Hai Qingshu cried out in alarm, his eyes wide as he clapped a hand over his sister Hai Qingmi’s mouth.
The Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon was coiled into a small, quiet ball, resting on the young man’s shoulder.
Hai Qingshu, who knew the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon’s characteristics intimately, looked utterly shocked. He wanted to scream.
’I’ve run into an Exotic Insect Master!’
Only an Exotic Insect Master who had completely tad it could make the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon coil up so obediently and lie there so docilely.
In other words, the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon they had been chasing already had a master!
’Isn’t this a bit too fast?’
The Thousand Star Lake Domain had only been open for two days, yet soone had already tad a Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon.
"Apologies, apologies."
Suppressing his shock, Hai Qingshu removed his hand from his sister’s mouth, straightened up, and clasped his fist in a salute. "My apologies. My sister and I have been rude. We didn’t realize this Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon already had a master. We are truly ashad!"
"Huh? It has a master?"
Hai Qingmi’s eyes went wide. "He’s the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon’s mas... uh, yes, he’s the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon’s master."
Hai Qingmi stared at the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon resting docilely on Gu Zheng’s shoulder. She wanted to argue, but she was speechless.
"...It’s fine."
Gu Zheng blinked, waving his hand nonchalantly. "You didn’t know."
"Thank you."
Hearing this, Hai Qingshu breathed a sigh of relief and made his introductions. "I am Hai Qingshu, and this is my sister, Hai Qingmi. Our Hai Family belongs to the Divine Weapon Lineage. And you are...?"
"Gu Zheng, currently a Commander in the Demon Slayer Bureau," Gu Zheng replied, returning the salute.
’A noble youth who can converse politely is worth getting to know.’
"So you’re..."
Huh??
Hai Qingshu blinked, montarily at a loss for words. A look of stunned disbelief appeared on his face.
"A Commander in the Demon Slayer Bureau? You’re with the Zhong Family?"
It was Hai Qingmi who blurted out, confused, "You’re so powerful—you even tad a Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon in two days. Why would you work for the Zhong Family?"
"I’m not with the Zhong Family."
Gu Zheng explained softly, "I joined the Demon Slayer Bureau for the convenience of slaying Demon Fiends."
"What’s the difference?" Hai Qingmi frowned. "The Demon Slayer Bureau belongs to the Zhong Family. If you join the Bureau, aren’t you serving them?"
Gu Zheng said, "It’s not the sa."
"How is it not the sa..."
"Alright, alright." Hai Qingshu pulled her back, cutting off the topic. "Gu, your integrity is admirable. My younger sister is young and naive. Please forgive her if she’s made a fool of herself."
"What do you an..." Hai Qingmi started to protest, but Hai Qingshu quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and shot her a look.
Hai Qingmi mumbled a few tis before nodding reluctantly. Only then did Hai Qingshu remove his hand.
"It’s fine."
Gu Zheng smiled. "I have a sister too. I know how curious they can be at this age. Sotis they’re so mischievous you don’t know whether to laugh or cry."
"It’s true."
Hai Qingshu relaxed inwardly, a smile appearing on his face. "Mine is a handful too. As her older brother, I can’t really discipline her physically, so at most I can just scold her a bit."
"Scolding doesn’t work. I’ll lecture her in the morning, and she’ll be back at it in the afternoon," Gu Zheng sighed.
He wasn’t just saying it to be agreeable. Gu Xue really was a little troublemaker who could never sit still.
She was about the sa age as Hai Qingmi, fifteen or sixteen, and said whatever was on her mind.
"Exactly."
Hai Qingshu sighed, deeply empathetic.
For a mont, the two felt a sense of camaraderie, as if they were old friends who had just t.
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Hai Qingmi’s incessant eye-rolling and prodding finally prompted them to clasp fists and part ways.
Gu Zheng continued walking along the riverbank.
The Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon on his shoulder remained coiled in a small, motionless ball.
In its translucent state, it was so bouncy and squishy that anyone who didn’t know better would have mistaken it for a piece of jade.
The Equipnt Effect of the "Lord of Hundred Insects" allowed Gu Zheng to clearly sense the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon’s emotional changes and thoughts.
Right now, it was full and wanted to sleep!
...
"Brother, are you really that close with that Commander?"
Far from the riverbank, walking through a field of rubble, Hai Qingmi kicked at the pebbles, annoyed. "You were so engrossed in your conversation. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought you were old friends who’d known each other for years."
"You don’t understand."
Hai Qingshu shook his head and said softly, "If I’m not mistaken, the person who charged into the swamp first yesterday, acting as the vanguard and clearing a path for us, was that very sa Gu Zheng."
"Oh, so he’s that idiot?" Hai Qingmi blurted out.
"The one calling others an idiot is the real idiot." Hai Qingshu ruffled Hai Qingmi’s hair and chuckled. "Smart people have their reasons for what they do. You, on the other hand, need to be more careful with your words. If I hadn’t been there just now, you would have offended him, you know?"
"How did I offend him?"
Hai Qingmi was unconvinced. "Was I wrong? Joining the Demon Slayer Bureau is the sa as serving the Zhong Family, isn’t it?"
"Also, stop touching my head! You’re ssing up my hair!"
Hai Qingmi swatted Hai Qingshu’s hand away with a huff.
"...Fine, let break it down for you."
Hai Qingshu pulled back his hand and began to explain the ways of the world and proper reasoning to his troubleso sister.
...
...
Gu Zheng wondered if the "Lord of Hundred Insects" Equipnt Effect ca with a passive ability to attract Exotic Insects.
Not long after he continued along the riverbank, Gu Zheng discovered another Exotic Insect.
A "Divine Leech" that lived by the water.
It looked like an aquatic leech, but its color was like crystal jelly. Far from being ugly, it actually had an indescribable cuteness.
Its five-centiter-long body was shrunk into a tiny ball, making it even more inconspicuous than the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon.
Its ability wasn’t to suck blood, but to help people recover their Spirit and nourish their Divine Soul.
It had a significant and harmless healing effect on ailnts such as spiritual damage or a weakened soul.
If the "Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon" was a stealthy, offensive Exotic Insect with a terrifying poison, then the "Divine Leech" was a supportive one. It was non-venomous and could be hosted within a person’s body.
And through the miraculous control granted by "Lord of Hundred Insects," Gu Zheng could not only command them but also share their vision.
It was worth noting that the "Divine Leech" could counter the "Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon." Once a Divine Leech burrowed into a Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon’s body, it was all over for the Celestial Dragon. It would beco the Divine Leech’s al—a al to be savored slowly.
If these two Exotic Insects t anywhere else, the "Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon" would have long since fled.
Now, however, they miraculously rested on Gu Zheng’s shoulders, one on the left and one on the right, without bothering each other.
He walked along the riverbank for a while longer, only stopping when the river disappeared into the base of a mountain.
But in the wilderness at the foot of the mountain, Gu Zheng encountered yet another type of Exotic Insect.
Spirit-Eating Ants!
A species of black ant with two pairs of transparent wings, capable of seeking out Spiritual Objects and Spirit Essence.
In the eyes of Spirit-Eating Ants, the Constitution of the Night Demon Race was more or less a type of Spirit Essence.
Therefore, in addition to the "Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon," Gu Zheng now had another Exotic Insect that could counter the Night Demon Race.
The Spirit-Eating Ants!
However, their countering effect was slightly weaker, far inferior to that of the "Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon."
But the Spirit-Eating Ants had numbers on their side—an entire nest of them!
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