Chapter 114: The Socially Anxious Dragon Prince (Third Watch)

Xu Boqing sprinted along the treetops, his movements as swift as a bird in flight. Though his speed could not match the subterranean escape art of the rat spirit, he had not fallen too far behind. Yet, he now found himself in a dilemma. It was not that he feared losing his quarry; although the rat spirit had cultivated for a considerable time, its roots were shallow and its Daoist attainment was weak—its magical power was not necessarily more formidable than his own internal energy.

The difficulty lay in the fact that this creature was a rat spirit, not a toad spirit, and he was not by the Qianling River, where he could borrow the divine power of the Water God’s edict. His Heavenly Eye could lock onto the target, but he lacked the means to force it out from deep underground. If the creature truly chose to remain buried, his current abilities would be of no use.

Thinking of this, he felt a sting of frustration and came to a halt on a branch. Suddenly, sensing something, he narrowed his eyes and glanced at the sky. What appeared to be merely a patch of mist held two figures in his sight: one, a handsome young man holding a folding fan, bearing the aura of a flood dragon; the other, a hunched old man with a handlebar mustache, dressed in official robes, bearing the aura of an ancient tortoise.

A dragon? A tortoise? Two more great demons?

He raised an eyebrow, his instinct urging him to slip away. The aura emanating from these two was immensely powerful, likely surpassing the toad spirit he had just encountered. Furthermore, the flood dragon belonged to the lineage of true dragons—its origins were profound, and it could not be judged by common standards. Yet, strangely, when his Heavenly Eye rested on the young man with the dragon aura, he seemed to perceive a trace of karma.

Karma?

He pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and spoke aloud: "Whether you are friend or foe, pray show yourselves. Lingering in the clouds to spy is hardly the conduct of a gentleman."

In the mist, Ao Xing and Wu Qin were both startled. The voice echoed around them, and the man’s gaze was fixed directly on their hiding spot, clearly having seen through their concealment. Ao Xing’s expression stiffened; realizing he had been caught tracking a stranger, his face flushed with embarrassment, and his first instinct was to flee.

"Young Master, Young Master, do not leave!" Wu Qin grabbed his sleeve, his face twisted in a pained, persuasive grimace. "The Matriarch sent you into the world to cultivate, which includes the intention for you to make friends. If you leave without even a greeting, how can you ever practice the way of the world?"

"But we meant no harm," Wu Qin continued, seeing his Young Master’s thin skin. "Besides, he is greeting us. If we leave now, would we not appear to be those with ulterior motives?"

"I..."

"It is fine, you need not come forward. I shall explain!"

Although Ao Xing suffered from social anxiety, he knew that if he simply slipped away, he would be wrongly branded a rogue. He nodded sheepishly. Wu Qin breathed a sigh of relief, guided the mist down from the sky, and landed, bowing politely. "My master and I meant no offense. We chanced upon you subduing the demon at the Dragon King Temple. Seeing the rat spirit escape underground, we followed to see if we could offer any assistance. If we have caused any disturbance, I hope you will forgive us."

Xu Boqing looked at the two demons with a strange expression. Under the effect of his Heavenly Eye, his five senses were greatly enhanced, and he had overheard their entire conversation in the clouds. The young man with the dragon aura was now shaking his fan, looking left and right as if admiring the scenery, his demeanor quite tense. The steward with the tortoise aura appeared slick and worldly, though he seemed secretly anxious.

A shy, socially awkward flood dragon? A slick, worldly old tortoise? This was a bizarre combination.

Sensing no malice, Xu Boqing looked at the tortoise and cupped his hands. "Can you two help me catch that rat spirit?"

"A simple matter," Wu Qin replied, his eyes flickering with a smile. He thought this was the perfect opportunity to prove their worth. He coughed meaningfully. "Young Master..."

Previously, when he had tried to divine Xu Boqing’s origins, he had lost three hundred years of his own lifespan. He had concluded that the man was either of immense power—on par with their own Matriarch—or possessed a background of legendary significance. Observing him now, he noted the man lacked magical arts and seemed to be a mere mortal of flesh and blood, which led him to believe in the latter. Such a person was worth befriending.

"Young Master?" Seeing his master still looking at the scenery, seemingly oblivious, Wu Qin whispered a reminder, "Young Master, the demon..."

"Ah?" Ao Xing blinked, asking, "How do we catch it?"

Wu Qin covered his face with his hand, peeking through his fingers to see the stranger’s bewildered expression. Recalling his own boast that it would be "a simple matter," he felt so embarrassed he could have dug a hole in the ground with his toes. He leaned in and whispered, "The rat spirit uses incense and wishes to cultivate; it seeks the path of the gods. Use the 'Spirit Binding' technique the Matriarch taught you—bind it!"

"You should have said so sooner..."

Ao Xing realized his mistake. He formed a seal with his fingers, muttered an incantation, and stomped his foot. "Rat-spirit temple keeper of the Dragon King Temple, appear before me!"

Xu Boqing watched as the ground beneath the dragon-man’s feet rippled like a stone dropped into a calm lake. In the distance, the fleeing rat spirit shuddered and was pulled backward by an unseen force. In an instant, the temple keeper emerged from the soil, dazed and terrified. Wu Qin flicked his finger, and water vapor gathered around the spirit, coalescing into a prison that bound it firmly.

The rat spirit tried to dive back into the earth, but the magic of the water prison repelled it. After several failed attempts, it cried out in shock and rage, "Who... who are you people?"

Wu Qin stroked his mustache and chuckled. "Your cultivation is too shallow; stop wasting your energy. Stay put, and you might just keep your life."

"You..."

"Hmm?" Wu Qin’s aura flared, revealing the faint image of an ancient tortoise. Ao Xing, seeing this, realized he needed to cow the spirit into submission, and his own aura emerged, revealing the image of a blue flood dragon.

The rat spirit, seeing it was being held by two cultivators—and ones of such profound lineage—collapsed to the ground in terror. Since gaining sentience, it had practiced in the mountains and the mortal world, but it had never encountered such great demons. "Great ones, have mercy! Great ones, spare me!"

It suddenly realized something, knelt, and kowtowed tremblingly. "This small demon had no intention of offending the Dragon King, no intention at all!"

"Hmph, whether you are spared depends on someone else’s decision," Wu Qin said coldly. He turned to Xu Boqing with a warm, friendly face. "Young Master, the demon is captured. You may ask whatever you wish."

The rat spirit looked at Xu Boqing and hurriedly bowed its head. "I had eyes but failed to recognize a superior being. I did not mean to offend you, Immortal. I beg you to be magnanimous and spare my life..."

Xu Boqing did not correct the title. He asked coldly, "You are a mountain spirit; why build a private Dragon King Temple? Why impersonate a temple keeper to steal incense for your cultivation? And where did you obtain the method to cultivate through stolen incense?"

The old temple keeper looked as if he had been struck by lightning. With trembling hands, he pulled a tattered jade slip from his robes. "I am but a wild spirit. Though I am a demon, I have never harmed a soul. Years ago, I stumbled upon this jade slip, which records the method of cultivating using incense and wishes."

He paused, then sobbed, "I know wild spirits have no right to build temples, but despite my years of cultivation, my talent is meager and my lifespan is running out... Even an ant wishes to live; I was unwilling to wait for death. That is why I built the temple, stole the Dragon King’s name, and used the incense to cultivate. I beg for your mercy!"