Master, This Poor Disciple Died Again Today

Chapter 718: No Dragon

Hui blinked. Eh? Zhubi isnt a dragon?

Tian Chen shook his head. Dragons come in three colors. Yellow, red, and the most beautiful and powerful color, blue. He is white. Therefore, he cannot be a dragon.

Eh? I met a black dragon in the mortal realm

A flood dragon. Our inferior cousins can be many inferior colors. However, true dragons only appear in three colors. Any flood dragon who ascends to the Immortal Realm will change colors to become blue, red, or yellow, according to the quality of their cultivation up to this point. Tian Chen sat back, gesturing toward where the children had disappeared to.

Grasping at threads, Hui bit his lip. Uh, he, maybe hes a very pale blue or yellow?

Tian Chen shook his head firmly. You know his scales are white, as well as I do.

Hui frowned at the table. But then, then, what does that mean? Hes a dragon. Visibly, hes a dragon. But if he isnt, then what is he actually? And I dont know. I dont understand any of this. He looks like a dragon.

Think to yourself. Youve spent the most time with him. Have you seen a dragon pearl? An inverted scale? Does he have a dragons pride? The desire to fly freely in the sky? Tian Chen gestured. Tian Lan was born here, but aside from those born in the Immortal Realm, all dragons reach maturity as they leap over the dragon gate. Your Zhubi should appear as an adult in human form, but instead, he remains a child. And his fangs you know his human form isnt finished. It should be clear even to an inferior human such as yourself.

No, but but if he isnt a dragon, then what is he? Hui asked, completely lost.

Tian Chen leaned forward. He looked Hui in the eye. The Black Palace has stood empty for many years.

The Black Palace Hui frowned. But Zhubi is white, not black.

But his mother was a black dragon. Then wait, hold on. The Black Palace. Blue, red, white, black. The colors of the four cardinal beasts. Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and and the Black Tortoise. Or put more properly, the Black Xuanwu. Dragon-turtle.

Black Dragon. Zhubi isnt a dragon. Fighting his maturity Hui licked his lips, nervous. Then, is he

Tian Chen lifted his hands. Im merely guessing. I cannot know for sure. All I know is that he cannot be a dragon.

Hui took a deep breath. He rubbed his forehead, trying to think. Zhubi isnt a snake, isnt a dragon hes a dragon turtle? Ugh. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to explain this to him? Its the birds and the bees and puberty talk, but for my pet dragon-snake-turtle. And its not just puberty, but Hey kid. Youre about to change colors, and also turn into yet another mythical creature, and also puberty at the same time I guess. And also by the way this is all guesswork, we dont actually know whats going on with you, but you definitely arent a dragon.

What am I supposed to do? Hui asked aloud, putting his face in his hands.

Tian Chen patted his shoulder. Child-rearing is hard.

Im starting to realize that. Hui shook his head. Bai Xue, Li Xiang, Im sorry. I didnt even understand the strange conundrums you two faced! To think, I left you to navigate these uncharted waters alone

Hui stood suddenly, pushing up from the table. He took a deep breath. Im going to tell him.

Immediately? Tian Chen asked, raising a brow.

He hed want to know. And besides, he probably already knows, doesnt he? Somewhere in his heart Huis voice trailed off. Does he, though? Zhubis shown no indication of becoming a turtle that Ive seen. Maybe he has internallyIm no vet, after allbut I wouldnt know about that. No from all outward appearances, his attitude, everything he thinks hes a dragon. Or at least a small snake.

Ugh. Im going to have to totally break the news, arent I? Cold turkey. Zhubi has no idea. Not even an inkling.

You should move quickly, in any case. Hes rejecting his true self right now. You felt it, right? Hes burning up. If you dont tell him soon, he might not survive the process. As long as he still has ascension energy on his body, hell be fine, but once it wears off entirely, his chances of survival drop. Tian Chen sat up, putting his hands flat on the table.

Hes killing himself? Hui asked. Instantly, his heart rejected it. Zhubi wouldnt! Hes as much against dying as I am. Hes willing to fake his death to survive. He wouldnt do something that hurt him willingly, would he?

As if reading his thoughts, Tian Chen shook his head. He likely doesnt know whats happening. And with recently ascending, his body will be going through many changes one way or another. It wouldnt be unusual if he thought it was merely leftover changes from his ascension.

That Hui frowned. Thats possible. Its not like either of us know what it feels like to ascend. If my body still felt hot this long after ascending, Id find it strange, but I wouldnt necessarily think it was fatal immediately.

Well okay, to be fair, knowing me, Id probably quietly panic about it fifty times, but I wouldnt know it was a deadly issue. Id worry about it being a deadly issue, but I wouldnt know. And that is different.

Tian Chen shrugged. If what I suppose is true, in any case. Regardless, if he doesnt harness the ascension energy to complete whatever transformation he faces, it will become much harder on his body, and might even cause a setback in his cultivation.

Hui nodded. Thank you for the advice, Senior. He turned and ran off. I gotta find Zhubi. The sooner I get this conversation started, the better.

Tian Chen watched him go. He lowered his lashes and sighed. We all must grow up some time. Both that child and you, as well.