It's precisely such baseless conjecture that can cause even greater trauma to those involved!
Zhu Minglang was one of those involved, and he knew the dungeon's situation better than anyone. There were no guards in that dungeon, as if some mystical force surrounded it, preventing just anyone from entering.
Indeed, he was the first to be thrown in. Perhaps his constitution was better than that of the vagabonds, for he woke up from the poison first.
Of course, there was another more important reason that made Zhu Minglang realize he had taken the Valkyrie's first, second, third....
But the rumors had become more and more preposterous, many people simply didn't care about the truth. As long as it was sufficiently vulgar and evil, they would utter it irresponsibly.
Sigh, in a little while, I should be able to bear the responsibility, I suppose. Being constantly called a beggar, a vagabond, leaving Li Yunzi with no face, made me very uncomfortable too.
But I can't rush things, I still have to wait for Little White to turn into a dragon.
Zhu Minglang walked out of his residence towards the lake, heading in the direction of Phoenix Embankment, where there was a forest of sweetgum trees in Li Chuan States.
It was the peak of autumn, and the leaves were dense and thick. The orange and red leaves created a visually enjoyable layering effect atop the tree canopy, which complemented the fallen Li Fire-red leaves on the ground.
Ahead, the water was clear and appeared calm, but at the embankment, it suddenly cascaded down, creating beautiful rainbows in the mist intertwined with patches of sunlight.
Sweetgum forest, green lake, waterfalls, rainbows—nature effortlessly painted a scene of infinite romance.
Zhu Minglang was now very close to the waterfall, an excellent vantage point to take in the beautiful scene.
"If you want to swim, don't go too far out. There's a waterfall over there, and if you fall over it, that's the end of you, understand?" Zhu Minglang warned the Little Crocodile Spirit perched on his shoulder.
"Woo oh oh~~~" Little Crocodile Spirit opened its mouth wide and let out a simple call, as if to agree.
Arriving at a riverbank piled with countless pebbles, Zhu Minglang put Little Crocodile Spirit down. It immediately chased after the stone-spotted fish in the shallows, moving with astonishing speed, leaving Zhu Minglang only able to catch a fleeting glimpse of the little black creature.
"Not bad with your moves there!"
Zhu Minglang was somewhat surprised; Little Crocodile Spirit was simply a fishing pro, catching three or four big, plump stone-spotted fish in no time, which would surely be delicious when grilled.
Soon, Zhu Minglang realized that Little Crocodile Spirit didn't eat the stone-spotted fish at all. It was purely practicing its hunting skills on these agile fish.
Stone-spotted fish were quite difficult to catch among river fish; unlike the slower grass carp, they could swim swiftly against the smooth river pebbles, changing direction suddenly, or at worst, hide in the crevices...
As a Juvenile Spirit of the crocodile species, it would typically target young, naive deer or foolish sheep at the water's edge, sneaking up on them with a muddy disguise before clamping down with a bite.
Crocodile Spirits capable of capturing stone-spotted fish like the Little Crocodile Spirit were certainly rare!
After hunting stone-spotted fish for a while, Little Crocodile Spirit seemed to find it no longer challenging and began to swim towards the deeper waters.
Zhu Minglang was momentarily distracted, and before he knew it, Little Crocodile Spirit had swum into the depths.
"Come back quickly!"
Near the waterfall was extremely dangerous. The river's surface may seem gentle, but underneath were the terrifying currents of a Dark Vortex, which would ferociously toss everything in the water down to the rocky bottom of the waterfall!
Little Crocodile Spirit clearly lacked survival experience; it wanted to use the river's rapids to strengthen its limbs and body. Although it deliberately kept some distance from the waterfall, it was unaware of the Dark Vortex near the waterfall, which was now pulling its tiny body in!!
At first, Little Crocodile Spirit moved its body and tail rhythmically, swimming against the current...
But soon, it began to backslide bit by bit. No matter how fast it paddled, it was being drawn toward the cliff edge of the waterfall.
Seeing the situation worsening, Zhu Minglang immediately stripped off his clothes and jumped naked into the river, using all his limbs to swim towards Little Crocodile Spirit.
"Hold on!"
Zhu Minglang immediately felt the resistance of the river, and something seemed to be ensnaring him below the waist, pulling him in a certain direction!
Don't panic, don't rush, conserve enough strength.
Zhu Minglang slowed his pace, inching closer to Little Crocodile Spirit.
Finally reaching Little Crocodile Spirit, Zhu Minglang quickly hoisted it onto his body...
Shocked by the forces of nature, Little Crocodile Spirit was frantic. It climbed onto Zhu Minglang's head like a drowning deer, its small claws flailing wildly.
"Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble~~~~~~~~~~"
Behind him, the sound of the waterfall's torrent grew louder, and Zhu Minglang realized he too was caught in the waterfall's vortex. Even a hundred meters from the waterfall, it was not easy to break free.
Zhu Minglang maintained a steady pace, attempting to match strength against the spin of the waterfall's current.
But his body was continuously being dragged, and his strength was fading; resisting the flow was becoming incredibly difficult.
"Splash!!!!!"
The water slapped hard against his face, and just as Zhu Minglang was about to take a deep breath, he choked on a mouthful of water and was suddenly pulled back, losing strength.
Submerged in the water for a moment, Zhu Minglang burst back to the surface, glanced back at the giant pit of the waterfall now less than forty meters away, and realized his pace was not enough to escape the treacherous vortex!
"Don't be so naughty next time."
Zhu Minglang grabbed the Little Crocodile Spirit on his head with one hand and pushed hard with both legs. Using the moment his upper body emerged from the water, he threw Little Crocodile Spirit forcefully out of the current.
"Glub glub glub!!!!!!"
The next second, the surging river water, like a monster's gaping maw, swallowed Zhu Minglang's entire body and carried him toward the thundering waterfall's precipice.
…
On the riverbank, a pitch-black Little Crocodile Spirit kept pacing in the shallow water, trying several times to dive back in, but with little strength, it was swept back by the gentle waves.
"Woo-oo-oo~~~~"
"Woo-oo-oo~~~~~~~"
It kept making noises, as if calling for help or crying like a child lost and unable to find its parents.
Around it, there was only the rustling sound of wind through sweet-gum leaves, and no one passed by nearby, leaving the Little Crocodile Spirit without any help.
Finally, it plunged into the river again, and as it touched the water, its dark skin gradually cracked open, and something seemed to be breaking through the skin on its forehead, extending bit by bit…
Many bloodstains spread along the riverbank, and chunks of black skin peeled off from the Little Crocodile Spirit's body.
As it swam toward the waterfall, it had elongated considerably, with more powerful limbs and tail, picking up speed.
…
Below Phoenix Embankment was a vast river pool, and Zhu Minglang felt a wave of dizziness followed by darkness and dampness, as though something had caught him in its mouth.
When Zhu Minglang came to, he realized he was indeed in the mouth of a creature—a Waterfall Flood Dragon!!
Blue scales, long whiskers, no Dragon Horn but an extremely lengthy body, like a thousand-year-old python.
This Flood Dragon was majestic and handsome, its prowess evident even amidst the torrential backdrop of the waterfall!
Luckily, the Waterfall Flood Dragon bore no ill will toward Zhu Minglang, instead gently placing him on a large rock by the pool's edge.
Lying on the rock, watching the waterfall cascade down, observing the towering, castle-like stature of the upright Flood Dragon.
The powerful curtain of water poured over the Flood Dragon's body, splashing wildly, yet it didn't flinch, clearly a genuine river Dragon of stature!!
"One's body and hair, given by the parents, how can one think of ending one's life?" a gentle and pleasant voice sounded.
What a huge misunderstanding.
Wouldn't it be better to find a rope in the woods for suicide, than to come to this waterfall and play the hero?
Looking over, Zhu Minglang saw a graceful woman standing on the head of the Waterfall Flood Dragon.
Her long hair billowed, her brows fine, as beautiful as a fairy in the paintings or a legendary Dragon maiden, filled with a unique spirituality!
"Cough cough…" Zhu Minglang spat out the water he had choked on and explained with an innocent face, "It wasn't suicide, it was an accident."
The beautiful woman by the waterfall floated down from the Dragon's head and stood beside the drenched Zhu Minglang.
The Flood Dragon, whose neck and head had been following the woman, seemed to sense something, suddenly rose, and with pinpoint accuracy, caught something else that had fallen from the top of the waterfall.
The Flood Dragon had caught a black creature of unknown origin, about a meter in length…
The Dragon then placed the black creature on the large waterfall rock as well.
The stunning Flood Dragon lady glanced at the black Crocodile Spirit and asked, "Is this your Juvenile Spirit?"
Zhu Minglang looked over and saw a black crocodile about a meter long with a horn on its head. Just as he was about to shake his head, he suddenly felt a faint soul vibration…
It was indeed Little Black Tooth!
In such a short time away, Little Black Tooth had undergone a huge transformation!!
Its soft black skin had turned into what appeared to be tougher hide, the hind legs had grown thicker and stronger, the forepaws had turned into claws that seemed somewhat sharp.
The most remarkable change was on its broad black forehead, where a horn had actually sprouted!!
Right where Zhu Minglang had felt the hidden horn before, it had fully grown out!
His instinct had not been wrong; crocodiles didn't have horns.
It was unmistakably a Dragon on the verge of blooming!!
"Little Black Tooth, you've evolved!!!"
Zhu Minglang had not expected such a thing to happen.
"Woo-oo-oo~~~~~~~~~~~"
Upon seeing Zhu Minglang, the now meter-long Little Crocodile Dragon immediately pounced on him, its large tongue incessantly licking Zhu Minglang's cheeks, excitedly almost pushing him back into the pool.
Apparently, the Little Crocodile Spirit itself was unaware of the changes. It had rushed to the shore solely focused on saving Zhu Minglang, and noticing he had been swept beneath the waterfall, it had jumped after him.
"All right, all right, I'm fine, I'm fine. But even if you've become stronger, you shouldn't follow me like this; you could have shattered to pieces," Zhu Minglang said, holding the creature's adorably awkward head with both hands.
"As if you wouldn't have shattered to pieces," the Flood Dragon woman remarked. "Was it to save your Juvenile Spirit that you did this?"