Chapter Fifty-Five: Should We Wake Nian Nian Up First?

Inside the inn, the flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows across their faces.

“Papa... hug... hug...”

On the bed, the little Dragon Girl curled up her tiny body, clutching her tail and sucking on its tip, muttering in her sleep, blissfully unaware.

“Jiang Lin’er~~~ Is this little girl the dragon soul you found in the Maze Secret Realm?” The ancestor of the Dragon Gate Sect stroked his beard as he gazed at the adorable girl lying on the bed. “I’m quite curious.”

Jiang Lin shot the old man a look. “Do you think you’re the heroine from ‘Ice Fruit’?”

“‘Ice Fruit’? Who’s that? Is she pretty?”

“Never mind, just forget what I said.” Jiang Lin poured tea for himself and the old ancestor, then gently tucked in the blanket over Little Nian Nian, using spiritual power from afar.

“Jiang Lin’er...”

“Wait—Ancestor, could you drop the ‘-er’ from my name? Otherwise, I keep feeling like I’m some chess player.”

“A chess player? A cultivator of the Chess Clan? You’re a sword cultivator, why dabble in chess? I really don’t understand those chess-playing cultivators, how do they train... Let me tell you, those Chess Clan cultivators...”

“Alright, Ancestor, you’re getting sidetracked. Let’s stick to the matter at hand. Why did you come to the Sun and Moon Sect?”

Jiang Lin coughed quietly, hastening to interrupt.

Truth be told, when Jiang Lin saw the ancestor of the Dragon Gate Sect on the street, he thought he must be hallucinating, or perhaps drunk and dreaming. Yet when the night breeze swept across his neck, he realized it was all real...

Jiang Lin had only met this ancestor twice. The first was when he’d just joined the Dragon Gate Sect as a direct disciple—this ancestor gave a “principal’s speech.” Jiang Lin had fallen asleep standing.

The second was when the ancestor descended the mountain to attend some sect leader conference in the western part of Wutong Province. Jiang Lin and Lin Qingwan accompanied him, but the ancestor ended up taking Jiang Lin for a massage...

Who was Jiang Lin? A model youth!

But truth be told, that massage parlor was really quite comfortable.

However, just as the ancestor was about to persuade Jiang Lin to study foreign languages—and Jiang Lin couldn’t refuse, ending up learning with him—Lin Qingwan arrived. She nearly razed the building.

Afterwards, Jiang Lin and the ancestor spent three days kneeling on washboards...

Ever since, every time Jiang Lin washed clothes and saw a washboard, his knees would throb painfully.

Eventually, the ancestor entered seclusion, and Jiang Lin never saw him again.

“Why did I come to the Sun and Moon Sect? Isn’t it because of you?”

The Dragon Gate Sect ancestor stroked his beard and continued:

“Word got out in the Dragon Gate Sect that you were being targeted by those six sects. Your senior sister Lin wanted to help you, but she was injured and her cultivation unstable. In the end, your master and I knocked her out, and I came instead.

But, Little Lin’er, let me tell you, the Dragon Gate Sect only produces four dragon veins a year—they can’t be stolen. Last time I stole a dragon vein to pay for language class tuition, and your grandmaster caught me. It was a disaster.”

“Oh... I was out of options, really. After all, I’m from the Demon Sect, I need to rack up some achievements...” Jiang Lin waved his hand helplessly. “But, Ancestor, rest assured—if I ever awaken my European bloodline and find some treasure in a cave or cliff, I’ll definitely compensate the Dragon Gate Sect.”

“European bloodline? What’s that? Is it a bloodline limit?”

“Uh... sort of...” Jiang Lin sipped his tea. This world had things akin to Naruto’s bloodline limits—arts inherited through ancestry, inaccessible to outsiders, much like ninjutsu.

“You have a bloodline limit? What category? Flower-picking?”

“Flower-picking... Enough, let’s not digress, Ancestor. Pretend I never said that.” Jiang Lin realized he couldn’t banter with this old man or he’d end up rambling for a whole chapter.

“But, Ancestor, aren’t you angry I stole the dragon vein?”

“Angry? A little, I suppose. But then I thought, you’re as kind, talented, promising, and principled as I am. If you did such a thing, there must be a reason.”

“Why do I feel like you’re insulting me...”

“...”

“By the way, Ancestor, do you know East Forest City?”

“Of course. Lately, East Forest City has been plagued by some epidemic. Some residents even claim to have seen corpses crawling out of graves, bouncing along.”

“An epidemic? Corpses? Bouncing along?” Jiang Lin was bewildered. “Resident Evil mixed with Mr. Zombie?”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Jiang Lin rubbed his eyes. “The epidemic in East Forest City might be the work of the Solitary Demon Sect. I may head there in a few days to investigate, and perhaps uphold justice.”

“Uphold justice? Little Lin’er... are you not from the Demon Sect?”

“Well... actually... I’ve always wanted to be a good person...”

“...”

“Right, Ancestor, do you know about the ancient True Dragon Clan?”

“The ancient True Dragon Clan!?” Suddenly, the ancestor’s body tensed, his eyes widening as he stared in disbelief at the adorable girl sleeping on the bed. “Could Nian Nian be...”

“Yes, Nian Nian should be from the ancient True Dragon Clan.” Jiang Lin didn’t hide it.

If it were anyone else, Jiang Lin would never reveal Nian Nian’s identity. In the cultivation world, deception and betrayal abound—countless rogue cultivators have harmed their companions for mere scraps of opportunity.

But Jiang Lin trusted his judgment, and besides, an ancestor who dragged his disciple to language classes surely couldn’t be too wicked...

“Little Lin’er.” The ancestor raised the room’s spell that blocked prying eyes to another level, lowering his voice. “Never tell anyone about this, unless it’s someone you trust with your life.”

“Aren’t you someone I trust?”

“Oh, you sly rascal, you know how to talk... Heh heh heh... Ancestor knew you were a good kid...”

“Ancestor, let’s not stray from the topic...”

“Oh... cough cough...”

Suppressing his comical expression, the ancestor continued in a low voice.

“Little Lin’er, you know that the dragon race disappeared a hundred thousand years ago. The last true dragon was slain. The so-called ‘dragons’ in the world now are all descendants of serpent dragons and the like—the closest to true dragon bloodline are only the flood dragons.

Now, not a single true dragon remains. Every part of a true dragon is a treasure. A true dragon could reach the immortal realm simply by sleeping.

If the world learns that Nian Nian is a true dragon, not only will the young ones covet her, but even the ancient immortals would emerge. By then, not even I could protect you and Nian Nian.”

“A true dragon can reach the immortal realm just by sleeping?” Jiang Lin’s hand holding the teacup trembled suddenly.

“Yes... what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing...” Jiang Lin shakily raised the cup and took a sip, glancing at Nian Nian, who was still sleeping soundly.

Should he wake her up first?