"The investigation on Xia Hong has yielded results, my Lords." On the afternoon of the same day Xia Hong had caused trouble, Zi Ji and Di Tian appeared in Xia Yi and Gu Yue's bedroom.
Although Gu Yue was still the supreme ruler of soul beasts, ever since she and Xia Yi had broken the final barrier in their relationship, they had naturally begun addressing Xia Yi as 'Lord' as well.
Xia Yi also accepted this title without resistance.
However, he understood that accepting this title meant he would have to bear even greater responsibilities in the future.
"Speak!" Gu Yue's gaze instantly turned sharp.
She wanted to see just who had dared to disturb her the morning after her first time—especially someone who had even left Xia Yi helpless.
Even she had never managed to accomplish that.
Gu Yue abruptly sat up, but the movement tugged at her injuries, causing her to cry out in pain, "Ouch!"
"Be careful, why are you getting so worked up?" Xia Yi quickly supported Gu Yue, gently placing two pillows behind her so she could lean against them. Only then did she feel a little better.
Once Gu Yue was settled, Di Tian finally spoke in a deep voice. "According to our investigation, Xia Hong suddenly enrolled in the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy three months ago. She is a Soul Ancestor, fifteen years old, and indeed works as a part-time auxiliary police officer, but she only joined a few days ago."
"A Soul Ancestor? Impossible." Xia Yi's mouth twitched slightly. He had actually suffered at the hands of a Soul Ancestor?
He found it hard to accept.
"Her records and even her aura confirm that she is indeed a Soul Ancestor. The strange thing is her martial soul," Di Tian said solemnly.
"Her martial soul? What's strange about it?" Gu Yue asked.
Di Tian took a deep breath and said gravely, "Silver Dragon Maiden!"
"Silver Dragon Maiden? Impossible!" Gu Yue immediately shook her head.
The Silver Dragon Maiden couldn't possibly appear as a martial soul.
"Her martial soul is officially registered as the Silver Dragon Maiden at the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy." Di Tian frowned slightly. "I also find it unbelievable, but whether it's true or not, we'll find out in a few days."
"Oh? How?" Gu Yue asked curiously.
Di Tian glanced at Xia Yi before speaking in a deep voice. "The Young Lords will arrive in Mingdu in about four days. They plan to challenge the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. When that happens, the academy will definitely send Xia Hong to battle. Once she makes a move, we'll be able to confirm her martial soul."
"That works." Gu Yue nodded and said in a deep voice, "If her martial soul is truly the Silver Dragon Maiden, then there is only one possibility—she is the Silver Dragon Maiden who left the Great Star Dou Forest long ago. Ten thousand years ago, she may not have died but instead took on a new form and started cultivating again."
"If she really is the last Dragon Maiden, what should we do?" Di Tian asked.
"Keep a close watch on her. If she is indeed the one, arrange for us to meet her. We'll decide what to do based on what she says," Gu Yue instructed.
"Understood!" Di Tian and Zi Ji nodded before vanishing from the hotel room.
Once they left, Xia Yi pulled Gu Yue into his embrace and asked curiously, "What kind of grudge do you have with the Dragon Maidens? I feel like Xia Hong came looking for trouble on purpose."
The last time he had heard of the Dragon Maidens was when Holy Spirit Cult's Dark Bell Nana Li, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, had given him a Silver Dragon Maiden scale to help suppress the wraiths she had planted in him for control.
At that time, Gu Yue had clearly been reluctant to discuss the Dragon Maiden race.
Since the Dragon Maidens might have already been wiped out, Xia Yi hadn't pressed further.
But now, someone had suddenly appeared, given him a beating, and was suspected of being the Silver Dragon Maiden.
Xia Yi was extremely curious.
If Xia Hong was truly the Silver Dragon Maiden, then this was definitely intentional.
The question was, did she come for revenge after recognizing Gu Yue's identity, or was it because of the Silver Dragon Maiden scale he had?
Xia Yi had originally thought that with the Demon Emperor around, the Holy Spirit Cult wouldn't bother him for a while.
He hadn't expected a Silver Dragon Maiden to show up instead.
Gu Yue took a deep breath, leaned into Xia Yi's arms, and said in a deep voice, "Do you remember when I told you that the Dragon Maidens were born as cultivation furnaces? That's right. The Dragon God created them to strengthen the dragon race. To help them grow quickly, the Dragon God not only gave them the Dragon God Tree—nurtured by his own dragon pearl—but also, before his death, solidified his last drop of blood into the Dragon Maiden Sacred Artifact. With these two artifacts, the Dragon Maiden race expanded rapidly. As the Golden and Silver Dragon Maidens were born, they became increasingly dissatisfied with being mere vassals of the dragon race. So, they took the Dragon God Tree and fled from the Great Star Dou Forest."
Gu Yue let out a cold snort and continued, "The Dragon God Tree was once the child of nature in the Douluo Continent. Twenty thousand years ago, the continent's natural child suddenly transformed into the Golden Ancient Tree of Shrek Academy. That was when something must have happened to the Dragon God Tree. The Dragon Maiden race bears undeniable responsibility for this—they stole the Dragon God Tree but failed to protect it properly."
Gu Yue's gaze grew colder. "At the time, with both the Golden and Silver Dragon Maidens, the Dragon Maiden race was indeed powerful. But without the Dragon God Tree's support and the core strength of the Great Star Dou Forest, how could they have escaped in the first place?"
As another child of nature on the Douluo Continent, the Dragon God Tree's power far surpassed Shrek Academy's Golden Ancient Tree.
Gu Yue was also curious—why had the Dragon God Tree suddenly encountered trouble?
If not for this, and if the Dragon Maiden race had remained under its protection, they wouldn't have been wiped out.
Gu Yue wanted to meet Xia Hong primarily to reclaim the Dragon God Tree.
The Dragon God Tree contained the Dragon God's Dragon Pearl.
It was one of the most precious things the Dragon God had left behind.
Even more valuable than the Dragon Slayer Sword she had been searching for.
"What about the Dragon Maiden Sacred Artifact?" Xia Yi asked curiously.
"The Dragon Maiden Sacred Artifact was the Dragon God's last drop of blood. The Dragon Maidens were already extinct, so there was no use keeping it—I drank it," Gu Yue said flatly.
"If Xia Hong really is the Silver Dragon Maiden reborn, how confident are you in persuading her?" Xia Yi asked.
"Everything I said was from the perspective of the Great Star Dou Forest. If she really is the Silver Dragon Maiden, then things will be tricky," Gu Yue said solemnly.
"Let's not think about it for now. We'll confirm her identity and meet her first," Gu Yue said in a deep voice.
"That's all we can do for now." Xia Yi nodded. He wasn't well-versed in the grudges between the Great Star Dou Forest and the Dragon Maidens, so it was difficult to offer any advice.
Even now, Gu Yue's words were somewhat ambiguous.
So, he could only wait and see how Xia Hong would react.
"In the morning, were you really not letting her win because you thought she was pretty?" Gu Yue suddenly looked up at Xia Yi. Even if Xia Hong was the reborn Silver Dragon Maiden, she shouldn't have been able to completely suppress him at the Soul Ancestor level.
"Why would I let her win? I'm not a masochist," Xia Yi shook his head. He now seriously doubted whether Tang Wulin's team would be able to force Xia Hong to reveal her martial soul.
Being defeated wasn't scary—being completely powerless was.
"Three days from now, we'll go to the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy together and see just how strong she really is." Gu Yue snorted coldly.
"Let's not think about it for now. We'll wait until we confirm her identity and meet her in person before making any decisions," Gu Yue said in a serious tone.
"There's no other choice, is there?" Xia Yi could only nod. He wasn't very familiar with the feud between Star Dou Forest and the Dragon Maiden clan, so it was difficult for him to give an opinion.
Even now, Gu Yue's explanation was somewhat ambiguous.
So for now, he could only wait and see how Xia Hong would act.
"In the morning, you weren't just going easy on her because she's pretty, were you?" Gu Yue suddenly lifted her head to look at Xia Yi. Even if Xia Hong had reincarnated as the Silver Dragon Maiden and was starting over in cultivation, she shouldn't have been able to suppress Xia Yi so completely at the Soul Ancestor level.
"I'm not a masochist, why would I go easy on her?" Xia Yi shook his head. He was beginning to doubt whether Tang Wulin's team could really force Xia Hong to reveal her martial soul.
Being defeated wasn't scary—being rendered completely helpless was what truly made him uneasy.
"Three days from now, we'll go to the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy together and see just how powerful she really is," Gu Yue huffed coldly. She felt indignant—just a Silver Dragon Maiden, yet she had managed to suppress Xia Yi.
Meanwhile, she herself was constantly being suppressed by Xia Yi.
Even in that aspect, she was no match for him. Right now, both the front and back of her body were still sore and burning.
Truthfully, given her physique, she could have easily healed by using soul power to nourish her body.
But when she thought about how this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a true testament to her and Xia Yi finally being together, she didn't want to use soul power to recover.
Instead, she wanted to let her body heal naturally.
That was why she was still feeling sore even now.
But she didn't mind at all. In fact, she was enjoying the slow recovery process.
(End of Chapter)