Chapter Sixty-Eight: True Love or Conspiracy?

Inside the hotel, Lu Mingfei stared at the last message Xia Mi had sent from Chu Zihang’s phone, his feelings in utter turmoil. He had the sudden urge to catch Xia Mi and send her to a dog training center for two years of discipline.

You’re the dog! Your whole family are dogs!

After that brief outburst of anger, he instinctively called out to Funingna from the other world in his heart, feeling aggrieved, “Fufu, something’s happened. I’ve been bullied!”

“Don’t tell me… is it Norton attacking?”

Funingna, who had been resting her head on the table, immediately sat upright, back straight, eyes fixed on the present void, her fists quietly clenched and beads of sweat forming on her brow.

Based on her earlier speculation, Chu Zihang was not Constantine, but perhaps he had gained Constantine’s power through some unknown means. Norton remained unaware of this, and if he, the overprotective brother, ever found out, he would likely attack immediately.

Could Lu Mingfei handle Norton as he was now? Funingna’s heart pounded anxiously. She knew Lu Mingfei was strong, but the dragon kings of the other world were no weaklings either, and Lu Mingfei had only just awakened his powers. He hadn’t merged with Lu Mingze yet. Whether he could defeat a fully merged dragon king in a head-on clash was highly questionable!

If something happened to Lu Mingfei, then I…

“It’s not that. It’s Chu Zihang’s girlfriend.”

Funingna: ???

Chu Zihang has a girlfriend?

And his girlfriend bullied you?

Why would you tolerate being bullied by his girlfriend?

Ten minutes later—

“Hoo~” Funingna took a delicate sip of tea. After understanding the details, her mood eased a little. She set the cup down and spoke in his mind, “Alright, I understand the situation. Your senior brother fused with her dragon bone. Now the original owner has come for it but hasn’t exposed you.”

“Right.”

“Why hasn’t she exposed you? Why would she fall for Chu Zihang? According to your description, dragon kings are extremely long-lived beings with immense power. How could such a dragon king possibly fall for an ordinary person like your senior brother? I think your assumptions might be off.”

Funingna was herself a long-lived being and had seen countless things during her reign. She’d witnessed powerful immortals falling for short-lived mortals, but it was usually mutual and under the most harmonious of circumstances.

Time, environment, and character were all crucial!

Immortals had seen too much; they rarely fell in love easily. To make one fall truly in love was a monumental task.

Especially for a dragon king like Xia Mi, a long-lived being wielding unrivaled power, even less likely to fall for someone so easily.

By Lu Mingfei’s own account, without Xia Mi’s powers, Chu Zihang was an ordinary hybrid. Why, then, would a dragon king like Xia Mi fall for him? Why would she protect him?

Could it really be love? Unlikely.

Funingna continued her analysis, offering example after example, helping Lu Mingfei see the world from the perspective of an immortal.

Gradually, as he absorbed her words, Lu Mingfei’s expression began to change. He murmured, “If that’s the case, then Xia Mi probably never truly fell for senior brother. The gulf between a dragon king and an ordinary hybrid is too vast. She wouldn’t fall for his looks at first sight and plunge headlong into love, would she? That’s hardly realistic.”

“Let me correct you. The four monarchs have lives that span eons, and the faces they’ve seen must number far more than you can imagine. Your senior brother is handsome, but probably not to the point of being unparalleled through the ages, enough to make Xia Mi obsess over him.” Funingna reminded gently.

“That’s true.”

Lu Mingfei nodded. He admitted that senior brother was indeed very handsome, a celebrity at school, but not to the extent that a dragon king would lose her heart over him.

Xia Mi was a dragon king, and one who had awakened long ago and accumulated power over the years. She must have encountered countless good-looking men. Though Chu Zihang was quite capable, history had seen many hybrids who possessed both looks and power. Among those with dragon blood, ugly ones were the exception.

Given all that, perhaps Xia Mi didn’t really like senior brother. Maybe everything she’d done was just for his benefit—to get past him safely by putting on an act.

But that didn’t add up either!

If she were just acting for his sake, why would she reveal herself? She could have simply waited somewhere, ambushed senior brother, and reclaimed her dragon bone’s power. With her speed and the strength of a second-generation dragon, ambushing Chu Zihang—who hadn’t fully mastered the dragon king’s power—wouldn’t be difficult.

So why not?

Was it her state? Her condition? Condition! I see!

Suddenly, Lu Mingfei’s eyes lit up. Excitedly, he said, “I get it now. Xia Mi is fond of senior brother, but she’s not in her complete form. She’s like me or Old Tang—a persona existing before the dragon king’s consciousness fully awakens.

“Xia Mi is the dragon king, but not entirely. She’s the consciousness that emerged before the dragon king’s awakening. In her unawakened state, she fell in love with Chu Zihang, just like an ordinary person, and that feeling deeply affected her awakened self.

“That sensation of love is beautiful, but for a dragon king it’s a paradox. Her main consciousness can’t accept it, yet she can’t bring herself to let go of Chu Zihang—the one she once loved. So, in a tangle of love and hate, she embedded her dragon bone within him. It’s both a gift and a cunning plan for resurrection—a contradiction that matches her mindset perfectly.”

“Wait a moment,” Funingna interjected suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Mingfei was puzzled, on the verge of solving the riddle. Why did Funingna have to interrupt now? Had he overlooked something?

“In terms of strength, you’re a fledgling dragon king. Xia Mi is the strongest second-generation dragon below dragon king. The power inside Chu Zihang is at sub-adult dragon king level. Am I right?”

“Yes.”

Lu Mingfei nodded, thinking: Aren’t we talking about feelings? Why is she bringing up power? Does strength have something to do with love?

Forced romance?

“Lu Mingze must have told you before: even with great potential, you’d need several years to reach sub-adult level. Am I right?” Funingna pressed.

“Yes, that’s correct. He even said other dragon kings would need ten or twenty years to accumulate that much power. My rate of growth is unusually fast.” Lu Mingfei nodded again.

“Then have you ever considered—after Xia Mi stripped away sub-adult-level power and still retained the strength of a second-generation dragon, just how powerful was she at her peak? She must have been at sub-adult peak, possibly close to adult dragon king, right?” Funingna’s tone grew increasingly knowing.

“She was indeed strong,” Lu Mingfei agreed.

Strong… very strong? Wait…

Gradually, he realized something was wrong. A newly awakened dragon king should only have the strength of a juvenile; it would take years to reach sub-adult. If Xia Mi had sub-adult peak power before separating her dragon bone, then she couldn’t have just awakened—she must have been awake for a long time.

And if she’d been awake all this time, how could she have fallen for Chu Zihang as an ordinary person? Did the dragon king get lonely and suddenly decide to experience a sweet romance?

Are you the King of Desire and Lust?

Is there a King of Lust among the four monarchs?

“You see the problem, don’t you?” Funingna sat at the table, resting her chin in her hands, swinging her gleaming legs idly, a smug smile on her face.

Hmph, I am clever and impressive!

“Yes, I see it now. I’m going to ask Norton about the female dragon kings. There shouldn’t be many female monarchs among the four.” Lu Mingfei opened his phone and messaged Norton as he spoke.

“Alright, let’s confirm her identity first,” Funingna nodded.

Lu Mingfei: You there?

Old Tang: Here, and I have a question.

Lu Mingfei: What’s the question?

Old Tang: Is that guy really my brother? He seems… off. Sure, you could explain it as memory loss, but I still feel something’s wrong.

Lu Mingfei: I don’t know. By the way, do you remember any particularly notable female first-generation dragons?

He didn’t ask directly, since as the King of Oceans and Water, he shouldn’t be ignorant of the female monarchs’ identities. He had to be cautious.

Norton: Female first-generations? There were plenty, but most left no impression. The only one I remember is Jormungand, the weakest monarch, King of Earth and Mountains. Her weakness left a lasting impression.

Lu Mingfei: No others?

Norton: Why do you ask?

Lu Mingfei: Just popped into my head. Brothers chatting don’t need a reason. Did I make a fuss when I sent you money? Don’t be so distant.

Norton: Haha, you’re right, that’s on me!

Jormungand, then?

Lu Mingfei remembered the lineage of the King of Earth and Mountains very well, though for a rather unique reason. Unlike other dragon king lines, the King of Earth and Mountains only had one speech—Bodhi Dance.

The King of Oceans and Water had at least two: Abyss and Whirlpool. But the King of Earth and Mountains? No other speeches at all! It was as if they had no descendants.

Were they all devoted to pure love?

That seemed unlikely. Jormungand had stayed pure for countless years, then suddenly fell in love with Chu Zihang? What a plot twist—senior brother was practically the protagonist of a harem epic reborn as a dragon king!

He wouldn’t have dared imagine such a story!

“Based on Norton’s information, Xia Mi should be Jormungand, the King of Earth and Mountains among the four monarchs—in legend, the weakest of them all.”

(End of chapter)