The Inverted Dragon's Scale

The rainstorm bucketed, coming down stronger every minute, like a scene from hell. However, this rivulet of rain unexpectedly could not extinguish the purple fire clouds floating in the air.

The violent winds blew and they drifted with the wind.

Thunderstorm broke overhead, the flames began to slow, leaping flames turning into embers. But then, they instantly fought back, blooming into a more dazzling, fierce colour.

The purple fire clouds fluttered across the dark rain like a terrifying scene of flickering will-o’-wisps.

In the moment of raindrops pelting down, an invisible body of air enveloped Lin Canghai, repelling the rain.

Qiandu did not show any changes, but looked like she’s situated in a transparent glass vessel. The gale did not dishevel her long hair and the rain did not soak her clothes.

Lin Canghai lightly leapt into the air, dashing towards the direction of Qiandu.

He used his body to shield in front of Qiandu, as he anxiously asked: “Royal sister, Li Muyang is possessed by the devil, right? Recently, it was rumored that he was possessed by the devil, it seems it is true–”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Qiandu threw a sharp, sideways glance at him as she shouted, before she pensively stared at Li Muyang scurrying in mid-air.

“Royal—” Lin Canghai realised he had a slip of the tongue, immediately corrected himself: “Li Muyang is not listening to our advice, what should we do now?”

“Demonic sounds have entered into his body.” Qiandu said. “He has lost his mind, he can’t hear us.”

“Then we—”

“Cut off the musical notes.” Qiandu said.

“Cut off the musical notes? Would that be useful?”

“The reason why demonic sounds can befog the minds of people is because they can hypnotise. Those endless and interrupted musical notes are the source of the hypnotism. So, as long as we cut off the musical notes, Li Muyang’s condition would naturally be solved.”

Lin Canghai nodded, gripping the hilt of his sword.

He soared into the sky, circled several laps around Li Muyang, who was currently in a frantic state, before he finally found the opportunity to make his move.

“Chop off millions demons at once with qi. Cut.”

With his deep, clear roar, a white, silver sickle appeared in the sky.

The sickle’s sharp point aligned with the drifting long queue of purple fire, before it ruthlessly lashed across.

Boom–

A loud boom resonated across the air.

As though a huge ball of light has exploded, it was dazzling to the point that it’s hard to open one’s eyes.

The earth was a vast expanse of snowy-white that soon plunged into darkness——

Li Muyang sprung opened his eyes only to see the endless night sky with myriad of stars dotted over the darkness.

The number of stars was abundant, bright and shimmering, like yellow gems sprinkled across a boundless river.

Songbirds chattered; mountain spring murmured.

Someone’s breath, resembling the familiar, sweet smell of orchid, greeted his nostrils.

Li Muyang jerked awake, gazing at the two sets of eyes staring intently back at him.

Black-robe young girl Qiandu and beautiful youngster Lin Canghai were standing right in front of him, narrowing their eyes at him suspiciously. As though he was a corpse lying on the ground——or he was a ghost or demon.

“You’re awake?” Qiandu smiled and asked.

“Yes.” Li Muyang glanced around, discovering that he was situated on a raised boulder, and without a single tree in sight, he could see the stars without any obstruction. “Where am I?”

“We’re at the peak of Broken Mountain.” Qiandu surveyed around, before she added: “it’s also my first time here, I don’t know whether it has other names or not.”

“Why are we–” Li Muyang’s brows furrowed again and his gaze drifted off in thought, a puzzled look crossing his face as he asked: “Why are we here?”

Qiandu’s lips curved into a smile, saying: “You don’t remember anything, right?”

Li Muyang nodded. “I remember you playing ‘Phoenix looking for a Phoenix’ with a piccolo and I was in a cheerful mood listening to it, and then I picked a leaf and followed playing the song——I remember we were very happy performing together and enjoying ourselves. Later, my mood got worse, as if there was a big grievance that I wanted to tell. I don’t know what happened after that.”

Qiandu smiled, saying: “Nothing. You were feeling a little uncomfortable——you should be fine after a good rest.”

Lin Canghai finally couldn’t help but interject. “Li Muyang, you really don’t know what happened after?”

“I don’t know.” Pulling an innocent smile onto his face, Li Muyang shook his head and patted his forehead with the palm of his hand. “I don’t remember anything. When I woke up, I was already lying here with you two staring at me with that look, I still feel quite weird. Did I——I do something crazy?”

“It’s not that crazy.” Lin Canghai replied, brushing his fingers against his handsome face, thinking of the scene of the scalding heat pouncing at him, then corrected himself: “just a little—not like before. Li Muyang, you did a lot of things that I think you shouldn’t do. Of course, I don’t believe that there’s a demon hiding in your body. If you really have a demon in your body, would the teachers in Starry Sky Academy not expel you already? How would they allow a demon student to come to this place? If they can’t solve a problem like that, Starry Sky Academy would not have such a huge reputation.”

Li Muyang breathed a long sigh. “I must have had a qi disturbance again..”

“Qi disturbance?” Qiandu and Lin Canghai asked with a curious look on their face.”

“Yes. Last time during Teacher Xiahou’s class, it happened once already, Teacher Xiahou took me to his medicine hut and carefully treated me for some time. He fed me some tonic that he especially prepared and cooked Mt Gong’s colourful chicken for me a few times to repair my body. It’s only because of him that I quickly recovered and can stand here with you guys again——”

“What?” Lin Canghai’s exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief: “You say Teacher Xiahou made you soup?”

“Yes. Mt Gong’s colourful chickens——I think that’s what they’re called? I haven’t eaten this type of chicken before anyway. The soup tasted a little bland, but the chicken meat was delicious.” Li Muyang said calmly. “He said I was too impatient to succeed, causing the qi in my body to be in disorder and my mood and body out of control, which led to that incident. He said that as long as I train hard, my foundation will be more stable and it will not happen again in the future.”

Li Muyang cautiously glanced around, then lowering his voice, he said: “There is another thing that I’m only going to tell you guys, don’t tell anyone else——Teacher Xiahou personally helped me build my foundation——and also accepted me as his disciple. Also, his one and only disciple. On the outside, I’m his student, but in private, our relationship is master and disciple. I’m a low-key person and do not want this to be known to the outside world, since it would make people think I relied on my background and relationship to enter into the Starry Sky Academy.”

In order to conceal his strangeness, but also to cover Qiandu’s and Lin Canghai’s mouth, Li Muyang would not scruple to push Xiahou Qianbai, this great God, out and draw their focus.

Surely, they must know that, even if they told others the weird things he has done, as long as Xiahou Qianbai is willing to stand up for him——he will be safe and sound, and have nothing to worry about.

Of course, Li Muyang believed they would not do such a thing.