Chapter: Chapter 289: Stripping
Chapter 289: Stripping
The end…
Listening to the girl’s loud assurance, Chen An’s heart was filled with mixed emotions. He didn’t respond, only letting Long Li pull him forward.
Once in the water, the faint call grew clearer. Long Li felt it carefully, her eyes lit up, and she pulled Prime Minister Father towards a certain direction.
The unpolluted seawater was crystal clear, revealing colorful algae growing freely and numerous nameless creatures swimming past them. Being in such a scene felt dreamlike and surreal. As they ventured deeper, the swimming plankton and strange fish seemed to receive a message and parted to both sides, humanely creating a “path.” A subtle force of order rippled within.
They followed the path, and after an unknown amount of time, their narrow field of vision suddenly opened up. In that instant, it felt as if they had traversed thousands of years, glimpsing a corner of history. A grand and vast underwater Dragon Palace appeared before the two. It lay quietly, like a slumbering crystal dragon. Everywhere they could see was made of transparent crystal, adorned with exquisite carvings that made the entire crystal palace beautiful and pristine.
Subsequently, a ethereal and gentle female voice drifted into their ears. “Come here, my child…” The tone was extremely gentle and pleasing. Chen An and Long Li exchanged a look. Without hesitation, they walked towards the palace hand in hand. Since it was a call from deep within Long Li’s bloodline, there was no need for excessive caution. After all, it would be too extreme not to trust one’s own ancestors.
Entering the palace, Chen An felt the solid ground beneath his feet, which was somewhat unexpected. He had thought the scene before him was merely an illusion created by a formation. Yet, it now seemed to stand real in the Li River, its splendor undiminished by thousands of years of currents and sedimentation.
A slight tremble pulled Chen An from his thoughts. He turned to look and found that the girl’s graceful body beneath her skirt had begun to tremble subtly. She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes like cicada wings, rising and falling with her body.
“What’s wrong?” Chen An asked softly, noticing Long Li’s unusual state. He squeezed the girl’s soft palm, but received no response for a long time. Chen An frowned, sensing that the hand he was holding was rapidly heating up at an unimaginable speed. This situation had a strange sense of déjà vu, as if they had gone through the exact same process before… It was the latent heat toxin within Long Li. Had it flared up again? But based on past experience, even a flare-up wouldn’t render her unable to utter a word…
Just as Chen An was contemplating whether to detoxify her on the spot, he heard the same charming female voice drift from afar. “You don’t need to worry, she is merely affected by this place, her bloodline surging, wanting to advance…” The voice paused, then continued, “Bring her in.” As the words fell, the ancient-looking main gate, towering several stories high, rumbled open.
Chen An frowned, but unable to think of any other solution, he could only comply. However, when he tried to pull Long Li forward, he unexpectedly couldn’t move her. He blinked, then gently lifted the girl into his arms.
Holding her warm and fragrant body, he finally understood how hot Long Li was. Holding her was like holding a piece of red-hot iron. Wisps of Underworld power flowed from his hands, attempting to dispel the heat from her body. But the methods that had always worked before lost their efficacy here. However, it did have some effect, causing the girl’s pained furrowed brow to slightly relax. Chen An no longer hesitated, quickening his pace, carrying Long Li and swiftly heading into the palace.
Walking through the intricately carved corridors, ornate passageways, and various doors, everything seemed to automatically clear a path for him. Was the owner of the female voice orchestrating this from behind the scenes? As Chen An mused silently, he heard the gentle voice speak again from ahead. “It is not I, but they who sensed the dragon blood flowing within you.” Chen An was stunned. He looked up, wanting to see the owner of the ethereal voice. Perhaps she was also the mistress of this Dragon Palace. But all he saw was emptiness, only the exquisitely carved palace walls, no figure as he had imagined.
The next moment, Chen An felt something gently tugging at his trouser leg. He looked down and finally saw her face. It was a “little person” who only reached his waist. The little person wore a long, snow-white dress, exuding a cool and ethereal aura. Strands of black hair fell on her shoulders, elegant yet tender, like a goddess. She tilted her head up and met Chen An’s gaze. After a moment, facing his surprised eyes, she said indifferently, “Young man, take back your presumptuous gaze.” Perhaps sensing that staring so intently was impolite, Chen An coughed lightly, trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation. He explained, “Uh… I just didn’t expect, didn’t expect…” “That’s not important,” the little person interrupted him. “Follow me.” She raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at Chen An, but said nothing more, simply turning and leading the way.
She thought, to possess dragon blood, yet to be… human? Seeing her descendant’s trusting demeanor towards him, she found it even more peculiar. She hadn’t seen them in person before, only sensing their auras from afar, which led her to mistakenly believe the man was also her descendant. But now, it was clear that was not the case.
Meanwhile, Chen An, holding Long Li, followed closely behind the little person. Although his mind was filled with questions, he suppressed them, not rushing to ask. Thus, following this little person whose temperament and appearance were so incongruous with her stature, Chen An wound his way through winding paths, arriving before a massive pool. The pool was circular, with dragon head carvings all around. Their mouths held blood beads, and an invisible dragon’s might permeated the pool, exuding a chilling aura. Seeing the little person stop before the pool, Chen An also stopped silently. Then, she waved her snow-white sleeve, and the dragon heads suddenly opened their eyes, shattering the blood beads in their mouths. Instantly, thick, bloody liquid erupted like a waterfall, quickly filling the entire pool. The little person then turned, looked at Chen An, then at the girl trembling in his arms, and said faintly, “Strip.” Chen An was stunned. “Me?” “Who else, if not me?” she retorted.
I drove 1800 kilometers back to my hometown today, so updates may be delayed for a few days quq. Love you all! Happy Minor New Year! (End of this chapter)
