Chapter 96: I Have No Interest in Your Ugly Head

Jiang Yan was utterly dumbfounded by the little dwarf dragon’s outrageous antics! Goodness—just watching this scene made his own teeth ache!

“Hehehe, gold, pure gold!”

The little dwarf dragon was completely enamored with the gleaming golden qilin statue, its mouth unconsciously watering with envy.

Among them, only Black Flower and Yun Li remained calm. Black Flower was indifferent because it simply didn’t understand the value of gold or wealth, and so had no interest at all. As for Yun Li, he had seen it all before—the Demon God Palace’s treasures were vast as the sea; what hadn’t he witnessed?

“What do you think you’re doing, you little dragon? Stop that at once!”

Suddenly, the qilin statue let out an angry shout!

It was Lin Qi’s voice.

Jiang Yan hurried forward to pull the little dwarf dragon away. The golden qilin’s head was now slick with the dragon’s drool, and even bore a few tiny tooth marks.

“What are you all standing around for? Get inside the main hall at once!”

Lin Qi’s voice came again from the qilin statue, with a note of impatience.

Jiang Yan realized then that these two qilin statues by the door were actually the gatekeepers!

Oh, and they were a bit like a visual doorbell—except the master could see them, but they couldn’t see their master…

“Master, we’re going in right away.”

Jiang Yan addressed the qilin statue, then gave the little dwarf dragon’s “dog head” a playful pat, teasing, “Tsk, little dragon, aren’t you worried you’ll break your teeth?”

The little dwarf dragon had calmed down by now, though it still felt regret; such a fine golden qilin—if only it could take it away!

As they stepped through the main doors, they were greeted by a grand, glittering hall.

This, no doubt, was the main hall their master had spoken of; it was indeed magnificent and worthy of its name.

A plaque above the hall shone with two gilded characters: “Main Hall,” resplendent in gold.

The little dwarf dragon leapt toward the hall in excitement, its eyes once again sparkling with golden light.

Not to be outdone, Black Flower quickly followed, matching its father’s pace. Though it walked on roots, it was no slower than the rest.

Jiang Yan and Yun Li followed after the little dwarf dragon and Black Flower.

Inside the main hall, Lin Qi had been waiting for some time.

He was once again infusing the phoenix egg with pure flames.

A flicker of complexity passed through his gaze; these past few days, the phoenix egg hadn’t absorbed as much fire as he’d expected.

Now, the entire egg was surrounded by blazing red flames.

But Lin Qi knew these flames wouldn’t harm the phoenix egg.

Anyone else might be alarmed to see such a scene.

Suddenly, the little dwarf dragon leapt like a shooting star into the fire, “rescuing” the phoenix egg in an instant, its eyes blazing with anger.

“You old man, why are you roasting this red egg? It’s under the protection of this dragon!” the little dwarf dragon demanded furiously, its tail lashing in indignation.

“Oh? You little fat dragon, I haven’t even scolded you for biting my golden qilin, and now you’re taking the high ground? I was infusing it with true fire to help it hatch sooner!”

Realizing its mistake, the little dwarf dragon gently set the red egg down, “Um, Master Jiang Yan, I was wrong.”

Hearing the little dwarf dragon use “I” instead of its usual grandiose “this dragon lord,” Jiang Yan knew it truly felt sorry.

So he smoothed things over with a laugh, “Hehe, Master, don’t be angry, the little dragon knows it was wrong.”

He quickly changed the topic, “By the way, Master, can you tell me what kind of divine beast this egg is? How long until it hatches?”

“That is a phoenix egg. As for when it will hatch, even I can’t say for certain. However, it has absorbed little true fire lately, so it shouldn’t be long now.”

At the mention of “phoenix,” the little dwarf dragon’s tail wagged with delight. It was secretly thrilled—was it about to welcome a powerful new companion?

After all, as fellow divine beasts, surely the phoenix wouldn’t look down on its short stature?

Lin Qi glanced at the little dwarf dragon and nodded lightly, “The egg is in your care.”

Thus, the phoenix egg was once again entrusted to the little dwarf dragon…

After witnessing the dazzling wealth of his master, Jiang Yan was even more determined to earn more spirit stones.

He, the mighty Long Aotian, couldn’t allow his dwelling to be too shabby, could he?

…

The Divine Realm.

In the white-bearded elder’s private chambers.

“Elder Bai, does this pressure feel comfortable?”

A maid, soft and pliant as a vine, nestled against the elder’s shoulder, her fair fingers skillfully kneading his back with just the right amount of strength.

“Mmm, yes… very comfortable…”

Elder Bai closed his eyes, breathing evenly, as if lost in the pleasure brought by her fingertips.

The fragrance from her body swirled around him like celestial mist, refreshing his spirit and making him feel younger.

He thought to himself that mortal pleasures weren’t so bad after all—why not enjoy life while one could?

But whenever he thought of the temperamental palace master, Elder Bai felt a headache coming on. In the presence of that awe-inspiring figure, he knew that the slightest misstep could result in eternal damnation.

With his eyes closed, he commanded, “Call another maid to massage my forehead.”

“Yes, Elder…”

“Elder Bai, is this pressure suitable?” Another maid’s delicate voice sounded, sweet as honey to his ears.

However, Elder Bai failed to notice the faint tension in the hand of the maid working on his back.

He offered his approval, “The strength is perfect, just right!”

“Hehehe, my skills are praised by all! I’m quite adept even at crushing skulls—would you care to try, Elder Bai?”

At these words, Elder Bai’s eyes flew open in shock, his pupils contracting.

When he saw the maid’s face clearly, he lurched forward in terror, sliding from his chair to the floor with a heavy thud.

His voice trembled with reverence, “Ah, Lady Shadow, what brings you here? Why didn’t you have a maid announce your arrival?”

“Am I not allowed to visit without a reason? You seem to be enjoying yourself quite well here, with beauties to massage your back…”

“Lady Shadow, you are always welcome. But please, don’t make sport of these old bones.”

Lady Shadow cast a contemptuous glance at the trembling elder, a mocking smile curling her lips.

She thought to herself, what use is such a man? Why does the palace master favor this ordinary Elder Bai?

Dressed in a boldly cut gauze gown, she lounged lazily in Elder Bai’s chair, her long, fair legs crossed at ease.

A knife spun between her fingers as a devilish smile played on her lips. She said, “Don’t worry, I have no interest in your ugly old head.”