Chapter 10

    "Yi Long? I haven't used that name in ages. Now, remember in your hollow skull, I'm Mao Tong," said Mao Tong, striking a haughty pose with his hands on his hips and a proud lift of his chin.

    "Are you Yi Long?" Ta Gui eyed him suspiciously.

    The little worm nodded vigorously with its head held high, "I'm Mao Tong now."

    "Why have you become a worm?" Ta Gui was still doubtful.

    "Worm? Who's a worm?" Mao Tong's face contorted in disgust.

    "You are." Ta Gui looked at the little worm, not understanding how it could question its obvious form. Should I call a worm a dragon?

    Feeling like his head was being hammered, Mao Tong couldn't allow anyone to blatantly call him a worm. He opened his mouth and spewed purple fire again.

    Ta Gui, being a sage turquoise, fought back without cheating.

    He released a whirlwind that met with the purple fire, causing the flames to scatter across the area. It seemed like a draw between the worm and the turtle, but Ta Gui underestimated one thing—he didn't know Mao Tong had more than just fire.

    He also had water…

    After a fierce collision of fire and wind, Mao Tong then sprayed water, catching Ta Gui off guard and knocking him far back. He withdrew into his shell to avoid injury, then charged at the worm again.

    This time, Mao Tong didn't just release fire; he sprayed boiling water. Given that he could even melt substances with his body temperature, boiling water wasn't out of the question.

    Ta Gui, looking dreadful, might have been cooked had he been struck by the hot water. When the confrontation failed, he had to use another tactic.

    Suddenly, the air around Mao Tong disappeared, making it impossible for him to breathe.

    "You old turtle, so wicked!" Mao Tong gritted his teeth.

    With no air, he couldn't shoot fire and had to rely solely on water.

    The fierce battle between the two celestial beasts didn't disturb the Underwater Palace at all, so Liu Yi You, who was enjoying durians with Grandfather, remained blissfully unaware of the chaos the two creatures were causing in her vegetable garden.

    Xiao Gui watched the garden, now nearly destroyed, feeling forlorn. He wasn't sure whether to alert them or not. If left unchecked, they might all end up expelled and starve. With survival in mind, he escaped from the Underwater Palace to perch on Liu Yi You's head, pretending to know nothing.

    Liu Yi You was somewhat surprised to see Xiao Gui outside but didn't pay much attention. She continued to peel durians, with Liu Tan assisting.

    The two enjoyed their durians, completely oblivious to the havoc just outside.

    Mao Tong and Ta Gui, after fighting to exhaustion. Their states were weary, their bodies were full of wounds. The two then stopped and turned to each other, talking.

    This creature knew Yi Long. Yi Long, the dragon guardian of Qing Yun, could breathe fire, but Ta Gui never knew Yi Long could produce water. Even though this worm had a scent of Yi Long, it was so light he could barely detect it.

                  More importantly, Yi Long’s fire was not purple. So, if he were to say that this worm was downsized Yi Long, it would be very unlikely.

    "All right, why can you breathe both fire and water?" Ta Gui squinted suspiciously at the little worm still posing arrogantly, though it no longer attacked.

    Mao Tong lifted his chin proudly, "Because I am Master Khainui."

    "Master Khainui?" Ta Gui cocked his head, his face marked with a question.

    "What is Master Khainui?"

    "Hmph! You stupid turtle. It means a dragon among dragons, a divine dragon among dragons," scoffed Mao Tong, still displaying a superior demeanor.

    Ta Gui was baffled. Having lived for thousands of years, he had never heard such a thing. "You're not a worm, but a Khainui?"

    Mao Tong nodded with pride.

    Ta Gui paused in thought and then nodded. Perhaps because he had stayed on the island for too long without venturing elsewhere, he was unaware of the changes in the world.

    Perhaps the balance of the world hadn't shifted as much as he thought. With this realization, Ta Gui relaxed a bit. But looking left and right, Mao Tong still looked like a worm to him.

    Or perhaps it was a new breed of dragon. Maybe Yi Long had mated with a worm and thus had worm offspring—who knows?

    After finding an explanation for himself, Ta Gui turned to Mao Tong and spoke calmly, "Alright, let's call a truce. You're Mao Tong, the Dragon Seed, right?"

    Mao Tong tilted his head proudly.

    Seeing this, Ta Gui was inwardly displeased but didn't want to cause further conflict and turned his attention back to the vegetable garden.

    But…

    Were there any vegetables left?

    The hundred acres of garden space that Mao TongYi You had reserved as a vegetable garden were devastated by the fighting between the worm and the turtle. While some herbs still released a burnt scent into the air, the garden was completely ruined.

    Ta Gui's expression was as grim as Mao Tong's. The two mythical creatures faced each other, surrounded by the ruins of many valuable herbs.

    ...How would he explain this to Liu Yi You?

    On the other hand, Xiao Gui, who had fled to save himself a while ago, was enjoying durians happily. Despite their strong smell, he found the taste exquisite.

    "Xiao Gui, the durians are almost finished. Go back in and fetch some more from the fish tank," Liu Yi You had always called it the "fish tank," ever since she acquired the Underwater Palace, because it looked so much like a fish tank she had seen on the internet in her previous life.

    Hearing this, Xiao Gui stiffened. How could he fetch the spiky fruit from the palace when the vegetable garden was already in ruins?

    Seeing Xiao Gui’s hesitant behavior, Liu Yi You furrowed her brows, sensing that something was definitely amiss.

    Without hesitation, the girl sent her spirit into the fish tank, leaving Liu Tan and Xiao Gui sitting alone.

    As soon as Liu Yi You saw the condition of the hundred acres of garden, now reduced to ashes, she narrowed her eyes looking for the cause.

    She saw the turtle and the worm almost embracing each other abnormally.

    "Mao Tong, Ta Gui, explain yourselves," Liu Yi You demanded in a stern, low tone.

    "The stinky kid, we saw bugs eating those herbs, so we drove the bugs away. I'll help you replant them,"

    What crazy bugs could they get into the fish tank set in the sea of consciousness? Liu Yi You’s face looked extremely unpleasant as she spoke sternly,

    "I guess those two bugs don't want to live anymore, do they?"