Shen Muzhi's question was essentially meaningless. Ao Lie had no choice. He had endured this far, and if no one could thoroughly treat his wounds, he would simply die.
No matter how much time passed, he would only struggle in pain, with no change.
Therefore, when someone offered to help him heal, even if the method sounded terrifying, he had no choice but to accept.
He simply had no right to refuse.
Once Ao Lie nodded, Shen Muzhi breathed a sigh of relief. The room was rather small, and he couldn't allow Ao Lie to recover to his full dragon form.
So, he could only have the other party revert to his original form while shrinking his own size. Ensuring that the dragon could coil up in the courtyard, Shen Muzhi then drove everyone else out, staying alone in the courtyard with Ao Lie to begin treating his injuries as if in seclusion.
This treatment lasted for a full three days.
After three days, Ao Lie fell into a deep sleep under the effect of the medicine. When Shen Muzhi left the courtyard, Liu Buli was already waiting for him at the entrance.
Glancing at everyone, Shen Muzhi let out a long sigh. He looked at Liu Buli and said, "Daoist Priest Liu, you truly know how to stir up trouble. I've just helped you deal with a major issue, so you'll have to repay me handsomely."
"That's easy," Liu Buli smiled and said, "Physician Shen can consider what kind of reward you want. As long as it's within my means, I promise not to refuse anything."
Shen Muzhi knew that Liu Buli wasn't lying this time.
It was just that after three days of treatment, his spiritual power and energy were completely depleted. He didn't have the energy to joke with Liu Buli, so he simply waved his hand and said, "Give me some pills first. I'm exhausted and need to recover. Also, I'd like to hear what exactly happened."
Liu Buli, without hesitation, produced some pills for him. He was even generous this time, giving Shen Muzhi the jar containing the pills as well. Liu Buli smiled and said, "Take them all. You'll have many more mentally taxing tasks in the future, so it's good to be prepared."
Shen Muzhi gave a wry smile, took the jar, and sighed, "Daoist Priest Liu, if you hadn't given me this and told me I wouldn't encounter much trouble in the future, I think I would have been even more grateful."
Liu Buli remained silent, merely turning his head to look in the direction of You Siqi.
His meaning was very clear, as if to say—
Whether your future days will be peaceful depends on him.
Seeing that the matter had returned to his precious one, Shen Muzhi could no longer say anything. He reached out and rubbed You Siqi's head, indicating that he didn't mind the trouble and that You Siqi shouldn't worry too much.
After seeing You Siqi's expression improve, Shen Muzhi finally spoke again, asking, "Siqi, what's going on with this dragon? Why is he so badly injured? And what did you want to tell Daoist Priest Liu earlier? Tell me now, I want to hear it too."
"Such an important matter, let's find a quieter place to discuss it," Liu Buli said, leading them to his courtyard.
Once everyone had entered and sat down, You Siqi began to speak, "Actually, I originally intended to write this part in an extra chapter. I'd planted a foreshadowing in the main text, but it wasn't recorded very clearly. Judging by the current situation, the specifics should be no different from what I originally planned."
Liu Buli listened and nodded.
In the novel, the past of the dragon race was only vaguely mentioned. Therefore, even as a loyal reader, he couldn't quite figure out what had happened back then.
Scratching his head, You Siqi carefully considered his words, then looked at everyone and began, "Actually, hundreds of years ago, dragons were very common spirit beasts in the cultivation world. Unlike ordinary spirit beasts, divine beasts possessed the ability to shapeshift. They could speak human language, transform into human form, and even understood human emotions. They were gentle and generous, so even though they rarely initiated contact with human cultivators, they lived prosperous and incredibly wealthy lives within their own race."
Hearing his explanation, Shen Muzhi asked with some confusion, "Are you saying that the dragon race never launched any large-scale attacks on humans?"
"No, never," You Siqi replied. "Because dragons, at their core, are kind beings. Like most divine beasts, they represent beauty, so it's impossible for them to proactively attack other species."
Liu Buli asked, "Then the Dragon Slaying War..."
"It was a one-sided attack launched by human cultivators," You Siqi said, his expression growing solemn. "Dragons indeed symbolize beauty, but they were too powerful. To humans, it was like having fierce beasts lurking near a village. Even if those beasts didn't harm anyone, even if they never intended to hurt anyone, simply because they were a different species from humans, it instilled a sense of apprehension and fear in humans. Can you understand this?"
Liu Buli nodded.
Human nature is inherently evil; this is an eternal truth.
Shen Muzhi, however, clenched his fists with hesitation and murmured, "Just for that reason, did human cultivators annihilate the entire dragon race?"
"It wasn't solely for that reason," You Siqi said, counting on his fingers. "Also, dragons were full of treasures. Dragon scales, dragon whiskers, dragon tendons, dragon skin—any one of these alone was a treasure that could shake the world. With multiple interests converging, the Dragon Slaying War became very necessary. Dragons were inherently simple beings, and humans used cunning to make them believe their words. A group of cultivators held a banquet in the dragon city, and after several rounds of drinks, when everyone, both humans and dragons, were slightly tipsy, the humans suddenly launched their attack. The dragons had no time to react, and in just one night, the entire city was destroyed."
At this point, You Siqi paused for a moment, then continued, "Dragons are very home-loving creatures, so most dragons were actually in the city, not elsewhere. As for those who occasionally left, dealing with them was very convenient. As soon as a dragon was discovered, hundreds or even thousands of cultivators would act together. Within ten years, the name of the dragon race could no longer be heard on the continent. To destroy a race, sometimes it's that simple."
Listening to his account, Shen Muzhi felt his fists clench tighter and tighter. Even with his lover by his side, he was still, at heart, the passionate male protagonist.
He couldn't stand to see the good being bullied and instinctively wanted to step in and fight for justice.
But in a flash, he suddenly recalled You Siqi's words from when he first met Ao Lie. Shen Muzhi paused, then asked, "Since the dragon race was the victim from beginning to end, why did Siqi say he didn't want Daoist Priest Liu to bring him back? Could there be some other hidden reason?"