"Dragon Girl, Dragon Girl... donât go..."
"Young Master!"
Nangong Che woke up with a start from the bed, staring blankly at the deck for a moment.
Li Hu, who was serving nearby, was overjoyed and quickly rushed over to kowtow,
"Young Master, youâre awake! Itâs all my fault for not taking good care of you, causing you to be frightened by demons and fall into the water! Please punish me!"
Nangong Che felt bewildered, only noticing a faint pain on his forehead,
"Falling into water, was it just a dream..."
"Oh no, the Dragon Girl is here."
Nangong Che turned his head to look and saw a fat wild man leaning against the door, holding a bamboo pole with the roasted, scorched, and disfigured beast head of a demon on it, pushing it towards him for a look. The eye, burst and gooey like in a dream, dangled from its muscle and tissue...
"Ughâ!" "Young Master!"
Nangong Che vomited profusely, spewing out the herbal elixir soup along with stomach acid and bile, leaving the personal soldiers scurrying to serve him.
"Let him vomit, let him vomit. After eating a belly full of filth, itâs good to throw it up."
Chen Xuantian sat by, gnawing at meat and enjoying the spectacle.
Li Hu, furious, approached Chen Xuantian, gave a courteous salute, and then invited him to the deck, whispering,
"Benefactor, didnât we have an agreement..."
Chen Xuantian expressed understanding, patting Li Huâs shoulder,
"Rest assured, rest assured, itâs all because these demons are full of tricks, using evil techniques to confuse and frighten your young master into the water. Luckily, you rescued him.
I am a wild man from Jing Lake, passing by and heroically lent a hand to help. Having meritorious service in demon extermination and human rescue, I take my reward and leave, not mentioning that the young masterâs Primordial Yang was entirely collected by a demon..."
"Be-ne-factor!"
Li Hu hurriedly dragged Chen Xuantian to the bow of the ship, the nervous posture as though he wished to toss him overboard.
Of course, even if he dared to think, he wouldnât dare attempt after witnessing the little plump fellow effortlessly killing a Nascent Soul Monster, so he could only plead earnestly,
"Spare my life, Benefactor! If the master mother learns it was due to my laxity that the young master had his Primordial Yang taken by a demon, my entire familyâs lives will be in jeopardy!"
Chen Xuantian laughed,
"Aw~ donât fuss about it~ Itâs just a bump, what are the odds of it being a problem, why worry?
Tsk tsk, yet he managed to clash with a legitimate Dragon Girl for three hundred rounds and still wasnât exhausted to death, even a bit unsatisfied. This boy is truly a natural winner, surely will help the Nangong family flourish with countless offspring! I reckon if your master mother finds out, she wonât be able to contain her joy, hahaha!"
Li Hu found this guy to be a joker, really giving him a headache, could only grin and flatteringly say,
"Benefactor, you are a secluded ascetic, a Mountain Man who descends with the truth, thus untouched by these worldly affairs and donât grasp the many rules and customs within the palace.
My young master is Nangongâs direct line, the sole progeny, destined to be enfeoffed and ennobled, appointed as General of the Southern Pacification, entrusted with heavy responsibilities, certain to marry a Princess. Every servant and concubine around is closely monitored with records.
If the palace discovers that the young master had descendants before marriage, we trusted aides would lose our heads..."
Chen Xuantian shrugged,
"Well, whatâs done is done, what can you do? Can you shove it back? Besides, are the princesses in the palace really so mentally squeamish?
Well then, you mentioned a master mother earlier, canât she bear a few more?"
"Do you think itâs like laying eggs! Moreover, thereâs only one sprout in the Nangong family, who could she bear with!"
Li Hu was on the verge of tears.
"Theoretically... alright, alright, anyway, the demon has been subdued, nothing will be left behind. Iâll prescribe some medicine to replenish his energy, restore his Primordial Qi, no problem. After all, youâre not refining Dragon and Tiger Golden Pills, doesnât have to be Primordial Yang."
Chen Xuantian stopped teasing him but since theyâd been chatting, he curiously asked,
"But talking about it, isnât their family descendants of the Dou Family? And from what youâve said, itâs just a widow and an orphan, why would the Three Constellations still entrust the Nangong family with critical duties?"
Li Hu noticed the little chubby guy had a wild appearance yet knew such secrets of the Three Constellations and confirmed he was definitely some reincarnated Old Xuan Sect from the mountains, dared not conceal or deceive, sighed and said,
"Benefactor may not know, although the Nangong family was framed by traitors, exiled to the Southern Border, demoted to vassal status back then, who didnât know they are the orthodox Immortal Venerableâs direct descendants, the bloodline of the Great General.
In those days, the Wang Family took power, purged and involved many of the Great Generalâs followers unjustly, exiling them to the wasteland of Li Jiangâs miasma and plague region to die, constantly dispatching heavy troops for supervision. Enslaved with the Armored People, suffering oppression.
Luckily, the Nangong family, being the blood of the Immortal Venerable, had loyal Guardian Immortal Army remembering the Great Generalâs past favors, so the Wang Family didnât dare to act too extreme. Families like mine, the Li family, and many orphaned descendants of the Generalâs family survived under the Nangong familyâs protection, eternally loyal and steadfastly following the Nangong family as their leader.
Now with the Stone Dragon rebelling in the North, wreaking havoc in the Central Plains, the court suffering great losses and depletion, having no choice but to re-engage us, the Dou family generals exiled to the Southern Border, for border reclamation and defense. Using the strategy of driving away tigers with wolves, sending us to battle against the rebel army in the North.
So to command us, the old retainers of the Dou family, naturally, a flag like the Nangong family must be employed. Now thereâs only the widow and orphan left in the Nangong family, likely the Three Constellationsâ covert arrangement to manipulate behind the scenes."
Chen Xuantian understood,
"Oh, I see. Nangong family, once merely a guilty minister, had they not been exiled and suppressed, reflecting and repenting earnestly, they must have been dissatisfied, plotting something of their own accord, dear heavens."