Love & Redemption
Chapter 244: Final Volume: I Am Liuli - 3: Enlightenment (Part 2)

Chapter 244: Final Volume: I Am Liuli Chapter 3: Enlightenment (Part 2)

Alas...

I’m deeply sorry that my ignorance led to the same Chapter being released four times yesterday. The repeated Chapters have already been removed by the editor.

Some of you single purchasers may have spent money in vain for this, and I am truly sorry. Bows...

There will be two updates both today and tomorrow as compensation.

This is the first update for today; the second will be at 9 PM.

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Liu Yihuan was a complete landlubber; once he fell into the water, he would freeze up. Seeing the colossal creature rushing towards them with a tremendous force, he was so terrified that his face turned green. Clinging to Wuzhiqi’s clothes, he wished he could wrap his arms and legs around him.

"Here it comes, here it comes!" he shouted in total disarray. Wuzhiqi wished he could knock him unconscious with a slap, but given the urgency of the situation, he had no choice but to carry Liu Yihuan on his back while hooking Zi Hu with his left hand and paddling vigorously with his right, swimming forward as swiftly as a fish. Xuanji and Yu Sifeng followed behind. They saw the towering Dragon Gate above their heads, but just as they got there, the river suddenly split into two streams flowing in opposite directions. Stuck in the middle, they couldn’t get across.

Xuanji spotted in the towering white waves behind them a huge fish with scales shimmering indistinctly and fish fins like jade, measuring over a zhang in height—indeed, it was a gargantuan fish. Wuzhiqi shouted, "It’s the old man’s crutch! It’s trying to cross the Dragon Gate!"

As he spoke, the big fish had already drawn near, just within a zhang’s distance. Its fins broke through the waters, churning white waves, and on its vast, barrel-like head, a large patch of orange-red stood out. In a blink of an eye, it charged towards them, and with a flick of its tail, it dove into the water. Fearing that it would charge up from beneath and hit them—a blow from such a large, divine-grade fish would certainly be costly—they all swam toward the shore together, grasping the rocks and clamberingly pulling themselves up, soaking wet.

Just as Xuanji reached the bank, the river erupted in a series of boiling roars. The giant fish indeed gathered its strength and leaped mightily from the riverbed, its pale orange-red body gleaming and each of its scales larger than a washbasin. It flicked its tail in mid-air, and the water sprayed down intensely, like raindrops. It seemed that the fish wasn’t trying to attack them. How strange.

The Dragon Gate was high above, and although the fish’s leap was powerful, it was still a distance away from clearing the gate. Just as it reached the edge of the Dragon Gate, its momentum faded, and it began to fall back. Mr. Wu Lv, from behind, cursed, "Useless thing! After a thousand years, you still can’t jump over the Dragon Gate by yourself!" He then stomped his right foot on the water’s surface, and the river surged in response; a wave rose like a released arrow, whooshing out. It gently nudged the fish’s tail, and with this bit of force, the fish leaped again and finally cleared the lofty Dragon Gate, plopping back into the river with a splash.

Zi Hu, witnessing it plunge into the water and then falling silent, couldn’t help but wonder, "It... after crossing the Dragon Gate, is it going to transform into a dragon?"

Wuzhiqi nodded, "Apparently, Mr. Wu Lv brought his pet fish here today to attempt the Dragon Gate; no wonder we encountered him here. Nonetheless, the fish didn’t cross over by its own power; it had help, so it’s doubtful it’ll turn into a top-quality dragon. Mr. Wu Lv is eager for it to become a dragon, probably wanting to use it against us."

A mere fledgling dragon, he obviously wouldn’t be concerned, yet he felt a pang of regret thinking of its thousand years of spiritual cultivation; he was somewhat reluctant to harm it now that it had just transformed into a dragon.

As he pondered, a vast shadow surfaced on the river. The newly transformed little dragon wove its way through the water and suddenly stuck its head out, shining with gold and looking splendid and majestic—it had turned into a little Golden Dragon. The dragon swam in the water for a bit before soaring up, circling above the Dragon Gate, and then flying back to join Mr. Wu Lv, affectionately twirling around him and rubbing against him with an intimate demeanor.

Wuzhiqi, seizing the opportunity before Mr. Wu Lv could say a word, turned and ran, shouting, "Let’s go! An old man and a little dragon—if it gets out, they’ll say I’m bullying them! I won’t fight them!"

He hadn’t run far when he heard Mr. Wu Lv call from behind, "You monkey, you have a kind heart after all. I didn’t expect you to refrain from hurting me."

Wuzhiqi couldn’t be bothered to respond and kept running forward. Mr. Wu Lv continued, "As long as you don’t cause trouble, I won’t stop you. What exactly are you doing at Kunlun Mountain?"

Wuzhiqi yelled back, "Didn’t I tell you already! I’m going to ask the Heavenly Emperor for a cup of tea!"

After saying this, there was silence behind him for a while. Turning back, he saw the little Golden Dragon, indeed let loose by Mr. Wu Lv, coming at him with bared teeth and claws, full of bluster. Wuzhiqi snorted with laughter, "Just a little creature! Go back and suckle from your grandpa!" With a slight flick of his wrist, the Sea Control Hook was drawn from under his left rib, and with a gentle sweep—a wall of white waves dozens of feet high rose on the river, smacking the little Golden Dragon back.

"Wuzhiqi!" came the frustrated cry from Mr. Wu Lv behind him. Wuzhiqi laughed heartily and tucked the Sea Control Hook away. The Dragon Gate was now just before him, and the mountain rocks on the bank blocked the path; to get past, he had no choice but to jump into the river. With the Dragon Gate as a boundary, the river was divided into two currents, one flowing forth and the other flowing back. Slightly concave below, it resembled a massive crevice. The upstream waters reached the Dragon Gate and then strangely reversed direction, flowing upwards.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Wuzhiqi dove in with a splash, using his arms and legs together, he forcefully swam through the crevice, past the Dragon Gate. He grabbed onto the rocks and waved back, "Come on, hurry! I’ll pull you over!"

The others were easy to handle, but Liu Yihuan, the landlubber, suffered the most. Once he got in the water, he didn’t know what to do and in the end, it was Yu Sifeng who carried him on his back and tossed him across. Once past the Dragon Gate, Mr. Wu Lv couldn’t do much to them. As they drew closer to Kunlun Mountain, the immortals became increasingly afraid to make noise, fearing trouble, and could only watch them leave bitterly.

"We’re off! Old man, take care of yourself and don’t lose your temper easily—careful not to die soon!" Wuzhiqi waved cheerfully at Mr. Wu Lv, then lay back on the water, allowing the reverse current to push him upward.

Seeing how he intended to annoy Wu Lv, everyone couldn’t help but chuckle. However, no matter what, they were undeniably one step closer to Kunlun Mountain. After passing the Dragon Gate, the blood-red, enormous stone mountains also disappeared, leaving barren banks on both sides—a black soil plain without even a blade of grass. Tired from their journey, the group imitated Wuzhiqi, lying on the surface of the water and letting the current carry them forward. They did not know how long they had traveled when the plain transformed back into lush green mountains, rolling endlessly with serene beauty, likely where the Divine Witch resided.

While Xuanji and the others were drifting in the Chishui River, Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird, along with Tengshe, were running amok in the palace at Kunlun Mountain, checking every door. Tengshe woke up and then fainted from the stench, and after waking and fainting eighteen times in succession, he finally couldn’t endure this inhuman torment. Trembling, he extended a finger, barely managing to say in a thread of breath, "Stop... don’t wrap my face, if I... I won’t shout."

Azure Dragon chuckled twice and at last removed her sleeve from his face as he requested. Tengshe took a deep breath and suddenly realized just how blissful it felt to inhale air free of any stench! He sighed, "You... are at least a woman, why not clean yourself up a little? With that grubby look, who would dare come near you?"

Azure Dragon gave him a spine-chilling coquettish look. He closed his eyes in despair, refusing to look at her colorless skin and the corners of her eyes filled with rheum, not to mention the hair on her head that was matted like pancakes—he really didn’t want to look any longer, for fear he’d vomit out the food and drinks he had just consumed.

"I gave up everything that made me a woman because I aspired to become a real immortal," she said, her voice normally unoffensive to the ear, but when the pitch rose, it cracked, sounding like a broken gong.

Tengshe grimaced and begged, "Please... tell me, which immortal in Heaven looks like you... this isn’t about being a woman or a man..."

Azure Dragon spoke indifferently, "That’s exactly why no one dares to provoke me, isn’t it?"

Tengshe had nothing to counter with; clearly, their understanding was different, and he simply couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.

"Hey," Azure Dragon, seemingly very interested in chatting with him, went on to ask, "So, do you think I’d be pretty if I cleaned myself up a little?"

Beauty is the last thing you’ll achieve! Tengshe cursed in his mind, but he dared not say it out loud, fearing she’d torture him again with her stinking sleeve. Instead, he vaguely answered, "Well... that’s... you’d first need to clean yourself up for us to see... before we could conclude..."

Azure Dragon turned to ask Vermilion Bird, "Would I look pretty if I cleaned myself up a bit?"

Vermilion Bird was an honest creature. With a shocked look, he scrutinized her from head to toe before forcing out, "Well... Azure Dragon, we are Divine Beasts, unconcerned with skin-deep beauty or ugliness..."

"Very ugly?" Her voice suddenly rose in pitch, ringing out like a clanging broken gong, as her oily and shiny sleeve showed signs of lifting.

Vermilion Bird and Tengshe hastily chorused, "Beautiful! Very beautiful!"

Azure Dragon finally cracked a pleased smile, revealing a set of black teeth, and coquettishly asked, "Then do you think, once I beautify myself, Ying Long would be interested in me?"

Tengshe choked on his saliva, coughing violently. Somehow, he suddenly felt sympathy for the always grim and unappealing Ying Long. Vermilion Bird was dumbstruck, taking a good long while to come back to reality. Being an honest creature, he did not wish to dwell on such a subject, eventually suggesting, "We’ve checked all nine doors, and those people haven’t arrived. Where should we head to now?"

Finally, Azure Dragon also stopped her unseemly behavior and said with a sinister chuckle, "With our esteemed Tengshe here, do you worry they won’t find their way? Let’s just find a scenic, spacious place to wait. So long as they have the ability to enter, they will surely come, and we won’t need to lift a finger."

Despicable! Tengshe gnashed his teeth in hatred for her, yet he wasn’t concerned about Xuanji and the others. With just Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird, they couldn’t harm her or Wuzhiqi in the slightest. The true fear was what the Heavenly Emperor was really plotting in his heart—nobody knew. He indulged Wuzhiqi with an almost reckless attitude but then treated him and Xuanji and Ting Nu with an unexpectedly harsh demeanor. What did that mean?

It was incomprehensible, truly incomprehensible.

Having no ideas of his own, Vermilion Bird was oblivious. Tengshe was akin to a hostage with no right to speak, so Azure Dragon directed and devised their course. She found a vast lake, where the scenery was naturally marvelous. The mountains were green, the water was clear, as dreamy as a painting.

Such beautiful scenery was suited for a stunning beauty’s subtle frown and smiles, for light chatter and laughter. Only then would the pairing of a beauty with beautiful scenery be truly enjoyable.

Both Tengshe and Vermilion Bird turned their heads to look elsewhere—one wearing a look of deep thought, the other frowning. Neither wanted to witness Azure Dragon prancing around coquettishly by the lake. She played in the water by the lake, her laughter "like bells"—bells that were broken. Tengshe stubbornly believed that not even the entire lake could cleanse her, and probably after she bathed, it would turn into a stinking ditch. The Heavenly Emperor, upon seeing this, would undoubtedly be furious...

Just as he was rejoicing in these delightful thoughts, he suddenly heard Azure Dragon ask coyly, "Every time Ying Long sees me, he turns away. Is he shy?"

Tengshe suddenly felt that he’d rather be knocked out by the stench of her sleeve—it was more comfortable than staying awake.

(To be continued. For the sequel, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available and we encourage you to support the author and legal reading!)