Roar!!!
The dragon's roar was too subtle and sharp, almost like a cat's meow.
The bronze cauldron emitted a faint glow, and the head of the red dragon suddenly emerged, letting out a roar as it bit down on Li Guanyi's fingertip. However, rather than an attack, it felt more like play. Li Guanyi could sense a connection, as if it were linked to his own bloodline.
He loosened his clothing to reveal the area over his heart, where the bronze cauldron glowed. The dragon's head was the only part that had left the cauldron's body.
The rest of the dragon remained blurred and unclear, its imprint not deep enough, still lingering on the bronze cauldron.
As Li Guanyi played with the dragon beast using his finger, he pondered how this dragon beast had come to be.
"Is it because it was influenced by the法相 of the Xue family's ancestor, causing it to appear early?"
"Is that why only its head can leave the cauldron?"
Li Guanyi noticed that there were still large areas of blank and dim spots on the bronze cauldron.
It was as if, aside from this red dragon, many other divine beasts could exist on this cauldron. Could it be that as long as he continued to interact with Yue Qianfeng, a powerhouse of the Xue family's ancestor level, and absorb some kind of essence they emitted, he could imprint their法相 onto the bronze cauldron?
Hmm...
However, this法相, while looking quite imposing, was so small. What use could it have? Li Guanyi recalled how, after interacting with the red dragon, it seemed ethereal and could merge with his internal qi, and he tried again.
At first, the red dragon was quite uncooperative, shaking its head and swaying its dragon whiskers.
After several attempts, he finally made some progress.
The red dragon let out a delicate long cry.
Then it bumped its head against the palm of Li Guanyi's hand. This process was completely sensationless, neither painful nor itchy, but he immediately sensed something different.
It felt as if a warm current was radiating from his palm, and the internal power of the《破阵曲》suddenly accelerated. This time, Li Guanyi did not stop this contact; the internal qi of the《破阵曲》flowed like a torrent, merging with this warm current, as if a pot of cold water had been poured onto boiling oil, instantly exploding.
A rumbling sound seemed to echo in his ears.
Li Guanyi's vision darkened, and the internal qi of the《破阵曲》actually combined with the red dragon.
Then, they blended seamlessly, transforming into a more domineering and intense energy.
As it flowed through his body, Li Guanyi could distinctly feel his physical strength increasing, its effect far surpassing that of the《破阵曲》internal power. Unfortunately, this red dragon's energy only spread a small portion before it suddenly separated from the《破阵曲》internal power.
The red dragon's aura dissipated again, reappearing as a dragon beast on the cauldron.
The little fellow could only extend one dragon claw, panting heavily, its claw pressing against the body of the bronze cauldron, breathing heavily.
In Li Guanyi's eyes, that youthful dragon body clearly displayed a proud expression.
Yet it was also angry because it was still bound by the bronze cauldron.
Turning around, it scratched at the bronze cauldron with its little claw.
Finally, gritting its teeth, it seemed to intend to bite instinctively.
Roar!!!
It was gently nudged by Li Guanyi.
The bronze cauldron rested over his heart.
This cannot be bitten.
The法相 of the red dragon transformed into a mass of energy, returning to the bronze cauldron, becoming the patterns on its surface.
Meanwhile, the internal power of the《破阵曲》within Li Guanyi flowed like a blazing torrent, rushing to his heart area. The cold and poisonous energy still sought to affect his internal power, but this time it did not succeed.
The internal qi surged fiercely, striking hard at the place where the poison resided in his heart.
Li Guanyi felt alternating sensations of heat and cold in his heart, and that chilling poison was slightly diminished. His internal power did not lose much of its flow speed this time, circulating at a normal pace, stimulating the meridians and flesh it passed through, gradually strengthening them.
Due to the alternating pain of heat and cold, cold sweat beaded on Li Guanyi's forehead, but a smile crept onto his lips, and joy sparkled in his eyes.
"Indeed, I can use this power to suppress the poison in my heart."
"And right now, it's only relying on the residual wave; this red dragon hasn't fully merged into my internal qi yet."
"If my guess is correct, once this red dragon can completely detach from the bronze cauldron, it should be able to directly merge into my internal qi. In that case, whether in cultivation or when facing anyone in battle, I won't be affected by this poison."
"This internal power mixed with the red dragon's qi is several times more effective than the normal《破阵曲》internal qi."
"Unfortunately, right now, only the dragon's head can emerge."
Li Guanyi felt a mix of joy and regret in his heart.
The poisonous affliction that had troubled him for ten years now finally had a chance of being resolved.
Moreover, it was almost foreseeable—once this red dragon could completely emerge from the bronze cauldron, his strength would surely increase significantly, making the journey from the national borders of the Chen Kingdom to the eighteenth state of Jiangnan much safer.
The youth's eyes sparkled with excitement.
He touched the bronze cauldron, a smile of delight on his lips.
It was just a pity that Yue Qianfeng was no longer here; after all, he was the one who understood this red dragon法相 the best.
Li Guanyi still had many things he wanted to try and was very curious about this法相, but the red dragon seemed to have grown tired, returning to the bronze cauldron and remaining still. Li Guanyi decided to set aside this plan for now and began tidying up his home.
He neatly folded the new clothes he had bought for his aunt.
He covered the roast goose he had bought on his way back with a bowl to prevent the ants in the house from getting a taste.
He steamed some rice and took out a kitchen knife, using high-quality pork belly to make red-braised meat.
Li Guanyi counted his gains: he had bought some food, a jar of good wine, and rented a safer small courtyard for fifteen taels of silver. Originally, it would have cost thirty taels of silver for half a year outside, but because it was arranged internally by the Xue family, he got the cheapest price directly.
He also bought some odds and ends, leaving him with about two taels of silver.
Looking at the silver, Li Guanyi felt a fleeting sense that money came quickly and went just as fast, hardly enough to spend.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a line of ants on the nearby cabinet, climbing up like monkeys trying to reach the bowl with the roast goose beside it, eager to get inside. The oil and fat aroma was extremely tempting to them.
Li Guanyi raised an eyebrow, took a couple of steps forward, and flicked his wrist towards the ants.
Fortunately, they were currently in Jiangnan; if they were in the southern regions, traversing the mountains, there seemed to be larger creatures akin to cockroaches from his past life, adept at flying, and only the Gu Masters in the forests would use such things as medicinal materials.
Li Guanyi certainly wouldn't use his hands, but now it was no problem. Just as he was about to strike, the red dragon in the bronze cauldron poked its head out again.
The red dragon transformed into energy, flowing out from the bronze cauldron.
However, most of its body remained inside the cauldron. This time, it exerted all its strength, reaching only from his heart to the elbow joint of Li Guanyi, before it had to return, unable to flow to his fist.
Even so, the internal qi of the《破阵曲》still acquired an explosive layer.
This violent internal qi surged down his arm to the edge of his fist. Li Guanyi's palm swept over the ants, and those with large pincers were sent flying. The next moment, a crackling sound erupted from the ants, their bodies igniting with a flicker of flame, releasing wisps of charred smoke.
Li Guanyi froze, staring at his palm.
"What is this..."
Fire Qi?!!
The法相 of the red dragon slumped again.
It lay on the bronze cauldron, blowing bubbles.
Its dragon whiskers curled and twisted.
Li Guanyi murmured, "It hasn't been fully activated yet, but it can already imbue my fists and feet with fire qi. Although it can only burn ants for now, this is just the beginning. If the red dragon can completely emerge from this cauldron... what will it be like?"
Li Guanyi naturally thought of Yue Qianfeng's last move.
A punch unleashed, the red dragon roaring, flames sweeping across the sky.
He instinctively clenched his fist.
The internal qi of the《破阵曲》flowed as if holding a ball of fire.
A hint of warmth ignited in his heart.
The cultivation system of this world was far more powerful and mysterious than he had anticipated.
Unfortunately, Yue Qianfeng had not imparted more to him, but the Xue family should have similar collections of books. They might not involve secret transmissions, but there should be general introductory texts available for borrowing. Li Guanyi suddenly felt more enthusiastic about attending class at the Xue family tomorrow.
Footsteps echoed in his ears as his aunt, Murong Qiushui, returned.
Li Guanyi tucked away the white jade Guanyin pendant.
Thinking about his aunt's reaction later, a smile crept onto his lips.
Murong Qiushui returned with some vegetables, catching a whiff of the meat aroma, and asked in confusion, "Li Nuer?"
"Did you make meat dishes today?"
As she pushed the door open, she saw the young man in a blue diagonal-collared long robe, with a leather belt around his waist, looking heroic. She momentarily froze, and in that striking appearance, it was as if she saw those old acquaintances again. Li Guanyi rarely saw his aunt lost in thought, and he felt a flicker of joy in his heart.
Then, mischief sparked within him.
He stepped forward, raised his right hand to gently press his chest, and elegantly bowed, smiling as he said:
"What's wrong? Aunt, don't you recognize me?"
The youth was showing off.
This time, he had surpassed his aunt's expectations.
Murong Qiushui blinked, retracting her gaze.
She also concealed that fleeting sadness, as if seeing an old friend.
Then she reached out, pinching the young man's cheek, smiling playfully as she teased:
"It seems my Li Nuer has finally started to enjoy the soft life?"
"The spring light is gentle, and the jade pendants chime."
"My Li Nuer."
"What is your price?"
Li Guanyi was momentarily stunned:
???
"No, Aunt, your reaction is not right."
(End of Chapter)