HCB Chapter 142 The Dragon Clan's Struggle
Chapter 142 The Dragon Clan's Struggle
The black rope was not very solid, and was thin and long.
"This is my first time jumping rope like this! It's so novel!"
As Xiao Jiu Jiu spoke, she actually started swinging the Mini Dragon Rope around:
"One, two, three!"
She jumped three times, and the mini dragon screamed three times.
Luckily, it doesn't have scales, otherwise this little girl would have skinned it bald.
"You're faking it! Keep faking it! You don't even have a physical body, you don't feel any pain at all!"
With a soft snort, Little Nine-Nine pouted and pointed at the Mini Dragon, scolding, "That'll teach you to lie!"
Even after she stopped jumping rope, Xiao Jiu Jiu didn't stop. She started swinging the mini dragon around, much like the Hulk swinging Loki.
"No more, don't fall anymore, I'm so tired!"
The dragon in spirit form was thrown around so much by Xiao Jiu Jiu that it was completely disoriented.
If it still had drool, it would probably have been flung all over the ground by now.
The mini dragon was furious, but it couldn't do anything about the child who was unaffected by the resentment.
"Alright, I'm a little tired from playing." Xiao Jiu Jiu let go of her hand, curled the mini tornado into a ball, and threw it on the table.
After a while, the mini dragon recovered and threatened Xiao Jiu fiercely, "You little brat, just you wait!"
I'm telling you, once I regain my magic power, I'll teach you a lesson! I'll have you surrounded by flames and burn your fair skin to a crisp!
"Wow, you're so scary!"
Xiao Jiu Jiu cupped her chin in her hands, pretending to be scared.
"Meow?" Coalball slapped the Mini Dragon with one hand, knocking it directly to the ground.
Who are you threatening?
It stood on the table, looking down at the mini dragon with disdain in its eyes: "You dare bully Xiao Jiu?"
"You can understand me? What kind of cat are you?"
The Dratini was startled by the coal ball, and its two originally terrifying red eyes darted around nervously.
[Just tell me the truth, ask me, do you not know your own limitations?] Coal Ball leaped into the air, stomped on the Mini Dragon, and punched it twice.
Coal Ball's claws had penetrating power; these punches landed squarely on the Mini Dragon's spirit, causing it to howl in pain.
"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I know I was wrong!"
Mini Dragon begged for mercy repeatedly. Only then did he realize that Little Nine was no ordinary person and was very likely in cahoots with that group of shamans.
Otherwise, how could this black cat have hit me directly?
"You, you're not Black Cat, are you?" The Dratini curled up and looked up at the coal ball.
Coal Ball tilted its head: [I never said I was a black cat]
After racking its brains for a while, the Mini Dragon suddenly remembered what the clan leader had said: "You, you are the Black Cat? The Guide of the Dead? Are you here to take me away now?"
and you……"
It looked at Xiao Jiu Jiu, its eyes suddenly widening: "Could you be Ox-Head and Horse-Face? No, no, your head is normal."
"Then could you be one of the Black and White Impermanence?" "No, you're dressed in such bright colors."
The mini dragon had been thinking for a while, and soon it seemed to have realized something: "I know, you are Lady Meng Po, you must be very good at making soup!"
Is it mentally sound?
Little Jiu Jiu's tiny head held a huge question.
Coal Ball shook his head: [He's probably not very bright.]
"Wow, I actually met Meng Po! Does that mean I can be reincarnated?"
I never imagined that dragons could be reincarnated, and I've finally had the chance to meet the gods..."
The mini dragon was muttering to itself, shaking its head back and forth, completely oblivious to the people around it.
"Hey?"
With one hand on her hip and the other lifting up the mini-dragon, Xiao Jiu Jiu asked, "You're not the Ancestral Dragon, are you? What are you, anyway?"
"Lord Zulong has long since fallen asleep in the ruins of war. I am not Lord Zulong..." The mini dragon lowered its head guiltily.
Little Nine-Nine glanced at it: "Tell me honestly, what are you?"
"I... well... actually..."
The mini dragon stammered and couldn't give a coherent answer for a long time.
"Not going to talk?" Little Nine glanced at the coal ball next to her: "If you don't talk, I'll have the coal ball dunk on you!"
"Meow~!" Upon hearing this, Coal Ball waved its paw.
【You can give it a try, would you like to?】
The mini dragon curled up even tighter: "I'm just a dragon that lived a little longer, and I've been in this form ever since I died."
"Live a long time? How long have you lived?"
Xiao Jiujiu raised an eyebrow.
My grandfather once told me when he was telling stories of strange monsters that dragons have an incredibly long lifespan, usually tens of thousands of years.
The First Emperor was said to have lived as long as heaven and earth.
Dragons generally live a long time if no one intentionally kills them.
The mini dragon stretched out its two claws and counted them one by one: "I lived for eight thousand years before I died."
"Even after I died, I lived for a long time, watching you all transform from apes into this, hehehe."
"That's quite a long time indeed."
Xiao Jiujiu pondered, "That's at least ten thousand years ago, but even so, why are you impersonating the Ancestral Dragon?"
"The Ancestral Dragon doesn't know," the Mini Dragon muttered softly.
Little Nine-Nine poked its head and asked, "Then tell me, why are you hiding in this jade pendant? What are you planning?"
The Mini Dragon fell silent.
"I'll kill you if I don't tell you, you lump of coal!"
"Meow~!"
"I'll tear you to pieces!" Coal Ball bared its claws.
With a gentle scrape, its sharp claws can tear a mini-dragon apart.
"No, no, no!" The Mini Dragon quickly dodged away.
Little Nine-Nine looked at it with a grin: "Go ahead and say it!"
"My name is Ao Che. I am a second-generation dragon of the Dragon Clan, which is quite early."
Dragons typically reach adulthood at around a thousand years old, and it takes them about a hundred years to conceive, making it difficult for them to have offspring.
Dragons can only give birth to one offspring after a very long time, and each dragon is numbered, making them extremely precious.
"I've heard that the dragon race used to have many offspring," Xiao Jiu Jiu asked curiously.
This is from my grandfather's tales of strange and unusual things.
In the beginning of time, the dragon race descended. At that time, the dragon race had an easy time procreating and became famous, ruling for a period of time.
But from some point onwards, the dragon race gradually declined.
【Yes, I heard about it too】 Coal Ball jumped onto Little Nine's lap, just as Little Nine picked up the Mini Dragon and threw it on the table.
Ao Che hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Twenty thousand years ago, the dragon race originated from chaos. They were invulnerable to swords and spears, and lived almost as long as heaven and earth, enjoying unique advantages."
Furthermore, it is not difficult for dragons to reproduce; basically, many dragon offspring will be born within a hundred years.
It's unclear when it started, but the dragon race has been unable to produce a single dragon for a very long time. At its most extreme, no young dragons were born for a thousand years.
Not a single dragon conceived!
They live long and prolong their lives, but without new life.
It is extremely difficult for the dragon race to be passed down.
"And then what happened to you?"
Xiao Jiu Jiu listened attentively as Ao Che talked about the dragon clan.
Compared to reading about monsters and strange tales, listening to the people involved tell their own stories is clearly more appealing to her.
Ao Che said, "Later came the war eight or nine thousand years ago, during which the dragon race split into several factions."
One faction advocated seeking opportunities to survive elsewhere, while the other chose alternative methods to prolong life and increase offspring.
That battle among the dragons nearly destroyed them.
After all, only a dragon knows where its weakest point is.
"Are you lying?" Xiao Jiu Jiu reached out and grabbed Ao Che, tightening her grip on his wrist slightly. "If you lie to me, I'll strike you with lightning!"
Ao Che cried out, "I really didn't lie to you, I was just telling the truth!"
"That's okay too."
Xiao Jiu Jiu nodded and looked ahead: "Ao Che, you mentioned the internal strife within the Dragon Clan, so you survived that too?"
"No, that's when I died." Ao Che recalled the days of fighting back then and even felt a little nostalgic.
Xiao Jiujiu, resting her chin on her hand, asked, "You die, and then what?"
"Some of the dragons moved away, and the rest stayed behind, but they have now disappeared as well."
In the struggle for that supreme control, many of their kin perished, and both sides realized that if the fighting continued, the dragon race would be wiped out.
Because many high-quality dragons died in the fighting, the strong dragons could no longer reproduce, and the weak ones were even less able to have offspring.
How did you get to the jade pendant?
Xiao Jiu Jiu picked up the jade pendant from the box.
At this point, the jade pendant no longer contained Ao Che; it was just an ordinary piece of jade.
Ao Che shook his head in confusion: "I don't know why I'm here. Would you believe me if I said it was all an accident?"
"Then why weren't you in the jade pendant before?" Xiao Jiu Jiu immediately grasped the key point.
Coal Ball glanced at the jade pendant: [The connection to it isn't very strong; it can leave at any time.]
"I'm not inside the jade pendant. I only ended up in a stone three hundred years ago. This jade pendant is very good; it can nourish the soul, okay?" Ao Che snorted smugly, happy that he had found a good place.
Xiao Jiu Jiu sighed: "You could say you're still alive, I suppose."
"Anyway, God has been kind to me, allowing me to survive alone, but I can't find my own people."
As Ao Che spoke, his voice became so low that it was almost inaudible, and his pent-up emotions burst forth, clearly revealing his low spirits.
"Come on, you've lived that long, that's so cool!"
Xiao Jiujiu smiled and comforted her, "Do you want revenge?"
"I will not seek revenge. The dragon race is doomed and can never rise again. I only hope that I can see my fellow dragons again in my lifetime."
Ao Che's eyes lit up.
Xiao Jiujiu shrugged: "Okay, then you can stay in the jade pendant?"
"I've absorbed almost all of this jade pendant; it's just an ordinary jade pendant now."
Ao Che said honestly.
Xiao Jiu Jiu suddenly remembered something: "I saw the Soul-Nourishing Banner in the pile of books that Grandpa gave me. You can survive in there."
"So you can still use it, right?" Ao Che said nonchalantly.
Nodding, Xiao Jiujiu said, "Of course! I'm keeping you alive with the Soul-Nourishing Banner, so you have to do things for me!"
"also!"
Ao Che flicked his tail.
The jade pendant was then reduced to dust.
Little Nine-Nine: ?
"What are you doing!"
She glared at Ao Che, then looked at the ashes on the table and said in disbelief, "You actually destroyed the jade pendant!"
"Why not destroy it if it's useless?" Ao Che said innocently.
Xiao Jiu Jiu grabbed it and crumpled it up, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about! This jade pendant cost a lot of money, and you just destroy it like that? That's too much!"
"It will turn to ash very quickly after I finish inhaling it."
Ao Che blinked his eyes, looking particularly innocent.
Xiao Jiu Jiu wasn't buying it: "I don't care, I paid for this, and you've ruined it!"
"You bought this?" Coal Ball looked at Little Nine as if he had seen something strange.
Even the stingy Xiao Jiu plucked feathers; I can't believe it.
Ao Che, standing beside him, ruthlessly exposed: "You didn't buy this, did you? A man bought me and had someone deliver me to you."
Although it was inside the jade pendant, it could see everything around it with its divine sense, and had extremely strong control over it.
"Why are you being so talkative?"
Xiao Jiujiu rolled her eyes at Ao Che.
They can't say anything nice; all they do is expose their own flaws.
Having discovered the secret, Xiao Jiujiu grinned broadly: "Alright, that's all for today."
"Wait, get me that Soul-Nourishing Banner!" Ao Che wrapped it around Xiao Jiu's wrist, dragging her along.
Little Nine patted it: "No rush, I'll take a bath first."
"I have nowhere to go, you'd better hurry up," Ao Che persisted.
Coal Ball pointed to the doll not far away: "You can go bend down and play with the doll."
"I don't want those soft, floppy things, I want the Soul-Nourishing Banner!" Ao Che looked down on dolls from the bottom of his heart.
Because dolls do not have the function of nourishing the soul.
Xiao Jiujiu said with a grin, "Okay, wait for me a moment."
"Ah."
After taking a shower, Xiao Jiu Jiu came out drying her hair: "The book is still in Uncle's house, not here. I haven't read it yet. I'll read it tomorrow."
"Hey Hey hey……"
Ao Che stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "Are you kidding me? You're just kidding me!"
“I’m not kidding you. I came here on short notice today. The book is still with my uncle. I’m not lying.” Xiao Jiu Jiu thought for a moment, rummaged through her small cloth bag, and took out a talisman.
Ao Che followed behind, asking, "Are you planning to draw a talisman?"
Xiao Jiu Jiu, who was about to bite her finger to draw a talisman, paused: "No, that won't work."
"Why can't it work?" Ao Che asked anxiously from the side.
Xiao Jiu Jiu shook her head: "It just won't work."
"I'll draw a talisman with my blood before you go in, then I'll be bound to you."
"How can I just bind myself to you like that? It's not good for you either. I'll share... no, you're dead, that shouldn't be the case."
Xiao Jiu Jiu scratched his head.
I decided against taking such a risk.
“Go ahead and draw, I’m not afraid!” Ao Che said anxiously.
Xiao Jiu Jiu shook her head: "No, let's do it tomorrow. Why are you in such a hurry? You won't do anything."
"Is he up to something?" Coal Ball showed Ao Che its claws, its meaning quite clear.
If it tries anything funny, just scratch it to death.
Ao Che: "I didn't have any bad intentions. I just wanted to avoid being stranded on the streets."
"But you don't have a place to live, and besides, you're the one who broke the jade pendant. I haven't even made you pay me back yet!" Little Jiu Jiu snorted, looking aggrieved.
Ao Che hurriedly said, "My goodness! Once you've finished making the Soul-Nourishing Banner for me, I'll take you to find the treasure!"
"What treasure?" Little Jiu Jiu's eyes lit up.
Ao Che whispered, "You know, dragons like to hide things. I can give you some jewelry to pay for it."
"But I have to get my hands on it first!" Little Jiu Jiu muttered unhappily.
Seeing this, Ao Che changed the subject: "Go to sleep, we'll talk about it tomorrow. I won't rush you anymore, so don't nag me."
"it is good."
Xiao Jiu Jiu lay in bed and picked up her phone.
She quickly sat up again: "Oh right, there's still a phone call I haven't made."
She found a number and dialed it...