Can't he just leave tomorrow

Cangzhou.

In the heart of the great river, Qinghe’s small frame erupted with tremendous energy as several array foundations were buried beneath the water.

At this moment, Qinghe’s face was deadly serious, meticulously channeling spiritual energy to carefully link the newly placed array foundations with those previously laid.

Even without Xie Lingyu’s stern supervision, Qinghe didn’t dare slack off in the slightest.

This thing could genuinely explode if mishandled.

Qinghe had already been blown up several times.

The power of this interlinked array was no joke—though complicated, its might was undeniable.

Qinghe still remembered the first time it had carelessly set up the array. That brat Li Xingtian had been yammering from a distance—"Be careful! These interlinked array foundations explode easily, and the blast is no small matter!"

Back then, Qinghe had wanted to turn around and tell the kid to shut up, but just that tiny distraction was enough.

In an instant, the array foundations had erupted in a chain reaction.

The splash had been enormous!

Even as a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator, Qinghe had been stunned for several seconds, blasted over a hundred meters away.

The kid hadn’t been wrong—this thing really did explode easily, and damn, the power was insane!

After the first explosion, Qinghe had scrambled straight to Xie Lingyu, accusing them of abuse.

"Let someone else handle this! I’m done!"

As a lazy dragon by nature, Qinghe had never bothered much with array construction, having only dabbled in the basics.

It had never studied it seriously.

And now, the first practical test was this high-level setup—some kind of complex interlinked grand array? Never even heard of it! And if it failed, it’d blow you sky-high? Who could handle that?

Sure, as a dragon, Qinghe’s hide was tough, but pain still hurt!

Xie Lingyu had offered her perspective—"Would you rather go back to Tianyan Sect and let the master whip you like a spinning top, or stay here and get blown up a few times?"

Qinghe had argued back, but within a few sentences, Xie Lingyu had left it speechless.

"You’re embarrassing the entire dragon race."

"If your horns were as tough as your mouth, even the master wouldn’t have been able to chop them off."

"Or do you plan to just laze around Tianyan Sect as a mascot?"

At that, Qinghe had almost stubbornly agreed—being a mascot sounded nice.

Less work, better treatment.

But before Qinghe could fully commit to the idea, Xie Lingyu had delivered the final blow.

"Given the master’s temperament, a mascot is out of the question. She mentioned recently that she’s been wanting a draconic steed to pull her carriage."

Qinghe had weighed the options—short-term pain or long-term toil…

Better to endure the explosions. Pulling a carriage for Elder Bai would be even more humiliating.

Besides, Lingyu had definitely picked up bad habits from that brat!

Since when did she speak so bluntly?

These words—Qinghe didn’t like them!

But no matter how unwilling, the work had to be done.

Lacking foundational experience, even Qinghe’s most cautious attempts occasionally ended in failure—and another trip skyward.

After carefully placing the last of the array foundations, Qinghe finally exhaled in relief.

Sometimes, an explosion meant resetting not just one foundation, but several.

Starting over was the worst.

But at least this section was finally complete. No more getting blasted into the air here.

Qinghe burst excitedly from the water, gaze landing on the shore.

There, Li Xingtian stood, thoughtfully examining a map in his hands.

In a flicker of movement, Qinghe appeared before him, now harboring some resentment toward the kid who’d been bossing it around.

With a hint of irritation, it demanded, "Brat, the array foundations here are finally done! That’s all, right?!"

Li Xingtian, accustomed to this, first tucked away the map before turning to Qinghe—who stood a full head shorter—and clapped in practiced praise.

"As expected of Lord Qinghe. Swift and efficient as always."

Qinghe lifted its chin proudly. "Obviously!"

Li Xingtian inwardly marveled at how well his master’s methods worked, then forced a rehearsed smile.

"I’d love to say we’re finished, but unfortunately, there’s just a little more to set up."

"More?!" Qinghe’s voice cracked in disbelief. "For such a small water vein, I’ve already laid seven arrays! You call this an ambush setup?"

"Hand over that map! Are you planning to trap the entire water vein?!"

Naturally, Li Xingtian wouldn’t show the map.

If this dragon saw it, it would absolutely refuse to continue.

This dragon was hopelessly inept. A few simple interlinked array foundations—his master could set them up effortlessly in moments.

The setup along Chizhou’s water vein? Now that was precision work.

This dragon was not only slow but also prone to explosions every few steps.

Though the blasts never reached Li Xingtian, he still had to muffle the noise.

Otherwise, with all these explosions, even an idiot would come investigate.

Anyone unaware might think a Nascent Soul cultivator had nothing better to do than fish-bombing.

At this point, Li Xingtian had long given up on Qinghe completing the full design.

Whatever it could manage would have to suffice. Still, after all this time, he’d learned how to handle the dragon’s temper.

Calmly, he said, "Not much left. Push through today, and I’ll treat you to a meal."

"A meal?" Qinghe’s tone softened slightly. "Can we go to Wangyue Tower in Cangzhou City?"

"Ah…" Li Xingtian feigned hesitation before sighing. "Fine. But don’t tell my master. The funds will have to come from the sect’s treasury."

Qinghe eagerly nodded. "Of course! Everyone in Tianyan Sect knows I’m the soul of discretion!"

"Then let’s move to the next spot. And please, focus this time. No more explosions…"

"You’re so naggy! What’s with all the demands?"

"If Lord Qinghe performs well, I’ll cover dessert tonight too."

"Now you’re speaking my language! Don’t worry—the next phase will be handled by a fully committed Qinghe!"

Li Xingtian nodded quickly.

To Qinghe, Wangyue Tower was just an ordinary mortal restaurant—expensive by human standards, but for a Golden Core cultivator, a few pieces of gold or silver were nothing.

If he wanted, Li Xingtian could sell a minor treasure and buy the entire place.

So the meal itself didn’t bother him.

His exaggerated reluctance was just to make the dragon feel like it was getting a steal.

What truly pained Li Xingtian were the array foundations Qinghe kept blowing up!

Those were bought with real spirit stones!

Still new to the sect’s relative wealth, Li Xingtian couldn’t shake the habit of frugality.

His master had worked hard to save that money.

Just as the two arrived at the next water vein to begin work, Xie Lingyu—who’d been absent for some time, claiming urgent business—suddenly reappeared.

Xie Lingyu flew to Li Xingtian and said, "Your master sent word. He wants you to go to Chizhou now—he’s already waiting for you there."

Upon hearing this, Qinghe froze for a moment before hastily speaking up, "Can he go tomorrow instead?!"

Xie Lingyu gave Qinghe a puzzled look. Since when had these two—a human and a flood dragon—grown so close?

Her tone laced with suspicion, she asked, "Why?"

Qinghe replied urgently, "He promised to treat me to dinner at Moonview Pavilion tonight! There’s even dessert! If he leaves now, what am I supposed to eat?!"

Xie Lingyu nodded faintly and turned back to Li Xingtian.

"You may leave immediately."

Li Xingtian gave a slight nod, ignoring Qinghe’s utterly heartbroken gaze, and set off straight for Chizhou.

Hmph! Another tidy sum of gold saved for the master.