Dragon Tamer - Chapter 304:
Chapter 304: Chapter 305: Reclaiming the Spirit Vein
In the deep of the night, atop a hillside stood a lone city, where several individuals clad in guard uniforms were bound and hung above the city gates.
Their wrists had been cut open, and fresh blood ceaselessly flowed, yet no one dared to cut them down or apply medicine to their wounds.
Time quietly slipped away until the moon climbed atop the trees. Zhu Minglang leaped onto the back of the Ice Morning White Dragon and left astride the divine, pristine White Dragon.
Eventually, the hanging guards were rescued, their eyes filled with terror as they were near death from blood loss…
“You should be grateful that you showed some restraint earlier; otherwise, he would have surely waited until your blood had run dry before leaving. Why, in life, must one commit sins for mere personal desires?” An old man, also dressed in guard attire, approached and addressed the morally corrupt guards.
“That is the City of Sin, full of human scum…”
“Whether Runyu City is a City of Sin, you know in your hearts. Moreover, what you did to those merchants, that’s what truly qualifies as scum,” said the elderly guard.
The moon hung slanted across the inky firmament as the sacred, luminous White Dragon flew low, touching upon aged osmanthus trees before gliding for kilometers…
A tranquil lake was split into two delicate ripples by the claws of the Ice Morning White Dragon, bisecting the ebony reflection of the night sky and sprinkling bits of frost, pure as white salt. The lake transformed into a white, icy expanse as the Ice Morning White Dragon soared once more.
Close to the hill was Herbal Hill, a place blessed with the ability to accumulate nature’s spiritual energy, making even the common flora here possess unique medicinal value.
Guardians from the Godly Mortal Academy had long overseen this area. Similar to the Dragon Taming Academy, students could take on a task to guard Herbal Hill and earn credits in exchange.
Zhu Minglang and the Ice Morning White Dragon descended on the wooden huts of Herbal Hill, where he saw servitors serving the Godly Mortal Academy and many other domestic workers of the academy, removing frost from precious medicinal plants in the dead of night…
“Who goes there?” At that moment, a woman clad in a wide robe emerged from a hut and sharply questioned Zhu Minglang, who had descended from the heavens.
Zhu Minglang sized her up and recognized her as the same arrogant woman with furrowed brows from before, who walked along Dean Lian Feiling with an air of self-importance; Zhu Minglang had a deep impression of her.
“Are you parasites?” Zhu Minglang advanced and asked bluntly.
“How dare you! We are members of the Godly Mortal Academy; this is our restricted area for medicinal herbs, and no outsiders are permitted entry!” the furrowed-brow woman, Fan Lu, asserted.
“This is within the borders of Runyu City, my personal territory, Zhu Minglang. Since when did it become your Godly Mortal Academy’s forbidden area? Just because you come from a powerful institution doesn’t give you the right to seize others’ land. If you haven’t cleared out by dawn, don’t blame me for being inhospitable!” Zhu Minglang said unapologetically.
“It’s you!” Fan Lu finally recognized the visitor as the arrogant City Lord Zhu Minglang.
“Now that you know it’s me, scram! Didn’t I warn your Godly Mortal Academy four days ago? I’m going to reclaim all the spirit veins within Runyu City’s borders!” Zhu Minglang declared.
As he spoke, other members of the Godly Mortal Academy gradually emerged from the hut.
The servitors busy removing frost also craned their necks, eager to see who dared cause trouble on the Godly Mortal Academy’s turf.
“What are you looking at? Get back to work! If you can’t get this batch of medicinal herbs to mature within seven days, I’ll chop you up and use you as fertilizer!” Fan Lu turned and scolded the servitors!
“Dean Fan Lu, what’s going on?” A woman dressed in a finely made marten coat approached and asked tentatively.
“Merely a villain from Runyu City!” said Fan Lu.
“Listen well, everyone, I will reclaim this Herbal Hill before dawn and give you time to pack your things and leave. If I find you lingering on my territory, I will treat you as robbers!” Zhu Minglang declared loudly to the Godly Mortal Academy students guarding the medicine garden.
“Hold your tongue; you’re the robber! This Herbal Hill has belonged to the Godly Mortal Academy for decades!” Fan Lu retorted angrily.
“You’ve been occupying it for decades, true to the robbers’ reputation of the Godly Mortal Academy. Well, I’m reclaiming it now, so you may leave,” said Zhu Minglang.
“Don’t even think about it; this is the property of the Godly Mortal Academy. Runyu City has been declared the City of Sin and all Spirit Veins within the territory of such a city belong to the residing power. Stop causing trouble here!” Fan Lu said, furious with a crimson face.
“Teacher Fan, aren’t there still three days?” said the delicate student in a mink coat.
“What difference does it make!”
“But these three days still belong to Runyu City…” murmured the girl in a soft voice.
Fan Lu turned around and glared fiercely at the naive female student.
However, Zhu Minglang started to smile.
It seemed not everyone at the Godly Mortal Academy agreed with the actions of their dean, Lian Feiling.
“These medicinal herbs are very important; we’ve been painstakingly guarding them for nearly a year…” said another student at that moment.
Zhu Minglang glanced at the herbs planted on Herbal Hill. They were shaped like lanterns, emitting a special nocturnal glow. The servants tended them with great care, ensuring not a single leaf developed a hint of frost.
So, it was the precious herbs nearing maturity; no wonder the dean had come to supervise personally.
Excellent!
After finding a clean spot to sit, Zhu Minglang quietly waited for the arrival of dawn.
He wanted to see if these people from the Godly Mortal Academy would leave or not.
Fan Lu, with her bushy eyebrows, was red-faced with anger, yet her gaze still occasionally measured the Ice Morning White Dragon beside Zhu Minglang.
“Teacher Fan, this White Dragon’s Cultivation Base is extremely high; perhaps we should not make an enemy of this person,” whispered a student to her.
“So we just let him trample over our Herbal Hill??” Fan Lu said.
“How about this: we few will now go ask for support, and Teacher Fan can hold this person off??”
“Teacher Fan, perhaps we should do things by the book. After all, we gave up Runyu City first, so it’s only right that these Spirit Veins be returned to Runyu City,” the girl in the luxurious mink coat said.
“What do you know!” Fan Lu scolded.
The mink-coated girl was stunned and, although fear showed on her face, she mustered the courage to say, “If even we at the Godly Mortal Academy can’t set an example, how can we intimidate those demon cults? Teacher Fan, I think what the City Lord said makes sense. It’s we who ought to leave.”
“Ignore her. You, quickly go and ask the Punishment Institute for assistance; they must arrive before dawn,” Fan Lu said, completely ignoring the advice and speaking to a male student.
