Mingjiao: "Are You Even Polite"

The dark figure stirring the whirlpool loomed in the lake, roughly ten zhang in size—already a colossal behemoth to ordinary people.

"It's the Roaring Drake again!"

"May the Witch Spirit show its divine power!"

"This is the third time this month the Roaring Drake has attacked our town. Why is it back...?"

Yet the villagers by the altar did not scatter in panic. Though their faces were filled with terror, they knelt even more devoutly, praying fervently.

This only made the Witch Spirit idol glow with an even more eerie radiance.

This time, Huang Donglai did not retreat behind the crowd but stood beside Li Mo.

Murong Xiao gazed curiously at the lake—he had never seen another Roaring Drake before.

Li Mo, however, narrowed his eyes, activating his Heavenly Fate Divine Sight.

"Achoo!"

A deafening roar—or was it a screech?—from the Roaring Drake echoed across the lake.

The sky darkened further, as if threatening rain.

Then, a massive Roaring Drake emerged from the water.

Its form bore an eighty percent resemblance to the one Li Mo could transform into, though with subtle differences—most notably, it lacked the majestic horns.

[Name: Wu Dameng]

[Age: 48]

[Root Bone: Hybrid of Roaring Drake and Earth Dragon.]

[Cultivation Realm: Peak of the Seventh Tier.]

[Heavenly Fate: Blue]

[Evaluation: That night, the Roaring Drake and the Earth Dragon had too much to drink.]

[Recent Events: Made a deal with a town priest to harass the settlement for free meals.]

"?"

The information revealed by the Heavenly Fate Divine Sight was not what Li Mo had expected.

So, he swept his gaze over the terrified yet increasingly pious villagers.

"Bet you didn’t expect this! Your grandpa’s back again!"

The Roaring Drake, Wu Dameng, actually spoke in human tongue, its voice as grating as nails on a chalkboard.

At that moment, the high priest wearing a bronze mask leaped from the altar, treading on the water’s surface as he charged toward the drake.

A faint silhouette materialized behind him, identical to the bronze Witch Spirit idol.

The two clashed on the lake.

Despite being clearly weaker, the priest fought the drake to a standstill, as if aided by some unseen divine force.

The sheer disparity in their sizes made for a striking visual spectacle.

The villagers’ devotion grew even more fervent, like drowning men clutching at a lifeline.

"This doesn’t make sense," Huang Donglai muttered, puzzled. "That drake is obviously stronger."

"It harasses villages, yet it’s my kin... No, I’m human..."

Murong Xiao clenched his fists, his expression flickering with intense conflict.

He knew his state was abnormal—worse than during his time in the Divine Edge Cave. Even reciting Buddhist sutras in his mind did nothing to calm him.

Suddenly, warmth bloomed in his chest.

Murong Xiao opened his eyes in surprise to find a string of pristine, jade-like Buddhist relics glowing with sacred light.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in Murong Xiao, aiding him in suppressing his bloodline power.]

[Investment Reward: Nine-Dragon Strength Pill.]

Now wasn’t the time to tally rewards.

Li Mo grinned at Murong Xiao.

"Brother Murong, I’m going to teach your kin a lesson."

"Under the bright heavens, in the vast mortal realm—!"

Clutching the relics, Murong Xiao now looked even more solemn and dignified.

"I shall also assist Brother Li in cleansing our ranks!"

"...You should just rest."

Shaking his head, Li Mo let out a thunderous shout amid the crowd’s gasps:

"Brother Huang!"

"Got it—combo move!"

At first, Huang Donglai found the idea of a "combo move" a bit odd.

But then he remembered all the rare treasures and elixirs Li Mo had given him, and it suddenly made perfect sense.

And so, under countless awestruck gazes, the two shot into the sky.

Oh!

Huh?

The crowd was utterly baffled, even forgetting to worship the Witch Spirit.

On the lake, the battle raged with rolling mist and thunderous clashes.

Though the priest and the drake seemed locked in fierce combat, it was all sound and fury—little actual force behind their blows.

"About done yet?"

Wu Dameng swung his tail, deliberately missing the priest but sending a massive splash his way.

He smirked inwardly—just a little effort, and these humans were already terrified out of their wits.

The priest better reward him with an extra cow for this performance.

That’s right.

As long as he played along, pretending the priest was a match for him, he’d get livestock delivered afterward.

These scrawny villagers barely had any meat on them anyway.

Their lives were so bitter—they probably tasted awful. No comparison to plump cattle and sheep.

Then, he spotted something in the distance.

"???"

Wu Dameng’s massive frame froze. "This wasn’t part of the deal! It was supposed to be one guy. Why’s there an extra now?"

"If it’s three people, the payment better increase!"

"Huh?"

The priest turned—and nearly jumped out of his skin.

Oh!

"Fiend, don’t even think of escaping!"

Li Mo brandished a gleaming hammer, descending like an avenging deity.

"Hey, this new kid’s got decent acting chops," Wu Dameng mused, deciding to play along.

He charged at the youth, intending to make it look good.

But as they closed in—

Something felt off.

The lake water turned solid as iron, immobilizing him. His movements slowed to a crawl.

In his vision, the hammer’s shadow loomed larger.

Li Mo struck from above, his "Calming the Storm" technique crashing down.

dUang~~~

The hammer slammed into Wu Dameng’s skull, the force rippling through his body and exploding across the lake’s surface in a towering geyser.

Had the drake’s body not been so resilient—had Li Mo not held back—this blow would’ve flattened him instantly.

To the onlookers, Li Mo now seemed like a god descended from the heavens.

"Did that warrior just slay the Roaring Drake?"

"Which Witch Spirit does he worship? He’s even mightier than our high priest!"

"Could he be an incarnation of a Witch Spirit, walking among mortals?"

Then, Li Mo’s voice carried across the shore:

"From now on, the Roaring Drake will trouble you no more. Rise, everyone."

With those words, the figure lifted the drake’s massive form and vanished into the distance.

The crowd stood in stunned silence. This divine being hadn’t even left his name—how were they supposed to worship him?

......

"Who in the blazes are you people?"

"Forget the extra payment—let’s talk this out!"

Wu Dameng never imagined that after countless staged battles, this one would turn real.

This was downright dishonorable!

"Why did you attack the village?" Murong Xiao demanded sternly.

"A drake’s gotta eat..." Wu Dameng mumbled before cautiously adding,

"Might I ask... what do you heroes want?"

"Nothing too serious, really."

Li Mo cleared his throat, deciding to ease the drake’s nerves first.

"Can you... give birth to a cow?"

"?"

The Roaring Drake fell silent, a giant question mark practically materializing above its head.

Are you serious?

That was just biologically impossible!