CH 48

Chapter 48: A Message in the Thunder

The dark and oppressive clouds rolled in, covering the sky, as flashes of blue and purple lightning cut through them. In an instant, a bright light illuminated the swaying forest, stirred by the howling gales.

The lightning swirled mercilessly, striking down with no mercy as raindrops fell. The thunderous roar reverberated, causing Yun Zhao's eardrums to ache. Unconsciously, he looked up, and his pupils reflected the horrifying light and shadows.

It seemed like someone was shouting, but Yun Zhao could no longer hear any other sounds around him. All he could perceive was the ear-shattering thunder that made his whole body tremble.

Soon, Yun Zhao noticed that the lightning was striking in the same location.

The bamboo forest behind the mountain!

"Ao Yu..." Yun Zhao's pupils instantly dilated, and cold sweat began to pour down his body.

He hurriedly wiped his sweaty palms on his clothes and was about to get up to go out when he collided head-on with Bai Ze, who had just arrived at the door.

Bai Ze's face was solemn, devoid of his usual playful smile. He pushed Yun Zhao back inside and swiftly closed and latched the door.

Yun Zhao's heart was growing increasingly anxious, unable to comprehend why Bai Ze was suddenly acting this way. He hurriedly pounded on the door and shouted, "Bai Ze, what are you doing? I need to find Ao Yu! He's still in the bamboo forest!"

Bai Ze firmly pressed against the door, and Wu Mu came over to lock the windows.

Taking a deep breath, Bai Ze spoke in a low voice, "Yun Zhao, listen to me. It's just a normal thunderstorm. Ao Yu will be fine. It's stormy outside, so it's better for you to stay inside until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Again, tomorrow!" Yun Zhao exclaimed angrily, slamming his shoulder against the door, causing it to emit a muffled sound.

Yun Zhao grew increasingly desperate. Sweat poured down his forehead as he pleaded, "What is going to happen tonight? What has happened to Ao Yu?"

Bai Ze couldn't provide a reasonable explanation and chose to stay silent. Wu Mu obediently closed all the windows. Yun Zhao took a few steps back and stared at the sealed room. He gathered his unfamiliar spiritual power and directed it towards the tightly shut window.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the window shattered as wooden fragments rained down from above Wu Mu's head. Startled, the black cat swiftly moved away.

Shaking his head, Wu Mu looked up and saw Yun Zhao skillfully leaping with one hand on the windowsill, his flowing robes brushing past his head. Wu Mu finally reacted and quickly pounced, grabbing hold of the young man's leg.

"Wu Mu?" Yun Zhao nearly stumbled over him. He bent down, intending to grasp the back of the kitten's neck and pull him away. "Why are you here too? Let go quickly! What are you doing by clinging onto me like this?"

Wu Mu refused to let go, even using his mouth to tug on Yun Zhao's robes and pull him back. The small pointed teeth created several holes in the fabric.

"Yun Zhao, you should go back first," Bai Ze hurried over and wiped the rainwater off his face, advising, "If there's something you want to talk about, let’s go back inside and talk about it."

Outside the house, Yun Zhao sensed a different atmosphere around him. The solemnity and heaviness between heaven and earth made the air unusually stagnant, as if an invisible spider's web was closing in from all directions.

He couldn't bear to leave it alone, so he grabbed the back of Bai Ze's clothes and asked, "What exactly happened to Ao Yu? Don't try to deceive me. This is different from the thunder tribulation during Sun Yang’s breakthrough."

Bai Ze averted his gaze, and water droplets slid down from his chin, falling on his collar. He pursed his lips and remained silent, guiding Yun Zhao towards the house.

Yun Zhao had no other choice but to call out, "Wu Mu, let go of me for now."

His leg was being clung onto by Wu Mu, and he didn't dare to kick forcefully. Wanting to reach down and grab the cat, Wu Mu quickly turned his head, burying it in the robes, and shouted, "The bamboo forest is dangerous anyway! You can't go!"

Yun Zhao took a breath. He had no idea where these two lazy fellows got their strength from. He struggled and said, "Can such a powerful thunderstorm not be dangerous? That's why I'm worried about Ao Yu!"

Caught by the young man's hand, Wu Mu dangled in mid-air, his four paws flailing about. In a fit of frustration, he shouted, "He killed Qing Jiao. Naturally, the heavenly punishment of thunder tribulation will descend. He'll get through it just fine after enduring it once! This is unavoidable!"

As his words fell, the courtyard fell silent, with only the sound of the drizzling rain hitting the ground, producing a dull thud.

Yun Zhao regained his senses and turned to look at Bai Ze. "What Wu Mu said..."

"It's true," a cold and clear voice came from nearby.

Yun Zhao followed the sound and saw the Flower Goddess standing in the rain, holding an umbrella. A bitter smile appeared on her radiant face. "Qing Jiao was an immortal. He completely destroyed Qing Jiao's divine soul, so he can't escape the retribution of heaven. I originally intended to stay with Bai Ze as his guardian, but I didn't expect that we couldn't even get close to the bamboo forest."

Yun Zhao stood dumbfounded in place, and Bai Ze took the opportunity to guide him back into the house, setting up a barrier around it.

"Wait, wait!"

The exterior of the house was immediately enveloped in a luminous screen. Yun Zhao leaned against the windowsill, raindrops falling from the eaves, and anxiously asked, "What about Ao Yu... will he..."

"He can endure it," the Flower Goddess sighed, her gaze seeming to penetrate through layers of rain curtains and fall onto the bamboo forest.

She said calmly, "This thunder tribulation won't take his life, but it will mercilessly kill anyone who gets close. That's why he chose to undergo punishment in the uninhabited mountains and told you nothing about it before he left."

Yun Zhao felt a sourness in his nose, and a dull pain throbbed in his chest. His thoughts became chaotic and disordered, and he weakly leaned against the edge of the windowsill.

Thunder roared outside the house, one clap after another, and Yun Zhao crouched along the wall, hugging his knees and curling up into a small ball. He buried his head in his arms, and emotions long suppressed in his heart took root and sprouted, bringing sudden clarity as if clouds had parted to reveal the moon.

Bai Ze and the Flower Goddess performed spells and summoned artifacts. A gigantic lotus flower floated in mid-air, enveloping the entire Yuming Mountain and partially reducing the pressure of the thunder tribulation on Ao Yu.

No one spoke at this moment. The sound of rain fell softly outside, accompanied by the roaring and howling of distant behemoths amidst the thunder and lightning. Each sound rubbed against the soft flesh in Yun Zhao's heart like fine gravel.

It wasn't until the final bolt of lightning struck and Yun Zhao heard the Flower Goddess exhale in relief, saying, "It's over," that he closed his eyes and exhaled a breath of white mist, as if he had survived a calamity. He stood up.

The sleeves of his robe were crumpled from being clenched tightly at the elbows. He said to the Flower Goddess, "Remove the barrier."

The Flower Goddess, perhaps understanding what Yun Zhao intended to do, looked at the young man in front of her, whose pale complexion made him seem as if a gust of wind could blow him away. She complied with his request and removed the barrier.

Yun Zhao looked at the lifeless and lingering celestial aura in the sky without hesitation, and he walked out.

"Eh, you can't..." Bai Ze frowned, about to dissuade him, but the Flower Goddess raised her hand to stop him.

She shook her head and said, "The thunder tribulation has passed. Let him go."

In the moment when the youth brushed past her, he heard the gentle admonition from the divine being, "Be careful on your way."

Yun Zhao's heart warmed, he nodded in acknowledgment, and without looking back, he ran towards the back mountain.

Bai Ze anxiously said, "Who knows what the back mountain looks like after being struck by lightning? The pressure of the tribulation hasn't dissipated yet. What if he gets scared when he goes in?"

"Yun Zhao has never been a fragile dependent flower. He's not as fragile as you think," the Flower Goddess said, watching the young man's retreating figure with a faint smile in her eyes.

Ao Yu, who once angrily secluded himself in Yuming Mountain, probably never imagined that one day someone would unhesitatingly come to his side.

......

A dense mist lingered in the back mountain, accompanied by a lingering oppressive aura that weighed heavily like a giant boulder on Yun Zhao's chest.

Every step Yun Zhao took consumed more energy from his trembling legs. The winding and rugged mountain path seemed longer than usual in his eyes, but he had no intention of stopping for a moment.

System: [Slow down your pace.]

Leaning against a charred rock, Yun Zhao gasped for breath and muttered the name of Xiao Long, asking in his consciousness, "Ao Yu... Is he alright?"

The system paused before responding, [He's fine. He passed out from the lightning strike, but you can heal him.]

Yun Zhao felt his heart tighten and immediately continued running, shouting as he ran, "Passing out doesn't count as being fine!"

The air around him felt heavy and carried a pungent scent of burning. Yun Zhao's legs grew weak, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

When he reached the edge of the bamboo forest, he leaned against the green bamboo, lifted his head, and through the moonlight, faintly saw a silver figure lying diagonally in the lake.

"Ao Yu!"

Finally, Yun Zhao saw the little dragon he hadn't seen in several days. However, the scene before him instantly widened his eyes in shock.

Tree trunks and scattered leaves floated on the surface of the water, illuminated by the bright moonlight. Faintly visible beneath the white dragon's body was a pool of crimson blood.

The massive dragon head lay weakly on the sandy shore of the lake, its normally jade-like scales now dim and lifeless. Several dark black scars, where the flesh was torn apart by lightning, resembled repulsive crawling insects among its originally pure and flawless body.

Yun Zhao's heart twisted into a knot. He didn't care about taking the detour through the other path. Instead, he lifted his robe and slid down the slope, stumbling and rushing to the side of the white dragon.

"Ao Yu... Ao Yu..." He softly called out the little dragon's name, his heart aching as he placed the dragon head on his own legs.

This was the little dragon he had taken care of diligently since the beginning in Yuming Mountain, and now it had been ravaged by the thunder tribulation to this extent.

Tears rolled down the corners of Yun Zhao's eyes. He wiped his face with his hand and choked back his sobs as he channeled his spiritual power to heal the dragon's wounds.

Yun Zhao had never been so grateful for his abilities as he was now, to be able to alleviate the sense of helplessness he felt facing the punishment of the heavens.

The pure white halo seemed to sense the anxious emotions of its master. It dispersed into countless points of light, swirling around them, gradually enveloping the dragon and the person, smoothing out the horrifying wounds.

Touching the tightly closed beast pupils of the white dragon, Yun Zhao lowered his head and softly called, "Ao Yu... Wake up..."

In the rustling sound of the bamboo forest, the young man's soft voice was drowned out. The clouds in the sky gradually dispersed. Just as Yun Zhao thought he would be sitting alone for the night, he suddenly felt the beast pupils in his hands tremble slightly.

Yun Zhao looked down in astonishment and saw that the white dragon in his arms had opened its eyes. The pale golden radiance was as beautiful and alluring as ever.

The white dragon shook off the remnants of leaves on its body and looked at the disheveled young man, whispering, "You shouldn't have come."

Yun Zhao felt a mixture of anger and amusement. After saving him for so long, the dragon woke up and said such words.

But he grabbed the dragon's ear and said earnestly, "I was worried about you. No matter what you've done, I won't be afraid. So, you shouldn't have let Bai Ze and the others keep it from me."

Ao Yu was taken aback and guiltily handed his ear over to the young man's hand. "I'm sorry."

A gentle mountain breeze brushed past as the clouds completely dissipated, revealing a sky full of stars. Fireflies dotted the grass in the bamboo forest, dispelling the stifling darkness of the night.

A flash of white light passed, and Ao Yu returned to his human form. Perhaps due to the instability of his spiritual power after the injury, his disheveled white hair still retained the incredibly beautiful dragon horns.

The dragon horns shimmered like pearls under the moonlight, and Yun Zhao couldn't help but reach out and gently touch them, causing Ao Yu to hum softly and tilt his head away.

"Don't touch it randomly." Ao Yu held the young man's slender fingers, gently rubbing the small cuts caused by the tree bark on his fingertips.

Yun Zhao frowned, dissatisfied. "You kept so many things from me, and I came here to heal you. Now you won't even let me touch the dragon horns. You're so stingy."

Ao Yu laughed and raised his hand to play with the soft strands of the young man's hair, explaining, "Dragon horns are sensitive. Only a dragon's partner is allowed to touch them."

In his deep and pleasant voice, tinged with cautious probing, Yun Zhao's heart seemed to skip a beat. His ears turned red as he turned to look at Ao Yu.

Yun Zhao's eyelashes trembled lightly as he met the smiling pale golden eyes, and he softly replied, "I am your partner."

In the young man's eyes, as if filled with the radiance of stars, the sincere and passionate expression made Ao Yu unable to resist moving closer to him.

Overwhelming emotions surged from the depths of their hearts. The long-buried doubts found their answer at this moment. Ao Yu seemed to possess the most precious treasure in the world as he tenderly caressed the young man's face.

An indescribable affection permeated the surroundings, overshadowing all the noise in the bamboo forest. It felt as if only the gentle breeze carried their heartfelt intentions, drawing them closer to each other, merging as one.

Ao Yu extended his arm and embraced the young man in his arms. He leaned down, and his white strands of hair brushed against Yun Zhao's face. The two of them were so close that they could feel each other's breath, like swans entwined under the moonlight.

A warm breath brushed against their faces, and Yun Zhao instinctively held his breath. The sound of his racing heartbeat echoed in his ears, and his hand involuntarily clenched the other person's robe.

His high and straight nose pressed against his cheek, exerting a slight force, and it lightly touched the soft flesh of his cheek. The young man's gaze faltered and scattered under the intense gaze of the pale golden eyes. He could only part his lips slightly, allowing the invading visitor to intertwine with him.

It felt as if they were lifted onto a cloud or returned to an initial dreamlike state. The lingering notes of their emotions were also forcefully engulfed, and only the vivid sensation on their lips made Yun Zhao tremble in the warm embrace.

The peeking fireflies quietly hid in the grass, and the moonlight shimmered under the starry sky. Everything around them faded away, leaving only the tranquility for the lovers to be alone...