Dragon Tamer

The beast’s footsteps were clearly audible in the mountain forest, and Zhu Minglang’s gaze still involuntarily drifted toward the direction shrouded in nocturnal mist.

The faint cries for help were becoming increasingly blurred, gradually turning into a sobbing sound in Zhu Minglang’s ears.

This sound, was it actually very distant, or perhaps not coming from the direction he presumed?

Zhu Minglang harbored some doubts in his heart, yet he still suppressed his emotions, particularly when he saw the unease and tension on Li Xinghua’s face.

Not going was the right decision.

Even if there truly had been a mishap, it was beyond their help, after all, their primary mission right now was to deliver these clean drinking water to the people of the Second Village.

If they were delayed here, even more people might die.

After climbing over the desolate and cold mountain forest, passing through the deep and silent valleys, the scant lights of the Second Village began to twinkle in the night.

The young man Song Luo, wearing a fur hat, looked rather somber; he hadn’t spoken much along the way.

“We didn’t encounter them,” the fur-hatted Song Luo said in a deep voice.

“Encounter who?” Hu Bailing asked.

“The team from before who delivered water. Logically speaking, even if they met with disaster, we should have seen bloodstains, corpses, but there’s nothing. Did you see or hear anything on your way?” Song Luo asked.

The others all shook their heads, indicating that the journey had been quite smooth.

Zhu Minglang and Li Xinghua exchanged glances, and Li Xinghua shook her head, signaling Zhu Minglang not to mention the cry for help.

“Let’s deliver water to the village first,” Zhu Minglang said.

The journey, unexpectedly, was peaceful, with no disruptions from the Mourning Dragons.

Mourning Dragons roamed outside the mountain villages, using their keen sense of smell to detect the scent of living beings, able to track down humans from several dozen miles away.

Not being attacked made Song Luo all the more puzzled.

“They might possess strong perception, able to sense our cultivation base. Without being confident, they would not hunt targets that are too powerful,” Hu Bailing said.

Zhu Minglang shook his head and said, “If they really could accurately detect the cultivation base of all of us, then the Mourning Dragons that ambushed us at the Stone Village Gate previously would not have exposed themselves so readily; they could have continued to wait for the patrol team on the next day.”

“Actually, we didn’t conceal ourselves at all on the way, intending to lure the Mourning Dragons out,” Nan Yuso said.

This water delivery, frankly speaking, was an opportunity for the Mourning Dragons to strike. Nan Yuso was not afraid of these cunning creatures, even hoping to use this method to eliminate some that wandered around the village.

“Anyway, it seems they knew we were not easy to deal with, so they didn’t make a move on us,” Hu Bailing said.

Continuing forward, they reached the Second Village.

The Second Village was slightly smaller, using the mountain terrain and cut stones to form tall village walls.

At the stone village wall, all was still silent. Song Luo, wearing the fur hat, stood on the doorstone and shouted loudly, “We are from the First Village of Pear Blossom Gully, I’m Song Luo, bringing you drinking water. How are things here with you?”

Within the stone walls, there was some movement, yet no one responded for some time.

Song Luo shouted again, and this time only then did a head emerge with a sigh from atop the high stone wall.

“Don’t trust them!”

“Kill them!”

Just at that moment, an angry voice rose from the stone wall, and at the same time, more shadows appeared on the wall, each holding iron spears and fiercely hurling them towards the people below the stone wall, with astonishing force!

Song Luo was startled and yelled, “Have you gone mad? We brought you drinking water overnight!”

The iron spears came thrusting down, each one capable of piercing straight through the ground. The Chi Dragon behind Nan Yuso sprang out immediately, its sleek and delicate dragon body dancing through the air. The trajectory it traced formed a profound gate, which miraculously absorbed all the incoming iron spears.

“Humph, ungrateful fools!” Nan Yuso said, somewhat angry. She leapt onto the back of the Chi Dragon and, controlling the dragon, actually flew towards the stone wall to meet the villager’s attacks head-on.

The Chi Dragon was skilled in Profound Art. With a sweep of its tail in midair, it rolled up a huge wave in the night sky, savagely slamming it down upon the people inside Stone Village.

Seeing that these people were still intent on attacking, Nan Yuso ordered the Chi Dragon to cast an explosive curse, causing those guarding the Stone Village Gate to wail in agony.

Inside the Stone Village Gate, although there were also some experts, they were far from a match for Nan Yuso and her Chi Dragon. They were beaten back in disarray, just like a tiger invading a flock of sheep, by the lone Nan Yuso and her dragon.

The stone wall was tall and sturdy, not easily destroyed. Zhu Minglang and the others outside could not immediately tell what was happening inside, they could only hear a chorus of wails.

Before long, the Stone Village Gate finally opened, and a few people with bruised noses and swollen faces reluctantly invited Zhu Minglang and the others inside with a look of fear.

“Yu Suo, go easy,” Li Xinghua chided lightly, as an elder sister would.

“They started it, humph!” Nan Yuso stood in the open space in front of the village gate, her Chi Dragon’s scales smooth as a woman’s skin, slender and enchanting, half floating and half twining in the air, guarding by her side.

Around Nan Yuso and the Chi Dragon lay a great number of people, seeming to all be Divine and Mortal beings, they were the night patrol tribesmen guarding the gate.

“Uncle Huang Lu, it’s me, Song Luo, we’ve come to bring you water, why did you attack us?” Song Luo quickened his pace and helped up a middle-aged man with a broken arm.

Huang Lu recognized Song Luo, his face filled with a bitter and helpless expression, “Before you arrived, a team claiming to be from First Village had already brought us water. We let them in, but they brought a horde of Mourning Dragons and attacked us! We lost many people, and, in the end, our last few ancient wells were completely destroyed!”

“Geng Fengnong and the others most likely have already met their demise, how could they still be bringing you water…” Song Luo exclaimed in shock.

After saying that, Song Luo suddenly realized something, his face etching with shock and fear!

Bewitching of the heart!!

The first water-carrying team had their minds bewitched!!

Song Luo’s gaze followed the scattered lamplight, looking over Stone Village, on the village road with a bit of a slope where many families lived. But in front of these households were corpses that had not been cleaned away in time, they died in a gruesome state, having suffered great pain before death, their eyes still filled with fear and agony…

“These Mourning Dragons, detestable! Detestable! Detestable!!” Song Luo was both angry and in pain, wishing he could immediately kill all the Mourning Dragons in Pear Blossom Gully.

Zhu Minglang was also shocked!

The first water-carrying team wasn’t met with disaster, but was controlled by the Mourning Dragons!

The Mourning Dragons used the water-carrying team to tear open the gates of Stone Village, no wonder there were so few guards in front of this gate, easily breached by Nan Yuso all by herself…

Such a terrifying creature!!

Impossible to guard against!!