Chapter 2

1

From that day on, I would often go to the island for no particular reason. I couldn't always see him, but every time I went to the pond on the island, I would always find her. Slowly, we grew familiar with each other and fell in love. Finally, she agreed to marry me at that time.

How much time did Ling'er and I go through before reaching the road to our wedding? For the immortal Phoenix and the eternal Dragon, time is just a unit of calculation.

Ling'er is an important figure in the Phoenix clan, and even the Phoenix clan itself is very influential. After all, she has the pure bloodline of the Phoenix. Initially, Ling'er didn't want a grand wedding ceremony. She just wanted the Phoenix God to witness our union quietly. However, the Phoenix clan was insistent, and Demon Dragon could refuse, but Ling'er couldn't.

Within the Phoenix clan, there is a rule that is more important than life itself, or belief.

This rule is eternal loyalty, the ideal that Phoenix clan members cannot change: one husband, one wife.

Unfortunately, Demon Dragon's ideal is a harem, and having multiple wives is an unchangeable reality.

Because of this, I never told Ling'er that I am Demon Dragon. But after knowing each other for so long, it was impossible not to reveal my name - Qin Long, the alias I used back then.

But you can't hide the truth forever, and lies can't be told for a lifetime, especially to the person lying beside you.

Demon Dragon thought that after everything was done, he could tell her the truth and force her to accept it reluctantly. He underestimated the beliefs of the Phoenix clan.

On the day of the grand wedding, Demon Dragon's identity was finally discovered. It was like a highly compressed bomb of magical energy that exploded, causing an uproar. In The Demon Realm, Demon Dragon's numerous harems and the constant rotation of wives, it was widely known. At first, Ling'er couldn't believe that the person who had been with her for so long was actually Demon Dragon. But upon careful consideration, in their long conversations together, most topics were about interesting things happening off the island, and I never mentioned my family or my identity.

Facts are facts, undeniable and don't require rebuttal. I admitted it openly and sincerely sought Ling'er's understanding. I hoped that Ling'er's thoughts would differ from theirs, I really, truly hoped.

Ling'er released the hand she had been holding onto tightly.

"Why?" she asked.

"An incomplete heart cannot experience complete love."

Since then, I never saw her again. Even when I went alone to the sacred land of the Phoenix clan and slaughtered half of their members, I still didn't see her. That day became our final conversation.

And since then, the Phoenix clan established a rule that they would never again be involved with the Dragon clan. Whoever violated this rule, no matter how far away, would be killed by the Phoenix clan.

There were two reasons: deception and slaughter.

Even as Demon Dragon, who pushed their boundaries, there was no mercy. This hatred had become irreconcilable.

Hundreds of years later, Demon Dragon's son fell in love with a member of the Phoenix clan once again. But it was destined to be a tragedy. In order to escape the endless pursuit, the two fled to The Human Realm, assuming the surname "Qin" and hiding their powers. From the moment they arrived in The Human Realm, they became the first page of Qin family history. Later, during the war between gods and demons, The Human Realm inherited magical powers, and the bloodline abilities hidden within the Qin family gradually emerged. The mark in the Qin family's magic imprint came from the bloodline of the Phoenix clan, but unfortunately, no one could unlock the powers of the Dragon clan.

This history has always been known only to the heads of the family, and only they know that the Qin family possesses magical blood.

Having direct bloodline descent from Demon Dragon is the capital that allowed the Qin family to rise in The Human Realm.

For a long time, Qin Feng, the head of this branch of the family, besides leading the Qin family to become nobles of the empire, had not developed the powers of the Dragon clan. This made the elders extremely dissatisfied. It didn't matter who guarded this secret history; what mattered was who could obtain the power of the Dragon. So, changing the family head might be better. It was a gamble, a gamble with the fate of the family as the stake.

But I still don't understand. Is it necessary to end the dispute with death? The Phoenix clan views Demon Dragon with resentment as a slaughtering enemy. But why does the Qin family have to engage in fratricide?The cars on the road are flowing endlessly, and the bustling street corners indicate that time is still flowing, and I am still wandering the streets and lanes.

"Mama~~~ wu~~~~~" Suddenly, I heard a child crying.

In the alley beside the road, I saw the crying child.

Standing in front of the child, I asked, "Why are you crying?"

"My...my mom is gone!!"

Children getting lost from their parents happen every day, and I don't really need to pay attention, but I still asked this question.

"Well...do you want me to help you find her?"

"Okay!" The child smiled happily at me.

"Are you afraid of pain?"

"No!"

"That's good!" I scraped a small wound on his thumb, took out a drop of blood the size of a bean, and infused it with magic.

"Follow this drop of blood, and you will find your mom. Don't lose sight of it." I patted his shoulder, signaling him to follow the blood drop.

Looking at the child's happy figure, I thought, maybe I was just too happy today to be so kind.

2

"Do you really want to participate?" As I returned to the room with a pleased mood, Qin Yin's words were waiting for me.

"You've been asking me this question for the past two days, why?"

"There are two candidates, and only one can survive after they meet."

"Do we have to kill each other then?" I pulled the curtains open with a snap, looking through the floor-to-ceiling glass at the firefighters coming in and out below, as if the fire over there had been controlled.

Qin Yin remained silent.

After a while, Qin Yin spoke again, "You haven't answered my question for two days, so when do you want to kill me?"

"I won't kill you." I looked into his eyes, wanting to tell him to trust me.

"That's the rule, and if you don't follow it, the elders won't recognize you."

"I want to obtain this inheritance, it's for you. The title means nothing to the Demon Dragon, I just don't want you to die."

"W-what..." Qin Yin bit his tongue in shock.

"We are brothers!" I patted Qin Yin's shoulder and said, "That day, Qin Taiyuan was gnashing his teeth and said he wanted to kill you. I was very worried and didn't like his arrogant attitude. Moreover, you've wanted to break free from your father for a long time, right? As long as I regain the inheritance, everything can be resolved."

"But the elders still won't recognize it."

I couldn't help but laugh, Qin Yin's thinking was really foolish. "Hahaha! Demon Dragon's actions have never needed anyone's recognition. Many of the Ten Demon Kings opposed it during the war between gods and demons, but I still did it. So, do you still not believe that I am the Demon Dragon?"

"I don't know, in my eyes, you haven't changed at all, not at all. You don't have the feeling of a king, the dignity of a dragon."

"Just in front of you! Sleep now, tomorrow is the inter-school competition."

The inter-school competition, a rematch tomorrow.