Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty-Chapter 38 - 35: The Great Deception, Gaining the Dragon Crystal
Zhao Rong reminisced about Zhao Benshan’s sketch "Selling Crutches," methodically bamboozling the dragon before him. In the sketch, the first step was always to trick the other party into thinking they were crippled. Therefore, Zhao Rong’s first step had to be making the dragon utterly fearful of the Dragon Slayer Blade.
"You may not know this," Zhao Rong began, "but our family has been slaying dragons for generations, starting from my great-grandfather. The only method we’ve ever used is this Dragon Slayer Blade. Can you imagine how lethal it must be to your Dragon Clan?"
Zhao Rong had expected these words to instill immense fear in the dragon, prompting it to trade. He never imagined that claiming his family were dragon slayers for generations would instead enrage the great beast.
Instantly, the dragon roared furiously, "What? Is your family the legendary Dragon Slayer Clan? If your great-grandfather and your grandfather were both from a family of dragon slayers, does that mean my great-grandfather and my grandfather were killed by your family?"
With that, the dragon moved to kill Zhao Rong.
Realizing his mistake, Zhao Rong quickly backpedaled. "Great Dragon, please don’t be hasty! Hear me out before you kill me."
He then explained, "Although my family comes from a dragon-slaying clan, by my generation, we had washed our hands of that life. You see, your Dragon Clan are all divine beasts. Because our family harmed your kind, none of my ancestors met a good end. So, in my generation, not only have we given up the practice, but our hearts are filled with guilt toward your people. That’s why I made a special trip into the Dragon Cave today—to apologize to you and to present our family’s ancestral Divine Artifact, the Dragon Slayer Blade, as a symbol of our family’s remorse."
As he spoke, Zhao Rong’s expression turned sorrowful, as if he were on the verge of tears from his inner turmoil. Listening to his words and seeing his expression, the dragon couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Seeing that the dragon seemed to be falling for it, Zhao Rong proceeded to the second step of his con: identify the target’s pain point and twist the knife.
He continued, "The Dragon Slayer Blade is the foremost Divine Artifact of our time. It can slay members of the Divine Clan above and decimate the Dragon Clan below. It is truly invincible. As long as this blade remains in human hands, your Dragon Clan will never know a day of peace, will you? That is why today, I must give this blade to you. Once your Dragon Clan possesses it, you will be safe forever, free from any invading enemies."
The dragon took in Zhao Rong’s words and his earnest expression and was completely convinced.
"Fine, I believe you," the dragon said. "Give me the Dragon Slayer Blade now. Once you hand it over, I will immediately give you my Dragon Crystal and see you out of here safely."
He actually believes me! Zhao Rong chuckled to himself, then said aloud, "No problem. I’ll give you the Dragon Slayer Blade right now. You must take good care of it."
The dragon was ecstatic. The world’s number one Divine Artifact was about to be returned to the Dragon Clan! Since it’s the foremost Divine Artifact, the Dragon Slayer Blade must be magnificent, radiant, incredibly large, and exceedingly sharp.
However, when Zhao Rong unhooked a keychain from his waist, removed a tiny fruit knife, and presented it to the dragon, the giant creature’s eyes went wide.
In utter disbelief, he stared at Zhao Rong and asked, "This little knife... is this really your family’s ancestral Dragon Slayer Blade?"
Zhao Rong nodded with solemn gravity. "That’s right. This is our family’s ancestral Dragon Slayer Blade. Don’t be fooled by its small size; it’s quite exquisite. Don’t mind its rough craftsmanship; it’s priceless. Don’t be deceived by its unremarkable appearance; its power is immense. If you don’t believe me, you can test its power right now."
The dragon was completely baffled by Zhao Rong’s smooth talk, unable to connect the tiny knife on the keychain with the legendary Dragon Slayer Blade. "If this Dragon Slayer Blade is truly so powerful," he said, "then you demonstrate it for me."
Zhao Rong froze. This knife is so dull it can barely peel an apple, let alone slay a dragon. How can I possibly convince him now?
After a moment of frantic thinking, an idea struck him. He adopted a serious tone. "The Dragon Slayer Blade is a sacred object. Once unsheathed, it must draw blood. If you insist on a demonstration, I’ll have to use you as a live target! Besides, to use this blade, one must recite a special chant."
Hearing that he would be the test subject, the dragon hesitated. Better not. What if this blade actually obliterates me?
"Alright, say no more, I believe you," the dragon conceded. "Just tell me the chant."
Caught off guard again, Zhao Rong thought, What kind of chant can I make up to fool him? In his haste, he blurted out, "The chant... is ’Mary, Mary, zoom...’"
The dragon was about to repeat the simple phrase, but Zhao Rong stopped him. "Great Dragon, don’t you dare say it! Once you utter the chant, the Dragon Slayer Blade will instantly grow massive. Not only will it be difficult to carry, but it will become incredibly sharp. It’s far too dangerous. You should only recite the chant when you have a real need to use it."
The dragon silently committed the chant to memory. "Give me this slayer’s blade now."
Amazed that the dragon had actually bought his nonsensical, made-up story, Zhao Rong pressed his advantage. "Alright. You give me the Dragon Crystal first, and then I’ll give you the Dragon Slayer Blade."
The dragon, a simple and straightforward creature, didn’t overthink it. He tossed his most precious Dragon Crystal to Zhao Rong.
When Zhao Rong caught it, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The sparkling, radiant object in his hand, as clear as quartz, was the legendary Dragon Crystal. After securing it, he casually tossed the so-called Dragon Slayer Blade to the dragon.
After the exchange, Zhao Rong bid the dragon farewell. To his surprise, as he turned to leave, the dragon stood behind him, seemingly reluctant to see him go, and even called out, "Thank you."
The moment he was out of the dragon’s sight, Zhao Rong broke into a dead sprint toward the cave exit. He was terrified the dragon would discover the ruse and chase him down to destroy him.
As he neared the entrance, he couldn’t help but marvel at his good fortune. Today is really my lucky day! Not only did I find a Dragon Cave and meet a dragon, but I even got a Dragon Crystal! He also secretly gloated, That dragon sure is dense. It’s spent its whole life isolated in this dark cave, completely cut off from the world. It’s even more clueless than a frog in a well.
But just as Zhao Rong was celebrating, he heard footsteps like an earthquake thundering from behind him. Don’t tell me the dragon found out I tricked it and is coming after me?
His fears were confirmed when the dragon’s furious roar echoed through the cave. "Human, you liar! I chanted ’Mary, Mary, zoom’ a hundred times, but this little knife is still just a little knife! It didn’t get bigger, or sharper, or magnificent and radiant! You tricked me! Give me back my Dragon Crystal!"
Seeing the dragon in pursuit, Zhao Rong put on a burst of speed, covering the remaining distance to the entrance in a few massive leaps and bursting out into the open air.
Although the dragon was a powerful creature, his cultivation level was too low. He couldn’t leave his Dragon Cave; doing so would cause his internal organs to rupture, resulting in a gruesome death. When he reached the mouth of the cave, he could only stop, giving up the chase in a howl of pained frustration.
Seeing that the dragon had stopped, Zhao Rong clutched the Dragon Crystal in his pocket and skipped cheerfully toward his classroom. However, before he even reached the door, he heard the sounds of a fight coming from the nearby training grounds.
Just as he was wondering what was happening, Yu Lan ran over, panting heavily. With a frightened expression, she cried, "Brother Zhao Rong, where have you been? An intruder came to the school, and he’s trying to kidnap Miss Lili!"
Hearing that someone was audacious enough to try and abduct the very person he was sworn to protect, Zhao Rong’s eyes widened. "Who’s so arrogant as to try and kidnap a young woman in broad daylight? Watch me flay his skin and tear out his tendons!"
"Brother Zhao Rong, be careful!" Yu Lan said worriedly. "This intruder at our training center is a Level 12 cultivator! He also has the Lightning Orb Martial Technique! To face such a powerful enemy, you’d need to be a Level 10 cultivator or higher. Brother Zhao Rong, you’re only a Level 7 cultivator. You’re no match for him! We should report this to the chairman and ask him to send a master to rescue Miss Lili."
Hearing Yu Lan’s words, Zhao Rong’s mind raced. I may only be a Level 7 cultivator, but don’t I have a Dragon Crystal in my pocket that can boost me by three levels? If I use this Dragon Crystal to raise my power, I might just be able to defeat this Level 12 cultivator!
At this thought, Zhao Rong puffed out his chest. "Don’t worry, just take me to him. Even though I’m only Level 7, I can still knock his teeth all over the ground."
At that moment, the surrounding students who were watching saw Zhao Rong arrive and broke out in a cold sweat for him. Not a single person believed in him. Not one of them thought that a Level 7 cultivator like Zhao Rong could possibly defeat the Level 12 intruder.
Even Miss Lili shouted at him, "Brother Zhao Rong, don’t come over here! He’s after me! If you try to save me, you’ll get yourself killed!"
Regardless of how little faith anyone had in him, Zhao Rong performed a front flip, landing squarely in front of the Level 12 intruder.
When the intruder saw that Zhao Rong was merely a Level 7 cultivator, he roared with laughter. "Damn, another one looking for a death wish."
Zhao Rong looked at the intruder—he had a ghastly green face and protruding fangs, an extremely ugly sight. "We’ll see who has the death wish," he retorted. "If you’ve got the guts, let’s test it."
As Zhao Rong spoke, he suddenly realized the intruder looked uncannily familiar, like the boss of the pursuit company he’d dealt with before, Big Gold Tooth.
His eyes widened. "You’re Big Gold Tooth."
At this, Big Gold Tooth let out a hearty laugh and nodded. "The old Big Gold Tooth was just the boss of a pursuit company. The current Big Gold Tooth is a Level 12 cultivator. I’m going to kidnap Miss Lili and demand a ransom from her father. Zhao Rong, if you don’t want to die, stay out of my way."
Apparently, the once non-cultivator Big Gold Tooth had taken a highly toxic Elixir. It had transformed his body, turning him into the Level 12 intruder before them.
Realizing Big Gold Tooth was here to kidnap Miss Lili, Zhao Rong grinned fiercely. "Last time, I stepped on your face to walk into your company. This time, I can still step on your face to send you rolling out of our training center!"
With that, Zhao Rong launched a flying kick straight at Big Gold Tooth’s mouth full of golden teeth.
