Ao Chi looked at her father, who lay dying on the ground, and wept: “Father, how are you? Father!”
“Xiao Chi… Father is fine… Father… is sorry… you’ve been wronged…”
Seeing his daughter safe, Ao Qing finally wept as well.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Chu Fan and Scorpion Gentleman were facing off, neither gaining the upper hand.
Until Chu Fan sighed.
“Fine. I didn’t want to use this move.”
“Hmph, bluff—”
Scorpion Gentleman didn’t know what happened.
His consciousness suddenly began to blur.
He could even see his own body.
But why…?
Because his head had flown off.
And on the other side, Chu Fan looked at the corpse of Scorpion Gentleman, already sliced into several pieces of sashimi, hands in his pockets.
He lowered his head and taunted: “Didn’t see that coming, did you? That was actually the activation phrase for a magical artifact! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!”
Chu Fan laughed maniacally at the sky.
In the distance, Shen Yuying watched this scene, her eyelids twitching violently.
She didn’t know whether to feel proud or embarrassed.
Call it a legitimate ruse if you want to be nice.
Call it what it really is…
This guy is a master bullshit artist!
Who sets the activation phrase for a cutting-type offensive artifact as “Fine. I didn’t want to use this move.”!?
Is that even right!?
But the victor, Chu Fan, showed no sign of shame.
He began counting the number of sashimi slices.
“Hmm… I was aiming for five slices, to make peeling the scorpion shell easier, but why…”
He looked at the countless slices of Scorpion Gentleman arranged on the ground like a state banquet, and clicked his tongue in disgust.
“Seriously. How can you be so bad at being sliced?”
Complaining, Chu Fan crouched down and began peeling off the scorpion’s outer shell.
“Goddammit, I have to piece it together myself!?”
As he peeled, Ao Chi helped her severely injured father walk over.
Chu Fan casually flicked a pill into the old man’s mouth.
“What did you give my father!?” Ao Chi asked worriedly.
The moment the pill entered his throat, Ao Qing’s body began to recover.
The massive bloody hole in his chest was visibly healing at a rapid rate.
Ao Qing cupped his hands and bowed: “Thank you, sir, for saving my life.”
Ao Chi watched this, dumbfounded.
Could it be… that Chu Fan was actually a very powerful figure?
She couldn’t help but grow curious.
“Um, why are you peeling his skin?”
“Why? What, you want me to peel yours instead?”
“Don’t you dare!”
Ao Chi hugged herself and stepped back two paces, but still stood in front of her father.
Helpless, Chu Fan sighed.
“Sigh. I was hoping to get a dragon’s reverse scale. Now I’ll have to use scorpion shell as a substitute.”
“You… why do you want a dragon’s reverse scale?”
“No special reason. I just like them. I’d keep it for use.”
Hearing Chu Fan’s casual words, Ao Chi clenched her hands, raised her head, gritted her teeth, and said: “I’ll give you mine.”
“What?”
Chu Fan hadn’t misheard—he was questioning his own ears.
But when he turned to look at Ao Chi, he saw that her hands had already reached the back of her own neck.
And there, in the middle, a golden object was glittering.
The next moment, Ao Chi tightened her hands and began to tear.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”
Excruciating pain spread throughout her body, but Ao Chi did not stop.
Even as her father anxiously tried to stop her, she kept tearing with all her might.
Until golden liquid began to flow slowly from the back of her neck.
Ao Qing and Chu Fan frowned at the sight.
“Come… OFF!!!!!!!!”
“Rrrriiiippp”
Ao Chi pulled with force, and at last, the golden scale was completely removed.
But just as Chu Fan was taking the scale, feeling a bit puzzled, something strange happened.
Golden liquid continued to pour from the back of Ao Chi’s neck without stopping.
The liquid formed a sphere, enveloping her, and slowly rose into the sky.
Seeing this, Chu Fan’s eyes widened.
“This… this is!?”
And Ao Qing was laughing wildly at the sky.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!”
Just then, Shen Yuying finally climbed up from below and leaned next to Chu Fan, asking worriedly: “Master… is Xiao Chi…?”
“Don’t worry. She’s fine. More than fine… she’s excellent!” Chu Fan stared at the golden sphere, his excitement overflowing.
“Excellent…?”
“Ancient legend says: there are dragons in the world, born by the grace of heaven and earth. The cub uses its reverse scale to cover its false body, concealing the true qi of the heavenly dragon. When the reverse scale is shed, it is like the rising sun—the flood dragon’s body reclaims the heavenly dragon’s form… This is… real!?”
Gradually, the golden sphere in the sky began to shrink, like a bodysuit wrapping around every inch of Ao Chi’s body.
And her body began to grow larger and longer, transforming into a golden dragon.
Looking at that dragon, Chu Fan’s eyes widened once more, because he could clearly see that the dragon had five claws on its hands.
“A five-clawed golden dragon!?”
“HAHAHAHAHA! Xiao Chi is a five-clawed golden dragon! How could my dragon clan’s great enterprise ever fail? How could revival ever be hopeless? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Seeing Ao Qing laughing ecstatically, Shen Yuying asked again: “Master… why is that old man so happy?”
“Because even among heavenly dragon species, the five-clawed golden dragon is the most special.”
“Its bloodline is extremely pure and even dominant. So even if it mates with an ordinary human who can’t even tie a chicken, the offspring will inevitably be a pure-blood heavenly dragon.”
“Legend says that whenever the dragon clan is on the verge of life or death, heaven and earth will bestow a five-clawed golden dragon to ensure the clan’s immortality… This is all… real…”
Ao Chi occupied the entire sky wantonly.
After a while, she transformed back into human form and landed among the group.
When Shen Yuying saw her, she excitedly trotted over and hugged her.
“Wow, Xiao Chi! You’re amazing!”
“Hehehe~ Not that amazing~”
The two children giggled together.
Soon after, the other students climbed up, and without a word, they hoisted Ao Chi into the air, tossing her skyward and catching her, over and over.
Watching this scene, Chu Fan smiled slightly.
His eyes happened to meet Ao Qing’s, and the old man smiled back.
The two adults stood near the group of children, smiling foolishly.
….
“Father… Daughter… daughter will miss you…”
Ao Chi knelt before Ao Qing, tears falling like rain.
Though reluctant, Ao Qing had decided to entrust his daughter to the man who had saved her.
He stood up, helped his daughter to her feet, and led her by the hand to Chu Fan.
He placed his daughter’s hand into Chu Fan’s palm.
“Sir, I entrust the rest of my daughter’s life to you. Please, you must make her happy. Do not fail her… and do not… fail my painstaking hopes…”
(Wait! Wait, wait, wait! What is this? Is this a master-apprentice ceremony? Are the master-apprentice ceremonies of you locals always this strange?)
“Um… I… will…”
Though it was difficult, Chu Fan forced the words out.
“Come, Xiao Chi, quickly perform the apprenticeship bow.”
Ao Qing said kindly.
Hearing this, Ao Chi dropped to her knees with a thud, placed her hands on the ground, and slammed her head down with a loud crack that made Chu Fan flinch.
(Damn, what a head.)
“Master above, please accept this disciple’s bow!”
Smiling slightly, Chu Fan slowly crouched down and helped her up.
“From now on, you are my disciple. Since you’re following me, how about I give you a new name?”
“A… new name?” Ao Chi looked bewildered.
“You are no longer a flood dragon, so why keep the surname Ao? Wouldn’t that lower your status? What do you think, Father—I mean, her father?”
(Holy crap, what did I just say!? This is a young girl—no, a young dragon! I’ll be arrested!)
“I think so too. Since Xiao Chi is no longer a flood dragon, why keep the surname Ao? Then let you, sir, choose a name for her. After all, you are the one who will accompany her for the rest of her life.”
(I’ve been saying, old man, your way of speaking is so weird. Can’t you say a little less?)
“Um… alright…” Chu Fan replied awkwardly.
He looked back at Ao Chi, gazed into her eyes, and felt a spark of inspiration.
“You are a heavenly dragon with pure bloodline. Why not take the surname Chen? As for the given name…”
Chu Fan looked at her.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed her short hair, lifted by a gentle breeze, burning like a flame.
He smiled slightly and said calmly: “Call her Qianchi. How about that?”
“Qianchi… Chen Qianchi…”
Chen Qianchi repeated the name, and the more she said it, the more she liked it.
She kowtowed again: “Disciple Chen Qianchi thanks Master for the name!”
“Mm. Rise, Qianchi.”
In the hall, the mood was wonderful until Shen Yuying chimed in: “What, Master, you actually can name things?”
“What do you mean!? I’ve always had a talent for naming!” Chu Fan retorted defensively.
“Oh really? Then what about the ‘Anyway-It-Hurts-So-Bad-You-Wish-You-Could-Die-But-You-Can’t Pill’?”
“What about it? Anyway-It-Hurts-So-Bad-You-Wish-You-Could-Die-But-You-Can’t Pill is exactly what it says. How concise and clear!”
“Ha!? Master, is your brain only intermittently functional? How can you even say something like that!?”
“Rebellious disciple! What are you saying!? From now on, you’re the second disciple. Qianchi will be the first.”
“What!?”
Shen Yuying was flustered.
“Really!?”
Chen Qianchi was flattered.
“No way! Master, don’t even think about it! I will never give up my position as first disciple! Never!”
“Master above! Please accept another bow from your disciple!”
Chen Qianchi immediately changed her tune and mimicked Shen Yuying’s way of speaking.
She probably thought that “Master” was a special form of address reserved only for the first disciple.