Chapter 88: Ao Ning

“Because I do not know how to swim.”

Su Yuanbai remained calm. With a slight flick of his finger, a thread of white light burst from his fingertip toward Ao Ning. Spinning and shifting, the light became a brilliant, pure-white cluster of red spider lilies.

When Ao Ning saw that white radiance, a trace of ferocity rose across her delicate face, and crackling lightning wreathed between the two tiny dragon horns on her forehead.

But she soon realized that the flower formed from that light carried no dangerous aura at all.

Still, out of caution, Ao Ning sidestepped slightly to avoid it. Yet after the flower brushed past her, it suddenly turned back.

Too late to evade, Ao Ning was struck as the red spider lily slipped into her body.

Red scales surfaced across her skin, and the burns upon those scales bloomed with faint white petals. As the petals dissolved, the scorch marks upon the red scales gradually faded away.

The weariness hidden deep in Ao Ning’s eyes eased considerably.

“Little flood dragon, you didn’t lie to me. This human really does seem to have some skill.” A hint of delight appeared on Ao Ning’s face as she looked at Su Yuanbai. “My name is Ao Ning. What is yours?”

“You may call me Su Yuanbai.”

Su Yuanbai said calmly.

“You are called Su Yuanbai? Then you share the same surname as my husband, though you are a bit less handsome than he is. Are you also the child of some noble family in the mortal world?”

Ao Ning’s bright eyes immediately shone with curiosity.

“Aren’t you planning to save your husband?”

Su Yuanbai turned his gaze slightly away from those glittering, inquisitive eyes and asked quietly.

“That’s right! I need to see where my husband is now!!”

Ao Ning opened her mouth slightly, and a bead radiating dazzling red light spun out from within, hovering between the two tiny dragon horns on her forehead.

Su Yuanbai reached out and pressed down on Duan Lingqi’s itching head.

“This girl has no guard against us at all. She even brought out her dragon pearl so readily in front of us,” Xi Chunxue said helplessly, looking up at Ao Ning with her eyes closed.

“This little girl’s thousand-year dragon essence should not be confined to so small a dragon pearl. It seems she has indeed given half of the pearl’s dragon power to that lucky human,” said Xie Miaoan slowly, his turbid eyes fixed on the pearl hovering in midair.

The pearl’s red glow flowed like crimson smoke, drifting like a thin scarlet veil over Ao Ning’s body. Her petite face would sometimes turn into the fierce visage of a red dragon, and at other times into the innocent countenance of a young girl.

“I found him. He is on Tearsea Hill.”

Ao Ning opened her eyes. A flash of scarlet glimmered at the corners of her eyes, and the flowing red mist, together with the pearl hovering in midair, was swallowed down as she parted her lips.

“Where is Tearsea Hill?”

Xie Miaoan asked in faint confusion.

“We’re running out of time...”

Ao Ning looked uneasy. A dragon tail emerged from behind her, swaying restlessly with anxious haste.

“What happened?”

Xi Chunxue asked upon seeing Ao Ning’s worried expression.

“If I help you solve the problem of not knowing how to swim, then can you help me?”

Ao Ning flicked her dragon tail and, in a red blur, appeared before Su Yuanbai, her pitiful eyes carrying a trace of pleading.

“That still won’t do.”

Su Yuanbai said calmly.

“Then I’ll go by myself.”

Clenching her teeth, Ao Ning no longer continued to beg Su Yuanbai. Turning around, she was about to fly out of the Azure Sea Dragon Palace.

“After solving the swimming problem, I will still need a guide. I’m not familiar with the depths of the Azure Sea.”

Looking at Ao Ning, whose body had already half-transformed into that of a dragon, Su Yuanbai said slowly, glancing sideways.

“Has Your Excellency taken to teasing people for amusement now? What happened while I was gone?”

Duan Lingqi turned back to ask Qin Hansheng behind him.

“I do not know.”

Qin Hansheng shook his head.

“His temperament really has changed a little again,” Xi Chunxue said, looking at Su Yuanbai.

“Whether this change is good or bad, I wonder,” Xie Miaoan suddenly sighed.

“What? I wasn’t troubled over whether he was good or bad, and now it is your turn to be troubled by it?”

Xi Chunxue turned to Xie Miaoan with a soft laugh.

Xie Miaoan wrapped both arms around the Soul-Summoning Banner in his hands. He did not answer Xi Chunxue, only lifting his turbid gaze slightly toward the blank space at the center of the banner.

“Fine.”

Ao Ning looked at Su Yuanbai, then reached out and grasped a spot on her neck, yanking downward with force. A great wash of dragon blood instantly poured out.

Duan Lingqi stared at the floating dragon blood, his eyes lighting up. Just as he darted over to lick a mouthful, Su Yuanbai slapped him back.

“You even dare tear out your reverse scale for me,” Su Yuanbai murmured in admiration.

He looked at the moon-shaped red scale Ao Ning had handed him, about the size of a palm. The instant it touched his hand, it melted away into his palm and vanished.

“Now, when you enter the water, it will be no different from walking on land.”

Ao Ning flicked her dragon tail, and her whole body instantly transformed into a small crimson dragon. Opening her mouth, she drew the floating dragon blood into herself, then fixed her vertical scarlet dragon pupils on Su Yuanbai and said, “Let’s go.”

Su Yuanbai lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his foot and leaped onto Ao Ning’s back.

“Your Excellency, I’m going too!” Duan Lingqi said, seeing this, and was about to transform into a flood dragon to follow after them.

“You should stay here with them as hostages instead. Otherwise, their people will not feel at ease entrusting me with his younger sister.”

Standing on Ao Ning’s back, Su Yuanbai looked down at Duan Lingqi.

When Duan Lingqi saw those dark, tranquil eyes, the flood-dragon tail he had just manifested immediately withdrew, and he hid behind Xi Chunxue.

“Do you really not need our help?” Xi Chunxue looked up and asked Su Yuanbai.

“Do you think I need it?”

Su Yuanbai smiled faintly in response.

“If not for the bothersome restraints still upon me, and if I had any idea who has been secretly watching me, I would already have punched a hole through the heavens and gone to ask that one up there about my condition.”

Su Yuanbai lifted his gaze toward the sky above, his profound eyes seeming to stare into the boundless black waters of the Azure Sea—whether he was looking at the sea, or through it toward the heavens, no one could tell.

“Let’s go. The earlier we leave, the earlier we return.”

Su Yuanbai bent down and lightly patted Ao Ning’s dragon body.

A streak of red light flashed. Together with ripples spreading through the air of the Azure Sea Dragon Palace, Ao Ning carried Su Yuanbai away and vanished from everyone’s sight.

Not long after Ao Ning departed, sea demons led shrimp soldiers and crab generals to surround Xi Chunxue and the others on all sides. At some unknown point, the gold-studded gates of the Azure Sea Dragon Palace had also been shut.

“Lock them up,” Ao Chi’s figure appeared atop a distant pavilion, and he spoke coldly.

“Should we inform the Fourth Prince about what happened above?” Turtle Young-Master asked from behind Ao Chi.

“You said it yourself: only by killing to stop killing can these arrogant and conceited humans be made to remember deeply that the dragon might of our Azure Sea Dragon Clan is absolutely not to be offended.

Sanshu Island must be drowned.”

Ao Chi said icily.

“Understood.”

Turtle Young-Master carried his shell, his hands tucked within his sleeves, and bowed as he slowly retreated.