Having no hope for Yun Xiang's intellect anymore, and even giving up on explaining the truth to her, Ao Lie patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Don't overthink it. Your master is so smart; he must have a plan."
This statement was quite convincing.
Yun Xiang blinked her eyes and didn't press further.
Seeing her like this, Liu Buli breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though he knew his little disciple wasn't very bright, he still felt a pang of guilt for constantly lying to the innocent child.
Taking a deep breath, he turned his gaze to the side, looking at Ao Lie's eyes, which never seemed to reveal much emotion.
Liu Buli opened his mouth.
Before he could speak, Ao Lie proactively said, "If you want to apologize, there's no need. Being discovered this time is entirely my fault. It was because my strength was too weak, and it has nothing to do with you."
Liu Buli was stunned.
Indeed, this was the kind of answer he expected from the black dragon. If they had just met, Liu Buli might not have felt so apologetic. But now, anyone could see that the relationship between the dragon and his disciple was extraordinary. Thinking of him as his disciple's future husband, Liu Buli felt he shouldn't act too casually.
So, after a moment of silence, he said, "You can't say that. You got hurt entirely because you came to save me. This whole situation was a misjudgment on my part from the beginning. It's my responsibility to apologize for the trouble I've caused you both."
As he spoke, a look of guilt indeed appeared on his face.
Ao Lie remained silent.
However, Shen Muzhi shook his head and picked up Liu Buli's words. He said, "It's good that you want to apologize, but I must also remind you that this has nothing to do with whether your judgment was right or wrong. The reason we went to Ghost City this time is that your condition couldn't hold on much longer. If we don't gather those materials now to separate the two souls within you, we are worried that one day, you might wake up to find yourself transformed into that enemy."
What he said was indeed true.
And as the attending physician who treated Liu Buli every time, Shen Muzhi's words carried significant authority on this matter.
Besides, even if he hadn't said it, everyone understood the situation. Therefore, no one blamed Liu Buli for this incident. They all knew that with Lu Wuming forced to stay behind, given Liu Buli's personality, it was already a great feat that he wasn't blaming himself.
Looking into his eyes again, Ao Lie added, "Don't think too much about it. You saved my life when you brought me out of that place. I still remember our contract. I only lost a tail; it's not that important. I rarely transform into my dragon form now, and in my human form, whether the tail is there or not doesn't affect me much."
That's what he said, but a part of him had indeed been severed, and Liu Buli understood that it must be uncomfortable.
However, seeing Ao Lie's attitude and knowing that he didn't want to dwell on the topic, Liu Buli skillfully changed the subject. "Even so, we need to resolve this issue first. Shen Muzhi, you mentioned that things have been unsettled in the sect lately. Is it because many people suspect that the dragon they saw is actually by my side?"
This was phrased as a question, but his tone was incredibly certain, as if he already knew the answer and merely needed confirmation.
And as it turned out, things were exactly as he thought. Upon hearing his question, Shen Muzhi's expression grew even more bitter. He nodded helplessly and said, "We can't really blame them for being suspicious. Your previous handling of the dragon matter in Water City had already spread like wildfire throughout the cultivation world. No one knew what you ultimately did with that dragon. Now, seeing a new dragon, everyone naturally assumes that you didn't kill the previous one but kept it by your side, and then lost control, allowing others to discover it."
One had to admit, these annoying people were quite sharp-minded at times.
Liu Buli mused inwardly, then frowned and pondered for a moment, finally reaching a conclusion. "According to your medical advice, I'll rest for a few more days. When you think my condition is stable, please contact the other sects and tell them that if they want to find the dragon, they can all meet at the Dan Sect."
Hearing this, the expressions of the others became somewhat strange. They certainly didn't believe Liu Buli would betray Ao Lie, but if that wasn't the intention, why gather those covetous individuals to their location?
For a moment, everyone looked at Liu Buli with surprise. Liu Buli himself, however, yawned, seemingly unconcerned by their worries. "Shen Muzhi, do you have any way to disguise Ao Lie, at least for a day or two, so that others don't discover his race?"
"There are indeed records in ancient texts, and if we try, we should be able to conceal his beastly aura," Shen Muzhi said hesitantly. "But his eyes..."
Perhaps due to his unhealed injuries, Ao Lie's beastly pupils were now even more distinct. It was precisely for this reason that Shen Muzhi dared not let him leave the courtyard, fearing that others might see his eyes and develop inappropriate thoughts.
Glancing at Ao Lie's eyes, Liu Buli smiled and said, "I have a way for that. After completely disguising him, we need to let him show his face to those people. After all, seeing is believing. If they see clearly that the Dan Sect is not hiding a dragon, they will be willing to let us go and stop investigating."
Shen Muzhi frowned. "Just for that?"
"Not entirely," Liu Buli chuckled, shaking his head. "I also want to organize them to go dragon hunting."