When Leng Jing woke up, Leng Qingqing pulled him into his arms and nuzzled him incessantly, completely unaware of what Leng Jing had done during the frozen moment of time. Meanwhile, Mei Xin had been scolded to tears several times by Leng Qingqing and was now huddled in a corner wiping her eyes—Snake Papa was truly terrifying when he lost his temper!
Leng Jing let out a yawn and lay across Leng Qingqing’s lap, munching on the fruit his father fed him. According to the White Mink’s report, the hurricane had diminished significantly and was showing signs of dying out.
The Ugly Little Snake stroked his chin and began assigning tasks like a commanding officer. "I am injured and need a few days of quiet rest. White Mink, gather firewood. Mei Xin, cook the meals. You," he pointed at Leng Qingqing, "will give me a massage."
Having finished his orders, he lay flat on the bed, beginning a luxurious period of recovery akin to a wealthy landlord.
"What a lazy dragon..." Mei Xin shuddered, gritting her teeth as she went to start the fire.
The Ugly Little Snake spent his days of convalescence in the small wooden hut in a state of utter lethargy. Since the hurricane had not fully dissipated, the four of them lived together in the cramped space. Sometimes they sat around chatting idly, sometimes they played the Pai Gow that Leng Qingqing had inadvertently brought along, while Leng Jing mostly slept in. Finally, one day, sunlight broke through the gloom that had hung over the sky for days. The hurricane had stopped.
They immediately rushed out of the house to investigate. What had once been a fine city was now a complete ruin. In the center of the wasteland, a spiral of shimmering dust was still rotating slowly. Leng Jing’s lip twitched; it seemed that even after being ground into powder, that monster insisted on spinning. It was remarkably tenacious.
"Is this the center of the hurricane? Truly incredible!" Mei Xin marveled as she looked at the spiral. However, she didn't dare reach out to touch it. Instead, she used her magical tool, the Image-Retaining Mirror, to capture the scene, intending to show it to the elders of her clan.
"I need to return to my clan to report the situation here. Are you coming with me?" Mei Xin asked Leng Jing after packing her things.
"I have important matters to attend to. Once I have settled my affairs in the martial world, I will naturally come find you," Leng Jing replied.
"Hmph, a little white dragon dealing with 'affairs of the martial world'..." Mei Xin curled her lip. Then, she reached out and actually patted the head of Leng Jing, who was taller than her. "Little White Dragon, you are my Summoned Beast. Remember to come find me, your master! You aren't even a hundred years old yet; take good care of yourself."
Leng Qingqing and the White Mink instantly froze in shock.
Leng Jing, showing great poise, did not lower himself to argue with her. Thus, under the watchful eyes of the three, the scatterbrained Mei Xin gradually faded into the distance.
"Son, where are we going next?" Leng Qingqing asked.
Leng Jing pulled out his self-made travel manual, glanced at it, and said, "To Hezhou, to eat the world-famous Carp Ramen."
***
A short while later, by a mountain stream on the outskirts of Hezhou, Leng Jing was putting his clothes back on. Leng Qingqing and the White Mink were sniffing foolishly; the speed was simply too much to handle, both mentally and physically. Because of Leng Jing’s high-speed flight, the White Mink’s fur was standing on end all over his body, making him look like a hedgehog. The more experienced Leng Qingqing fared better; he had learned to wear a scarf.
The bristly White Mink scurried up to Leng Jing ingratiatingly, rubbing his paws together. "True Dragon, must you transform into your original form to fly? I see other immortals simply soaring on clouds and mist."
Leng Jing furrowed his brows slightly. "True. I never thought about that. It is indeed a hassle to keep changing clothes."
"Exactly, exactly! Next time, why don't you practice soaring on clouds instead?" The White Mink drooled at the thought of sitting leisurely atop an auspicious cloud.
"I'll try." Leng Jing immediately began his experiment. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a long time, but after a while, he still hadn't left the ground. He remained standing exactly where he was.
"He definitely won't be able to fly. Xiao Jing doesn't know how to soar on clouds yet," Leng Qingqing said, unwinding his scarf.
"Why?"
"It's the same principle as a baby being able to swim at birth but not walk. Xiao Jing is too young. Flying as a dragon is his instinct, but soaring in human form requires him to grow up a bit more," Leng Qingqing explained.
"Mhm, it doesn't matter." Leng Jing looked at Leng Qingqing, who always treated him like a child, and once again reminded himself that age was not an issue.
***
Coming to Hezhou wasn't just for the ramen; in truth, Leng Jing had some martial world entanglements to handle here.
Leng Jing was known as the most outstanding Martial Arts Alliance Leader in a century. He had always upheld justice in the martial world and was regarded as the incarnation of righteousness. Coupled with his handsome and dashing appearance, he naturally became the dream lover of countless women. Unfortunately, he had no intention of marrying, and for over a decade, he had kept his distance from women. Consequently, rumors began to circulate in the martial world that Alliance Leader Leng actually possessed the "cut-sleeve passion." However, Leng Jing was equally distant from men, which quickly debunked such rumors.
During a martial arts assembly, the Ninth Princess, who had snuck out of the palace disguised as a man, took a liking to Leng Jing. From then on, she was consumed by lovesickness, swearing she would marry no one but him and threatening suicide if he refused. The Ninth Princess was the Emperor's favorite; for the sake of his precious daughter, the Emperor ordered Leng Jing to be forcibly brought to the palace for a forced marriage. Out of necessity, Leng Jing fled his manor with Leng Qingqing, beginning this life of wandering through the martial world.
Hezhou was a major commercial hub where merchants gathered, and the streets were bustling. Leng Jing and Leng Qingqing sat at a street stall and began eating their ramen. They hadn't even finished half when a stranger suddenly pointed at Leng Jing and shouted, "It's him! It's him! The notorious bandit! Someone, come quickly!!"
Leng Jing was stunned, but the crowd immediately swarmed toward them. Someone had already tipped off the authorities, and bailiffs soon arrived with shackles in hand, shouting, "A reward of a thousand taels for anyone who catches the notorious bandit!"
Thus, a group of money-hungry people lunged forward to seize Leng Jing.
Seeing this display, Leng Jing thought: *This must be a trick by the Ninth Princess, turning my portrait into a wanted poster distributed nationwide. If I run, who knows what other trouble she'll stir up.* Consequently, he did not resist, allowing the constables to arrest both him and Leng Qingqing. Leng Qingqing, foolishly clutching his bowl of ramen, was led away by the constables alongside Leng Jing.
Leng Qingqing and Leng Jing were locked in a dark, damp dungeon. Leng Qingqing sat in the corner with stars in his eyes, laughing eerily.
Leng Jing shuddered and asked, "Papa, what are you laughing at?"
"Xiao Jing, don't you know? We snake spirits love these narrow, dark, unventilated places the most... Oh, the nostalgia!" Leng Qingqing sat in the corner, happily cradling his ramen bowl.
Leng Jing’s lip twitched, and he stood as far away from him as possible.
"Ah! As expected, there are kinsmen here!" Leng Qingqing excitedly discovered a small earth snake near the bricks in the corner. "Such a rustic atmosphere! Hello there, little fellow countryman!" He greeted the earth snake.
The earth snake flicked its tongue, its meaning clear: *You idiot.*
"And earthworm kinsmen... pill bug kinsmen... and... ants!" Leng Qingqing began babbling affectionately.
Leng Jing, who was a germaphobe, stiffened all over.
As a result, the citizens of Hezhou suddenly felt a tremor one afternoon, which caused a minor commotion.
"It is Dragon Qi! Not an ordinary earthquake. It seems the True Dragon Son of Heaven has graced Hezhou with his presence." A scholar in white robes by the roadside calculated with his fingers, his brow furrowed in seriousness.
"Oh? Suyan, you're always so mystical." Beside him, a young man in luxurious robes smiled and wrapped an arm around the scholar’s waist. "You and your study of Qimen and the Eight Trigrams—you're turning into a total bookworm."
The white-robed scholar shook his head. "No, why would the True Dragon Son of Heaven come to a place like Hezhou?"
The man in fine clothes laughed. "Perhaps he is here to find his destined lover!" As he spoke, he unobtrusively kissed the scholar’s cheek, thinking: *Suyan, you are right. The current Crown Prince is right here, and you are his destined lover.*
The scholar frowned. "What are you doing? We are in the middle of the street! Didn't you say you were looking for your sister?"
"My ninth sister is the most mischievous of all; we won't find her in a hurry. Why don't we find a place to rest first?" the young man suggested with a smile.
"That wicked grin of yours... it must be..." The scholar’s face flushed red. Suddenly, an even stronger tremor made the ground shake, causing both men to lose their footing and fall, tumbling into each other's arms.
The young man suddenly felt grateful for his status as the future True Dragon Son of Heaven. *Hehe, it seems even the heavens are looking out for me.*
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon, the Dragon Qi erupting from Leng Jing’s body scared the souls out of every cockroach, ant, and small snake within a ten-mile radius. They all fled!
Leng Qingqing leaned against the wall, staring blankly at Leng Jing, who sat cross-legged to one side. Finally, he said with a trembling heart, "Xiao Jing, what are you doing... you've scared everyone away..."
Leng Jing, resting with his eyes closed on the straw, didn't even look up. He said calmly, "I did nothing. You saw it yourself. I am merely meditating here."
"Nonsense!" Leng Qingqing had seen with his own eyes the wisps of Dragon Qi radiating from his body, leaping and dancing like flames. Sensing his terrifying aura, the surrounding insects and snakes had vanished completely, and rats were evacuating the prison in swarms. Even the White Mink had hidden somewhere to avoid losing control of his bladder again.
Leng Qingqing suddenly realized that his son was already this formidable at only sixty years old. What would happen when he grew up?
Just as mortal children must go to school for an education, it was time to find someone to discipline Xiao Jing! Leng Qingqing made a secret vow: he would find a master for Xiao Jing!
"Son—" Leng Qingqing leaned in, ingratiating himself to Leng Jing. "Son, by the standards of demons, you are at the age to seek a master. Stop fooling around in the mortal realm. Papa wants to find a master to teach you."
Leng Jing replied, "I have a master."
"Eh? Who is your master?"
"The owl," Leng Jing answered.
"You mean that old owl who lived in the big locust tree back in our Blue Sea Valley? That senile old man who was so pedantic he'd drop bird droppings everywhere?" Leng Qingqing’s face was covered in black lines. "That owl doesn't count! Even if he did teach you a few things. Papa is going to find you a better master! I want Xiao Jing to receive an elite education no less than that of the Heavenly Prince!"
Leng Qingqing was full of confidence in his son.
"Does the Old Master not know that the paths to immortality in the Heavenly Realm have been closed for over a decade?" The White Mink, having eaten his fill somewhere, appeared at the perfect moment. He walked through the bars with his paws behind his back like a scholar, stroking his whiskers. "However, one can still find excellent places to cultivate immortality in the human world. The valley where that girl Mei Xin comes from is a spiritual land. Alternatively, you could choose Donghua Mountain not far from here. There is a high-ranking Daoist master on the mountain; if you become his disciple, you can surely learn wondrous methods and immortal arts."
"Yes, yes! Xiao Jing, that sounds great! Why don't we pick one and go see?" Leng Qingqing said with stars in his eyes.
"We'll see," Leng Jing said, seemingly indifferent to the idea of taking a master.
"Xiao Jing—!" Leng Qingqing continued to stare with starry, pitiful, tear-filled eyes.
After a quarter-hour of this stalemate...
***
"Magistrate! Didn't you say you captured Leng Jing?!" The Ninth Princess, having arrived at the jail, flew into a rage at the sight of the empty cell. Beside her, the County Magistrate was subservient and drenched in sweat. "Yes, he was caught... I don't know how he just... vanished..."
"Damn it! Leng Jing! When I catch you, I'll tear you into ten thousand pieces!" The Ninth Princess screamed in fury, completely disregarding her royal image.
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The Ugly Little Snake: My Dragon Son | Chapter 18 | The Fugitive Alliance Leader | Novela.app | Novela.app
