Hearing Shen Muzhi's question, You Siqi actually chuckled. Shaking his head, he said, "Where are there so many hidden motives? I just feel that keeping that dragon around might bring trouble to Liu Buli himself."
Shen Muzhi didn't react immediately.
It was Liu Buli himself who laughed and said, "Because history is always written by the victors, after the dragon race was destroyed, the cultivation world branded them as evil dragons. Whenever a dragon appears, everyone's first reaction is to slay it. They say dragons are wicked, mad, deceitful, cunning, and inhumane. Getting too close to them will only bring disaster. If others find out I'm raising a dragon, my already terrible reputation will surely worsen. You Siqi, are you worried I'm afraid to face this outcome?"
"That's not it. I know you don't care about others' opinions, so telling you this is useless," You Siqi shook his head and said, "But have you considered that you'll face more than just people badmouthing you? If others learn of the dragon's existence, there will be those who covet dragon scales and tendons who will come after you. You'll be in constant trouble then, don't blame me for not warning you beforehand."
He said this, but Liu Buli knew that if any such trouble arose, neither You Siqi nor Shen Muzhi would stand idly by.
Sighing, Liu Buli still smiled relaxedly and said, "But I'm just too kind-hearted. I can't stand to see the weak bullied. After all, whether it's the dragon race or Ao Lie, they've never done anything wrong from beginning to end. Yet they've become victims paying for human greed. I think that's too unfair."
"I think so too," Shen Muzhi nodded, looking directly into Liu Buli's eyes. "If Daoist Liu wants to protect that dragon, I will help you. Tell me if you need anything, and I will certainly not refuse."
Hearing his words, not only You Siqi but even Liu Buli realized that Shen Muzhi's innate kindness was acting up again.
Pressing his forehead with a headache, You Siqi earnestly reminded him, "Shen Muzhi, wake up a little. Liu Buli is a fox, unlike you. He's not exactly a kind person. He must have his own reasons for saving that dragon!"
He was right.
After all, Liu Buli had calculated the potential troubles that saving the dragon might bring him.
However, he also thought that he already had Lu Wuming and Yun Xiang, who were of hidden races, around him. Adding just one more dragon now wouldn't significantly increase the trouble.
In short, bringing Ao Lie back had more benefits than drawbacks.
Knowing this, the other issues became unimportant.
You Siqi could understand this, and Shen Muzhi naturally could too. But just like the male protagonists in novels, Shen Muzhi's perspective was always clear. He wouldn't dwell on the intricate calculations of benefits and losses; he judged good and evil solely by the outcome.
Shaking his head, Shen Muzhi looked into You Siqi's eyes. He said, "Daoist Liu might indeed gain something from this, but the fact that he saved this dragon is undeniable. If he hadn't saved it, and we hadn't intervened, the next person to discover this dragon's existence would hardly be as kind-hearted as Daoist Liu. By then, the victim would continue to be victimized. I don't want to see such an outcome, so this time, I will support Daoist Liu."
With Shen Muzhi saying this, You Siqi naturally wouldn't object further. He could only shake his head helplessly and sigh, "Since you've both thought it through, we need to consider how to properly conceal the dragon's identity. According to what Liu Buli said earlier, your Pill Sect isn't exactly harmonious, right? Then we must ensure the dragon always appears human within the Pill Sect, so no one can see through it. Otherwise, I fear the problems might start from within the sect itself."
Liu Buli smiled and nodded earnestly.
He could see that both Shen Muzhi and You Siqi genuinely cared about him.
The feeling of having friends was indeed comforting.
Liu Buli thought to himself, "I have a general understanding of the internal issues within the Pill Sect, so I've already considered what you've said. However, the prerequisite for all this is that Ao Lie's injuries must heal. As long as his injuries aren't healed, he can't use spiritual energy. The scales on his face won't disappear, and as long as someone sees them, there's a possibility of exposure. I can't just tell people who see them that he's a snake demon with insufficient cultivation, can I?"
As Liu Buli said this, everyone couldn't help but smile with a touch of helplessness.
Finally, Shen Muzhi made the decision. He said, "I don't want to return to the Medicine Master Valley for a while anyway. Why don't I stay at the Pill Sect with Siqi for now? I can help monitor the dragon's condition, and I can leave when he's mostly recovered."
Hearing him say this, Liu Buli narrowed his eyes and smiled at Shen Muzhi, "Physician Shen, saying that makes me a bit curious. Are you here to help me, or to escape the troubles of your Medicine Master Valley?"
Shen Muzhi gave a wry smile and didn't beat around the bush this time. He admitted directly, "Both. Although the post-war matters are mostly settled, I haven't finished extending condolences to the injured sects yet. I'm truly tired of those hypocritical relationship-building activities. I've handed all that over to the elders, and I can take a breather by finding an opportunity to escape."
Liu Buli smiled knowingly, then something occurred to him. "Right, have you dealt with all those ghost race members who were captured alive?"