Xiao Li's Dream: The Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Stir the Winds and Clouds

Li Mo slowly regained consciousness, only to realize he hadn’t truly woken up.

Before his eyes—

A sky choked with dark clouds, a simple bamboo hut that seemed to sprout from the blackened earth, and an ostentatiously lavish sacrificial altar.

Villagers gathered around the altar, their faces numb and bewildered. The drugged children—chosen as offerings—wailed as the effects wore off. A grotesque, bloated fish floated belly-up in the river, its corpse staining the water.

Everything was rendered in monochrome—even the blood of the slain ‘River God,’ which had spread across the lake.

"Am I... dreaming?"

Li Mo remembered this day vividly.

He had arrived at this riverside village just in time to witness the ritual.

Those who live by the mountain eat from the mountain; those who live by the water eat from the water.

The entire village depended on this river for survival. But fate was cruel—this river’s temper was more erratic than the heavens themselves.

Storms would rise without warning, making fishing impossible. Worse, the waters often claimed lives.

When floods swallowed the village, the people knew: The River God is angry.

So the priest would lead them in sacrifice. This year’s flood was especially severe—only a grand offering would suffice.

Here, families chosen to give up a child—a boy or a girl—were considered blessed. Their child would "live in bliss with the River God."

The parents would drug their children with ‘Soul-Severing Elixir,’ dress them in finery, and send them off on a lotus platform...

But Li Mo saw the truth.

The so-called River God was just a hideous catfish!

Without hesitation, he plunged into the water, fought the beast in the depths, and forced it to spit out the children before it floated lifelessly to the surface.

He had killed the River God.

When he climbed ashore, the villagers surrounded him, dropping to their knees in unison, trembling like frightened quails.

"Our village has a new River God!" they cried.

"Don’t kneel!" Li Mo’s voice rang out, firm and clear.

"There is no River God! I’m just a man, like you!"

But what followed wasn’t enlightenment—nor gratitude.

Instead—

"If you won’t accept our offerings, why did you kill the River God?"

"When the river floods, we know it’s his anger. Without him, how will we understand the cause?"

"Who will we worship when people drown?"

Their fury, confusion, and fear threatened to drown him.

In that moment, even Li Mo questioned himself:

"Did I... do something wrong?"

He turned, hoping to find her—but there was no one. Only himself, alone in the surging crowd.

Huh?

"Why are you sweating so much?"

Ying Bing gazed at the young man resting on her lap, her delicate fingers brushing over his furrowed brow, unable to smooth the tension there.

Then she heard him murmur in his sleep:

"Ice Block..."

Her lashes fluttered, moonlight-pale features briefly stunned.

Was he dreaming of her?

Or searching for her in his dreams?

Likely the latter. Rarely had she seen him—usually so bright and carefree—wear such a deeply troubled expression, his face shadowed with uncertainty.

He’d never been like this before.

Her gaze softened. She took his hand and whispered:

"I’m right here."

Perhaps he heard her.

His brow relaxed. The sweat stopped. His breathing steadied.

If those two little figures—one black, one white—popped up again now, the black-clad one (the one who called him little brother) would probably win.

Ying Bing held his hand, quietly amused by the thought.

Time passed.

The sun climbed high.

Li Mo finally stirred, yawning as he woke, feeling oddly refreshed.

What was this pillow? Cool, soft, yet springy—he’d have to use it from now on...

Hm?

A familiar fragrance tickled his nose. He looked up.

True beauty had no bad angles—even from below, her face was breathtaking.

Her expression was serene, distant eyes fixed on the horizon.

"Snore..."

Li Mo quickly shut his eyes, feigning sleep—or at least trying to.

But then—

Slender fingers pinched his nose shut.

"Still asleep?" Ying Bing didn’t let up.

"Snore..."

"Seems he really hasn’t woken."

"Snork—ACHOO!"

Just as Li Mo resolved to tough it out, his nose tingled.

He opened his eyes to find the fingers that had tormented him now twirling a lock of her silken hair.

Ice Block had tickled him with her hair!

"Awake?" Her lips curled faintly.

"Yeah, just woke up. What happened?"

"A bug crawled over your nose. I shooed it away."

"...Thanks."

Wiping drool, Li Mo sat up—then paused. His eyes caught the damp stain on Ying Bing’s skirt, trailing slightly down her thigh.

The Mingjiao Clan excelled at gathering moisture. He never used to drool in his sleep—this was a serpent side-effect...

He wiped her knee absently. "Next stop’s Qingmu City, right?"

"Should be."

"Let’s go, then."

"One thing first."

Ying Bing gave him a long look, tying up her hair and securing it with a jade pin.

"Two more sixth-grade calamity beasts."

"This time, we fight together."

......

Yantian Sect.

Atop a tower so high it seemed to scrape the stars—

The Old Woman cradled a jade plate, its glow faintly reminiscent of the strange stone from Hengyun Sword City. Her fingers traced its surface, her expression unreadable.

Soon, this tool might become obsolete.

Tap—

Light footsteps approached. A barefoot woman stopped behind her.

"Master, the latest Hidden Dragon Ranking updates are here."

Tian Miao placed the scrolls before her. The Old Woman hummed in acknowledgment, and the pages glowed, projecting their contents into the air.

Her eyes skimmed the lists, halting at the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 10th Place: Ying Bing.]

[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 11th Place: Li Mo.]

Their skills remained largely unchanged from before.

But their achievements—now listed—were staggering, and nearly identical.

[Notable Feats: Entered the Southern Border, assumed the form of the Qingluan Goddess (Heavenly Serpent of the Mingjiao Clan), stirred upheaval across the region. Jointly slew four sixth-grade calamity beasts at Sanghu Mountain—Xiangliu, Feiyi, Dafeng, and Fanjiang’e... among others.]

[When Hidden Dragon and Phoenix unite, the world trembles.]

Tian Miao hesitated. "Should we publish everything as is?"

"Truthfully."

"Understood."

......

(Seeking support—pass the charging bowl~ Mwah!)