Chapter 115: Dragon Vein

Nian Zhi’an slept for an entire day. When she woke up, she was bursting with energy, and her body no longer felt like it was about to fall apart.

She figured it was that bowl of “water” her wife had fed her that did the trick.

The only downside was that her wife wasn’t by her side, but the cage that had trapped her was gone. Nian Zhi’an stretched lazily, got up to wash up, and walked out. However, the moment she opened the door, a shadow suddenly pounced out and startled her.

“It’s you!”

Nian Zhi’an nearly jumped out of her skin. After all, she had a psychological scar from being bitten bald by this tortoiseshell cat, and she recognized it at a glance!

“Meow meow meow!”

“Meow aow aow aow!”

Zuo Yuanxi was reading the letter the Demon Alliance Leader had sent her on the first floor when the butler brought over a freshly brewed pot of tea. At that moment, the sounds of feline animals fighting erupted from upstairs.

Zuo Yuanxi’s hand trembled as she held the letter, and the butler’s eyelid twitched.

Two scruffy little lumps tumbled down from upstairs locked in combat, cat fur and Pallas’s cat fur flying everywhere.

~~~

Zuo Yuanxi and the butler hurriedly stepped forward to separate their own little lumps. The Pallas’s cat still had a mouthful of cat fur in its mouth—a payback for the chunk it had accidentally lost that day.

“Zhi’an…” Zuo Yuanxi said with a wry smile as she patted her head to make her spit out the fur. “Why are you fighting with it again?”

It had only just been crying to her for help after getting beaten, and now it had forgotten so quickly?

“I’m sorry, Miss Zhi’an, Clan Leader. I had put it in the cage, but I didn’t expect it to open the cage and run out on its own,” the butler said, rubbing her forehead in headache.

The tortoiseshell cat didn’t mind the bald patches on its body at all and leisurely licked its paw.

“This thing has turned into a spirit, hasn’t it? I always feel like it’s awakened spiritual intelligence!” Nian Zhi’an pointed at the tortoiseshell cat with her fluffy paw. She’d thought this cat was unnaturally clever before—otherwise, as a monster with rich combat experience, even if she was careless, she wouldn’t have been ambushed by this little kitten!

“Awakened spiritual intelligence?” Zuo Yuanxi glanced at the tortoiseshell cat. “Speaking of which, I have plenty of spirit pills here that can awaken spiritual intelligence in ordinary animals. A Fu, if you really want to keep it around, you can take whatever spirit pills you need anytime—you know where they’re kept.”

The butler tapped the tortoiseshell cat on the head, and it haughtily turned its head away, though it didn’t run off.

Awakened spiritual intelligence?

A flicker of an incredulous guess crossed the butler’s mind, and she decided to verify it privately later.

She thanked Zuo Yuanxi first, then picked up the tortoiseshell cat that had nearly caused more trouble and took it back to the room. She had no idea what was up with this little guy—it was usually quite well-behaved, but it was like it clashed with Miss Zhi’an on a fundamental level; they started fighting the moment they saw each other. If Miss Zhi’an hadn’t held back, this cat would have been squashed flat long ago.

After returning from delivering the cat, the butler brought over the same nourishing soup as before. Back then, she had seen Miss Zhi’an transform back into her human form and sit on the clan leader’s lap, being so affectionate that it felt like the entire living room was filled with pink bubbles.

She seemed to have come at a bad time, as Miss Zhi’an quickly noticed her, blushed, and moved to the sofa. The clan leader had smiled and gestured for her to set the bowl down.

Seeing the familiar nourishing medicine and the butler’s teasing gaze, even someone as thick-skinned as Nian Zhi’an felt a bit overwhelmed.

“Miss Zhi’an, remember to drink it while it’s hot. I’ll take my leave first,” the butler said, tactfully removing herself as the third wheel from the living room.

“Cough cough… Butler, A Fu, she, she…”

“Don’t worry, she wasn’t here the last few days,” Zuo Yuanxi comforted her. “She was guarding the gate the whole time.”

She suddenly felt even more embarrassed to face A Fu.

Nian Zhi’an leaned into her wife’s arms in despair. At that moment, she noticed the letter from the Demon Alliance Leader.

The letter mentioned the Dragon Vein.

Noticing Nian Zhi’an’s gaze, Zuo Yuanxi explained, “The Alliance Leader still hasn’t figured out the true purpose of the Dragon Vein. For the younger generation, the Dragon Vein’s power can help boost their cultivation, but for someone like the Alliance Leader, whose cultivation has reached the pinnacle of this world, it’s about as useful as a chicken rib.”

“That’s only natural. This Dragon Vein wasn’t born for them in the first place—they can’t even use its true power.” Nian Zhi’an naturally knew the reason, but she couldn’t reveal this secret, or this world would truly descend into chaos. She sighed deeply.

“Only Fu Jun can obtain the Dragon Vein’s true power?” Zuo Yuanxi asked.

“Not exactly.” Nian Zhi’an shook her head. “To be precise, the Dragon Vein’s true power can only be claimed by the so-called Chosen One of Destiny, and it’s hard to say exactly who that is. A Xi, are you interested in that Dragon Vein now?”

“No, I was just wondering who would replace Fu Jun next,” Zuo Yuanxi said flatly, her expression giving nothing away about her intentions.

“If you’re not at ease, why not replace him yourself? I reckon you’re one of the most suitable candidates anyway!” After all, no one in this world could rival the luck of Fu Jun or Zuo Yuanxi yet. Rather than waiting too long and staying on constant alert for accidents, it was better to take the reins herself!

“Me?”

~~~

Zuo Yuanxi pondered for a moment before suddenly smiling. Something clicked in her mind, and she asked Nian Zhi’an, “What kind of power can the true force in the Dragon Vein achieve at its peak?”

Nian Zhi’an was taken aback—she hadn’t actually studied that question. So she summoned her system; for setting-related questions like this, it might know better.

【The Dragon Vein’s power can be strong enough to forge an entirely new Heavenly Ladder, shattering the barrier between immortals and mortals. This world’s level isn’t low, and with the Dragon Vein’s power, it might even… impact the world’s barrier.】 The system had calculated this from data, but it had no idea about the specifics of operation and wouldn’t dare try! If the Dragon Vein actually breached the world’s barrier even slightly, the Main System would come squash it in the next second!

Hearing just the last part, Nian Zhi’an got a rough sense of the Dragon Vein’s power. Among the people she knew, only one had the strength to impact the world’s barrier—a person whose power was terrifyingly strong in the highest-level worlds…

Nian Zhi’an fought hard to keep her trembling hand from clutching her heart. That bone-chilling sensation was a shadow she’d carry for the rest of her life.

If the Dragon Vein’s power was nearly on par with hers, it was practically a bug in this world!

【But Host… I thought at first you’d forgotten to let me out of the little black room. Looking at your state now… you actually just crawled out of your wife’s bed, didn’t you? It’s been days! Are you okay? Your body’s recovered now, sure, but you can’t rely on being young and vigorous to overindulge…】

Nian Zhi’an’s mouth twitched as she tuned out the rest of the system’s words. Then she explained the Dragon Vein’s maximum power in terms Zuo Yuanxi could understand.

“It can punch through the barrier between the two realms—no wonder…” After hearing Nian Zhi’an’s explanation, Zuo Yuanxi seemed to understand something and murmured softly.

“No wonder what?” Nian Zhi’an hadn’t caught the second half and asked curiously.

“…No wonder it’s the Heavenly Dao’s gift to Its illegitimate child. The power is extraordinary.” Zuo Yuanxi stroked Nian Zhi’an’s head and suddenly had an idea. “Shall we go take a look over there? How’s your body recovered? Can you travel far?”

“I-I’m perfectly fine, of course!” With her lifelong competitive streak, Nian Zhi’an absolutely couldn’t admit she wasn’t up to it!

Even so, before heading out, she was “forced” to drink the bowl of nourishing medicine the butler had brought. She hadn’t known its real purpose at first and drank it without a second thought, but now that she understood the butler’s little scheme, downing it made her feel utterly uncomfortable, like she was being “insulted” in a certain way.

If her wife hadn’t coaxed her into drinking it, she absolutely wouldn’t have!

The Demon Alliance Leader had set up a teleportation array near the Dragon Vein. Zuo Yuanxi used it to take Nian Zhi’an straight there. The Dragon Vein, hidden among the mountains, had fully awakened, and even standing nearby allowed one to feel the dense spiritual energy.

The Dragon Vein’s core belonged to the Alliance Leader, and the spot he’d given Zuo Yuanxi wasn’t bad either. But without access to its true power, location didn’t really matter.

Zuo Yuanxi stood on the mountain ridge, crouched down, and pressed her hand to the earth to sense the power flowing beneath—profound and endless.

In this End of the Law Era, it had been ages since a treasure land of this caliber appeared; it felt just like the ancient primordial era. Even the Merfolk Clan’s Sacred Ground couldn’t compare. Yet even so, the power she could detect now was just a tiny fraction of the Dragon Vein. When it had been destroyed, its outburst had shaken the world’s foundations. If this power could be properly harnessed…

She still had a very, very long time—long enough to claim this Dragon Vein for herself.

Nian Zhi’an crouched beside her, sensing the Dragon Vein’s power as well, then couldn’t help sighing. “So many people crave immortality, but alas… this world only allows one to ascend the immortal path. A Xi, don’t you feel any regret?”

“Of course not.” Zuo Yuanxi wiped the dirt from Nian Zhi’an’s hands, her voice gentle yet firm. She had no regrets left in this life. The path of immortality was certainly wonderful, but if she walked it alone, even endless years would become torment.

“However, the Dragon Vein is truly a treasure. It would be a shame not to take it. If possible, I plan to extract the Dragon Vein.” Zuo Yuanxi gazed at the ground beneath her feet as a plan surfaced in her mind.

“No problem. I’ll take care of it for you.” Nian Zhi’an patted her chest confidently.

“This matter can’t be rushed. We can put it off for a while.” Fu Jun was still standing there. The difficulty of obtaining the Dragon Vein was immense, and Zuo Yuanxi understood this well, so she wasn’t in a hurry.

“A Fu is urging me about another matter, and I also think we need to decide on it soon.”

“What did A Fu say?” Nian Zhi’an met her wife’s tender, affectionate gaze, and her heart skipped a beat as an answer quietly formed in her mind…

“She said it’s time to put the wedding on the agenda and give you a proper status as soon as possible. What do you think?” Zuo Yuanxi said with a hint of amusement. “My little madam?”