I have seen dragons

Chapter 13 Interest?

The Yue family was previously a highly educated family; Yue Wen's parents were both professors at Jiangcheng University.

My father-in-law studies ancient history, and my mother-in-law studies otherworldly scripts.

Before they disappeared, the couple explored ancient sites from the previous spiritual era, and the other studied the writing of otherworldly creatures. They had many overlapping interests and researched many topics together, making them well-known in the industry in Tianbei Prefecture.

Before the spiritual calamity, legends from all over the world were considered mere myths fabricated by our ancestors. It was only in the centuries following the calamity that humanity gradually began to understand that those ancient myths might have been true events from the previous spiritual era, only to have become distorted during their transmission.

By deconstructing these myths and legends, we may be able to uncover the true history of ancient times, learn more about cultivation, and even discover ancient relics left over from the previous spiritual era, and unearth ancient treasures.

Snake Mountain and Tiger Tomb were among the topics my father-in-law explored.

Among the four forbidden lands of immortals, one is located in the south and is called the Ten Thousand Mountains.

This is a vast mountain range composed of countless peaks. After the arrival of the spiritual calamity, the space underwent anomalies, and many realms converged here, evolving into a chaotic forbidden zone where all kinds of spirits and monsters roam.

However, due to the chaotic space, many otherworldly treasures can be found within it, thus making it a forbidden area for immortals.

Each peak in the Ten Thousand Mountains is haunted by its own evil spirits, with the most dangerous areas boasting an even lower survival rate than the Devouring Whale Demon Sea. Snake Mountain is one such mysterious place.

After years of research and investigation, my father-in-law collected many folk legends circulating in the southern region and finally restored the historical background of Snake Mountain.

That was the peak of the previous spiritual era, nearly six thousand years ago. At that time, the Ten Thousand Mountains may not have formed yet; it was a rich and fertile land located in the region known in ancient times as the Southern Frontier.

One day, a snake kingdom from another world suddenly appeared.

The leader of the Snake Kingdom is a nine-headed demonic serpent, whose cultivation is comparable to that of a god. He commands countless snake demons, and once they spread, they will bring great disaster to the southern border.

In a moment of crisis, a half-human, half-tiger hero from the Jiuli tribe intervened. After a hard-fought and perilous battle, he ultimately suppressed the entire Serpent Kingdom with a towering mountain. Later, that hero was hailed as the Jiuli Tiger Heavenly Emperor by the people of the Southern Frontier, and he protected the Southern Frontier for a thousand years.

When Tiger Emperor fell, he worried that the demons in Snake Mountain would escape after his death. So he simply built his tomb on the top of Snake Mountain and constructed a vast array to continue suppressing the Snake Kingdom with his skeleton.

This place was then named Snake Mountain and Tiger Tomb.

The emblem of snakes entwined around a tiger is carved on the rock wall of the Tiger Tomb.

Later, the southern lands underwent a dramatic transformation, giving rise to the forbidden and celestial realm of the Ten Thousand Mountains. The name of the Tiger Emperor still circulates in the south, and many places still worship the Nine-Leaving Emperor to ward off evil spirits and protect their homes, a practice that evolved from him.

but……

What secret does this card with the Toratsuka emblem hold?
Perhaps only by taking it into the Ten Thousand Mountains in person can one truly know.

The fact that the father mentioned this item during the critical moment suggests that it may be related to their disappearance.

If the fourth realm is the threshold for entering the wasteland, then the threshold for entering the Immortal Treasury Forbidden Land must be at least the seventh realm. Below that, stepping into the forbidden area is tantamount to suicide.

This is also why Yue Wen is so eager to become stronger.

Every sword strike that slays the lantern monster carries with it the longing for his parents.

However, he didn't show the black card to anyone because his father had told him to, but this cloth card didn't have that problem.

Then.

Why not ask the magical dragon?

……

In the black and gold palace illuminated by the golden flames, Yue Wen saw the great dragon coiled on the giant chair once again.

Still high and mighty.

"Wang Dalong, I'm here again." He greeted him casually.

Da Long seemed to have given up on him and simply stopped responding, staring at him with fiery eyes.

"I came to ask you about something." Yue Wen held up the purple cloth. "Do you know what this thing is?"

"A stinky piece of skin." Da Long's eyes revealed undisguised disgust. "It's from a demon... It smells like it comes from the armpit area, where people sweat a lot. If you look closely, you might even see hair follicles on it. If you scratch it, you might even find dirt under its fingernails..."

"Alright, alright, there's no need to go into so much detail," Yue Wen quickly stopped it.

Although he didn't smell anything, if Da Long continued talking, he was starting to lose interest in using his hands.

It's just puzzling why such a piece of skin ended up in an antique shop, then in the hands of an ordinary employee like Zhang Wei, and then attracted the covetous eyes of various people...

He then asked, "Do you know what this thing is used for?"

"Well," Da Long's eyes darted around, and after a moment's thought, he replied, "Of course I know. Five 'suppressing evil' coins are needed to get the specific information, and ten more for the method of use." "You charge for everything?" Yue Wen stamped his foot. "We've known each other for so long, isn't there even a shred of friendship between us?"

"Goodbye." Da Long immediately closed his eyes.

"Here you go." Yue Wen quickly took out five suppressing coins and threw them over. "Let me hear what they're for before I decide whether I want to use them."

The dragon merely flashed its crimson flames, and the curse money in the air instantly burned, turning into a wisp of golden smoke that it inhaled.

"Hoo..." After accepting the money for warding off evil spirits, it slowly spoke: "There are barriers between realms, making it impossible to send messages. Some crude and low-level demons will tear off their own skin and have it taken away, so that even across the boundary barriers, they can still send messages at any time. There are still unread messages on this skin."

"Is this a tool for interdimensional communication between demons?" Yue Wen finally understood. After thinking for a moment, he threw out ten more talisman coins. "Here you go. I need instructions on how to use it."

He was indeed curious about what was written on the magic skin, and having just made a considerable haul at the cemetery in the east of the city, he didn't hesitate to spend the money.

"Hey—"

The dragon uttered a single word, seemingly only once, yet it seemed to contain a great deal of complex information, compressed in the form of Daoist rhyme.

In an instant, a visualization appeared in Yue Wen's mind, which was the spell to use this demon skin.

“Every demon that tears off its skin has its own encrypted spell, which can only be known by the person who receives it,” the Great Dragon continued. “However, this method is extremely crude and clumsy. For me, it can be deciphered with just a glance. As for whether you can comprehend it, that is your business.”

"Alright, I know you're very capable. You don't need to worry about anything else." Yue Wen waved his hand impatiently.

Seeing that Da Long seemed to know everything, he took out the half of the black and gold skull and asked, "Do you recognize this?"

"A bit of trash," Da Long said casually with a glance.

"Oh." Yue Wen reluctantly put it away.

It seems it doesn't recognize everything; only high-quality treasures deserve a "vulgar" evaluation from it.

"Oh, right." Da Long suddenly remembered something and said, "I've thought about your request for installment payments last time, and I think I can still give you a chance. But you can't just choose any installment plan; I need to charge some interest."

"Oh?" Yue Wen stared at it cautiously. "How much interest are you planning to ask for?"

"The Gangjing Chapter cultivation technique, valued at 399, can be paid in installments. You can repay me 20 suppression coins each month for 20 months." Dalong asked, "How about it?"

"You mean..." Yue Wen blinked, "The 399 cultivation method, with a repayment of 400 suppression coins over 20 months, will charge me an extra 1 suppression coin in interest?"

“If you find this unacceptable, then let’s call it quits,” Da Long said coldly. “I won’t let you owe me money for nothing!”

“I accept! You can pass on the cultivation technique to me right now.” Yue Wen immediately agreed. “Although charging interest is excessive, for the sake of our friendship, I’m willing to let you earn more money!”

He directly threw twenty suppressing coins at them.

Good guy.

Perhaps the dragon understands cultivation well, but it understands absolutely nothing about the human world.

Despite its dark appearance, this thing is nothing short of Snow White compared to those capitalists.

Another chilling dragon's voice imprinted the visualization diagram into Yue Wen's mind, "Hah—"

Although I've almost spent all my savings, the monthly installment of twenty coin tokens isn't too much of a burden for me right now. Once the agency officially opens, it should be even less of a problem.

In this way, as long as one reaches the Great Perfection of the Harmony Realm, one can immediately begin the breakthrough process.

If I wait until I've collected all 399 evil-suppressing coins, plus the materials needed to advance to the Gang Realm, it will take who knows how much time it will take.

That would delay the progress of cultivation by too much.

At this moment, when Yue Wen looked at the dragon on the throne again, it seemed to have some handsome features.

However, Da Long clearly didn't want to respond to his ambiguous gaze. After finishing its business, it immediately snorted coldly, "Step back."

The space suddenly became pitch black.

Pull the switch.

As his consciousness returned, Yue Wen opened his eyes and found a notification on his phone.

An unread message came from "Young Master Qi roams the Jianghu with a sword".

　Good morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)