Chapter 30: The Hungry Dragon and the Curious Cultivators

“Grrr-lurp~”

Just as they stood in a tense standoff, a rumbling sound emanated from the Ice Demon Dragon’s belly.

“Hmm?”

Xian Yuan observed the demon dragon before her, a thought blossoming in her mind: ‘Could she be hungry?’

With that realization, Xian Yuan retrieved a chicken leg from her spatial ring and, without a moment’s hesitation, advanced towards the Ice Demon Dragon.

Watching Xian Yuan approach, the demon dragon did not launch an attack as before. Instead, its gaze fixated on the delectable chicken leg in Xian Yuan’s hand, a guttural rumble escaping its throat as it greedily licked its lips.

Xian Yuan, a gentle smile gracing her lips, offered the chicken leg to the demon dragon, softly saying, “Eat.”

The demon dragon hesitated, its claws unextended, yet its keen sense of smell assured it that this food was utterly delicious. Xian Yuan continued to entice, “Go on, eat! I promise, it’s not poisoned!”

“Roar!”

Finally unable to suppress its hunger, the demon dragon lunged fiercely at the meaty bone in Xian Yuan’s grasp.

“Crunch—”

With a single bite, rich, savory juices flowed through the demon dragon’s mouth. The creature comfortably closed its eyes, emitting a satisfied moan.

Witnessing the Ice Demon Dragon devour its meal with such relish, Xian Yuan and Murong Fier exchanged a knowing glance. It became clear that the dragon had been starving for days; no wonder it had been so agitated.

“Little one, what else would you like to eat?”

After swallowing the last morsel of chicken leg, the Ice Demon Dragon’s wariness towards Xian Yuan and her companion seemed to lessen. It even drew closer, displaying a newfound familiarity.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“Awoo, I’m Lan.”

The Ice Demon Dragon extended her tongue and licked Xian Yuan’s hand.

“Whoa, what are you doing!”

Having been licked by that enormous tongue, Xian Yuan was instantly startled.

If it were you, being licked by the tongue of such a colossal creature, wouldn’t you find it unsettling?

“Is there more food? Lan hasn’t eaten in days.”

At that moment, a voice filled with profound grievance echoed in the minds of Xian Yuan and Murong Fier. That soft, plaintive tone made both of them smile involuntarily.

“Alright, so you were just hungry after all.”

Xian Yuan opened her spatial ring, and immediately a cascade of food tumbled out. The oranges, mutton, and other delicacies within caused Lan’s eyes to sparkle with delight.

“Awoo, awoo!”

Lan pounced on the food without delay, voraciously devouring it as if she could never eat her fill.

Watching Lan gobble down the food while casting furtive glances at her, Xian Yuan sighed helplessly. Though this demon dragon possessed immense power, she had likely only recently developed sentience; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so easily swayed by mere food.

Murong Fier looked at Xian Yuan, shaking her head with a smile. “It feels quite interesting to befriend her like this.”

Xian Yuan awkwardly rubbed the bridge of her nose, thinking, ‘Of course it’s interesting for you.’

Xian Yuan and Murong Fier observed the demon dragon, realizing she was nothing short of a glutton! A creature seemingly unaware of satiety. They exchanged glances, each seeing the shared helplessness in the other’s eyes.

After finishing the food Xian Yuan offered, Lan returned to her calm state, sprawling leisurely to the side.

“Are you really an Ice Demon Dragon?” Murong Fier teased, observing Lan in her relaxed, ‘Ge You lie’ (TL Note: A slang term referring to a very relaxed, almost lazy, slouching posture) pose. She felt that this demon dragon resembled the legendary Ice Demon Dragon far less than she did a cute, chubby piglet.

“Mm.” Lan nodded.

“With how much you eat, you shouldn’t be an Ice Demon Dragon at all; you should be a little chubby pig!” Murong Fier chuckled, watching the demon dragon scratch her belly with a claw.

The demon dragon lifted her head, gazing at the human girl before her, suddenly sensing the goodwill radiating from her.

“Hmph, this dragon is no piglet!” the demon dragon retorted with a touch of arrogance.

“Yes, you’re not a piglet, but I’m genuinely curious about your physical structure.”

Xian Yuan rose and circled the demon dragon, then pulled out her phone and created a new document. The title read: “Qiyuan Realm – Animalia – Divine Beast Order – Dragon Family – True Dragon Genus – Elemental Class – Ice Demon Dragon Species.”

After typing the title, Xian Yuan noticed the “Specific Information” field was blank. Since no large Ice Dragon Clan population had been found yet, the information regarding this particular demon dragon might be subject to error.

Xian Yuan turned to Lan and asked, “Lan, would you be able to take me to see your tribe?”

“Roar, roar!”

Lan roared with delight. Having developed sentience only recently, Lan had completely dropped her guard against Murong Fier and Xian Yuan. After all, they had given her food; in the past, she had to fight other creatures for meat. Where else would she find such kind people offering her meat?

“Xian Yuan, I feel like you’re abducting an underage loli.”

Murong Fier watched Lan’s joyful demeanor, feeling as though she and Xian Yuan were strange elder sisters abducting a loli.

“Ahem,” Xian Yuan cleared her throat theatrically, adopting a righteous air. “Sister Fier, I am an upright cultivator! How could I possibly abduct a cub? That’s against the law. Besides, we’re both good kids; how could we ever do something like abducting a cub?”

“Fine, you make a good point. Let’s go.”

Murong Fier rolled her eyes. ‘You’re a good kid? Then there are no bad kids in this world.’

“What are you two talking about?”

Lan watched the two conversing, clearly puzzled, as her current intellect was insufficient to grasp their words.

“Nothing.”

“Mm.”

Thus, the two humans and one dragon set off towards the Ice Demon Dragon’s tribe.

The Ice Demon Dragon tribe resided in a valley not far from a spiritual lake. Due to the small size of their population, the demon dragon clan had named this valley the Cold Dragon Valley.

After a while, the two finally reached the entrance of Cold Dragon Valley. However, they never expected that the bright, sunny day would instantly transform into a vast, snow-covered ice plain the moment they stepped into the valley.

“It’s so cold.”

Murong Fier hugged herself tightly, curling into a ball, while the demon dragon remained unconcerned, continuing to stride forward.

“Awoo, awoo!”

Hearing Lan’s summons, Murong Fier and Xian Yuan quickly followed in her footsteps.

“Lan, is this truly the Cold Dragon Clan’s lair?”

“Awoo, awoo!”

Lan nodded, motioning for Xian Yuan to follow her, and continued deeper into Cold Dragon Valley.

Passing through layers of mist, Xian Yuan and Murong Fier arrived before an ice cave. At this point, Lan halted, turning her head to look at Xian Yuan.

“What’s wrong?”

The two stopped, looking at Lan, unsure of her intentions.

“Get on my back.”

At that moment, a divine thought echoed in both their minds, and Lan had already laid down on the ground, waiting for them to mount.

The two exchanged glances, then simultaneously leaped onto Lan’s broad back.

Immediately, Lan rose to her feet, soaring high into the sky, flying towards an ice mountain not far away.

“Wow! So beautiful!” Murong Fier shrieked excitedly, her entire body tensing, her legs clamping tightly onto Lan’s wide spine.

Before them appeared a colossal ice mountain. Within this frozen world, countless wonders formed a series of breathtaking landscapes.

Feeling Murong Fier’s excited cry, Xian Yuan also became lost in the beauty of the scenery. Lan, however, remained utterly bewildered. She simply did not understand the human world, nor what Murong Fier found so beautiful. Yet, she had no need to understand; the people on her back were good, and her only responsibility was to deliver them home.