After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

“Well...” The old Fox King laughed. “The bloodlines of Great Wilderness Mountain’s demonfolk are tangled beyond belief. Trace anyone’s ancestry the way humans do with their genealogies, and you may find that practically everyone comes from an impressive background.”

“The Lunar Jade Rabbit clan once produced a renowned Demon King of its own. It no longer has one, though, so the clan has fallen into decline.”

“Much like that little dragon over there.”

“It’s not quite the same.” The Young Dragon King looked away. “Their Demon King has been gone for a very long time, and none of the following generations produced any exceptional figures. Even their territory and population have dwindled.”

“My dragon lineage has deep foundations. We have produced several Demon Kings throughout history. At our peak in primordial times, under the protection of the Dragon God of the Great Wilderness, the demonfolk stood on equal footing with °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the human and demon races. We were not inferior in the slightest!”

“Even if we have temporarily fallen on hard times, few demons would dare look down on us...”

“Yes, yes.” A knowing smile flashed across the old Fox King’s face. “Besides, while the dragon lineage currently has no Demon King, you still have several reputable experts capable of keeping the situation under control.”

“Oh, and I heard the Stillwater Dragon King left behind a young son with extraordinary talent and boundless potential. Perhaps once he grows up...”

“Ahem.” The Young Dragon King’s lips twitched, and he turned away awkwardly. “He’s still an underage brat. That’s years away.”

He forcibly dragged the conversation back on track and held out a hand to Yu Qingtang. Following the old Fox King’s lead, he changed his wording.

“Then give me back what was originally mine... No, ahem. Give me my share.”

That was what Yu Qingtang had intended to do in the first place.

They were not actual bandits. They had principles. Since they had only meant to rob the auction house, they naturally had to return everything belonging to the Young Dragon King, who had merely been caught in the crossfire.

Besides, through a bizarre twist of fate, they had nearly gotten his neck snapped by the Four-Square Ram King. Yu Qingtang planned to give him a little extra when they divided the loot as compensation.

It could also count as his good deed for the day and offset some of the bad karma he had accumulated by using the Treasure-Gathering Basin.

“Which of these are yours?” Yu Qingtang asked. “This one, right? It looks extremely... dragonish.”

“Of course!” The Young Dragon King snorted proudly. “At least you have some discernment. That is a protective dragon scale left by the Stillwater Dragon King. It can withstand at least one full-powered strike from an Integration-stage cultivator!”

“And this brush... Hmm? Could it belong to Scholar Xiao?” Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened. “Oh no. The basin didn’t steal everyone else’s treasures too, did it? Check your things!”

“That’s mine as well!” the Young Dragon King shouted in exasperation. “My brush!”

Yu Qingtang instinctively glanced at his dragon claws.

Oh. Right. He can take human form.

“It certainly isn’t mine.” Scholar Xiao laughed helplessly. “Nothing on me is missing either.”

“The Treasure-Gathering Basin only works when it catches people off guard. I knew Brother Yu possessed it, so I deliberately protected my storage ring when you activated it. Sure enough, I escaped unscathed.”

Chi Yantian’s eyes widened.

“What? Why didn’t you say so earlier? It stole quite a few things from me!”

Yu Qingtang casually handed the twin blades back to him.

“Here. Yours.”

He returned everyone’s belongings first, particularly the Young Dragon King’s.

The dragon had been carrying an astonishing number of treasures: protective scales, miraculous pills, and countless elegant little knickknacks meant to make him look cultured. They filled several storage rings.

Chi Yantian clicked his tongue in amazement.

“Do you not have a home? Why do you carry everything you own around with you? One robbery would leave you completely bankrupt!”

The Young Dragon King finally snapped.

“Who could possibly expect the treasures inside a storage ring to be stolen?”

He glanced at the artifact in Yu Qingtang’s arms, which was overflowing with spirit stones and treasures.

“Of what remains, I only want the Dragonbone Jade. You may divide everything else among yourselves.”

“No!” Chi Yantian immediately objected. “I want the Dragonbone Jade and the Heaven-Tempered Yellow Crystal! They’re the entire reason I came here!”

“You!” The Young Dragon King pointed his ornate, flower-covered folding fan at him. “You were the brat who kept bidding against me at the auction, weren’t you?”

“Even by the auction house’s rules, I was the one who won the Dragonbone Jade. It belongs to me! Take the yellow crystal if you want, but not the Dragonbone Jade!”

Ye Chenyan opened his eyes from where he had been resting against Yu Qingtang.

“We aren’t following the auction house’s rules. We stole it.”

The Young Dragon King choked.

After grinding his teeth for a moment, he said, “A wise dragon knows better than to fight a losing battle! Fine. I’ll buy it. I’ll pay you in spirit stones, all right? Whatever the winning bid was, that’s what I’ll give you!”

Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened. He instinctively turned to Ye Chenyan.

“How much did it sell for again?”

Scholar Xiao reminded him, “Ninety million and one spirit stones.”

Yu Qingtang sucked in a sharp breath. His position immediately began to waver.

“Brother Chi, he really does seem to want it...”

Chi Yantian arched a brow.

“I can pay that much too. What, do you want to hold another auction right here?”

“Hah. You and I are different.” The Young Dragon King lifted his chin. “You intend to use it for artifact refining, so you must weigh its costs and benefits.”

“But I must bring it home, no matter what. Some things cannot be sold, regardless of the number of spirit stones offered.”

“The Dragonbone Jade was originally a treasure of my dragon lineage. It only entered the auction because...”

He clenched his teeth.

“There was a traitor within the clan who stole it.”

The old Fox King chose that moment to interrupt.

“You’ve had a terrible reputation on Great Wilderness Mountain for years. Everyone knows you’re a lawless delinquent. Those people have been selling dragon-lineage treasures under your name for quite some time, and you always turned a blind eye.”

“And now even scraps of your own father’s bones have been stolen and put up for sale.”

Scholar Xiao explained in a low voice, “According to the records, Dragonbone Jade is formed when the bones of a sufficiently powerful member of the dragon lineage turn into jade after death.”

“Strictly speaking, it is closer to a natural treasure than an ore.”

The Young Dragon King fell silent for a moment before pursing his lips.

“I originally didn’t want to make a fuss. I thought I could simply spend some money and buy it back. Who could have known the auction house was a scam?”

“I was just preparing to take matters into my own hands and seek justice when I ran into...”

He narrowed his eyes at Yu Qingtang.

Yu Qingtang edged behind Ye Chenyan and pointed at him, signaling for the Young Dragon King to direct his anger elsewhere.

Ye Chenyan arched a brow and deliberately stepped forward, completely hiding Yu Qingtang behind him.

“Is there something you’re dissatisfied with, fellow professional?”

The Young Dragon King fell silent.

He still remembered the claw marks this man had left on the Four-Square Ram King’s horn.

Knowing when to yield, he drew a deep breath.

“No.”

Then, forcing himself onward, he added, “But the Dragonbone Jade cannot be given to anyone else. If necessary, I can trade you something from my clan’s treasury for it.”

Yu Qingtang looked at Chi Yantian.

Chi Yantian considered the proposal.

“Does the dragon lineage possess any other precious ores? If so, I wouldn’t mind exchanging it for some of those.”

The Young Dragon King had prepared himself for an outrageous demand, so the answer caught him by surprise.

“What? You—you aren’t even going to ask exactly what you’ll receive first?”

“Too much trouble.” Chi Yantian waved impatiently. “If we haggle over every tiny detail, when will we ever finish?”

“You already said it came from your father. I can’t exactly force you to buy back your own father’s remains. The material is valuable to me, but to you, it means more than merely being valuable. Forget it.”

He folded his arms across his chest.

“A gentleman does not take what another cherishes. I’m no gentleman, but I don’t enjoy forcing people either.”

“It isn’t as though this is the only treasure in the world. Give me a list later, or take me directly to your dragon-lineage treasury and let me choose for myself. I know my ores.”

Yu Qingtang lowered his voice to remind him, “Brother Chi, if the dragon lineage has other ores, you could buy more from him.”

Chi Yantian’s eyes instantly lit up.

“That’s right!”

“Hey, sell me some more while we’re at it!”

The Young Dragon King gave him a long look before snorting with laughter.

“What a joke.”

“You think I’d let you get the short end of the deal?”

“Enough nonsense. Consider the Dragonbone Jade sold to me for ninety million spirit stones. When the time comes, I’ll show you my dragon-lineage treasury. You aren’t allowed to leave until you’ve chosen enough to match the full value, or else people might think I’m stingy.”

Yu Qingtang looked from one to the other and decided not to humiliate himself by participating in a conversation involving such absurd sums of money.

He turned toward the Thundercrest Leopard curled silently in a corner.

“You get your share first.”

“Me?” The Thundercrest Leopard’s eyes widened. “I get a share too?”

Yu Qingtang smiled and mischievously spread his hands.

“Congratulations. You receive your freedom.”

His smile broadened.

“You can go home!”

The Thundercrest Leopard stared at him with round eyes.

Chi Yantian lowered his voice and asked Canglang, “She doesn’t look very bright. Did you hit her head when you grabbed her?”

“Nonsense!” Canglang frowned and cast Huayi a disdainful glance. “Perhaps all four-legged giant cats are this stupid.”

“Huh?” Huayi looked utterly baffled. “Why did I get insulted too?”

Ye Chenyan suddenly grew vigilant. He pulled Yu Qingtang behind him and looked down at the Thundercrest Leopard.

“Don’t tell me you don’t want to go home.”

“Of course I do!”

The Thundercrest Leopard finally came back to her senses.

Then her stomach growled loudly.

Yu Qingtang relaxed.

“Oh. You were just hungry.”

Chi Yantian rummaged through his storage ring and offered her a piece of dried meat.

“Here.”

The Thundercrest Leopard had not intended to eat it, but the aroma was too tempting. Shamefully, she failed to resist.

She took the meat between her teeth and closed her eyes in resignation.

I already ate the last piece. If something were going to happen, it would have happened by now.

Yu Qingtang reassured her, “Don’t worry. We’ll soon be attending the Mountain-Shaking Ape King’s funeral feast. You can eat as much as you want there.”

“You saved me.” Holding the dried meat in her mouth, the Thundercrest Leopard spoke indistinctly. “I’ll remember all of you. I will repay you.”

She secretly looked up at Yu Qingtang.

“Are you truly going to let me leave? I’m a very useful demonic beast. None of you have undergone a lightning tribulation yet, have you?”

“Yes.” Yu Qingtang nodded with righteous dignity. “When we see injustice, we draw our zither—”

He pointed at each of his companions in turn.

“—spear, blades, fan, and claws to help!”

The Thundercrest Leopard stared at him for a moment, then declared with certainty, “You’re a good person!”

Yu Qingtang, who had somehow been handed a good-guy card out of nowhere, hesitated.

“...Thank you?”

The Thundercrest Leopard suddenly transformed into human form.

The young woman possessed a beautiful pair of catlike eyes that gleamed faintly purple. She looked up at Yu Qingtang.

“What about like this? Will you still let me leave?”

Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened in shock.

“Huh?”

“Ahem!”

Ye Chenyan instinctively gripped his spear and slowly turned toward Yu Qingtang.

“Hey!” the old Fox King shouted. “No fighting on my back! You’ll mess up my fur!”

Ziyun looked up at Yu Qingtang.

“My mother says I’m quite beautiful in human form. Am I pretty?”

Ye Chenyan’s gaze behind him had practically taken physical form.

Yu Qingtang sat bolt upright and did not dare look too closely.

“I—I actually have rather poor eyesight, so...”

He desperately signaled Scholar Xiao with his eyes.

Help!

“Ahem. Miss Ziyun.” Scholar Xiao immediately understood and loyally tried to draw her attention away. “I am quite curious about the Thundercrest Leopard clan—”

“Wait a moment!”

Ziyun leaned closer to examine Yu Qingtang, then nodded in satisfaction.

“I think you’re pretty too.”

Yu Qingtang was still wondering whether he should thank her when she suddenly made a shocking declaration.

“Then how about I repay you by marrying you?”

Scholar Xiao sucked in a horrified breath and hurriedly grabbed Ye Chenyan.

“Brother Ye! Calm down!”

Ye Chenyan clenched the shaft of his spear. His smile was dazzling, yet somehow looked increasingly dangerous.

“Hmm?”

“I’m not angry. It’s merely a child talking non-sense.”

“Who says I’m a child?” Ziyun’s eyes widened. “I’m an adult! I only just came of age, but I’m old enough to marry!”

She moved affectionately toward Yu Qingtang, intending to rub against him.

“This is what you humans call pledging yourself in marriage to repay a favor! I’ll follow you from now on!”

Scholar Xiao was at his wits’ end.

“Brother Ye, Brother Ye! Children say the wildest things!”

“Miss Ziyun, your life will be in danger if you keep talking!”

“Brother Yu.”

Ye Chenyan rarely addressed him that way, which showed just how furious he was.

Yu Qingtang turned around, trembling.

“No, you can’t...”

Ye Chenyan smiled sweetly.

“That friend of yours—the one who wrote that story. Is the protagonist truly Hua Shimiao?”

“The protagonist with ‘endless romantic encounters, beauties always at his side, a heart split into countless pieces, a harmonious harem, and a radiant road of love’...”

“That couldn’t possibly be the author himself, could it?”

Yu Qingtang fell silent.

“...Do you see a word floating over my head?”

Ye Chenyan arched a brow.

“What word?”

“Wronged.”

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