stjorthotic Chapter 64 Mirage Dragon
Chapter 64 Mirage Dragon
"Yes..."
Jian Shiqing belatedly muttered to himself, while Chen Qinghe, unable to contain himself, asked in a low voice.
This made him curious, since he had never been exposed to such supernatural things before and naturally wanted to learn more about them.
...
The Demon Suppression Bureau has records of such unusual cases, involving elderly widows, widowers, and lonely individuals. Their specific names are no longer known.
All anyone knew was that he was called Zhong Laoqi, and he made a living by relying on his superb medical skills. However, these skills were not for treating humans, but rather for treating various kinds of animals.
Whenever a family in the neighborhood was raising pigs or sheep, they would ask him for help, and over time his reputation spread.
One day, the full moon
Just as Zhong Laoqi lay down, the oil lamp on the wooden table still retained its warmth.
The patched-up wooden door was being knocked on loudly, and Zhong Laoqi, annoyed by the noise, had no choice but to get up and open it.
Who is it...?
Sometimes, a single misstep can result in the deaths of both mother and child, so Zhong Laoqi had no choice but to open the door.
A dwarf huddled outside the door, his face deeply lined with wrinkles, his hair a mixture of black and white. His pointed, monkey-like features made him look exactly like a weasel spirit...
"I beg you, Master Zhong, to save my wife..."
"I have never delivered a baby before, I'm afraid I'm not up to the task..."
Out of caution, Zhong Laoqi did not agree. After all, if things were not handled properly, not only would he face a lawsuit, but he might even have to pay with his life.
To everyone's surprise, the dwarf pulled out a bag of gold beans, bent down, and held it above his head. He pleaded earnestly.
"Human life is at stake; there's no distinction between doctors and veterinarians. If my wife truly doesn't have the fortune to live, then we can't blame anyone else..."
Looking at the dwarf who was trying to reason with him and appeal to his emotions, and seeing those bright yellow, dazzling tears, Zhong Laoqi finally reluctantly agreed.
The dwarf led the way, with Zhong Laoqi following behind. They traveled for most of the night before finally arriving at a mansion.
"This Huang mansion is truly magnificent. I wonder when I, Zhong Laoqi, will be able to live in such a residence..."
The mansion was filled with servants and maids, but they simply stood still, without moving an inch.
Zhong Laoqi, who was anxious to save the patient, did not pay attention to the various abnormalities and followed the dwarf into the delivery room.
"Wow.."
With a cry, Zhong Laoqi, who had been busy for two hours, carefully placed the baby into the swaddling clothes.
He was covered in sweat, panting heavily, and trembling all over, almost collapsing from exhaustion.
The mistress behind the curtain was very pleased and even instructed the dwarf to bring another tray of gold ingots. Upon seeing this, the exhausted Zhong Laoqi was as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.
"Master Zhong, you must be tired after working for two hours. I have prepared wine and food for you to enjoy."
...
The large dining table was set with all kinds of fruits and wine, as well as wine jars filled with the aroma of wine.
At first glance, Zhong Laoqi lost interest in the simple meal. But the dwarf beside him kept smiling wryly.
"Master Zhong, it's not that I'm unwilling to prepare some meat, but Madam is a Buddhist, so everyone in the Huang household abstains from meat..."
The dwarf wanted to explain further, but then a rooster crowed outside.
As gusts of wind howled past, the Huang Mansion, which covered several acres, vanished in an instant, replaced by a desolate grave with fluttering spirit banners and scattered paper money.
The desolate grave was surrounded by eerie paper figures, whose appearances were exactly like the servants and maids encountered in the Huang mansion earlier...
Looking again, where were the tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks? Even the gold ingots and gold beans that Zhong Laoqi had taken into his pocket had turned into pebbles that could be seen everywhere on the roadside.
Only the fruits enclosed by stones and the wine served in a ladle remained...
Zhong Laoqi knew he was in trouble, and he scrambled back home. But as he stepped through the gate, he tripped over the threshold.
Speechless and dizzy from the fall, Zhong Laoqi inadvertently pulled out a thumb-sized piece of gold from a crack in the bricks...
And the weasel peering at him from the window frame...
...
"After multiple verifications, this conclusion was reached."
"If someone invites you to drink in the mountains, you can tell whether the host is well-intentioned or not just by looking at the dishes on the table."
"If it is fruits and wine, it is a spirit carrying good intentions and asking for help; if it is a feast of steamed, boiled, fried, and grilled dishes, with both meat and vegetables, and a fragrant aroma, then it is a ghost or evil spirit that wants to take your life."
Jian Shiqing recounted the bizarre rumors in detail, which surprised Chen Qinghe somewhat. He whispered to himself.
"Wouldn't that mean..."
"That's right, the master here has a favor to ask..."
Without further hesitation, the two followed Fang Hongxuan into the hall and began to feast on the fruits on the table.
The three of them had been chased all the way and were naturally starving. Now that they were being treated to a meal by a generous host, they were determined to eat until they were about 70-80% full.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the three of them had devoured all the fruits and liquor on the table. Only after they put down their wine cups did the subject of the painting emerge from within the frame.
It had two horns on its head, resembled a python, had a tiger-like head, and four feet with four claws. Its roar was half like the mooing of a cow and half like the cry of a dragon.
What's most peculiar is that the latter half of its body displays reverse scales.
"This is... a jiao?... No... it's almost transformed into a dragon..."
"It's not a dragon, it's a mirage dragon!"
Fang Hongxuan stared at the mirage dragon soaring through the clouds and said with certainty, while Jian Shiqing looked at the patches of reverse scales and understood.
"I wonder how we can help you, senior."
Just as the mirage dragon was about to express itself, a deafening roar came from outside.
The boundary marker at the village entrance was smashed to pieces by the swooping dragon, and the village of Guanjiang, which had been divided into two parts, was instantly annihilated.
Moss quickly covered the entire village, turning houses into ruins, beams and pillars into rotten wood, and tiles into rubble. The once vibrant village seemed to have lost its color, with streets, shops, and houses all collapsing into ruins.
The hideous zombies first transformed into pedestrians, peddlers, and merchants... and then into skeletal remains limp beneath the ruins.
There is no Guanjiang Village left here; not even half a broken wall that could have sheltered us from the wind and rain remains in the ruins!
As for the table, chairs, benches, fruits, and wine cups in front of the three people, these are the only remaining items in the place.
Tian Guangzu, who was being ripped out of his heart by the zombies, suddenly woke up. He first frantically checked his own body for any signs of injury, and then looked at the gradually dissipating phantom.
"So it was a mirage dragon, no wonder it looked so real..."
A deep hiss burst from the pig-dragon's mouth, and the sharp-eyed Tian Guangzu was extremely excited after noticing the unusual thing on its tongue.
"My lord, it was they who ruined the Lord's grand plan! Your subordinate is incompetent and failed to complete the task entrusted to you by the Lord."
The human face rooted on the pig dragon's lips and tongue slowly opened its eyes. It was surprised at first, but then it returned to calm.
"Useless lackey, step back behind me... Once I absorb this old mirage dragon that is about to transform into a dragon, I will have enough energy to reshape my physical body..."