Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable-Chapter 25: Dragon Nature?

"It seems you really don’t know."

Ye Tianling said, not seeming to mind. However, he still felt a strong urge to strike, to kill Chu Shaocheng right then and there to silence him permanently.

However, he truly had no grudge against Chu Shaocheng. During a competition between the younger generation disciples of the three great families a few years ago, he had exchanged a few words with him, and they had gotten along well enough.

But that was the extent of it.

"Oh? It seems something truly major has happened... However, Brother Tianling, if you want to kill me to keep me quiet, then go ahead. My strength is lacking; it would be only natural for me to be killed."

Chu Shaocheng said this with surprising frankness.

He seemed to have a complete understanding of such matters of life and death.

Hearing this, Ye Tianling knew his thoughts had been seen through. He gave a sheepish laugh. "Forget it. I’ll trust you this one time. I’m not some Great Demon who kills without batting an eye."

Chu Shaocheng bowed deeply, his voice firm. "Thank you for sparing my life. I will keep today’s events a secret and will absolutely not let it spread."

Ye Tianling nodded slightly. He glanced at the heavily injured Flower-Spotted Clouded Leopard nearby and walked over to it.

Chu Shaocheng followed him, then glanced at Lin Xueqin. "Brother Tianling, you... how could you kill her?"

Ye Tianling said, "She was plotting against me, intending to kill me for my treasures. If I didn’t kill her, was I supposed to let her live so she could find someone to come and kill me?"

Understanding dawned on Chu Shaocheng. "What if I had actually agreed with your proposal earlier?"

Ye Tianling replied, "Then I would have killed her."

Chu Shaocheng was taken aback, but Ye Tianling’s frankness also engendered a sense of goodwill in him. "Brother Tianling, you’ve really changed."

Ye Tianling replied indifferently, "If I hadn’t changed, I’d have been flayed alive, my tendons ripped out, and my Essence Blood drained to study the Dao Mark inheritance of the Fiery Sun Sword Body Talent. So, rather than be in danger myself, it’s better to snuff out the threat in its cradle. That’s also why I considered killing you for your silence after I dealt with Lin Xueqin."

Chu Shaocheng said, "That’s understandable. I would have done the same in your position. Hmm... I have five Beast Pills here from my hunts over the past few days. Please, take them."

As he spoke, Chu Shaocheng retrieved five Beast Pills from his Qiankun Ring, each one emitting a halo of a different color.

These Beast Pills were all between the Profound Tier Lower Grade and Middle Grade in quality.

For Sword Dao Cultivators at the Sword Qi Realm, Beast Pills of this quality were considered quite good.

"No need."

Ye Tianling refused outright. He then raised his sword, killed the dying Clouded Leopard with a single thrust, and retrieved its Beast Pill.

Then, Ye Tianling lifted the Clouded Leopard and drank some of its Beast Blood before turning back to Lin Xueqin’s corpse.

Chu Shaocheng watched in silence.

With his sword in hand, Ye Tianling sliced off Lin Xueqin’s finger, and a Qiankun Ring fell to the ground.

After pocketing it, he searched her body more carefully.

After a thorough search turned up no other valuable treasures, Ye Tianling finally gave up.

Ye Tianling performed these actions casually, as if they were of no consequence.

In contrast, Chu Shaocheng immediately averted his gaze, not wishing to look upon something improper.

His behavior was very much that of a ’proper gentleman’.

A roguish smile touched the corners of Ye Tianling’s lips. He then turned and left, disappearing into the distance.

"Brother Tianling... until we meet again."

Chu Shaocheng clasped his fist in his palm, bowed, and spoke respectfully.

"Yes, until we meet again."

Ye Tianling responded nonchalantly, his figure quickly vanishing from sight.

Only after watching Ye Tianling disappear did Chu Shaocheng let out a strange sigh. He then began harvesting the Clouded Leopard’s tendons.

’Ye Tianling has truly embarked on the path of a genius. Back then, the person my father admired most was Ye Tianling’s father, Ye Fengyang. And now, it seems Ye Tianling is even more monstrously talented than his father was.’

’The Ye Race is on the rise. But this is a good thing, too. The Chu Family has been number one in Qingyang Town for so long that its members have started to grow arrogant.’

Chu Shaocheng murmured to himself, sighing after a long moment. He then began to dig a grave. Without looking at Lin Xueqin’s corpse, he straightened her clothes and buried her.

’A pure heart, a Strong Heart, and a humble heart. One must not be reckless, disrespectful, or greedy. In truth, if I had just given the Clouded Leopard to Lin Xueqin, most of this probably would never have happened.’

’In the end, I was too impulsive.’

’What would have been the harm in yielding to her that one time?’

’But a Martial Artist must be valiant and strive to advance, just like Brother Tianling...’

Chu Shaocheng sighed softly, a look of confusion in his eyes.

He had clearly reached a major impasse on his Martial Artist path: should he fight his way to the top, advancing with courage and diligence, or should he follow his heart and be merciful whenever possible?

’Lin Xueqin was far too arrogant and reckless, which is why she ended up as a corpse abandoned in the wilderness. I’ve buried her today, but if I’m killed in the future and my body is left exposed, will someone else be there to bury me?’

Chu Shaocheng muttered to himself, sighed again, and then focused on building a simple grave for Lin Xueqin.

...

Ye Tianling watched from the shadows for a good while before he sighed, feeling a strange sense of melancholy.

’Is this guy a naive scholar? Or is he genuinely an honest person? Or perhaps the kindness in his heart is clashing with the cruel law of the jungle, causing him to lose his way? This is probably why he’s out here gaining experience.’

Ye Tianling pondered for a moment, then withdrew his killing intent and departed in silence.

If Chu Shaocheng had been two-faced, or if he had used some method to send a message and report on him after he left, Ye Tianling would have struck without the slightest hesitation, killing him on the spot!

Now, having confirmed that Chu Shaocheng was a sincere person, Ye Tianling could finally relax.

Leaving behind a hidden danger for himself—failing to pull the weeds out by the roots—was something Ye Tianling would never do!

Ye Tianling chose a path deeper into the dense forest and slipped away quietly.

This recent leap in strength made Ye Tianling clearly aware of one thing: if he were to have intimate relations with a woman, his transforming blood would not only improve her physique, but his own Cultivation would also advance by leaps and bounds!

This was remarkably similar to the transformation method of the Yin Yang Sword Sect’s Yin Yang Harmony Sword Dao. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

’A dragon’s nature? Will the Dragon Soul Bloodline also affect my disposition?’

Ye Tianling pondered this.

He chose a massive, ancient tree, climbed to its peak, and sat down cross-legged. He then used the Turtle Breath Technique to conceal his aura.

Only then did he begin to inspect Lin Xueqin’s Qiankun Ring.