''Hmm,'' Xueyao slowly paced back and forth in the open space balcony of Temperance hall in deep thought. ''What are the little things I could do to show him we are worth saving?''
She bent on her knees and her fisted left palm placed on her mouth as this position had proven to help her think faster over the years.
''Should I make him read both ancient heroic books about the brave past lived dragons of the fourth heaven and books that praise our standards and morals? Then maybe educational books about the second heaven and their insane abilities at healing and at cultivation even though they are not dragons?''
That sounded like an idea worth trying to her. She jumped to her feet with a big smile on her face.
''When he reads and learn more about us through books, he will definitely have a change of heart about us and want to help us.'' She could start from there before she proceeds to using the few extreme measures hanging around in her mind.
Xueyao giggled along the way to the Temperance hall mini private library. It was a circular building with beautiful blue dome rooms where both sunlight and moonlight illuminate it at specific times. It is a library filled with shelfless floating books all clustered up in the middle of the room.
Xueyao started her search on books from the bottom. ''Hmm, The story of the ruthless twelve dragons and the mountain beasts?''
Sounds like a good book to start one's understanding on bravery and courage. She picked the book and selected a few others.
She brought herself further up with her magic to pick a few more good books that can motivate that wooden–head immortal dragon to save them.
''Becoming A Real Dragon; Morals and Etiquettes,'' Xueyao read out loud and strangely a wicked grin appeared on her face as she held the leather bound book in her hand. If they will ever work together to save the world, it wouldn't hurt to try to shape how he behaves so they could quickly get along and get the job done faster!
She grabbed a few more books titled 'Becoming A Real Dragon' and arranged them neatly on the polished table beside her bed with a heavy sigh.
''Master wouldn't mind if I gave about…one…two…three…four….nine precious books of Temperance Hall to Black dragon immortal.'' She eased herself from sitting on her knees to spread her legs under the table to relax more with a long sigh.
It's only going to take a few more days and he would have no choice but to give in to me and be a much more reasonable dragon.
Moving her legs restlessly under the table, she began to wonder what those tribulations they would be forced to go through would be like. Would it be about saving lost immortal bunnies or fighting three headed beasts?
Xueyao shivered at the last thought. She hoped it wouldn't be that terrifying and something within her doubted it wouldn't be. She had heard and read horror tales about dragons that went through multiple stages of tribulations that failed or never returned home alive.
Even if she was going to die while trying to save the world, she hoped not to die at the early stages. Maybe somewhere close to the end of it all…but that would also mean she might not live to see Sheng Chong freed from the foundations of the immortal realm.
She rested her left hand on the table and brought her face on her palms as she began to overthink everything.
If anybody she knows deserves to die it should be those three devils that brought her and Sheng Chong inside this mess.
Her eyes wandered to the books neatly arranged on the side of her table. The night breeze that flew through the curtains was a bit comforting and then her mind tried to imagine what that all-powerful, I hate everyone, cold beauty must be doing in there.
''Wait,'' She pulled back from her desk as it suddenly occurred to her. ''Wouldn't be so dark inside that cave he is in at night?''
She rose to her feet and journeyed down the lonely halls of Temperance Hall to sneak inside her Master's room. She was grateful her Master was yet to arrive from training.
One thing her Master wouldn't be ready to let go for anybody is her specially designed Temperance Hall light bulbs. She once refused many elite red dragons who came over to have one and because she was equally special to her Master she got one placed beside her bed every night. The two feet tall bulbs in the shape of a red dragon could last years without burning off.
It's close to being everlasting.
She trusted her Master would make a few more and she knew her master too well to know where she would keep them. She slowly brought out the drawers and took one of the bulbs. She made a mental note to inform her master about her stealing one of the bulbs and ready to receive any punishment. She knew if she asked her Master to tell her point blank to find another way to light up his world, she was the most miserable when it came to using her magic to invent things.
She returned to her room with the light bulb in her hand and placed it beside the stack of books she would be taking to the Undying Realm very early at dawn.
''I can't believe I am even stealing from my Master for you,'' she said while changing to her sleeping dress made purely out of white heavenly materials. She unclipped every pin and ornament in her hair before climbing to her bed to sleep.
''You better not make it so hard for me tomorrow or we might end up killing each other.''
After a few minutes of staring at the ceilings, her eyes grew heavy and she fell into a deep sleep.
☆☆☆
''Owwwwww!'' She cried out as she crashed–landed before him again the next day. He stared up at where she just fell through and wondered when she would stop being so stubborn enough not to come through the back door of this place again.
''Ow…uwww,'' She moaned with her eyes shut tightly as it felt like it was her hip bone that was broken now. She laid there on the ground for a few minutes. When it was taking her forever to rise, he began to take slow steps towards her form. Her eyes remained close and her face all scrunched up slightly in pain.
He hovered over her figure briefly before falling on one knee beside her wondering if she was dead or not.
''Ow…''
He nodded and sighed that she was still alive.
She still has to figure out a way to put him back to sleep and fix the mess she created.
She can't die yet.
When the pain she was feeling all through her body subsided, she opened her eyes halfway to be met with a stunning view of him.
Why is he so close?
What was he trying to do?
He leaned closer when he noticed an ant crawling all the way up to the loose strands of her hair. He brought one of his hands close to her face to scare it off from achieving what that tiny ant was trying to do. But from her view and to her horror, he looked like he was trying to touch her face!
Xueyao screamed out and jumped up to sit straight. Her behavior startled him a bit as he withdrew his hands before she started to bite him.
''I'm up, I'm up, I'm up!''