Alright~"

Yu Mu understood Shi Zhen's concerns as well. The gap in strength between himself and Jiang Zhu was simply too vast; if Jiang Zhu were to strike from the shadows, Shi Zhen truly would not be able to protect him.

"If even you, Great Grand-uncle, cannot protect Big Brother Yu and the others, how can they possibly escape the Jiang family's pursuit?" Xiaomin asked anxiously.

Shi Zhen smiled faintly, looking completely confident. "I have a plan that will ensure your safety."

"What plan?"

"Aren't you headed to the Sage Continent? If so, you must pass through the Coastal City. There are two ways to get to the coast from here. The first is to take the central teleportation array jointly set up by us, the Dragonfall Eight Directions, which can transport you directly there.

"The second method is to use segmented teleportation. This method can be accomplished using the internal teleportation arrays of the Shi family. However, it will take some time along the way.

"Given the current state of you and the Dragon Maiden, you certainly cannot use the central teleportation array, so the two of you must take the segmented route. We will have Anshu stay behind to stabilize Jiang Zhu, ensuring he does not discover that you have already been in contact with us.

"I will then pressure Jiang Zhu to hand you over, thereby throwing him off the scent. Once you arrive at the Coastal City, you can get in touch with our Shi family's branch office. I will immediately have Anshu take the central teleportation array to rendezvous with you.

"Once you are out on the sea, forget about Jiang Zhu—even if the Jiang family's ancestor himself arrives, he won't be able to find you in the boundless ocean."

"Since you are having Anshu distract Jiang Zhu, how can she manage to escape from right under his nose?"

Shi Zhen smiled slightly and said, "I will arrange a covert departure for Anshu. At least until the teleportation array is activated, I will not let anyone discover her intention to leave. Once the teleportation array is activated, it won't matter if he finds out."

Yu Mu asked doubtfully, "Won't he chase after Anshu then?"

"Of course not. Activating the central teleportation array requires several days just to lay down the materials. By the time he chases after her, you will already be wandering freely out on the ocean."

"Will he notify the people in the Coastal City to intercept us there?" Yu Mu thought of another worrisome issue.

"The Coastal City is tens of thousands of miles away from here. Do you think communication is that convenient? The reason I asked you to contact the branch office is that we possess a set of mother-and-child talismans. The moment the mother talisman is triggered on his end, the child talisman on our end will sense it.

"This form of communication is established based on matters pre-arranged by both parties. Since Jiang Zhu had no prior knowledge that you were going to the Coastal City, how could he possibly have people there to intercept you?"

"If he can't find me, might he turn his target onto Anshu?" Yu Mu asked his final lingering concern.

"Rest assured, Anshu is different from the two of you. Once she has entered the doors of the Shi family, she is a guest of the Shi family. Unless it is an absolute last resort, Jiang Zhu would never openly come to the Shi family to seize someone; he cannot bear the consequences of doing so. Right now, he will undoubtedly pour all his energy into hunting down the two of you. While he may keep Anshu under surveillance, he will not harm her."

Through a meticulous chain of reasoning and explanation, Shi Zhen's plan could be described as watertight. Not only would it allow them to reach their destination safely, but it would also pull off a deception right under everyone's noses, conveniently concealing the secret of Jiang Zhu's hidden lair as well.

It seemed that being able to hold down the fort here and stand in a stalemate with Jiang Zhu meant Shi Zhen's own tactical acumen was far from ordinary!