Chapter 180 - Dragon Salamander
Chapter 180: Dragon Salamander
Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
There was a rumble in his ear. Li Xianyu’s brain thought of many horror movie scenes. In the dark, a ferocious monster would appear quietly behind the person who was going to die and the side character. The monster would silently approaching until the faint light of fire illuminated its ferocious features.
“Be careful!” Great-Grandma was shocked, and she yelled to remind Li Xianyu.
The sound was distorted at the bottom of the water, turning into bubbles.
The next moment, Li Xianyu’s hair was standing. The undercurrent was splashing on his back. The thing was lunging at him, attempting to bite him.
Human beings couldn’t move immediately at the bottom of the water. To an agile foreign species, he was a live target. He knew he could not avoid it and grit his teeth. Directing all his qi into the shield, he turned to face the enemy. The shield formed a gas shield two meters high and one meter wide.
Bang!
Hit by a huge impact, the gas shield shook. Li Xianyu was shot out like a cannonball. The light stick flew out from his hand and sunk deep into the water. The lights went farther and farther, and disappeared.
Great-Grandma flew past his head and her feet stepped on his shoulder, and she leapt. With a crack, Li Xianyu’s shoulder bone cracked as Great-Grandma used that momentum to charge at the monster.
Li Xianyu steeled himself and struck towards the monster. With that move, he flew a dozen meters away. If he was on shore, it would look like a kite that had its string cut. Of course, if they were on shore, the monster might not be able to hit him.
Great-Grandma bit the light stick in her mouth, and she was fighting the monster blow-to-blow. The monster had bitten her arm and had the arm in its mouth, but she didn’t panic. She smashed the monster’s head with her fist. One person and one monster was is in a vicious battle, causing a massive undercurrent.
“Its head is as hard as iron!” Li Xianyu quietly swam towards them with a knife in his mouth.
It was an iron monster that could survive many punches from Great-Grandma. Even though she was only competing against her enemy with her flesh body, the Unparalleled War Spirit’s body was the best weapon.
Li Xianyu approached the monster from the side. While it was concentrating on biting Great-Grandma, he stabbed the monster in the stomach with a knife.
The tip of the blade was blocked by hard scales, and the monster’s abdomen was covered with a dark layer of scaly armor.
Whoosh!
Li Xianyu concentrated his qi into the knife, as he shattered the scales and stabbed the monster’s stomach with force, twisting the knife further in.
Streams of blood gushed in the water, as the monster struggled and retaliated violently. Its tail swept over Li Xianyu’s gas shield and he flew out again. At that point, Li Xianyu saw Great-Grandma make a gesture at him, pointing to the surface of the water. He nodded, and Li Xianyu shuffled and swam to the surface of the water.
…
The mountain wind whistled, chilling and eerie.
The clouds rolled in the sky, and it looked as if a rainstorm was coming. That was how the summer weather was. It changed on a whim, and it was mostly thunderstorms and rainstorms.
Old Man Xu was standing on the boat, and the increasingly fierce wind set off waves, and the boat bobbed up and down. He stood on a rickety boat, holding a metal trident, clutching a flashlight and stared nervously at the water.
The two young police officers had dived into the water for five minutes, and they haven’t surfaced. The only thing that gave Old Man Xu assurance was that there was no blood floating on the water. That gave him some comfort.
Faint blood was suddenly illuminated by the cylindrical light and Old Man Xu’s forehead was painted with sweat. He crouched at the side of the boat and shouted, but realized he didn’t know the names of the two young policemen.
Whoosh! The sound of water came from behind.
The grieving Old Man Xu was startled, holding up his flashlight as the light illuminated a young man in a sorry state and a pale face. He swam over in silence and climbed up the boat.
“Where is she? Where’s your colleague?” Old Man Xu asked loudly.
“She’s fine, she’s underwater. Let’s go back to shore. You’ll see your grandson’s murderer soon.” Li Xianyu grabbed the wooden oar, his expression calm.
“You’re hurt!” Old Man Xu stared at Li Xianyu’s right arm.
“It’s just a small injury. Don’t talk so much, row the boat.” When the monster slammed into the gas shield, it tore Li Xianyu’s purlicue , and then, a more aggressive attack caused his wrist and arm bones to be shattered.
Old Man Xu sat down in silence and rowed the boat with him. His expression was sad, his eyes full of tears. In the eyes of the old man, the little girl had not come to the surface for a long time, and had apparently died in the mouth of the monster. The blood in the water was evidence. Li Xianyu was lucky and had escaped. He then lied to comfort him.
The honest old farmer could not accept such sacrifices and blows. His heart felt incredibly heavy.
Li Xianyu’s back was facing him, so he could not see the face of the old man. Additionally, there was no evidence, so he could not explain. He had to wait for Great-Grandma to hammer the monster to death and carry it to the shore, so Old Man Xu could see it for himself. After all, a picture was worth a thousand words.
The creature should be a reptile, and the short contact in the water made Li Xianyu confirm that. However, the bottom of the water was so dark that he didn’t see the entire monster. The monster was, by conservative estimates, about the same level as a junior employee, but because it was in water, it was more ferocious. He couldn’t handle it alone without Great-Grandma. Overall, the mission was not difficult and dangerous.
The boat was very fast, and the undulating waves helped the boat to reach the shore quickly. When he jumped off the ship, the old man tied the rope to the wooden stake and let the boat bob in the waves.
Li Xianyu stood on the shore, quietly looking at the water surface. After two or three minutes later, a pale face appeared on the shore, with hair sticking to her face. Old Man Xu was shocked and took a few steps back. It was not until Great-Grandma slowly came ashore that he breathed a sigh of relief and was surprised and delighted. His expression then changed, when he saw Great-Grandma dragging a section of a bright yellow tail. As she came ashore, the monster gradually floated to the surface.
Old Man Xu’s hands which was holding a steel trident was shaking slightly. He was both furious and frightened. “What… what is this?”
Li Xianyu mused on for two seconds. “A salamander?”
The monster was not big, around the size of two small calves. Its back was bright yellow and was smooth and bright. There were thin scales on the sides of its abdomen.
It had a flat head, battered by Great-Grandma’s punches. Its eyes were small and it had a wide mouth and sharp fangs. It resembled an enlarged version of a salamander. But how did a salamander, a weak protected animal, grow scales and fangs? Nuclear radiation?
“There are always some mutated monsters in the mountains and forests,” Li Xianyu comforted him. After saying that, he gave Great-Grandma his jacket to wear. The white T-shirt was a blessing. After getting wet, her seductive figure was revealed. She wore a half-cup bra and with a translucent T-shirt clinging to her chest, it revealed a deep cleavage.
Li Xianyu’s eyes lit up: (^_−)☆
A cleavage was always welcomed. Great-Grandma wore a conservative swimsuit last time and didn’t reveal her cleavage at all. This made up for the previous time.
Great-Grandma put on the coat and her expression was solemn. “It’s a rare breed, called a dragon salamander. It gives birth after 50 years, turns into a mountain dragon in 100 years and transforms into a flood dragon after 200 years. Its flesh is tasty and is very nutritious for the complexion and kidneys. It is a very valuable food for people of Chinese descent. I ate a dragon salamander when I was a child, and I have never forgotten until now. It’s said that the flesh of a mountain dragon has better meat quality. Empress Cixi ate it then and has always longed for it. Unfortunately, it’s incredibly rare.”
So Great-Grandma was a glutton as a child.
“It doesn’t have horns.” Li Xianyu observed the dead salamander.
“That’s what I’m going to tell you. I observed that it’s a young salamander that was just born, I think it’s only one month old,” Great-Grandma said.
That meant that the newly born dragon salamander came to the reservoir and happened to meet Old Man Xu, who took his grandson fishing in the reservoir. It then ate his grandson on the shore.
No! Something’s wrong! The rich knowledge of Animal World came to Li Xianyu’s mind again. In nature, many fish would regularly and directionally search for the calm waters that suit their lives according to their life cycles, so that they could lay eggs and feed their next generation. This cyclical activity was called migration. Migration was to find suitable waters for spawning, which protected the chances of survival for the next generation. How did the newly born foreign species make it all the way to the reservoir? Even if they were demon descendants, they were unable to master the skills of hunting at birth.
“There’s still a big one.” Li Xianyu’s expression changed.
This little creature was born one month ago and the time coincided. The reservoir was deserted and there was enough food to provide for it. Wasn’t it the best cradle for the growth of the monster’s cub?
A month ago, a monster came to the reservoir with a cub and chose to lay eggs there. The reason why Old Man Xu could not find the monster was most likely as it was waiting to deliver her baby. Its range of activities was limited to the bottom of the water, which was why Old Man Xu was alive.
“Is the big one still here?” Li Xianyu asked quietly. In the animal world, when a cub grew to be able to feed independently, the mother either drove it out or left.
“I’m not sure. Dragon salamanders are rare. Their habits are unknown.” Great-Grandma frowned. “But we can try.”
“How?”
Great-Grandma did not answer, but glanced at Old Man Xu, who was not far away.
Li Xianyu understood and coughed. “Come with me, sir.” He brought the man inside the house and told him, “No matter what happens, don’t come out, understand?”
Old Man Xu disagreed and insisted on going out. “I can still help. Don’t think I’m old and not as strong as you young people.”
He was a stubborn old man.
Since he insisted on following them and got onto the boat, he knew the old man was a bit obstinate. He was most annoyed by the two types of people, the one who was naughty and the one who was stubborn.
With a silent sigh, Li Xianyu suddenly pointed behind the old man. “Look, an aeroplane.”
Old Man Xu turned in astonishment, and Li Xianyu raised his hand, and gently hit the back of the old man’s neck.
The old man whimpered and crumpled in Li Xianyu’s arms.
“What happens next is not suitable for ordinary people like you to see.” Li Xianyu placed him on the bed. “Sleep well.”
He went out to the shore and asked, “How are we going to try?”
“Foreign species are very sensitive to the blood and odor of the same species. Let’s use some blood on to see if it can lure the big one out.” Great-Grandma stretched out her hand and said, “Hand me the knife.”
Li Xianyu immediately handed over the knife to his ancestor. Great-Grandma threw the little dragon salamander back in the water, and stabbed it madly with the knife. It had just died, and the blood had not cooled, so the red blood spread in the water.
The two then sat by the shore, waiting for the big guy to smell her cub. Li Xianyu opened up two cod cans, then ran back to the house and took two pears. He sat in a row with Great-Grandma and ate some fruits.
“What’s the level of the big guy? Can it transform into a human?” Li Xianyu asked.
“The Dragon Salamander can’t take a human form. It’s more spiritual than the average foreign species, but it’s very slow for them to develop wisdom. They’re just trying to transform into dragons. So no ancient records mentioned about dragon salamanders transforming into humans.”
“It takes a hundred years for them to transform into a mountain dragon. The strength of the hundred-year-old mountain dragon is terrifying, and senior employees can’t cope with it. But once they transform into flood dragons after 200 years, they’ll have to go back to the water. From the water to the land, from the land to the water, and finally transforming into a dragon.”
“We’ve looked around the reservoir before, and there’s no sign of crawling. I’m guessing that the big guy hasn’t evolved to the level of a mountain dragon.”
The dragon salamander was the only foreign species that could possibly turn into dragons. Reptiles like snakes, didn’t have the qualifications.
From a biological perspective, snakes don’t have limbs but dragon salamanders do. Dragon salamanders have limbs and horns. The next step was a mountain dragon, followed by a flood dragon. The flood dragon would finally transform into a dragon.
The ancient records contained many legends about the dragon, which was believed to have evolved from a mountain dragon. However, many people misunderstood and thought flood dragons evolved from snakes.
“Are there really dragons in the world?” Li Xianyu asked.
“I haven’t seen it, but I think there is,” Great-Grandma ruminated and said. “The dragon salamander transforming into a dragon is a return to its ancestors, which means there is a form of dragon amidst the ancient demons. Do you know the origin of our Black Water Spirit Pearl that was passed down from our ancestors?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s a treasure of the Qing royal family, used to suppress the qi. It’s also called the dragon pearl. But it’s actually a dragon pearl.” Seeing her great-grandchild stare dumbfoundedly, Great-Grandma said smugly, “It is the only core material that can serve to create the Unparalleled War Spirit.”
“Did the Great Qing Dynasty use to slaughter dragons?”
“Well, it’s another mystery, but I didn’t really study very hard so I don’t know.”
Li Xianyu realized that dragons didn’t really exist in the world, but it was a creature called a dragon by people. He knew that many mythical monsters actually had forms that existed in real life. I can’t believe I could encounter such a high-grade creature such as a dragon salamander in a small mission.
After waiting for a while, the dragon salamander still didn’t appear.
Maybe it’s really gone. Li Xianyu felt relaxed. “Great-Grandma, when I saw the reservoir, I remembered a joke.”
Great-Grandma looked at him with her head tilted.
“There was a man who was struggling to pursue a goddess, so he told the goddess, once he and his two little partners went swimming in the reservoir and they encountered a stormy weather like this. Three people were swimming face-up in the reservoir, but lightning only hit him. When he finished talking about it, the goddess promised to be his girlfriend.”
Great-Grandma asked curiously, “Why?”
Pitter-patter! Heavy rain fell, and the mountains were silent. Large drops of rain crackled as they fell into the water.
A dangerous air of uncertainty descended upon them.
Great-Grandma’s eyes narrowed. “Here it comes!”