The group of four ventured deep into the Hunshan Mountains, passing directly through the No Man’s Land to reach the desolate Demon Domain once more.
Everyone walked along the Black Sand Road in silence, hurrying at full speed.
They did not want to waste any time, as this path for sneaking into the Demon Domain was familiar to them.
—
On the Path of Storm Spikes of Dragon Spine Mountain, Jukkido Simon used her wings to form a protective circle.
She stepped carefully through the Spiked Storm, finally reaching the peaceful summit.
She eventually unfurled her dragon wings, revealing the frail Feini tucked inside.
Cradling Feini in her arms, Jukkido Simon walked toward the Red Dragon Manor one step at a time.
She surely thought she looked very cool and heroic.
Feini, however, looked like a dead fish. She was at Simon’s mercy, powerless to resist, her eyes devoid of color.
“Feini, I will definitely cure you, so do not worry,” Jukkido Simon said.
“If you hadn’t carried me away, Qingshamu, Little Black, and Baicheng would have found the Holy Sword to let me recover by now,” Feini said, throwing cold water on her.
“Hmph. Relying on that Pseudo-Demon would take forever. I will save you, I definitely will. But for now, let’s go home.”
Jukkido Simon’s skin was already thicker than the Spiked Storm of Dragon Spine Mountain; she did not blush in the slightest as she brought Feini into the decaying manor.
Jukkido Simon took Feini to an empty room containing only a stone bed and laid her down.
Finally able to rest, Simon knelt by the window and grasped Feini’s small hand, becoming moved by her own display of affection. “We can start over here.”
“Stop acting so devoted, you useless waste. You’re just a giant baby of a bandit who does nothing but snatch things away. You want someone to fall in love with you without giving anything in return? Start over? In your dreams!” Feini stopped pretending and began to swear at her directly.
“Do not worry, I will definitely cure you. I’ll go find some food for you first. We have many, many ores here. Be good and wait for me to return.”
Jukkido Simon had already blocked out Feini’s insults in her mind. Refusing to listen to the “nonsense,” she entered a state of complete self-absorption.
After saying that, she got up and left to find food for Feini.
Of course, the room’s doors and windows were completely locked. She would not let Feini leave even if she were in a vegetative state.
Feini truly felt there was nothing left to live for. She knew that waking up would not lead to anything good, only continued suffering.
After all, what point was there for Jukkido Simon to snatch back a corpse?
However, for some reason, after arriving at this mysterious summit building, Feini felt she had regained quite a bit of her strength.
This place seemed to contain some kind of power that could actually repair her body.
Feini certainly would not tell Jukkido Simon. ‘I’ll continue to play dead,’ she decided, ‘and secretly recover my body until the right moment to run away.’
Two days passed like this…
Feini was truly kept under house arrest in the room and not allowed out. That fellow Jukkido Simon was shameless to the extreme.
On the night of the third day, Jukkido Simon finally seemed to remember Feini. She opened the door and pushed in a very crude, handmade wheelchair.
“Where did this come from?” Feini asked.
“I made it with my own hands,” Jukkido Simon replied with a grin. “Let me help you sit in it and try it out.”
“Hmph.” Feini snorted and sat in the wheelchair. It felt decent enough. Though crude, it was built with a lot of material and felt sturdy—a miracle of brute force.
Coincidentally, Feini’s other arm had also regained a fair amount of strength. She could turn the wheels with both hands to move forward.
“Let me help you.” Jukkido Simon stepped forward, wanting to push the wheelchair.
“I do not need your help. I will push it myself,” Feini protested.
“Alright.” But Jukkido Simon still followed behind like a loyal dog, terrified that Feini might fall.
By pushing the wheelchair, Feini was finally able to leave that empty room and wander through the outside corridor. She was quite skilled at maneuvering the wheelchair, able to squeeze into anywhere except for places with stairs.
“Is this your house?” Feini asked.
“Yes,” Jukkido Simon nodded.
“You didn’t kill someone’s whole family and steal it from them, did you?” Feini asked again.
“While that possibility cannot be ruled out, I was not the one who did it. This house existed before I was born,” Jukkido Simon said.
‘Why does that sound so strange?’ Feini wondered. “Did you get this house for nothing? Something sounds off.”
“What’s off about it?” Jukkido Simon asked in return.
It could only be said that the Red Dragon’s communication skills were like trash. She could not explain anything clearly, leaving Feini completely confused.
But in the next moment, a powerful pressure descended from the sky. It pierced through the solid red rock, making the entire manor tremble.
“Feini, stay here and do not wander off.” Jukkido Simon’s expression instantly became serious.
“What’s happening?” Feini asked curiously.
Jukkido Simon walked forward without explaining, acting like a total riddler to Feini’s annoyance.
Jukkido Simon quickly left the manor and closed the door behind her, preventing Feini from following to see the commotion. It was the height of frustration, a complete tease.
However, Feini still found a way. There was a window in the adjacent room.
She immediately wheeled herself over and placed her hands on the windowsill.
Using every ounce of her strength, she managed to lift half of her head to secretly observe the situation outside.
She saw a crimson dragon suddenly descend upon the summit, a place filled with broken swords and the Tenacity of Steel Sunflowers.
Its body looked extremely ancient, consisting of little more than skin and bones.
Deep sword scars were etched into its massive dragon scales.
Two of its four Longyi were broken, while the other two wings were only half-lengths.
It was even missing an arm, having only one dragon claw.
Yet, despite this half-dead appearance, the old dragon radiated a most dangerous and terrifying aura.
Its dragon pupils remained sharp and overwhelming, brimming with murderous intent like a world-ending Demon King.
It looked down coldly at Jukkido Simon, intimidating without even trying.
Looking at Jukkido Simon again, her gait had slowed significantly.
She lacked her usual breezy confidence and seemed uncharacteristically weak.
“Mother, where have you been?” Jukkido Simon asked.
“It has not been long since we last met. Why have you returned?” The Dragon Mother spoke with a raspy voice as she gradually transformed into a human form.
Her human form looked like a decadent version of Jukkido Simon.
She was missing an arm, and her hair was not as lustrous, but otherwise, there were not many differences.
One could tell at a glance that they were related by blood.
Clearly, Little Black and Jukkido looked very different; Jukkido resembled their Mother more.
“Mother… I…”
Jukkido Simon did not know how to answer for a moment and froze in place.
This was the first major obstacle of her return.
She did not fear any Hero, but her Mother was the only one who could truly make her feel pressure.
“What is wrong with you?”
The Dragon Mother became even more puzzled until she saw Feini poking half of her head out from the window. Her brow furrowed instantly.