Chapter 837: Old Stories

Ji Yuan found the Dragon Girl's words amusing. Knowing his old friend, it was impossible that the old dragon had no feelings for the Dragon Mother. Ji Yuan had previously thought it best for the couple to resolve such matters themselves, but Ying Ruoli's idea was indeed valid; this certainly seemed like an opportune moment.

"Ruoli, if you just tell your father and mother everything you just told me, it will definitely be very effective."

Hearing Ji Yuan's words, Ying Ruoli replied with a hint of helplessness.

"Ruoli thought about that too, but if I said it myself, it might lack persuasion. Uncle Ji, you've been friends with my father for so many years, and you know him well. Ruoli really isn't confident..."

The Dragon Girl spoke at length with a furrowed brow, then looked at Ji Yuan, her expression changing to a smile.

"But if Uncle Ji says it, my father will certainly believe you, and my mother will too. It might just be a small inconvenience for Uncle Ji, as you'd have to tell a little white lie."

The Dragon Girl had laid it all out, and Ji Yuan, for both emotional and logical reasons, could not refuse. However, he didn't immediately agree. He looked at the Dragon Girl again, deep in thought.

"Does Ying Feng know about this?"

The Dragon Girl answered truthfully.

"I can hide in the bed-chamber to avoid him, but my brother always has to face Father. I was afraid he'd be found out, so I didn't tell him anything."

"Alright, I understand."

Ji Yuan nodded and walked to a corner of the bed-chamber where the table and stools had been moved. After Ji Yuan sat down, Ying Ruoli followed.

"Uncle Ji?"

Ji Yuan looked up, seeing a hint of nervousness on the Dragon Girl's face, and smiled.

"Sit down. We need to plan this carefully. Assuming I'm willing to help you, your father is so shrewd that even if I were to deceive him, a single word might not be enough to fool him. Oh, by the way, it's never been convenient to ask before, but what caused the conflict between your parents?"

The Dragon Girl sat opposite Ji Yuan, propping her chin in her hands as she recalled something, then gradually began to tell Ji Yuan everything she knew.

"Back then, although my father was excellent, he wasn't considered a famous young talent among the overseas dragons. My mother, on the other hand, was the Flower of the East Sea, sought after by countless dragons, but she only had eyes for my father. Hmm, I heard it was because chihu dragons are beautiful, and their offspring would also be beautiful..."

Ji Yuan agreed with this. Chihu dragons or flood dragons of the chihu type, when moving, possess an incredibly vibrant iridescent glow. While their scales vary in shade, they generally exhibit a rich, shifting red, and both their dragon forms and human transformations are remarkably graceful and beautiful.

Ying Ruoli felt a little embarrassed saying this, as if she were boasting in front of Ji Yuan. She glanced at him, and seeing no particular reaction, she continued.

"Uncle Ji, don't look at my father the way he is now. Back then, he was truly a pretty boy, sometimes handsome enough to make my mother jealous!"

Good heavens, Ji Yuan felt like he had uncovered a significant secret. A smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth, already imagining what it must have been like when the old dragon Ying Hong was a "pretty boy."

"And then your mother and father got together?"

Ying Ruoli nodded.

"I'm not sure about the exact details, but anyway, they eventually got together, and it was my mother who made the first move... That's quite rare among dragons. My father didn't really understand my mother back then, but... well, Uncle Ji, you know, even if he was a chihu dragon, he was still a flood dragon. Facing my mother at that time, how could my father possibly resist? They naturally engaged in marital intimacy..."

At this point, the Dragon Girl looked at Ji Yuan and asked a question.

"Uncle Ji, do you know the details of dragon courtship?"

Ji Yuan had no knowledge of this either, so he frankly shook his head. The Dragon Girl smiled a little awkwardly and continued.

"Typically, if a male and female dragon are smitten, they will engage in amorous acts when it's convenient, perhaps while traveling thousands of miles together. To some, this might not even be considered true love."

As the Dragon Girl spoke, she propped her chin in her hands, looking at Ji Yuan, then towards the door, continuing her story somewhat distractedly.

"Even though my father wasn't outstanding in the East Sea back then, he was genuinely ambitious, determined to achieve ultimate enlightenment. He spent more and more time in isolated cultivation. My mother, understanding him, didn't disturb him much... Later, my father informed his relatives, friends, and my mother that he was leaving the East Sea alone to come to this land of Da Zhen to undergo a death-seclusion for cultivation. Da Zhen didn't even exist then."

"I've heard about that."

Ji Yuan nodded, recalling bits he had heard from the old dragon when they first met beneath the Sleeping Dragon Cliff. Although Ji Yuan had appeared calm then, he was quite terrified internally, but he had listened very carefully to some of the stories, including the flood from the dragon transformation tribulation and the old dragon's enlightenment.

"My father cultivated in that subterranean deep pool for several centuries. Finally, after accumulating immense power, he emerged by controlling the water. After overcoming various trials and narrowly escaping death, he successfully entered the sea, shedding his flood dragon form to become a true dragon—the only true chihu dragon in the world today."

So far, Ji Yuan hadn't heard any point of conflict. He thought it must be getting to the crucial part, so he waited patiently.

Ying Ruoli had intended to wait for Ji Yuan to ask, but seeing his composed demeanor, she felt a little disheartened and simply continued.

"When my father successfully transformed into a dragon, the entire East Sea Dragon Clan came to celebrate, and representatives from the Four Seas Dragon Clans also arrived. Only my mother didn't appear. My mother... well, back then my brother and I were only a few decades old, very young and inexperienced. After my father left, my mother, fearing entanglement, settled far away on Dragon Rock Island. She was pregnant for many years and gave birth to dragon eggs alone, incubating them for many more years. When she heard my father had become a dragon, she was so overjoyed she danced all day, telling my brother and me that our father was a true dragon..."

As Ying Ruoli spoke, a misty sheen appeared in her eyes, but it wasn't tears of joy; rather, it was a hint of sadness. This caught Ji Yuan off guard, unsure how to comfort her.

At the same time, the three dragons outside the door instinctively looked up, sensing moisture gathering in the sky.

In response to the Dragon Girl's tears, dark clouds gathered over the Tongtian River, and rain began to fall.

"Pitter-patter, pitter-patter..."

People on the river's multi-storied boats hurried back to their cabins, pedestrians on shore quickened their pace, and people at the dock frantically sought shelter from the rain. The rain was neither heavy nor light, yet it created a thin mist upon landing, rendering the river, boats, people, and objects shrouded in a hazy, rainy blur.

In the Dragon Palace beneath the water, the Dragon Girl had tears in her eyes, yet she spoke with a smile.

"Then my mother kept waiting for my father to come find us. She waited and waited, one year, two years, many years, but my father never came... My mother grew disheartened and completely sealed off the Dragon Rock Island sea area with her magic."

"What?"

Ji Yuan's eyes widened abruptly, and he exclaimed in astonishment.

"What was your father doing?"

The Dragon Girl let out a soft sigh.

"Many dragon relationships between males and females don't last long. When my mother and father got together, she repeatedly said she liked my father because he was 'handsome.' My father might have misunderstood their relationship... Then some dragon told my father that my mother had gotten involved with another dragon hundreds of years ago and left the East Sea, never appearing since..."

"Although my father was bothered by it, he considered the nature of dragons... and since my mother didn't come looking for him, perhaps she didn't want to see him. Coupled with the need to consolidate his cultivation, attend to social obligations, and travel the Four Seas in his true dragon form, he gradually forgot about it..."

"What happened then?"

Seeing Ji Yuan's eagerness, the Dragon Girl didn't keep him in suspense.

"Later, General Giant Whale and a Black Flood Dragon found my father in the West Sea and informed him that my mother had been living under a secluded small island near the Barren Sea and had even given birth to two little chihu flood dragons for him. He immediately rushed back from the West Sea..."

Ji Yuan frowned in thought, then spoke.

"By then, your mother was already refusing to see him, right?"

Ying Ruoli nodded.

"My mother refused to see my father, no matter what. He initially waited outside Dragon Rock Island, but every year, during the appropriate season, he would return to Yunzhou to bring rain. Later, he came back periodically, but was met with rejection every single time. My father also has a temper, and despite being a revered true dragon, he couldn't use force. He was furious and tried various methods, but my mother was unyielding. Instead, she found a way to send my brother and me out..."

"My mother harbored resentment, but she still wanted what was best for my brother and me. After leaving the island, having a confrontation with my father, and leaving some harsh words, she returned to Dragon Rock Island. My brother and I then followed my father to cultivate..."

The Dragon Girl paused, recalling as she spoke.

"Initially, my brother and I both resented our father and were also somewhat afraid to defy him. Even after we felt his concern, it took a long time for us to finally get along."

That was the situation, and Ji Yuan generally understood. However, he still asked nonchalantly.

"What happened to the dragon who said your mother had left with another dragon?"

The Dragon Girl gave a cold snort and replied softly.

"Given my father's temper, how could they still be around now!"

Having finished, the Dragon Girl looked at Ji Yuan with hopeful eyes.

"Uncle Ji, will you help Ruoli?"

Ji Yuan sighed, looking at the lingering tears in the Dragon Girl's eyes. He nodded and replied with a firm tone.

"Yes! I will definitely help with this matter!"

Just as he treated the Yin family, Ji Yuan truly regarded the Ying family as his closest kin. How could he not lend a hand?