Chapter 618: My Best Friend

Chu Liang placed the jade bowl on the table and saw the small golden dragon inside frantically circling along the edge of the bowl. It seemed it, too, had caught a whiff of the Qinghong meat's aroma.

"You want some too?" Chu Liang asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Little Golden Dragon cried out anxiously.

"We're good friends. If I get a bite of meat, of course, you'll get one too," Chu Liang teased, testing the waters. "Right?"

"Of course, of course," the Little Golden Dragon immediately replied.

Although it was currently suppressed, it was fully aware of what had happened in the outside world—from the emperor ordering Yao Dengxian to release it to the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner handing it over to Chu Liang.

Chu Liang carried the strongest dragon aura... though it was slightly mixed, its concentration was on par with that of a True Dragon. This made the little dragon feel very secure in Chu Liang's presence.

Only now did it have the luxury of craving some meat.

Having been in the palace for years, it had, of course, heard of the legendary Qinghong meat.

"We're best friends, so I should set you free soon, right?" Chu Liang asked.

"Of course!" The Little Golden Dragon nodded repeatedly. "We're the best of friends."

"Where do you plan to go once you're free?" Chu Liang inquired.

"Uh..." This question stumped the Little Golden Dragon.

Although it was a member of the dragon race, ever since the Dragon Lair was shattered, dragons had scattered across the lands, and all had become loosely connected with one another.

Even the larger dragon clans were now hidden deep within the Abyss of the Hidden Dragons, a place it had no way of locating.

Moreover, the older Golden Dragon had spent years suppressing the fate of the dynasty, leaving it with no friends, connections, or "dragon connections" to rely on.

Its initial plan had been to regain its freedom and steal the Golden Dragon's Orb—something the imperial consort had encouraged. Beyond that, it had no idea where to go next.

Seeing its troubled expression, Chu Liang chuckled. "I figured you hadn't thought it through..."

"We're good friends. If you have nowhere to go, isn't it only right that I offer you a place to stay?" Chu Liang continued to coax.

"Yes, yes!" The Little Golden Dragon nodded again.

"Our Mount Shu is beautiful, with abundant spiritual energy. Countless spirit beasts and divine birds compete to cultivate there, and eventually, a White Dragon seized the opportunity and is now helping us suppress our sect's fate. If you're willing, you can live with us from now on. There are others of your kind on the mountain, so you won't be lonely," Chu Liang said.

"That would be amazing!" the Little Golden Dragon said excitedly.

"Then tell me..." Chu Liang chuckled slyly, "If you have a friend who treats you this well, is it right to not return the favor at all?"

"Uh?" The Little Golden Dragon froze, its expression turning blank as it feigned ignorance.

"Don't you think you should give me something in return?" Chu Liang said directly.

"You could have... my friendship," the Little Golden Dragon offered.

"What do you mean? I already gained your friendship last time when I helped you steal the Golden Dragon's Orb. Is your friendship something that can be handed out in installments?" Chu Liang's face darkened.

"You could gain... a deeper level of friendship," the Little Golden Dragon said.

Alright then.

Do you have a friendship meter or something?

Do I have to max it out to unlock new storylines?

Chu Liang dropped the pretense and said outright, "Don't you dragons have something called Dragon Soul Protection? Can you give me one?"

He already had the scales of the White Dragon and Inferno Dragon and the Blue Dragon's Orb. The only thing he lacked was a cultivation legacy of the dragon soul. Last time, when he saw Qi Lin'er using it, he noticed how extraordinary the power was, so he wanted to try it out for himself.

As for the cultivation legacy of the dragon blood, which was of a lower tier, that was not worth mentioning.

"Well..." The Little Golden Dragon circled twice, hesitating. "All dragons would only be able to bestow three Dragon Soul Protections. As for the legacy of the Dragon Scale, it can be given to seven. While a spot opens up if a host dies, the total number remains limited..."

"So, I am not even worthy of being one of the three?" Chu Liang nodded knowingly. "And you still want to eat Qinghong meat? Maybe later, I'll make you a sashimi with the large intestine of the Qinghong bird instead."

As he spoke, he began to tuck the jade bowl back into his robes.

"EHHHHHHHHHH!" The Little Golden Dragon cried out urgently. "Fine, I'll give it to you, okay?"

"Hehe." Chu Liang grinned with satisfaction. "That's why you're my best friend."

"I can give it to you now. Just find a quiet place," the Little Golden Dragon said.

Chu Liang quickly wolfed down a couple of bites of meat, fed two pieces to the Little Golden Dragon, and finished the plate. Then, he stood up, left his seat, and exited the Golden Throne Hall through a side door.

At the start of the banquet, proceedings were a bit formal, with the emperor offering toasts alongside his officials. But as the evening progressed, the atmosphere became more relaxed, and people were free to move about.

But today's Qinghong Banquet was unlike the others. With the presence of the Guardian Ruler and Di Nufeng, chaos had erupted from the start. The emperor had no mood to celebrate with his officials, so the banquet took on a casual tone.

The Golden Throne Hall was bustling with activity, and no one paid attention to his departure.

Chu Liang walked a considerable distance along the palace's main road until he reached a secluded garden.

Only then did he take out the Little Golden Dragon and ask, "Will this place do?"

"As long as no one disturbs us, it's fine," the Little Golden Dragon replied.

Then, its body flashed with golden light, and its fiery golden vertical pupils reflected Chu Liang's figure.

Boom—

In an instant, a surge of immense mental power flooded Chu Liang's mind.

Although the Little Golden Dragon didn't seem particularly bright, it was still a celestial beast that had attained the seventh realm at birth, and even a fraction of its soul power was not something ordinary people could endure.

If Chu Liang's cultivation level were any lower, he might have fainted on the spot.

It took him a good while to shake off the dizziness. When he opened his eyes again, he realized his vision had changed.

His pupils were now ablaze with golden flames!

Feeling the surging power of the Dragon Soul coursing through him, he tried to suppress it and gradually retracted the golden irises.

The power of the Dragon Soul Protection was indeed far stronger than the cultivation legacy of the Dragon Scale. Only the Dragon Orb was more powerful.

"How is it?" the Little Golden Dragon asked eagerly.

This was its first time granting the cultivation legacy of the Dragon Soul, so it wasn't sure what to expect.

"We will be best friends forever," Chu Liang responded enthusiastically.

As Chu Liang sensed the power of the Dragon Soul surging within him, he felt exhilarated. He felt a sense of regret that he couldn't test it immediately.

With the Qinghong Banquet still ongoing, Chu Liang headed back toward the Golden Throne Hall.

As he passed by a pond, he noticed a figure standing there.

It was a handsome young man gazing at the water. For some reason, his demeanor struck Chu Liang as oddly familiar.

As Chu Liang approached, the young man turned and asked, "You're back?"

"Thirteenth Prince?" Chu Liang greeted him with a smile. "What a coincidence."

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Not a coincidence," the Thirteenth Prince said, shaking his head. "I was planning to invite you for a chat, but since you came out on your own, I waited here for you."

"Waiting for me?" Chu Liang's expression turned cautious. "What's the matter?"

The Thirteenth Prince smiled. "I just have a few questions for you."

"About the imperial consort?" Chu Liang asked abruptly.

"Oh?" The Thirteenth Prince raised his eyes to meet Chu Liang's. "You've figured it out."

"Just a guess," Chu Liang replied with a smile.

"You're too clever," the Thirteenth Prince said, nodding. "So clever, it's frightening."

"I know what you're afraid of, but I won't say a word about it," Chu Liang said. "These matters have nothing to do with me, and the imperial consort is already dead. No one cares about this anymore."

"Really?" The Thirteenth Prince's gaze turned sharp and sinister.

Earlier, Chu Liang had found a dudou at the imperial consort's residence.

It was embroidered with two poetic lines:

Water and sky, emotions untold, Each to their longing, distant and cold.

At first glance, it seemed like a simple love poem, but on closer inspection, the first word of each poetic line came together to resemble the meaning of the character "Luo." [1]

And the Thirteenth Prince's given name was Luo.

Chu Liang hadn't dwelled on it and handed the dudou along with other items to the emperor, who didn't examine them closely and instead entrusted everything to Lao Santai for careful disposal.

That should have been the end of it.

"I'm telling the truth. Coming to me now isn't the smartest move," Chu Liang said with a grin.

"Actually..." The Thirteenth Prince paused briefly before continuing, "It wasn't me who wanted to see you."

"Oh?" Chu Liang caught a dangerous undertone in the prince's expression.

"It's me!"

With a loud splash, a fiery, menacing figure leapt from the pond. Though humanoid in form, it was covered in multicolored scales, resembling a terrifying fish demon!

This was beyond Chu Liang's expectations. He hadn't imagined that after the recent palace upheaval, someone would dare make such a brazen move. And judging by the fish demon's aura, it was no ordinary opponent.

Where had the Thirteenth Prince found such a powerful entity?

In an instant, Chu Liang's mind raced, piecing everything together. The Thirteenth Prince's relationship with the imperial consort wasn't as simple as gifting a dudou—he had used her as a bridge to make connections.

The origins of this fish demon were now clear.

It was the Celestial Charm Sect!

1. The poem wrote

水

天寄情难，

各

往相思处. If you take the first character of each poetic line, which is 水 and 各, you would get something similar to 洛 (Luo). The 氵is the "water" radical in Chinese characters and this 氵+ 各 = 洛 ☜