nycdaug Chapter 324 Shedding Period
Chapter 324 Shedding Period
These past few days, Cheng Jiu has been living a very leisurely life on Canglan Peak.
Since breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, Immortal Lord Qingxu has stopped interfering with Cheng Jiu's cultivation. His residence has been renovated to better suit Cheng Jiu's tastes.
The courtyard is managed by a special demon, so there's no need to worry about meals.
This kind of life is ruining me.
Except for the little black dragon, this little guy usually seems reassuring, but he can also cause worry unexpectedly.
It's sick!
The illness came on suddenly and fiercely; the entire dragon remained coiled up and motionless until the little cloud beast came to find it, which alerted Cheng Jiu to the problem.
The little cloud beast only had the little black dragon as a playmate on Canglan Peak. As for the Bloodthirsty Thorn, according to it, its intelligence was too low, and it looked down on it.
After playing a few times, it ruthlessly abandoned the other party, leaving Bloodthirsty Thorns to burrow alone into the spiritual herbs planted by Cheng Jiu. With the medicinal beads around, Bloodthirsty Thorns loved the spiritual field environment.
As for the Heavenly Wood Sword and the Little Green Flame, these two also possess sentience, but with a sword and a flame, the Little Cloud Beast simply couldn't get along with them.
Moreover, these two spend more time with Cheng Jiu, since one is his natal sword and the other is his natal flame.
Compared to the outside world, the little green flame preferred to reside in Cheng Jiu's spiritual root, especially after Cheng Jiu broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm. With the two Dao Seeds, the Law of Wood and the Law of Life, complementing each other, it liked it even more.
Tianmu Sword also prefers to stay by Cheng Jiu's side. The sword and the man are of one mind, which is the ultimate enjoyment for a sword.
Have you ever seen Qingxu Sword leave Qingxu Immortal Lord's side on its own initiative?
The little black dragon is a steady and quiet person. Although he doesn't respond to every invitation from the little cloud beast, he will respond two out of three times.
This long delay is really unusual!
Cheng Jiu immediately went over to check on it. Its body temperature was frighteningly high, and the dragon was also unconscious and nearly comatose.
The little black dragon always liked to use mimicry on Canglan Peak. Unlike Xuanze, the little black dragon was very close to Cheng Jiu and wanted to get closer to Cheng Jiu, but Cheng Jiu's courtyard was not very big.
To stay here, mimicry won't make much difference.
As Cheng Jiu examined the little black dragon's scales, he keenly sensed something was wrong. The scales were flying around in a mess, and instead of being smooth, they felt very prickly to the touch.
Several scales stick out straight out, and the pink flesh clings tightly to the protruding scales, making it impossible to pull them out; even the little black dragon feels a stinging pain.
Among the many chaotic scales, there was a spot where a few streaks of blood could be faintly seen. That spot of scales was soaked in blood, and although it looked like a tiny wound, something was very wrong.
If it were just a minor wound, the little black dragon would have healed long ago with its own healing abilities. The wound looks small in its mimicry, but if it were on the little black dragon's real body, it would be quite serious.
The flesh that was exposed, even in its mimicry, showed signs of abscess, especially with a thick patch of broken scales firmly embedded in the center of the wound, hindering its healing.
Centered on the broken scales, the surrounding area was red, swollen, and pus-filled, clearly inflamed. This was probably the culprit behind the little black dragon's illness!
Is it the molting season?
Cheng Jiu judged, but, he wasn't old enough yet!
Mo Yu was only a little over ten years old. According to the age of dragons, he was still a young dragon and had not yet reached the age to shed his scales.
Cheng Jiu hesitated again, but this situation really seemed so similar!
Seeing the weak Mo Yu, Cheng Jiu didn't dare to move it. He fed it a pill and then set off to ask an experienced senior for advice.
Xuanze was unusually free, Cheng Jiu had returned, and Immortal Lord Qingxu seemed to be staying in Qingxu Palace for quiet cultivation again. There was no need to worry about Immortal Lord Qingxu summoning him urgently; he could leisurely enjoy his hibernation in his own cave.
"Uncle-Master Xuanze! Uncle-Master Xuanze! Are you there?"
Cheng Jiu stood at the cave entrance, peering inside and calling out.
Who's calling it!
It didn't hear it, it didn't hear it!
Enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet, Xuanze had no intention of paying any attention to Cheng Jiu outside the cave!
But is Cheng Jiu such a polite person?
As he spoke, he walked into the cave and saw Xuanze sitting there: "Uncle-Master Xuanze, you're here!"
Now that everyone was inside, Xuanze couldn't pretend to be deaf and dumb. He raised his dragon eyes and yawned lazily, "So, what brings you here when you have nothing better to do?"
"Mo Yu is ill, and I would like to ask Uncle-Master Xuanze to take a look at her."
"?" Xuanze raised the drooping dragon head, glanced at Cheng Jiu, and asked in a puzzled tone, "What do you want with me? I don't know how to cure diseases?"
"At Canglan Peak, Moyu only has Uncle-Master Xuanze as an elder."
I need your help to determine the situation with Mo Yu, so I can have some information to consider! Please, Uncle-Master Xuanze!
Cheng Jiu grabbed Xuanze's enormous dragon claw and pleaded!
Xuanze, unable to bear Cheng Jiu's pestering any longer, lifted the dragon claw that Cheng Jiu was holding: "Alright, stop holding me, let me take a look at you!"
Xuanze had no choice but to compromise, having no other option but to give in to Cheng Jiu's behavior.
Xuanze followed Cheng Jiu to Moyu's residence. Cheng Jiu specially chose a room near the Lake of Life for the two children. As soon as they entered the room, a strong sense of vitality rushed towards them, making them feel comfortable from the bottom of their hearts!
"That guy Qingxu is really generous!" Xuanze said with a hint of jealousy. It had been with Qingxu for so many years and had never received such thoughtful treatment!
The little black dragon's body had clearly been cleaned, and even the inflamed areas had been treated with ointment, but the dragon didn't wake up and looked very weak.
"It's time for them to molt!"
As a member of the dragon race, Xuanze could immediately see the little black dragon's current condition. The molting period is the weakest time for dragons, so this situation is normal if the molting is not smooth.
Wait a minute, changing scales?
Xuanze then realized that something was wrong with the "ten points" and "eleven points".
It remembers that it was the one who gave this little guy the dragon egg, it must have been a short time ago!
Qingxu's disciples aren't very old either!
They're just young dragons, how come they've already changed scales?
Xuanze moved closer to Moyu and examined him carefully from head to toe. Only then did he finally confirm that the little guy had entered his growth period!
How did it enter the growth stage so quickly? How many rare and precious herbs must it have consumed? What extraordinary opportunities must it have encountered to compress the infancy period so rapidly and enter the growth stage?
"How much good food has this little guy eaten? It hasn't even finished its infancy; it's entering its growth stage!"
"Then, Uncle-Master, will Mo Yu be alright?" Cheng Jiu asked with concern.
Xuanze pondered: "It should be fine. Dragons are known for their strong bodies, and this little guy has very powerful spiritual energy. He's just entered his growth period early, it's not a big deal."
"What about Mo Yu's condition?" Cheng Jiu looked at Mo Yu, who had fallen into a coma.
"As long as the scales are successfully replaced, it will be fine," Xuanze said. "However, the little guy's situation is probably that he has reached the molting period, but it's not time for him to molt yet. The old scales haven't fallen off, and the new scales haven't grown, which is why he looks like this."
It can't change its scales by itself; it needs external help. You just need to help it shed the old scales.
"Okay!" Cheng Jiu looked at the mimicking Mo Yu with a hesitant tone. How could he help Mo Yu in its current state?
Cheng Jiu dared not touch the mimicry of the black jade; if he were to be careless, the consequences could be dire.
"Leave it to me!" Xuanze picked up the unconscious Moyu and flew away. The cool spiritual energy sprayed onto Moyu's body, instantly making the mimicry fail.
A colossal black dragon coiled at the foot of Snow Peak Mountain, its form hidden in the dense forest. It was a thousand meters long, a massive beast, but its horns, which were still somewhat immature, were quite disproportionate to its size.
From head to tail, the scales are interwoven with deep black and light black. The newly grown scales look black, thick, shiny and bright. The scales of young dragons appear relatively immature. There are not many new scales on the huge dragon, but each scale looks incredibly fierce and domineering.
The young scales are powerless against the newly formed scales, struggling to shed them, revealing a hint of pink flesh, which looks very pitiful.
Especially the wound that caused Mo Yu to fall ill, a rather long scar, which seemed to be caused by a sharp weapon, must have been a hidden injury he suffered when fighting the demons.
Dragons have incredibly strong self-healing abilities. While most of Mo Yu's other injuries had healed, this one was particularly severe. Several broken scales stubbornly remained between the wounds, hindering their healing. It was also during the molting season, which is why it was so serious.
Seeing the injuries on the little black dragon's body, Cheng Jiu was heartbroken. He was not feeling well, but he didn't say anything and traveled for so long!
That's really something!
Cheng Jiu felt sorry for him, okay!
That's why they say the quietest and most reserved children are the ones who evoke the most sympathy.
This little guy is really good at hiding.
Cheng Jiu sighed, took out his alchemy furnace, and began to refine pills for Mo Yu to help it get through this difficult molting period.
Cheng Jiu took out dragon bone powder and refined a batch of scale-generating pills. There weren't many new scales, and if the scales couldn't be replaced all at once, the little guy would suffer.
There's also the soft nail cream. The young scales on Mo Yu's body haven't reached the point where they need to fall off yet; they're still very strong. Forcibly pulling them off is absolutely out of the question; you'd have to suffer a lot. In order for the scales to fall off more easily, the necessary external force is essential.
To prevent the wound from becoming inflamed after the scales were removed, anti-inflammatory pills were applied, and Cheng Jiu also prepared a batch of anti-inflammatory ointment.
Cheng Jiu then set his sights on the Lake of Life in the courtyard, busily making arrangements to channel the life energy from the lake and promote the growth of new scales!
After witnessing all of Cheng Jiu's preparations, Xuan Ze felt a little envious: "You're really good to this little guy!"
"Moyu is my family!" Her first contracted beast, the child she raised herself.
How could she not treat Moyu well?
Everything is ready.
Under the sunlight, the scales on the black jade reflect a shimmering light, the deep black and light black intermingling like a powerful ink painting.
Cheng Jiu first fed the pill to Mo Yu, took a deep breath, took out the Heavenly Wood Sword, and looked at the dragon's body.
This is a massive undertaking.
Starting with the heaviest cut and then moving to the lightest, the incredibly sharp Heavenly Wood Sword cut open the abscess in the wound. When the broken scales were pulled out, Mo Yu's body seemed to tremble from the pain.
Cheng Jiu quickly applied the ointment and bandaged the wound before starting to remove the scales from Mo Yu.
One by one, light ink-colored scales fell off with a "rustling" sound. The vital energy was channeled by the formation and interacted with the pills inside Mo Yu's body, causing new scales to grow quickly.
Not long after his serious injuries healed, Mo Yu also woke up from his coma. His body felt warm, which was the effect of the pills that Cheng Jiu had fed him earlier.
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a striking deep blue shadow.
"?"
Seeing that his little clansman had woken up, Xuanze greeted him, "You're awake?"
"Senior Xuanze!"
Then, Mo Yu was drawn to the strange itching sensation on his body and noticed that his little clansman was acting strangely. Xuan Ze quickly advised, "Stop, don't move. You've entered the molting period, and Xiao Jiu is helping you molt!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Yu obediently lay back down and didn't dare to move. Knowing that it was Cheng Jiu on her body, Mo Yu didn't resist at all and let Cheng Jiu do whatever he wanted.
The little cloud beast noticed that its companion had woken up and affectionately nuzzled against Mo Yu's cheek.
"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash, I'm fine now. I'll play with you later!"
The little cloud beast nodded happily and nestled on Mo Yu's head, looking from a distance as if it were wearing a cloud hat, which Mo Yu did not find offensive.
Cheng Jiu was so engrossed in her work of scraping off the scales that she didn't pay attention to what was happening in front of her. With each movement, new scales were replaced.
The newly grown scales are darker and thicker than the old ones, like cold and sharp armor, inspiring awe and demonstrating their high defensive capabilities.
In the eyes of the dragons, it was even more divine and beautiful!
"That's quite a generous gesture," Xuanze exclaimed. "No ordinary person would use the life force to promote the growth of new scales. This behavior would be seen as a waste of resources by anyone. They don't want this little black dragon to suffer even a little bit!"
Looking at the newly formed scales, Xuanze teased, "Hmm, you look more like your father now!"
The little black dragon was disgusted. Although it obediently lay down and let Cheng Jiu do as he pleased, its dragon eyes looked at Xuan Ze with condemnation.
That shows how much it disliked it!
Xuanze felt a pang of guilt. Was it really okay to bully a fellow creature? What if the little thing's owner complained to Immortal Lord Qingxu? He quickly tried to cover it up by saying, "You and it are completely different."
Little Black Dragon: "..."
So what? Is this something to be proud of?
For a scaly beast like the little black dragon, its scales are very important, and its nature drives it to pursue thicker and stronger scales.
Therefore, the process of shedding scales is an enjoyment for the little black dragon, a pursuit of power rooted in its instincts!
"You're growing up way too fast! You should stay with a good master to raise you!"
"I think your other brothers and sisters can't compare to you. If those old guys in the dragon clan knew that you entered the growth stage so quickly, they would probably be green with envy," Xuanze sighed.
At first, it was indeed very unhappy to be by Qingxu Immortal Lord's side. How could a human's contracted beast compare to the carefree life of its Ice Clan Chief?
However, dragons can also be deceiving, especially since Qingxu Immortal Lord rarely uses them and mostly uses them as decorations, which is quite easy for him.
When he was the ruler, he was rarely ordered around, let alone now that the other party has also attained Mahayana status.
What's the difference between this kind of life and that of the Dragon Clan? It's just as carefree, and being by Qingxu Immortal Lord's side gives it access to even more resources.
Putting aside everything else, every time it returned to the dragon clan, its old companions were far weaker than it, which is normal since the growth period of dragons has always been relatively long.
However, by following humans, the growth period is greatly shortened. For example, its current cultivation level is half-step ascension. If it had followed its previous cultivation progress, who knows how long it would have taken.
It is now focused on cultivating diligently so that when Qingxu ascends, it can take it with it. It doesn't want to fall behind and be left behind on the Xuan Tian Continent by the broken contract.