91: Chapter 90 Little One's Identity Revealed

A thousand li north of Dongxi Village, there happened to be a snow-capped mountain, and the map specifically marked the four characters “Mystic Ice Jade Lion”.

This was the closest, and the only snow mountain clearly indicating a Mystic Ice Jade Lion.

Staying perfectly fine on a snow-capped mountain, then running a thousand li to Dongxi Village to snatch a Cultivation Technique—no matter how you looked at it, something was amiss.

Unless someone had asked this Mystic Ice Jade Lion to act as a hired thug.

The person behind the scenes must either be weaker in strength or trying to conceal their identity.

Jiang Hanwen needed more information to deduce what happened with Xiao Bu Dian, but there was nothing he could do; the Zhuang family had already reached their limit in what they could investigate.

Unless he left here and went to Black Rock City; perhaps there, he could find more information.

But it had already been three days; if he didn't go back soon, Father Jiang would worry.

Worry leads to mistakes; at that point, he might accidentally tell Xiao Bu Dian about the gold he knew of.

He had to go back tonight!

The cool breeze outside the window stirred his clothes, and Jiang Hanwen sighed; fate was indeed unpredictable.

Even though he had been so cautious, things he couldn't control still happened.

But no matter what, one must always face life.

The events of these years had made him clearly understand a truth.

If one chooses to escape life's troubles, the same problem will reappear in a different form next time.

Only when you truly face it and deal with it will it truly disappear, becoming a part of your life's muscle.

Going back and pretending to know nothing was, of course, the last resort, a desperate measure.

But paper cannot hide fire forever; eventually, the truth would be revealed, and then, how would he deal with himself?

When you doubt the hardness of a piece of glass, that glass will inevitably shatter!

“Crack!”

The door opened, and Jiang Hanwen returned home. Gong Qing was in the courtyard doing accounts and, seeing him, worriedly asked:

“Are you alright?”

“Just got delayed a bit investigating something. You should go back first.”

“Alright, call me if you need anything.” Gong Qing yawned widely, looking utterly exhausted as he walked out of the room.

This guy cooked during the day and helped him look after Father Jiang at night; it was really tough on him.

Hearing the conversation, Father Jiang nimbly walked out of the room. Seeing Jiang Hanwen return, he let out a long sigh:

“Have you eaten? I left some meat in the stove.”

“Father, I’ve eaten.

Oh, where’s Xiao Bu Dian? I brought him some good things to eat.”

Seeing his son's relaxed demeanor, Father Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and gently called out to the ground:

“Xiao Bu Dian, come out and eat.”

Jiang Hanwen used the excuse of checking the tunnel to take Xiao Bu Dian from his father's side to the basement.

In the damp basement, before Jiang Hanwen could speak, a deep voice, like a subwoofer, rumbled in his ears:

“What do you know?”

Jiang Hanwen turned his head, his pupils violently dilating.

Xiao Bu Dian no longer had its usual docile appearance; its five-foot-tall body swelled and grew like a balloon, becoming tall and straight, easily over eight feet.

Black and red spiral-patterned long horns protruded from its forehead, its eyes were like stars, and a layer of shimmering light fell from its majestic face.

Its short claws extended, powerfully gnarled, with pieces of obsidian-like crystalline scales attached, yet under the lamplight, there was no reflection at all; the scales seemed to swallow even the light.

The small tail behind its butt was thick and winding, extending three feet long, with ink-colored fleshy whiskers flowing like water ripples, suspended in the air.

The surrounding Spiritual Qi trembled, as if in worship.

Deer antlers, camel head, rabbit eyes, snake neck, clam belly, fish scales, eagle claws, tiger paws, ox ears... Jiang Hanwen's pupils dilated in shock. This majestic creature, resembling the Dominator of heaven and earth, was etched in the heart of every Chinese person—a Dragon!

Rome wasn't built in a day; with such power, why would it need the trashy Spiritual Plants from his soil?

All the doubts in his heart were resolved.

Asking him for Spiritual Plants and feigning discontent was just a disguise to put him at ease and to pave the way for Xiao Lingtong's emergence.

Even giving gold to Father Jiang was done little by little, for fear of startling him.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Hanwen looked directly into Xiao Bu Dian's awe-inspiring eyes:

“Is the Mystic Ice Jade Lion Xiao Lingtong’s mother?”

“You've investigated deeper than I know. Did that brat tell you?”

It stood right in front of him, yet the deep voice came from all directions, as if a circle of giants surrounded him, speaking in unison, their voices so solemn, like an ant looking up at an elephant.

Eyes met, and Jiang Hanwen actually saw blatant killing intent in Xiao Bu Dian's eyes—not directed at himself, but at Xiao Lingtong.

Jiang Hanwen shook his head:

“It didn't tell me anything; I guessed.

Do you still remember the Wu Family people?”

No sooner had Jiang Hanwen finished speaking than Xiao Bu Dian's grand and deep voice followed immediately.

“If it weren't for him calling you teacher, they would already be dead.”

Jiang Hanwen's expression stiffened. He was right; how could such a powerful creature not hear conversations even at its doorstep?

According to this, the other party must also know that he had seen the gold.

Fortunately, he chose to be honest; otherwise, over time, decades of trust would eventually be gnawed away by this suspicious beast.

Before he could speak, a faint light shot out from Xiao Bu Dian's claw, piercing into Jiang Hanwen's eyes.

After an unknown period, Jiang Hanwen struggled to open his eyes; all he saw was boundless darkness, nothing at all.

Moreover, he actually had no hands or feet!

The gnawing hunger pains from his stomach bit fiercely at his nerves.

So hungry, I want to eat.

The rationality of thought was instantly defeated by extreme hunger.

Jiang Hanwen struggled desperately, and finally, his mouth touched something; it smelled fragrant.

“Crunch!”

He bit down hard, swallowing a hard, solid object.

It melted in his mouth, and a warm current flowed into his belly; he felt a bit of strength return.

After gnawing for a while, all the hard things around him were eaten. He could clearly feel the strange hands and feet growing out.

A voice from his Bloodline told him that he was very good at digging, so he dug endlessly, finally digging out from underground and seeing a sliver of light from the sky.