Chapter 28: You Stinking Dragon! You Nearly Killed Me! Time to Reap Some Rewards

The entire palace was shrouded in a thick layer of white dust. The wooden furniture inside, along with the tables and chairs, had all fallen apart. The guards, failing to find Li Muchen, panicked and shouted desperately, "Your Majesty—are you still alive?!"

They were terrified and screamed wildly.

After a moment, a figure covered in white dust, with wood splinters scattered all over his face and clothes, pushed away a wooden plank that had fallen on him.

"I—am—fine!!"

Gritting his teeth and gasping for breath, Li Muchen struggled to rise from the ground.

Qinglong’s eyes darkened as he muttered inwardly, “This is bad! A huge disaster has occurred.”

The guards were about to rush over, but Li Muchen commanded them to stop. “Step back!”

“But—Your Majesty!!”

“This person is very dangerous!!”

“Let us stay and protect you, then?”

Li Muchen’s face turned ashen. He spoke again with an iron will, “I order you all—out!!”

Though worried, the guards could not disobey a royal decree. Reluctantly, they withdrew, only to encounter the commander of the imperial guards attempting to storm inside.

A guard blocked him. “Commander, His Majesty has ordered us all to withdraw. No one is allowed in.”

The commander’s face darkened as he shouted, “What’s going on? What’s happened in there?!”

“No—”

“I must verify His Majesty’s safety.”

He tried to push inside, but Li Muchen’s voice rang out once more, directed at the commander outside the hall.

“Commander, there’s no need to enter.”

“I am perfectly safe.”

With the emperor’s order, the commander had no choice but to obey.

A group of imperial guards stood outside the hall, hands gripping their sword hilts, ready to rush in at any moment to protect the emperor.

...

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, only two men and a beast remained.

Li Muchen glanced at Yun Qing, who remained calm and composed, his face serene. Li Muchen shot him a glare.

Then his gaze turned to Qinglong.

Clenching his teeth, he glared fiercely at the dragon and shouted, “Just now—why didn’t you protect me?!!”

Before Li Muchen was flung across the desk, he had seen this damned Qinglong casting magic, setting up a barrier that enclosed the dragon’s head and tail.

But strangely—

This wretched dragon!!

Had completely forgotten about its master, the only master it had.

Qinglong’s round eyes rolled back and forth.

Its two five-clawed dragon hands tugged at each other, and the entire dragon curled up in a corner.

Anyone unaware might have thought the miserable dragon was the one wronged, or rather, the wronged beast.

“I… I, this dragon…”

...

“This is my first time… being a contracted beast…”

“Isn’t it just… forgetting that it has a master?”

Li Muchen’s eyes bulged in fury, and he was so angry that he almost coughed up blood.

“You—you—this—damned—filthy—dragon!!”

“Next time!!”

“I will—slaughter you!! And eat dragon meat!!”

At the threat of being eaten, Qinglong curled its dragon lips in even greater grievance.

Its whole body shrank tighter, almost half its size.

Even the usually indifferent Yun Qing couldn’t help but speak up for the pitiful dragon.

“Hey—listen!”

“It’s just a young dragon. Treat it like a human child who doesn’t understand things.”

At these words, Li Muchen’s murderous glare shifted instantly from the filthy dragon to Yun Qing.

Seeing the focus of the conflict diverted, Qinglong immediately patted its small chest with its tiny claws.

“That was close! So close…”

“I almost died just now, sob sob, how pitiful…”

Qinglong looked at its master and Yun Qing, wishing the emperor would scold Yun Qing immediately.

If it weren’t for that filthy human, would it have offended its master?

At that moment, Qinglong completely forgot that just a moment ago, Yun Qing had been speaking up for it.

Grudge-bearing! Vindictive!

That was the true nature of this filthy dragon.

Li Muchen coldly looked at Yun Qing, his tone sharp and unkind.

“You came here just to destroy my imperial palace?!”

Yun Qing sneered coldly, “Of course not.”

He then picked up the imperial edict in his hand.

Oh, it was just a tattered scrap with only a small corner left.

“See—”

“Doesn’t it say here that your imperial palace is recruiting imperial physicians?”

“I saw it and came.”

Li Muchen narrowed his eyes, staring straight at Yun Qing, grinding his teeth and asking, “You cause all this trouble and still want to be an imperial physician in my palace?”

“Who gave you the confidence to be so arrogant?”

Yun Qing was unfazed by Li Muchen’s threats.

He had long heard about the four beasts by Li Muchen’s side.

Just now, he had also tested the dragon’s strength.

Indeed, it was formidable, but still very young—a little dragon.

He guessed the other three beasts were also young.

“I know my own cultivation level well.”

“Your beasts are strong but too immature; their power levels are still low.”

“Even if your four beasts attack together, I am confident I could hold them off.”

“So, Your Majesty—what do you think?”

“Where does my confidence come from?”

Li Muchen’s expression remained sour, and he was inwardly displeased.

“You’re so powerful…”

“Is it really necessary to stay in my Great Tang Empire’s palace just to be a mere imperial physician?!”

“Unless you give me a reason, my palace cannot accommodate you.”

Seeing that Li Muchen seemed genuinely angry, Yun Qing lowered his arrogant stance slightly.

After all, he was quite interested in Li Muchen.

Staying in the Great Tang imperial palace would allow him close contact with Li Muchen.

He wanted to see what this so-called useless emperor could do with this wild southern frontier.

“My reason is simple.”

“Cultivation is so dull; I want to find something interesting to do.”

“Your Great Tang Empire is quite suitable.”

Li Muchen was about to refuse—he did not want this fellow around him.

But Yun Qing’s next words made Li Muchen instantly change his mind.

“Of course…”

“I won’t live in your palace for free.”

“How about this: I’ll give you some benefits.”

“What benefits?” Li Muchen looked at Yun Qing suspiciously.

“If you let me stay…”

“I can teach you how to cultivate and become a cultivator.”

At these words, a glimmer flashed in Li Muchen’s eyes.

What?

Teach him cultivation and help him become a cultivator?

Li Muchen’s mind immediately started turning.

His mother and Pingyang had taken the Immortal Bone Pill and had opened their spiritual roots.

But without a master to teach them, they hadn’t begun cultivation.

And he himself—his Immortal Bone Pill had yet to take effect.

Having a cultivation expert here could not be wasted.

Li Muchen decided to seize the opportunity and planned to bargain further with Yun Qing.

“I have one more request—”