C20 Qing Chi

"Azure... Azure... Azure Drake?"

It seemed to be a response to Liu Xiaoxiao's question, or perhaps the Azure Drake was pleased that one of these three naive mortals had finally recognized it. The creature coolly exhaled two billows of white mist from its nostrils, causing the water's surface to churn once more.

The sight was quite amusing.

A second-rank Body Cultivator, oblivious to his own insignificance, stood wielding an unsharpened black sword beneath the massive being, appearing as minuscule as an ant.

No, to the Azure Drake, they were indeed ants.

"I choose to surrender!" Kang Na, the little turncoat, waved a white flag, only to have Chen Yuan firmly place a hand on her shoulder.

"What's happening here? Why are we in this place? And how did this legendary Azure Drake come to be here?"

Liu Xiaoxiao continued to ask, bewildered. Despite having fully regained consciousness, she was still startled by the sight before her. Fortunately, someone was ready with an answer.

"You fell into the deep pool and disturbed this hungry creature, prompting it to emerge in search of food."

The elderly man they had briefly encountered earlier descended leisurely from the waterfall's crest, moving as slowly as molten sugar.

His words took their time reaching the ears of the group.

By now, anyone who couldn't see that this elder was a reclusive sage of immeasurable power was truly foolish.

"Elder, if we've awakened the Azure Drake, why hasn't it eaten us?" Chen Yuan inquired.

"What, you actually want it to eat you? Young man, that's a dangerous line of thinking!" the elder chided as he touched down silently.

"Normally, the Azure Drake spends three-quarters of the year in slumber, favoring the cool depths of the pond. You're fortunate to have awakened it."

The old man stroked his lengthy white beard, which nearly swept the ground as he spoke.

"That beard is so long! It must feel amazing to touch!" Kang Na exclaimed, reaching up eagerly to feel the beard's texture.

"Ouch, ouch, that's not for touching!" The elder quickly sidestepped, avoiding Kang Na's mischievous grasp.

"Whose child is this? So mischievous! You've been tugging at my beard, and I've had this beard for a hundred years—it's not meant to be plucked clean!"

Kang Na pouted unhappily and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

"Elder, you mentioned that it's hungry," Chen Yuan reminded, his gaze lifting to the Azure Drake that had fully emerged from the water. It now loomed like a terrifying mountain, completely obscuring the sky and the sun.

At the mountain's summit, droplets of saliva fell. Those were the Azure Drake's teeth.

"Ah yes, yes, it is hungry. But it won't eat you. And please, just call me Qing Chi," Qing Chi said. "The amount of meat on you probably wouldn't even get stuck in its teeth."

This explained why the Azure Drake was indifferent to the three who had awakened it.

Chen Yuan felt a bit deflated, realizing his previous concerns had been unnecessary.

"However, I must say, young man, I watched your actions from above. You did quite well, quite well indeed."

Qing Chi singled out Chen Yuan, "Though you wouldn't satisfy its hunger, human flesh is still a decent feed. If the Azure Drake were to taste blood, your sins would indeed be grave—"

The Azure Drake consuming humans was part of the legends.

But exactly how many people it could eat or needed to eat to be satisfied was unknown.

Upon hearing Qing Chi's words, both Chen Yuan and Liu Xiaoxiao, who had just relaxed, were filled with dread once more.

"As a Body Cultivator, to remain unflustered in the face of imminent danger, to make decisive judgments, and not be scared off by the sudden terror, managing to escape from the Azure Drake's grasp—your performance is truly noteworthy."

Qing Chi's praise left Chen Yuan feeling quite bashful.

Truth be told, he had been nervous, but with a little one constantly chattering by his side, extreme nervousness was out of the question.

"It's all thanks to Kang Na," Chen Yuan said, reaching out to pat Kang Na's head.

At the sudden praise, Kang Na's previously pouting lips turned upward, her expression bright and sunny.

"Alright, enough chatting. If we delay any longer, this malevolent beast will get temperamental again. And then, we can't guarantee it won't resort to eating people." Qing Chi finished speaking, and without any noticeable action, a white object suddenly materialized in his hand.

"Beard!" Kang Na exclaimed, her keen eyes recognizing the object in question.

Qing Chi tossed his beard skyward, where it unfurled to an indeterminate length. Chen Yuan and his companions craned their necks for what seemed like an eternity, yet the beard showed no signs of descending.

Qing Chi, too, was looking up, his beard still adrift in the heavens.

The white beard stretched taut, exceeding the Azure Drake's stature and probing into the clouds above.

"Here it comes, dinner time!" With a slight shake of his head, Qing Chi's beard swayed, and several clusters of white, fluffy substance descended from the firmament.

Chen Yuan observed closely. The white, fluffy substance was not Qing Chi's beard after all.

It was the clouds!

Clouds?!

Before Chen Yuan could fully grasp the situation, the Azure Drake, seemingly well-versed in the act, opened its maw wide, and the clouds were promptly ingested.

"Ao—Ao—" The Azure Drake bellowed skyward.

The spectacle took on an even more bizarre turn, leaving Chen Yuan and the others with the impression that the Azure Drake had become a hungry fledgling.

And Qing Chi? The mother bird? The thought of Qing Chi's appearance, contrasted with that of the Azure Drake, sent a shiver down Chen Yuan's spine.

"No more crying, no more crying. This time, you'll eat your fill all at once, get full, and then sleep well. No more causing trouble!" Qing Chi chanted under his breath as his beard pierced the heavens, harvesting more clouds to feed the Azure Drake.

The Azure Drake's maw was vast, capable of engulfing dozens of clouds in a single gulp. This feeding continued for two to three hours, until their necks began to ache from looking up.

Finally, the Azure Drake had its fill.

It closed its mouth, lowered its head to glance at Kang Na and the others, and then its massive form slowly receded into the depths of the pool.

Qing Chi retracted his magical white beard, resuming his normal appearance, albeit panting heavily.

"I'm getting old, truly old. If it hadn't been sated within another hour, I would've had to resort to using myself as bait," Qing Chi lamented, shaking his head and limbering up.

"Senior Qing Chi, why does the Azure Drake eat... clouds?" Chen Yuan finally blurted out, unable to contain his curiosity.

Wasn't the Azure Drake supposed to be a man-eater? Then why is it feasting on clouds with such gusto?

Liu Xiaoxiao was pondering the same question.

Could the legends in the books have deceived them? Yet Qing Chi had just confirmed that human flesh was considered prime bait. However, the Azure Drake seemed to contradict that...

"Cough!" Qing Chi appeared to have been anticipating their inquiry, clasping his hands behind him, exuding a sense of time-worn wisdom.

"There's much to tell..."

"Then give us the short version!" Kang Na cut in without ceremony.