Chapter 850: Holding onto Qingying Without Fear

The old dragon did not take Ji Yuan to the main hall, which was filled with dragons from the Four Seas. Ji Yuan's presence there would have been unsuitable and likely annoying, so he was temporarily settled in a quiet side hall.

With the entire Dragon Palace bustling with activity, the quiet area where Ji Yuan and his companions were situated was truly the inner and back courtyard, accessible only to the closest relatives.

The side hall where Ji Yuan and his group stayed was not particularly large, but it was fully equipped with everything they might need: food, drinks, and even a chessboard. Several yasha and fish maidens stood outside, ready to serve.

Unfortunately, the old dragon was extremely busy at the moment. After a brief conversation with Ji Yuan, he could not stay longer and had to excuse himself to attend to guests in the main hall. He asked Ji Yuan and his companions to rest, assuring them that they were free to go anywhere in the palace.

"Ah, this Dragon Palace is quite interesting indeed."

No sooner had the old dragon left than Xiezhi began exploring the side hall, looking around and touching various items. He even picked up some ornaments to examine, all while carrying a plate of pastries and eating as he walked.

"This Dragon Palace of the Tongtian River isn't even that luxurious. Master Ji told me some of the Dragon Palaces in the Four Seas are even more extravagant. Hehe, Master, have some of this."

Hu Yun followed Xiezhi, holding another plate of pastries. Xiezhi casually took a piece and chewed it, nodding as he put a jade ruyi back in its place.

Ji Yuan ate a few pastries, clapped his hands, and stood up, looking at Zao Niang.

"Let's go for a stroll outside. This Dragon Transformation Banquet is so lively; how can we not go out and explore?"

"Yes, sir."

Zao Niang happily stood up. The Dragon Lady's home was indeed much larger than she had expected, and she, too, wanted to look around.

"Hey, Master Ji, I'm coming too! I want to go!"

Hearing about going out for a walk, Hu Yun immediately wanted to follow, but Xiezhi grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Hu Yun nearly stumbled from the pull but still quickly caught several pastries that almost spilled. Then he turned his head with a resigned look.

"Master... why are you holding me back? If we go out with Master Ji, I can carry your pastries for you."

Xiezhi grinned.

"Hehe, I'm not going, and you're not allowed to either! Did you think I let you experience the myriad water creature demon qi for nothing? I'm about to teach you something!"

"Master, why bother..."

Ji Yuan shook his head, ignoring them, and led Zao Niang out of the side hall. Outside, a yasha immediately cupped his hands and spoke a few words before preparing to follow them, while another fish maiden closed the hall door.

As soon as Ji Yuan left, Xiezhi released Hu Yun, who looked up at him with utter helplessness in his eyes.

"What kind of look is that? It's just going out to see demons, and the banquet hasn't even started, so what's there to see? I'm teaching you, and you're not happy? Doesn't Ji Yuan have a saying, 'If one learns the Dao in the morning, one may die in the evening without regret'?"

The helplessness in Hu Yun's eyes vanished instantly.

"Master, are you going to teach me something real now?"

"Nonsense! While most of what I said before was indeed to scare you for fun, it wasn't entirely false, was it? Didn't you notice Ji Yuan didn't even say anything to refute it?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Master, please sit there, I'll bring you pastries!"

Xiezhi lazily walked to a nearby resting couch and, after sitting down, suddenly looked at Hu Yun with great seriousness.

"What did it feel like to enter the water and sense the demon qi there before?"

Seeing Xiezhi's demeanor, Hu Yun couldn't help but become a little more serious as well.

"Master, at that time, I felt like I was drowning; it was hard to even hold my breath, so terrifying... But I could sense an endless amount of mixed demon qi. Some of it was especially frightening, feeling as though it was squeezing my throat..."

"Hmm, that's the dragon qi of true dragons. From it, you can discern the opponent's magical power, whether it's pure and spiritual. I previously said that demon qi and demon power possess their own spirituality and even emotions. How do you feel about those true dragon qi?"

Hu Yun thought for a long time before managing to articulate a single sentence.

"It's very powerful and very frightening, but it's different from the scary demon qi of Lu Shanjun. It felt very majestic, not to be offended... I can't quite describe it."

"Hehe, well said. Now, let me explain the purity of the demon power it embodies. How do you think your own demon power is?"

Hu Yun pointed to himself.

"Me? Uh... my magical power, no, my demon power, must be very weak, right?"

Hu Yun genuinely lacked confidence in himself. Xiezhi smiled, then his expression turned serious as he spoke in a faint voice.

"There, you are mistaken. Did you think Ji Yuan's guidance was some common, cheap commodity? This is precisely what it means for an immortal to point the way. Your demon power, solely in terms of its purity and spirituality, is already close to five percent of Ji Yuan's true essence—his true essence!"

Hu Yun's previously excited expression immediately fell.

"Only five percent of Master's..."

Seeing Hu Yun's reaction, Xiezhi's expression changed more dramatically than Hu Yun's own. It seemed this little fox had been calling Ji Yuan "Master" all this time and speaking of how powerful Master Ji was, but he actually had no real concept of Ji Yuan's true power.

"You scoundrel! Do you think five percent is low?"

Xiezhi thumped Hu Yun on the back of the head, breaking his human form, and he reverted into a red fox sitting on the ground, clutching his head.

"Master..."

Xiezhi bared his large white teeth in a grin, then raised his hand to look at his palm, sensing Ji Yuan's magical power within his own body.

"Let me put it this way: in my current state, if a true dragon lends me its demon power, purely for exertion, I can use six out of ten parts. With spells, I can use eight parts. As for your Master Ji's magical power, purely for exertion, I can use all ten out of ten parts. With spells, I can use twenty parts. Most immortal cultivators and demon cultivators, even those with high cultivation, can't even borrow my power. But your power, although a bit weak, I can barely make use of!"

"Oh..."

At the entrance of the side hall, Ji Yuan, who had ostensibly left, was actually standing nearby, listening intently to the conversation inside. Zao Niang, with one hand cupping her ear, also seemed to be listening.

"He's really teaching him. All right, let's go."

Zao Niang smiled and followed Ji Yuan's steps. They departed, walking on the fine, air-clear water within the Dragon Palace, making no sound at all.

Inside the side hall, Hu Yun was still pondering. Just as he was about to speak, Xiezhi raised a hand to stop him, his gaze darting toward the door with a frown.

"Hehe, they really left."

"Huh? Master, what do you mean, 'really left'?"

Xiezhi looked down at Hu Yun.

"Want to go for a walk outside? It's so lively on the eve of the Dragon Transformation Banquet!"

"Yes, I do, but when Master Ji left just now, you wouldn't let me go..."

"Ha, if I went with Ji Yuan, wouldn't he watch me like a hawk? Come on, let's go too, and bring the pastries!"

Hu Yun stared wide-eyed at Xiezhi, who had changed his mind so quickly. He could only go back to get the pastries, pondering how to report Xiezhi to Ji Yuan without getting beaten.

As for Ji Yuan and Zao Niang, shortly after leaving the back courtyard, they frequently encountered various water-dwelling demons along the way, many of whom looked their way.

Ji Yuan walked ahead, with Zao Niang following closely beside him. She appeared somewhat nervous, but whenever Ji Yuan looked back at her, she would pretend to be unfazed.

Ji Yuan subtly tested her a few times, and each time it was the same. After walking for a while, he finally turned to Zao Niang.

"Are you not quite used to the world outside the Ju'an Study?"

Zao Niang initially wanted to act tough, but not wanting to lie to Ji Yuan, she could only nod and softly acknowledge him.

"Mm... Zao Niang is afraid of embarrassing Master..."

Ji Yuan understood. He looked behind him, extended his right hand, and the Green Vine Sword immediately spun once before settling into his grasp. Then, Ji Yuan directly handed the Green Vine Sword to Zao Niang.

"Hold the sword; there's no need to be afraid."

"Me, holding Qingying?"

Ji Yuan nodded, his gaze also on the Green Vine Sword.

"Protect Zao Niang a little."

The Green Vine Sword emitted a soft hum, its sword intent stirring the surrounding water vapor and emitting a chilling, awe-inspiring light. This caused the many demons observing Zao Niang and Ji Yuan to shiver, and countless others immediately turned their gazes elsewhere. Even the yasha following Ji Yuan and Zao Niang from a short distance stiffened.

Zao Niang immediately smiled, carefully reaching out to take the Green Vine Sword and holding it close to her.

The yasha, recovering, hesitated before speaking.

"Master Ji, you..."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Yes, yes!"

Indeed, Ji Yuan's clever move had an immediate effect. Now, Zao Niang's walking posture was as relaxed as it was within the Ju'an Study.

"Master, where are we going? What if the Dragon Lord returns and can't find you?"

"It's fine, it's fine. We'll just return before the banquet inside the Dragon Palace begins. The interesting parts are all at the riverside banquet outside the Dragon Palace; there are countless mixed demons from all sides. Master intends to watch a good show, and we can't just see half of it inside the Dragon Palace. We have to see the whole spectacle, inside and out!"

Zao Niang was immediately startled upon hearing this.

"Ah? Will Hu Yun not get to see it? Should we go back and call him? Oh, and is this related to Ruoli? She hasn't returned yet; will she miss it too?"

"Why think so much? It's rare for Xiezhi to be serious."

Ji Yuan walked forward, and Zao Niang could only follow, though she still looked back in the direction they came from, evidently very concerned about Hu Yun.

Meanwhile, the yasha beside Ji Yuan began to feel suspicious. Master Ji mentioned a "good show"—did that mean something significant was about to happen? Did the Dragon Lord know? Should he report it?