Chapter 315

Liu Junyan, at the age of three hundred, stabbed his great-uncle in the chest with a sword.

That was the Linghai Dragon King!

At that moment, Liu Junyan's action was no different from holding his own head in his hand.

I also grew tense, not knowing what punishment he would face next.

"At the moment I stabbed him, I felt both exhilarated and fearful: exhilarated because I could finally wound him; fearful because my sword had only pierced a little, breaking just a bit of skin and flesh, yet it was enough to arouse his killing intent. I am not afraid of death, but I have not yet seen my mother again, nor have I rescued her from the Linghai Forbidden Ground..."

But his great-uncle was not angry; instead, he laughed and said, "Āyàn, you have finally grown up." He pushed my sword aside and said, "Go wash up, change into clean clothes, and go see your mother."

Another two hundred years of separation... I dare not imagine the scene when they mother and son meet this time.

After all, Liu Mu's condition was already poor two hundred years ago.

I couldn't help but ask: "Is she still well?"

"She is better than I imagined, and better than when I first arrived at the Linghai Dragon Clan."

Liu Junyan's answer was beyond my expectation.

How could that be possible?

Before entering the Dragon Transformation Cauldron, Liu Mu was already on her last breath.

Given the torment of the Dragon Transformation Cauldron, it was already a miracle that she hadn't died; how could she be better than before?

I saw her in the Dragon Transformation Cauldron in the Linghai Forbidden Ground; she was no longer as thin as before, although her complexion remained pallid and she was still bound by black iron chains, but her gaze was no longer scattered; she evidently knew I was coming and had been waiting.

She smiled and said to me, "Āyàn, you have grown so big; your great-uncle has raised you well."

I said resentfully, "This is all thanks to your life; it has nothing to do with him!"

"How could it have nothing to do with him? Āyàn, if it weren't for your great-uncle, how long do you think I could last in this Dragon Transformation Cauldron?"

It was only that day that I finally understood what happened two hundred years ago, after my great-uncle knocked me unconscious in that palace.

I listened intently as Liu Junyan recounted those past events.

It turned out that Liu Mu was so weak initially because, while pulling out the seven heart-protecting plates, she also detached her own inner core, doing so with a resolve to die.

After learning of this, the Linghai Dragon King forcibly brought Liu Mu back to the Linghai Dragon Palace; it appeared to be imprisonment, but was actually protection, because the main lineage members of the entire Linghai Dragon Clan—those elders, those guardians—were all watching Liu Mu.

The Linghai Dragon King not only had to protect his sister, but also had to silence the myriad voices.

Until Liu Mu, in order to protect Liu Junyan, voluntarily entered the Dragon Transformation Cauldron.

On that day, the Linghai Dragon King divided his own inner core in half and gave it to Liu Mu; from then on, their fates were intertwined, and every bit of pain Liu Mu endured in the Dragon Transformation Pond was likewise borne by the Linghai Dragon King.

This tremendous reversal was something no one had anticipated.

I looked at Liu Junyan in disbelief; he gently wiped away my tears and said, "Xiao Jiu, you heard correctly—my mother's survival in the Dragon Transformation Cauldron to this day has been entirely due to my great-uncle supplying his own Xiūwéi and life force; he must be both leader and protector of his sister's lifeline, so how could I hate him?"

I asked, "Does Xiaoye know about this?"

Liu Junyan shook his head: "He doesn't know; if he did, it would stir up another bloody storm, and the time is not yet right."

"I still can't understand," I asked, "if the Linghai Dragon King protects your mother so much, why does she have to detach her inner core?"

"Even without her inner core, Liu Mu could be protected; having it would surely be better, right?"

Liu Junyan gazed deeply at me.

My heart stirred, and I suddenly realized: "So she is guarding against not your great-uncle, but someone else."

"Exactly," Liu Junyan said, "the Linghai Dragon Clan appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents surge; if it weren't for my great-uncle holding things together, it would have already descended into chaos."

I continued, "She is guarding against not only the Linghai Dragon Clan, but also..."

"... and Liu Junyan's biological father!"

I did not say that last part aloud, but Liu Junyan evidently understood my meaning.

He ruffled my hair again, lifted the cube, and said to me, "Xiao Jiu, look at this outer layer of blue water flow; this is a protective membrane set up by my mother. With it, the aura of the inner core does not leak out. She has entrusted you with the authority to break this membrane; once you break it, we will have no more days of peace."

No wonder, when the water ripples earlier nipped my fingertip and my blood was about to drip in, Liu Junyan stopped me.

At that time, Liu Junyan was not as free as he is now, I had no self-defense ability whatsoever, and certainly not as many people helping us as we do now.

In our confusion, we could easily have been wiped out entirely.

I grew even more bewildered: "But your mother's intention is precisely for me to break this protective membrane, right?"

"She is having you help me make a decision," Liu Junyan said. "This should also be what my great-uncle intends; they are using their lives as stepping stones for me and Xiāo gē. My great-uncle will hand over authority to Xiāo gē, while I will devour my mother's inner core to assist from the side."

I furrowed my brows: "Xiaoye still doesn't know about this; once he finds out, he will surely not agree."

"Nor will I," Liu Junyan declared firmly. "I want to save my mother, and he will certainly want to save his father."

That is why Liu Junyan initially seized that inner core by force, asking me to wait a bit longer.

I finally understood why Liu Junyan had waited until now to tell me all this, and I asked, "Āyàn, are you planning to come clean to Xiaoye?"

Liu Junyan nodded: "The seal at the Dang Pu is gradually breaking as the Copper Coin Person merges with me; Wufu Town is about to be thrown into turmoil, followed closely by the Pearl Disk River stirring up tremendous upheavals in the Linghai Sea. We already stand at the eye of the storm, and I must make a decision."

Once Xiaoye learns the truth, he will surely cause a disturbance; only Liu Junyan can restrain him.

Next will be the major moment when Xiaoye and Liu Junyan together clear out the Linghai Dragon Clan; he cannot always attend to Wufu Town, so everything here must be entrusted to me!

"Āyàn, have you noticed that we have continually been pushed forward by an invisible hand?" I felt a slight alarm in my heart, "Especially after the Battle of Changshi, when we killed the Great Lama and the Three-Eyed Golden Toad, the dark side of Wufu Town was suddenly thrust before us, and everything seemed to have been hit with a fast-forward button, leaving us overwhelmed."

Liu Junyan countered: "Xiao Jiu, are you afraid?"

"I am not afraid!" I declared resolutely, "I believe that evil cannot prevail over good, and I also trust you and Xiaoye."

Liu Junyan still worried: "My greatest concern is still your body, Xiao Jiu; when I am unable to attend to you, you must muster all your strength, including Hu Yulin, who is the only person I deem capable of taking my place..."

I reached out and covered Liu Junyan's mouth, preventing him from continuing.

I always had the feeling that he was speaking as if leaving a last testament.

What does "someone who can take my place" mean?

In my mind, Liu Junyan has always been irreplaceable!

Even Hu Yulin would not suffice...