"Yuwen Su?"
Pei Hengyu recalled the events about to unfold. His gaze darkened. "Thirty miles south of Kunluo lies Moonshadow Mountain, a place riddled with poisonous miasma. Once Yuwen Su escapes into those mountains, he will be lost to us forever. Cui Jilei is with the army, isn't he? Have him take a thousand men and pursue him immediately!"
"What?" Linghu Xinglang looked utterly bewildered, wondering why the Emperor would choose that spoiled brat for such a task. Nevertheless, he asked, "Your Majesty intends to send Cui Jilei?"
Pei Hengyu glanced at the sweat on Linghu Xinglang’s brow, rose to walk over to the table, picked up a piece of chilled melon from an ice basin, and handed it to him. "Yes. Is there a problem?"
Linghu Xinglang took the melon, wolfed it down, and explained, "It’s not a problem, but General Lu Zhiyou has already taken eight hundred soldiers to pursue him!"
Seeing that the melon hadn't stopped Linghu Xinglang’s sweating, Pei Hengyu pulled out his own silk handkerchief and held it out. "South Chu’s terrain is complex. To be safe, have Cui Jilei go as well."
Linghu Xinglang stared at the handkerchief, recalling the rumors circulating in the palace. He stepped back and bowed. "I shall attend to it immediately, Your Majesty."
As Linghu Xinglang retreated, the Yuehua Palace remained filled with warmth and fragrance. Pei Hengyu retracted the handkerchief and caught sight of the Silver-Patterned Coiled Dragon, now in human form, rubbing against his side and chattering incessantly.
"Honestly, why did you chase Yuwen Junan away? Such a bright and talented child! How did you end up becoming enemies in your past life? Wouldn't it be better to be friends?"
Pei Hengyu shot it a sideways glance. He couldn't understand how this creature—which had shown such intense loathing for Yuwen Junan back at the Hehuan Palace—could have such a sudden change of personality upon taking human form, even calling Yuwen Junan "that child."
Heaven knows how many devious schemes that brat hides!
Pei Hengyu picked up a teacup from the table, strolled over to the gold-wire incense burner, and doused the cloying Seven-Lotus incense. Watching the smoke fade, he said, "You were brought to life by the Judge and left by my side. There are certain rules I expect you to understand."
Now in its physical form, the Little White Dragon no longer coiled its body, though its skin retained the appearance of the dragon embroidery on his robes, making it look like a young, not-yet-grown dragon. Hearing this, the Little White Dragon pouted, sidled up to face Pei Hengyu, and tilted its head. "Go on, then."
Pei Hengyu massaged his temples. "I know that ordinary people cannot see you, but when others are present, I do not want you speaking randomly."
The Little White Dragon’s round eyes widened in indignation. "Why?"
*Stupid dragon! Asking why!* Pei Hengyu mused. *If you were talking to something that no one else could see or hear, wouldn't people think you were insane?*
"It lacks decorum," Pei Hengyu replied.
"You—!" The Little White Dragon was choked with anger, then suddenly remembered something and giggled. "Are you making this request because you’re afraid you look silly talking to thin air, since no one else can see me?"
*When did this idiot dragon get so sharp?* Though caught off guard, Pei Hengyu’s expression remained impassive as he watched the creature in silence.
Finding no sign of guilt in Pei Hengyu’s calm gaze, the Little White Dragon compromised. "How about this: I’ll cast a spell so that whenever the Human Sovereign speaks to me, no outsider will be able to hear it. How’s that?"
"Very well," Pei Hengyu replied, his face unchanged.
"How does the Human Sovereign intend to handle Yuwen Junan?" the Little White Dragon asked.
*Handle him? Haven't I already sent him to the imperial villa?* Pei Hengyu’s eyes flickered. He beckoned the Little White Dragon over. "Others cannot see or hear you. Is this new dragon form of yours a physical entity?"
"Of course it’s physical!" Unsuspecting, the Little White Dragon leaped onto Pei Hengyu’s palm. "Don't believe me? Touch it! The scales and the head are real. Though it looks much like the pattern on your robes, the texture is quite soft."
Pei Hengyu suddenly closed his fingers, gripping the dragon’s body, leaving only its small head exposed between his thumb and forefinger.
Unaware of the impending danger, the Little White Dragon rubbed its head against the webbing of Pei Hengyu’s thumb. "See? Isn't my new body wonderful?"
"It is indeed," Pei Hengyu said, gently stroking the dragon’s horns with a calloused thumb.
The Little White Dragon realized something was wrong. The newly sprouted horns, while looking imposing and majestic, were incredibly tender and sensitive inside! With a slight friction from the calloused thumb, its entire body stiffened.
It instantly remembered how, back at the Hehuan Palace, Pei Hengyu loved to flick these very horns. It began to struggle immediately.
Too late!
Pei Hengyu tightened his grip and applied pressure to the horns with his thumb. "I ask, you answer. Shall we?"
"Don't! Stop touching!" the Little White Dragon cried. "Ask! Whatever you want to ask, just ask!"
Pei Hengyu pulled back his finger. "Why did the Judge say that failing to defeat Yuwen Junan is my fate?"
"That’s what the Black-Faced Judge said," the Little White Dragon grumbled aggrievedly. "How would I know?"
Pei Hengyu smiled faintly. He bent his middle finger and gave the dragon’s horn a sharp, precise flick.
"Ah—!" The Little White Dragon shrieked. "I’ll tell you! It’s because the bloodline Yuwen Junan carries is the kind that can be awakened!"
Pei Hengyu withdrew his finger. "What do you mean?"
The Little White Dragon took a deep breath and continued, sulking, "Yuwen Shuangyue and Yuwen Junan are both descendants of the Wu Tribe, but Yuwen Junan is the only one in ten thousand years who can awaken the Wu bloodline."
"Wait," Pei Hengyu interrupted. "What is the Wu Tribe?"
"You don't know the Wu Tribe?" The Little White Dragon shrieked. Seeing Pei Hengyu’s finger beginning to rise, it hurriedly explained, "The Wu Tribe are the descendants of the ancient divine beast, the Phoenix, and humans. Because they inherited the blood of the Phoenix, the original Wu tribespeople possessed the divine power to command all beasts."
The scent of the Seven-Lotus incense had completely dissipated. In the empty, silent palace, the gold-wire incense burner sat listlessly, listening to the ceaseless chirping of the cicadas outside.
Glancing at Pei Hengyu, the Little White Dragon continued, "However, as the generations passed, the divine blood thinned, and their powers grew weaker. By ten thousand years ago, only those whose bloodline truly awakened could wield any divine power."
Pei Hengyu had lived three lifetimes, yet this was the first he had heard of such wonders. "After the bloodline awakens, what powers do they possess besides commanding beasts?"
The Little White Dragon thought carefully for a long time, then shook its head. "No one knows. The bloodline hasn't awakened in at least three thousand years!"
With the cicadas still droning, the Little White Dragon tried to twist its body, and finding it stuck, continued, "There are many legends about them in the Underworld, but almost no ghost has ever truly seen their power! Eventually, it all became nothing more than hearsay."
"But," the Little White Dragon suddenly recalled something, "some have tried! About a decade ago, someone attempted to forcibly awaken the Wu bloodline. Not only did they fail, but they suffered a backlash and were cast into the deepest layer of the Underworld to suffer heavenly punishment!"
Pei Hengyu sensed something amiss. "You’ve always been coiled on my robes. How do you know about matters in the Underworld?"
"It’s the Judge," the Little White Dragon said, acting bashful. "When he was passing on his power to me, he accidentally gifted me half a lifetime of his memories!"
*Gifted you half a lifetime of memories?* Pei Hengyu thought. *Why do I feel like you stole them from that Black-Faced Judge?*
Seeing the dragon’s guilty expression, Pei Hengyu didn't expose it. He simply let go of the little fool and began walking out of the palace. He had to keep Yuwen Junan right before his eyes, watching him at every moment, so the little creature would never get the chance to awaken his bloodline.