Dragon?

Being locked up for ten days, 20 days... or two or three months?

Lost day and night, no concept of time.

The chain tightened, like a tense nerve between them.

Qiao Zhi's 30th birthday, he told the dragon, and it took the opportunity to ask, "Just today, just this once, I want to go out for a while."

Qiao Zhi hesitated for a long time, but finally agreed.

He was not happy at all, and kept it by his side, still not happy.

With a stern face all the way, Qiao Zhi lengthened the chain a little stingily, and let the dragon go out to see the sunshine for a while.

It looked left and right to keep an eye on the route leading to the outside world, the warm sun's rays poured into the hole, the dragon shrugged and narrowed his eyes comfortably.

Qiao Zhi followed behind, watching its every move.

Holding the chain in his hand, standing in the dark, he sternly warned: "You can't go out anymore."

So the dragon took half a step back, and stretched out his hand cautiously.

Its hands are very white, under the gentle warm light, they are almost transparent, as if they are about to melt in that bright light.

Suddenly gasping for air, Qiao Zhi hastily dragged the dragon back into the darkness.

After that day, he sulked inexplicably for three days and didn't say a word to it.

In fact, there has been very little talk between them.

At first, there was some cynicism, but in the end, facing each other, they couldn't say anything.

It's just making love day and night, in a narrow space, in an unknown light... I can hear unbearable moans, but I can't see the other person's expression clearly.

On the eve of Qiao Zhi's personal expedition, they all seemed to have a premonition.

For the first time, he brought Long a bag of sweet-scented osmanthus cake.

How long has it been since he had eaten his favorite pastry?Probably ten years.

Qiao Zhi hates it to mention old love to him, so even if it is greedy, it is unwilling to mention it.

Longcai didn't have the character not to eat the food that came from the cheap, so he ate up the sweet-scented osmanthus cake.

After wiping the cake crumbs off its mouth, he asked indifferently, "Is it delicious?"

Dragon nodded.

Qiao Zhi had a strange expression, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if he was smiling, but there was a slight sadness in his eyes.

It didn't look carefully, blinked, and saw that he had returned to his usual expressionless face.

Many, many years later, it knew why he made that look.

——The sweet-scented osmanthus cake it ate was made by Qiao Zhi himself.

After eating the pastry, he sat for a long time.

Didn't make a sound, just sat there watching it.

When the candle burned out, Joe opened his mouth.

"If I come back..."

He fixedly looked into the dragon's eyes and took a deep breath.

"If only I could come back..."

He said it again, but he still didn't finish speaking.

When going out, Qiao Zhi arched his back.

He walked lightly and did not look back, walking no differently from before.

He didn't say goodbye, as if he would appear again in a few hours.

Then, Qiao Zhi didn't come for a few days.

One day, the dragon felt loose all over, and the sacrificial soul that trapped its cultivation was useless.

Overjoyed, the dragon broke free from the heavy chain without hesitation, and escaped from the cave where it had been locked up for so long.

However, after returning to the human world, it heard the news of Qiao Zhi's death...

The rebel general Bi Chong'an joined the enemy forces in the battle and took the emperor's head.

——Karma retribution, Qiao Zhi was betrayed by his own people, just like he betrayed Qiao Xi back then.

……

Long didn't believe it, Qiao Zhi died.

Qiao Zhi has his own inner alchemy in his body, and as long as he is alive, his body will be able to repair itself and return to its original state.

It thought that the liar must have been cheating his death, and he hid somewhere.Silently waiting for the rebels to show their feet, he will come back and kill them all.

Besides, he hated it so much and locked it so tightly, how could he be willing to let it soar and let it see the light of day again.

Slowly wandering around the world for half a month, Long couldn't find Qiao Zhi.

It found its inner alchemy...

Jiang Ningxu, who fled with his belongings, was blocked by a dragon at the border and was beaten half to death.

"Stop beating! Ouch, stop beating!! I was going to return the Neidan to you!!!"

Jiang Ningxu wailed and wailed, and before he could say a few words, his fist landed firmly again: "Emperor Yanqin is the only one in the world who knows the location of the country, and all the craftsmen who built it were silenced by him...I... …Even if I want to find you, I don’t know where to find it!!!”

"Ouch! Stop hitting! Stop hitting..." Covering his head with one hand, he quickly rummaged in his pocket with the other, Jiang Ningxu finally took out the little kit, and quickly offered it with both hands: "You Come, I will return the Neidan to you!"

Long took the kit, opened it...it was really its inner alchemy, a small one was put inside intact.

Seeing that it was motionless, it seemed to be stunned, Jiang Ning humbly complained incessantly, lest the inner alchemy be found by the dragon to find out that there was something wrong with it, and it would ask himself to blame again.

"Hey! I don't want this!"

I don't know why it went crazy, it woke up suddenly, and threw Neidan back into Jiang Ningxu's arms: "I've already given it to Qiao Zhi! You send it back to him!!"

"Emperor Yanqin is dead... It is impossible to give me your inner alchemy if you don't die." Jiang Ningxu sighed, holding the kit like a hot potato.

The strange silence in the air made him quickly realize that what he said just now might provoke another severe beating.

"I, everything I said is true, don't hit me again! Before he died, he handed over the inner alchemy to me and left you a message!!"

As soon as the words fell, Long's oppressive eyes swept over.

Facing this face that was no different from Qiao Zhi's, Jiang Ningxu, who had lived under the hegemony for ten years, couldn't help feeling flustered.

"He, he told you not to look for him."

Swallowing his saliva, Jiang Ning humbly, facing the increasingly piercing eyes, conveyed the words that should be conveyed verbatim.

"He said, if you didn't do good things in this life, you won't be lucky enough to meet you in your next life."

I feel a little confused...

It stared, not knowing where to look.

The dragon heard his own voice, it was very loud, and was eager to argue, but it didn't quite know why it was so flustered, so... out of control.

"Don't look for him? What nonsense! He's locked me up for so long, can he just let it go? If you live, you want to see people, and if you die, you want to see the corpse! I want to dig the grave for him too! I don't believe he's dead , his corpse..."

"There are no bones left." Jiang Ningxu said sadly.

--fraud.

It reminds myself not to follow his way.

— liar, liar.

One year.

Three years.

Five years.

15 years.

50...

The dragon does not take back the inner alchemy, refuses to ascend, and wanders around the world.

For 50 years, it has been powerful, but it can't find Qiao Zhi's life, can't find Qiao Zhi's bones, and can't find Qiao Zhi's soul.

One year on his birthday, Long saw a child eating longevity noodles on the street.

It also went to the noodle stall and ordered two bowls.

Eat a bowl and keep a bowl.

After eating the noodles, the dragon ghost went back to the cave where Qiao Zhi locked himself at the beginning.

There were their most unpleasant memories, and the dragon didn't like it the most.

But suddenly it occurred to him... If Qiao Zhi came back there, he would be very unhappy to see that it was not there.

He's been terrified of it leaving.

Afraid that the chain is not locked tightly enough, afraid that it will call for help, afraid that it will fly away... The reason for frowning so tightly is because he is too scared.

A strong thought emerged in my heart, wanting to start over—how about restoring everything to the way it was before Qiao Zhi left.

In that case, when he comes back, he can complain that he has been away for too long, and mention a word to him openly-"Let's make up".

It didn't take much effort for the dragon to find the magic weapon that Qiao Zhi hid tightly on the top of the cave like a treasure.

Looking at the sacrificial soul that lost its effectiveness, it suddenly figured it out...

Suddenly, I couldn't help laughing out loud...

——Why did Qiao Zhi's death allow it to recover.

——Why did he say "don't look for him"; why really, he can't be found anywhere.

The living soul sacrificed was Qiao Zhi's own.

--fraud.

——Still lying to people until death.

——Speaking, I didn’t do good things in this life, and I won’t be lucky enough to meet you in my next life...

However, all he thought about was this life, and he never thought about the next life at all.

He thought so well, once he died, it could ascend to immortality.

He didn't bear it because it was treacherous; for the moment it was imprisoned, he lost everything, everything about him.

Smiling and laughing, his eyes were full of tears, and Long didn't raise his hand to wipe them, the water dripped down his face.

--Back to you.

—— Qiao Zhi, I will give you back what you want.

The dragon uses its power to move the sacrificial soul.

All the inheritance obtained so far has been peeled off layer by layer from its consciousness.

Qiao Zhi used his life to lock its cultivation base, so it sacrificed to his own spiritual consciousness——all the memories since he transformed into a dragon.

"Hey, Qiao Azhi! I won't be a fairy anymore!!"

"...Don't be a dragon! Don't you hate me talking about destiny? Then I won't be a dragon."

--Did you hear it?Do you want to make up with me!

——I'll wait here for your return.

——I said, I'll wait for you to come back.

As if the skin had been torn open, the blunt blade was sticking to the bone, slowly gouging out pieces of flesh.

This knife is held by it, and the flesh that is gouged out is also its own.

There were water marks running down the corners of his eyes, and an unbearable pain came from his heart.

It hurts so much...

But gradually...

Forget why it hurts so much.

Forget why you cry.

In the end, even the pain itself was forgotten.

Suddenly, he fell into endless darkness.

……

Dust, time, and changing dynasties, none of them can disturb the dragon.

It curls its long tail tightly and sleeps in its den.

Motionless, like a mass of dead flesh...