Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 98 How are dried human bodies made?

"I'm curious."

After receiving Yu Ji's nod of confirmation, Su Xiaoqiang went into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

With a soft click, the door lock closed.

Trust? Absolutely not.

Su Xiaoqiang wouldn't trust Yu Ji so easily... but when facing an "ancient ancestor" who has lived for over two thousand years, there's really no difference between having the door open or closed.

"With your abilities, sister..."

Su Xiaoqiang's voice was steady, and his gaze was fixed on Yu Ji's eyes, as if he wanted to see through her every thought.

"I can actually be of help?"

"Yes, and extremely large."

Yu Ji's reply was without the slightest hesitation or ambiguity. She bowed gracefully, her posture elegant, and stated her purpose directly.

"I beg you, if in the future that lord unexpectedly comes to blows with my king, could you please... show mercy and spare my king's life?"

She looked up, a hint of worry in her clear eyes.

"I will do my best to prevent this from happening, but I do not know where Your Majesty is. If we were to meet unexpectedly... I fear that something might happen to Your Majesty. That is why I have taken the liberty of coming here to make this request."

"That lord?"

Su Xiaoqiang raised an eyebrow.

A guess had already formed in her mind. It was just that the answer was too audacious, so audacious it was frightening, and she subconsciously found it hard to believe.

The "my king" that Yu Ji spoke of... who else could it be but Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, whose strength could "uproot mountains and whose spirit could cover the world"?
She was qualified to be Xiang Yu's rival, so strong that Yu Ji came to her in advance to plead for her life, as if if she agreed, her words would really have a purpose...

"He is the one my sister longs for."

Yu Ji smiled, the smile on her lips carrying an all-knowing understanding, as if to say, "We both know the truth, and there's no one else here, so why hide it?"

"My sister and that gentleman are a perfect match, a match made in heaven. Given time, they will surely become a divine couple that even I and the King will envy."

That statement was undeniably clever.

The first half of the sentence is flattering, but the second half subtly draws a line between factions—"we" and "you" are both paired up and pose no threat to each other. "I" and "you" are also of similar identities and should therefore be close.

Su Xiaoqiang's expression was somewhat strange. As intelligent as she was, she naturally understood the underlying meaning in Yu Ji's words, but...

"Lu Mingfei?"

She asked for confirmation at the exit.

"It is indeed that sir."

"Don't tell me that kid is Liu Bang!" Su Xiaoqiang's eyes widened.

"Absolutely impossible! Liu Bang was half-dragon, but ultimately he was human, not dragon, and he is long gone. As for that lord..."

Yu Ji paused, her voice carrying an indescribable awe and a hint of fear, "Even the spirit of our king's spear submits to it... Its status is as noble as our king's."

"Dragon... what the heck is that? So the Descendants of the Dragon isn't a cultural symbol but rather a work of documentary literature?"

Su Xiaoqiang murmured to herself, thinking of those "special beings"... So they were dragons?
A half-dragon?

She remembered the "special existences" that Lu Mingfei had mentioned. So that's what they were. Was Lu Mingfei one of them?

But she forcefully suppressed her doubts and changed the subject: "Even if he really is... why are you so sure that he can definitely defeat Xiang Yu?"

This is the key!
After all, that was Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu may have lost, but he lost in terms of overall perspective, strategy, and talent... From a purely military standpoint, he was a hegemon worthy of the title "unparalleled throughout the ages"!

Yu Ji's eyes suddenly dimmed, as if veiled by a thin mist. She sighed softly, a sigh that seemed to travel through a thousand years, carrying a chilling coldness.

"Before I committed suicide... I was a human being."

Su Xiaoqiang's heart skipped a beat.

A person who commits suicide cannot live.

It's even more impossible for them to have lived for over two thousand years!
But for another type of creature, it's not necessarily the same.

In a flash, the clues from all the previous conversations came together.

Su Xiaoqiang stared intently at Yu Ji, probingly asking, word by word, "To save you, Xiang Yu turned you into... a dragon?"

Yu Ji remained silent, tacitly accepting Su Xiaoqiang's guess.

"And this process comes at a very high cost."

Su Xiaoqiang's mind raced as she pressed for an answer.

"So serious that he might not recover at all?"

“Even though our king holds a noble position, this act is against the will of Heaven and constitutes a crime of usurpation.”

Yu Ji finally spoke; her voice was soft, yet it carried an immense weight.

"In this way, one will inevitably offend Heaven... If one's origin is damaged, even if one is reincarnated, it will be of no use, and may even become more serious."

She was clearly unwilling to discuss this further, so she changed the subject.

"I have come here uninvited, and it would be impolite to ask for something empty-handed. I have something to offer you."

"I think it's unnecessary to rush into this; one shouldn't accept something for nothing..."

Su Xiaoqiang almost instinctively took a step back. Her vigilance was already at its peak, so of course she couldn't just agree like that... She had to ask Lu Mingfei first!

"Don't worry, sister."

Yu Ji smiled calmly, her gentle demeanor unchanged, yet exuding an undeniable tranquility.

"I know I cannot be trusted, so I will not force you. The object is not here, but hidden in a safe and secure place."

She subtly shifted her tone, her voice suddenly carrying an irresistible allure, like a feather gently tickling the tip of one's heart.

"However, if I wish to stay by that person's side constantly, yet am unwilling to become a burden, my mere mortal body is likely insufficient; I am a prime example of what that would be. Moreover..."

Yu Ji paused, her gaze revealing undisguised deep meaning, "My sister still has a formidable rival by her side."

"A formidable rival?"

Su Xiaoqiang frowned, the face of the icy beauty transfer student appearing before her eyes.

"Zero?" "I do not know his name."

Yu Ji's voice was calm and composed, yet its content was like that of the most experienced assassin, precisely striking a vital point.

"All that is known is that she was the girl who shared a room with that man at the time... She has the qualifications and ability to follow him for a long time."

Su Xiaoqiang's heart skipped a beat.

She wondered why Zero could be so calm when facing her! Now she knew that was the reason…

"But sister, don't worry."

Yu Ji seemed to have seen through Su Xiaoqiang's thoughts. After all... looking at Su Xiaoqiang was like looking at herself back then.

"Over the years, there is no one in the world who has not had dragon blood flowing through their veins."

It's already there within you, just unawakened. This is worlds apart from the difficulty I faced when I transformed from a human into a dragon. Therefore, the ritual that helped me transform... even if only a remnant of its power remains, it's more than enough to help you.”

She's finished speaking.

Silence filled the room, and even the warm yellow light seemed to freeze.

Su Xiaoqiang pursed her lips. She had to admit that Yu Ji's words were like hooks, precisely catching the deepest worries and desires in her heart... Earlier, when she returned home, she had been lost in thought about this very matter!

But could there be a trap hidden in these words? And what is the price of this ritualistic transformation?
There are too many unknowns.

At that moment, a sentence from my father's teachings suddenly came to mind: "The most important thing in doing business is to never go all in on a direction you don't understand, provided you still have options!"

"Didn't you say you wouldn't force me?"

Su Xiaoqiang regained consciousness and asked in a somewhat cold voice.

"This is a bribe."

Yu Ji smiled, and for the first time, a hint of cunning appeared in that smile, breaking her usual gentle demeanor.

Indeed, how could someone who could accompany someone like Xiang Yu everywhere be simple?
Fortunately, I, Su Xiaoqiang, am not that simple... If it were Liu Miaomiao, I reckon she would have agreed right away, right?
"what."

Su Xiaoqiang smiled too; the businessman's mind instantly started working at high speed, and he quickly came up with the optimal solution.

"I need time to think about it."

She spoke faster, with an undeniable rhythm, and the bedroom became a negotiating table. "Since you don't know where Xiang Yu is anyway, why don't you stay by my side for the time being?"

She met Yu Ji's gaze with a natural and confident expression.

"Protect my safety secretly, consider it an advance payment of interest. You don't have any other business partners, right? I can also help you integrate into this era, hide your whereabouts, and provide food and lodging... a win-win-win situation, a sure-fire way to make money."

Let's find a "dragon-made-dragon" bodyguard who has lived for over two thousand years first!
Trading hidden destabilizing factors, plus a negligible cost, for a top-tier enforcer and a living fossil who understands those "special beings" is an incredibly worthwhile deal.

Yu Ji stared at her silently for a few seconds... She had the feeling that she was facing a super shrewd businessman.

But, who made Su Xiaoqiang accurately grasp the most crucial point—she really had no other choice?
Finally, she nodded slightly and smiled.

"it is good."

……

[Warning, it's time for [sleep]...]

Lu Mingfei finally breathed a sigh of relief as he snapped out of his focused state of concentration on studying. Just as he stretched out his stiff arms, the quiet figure beside the bed stood up.

"Good night."

Zero's voice was flat, like a pre-programmed message. She stood there, waiting.

"Good night."

Lu Mingfei responded, then added, "See you tomorrow."

Although Zero didn't say it, Lu Mingfei believed that the girl would be waiting for him at the door when he left tomorrow morning.

Ling nodded slightly, as if receiving a confirmation instruction, then turned and left, her figure disappearing behind the closed door.

Although it was time for bed, the schedule was still quite humane, allowing Lu Mingfei to go to the bathroom before going to sleep... This was also part of the "sleep" plan.

When Lu Mingfei got to the bathroom, he discovered that all the clothes he had changed out of and hadn't had time to throw into the washing machine had disappeared, and even his bath towel had been hung up again.

There was no "Seashell Girl" at home, so obviously only Zero would do this, but he hadn't noticed because he was too focused on studying earlier.

"How... how can I get used to this..." Lu Mingfei scratched his hair and muttered to himself.

He turned out of the bathroom and glanced across the window.

The lights were still on in Liu Miaomiao's room, but the girl wasn't sitting by the window waiting for him like she had the previous two days—this time she was sitting at her desk, gathering a stack of draft papers in her hand.

Is this... composing that piano piece?

Lu Mingfei waved his hand in that direction.

Liu Miaomiao happened to turn her head and naturally waved to Lu Mingfei, mouthing "Goodnight!"

She had figured it out. There were only six days left until the four-handed piano duet. No matter how fast Su Xiaoqiang and Ling were progressing, how fast could they be?

And there's also time for piano lessons together in between, which is our own private time!
The Spring Festival Gala at Shilan Middle School... that's when she'll unleash her ultimate move. At that time, she'll surely annihilate both Su Xiaoqiang and Ling!

Lu Mingfei had no idea that the pretty girl playing the piano across the window was having so many thoughts.

After receiving a reply, he went to bed contentedly.

Turn off the lights, curl up like a caterpillar, close your eyes, select "Continue to comprehend the true meaning of fire" and then deactivate "physical micro-management"... The series of actions are completed in one go.

As if he had been punched again, he blinked and fell asleep.

When my vision went dark, and then it came back to light, I was greeted by that boundless, scorching sea of ​​sand that was etched into my soul.

"call……"

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath of the hot, dry air and began to walk.

"What enlightenment about the true meaning of fire..."

The scorching yellow sand flowed beneath his feet, trying to engulf him; the blazing sun hung overhead, evaporating his strength bit by bit… An invisible “hot wind” came towards him, but Lu Mingfei casually dodged it.

He trudged forward, his steps uneven and unsteady.

"It's clearly an experience about 'how human stems are made'!"

(End of this chapter)