“Probably because of the Dragon Clan aura on you, Master… It’s something many creatures can’t withstand. A lot of creatures are naturally sensitive to those with powerful bloodlines…” The Sword Loli spoke up, her voice carrying a noticeable weariness.
“Is that so…?” Yueye understood a few things at once after the Sword Loli pointed it out.
“But are you all right, Sword… Loli?” Yueye sensed the state of the little one in her sea of consciousness and asked with concern.
“Because you suffered such a severe injury, Master… I can’t let myself replenish my energy freely. It’s all right. I just need to rest a little longer. What matters most is that nothing happened to you…” The Sword Loli’s voice held a touch of emotion. After being separated from her Master for so many years, she wanted to spend a little more time talking with her.
“Is it because of me?” Yueye felt guilty, yet her heart was full of warmth. She’d never imagined that the fool in her sea of consciousness had been watching over her tirelessly all this time.
Feeling the warmth of being cared for, Yueye sensed her connection with the Sword Loli grow stronger. It was as if a shackle around her memories had shattered inside her sea of consciousness… Fragments of memory slowly surfaced in Yueye’s mind. Memories of her close days with the Sword Loli played before her eyes, as if they’d crossed a tunnel of time stretching back ten thousand years.
The memories that had suddenly appeared in Yueye’s mind reminded her of the sword’s name…
“Your name is… White Radiance?”
“Y-You remembered!? Master?” The Sword Loli burst into tears, like a child who’d run away from home years ago and finally returned.
“I remembered… There, there. I’m sorry… But I’ve only remembered this little bit. I can’t make you feel the way you used to…” Yueye comforted the childlike sword in her sea of consciousness. She could feel its long, slender blade give off a faint hum.
“That’s already wonderful, Master… At least… all my effort wasn’t wasted!” White Radiance gradually calmed down under Yueye’s comfort.
“Are these memories unlocked depending on me? You said earlier that you used all your energy to activate my memories… Did it not work?” Yueye had complicated feelings about her memories. She hoped to recover the good things she’d once remembered, but she was also afraid she might lose herself in those memories and no longer be the Yueye she used to be.
“I only managed to awaken a very small part of the Dragon Soul sleeping within your soul, Master.” White Radiance paused for a moment.
“This is all I can do with my current abilities… So there’s no way you can remember what happened before, Master. Unless you have some kind of realization or something triggers you, and you choose to awaken the Dragon Soul yourself… like you just did.” The Sword Loli sounded guilty, as if she’d made some terrible mistake.
“Awaken the Dragon Soul myself… So I can do it if I want to?” Yueye asked curiously. Deep down, she already knew the answer.
“No… You don’t have permission, Master.” White Radiance gave a firm shake of her head.
“Permission? Who set that up? It’s my own power, so how come I don’t have permission to use it?… And what exactly is this Dragon Soul?” Yueye had already guessed the answer, but White Radiance’s explanation still made her curious.
“I… I can’t tell you that, Master! You’ll find out when the time is right! Just know that whoever set those permissions doesn’t mean you any harm… And as for the Dragon Soul… how should I explain it? It’s a collective consciousness that exists above every dimension, even above all other forms of consciousness. It’s born with a position of supreme prestige, on a level far beyond the souls of ordinary living beings. It’s called the Dragon Soul only because it has some of the traits of a soul… It’s a very abstract concept. You’ll understand it yourself when the time comes. I really can’t explain it clearly right now.”
White Radiance explained for a long time, leaving Yueye completely baffled. For now, Yueye only understood one thing: this so-called Dragon Soul wasn’t actually the soul of a dragon. It was something much more powerful—tens of thousands of times more powerful, even… As for the being White Radiance had mentioned, Yueye gave up asking. It was far beyond her reach.
“Go get some rest for now… I need to process all this information…” Yueye could tell White Radiance had already reached her limit. The fool had been forcing herself to keep talking with her this whole time.
“Mm…” White Radiance’s voice fell silent at once, leaving Yueye alone to ponder as she lay across Liu Huiying’s back… It seemed White Radiance really was exhausted.
“So I’m being targeted because my bloodline is special… I’ve become a prime target?” Yueye seemed to realize just how serious things were.
She was like some incredibly precious delicacy wandering across a dining table… It felt as if the moment someone got the chance, she’d be the first one they tried to snatch.
“I’ll have to be more careful from now on.” Yueye’s mouth twitched. She had no idea how to hide the aura of her bloodline.
The jostling made the pain in her lower abdomen grow worse, interrupting Yueye’s train of thought once again. Her nerves were taut. Ever since waking up, she’d been trying to distract herself, but nothing worked.
“Maybe… this is just the price I have to pay…” After coming to this world, Yueye had gained powers that placed her above almost everyone else. But along with them came the troubles caused by her special constitution.
At that moment, Yueye had no idea that a being at the very peak of this world was racing toward her, drawn by the aura of her bloodline.
She didn’t know that her fate was about to change drastically… like a torrent plunging down a waterfall, with no chance to turn back.
A faint dragon’s cry reached her ears…
“Whoosh, whoosh”—the wind screamed past, accompanied by the sound of trees snapping. It all spoke to the strength of the creature that had just flown across the sky.
A blue dragon soared above the largest forest in this world, as if searching for something.
Suddenly, it seemed to sense something. It swiftly changed direction and headed toward a low-lying area of the forest.
“A dragon’s cry!? So my instincts were right!” the dragon thought. It immediately shifted its course and flew toward the direction the cry had come from.
“There are still members of my clan left in this world… I have to go see…” The dragon was both shocked and a little angry. It remembered the shameful history of the Dragon Clan in this world.
“I hope you’ll surprise me… my kin…” Its blue-gold slit pupils gleamed, as if it already knew everything in this forest.
