Chapter 4: The Hidden Dragon Returns to the Nest
Intense pain washed over Yu Yuanchen's nerves in waves like a tide. His legs felt as if they no longer belonged to him, and every slight movement brought about a tearing pain. The excessive over-exhaustion of his Soul Power caused bouts of hollow, twisting pain in his Dantian, and his vision frequently went dark. However, he gritted his teeth, relying on the resilient will forged from living two lives and years of bitter cultivation to force himself to remain conscious and discern the direction of Dragon City.
He couldn't fall, at least not here. The pursuers from the Black Flame Flood Dragon Clan might not be limited to that one wave; Long Li, whose legs he had severely injured, and the Rock Turtle Soul Emperor he had shaken off could gather more people to return at any time. He had to find a relatively safe place as soon as possible.
Relying on his familiarity with the outskirts of the Thunder Mountain Range and his electric field perception to subtly probe the surroundings, Yu Yuanchen forced himself to find a natural cave located deep within a crack in the mountain wall. The cave entrance was hidden by dense vines, making it extremely inconspicuous. He used the last of his strength to move a few stones to partially block the entrance, and after carefully confirming there were no powerful Soul Beasts or human presences nearby, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and slid down with his back against the cold stone wall.
"Pfft—" A mouthful of stagnant blood could no longer be suppressed and sprayed out, staining the front of his robes red. This was followed by an even stronger sense of weakness.
He didn't dare to be negligent and immediately sat cross-legged, enduring the severe pain to operate the core meditation method of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Wisps of weak Soul Power began to be squeezed out from his nearly dried-up Dantian and exhausted Physical Body, flowing slowly like a stream to nourish his damaged Meridians, especially his nearly ruined legs.
Upon internal inspection, the condition of the Meridians in his legs was even worse than he had expected. There were cracks in many places, and even several fine fractures; Soul Power flowing through them felt like being cut by knives. The side effects of forcibly stimulating his Meridians to burst with speed had fully manifested.
"Fortunately... they aren't completely severed; there is still a possibility for repair." Yu Yuanchen felt slightly relieved. If the Meridians were completely severed, then unless there was a Heaven-Defying Opportunity, these legs would be considered useless.
He carefully guided his Soul Power, like the most patient craftsman, nourishing and mending the damaged Meridians bit by bit. This process was slow and painful, and his forehead was soon covered in fine beads of cold sweat. At the same time, he also diverted a portion of his mind to guide the Soul Power to circulate through his body, treating the black flame burns on his shoulders and arms as well as the internal tremors.
Time passed quietly during the silent healing.
One day, two days...
When thirsty, he would catch drops of water seeping from the rock crevices; when hungry, fortunately, his storage soul tool was always stocked with some fresh water and dried meat. His entire mind was immersed in recovery.
During this period, he vaguely sensed several Soul Power fluctuations passing by in the distance outside the cave, and once it was even very close, as if someone was searching. He immediately held his breath and focused, suppressing his own aura to the minimum, like a stubborn rock. Fortunately, the searchers did not discover this hidden cave.
It wasn't until the evening of the third day that Yu Yuanchen slowly opened his eyes.
After tireless healing, the injuries in his body had finally stabilized, and his Soul Power had recovered to about seventy percent. Most importantly, the cracks in the Meridians of his legs had preliminarily closed; although they were still fragile and could not withstand the kind of burst as before, normal walking and slow running were no longer an issue. The flesh wounds on his shoulders and other places had also scabbed over under the nourishment of Soul Power.
"Finally... I survived." Yu Yuanchen let out a long breath, a sense of relief from surviving a disaster surged in his heart, but it was immediately replaced by a deeper coldness.
Black Flame Flood Dragon Clan... Long Family! This grudge of the ambush will surely be repaid a hundredfold in the future!
He checked his condition. His clothes were torn and bloodstained, and his appearance was wretched. In this state, it was impossible to return to Dragon City openly. Who knew if there were spies from the Black Flame Flood Dragon Clan near Dragon City or even within the Family? Since they dared to send two Soul Douluo to ambush him, it was hard to guarantee they didn't have further plans. He had to be cautious.
"I need a disguise." Yu Yuanchen's eyes flickered.
He rummaged through his storage soul tool. As a direct descendant of the Family, the space in his storage soul tool was not small; besides food, water, some gold coins, and healing medicine, there were also some miscellaneous items, including several sets of spare ordinary clothing and... a "getup" he had prepared for certain pranks or for the convenience of sneaking out of the Family to play.
He took out a set of grayish-brown, ordinary coarse cloth clothes and changed into them, carefully putting away his original blue outfit that displayed his status. Then, he took out some special pigments and began to apply them to his face while looking into a small copper mirror.
In his previous life, although he wasn't a master of disguise, he knew some techniques for changing skin tone, deepening wrinkles, and blurring facial contours. Soon, the image of the youth in the mirror began to change. His skin became dull and sallow, fine lines were deliberately drawn at the corners of his eyes, and the sharpness between his brows was restrained, replaced by a look of fatigue and weathering. He looked like an ordinary young Soul Master who had been traveling for years with low cultivation (he deliberately suppressed his Soul Power fluctuations to just over level twenty) and was somewhat malnourished.
He also made his hair slightly messy and stained it with some dust. Finally, he found a wide-brimmed bamboo hat and put it on, covering most of his face.
Looking into the copper mirror, Yu Yuanchen nodded with satisfaction. Unless it was someone extremely familiar with him observing closely, it would be very difficult to recognize him as that favored genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"Time to move."
On the morning of the fourth day, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, a "young man" wearing a bamboo hat and gray cloth clothes, with his head lowered and his steps appearing somewhat unsteady (half due to his unhealed injuries and half due to disguise), quietly left the cave where he had hidden for three days and blended into the flow of people heading toward Dragon City.
The closer he got to Dragon City, the stricter the inspections seemed to be. Not only were there Empire soldiers on guard at the city gate, but on several main roads, some unidentified people with sharp eyes also appeared, patrolling back and forth and scanning the passing pedestrians.
Yu Yuanchen's heart tightened, making him even more certain of his judgment. He lowered his bamboo hat and blended in behind a small caravan, moving toward Dragon City without drawing attention.
Sure enough, he was stopped when approaching the city gate.
"Stop! What are you doing? Where are you from?" A soldier stepped forward to question him, while a middle-aged man nearby, dressed in plain clothes but with the clear aura of a Soul Master, also cast a scrutinizing gaze.
Yu Yuanchen lowered his voice and answered in a slightly raspy tone: "Reporting to the officer, my name is A-Chen, a hunter from Nuoding City in the south. I got injured while gathering herbs in the mountains and want to come to Dragon City to stay with a relative for a few days, and also sell some mountain goods for money to treat my injury." As he spoke, he slightly released a Soul Power fluctuation of about level twenty, which showed his status as a Soul Master to avoid being overly harassed without attracting too much attention.
The soldier looked at his simple clothing and slightly wretched appearance, felt the "weak" Soul Power, and seeing nothing unusual, waved his hand to let him pass.
But the plainclothes Soul Master next to him walked over, staring at him with sharp eyes: "A hunter? You don't look old and you have level twenty Soul Power; your talent isn't bad, so why are you a hunter? Take off your bamboo hat and let me see."
Yu Yuanchen's heart tightened slightly, but his expression remained calm. He took off the bamboo hat as instructed, revealing that disguised, unremarkable face.
The plainclothes Soul Master scrutinized him for a few moments, as if trying to find some flaw in his face, and then asked: "Where is your relative in Dragon City? What is his name?"
Yu Yuanchen had already prepared his story and answered fluently: "In Willow Lane in the west of the city, called Wang Laowu, a blacksmith." This was a real resident he had accidentally learned about when he used to sneak out to play; the identity was ordinary and not easily suspicious.
The plainclothes Soul Master stared into his eyes for a moment without finding any guilt or flickering, and sensing his indeed unstable aura (due to the unhealed injuries), he finally waved his hand: "Go in. Dragon City hasn't been peaceful lately, don't cause trouble."
"Thank you, sir." Yu Yuanchen put his bamboo hat back on, bowed slightly, and then walked into the Dragon City gate with "unsteady" steps.
Entering Dragon City, familiar streets and buildings came into view, but the atmosphere in the city was clearly much more tense than usual. The number of patrolling soldiers and plainclothes Soul Masters had increased, and an invisible pressure permeated the air.
Yu Yuanchen did not stop. Following the route in his memory, he specifically chose small alleys with few people to pass through. After twisting and turning to confirm no one was following, he moved toward the back gate of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan Mansion.
The clan mansion occupied a vast area with high walls and strict guards. Yu Yuanchen came to a relatively quiet corner of the back wall; this was one of the "secret passages" he and his companions used to sneak out through when they were children. He carefully sensed the surroundings, and after confirming it was safe, he took a deep breath, forced his Soul Power up, leaped, and with some effort, climbed over the high wall and landed in the garden inside the mansion.
The moment his feet touched the ground, an indescribable sense of security surged in his heart. But he still did not relax his guard. Relying on his familiarity with the Family's terrain, he bypassed the patrolling guards like a ghost and moved toward the main hall where his grandfather Yu Boxuan was located.
Outside the main hall, there were clearly several times more guards than usual, and the atmosphere was heavy. As soon as Yu Yuanchen approached, he was stopped by two Soul Saint guards with deep auras.
"Stop! Who dares to trespass into the restricted area of the main hall?" The guards shouted sternly, their Soul Power locking onto Yu Yuanchen.
Yu Yuanchen stopped, slowly took off his bamboo hat, and wiped his face to reveal his true appearance. Although it still carried the sallow color from the disguise, those azure eyes and familiar features made the two guards freeze instantly.
"Is... is it Young Master Yuanchen?!" the guards cried out in disbelief. They all knew the young master had gone out with the Second Master to hunt souls; now that the young master had returned alone in disguise, could it be that something had happened to the Second Master and the others?
"It's me." Yu Yuanchen's voice carried a hint of fatigue but remained steady. "I want to see my grandfather."
"Wait a moment, Young Master! I will report immediately!" One guard was extremely excited and turned to rush into the hall.
However, before he could go in, the heavy door of the main hall was pushed open with a "boom" from the inside.
A burly figure appeared at the door, it was Clan Chief Yu Boxuan! He had clearly been alerted by the commotion outside. At this moment, this Tyrant Dragon Douluo's face no longer had its usual majesty and composure, replaced by a mixture of anxiety and worry. His gaze instantly fixed on Yu Yuanchen, and his powerful Spiritual Power swept over, confirming this was not an illusion and seeing through the real identity under the crude disguise and the unhealed injuries.
"Chener!!" Yu Boxuan let out a low growl, his voice carrying a hint of undetectable anxiety. He stepped out and was instantly in front of Yu Yuanchen, grabbing his shoulders firmly and scrutinizing him. "How did you come back alone? Where are Boyu and the others?"
Feeling the slight trembling from his grandfather's palms and the undisguised concern, the heartstrings that had been tight all the way finally relaxed. Yu Yuanchen felt a sting in his nose but forced it down, shook his head, and said in a heavy voice: "Grandfather, we were ambushed. Second Grandfather and the two Elders... stayed behind to cover my escape, they should be trapped..."
He succinctly recounted the process of being ambushed, escaping, being pursued, and how he severely injured Long Li and returned in disguise.
Listening to his grandson's narration, especially hearing that he had actually used the power of a Spirit Ancestor to design and severely injure a Soul Emperor and ultimately escaped death, Yu Boxuan's eyes exploded with terrifying light—there was anger, fear, and even more unparalleled pride and heartache!
"Good! Good! Good! It's good that you're back alive!" Yu Boxuan said "good" three times and heavily patted Yu Yuanchen's shoulder. "As expected of my grandson! The Long Family... I, Yu Boxuan, will remember this blood debt!"
He pulled Yu Yuanchen and walked toward the main hall, while sternly ordering the guards beside him: "Pass my command! The Family is to enter Level 1 combat readiness immediately! All personnel outside must be on high alert! In addition, send out three teams of elite hidden guards led by Soul Douluo Elders—no, I will go personally. Follow the route Chener took back and search with all strength for the whereabouts of Boyu and the two Elders! If they are alive, I want to see them; if they are dead... I want to see their bodies!"
"Yes! Clan Chief!" The guards obeyed solemnly and immediately rushed away.
Inside the main hall, Yu Yuanchen finally shed all his disguises and strength, and fatigue rushed in like a tide. He knew he was safe. Next, it would be time for the Black Flame Flood Dragon Clan to endure the Wrath of the Tyrant Dragon.
The hidden dragon is injured but has finally returned to the nest. And the Wrath of Thunder is about to descend.