Translator: Exodus Tales
Editor: Exodus Tales
Translated by Mianbao
Edited by RED
It was precisely these kinds of discussions with unfounded conjectures that would cause more trauma to the victim!
Zhu Minglang was also an involved party. He was the most clear on the situation in the dungeon; there were no guards in that dungeon. It was like some kind of power surrounded it. Not just anyone could enter…
Not only that, he was indeed the first to be thrown in there. It was probably because his physique was better than the other vagrants, and he had woken up the earliest from the congee’s poison.
Of course, there was an even more important fact, allowing Zhu Minglang to be certain that he had taken the Valkyrie’s first, second, and third time…
However, the rumors were spreading increasingly ridiculously. Many people didn’t care about the truth at all. As long as it was sufficiently cheap and derogative, they would regurgitate the rumors irresponsibly.
-Ai, I should be able to barely take responsibility for this after some time. Being called a beggar and vagrant all the time makes me feel uncomfortable, and Li Yunzi loses face, too.
-But I can’t get hasty. I have to wait for little Baiqi to dragonize.-
After walking out of the residence courtyard, Zhu Minglang headed toward the lake. There was a sweetgum forest on Lichuan in the direction of the Phoenix Falls.
Being right in the middle of autumn, the leaves were dense. Orange and red leaves were spread out, pleasantly layered on the tree crowns, and complementing the scattered red leaves on the ground.
In front of him, the waves of clear blue water seemed to flow quietly, but suddenly descended at the embankment. The splashes of misty droplets intertwined with the sunlight, forming an extremely beautiful rainbow.
With a forest, a clear lake, a waterfall, and misty clouds, the great natural scene easily painted an endlessly romantic and comfortable picture.
Zhu Minglang was very close to the waterfall, completely taking in the beautiful scenery.
“You can go swim, but don’t go too far; there’s a waterfall there. You’re done for if you fall. Understand?” Zhu Minglang instructed the little crocodile spirit on his shoulder.
“Wuoo..!” the little crocodile spirit opened its mouth wide and cried out honestly, agreeing with him.
After they arrived at the rocky lakeside beach, Zhu Minglang lowered the little crocodile spirit into the water. His pet immediately went chasing after the groupers in the shallow water, moving shockingly fast. Zhu Minglang could only see a dark blur streaking in the water.
“You’re pretty good!” Zhu Minglang was a little surprised. The little crocodile spirit was an expert fisher, catching a few groupers in no time, all of them big and plump. They would surely taste delicious after roasting them.
However, Zhu Minglang soon discovered the little crocodile spirit didn’t eat groupers. It was purely using the nimble groupers as hunting practice.
Groupers were difficult to catch for river fish. They weren’t as slow as grass carp, and could swim quickly along the smooth pebbles in the water, suddenly changing directions. Even when worse comes to worst, they could hide in the gaps between stones…
Spiritlings of the crocodile species would often stare at the stupid young deer and sheep drinking water while camouflaging themselves in muddy water, slowly approaching closer before lunging at their prey.
There truly weren’t many crocodiles that could hunt groupers like this little crocodile spirit!
After hunting groupers for a while, the little crocodile spirit seemed to feel like it no longer posed as a challenge, and thus slowly swam further away.
While Zhu Minglang wasn’t paying attention, the little crocodile spirit swam to the deeper area.
“Quickly come back!”
The nearby waters of a waterfall were pretty dangerous. The surface of the water seemed very gentle, but beneath it existed a terrifying undercurrent. The undercurrent would draw in everything in the water under the fall!
The little crocodile spirit obviously didn’t have much life experience. It had originally wanted to make use of the rapids to train its limbs and body’s strength, and had intentionally stayed away from the waterfall. However, it didn’t know an undercurrent existed near the waterfall, and it was currently being swept within!
At the start, the little crocodile spirit was still moving its body and tail in rhythm, swimming against the tide.
Very soon, however, the little crocodile spirit began being pushed back little by little. No matter how faster it moved, it was being sucked towards the waterfall!
Realizing the situation was bad, Zhu Minglang immediately took off his clothing and jumped naked into the water, swimming towards the little crocodile spirit with all his strength.
“Hang on!”
Zhu Minglang quickly felt the resistance of the current, and felt like something was tangled with him below his waist, pulling him in a certain direction!
-I mustn’t panic, and even more so, not be hasty. I have to reserve sufficient strength.-
Zhu Minglang slowed down, approaching the little crocodile spirit little by little.
Finally, he reached the little crocodile spirit’s side. Zhu Minglang quickly let it crawl onto him…
The little crocodile spirit was flustered beyond itself at the strength of nature. It crawled onto Zhu Minglang’s head, like a drowning deer, tapping its claws randomly in fear.
Rumble, rumble…
The sound of the waterfall’s edge grew closer behind him. Zhu Minglang was very clear that he was being sucked into the waterfall’s vortex. Even though he was still a hundred meters away from the waterfall, it wasn’t an easy feat to break away from the current!
Zhu Minglang maintained an even swimming speed, trying to neutralize the force of the vortex.
However, he was constantly being pulled back, and his strength was deteriorating. It was already considerably taxing on him to not get pulled along by the water.
Splash! The river water slapped against his face. Zhu Minglang, in the middle of taking a deep breath, choked on the water, immediately lost his rhythm, and was dragged backwards by the water.
He was pulled under the water for an instant, before fiercely breaking out to the surface again. He looked back, and saw there was not even forty meters to the waterfall’s descent behind him. Zhu Minglang realized it was impossible for him to break free of the terrifying current now!
“Don’t be so naughty next time.” Zhu Minglang grabbed onto the little crocodile spirit on his head, then kicked hard with both feet. In the instant his top half was out of the water, he threw the little crocodile spirit away from the current.
Gululu!
In the next second, the turbulent water swallowed Zhu Minglang whole like a monster’s large mouth, and sent him to the cliff, where the waterfall rumbled noisily.
—–
At the riverside, a little black crocodile was moving in circles in the shallow water. It had, on several occasions, tried to dive into the water once more. However, the weak crocodile was easily swept back by the ceaseless waves.
“Owuwu!…
“Owuwu!……”
It kept crying out, seemingly calling out for help, but also seemed to be crying, like a child who was separated from its parents.
Only the rustling sounds of gumtree leaves could be heard in its surroundings. No one else passed by in the vicinity, and the little crocodile spirit wasn’t able to find any help.
In the end, it jumped into the river once more. Its dark hide could be seen gradually splitting after coming into contact with the river water. Something on its forehead was also breaking out of its hide, extending out little by little…
Traces of blood slowly expanded at the riverside, and some dark leather kept falling from the little crocodile spirit’s body.
As it swam toward the waterfall, the little crocodile spirit’s body had grown by quite a bit. Its limbs and tail had become stronger, and its moved increasingly faster…
——
Beneath the Phoenix Falls was a huge pond. Zhu Minglang felt dizzy, and his eyes were spinning. Right then, darkness and wetness washed over him, like he was caught in something’s mouth.
When Zhu Minglang sobered up, he realized he was indeed in a creature’s mouth; it turned out to be a Waterfall Flood Dragon!
It had blue scales and a long beard. It didn’t have the horn of a dragon, but its body was extremely long, like a thousand-year-old python.
The flood dragon was soldierly and handsome. Even in the turbulent waves of the waterfall, one could sense the spirit of this flood dragon!
Luckily this Waterfall Flood Dragon didn’t bear any ill will toward him. Instead, it put Zhu Minglang down on a big rock at the side of the pond.
Laying on his back on the big rock, he could watch the rolling waves of the waterfall, and the flood dragon that seemed like a towering building.
The full force of the curtain of water fell onto the flood dragon’s body, splashing everywhere. However, the flood dragon remained unmoved. It went to show that this flood dragon under the waterfall was an orthodox River Dragon!
“Your body is a gift granted by your parents. Why are you seeking death?” a soft and sweet voice rang out.
-What a huge misunderstanding!
-If I’m looking to kill myself, I can just get a rope and end it in the forest; why do it at the waterfall? Is it more heroic this way?-
Zhu Minglang looked over, and noticed an elegant woman was standing on the Waterfall Flood Dragon’s head.
The woman had fluttering long hair, with delicate eyebrows. She was as beautiful as a fairy from a painting, like a dragon girl from the legends, exuding a unique intelligence!
Hokhok… Zhu Minglang coughed out the water and explained with an innocent look, “I’m not killing myself. This was an accident.”
The beautiful woman under the waterfall floated down from the flood dragon’s head, alighting next to the drenched Zhu Minglang.
As for the flood dragon, its neck and head were originally following her. However, it seemed to have noticed something and suddenly rose up, deftly catching something else that was similarly falling from the waterfall.
What the flood dragon had caught was a dark creature. It was unknown what exactly the creature was, but it was about a meter long…
The flood dragon placed the dark creature on the big rock next to him.
The beautiful dragon girl looked at the black crocodile spirit and asked, “Is this your spiritling?”
Zhu Minglang looked over, and realized it was actually a meter-long black crocodile, and on its head was a horn. Just as he was about to shake his head, he suddenly felt a hint of soul fluctuation from it…
-It really is Heiya! {TLN: Literally Black Tooth, referring to the little horn on his head. That’s his name from now on.}
-It’s only been awhile, and the little black crocodile looks all different now!-
The soft black hide on its body seemed harder now, its hind legs had grown thicker and stronger, and its front paws had become claws, looking rather sharp.
What was most different was that a horn had actually grown out from its wide forehead!
It was precisely at the spot where he first felt the hidden horn; it had completely grown out!
-My judgment was right. Since when did crocodiles have horns?
-It’s clearly a budding dragon!-
“You’ve advanced, Heiya!” Zhu Minglang never expected something like this to happen.
“Wuoo…!” The little crocodile dragon that had grown to a meter long immediately jumped on Zhu Minglang when it saw him, and kept licking Zhu Minglang’s face with its big tongue excitedly, nearly pushing him back into the pond.
The little crocodile spirit probably didn’t notice the changes in itself. On the shore, all it had been thinking of was saving Zhu Minglang. After discovering he had been washed down the waterfall, it followed suit and jumped down after him.
“Alright, alright, I’m fine, I’m fine. But even if you’ve grown stronger, you can’t jump off the waterfall like this. You’ll die from the fall!” Zhu Minglang said, holding this fellow’s big and ugly, yet adorable head with both hands.
“You talk like you wouldn’t die from the fall. You were trying to save your spiritling?” the flood dragon woman asked.