I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

He looked up at the indistinct blood clot not far away.

As long as you cut in...

"The first thunderclap was as brilliant as the sun, its might resounding in all directions!"

The Qilin girl no longer cared whether adding random incantations would cause the spell to go out of control.

We must use even stronger lightning magic to defeat him!

"This morning, the hibernating creatures awaken, a thunderclap calls... and the azure dragon rises!"

The two lightning spells were released in tandem, like a rainbow or a heavy drum, and exploded with a deafening roar.

Amidst the shimmering light and the thunderous roar, an ordinary-looking blade... cleaved through the lightning curtain.

Returning to a seventy-year-old friendship, not a single needle prick.

“Mr. Bai, you go to the east, and I will go to the west. If we do not find the villain in half an hour, we will meet here.”

After leaving the mountain pavilion, they walked uphill for a while until they came to a fork in the road. The two stopped in front of the signpost and discussed for a while. Jingzhe made a suggestion to Baizhou.

“Very well, that makes things easier. But if you encounter any villains, please don’t be impatient. Be sure to inform me. If we join forces and attack from both sides, we will surely be able to subdue the villains in one fell swoop.”

Jingzhe nodded in agreement and then followed the direction indicated by the signpost.

"...On another note, in movies, this kind of sudden separation usually means that one of the people has to die."

Watching the girl leave, Bai Zhou suddenly remembered something he and Nian had come up with when they were figuring out movie tropes.

Oh well, oh well.

Bai Zhou raised his left hand, his fingertips brushing against the fabric on his shoulder, and a tiny golden particle condensed at his fingertip, transforming into a gold nugget the size of a broad bean.

"go."

With a flick of his finger, he sent the golden bean flying.

The golden bean grew taller in the wind and in the blink of an eye transformed into a golden figure eight feet tall and two feet wide.

“Use the spot where you step as the origin, circle half the mountain, and if you encounter armed and fierce people, subdue them by force.”

The words of the divine ruler were like golden pronouncements, personal edicts. Once the Jurchens received the edicts, they acted as if programmed.

Although the golden figure was tall and imposing, it was also incredibly agile. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the woods and vanished without a trace.

Seeing the golden man leave, Bai Zhou set off, following the Qilin girl at a distance, in case the law of certain death upon separation actually came to pass.

After walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the Qilin girl seemed to have discovered something. She pulled out a staff that was a head taller than herself from her bag, picked it up, and ran towards the western foothills.

"Oh, have you found that villain?"

"But they didn't notify me immediately...were they confident in themselves, or did they simply not want to bother me?"

Or perhaps both.

Seeing the Qilin girl's behavior, Bai Zhou, who had already guessed her thoughts, gently shook his head.

Even with exceptional intelligence and talent, he's still just a child, and he's making some assumptions.

Being overly reserved and unwilling to trouble others in this situation is not a good quality.

Standing on the clouds in broad daylight, he silently observed the battle below.

"His use of thunder magic is quite good. Although there are still some flaws, he already has some of his teacher's talent."

Looking at the little Qilin that wields thunder, Bai Zhou recalled a time when he had a heart-to-heart talk with his husband and his complaints to him.

I wonder when this little guy will be able to display the brilliance of burning down a vast landscape.

Bai Zhou sighed softly, reached out his hand, and grasped it loosely.

"This blade can cut through anything!"

A low, discordant roar erupted, and the chaotic thunder was sliced ​​apart by the ordinary blade as easily as cutting paper.

The girl bravely raised her staff in an attempt to defend herself against the knife.

"Oh!"

Through the scattered Originium and Arcane Energy like quicksand, a pair of ferocious, scarlet eyes appeared along with the flash of the blade.

"Ugh...!!"

A drop of bright red blood slid down her cheek, staining her white coat crimson. A sharp pain shot from her forehead into her brain, and the Qilin girl, who had collapsed to the ground, stared blankly at the man who had shielded her from that fatal blow.

"Mr. Bai... Mr. Bai..."

“Young lady, you have made a grave mistake this time. I repeatedly warned you, yet you encountered danger and did not inform me. Do you consider me an outsider?”

Bai Zhou calmly gripped the knife, using his inner energy to knock it from Rupert's hand. Only then did he speak, gently reprimanding the reckless girl.

"Waaah... I'm sorry, Mr. Bai... I know I was wrong."

The mournful cry of the little Qilin echoed, and Bai Zhou shook his head helplessly.

Having learned their lesson this time, they should be more careful next time, right?

"Phosphorus Fire, are you still unwilling to give up the fight?"

During the day, Bai Zhou focused his attention on the demonic soldier in his hand, which was constantly emitting waves of energy as it tried to escape.

Whether it's a demonic weapon or a divine weapon, it's because of the immortal's special forging method that they were imbued with spirituality. Therefore, Bai Zhou felt that persuading it to give up with words was an easy solution.

"boom……"

The demon soldier trembled and tried to sever his hand with the blade.

"It seems you are not willing to lose your freedom. Very well, I am not a bad person. Since you want freedom, you must have already prepared for the price to be paid."

Bai Zhou sighed regretfully, then slightly clenched his hand, and Phosphorus Fire's blade, which even lightning couldn't harm, immediately chipped.

The demonic weapon in his hand instantly fell silent, its sudden softening causing Bai Zhou some regret.

"The demonic soldiers have been recalled, and the villains have lost their ability to resist."

During the day, he stuck phosphorescent flames into the ground and crouched down to examine the little Qilin's injuries.

"Miss Jingzhe, don't be reckless next time. It's a good habit to rely on your companions when necessary."

The girl wasn't seriously injured; she only had a small cut on her forehead from the blast wave, which could be easily cleaned and left to heal on its own.

“I understand, Mr. Bai…”

Having suffered a great loss, Jingzhe humbly accepted Baizhou's suggestion.

Are you injured? Can you stand up?

Upon hearing the question, Jingzhe nodded, indicating that nothing serious had happened.

"Waaah!"

But when she tried to stand up, she found that her legs seemed to have been affected by the battle. Not only were her stockings torn to shreds, but her calves were also covered in bloodstains, and she could feel a slight electric shock when she touched them.

How embarrassing... I actually got hurt by my own lightning magic!

Once again, the Qilin girl was dealt a blow and lowered her head in disappointment.

"It seems there's no way to leave."

Seeing the girl's embarrassed expression, Bai Zhou chuckled softly, then turned his back and said in a low voice, "I have been in your care a lot on this trip. Now that you are unable to move around easily, I would like to take your place. I hope you will not find it offensive."

“…Then…I’ll trouble you, Mr. Bai.”

The girl, who still wanted to show off, suddenly remembered what Bai Zhou had just said. After hesitating for a moment, she changed her mind and quietly agreed.

As soon as she lay on Bai Zhou's back, the Qilin girl smelled a delicate fragrance, like the scent of natural herbs and trees, which smelled wonderful.

However, after smelling it twice, the girl realized how foolish her behavior was.

Just like those infatuated girls on those pleasure boats...

"Um... Mr. Bai... how should we bring this villain and this demonic soldier down the mountain?"

The girl blushed and asked softly.

Mr. Bai not only had to carry her on his back, but also guard the villains and demon soldiers all by himself...

If she hadn't been injured, Mr. Bai wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths. Indeed, I am still too weak.

"Yes, young lady, there's no need to worry. Look, the help we've been waiting for has arrived."

Upon hearing this, the girl looked up and saw a golden figure slowly walking towards her.

"This is... a golden statue!"

The girl naturally recognized this thing.

Or rather, there were very few people in the Great Yan who didn't know what the Jurchens were.

"Mr. Bai...you could it be..."

The girl looked at him in surprise, as if she had discovered something extraordinary.

Were they recognized?

Bai Zhou chuckled and asked, "Could it be something?"

"To be able to control the golden statue and possess such formidable martial arts... Mr. Bai, you must be the Divine Dragon Venerable!"

The girl's confident answer made the Jin soldiers carrying Yan Chou stop in their tracks.

"Ah... I guessed it. As expected of Miss Jingzhe, my clumsy acting skills can't fool your discerning eyes."

Bai Zhou chuckled twice and accepted the identity as the girl suggested.

"Mr. Bai is actually the Divine Dragon Venerable..."

Seeing that Bai Zhou had agreed, the little Qilin showed a look of admiration.

"I actually managed to befriend a Divine Dragon Venerable..."

"The Divine Dragon Venerable is not a machine or a god. We also have feelings and need the companionship of friends. Or is it that Miss Jingzhe does not wish to acknowledge me as a friend?"

"Of course not...it just feels amazing..."

"About the fact that my new friend is the Dragon Lord"—if I wrote that, it would definitely be a bestseller.