--- Chapter 18 ---
[Name: Liu Erlong]
[Age: 44]
[Martial Soul: Mutated Fire Dragon (7+)]
[Bloodline: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon (thin)]
[Cultivation: Spirit Rank 72/Spirit Saint Realm]
[Description: A lonely woman left by her spouse. Be careful around her because the mutation that occurred in her martial soul caused her to be mentally unstable, fiery, and explosive]
[Note: After getting stood up by Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong sometimes went mad and had to go to Star Dou Forest once every two months, weakening the madness through slaughter]
She is Liu Erlong!
Oh, dear god! What's the chance of us meeting this depressed, crazy female tyrannosaurus here?
She's a literal time bomb.
My lips twitched crazily because this wasn't part of my calculation when coming to Wind Prairie Town. I'm here to get my second spirit ring. What's with this bullshit encounter? It must be Asura! This guy is plotting bad things against me!'
As Han Yue and I stared at Liu Erlong, she also stared at us with bright scarlet dragon-like pupils, which showed she was faintly affected by her Martial Soul.
Liu Erlong mainly focused on me and said, "Your destination must be the Wind Prairie Town. I can't see poor children walking too long, so why don't hitch my ride and go there together?"
"No, thanks," I replied decisively, grabbing Han Yue's hand.
"No, I insist!" Liu Erlong stood before me, grabbing my shoulder with her superior physical strength.
I cursed in my mind, 'Damn it, this love-brained female tyrannosaurus is too strong!'
No matter how much I train my physique and spiritual power, it means nothing to a powerhouse like Liu Erlong.
She's a genuine Spirit Saint with top-tier Fire Dragon Martial Soul and optimal spirit ring configurations.
Meanwhile, I'm just a half-step Spirit Grandmaster.
So, we have no choice but to agree with Liu Erlong's proposal of hitching rides. As the carriage continued moving to Wind Prairie Town, Han Yue hugged me tightly and glared at Liu Erlon with an unkind look.
Liu Erlong didn't seem to mind Han Yue's gaze and chuckled, "You don't have to give me such a hateful gaze. I don't want to harm you and your brother."
"My mother was a commoner and left me alone when I was young, so I sympathize with you two."
"From your gazes, I know we had experienced similar suffering." She added bitterly. "I just hope it's not exactly like mine..."
I gave Liu Erlong a knowing look because she had suffered too many tragic events.
Liu Erlong is the daughter of Yu Luomian, the second head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and a prostitute from the rural area of Tian Dou City. As an illegitimate child, Liu Erlong couldn't join the clan due to her low status, mainly because of her mother's profession.
It's a given that The Blue Lightning Dragon Clan is a noble family, and they could not accept a "dirty" woman and her daughter into their ranks. Nevertheless, Liu Erlong did receive some assistance. She, fortunately, awakened the Fire Dragon Martial Soul, a part of the same lineage as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, with an innate spirit power around seven or eight. Her father, Yu Luomian, supported her by helping her establish a Spirit Master Academy, assisting from the shadows.
Unfortunately, Liu Erlong found herself in a complicated situation. During her journey as a Spirit Master, she met two "young" men, Flender and Yu Xiaogang, and they formed a team known as the Golden Iron Triangle due to their high compatibility in the Three-Person Spirit Fusion. Since then, their name has echoed in the Douluo Continent for some time.
Liu Erlong fell in love with Yu Xiaogang, unaware of their strong biological connection. After years of traveling together, they decided to settle down, leading to an ironic wedding. On their wedding day, Liu Erlong's father, Yu Luomian, intervened and revealed that Yu Xiaogang was his nephew. Yu Xiaogang was shocked and chose to flee, leaving Liu Erlong heartbroken and depressed for years. Despite this, Liu Erlong waited for Yu Xiaogang with lingering hope. Many may view it as unwise, but I called it Simp Behavior.
I believe that Liu Erlong's ironic situation was "naturally" orchestrated by Yu Xiaogang and Flender. Although Yu Xiaogang may not have been the most knowledgeable about Martial Souls, he must have recognized the similarities between Liu Erlong's Fire Dragon and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. After all, he is the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, for god sake, and it is hard to believe he overlooked such details, yet he chose to ignore the truth and get close to Liu Erlong.
Additionally, Flender, who was jealous of Liu Erlong's rejection of his love, secretly informed Yu Luomian about her relationship with Yu Xiaogang.
Then, the tragic story of the golden iron "love" triangle finished.
As I looked at Liu Erlong's beautiful profile, many complex thoughts raced through my logical mind. If possible, I wanted to stop this tragic woman from her imminent self-destruction. However, I also didn't want to save someone who didn't want to be saved.
After a while, I calmed myself down and stared at Liu Erlong again, "Are you the Slaughtering Corner of Golden Iron Triangle, Liu Erlong?"
Liu Erlong raised her eyebrow and responded, "Oh? I didn't expect you to know me, kid."
"What gave me away?"
I shook my head slowly and explained, "Your martial soul is... Odd."
"I've done some decent research regarding Martial Soul in the Douluo Continent, though not much. Even then, I still deduced many theories on my own."
"Your "Fire Dragon" Martial Soul is considered a rare case in my vision, a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon that casts away its "lightning" element in exchange for higher purity of fire element and berserk-like nature."
"No wonder you can reach Spirit Saint. However, don't you realize you would lose yourself if this continues?"
"What do you mean?" Liu Erlong frowned at me.
I calmly continued, "You're too hot-headed and prone to become mad, which was normal because of Fire Dragon's influence. However, you're controlled by it, and could result in your doom."
"At some point, you will lose yourself and become nothing but a mass-murdering monster."
"I'm not hot-headed!" Liu Erlong screamed at me.
"I'm not a monster!"
"A brat like you wouldn't understand!"
"Haha, at first, I thought I was saving commoner children. But it seems you're noble with such extensive knowledge."
"Then... I will kill you!"
The temperature in the carriage started rising.
"Xiao Yuan!" Han Yue worried, using the Water Reflected Moonshine to create a barrier around us.
I sneered at Liu Erlong and yelled, "You're mad! You're so mad because a child like me pointed this out for you?!"
"Haha, I believe you already have a thought to kill me, right?"
"Come on, kill me then! Attack me with your pitiful dragon's flame!"
"But by killing me, you'll prove my words true and become the thing you hate the most, an cold-blooded monster."
"Heh! Once you kill, you walk on a path of no return!"
Liu Erlong froze on the spot. My words are like sharp knives, cutting into her depressed and confused heart. Of course, I also did something from the shadow, using my spiritual power to restrain her fiery madness.
Honestly, it was a gamble. I gambled that Liu Erlong's control over her spiritual power was weaker than mine. Plus, the fact she wasn't in control of her emotions.
And it's my victory.
"I-I don't want to be a monster..." Liu Erlong suddenly curled into a ball and mumbled to herself, crying softly.
"I can help you." I said, steering her thoughts from madness again.
She stared at my clear obsidian eyes, feeling comfort in that abyss. "What should I do? What should I do to fix myself?"
"Please, please help me!"
"Very well..." I said with some relief.
At least this love-brained female tyrannosaurus wasn't beyond saving.
I can fix her!