Dragon

Han Qingyu snapped, "Get lost!" Zhe Qiuhong looked up, studying him with her blunt, unblinking eyes. "Hmm. But once you calm down, you can reconsider. This wouldn't just satisfy my curiosity—it would also benefit the future of mankind..." "What the hell does the future of mankind have to do with me? I don't want to die!" Han Qingyu roared from the bed. For the first time, a flicker of confusion crossed Zhe Qiuhong's eyes, as if she were pondering: *He doesn't want to die? But are you really so afraid of death? You fought for Azure before, and you rushed all the way over like that just now... Whatever.* "Fine. If you don't want to die, forget it," she said. What kind of response was that?! Han Qingyu exploded on the spot. "Bullshit! If you're so curious, why isn't your damn curiosity wondering how pretty you'd look cut open once you're dead?!" "I *am* curious," Zhe Qiuhong replied, tapping her own temple with a finger. "I've always wanted to dissect my own brain, because I seem to be much smarter than ordinary people. Unfortunately, current technology isn't up to it yet, and I have many other curiosities I haven't resolved." She spoke as calmly and indifferently as ever. The three others in the room: "..." An unexplained chill crept down their spines. "I'm suddenly curious," Wen Jifei asked, fascinated. "Does a scientist like you even have normal human feelings? Never mind, let me rephrase that: do you plan on dating, getting married, and having children?" Zhe Qiuhong gave it serious thought. "As for feelings, I don't know. But marriage and children... if one day I begin research into reproduction and genetics, I suppose I will engage in the relevant activities." Snipping off the last stitch of thread, she stood up, tidied her instruments briefly, pulled down her mask, and walked out of the room. She was gone, but her words left a massive, lingering shock on Han Qingyu. All the anomalies about his body finally seemed to have the beginnings of an explanation, and there was now a direction to think about regarding Wu Xu's abnormally stubborn vitality as well... Han Qingyu looked down at his own body and looked up in bewilderment. "Why haven't I shed my skin this time?!" He had not molted this time. Although he had only been unconscious—or rather, asleep—for about an hour out of worry, making it impossible to complete a full molt, based on past experience, there should at least have been signs of molting or small patches beginning to peel... This time, unexpectedly, there was none at all. "You were injured too severely this time, and you expended too much. Molting is a process of repair, rebirth, and growth; it requires energy to support it. This time, you don't have enough vitality and energy to carry out the repair." Zhe Qiuhong walked back in, picked up a scalpel she had forgotten on the bedside table, tilted her head, and said, "Do you understand? It means you're almost dead." When she said "you're almost dead," Han Qingyu could see a glimmer of excitement and anticipation in her eyes. Han Qingyu said, "Get lost!" "If you don't want to die, lie still," Zhe Qiuhong said, turning and leaving once more. This time, she did not return. In the room, Wen Jifei thought for a moment and asked, "What's congenital ED? She said earlier that Dice is pretty much the same as congenital ED." Han Qingyu shook his head. Rusty Sister shook her head. "Fine, I'll go keep an eye on Wu Xu so she doesn't end up killing him." Wen Jifei turned and hurried out after Zhe Qiuhong. That left only two in the room: a suit of iron armor, and whatever creature that molts its skin Han Qingyu was. "Qingzi, don't think about it for now, okay? Go back to sleep for a bit." The iron armor stood there, waiting until Han Qingyu closed his eyes and his breathing steadied before sitting down on a nearby stool. Resting her chin on her hands, she thought silently: *Ten percent, ten percent... I know I'm not fat. But am I pretty? Has my hair grown? Am I fair-skinned?* ... Han Qingyu slept until noon the next day before waking up. He Tangtang was already able to get out of bed to visit him. Wu Xu had not yet regained consciousness, but Zhe Qiuhong said his condition was steadily stabilizing. This brought Han Qingyu some relief. However, the molting still had not occurred—not a single sign of it. As a result, his wounds had to rely entirely on external treatment. Zhe Qiuhong had wrapped him up like a zongzi. That afternoon, under Zhang Chiyuan's arrangements, a large escort sent them to a secret base behind Fourth Army lines to recuperate. For the first time in quite a while, they had truly settled down. At night, the room was brightly lit. Two zongzi sat across from each other—one was Han Qingyu, the other Zhu Jiaming. The Little Prince had come to an Azure base, which meant that the second Han Qingyu was displeased, he could be killed in an instant. *Clack, clack...* Five Bones of Eternal Life lay on the table. One had been given by Master Duosang Jiacuo, three had been obtained from Qu Family Village, and the last horn-shaped one had been taken from Zhe Shouzhao. Han Qingyu casually turned them over. Zhu Jiaming watched from the other side of the table, calculating that the Han Piggy Bank probably still had three pieces he hadn't taken out, likely stashed somewhere else. That made eight in total, especially including that horn-shaped piece... "Speaking of which, we've gone through life and death together to this point," Han Zongzi said, tilting slightly upward as he looked across the table. "Isn't it time for the Little Prince to be honest about the secret of these bones? Otherwise, what if you suddenly die..." Zhu Zongzi dipped forward, treating it as a nod. "Fair point. Ask away. Whatever you ask, I'll answer." "What kind of creature's bones are these, exactly?!" When Han Qingyu asked this, he was actually a little nervous. Zhe Qiuhong had said he might have inherited the remnant of some source beast, and he could fuse with the Bones of Eternal Life... The connection between the two was all too obvious. "A dragon!" Zhu Jiaming said with an earnest gaze. "Dragon, my ass!" Though Zhe Qiuhong's hypothesis was bizarre, it was at least scientific. As for a dragon, that was pure myth. Han Qingyu cursed and asked again sternly, "What creature's bones are these really?!" "A dragon!" Zhu Jiaming repeated with absolute sincerity. "Dragon, your ancestor!" "Yeah, my ancestors. I told you guys long ago that I'm a descendant of the imperial family, the real deal. You've heard of dragon veins, right?" Zhu Jiaming pivoted half a turn on his rear, looking at each of them one by one, and said profoundly, "Otherwise, why do you think I understand them so well and search for them everywhere?" For a moment, it felt like being led into his logic, but a dragon—Han Qingyu could not accept that. "Look at this piece. Isn't it a horn? A broken horn." Zhu Jiaming picked up the horn-shaped Bone of Eternal Life and reiterated, "A dragon!" "Dragon, my second uncle's ass! This thing is tiny! Even if it's the horn of something, how could it be a dragon's horn?!" Wen Jifei snatched the bone and waved it vigorously in front of Zhu Jiaming's eyes. Zhu Jiaming: "..." He seemed stumped. "In short, it's something with horns, right? In truth, you're not sure either; you just subjectively wish it were a dragon," Han Qingyu asked probingly. Zhu Jiaming dipped forward again in a nod. "Mm. I'm imperial—" Wen Jifei cut in, "Imperial, your head!" "That's good, then. As long as it's something with horns, at least it's not a pig," Han Qingyu comforted himself inwardly. His thoughts branched out: *A horned creature that sheds its skin?* He could not think of any. It must have gone extinct long ago. Zhu Jiaming stared intently at the Bones of Eternal Life on the table. "Hey, you've still got a few pieces, don't you?" Han Qingyu asked out of nowhere. "No, but I know where more can be found," Zhu Jiaming replied calmly without looking up. He had prepared this answer long ago. The clever part was that he really did have more, and he genuinely knew where others could be found out there. He wouldn't get chopped to death, and he planned to genuinely lead Han Qingyu to find the remaining Bones of Eternal Life, continuing to use him as a hired laborer to collect immortality. Of course, that would have to wait until everyone's injuries had healed. Wu Xu hadn't even woken up yet. And so the group settled in. The third day, fourth day, fifth day... Han Qingyu still showed no signs of molting. His body recovered slowly, though the bandages were no longer needed, his mobility was fine, and the scabs over his wounds gradually began falling off. At the same time, he was disfigured. *If it stays like this, I might never find a wife,* Han Qingyu thought wistfully as he sat alone basking in the sun outside the doorway of the small house. The iron armor walked over with clanking steps and stood beside him, blocking the sunlight. Han Qingyu looked up at her. "Rusty Sister, something the matter?" The iron armor shook its head. "No, just wanted to know how well you've recovered. How much of your combat strength is back?" "Around twenty to thirty percent," Han Qingyu said somewhat helplessly. "What about your endurance? I remember you can take a beating." "Well, my endurance recovers faster. Probably above seventy percent. Why do you suddenly—" Han Qingyu was cut off mid-sentence. Like a coiled spring releasing, the iron armor dropped into a rapid squat and sprang back up. As she rose, her hands seized Han Qingyu by the ankle. *Whoosh!* She swung him in a half-circle through the air and slammed him into the ground. *Bang!* Dust flew up in the sunlight. Han Qingyu slowly lifted his head. "..." "Sorry, Qingzi. But I really couldn't hold back. I've wanted to do this for a long time. Opportunity knocks, and time waits for no one... I went and asked Dr. Zhe, and she said to slam away without worry." Rusty Sister giggled happily as she spoke.