Chapter 629: Epilogue: Digging Out the Inner Elixir

Rumors about such aristocratic families are rarely baseless, but getting to the bottom of them is still difficult.

So although Tang Tang's mentor knew about the 'taboo,' they didn't know exactly what taboo the Shi family had violated back then, which led them to grit their teeth and decide to retire from the world.

After hanging up the phone, I felt utterly irritable.

One problem hasn't even settled before another arises.

Just as things were looking up, I suddenly plunged back into the depths.

After thinking it over, I called Fang Chuanzong again to explain the situation.

Fang Chuanzong has contacts in South of the Ridges, and he promised to help me look up news about Jin Wuya.

South of the Ridges is far from us, and I can't reach there myself, so this is the best I can arrange.

I put the marriage stone away, intending to go to the Bai Family Medical Clinic to check on Li Qingying, when Liu Junyan grabbed Hui Moqiong by the collar from outside and dragged him back inside.

Hui Moqiong's emotions were out of control, like a madman—once he fixed his mind on something, not even ten oxen could pull him back.

I can deeply empathize with his current mood, but this won't solve the problem.

At times like this, only Liu Junyan can keep him in check.

Liu Junyan dragged him straight to the west wing of the main house, and I heard the sounds of a fight.

Liu Junyan struck hard; Hui Moqiong howled from the blows, and after ten or so minutes the west wing finally fell silent.

I knew Hui Moqiong had been beaten into submission, and Liu Junyan was now reasoning with him, so I relaxed, retreated from the main courtyard, and headed for the Bai Family Medical Clinic.

Li Qingying remained as she was, while Bai Shulan kept giving her acupuncture and medicine to sustain her vital signs.

Li Qingying wakes briefly each day, and each time she urges everyone to send her back to the Ice Sea and let her go.

Every time I hear her say that, I feel overwhelming guilt.

We've worked together to save so many people—why am I powerless when it comes to Li Qingying?

I truly can't find any breakthrough at all.

I imagined many scenarios—for instance, using the Soul-guiding Lamp to seize Li Qingying's soul, bringing her soul to the Yu Gate Entrance, and having Hui Moqiong carry her body there to meet up.

Such a seemingly clever and reasonable plan would not only fail to help Li Qingying, but would actually kill her.

Because as a red carp, her journey swimming upstream to the Yu Gate Entrance is her tribulation; enduring the thunderstorm and fire is essential, and any help we give her without that is futile.

Fortunately, after Liu Junyan beat Hui Moqiong that day, he finally came to his senses, stopped his wild antics, became quiet, and spent most of his time accompanying Li Qingying.

That same day, Liu Junyan said he needed to go out.

He intended to visit other dragon clans he knew, hoping to find a way to save Li Qingying.

I didn't think much of it at first—Liu Junyan running around to save Li Qingying was perfectly normal, and I myself was contacting anyone I thought could help.

What made me feel uneasy was still Hui Moqiong.

Several times he looked at me with a look of wanting to speak but holding back.

Until I asked him, 'Grey Fifth Lord, have you thought of a way to save Li Qingying? If you need my help, or need me to do something, just say it—I'll give it my all.'

Hui Moqiong covered his face with both hands and slumped onto the sofa.

After a while he suddenly lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot with worry and guilt: 'Xiao Jiu… I… I'm sorry to you.'

I was puzzled: 'Grey Fifth Lord, what are you talking about? There's nothing between us that requires an apology.'

'The Seventh Lord…' Hui Moqiong said, 'The Seventh Lord didn't go to the other major dragon clans to find a solution.'

Me?

'That day in the west wing, he told me about the method Zhong Shushu gave to save Li Qingying, but the problem is, for her to make it from the Ice Sea upstream to the Yu Gate Entrance before the flood season ends is basically impossible.'

I nodded: 'Exactly, that's the crux.'

'The Seventh Lord said, since Li Qingying's predicament lies in her broken horn, we should find a way to make her grow it back.'

'How could that be possible?' I couldn't understand. 'If we could get Li Qingying to regrow her horn, the problem would be solved—why are we stuck in this passive state?'

Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?

But after doubting that, I suddenly thought of something and exclaimed in disbelief, 'Could Liu Junyan be intending to imitate what Li Qingying's family once did to her—cutting off someone else's horn to give to Li Qingying?'

That would violate natural ethics and ultimately invite heavenly punishment!

Li Qingying's family declined precisely because of that!

Has Liu Junyan gone mad as well!

Seeing Hui Moqiong nod, the worry in my heart finally died.

Hui Moqiong said, 'The Seventh Lord's idea is indeed similar, but instead of cutting off someone's horn, it's about digging out an inner elixir.'

Digging out an inner elixir…

I asked, 'Whose inner elixir are we digging out?'

Leaving aside the act of digging out someone else's inner elixir, what consequences would it bring?

Just figuring out whose inner elixir to dig out is already a headache.

Digging out an ordinary inner elixir would be useless.

Ideally, this inner elixir should be like Li Qingying's original horn—capable of helping its owner ascend to dragonhood.

If such a thing exists, is the inner elixir easy to obtain?

Wouldn't they have an entire clan protecting them?

Liu Junyan has gone mad too, right!

No wonder Hui Moqiong feels uneasy around me, always looking like he wants to speak but holds back.

He knows full well what consequences would follow if I learned of this.

He also knows that if he kept it secret and something happened to Liu Junyan, I'd react in a certain way.

Unable to bear such serious consequences, he finally decided to tell me: 'The Seventh Lord said he's learned that near the outlet of the South Sea, an evil flood dragon has been causing trouble for nearly a century; he… he intends to kill that evil flood dragon and take its inner elixir back for Li Qingying to use.'

I clenched both fists tightly, suppressing the unease in my heart.

Is an evil flood dragon that has been causing trouble near the mouth of the South Sea for nearly a hundred years really that easy to kill?

Are the South Sea dragon clan all vegetarians? If we could deal with it, would that evil flood dragon still be cavorting for a hundred years?

But upon further thought, if I had been the first to think of this method, and knew that the inner core of an evil flood dragon could be used, I would certainly have gone to try it.

For Li Qingying, it's worth it.

After my emotions surged to extremes and then quickly calmed, I asked, "Are you sure that inner core is usable?"

Hui Moqiong froze.

He never imagined my reaction would be like this: "Slaying the evil flood dragon to take its inner core isn't to make Li Qingying actually grow horns, but to stimulate her bodily functions so she can swim again, and then we'll figure out how to escort her all the way to the Yu Gate."

So that's how it was arranged.

"I was originally going to go together." Hui Moqiong said, "But Seventh Lord said if we both left together, you'd become suspicious, so he had me stay behind. But Xiao Jiu, I couldn't bear it on my conscience... Now that it's out in the open, I can also breathe a sigh of relief. Li Qingying will be temporarily entrusted to your care, and I'm setting off for the South Sea now."