Otherworldly Merchant

When the Holy Mother Scepter flew out, the Thousand Mirrors Formation was broken. The entire room fell into darkness. 

I recognized my mistake. The formation was supported by my spiritual energy, and I had used all of it while throwing the Holy Mother Scepter! Even worse, I heard a thud that wasn’t the beast’s scream. The Holy Mother Scepter had missed the creature. 

The room was so dark that I couldn’t see my fingers. I had to grope around to turn on the light. Then, I saw the Holy Mother Scepter stabbed into the ground. The monster was nowhere to be seen. 

Subconsciously, I went to check the chimney. A shadow swiftly leaped up and disappeared into the dark. 

“Damn!” I withdrew the Holy Mother Scepter and rushed to the roof. I wanted to follow its aura to chase after it. Surprisingly, the ice layer on the roof was gone! 

It didn’t melt but disappeared as if it had evaporated. I understood something and rushed to the chimney. Indeed, there was no wisp of Yin energy left. It seemed the beast was scared of me, so it had taken the ice with it to erase its smell on the surface of the ice!

When I returned to the house, Yin Xinyue and my in-laws had already gotten up. Yin Xinyue hurriedly asked me, “How was it?” 

“Sorry, I let it escape…” I was a little dispirited. 

Yin Xinyue froze on her spot, but she soon got herself together and comforted me. “We still have a chance to get rid of it, hon.”

I could still see the disappointment and worry in her eyes. Since I didn’t succeed this time, it would be more difficult to deal with the next time. This beast was as cowardly as a rat. Moreover, it was very cautious. 

My in-laws looked calm. They gently comforted me. I carefully checked them. After confirming that they didn’t get hurt, I exhaled in relief. I then squatted and took in a deep breath. 

Soon, the sun rose from the East. I made the ointment and asked Yin Xinyue to apply it to her parents before going to our room to sleep. 

For the next two days, I slept during the day and watched through the night. It wasn’t out of my expectation that the beast didn’t come again. I felt somewhat disappointed but also lucky. Anyway, I could ensure my in-laws’ safety for now. 

Chuyi arrived at twilight on the third day. Yin Xinyue and I were so happy we almost cracked up. No matter how harsh the situation was, now that he was here, I felt assured. 

Chuyi didn’t rest. After drinking a cup of tea, he started to work. After checking my father’s soft skin that had just regrown, his frowning face loosened up. It gave me hope. “Did you find anything?” 

“I need to check more.” Chuyi waved at me. His voice was calm. “Did you keep the scales you cut from them?” 

“I did.” I gave him a nod and pulled out a drawer. After calling him, I knew he would need to see those scales, so I had kept a few here. 

Unexpectedly, when I opened the drawer, the palm-sized scales had all shrunk to the size of a fingernail. Moreover, they had grown some coarse hair. 

I didn’t know what had happened, so I called Chuyi to come and take a look himself. When he saw the scales and the thick hair, his pupils shrank. His voice grew icy cold. “How could this thing survive until now?”

With a serious face, he asked, “Do you know the Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon?” 

“Yeah, it’s a mythical beast. It’s some sort of ox. It appeared in Xin Qiji’s poem. Traveled eight hundred miles to the rescue, fifty banners flew in the borderland, and came to the battlefield in autumn.” I skeptically ranted.

But soon, I got it. I looked at Chuyi disbelievingly, “You mean, that thing is an Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon?” 

Chuyi nodded. “I haven’t seen one with my own eyes yet, but I’ve heard about them from some old men in our Circle. This sort of beast really exists. However, they haven’t appeared much in history, and not many people have seen them. That’s why they thought it was just a legend. When I saw the picture you sent me, I thought about this possibility. However, I wasn’t so sure at that time. Now, I can confirm the Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon has reappeared!” 

The Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon was originally a fast ox. The King of Jin wanted to increase its speed, so he fed it with countless pellets refined by alchemists. After eating the pellets, the Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon grew more legs and scales to protect its body. Its legs and hooves also slightly changed into the primal form of dragon claws. Sure enough, the beast could run much faster! 

The King of Jin was so excited. He rewarded the alchemists and let them go. Unexpectedly, a few days after the alchemists left, the seal on the Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon was also gone. It didn’t listen to the King of Jin anymore. However, being scared by humans, it fled to the swamp area and disappeared. 

The beast didn’t die but had a strange encounter, which gave it spiritual power. It became an amphibian, but it couldn’t change its timid and cowardly character. When it saw humans, it would run away. Normally, it would stay away from people. That was why the Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon was a pitiful animal. 

Chuyi looked a little emotional while telling me the story. “Don’t worry. The Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon won’t harm people. It won’t hold a grudge, either. I think it’s pestering your in-laws by mistake.” 

“Then why has it come to bother my parents again and again? It even wrote the word ‘death’ on the floor!” Yin Xinyue was still doubtful. 

Chuyi thought then answered, “I don’t think the Scaled Dragon knows that pestering your parents harms them. It seems to be dependent on them.” 

“Eh?” I gawked at him. What an awkward explanation! 

That could be okay, but what about the word ‘death’? 

Before I could ask, Chuyi sighed. “That word wasn’t meant for your parents, I suppose. Perhaps the beast was trying to tell you its situation. I think it’s also the reason why it’s pestering your parents. If it doesn’t do that, it will die, somehow.” 

“Emh…” 

Yin Xinyue and I were perplexed. This was beyond our imagination. Still, it was true that the Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon had never tried to hurt us. 

Even if the dragon was frightened of me, it could have found a chance to ambush me! Moreover, even if it couldn’t beat me, it could have chosen to attack Yin Xinyue. Yet, it didn’t do anything harmful to us. 

The night we fought, it could have taken the advantage of the darkness to attack me, but the ox had chosen to run away instead. 

I felt more comfortable knowing this detail. I didn’t know why, but I imagined a young calf hiding in a dark corner, licking its wounds to heal itself. “Pity the little thing.” 

Yin Xinyue looked a little sad, but soon, she regained her focus. “Chuyi, how should we deal with the Eight-hundred-mile Scaled Dragon?”