bookbashuk Is it him in Chapter 854?
Is it him in Chapter 854?
Long Tian leaned over and stared at his reflection in the mirror, his brows furrowing as his knuckles unconsciously tapped the table. "This...this is Long Shishen? Something's not right." His tone was full of doubt. When Long Shishen betrayed the Dragon Clan, the murderous aura surrounding him was almost tangible, and vegetation withered wherever he went. Even after being severely injured by the elders, he could never have looked like a common mortal, even his walk was loose and lazy.
Long Jiao also came closer, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her nose almost touching the mirror. She stared at the person in the mirror for a long time, scrutinizing him closely—from the sweat on his forehead to the grass-covered cuffs on his trousers, even the wilted cilantro in the vegetable basket was clearly visible. In the end, she shook her head: "Something is definitely not right. Look at the way he walks, his steps are unsteady as if he's walking on cotton, there's not a trace of dragon aura about him. He's clearly just an ordinary mortal. How could he be the Dragon Godslayer who could contend with my father back then and force the entire dragon clan to use forbidden techniques?" She simply couldn't connect the fierce and treacherous minister in her memory, with the figure in the mirror carrying a vegetable basket and looking like a commoner.
Long Tian shook his head, his fingertips lightly brushing across the mirror's surface. The golden light rippled slightly with his movement, responding to his touch as if it were alive. "Not necessarily. Long Shishen is proficient in ancient illusion techniques, most skilled at concealing his presence. Perhaps he used some secret method to hide his true form within a mortal body, deliberately transforming into this appearance to deceive others and evade the clan's pursuit." His eyes narrowed, a sharp dragon's might flashing within them. "It seems we must test this ourselves. Let's not alarm him yet. Once we've ascertained the details, we'll see if this is his true form or a decoy created by illusion. If it's the real one, we'll capture him and take him away immediately. We absolutely cannot let him escape from under our noses again."
Long Jiao nodded emphatically. Though doubts lingered, she knew her brother's concerns were not unfounded. Long Shishen was a man of unfathomable cunning; his escape from the heavily guarded Dragon Clan forbidden area back then must have required exceptional stealth skills. She clenched her fist, a faint golden dragon aura swirling around her, with tiny dragon scale phantoms even flashing between her fingers: "Alright, I'll listen to you, brother. If it really is him, this time we'll make him pay for his betrayal back then, and atone for the deaths of our people because of him."
The golden light on the bronze mirror gradually faded, as silently as the tide receding. The figure carrying the vegetable basket in the mirror also disappeared, leaving only the smooth surface reflecting the solemn expressions of the brother and sister. The wind in the alley was still blowing, swirling a few fallen leaves past the corner of the wall. The seemingly ordinary figure continued to walk slowly forward, cucumbers occasionally dangling from the basket. No one knew that two gazes from a distant dragon clan, like the sharpest arrows, had quietly locked onto this suspicious trace hidden in the everyday life of the city.
Long Jiao nodded her little head vigorously, her bright eyes sparkling with anticipation, as if filled with stars. Normally, whenever someone told her something interesting, she would mentally go through a series of twists and turns, considering only a fraction of what she heard, pondering how much was true and how much was false. But when it was her brother Long Tian, it was different. Every word seemed to carry a heavy weight, settling firmly into her heart, without any room for doubt, trusting him completely.
"Brother, when can we try it?" She leaned forward, her small body almost touching Long Tian's, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement, the last syllable rising in a light, cheerful tone, as if she could already imagine the novelty of the experiment. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides.
Seeing his younger sister's impatient expression, Long Tian couldn't help but smile gently. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair, his fingertips brushing against the soft strands. "Don't rush," he said, "I just used up some energy. Let me meditate and recover first. Once I'm fully rested, we'll carefully consider the steps and make sure the experiment is thorough and foolproof." His eyes held a maturity beyond his years, clearly indicating that he already had a general plan in mind, but he preferred to proceed cautiously and didn't want to ruin things by being hasty.
Meanwhile, He Yuzhu was leaning against the wall near the area where Long Tian was conducting his experiment, utterly bored. Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through his forehead without warning, as if an extremely thin, sharp needle was drilling into his temple, causing a throbbing and aching sensation. He hissed, instinctively raising his hand to press his forehead, his brows furrowing tightly, his face paling slightly. For a moment, he couldn't figure out where this sudden discomfort had come from, attributing it to a gust of wind or lack of sleep.
But the Dragon Slayer, lurking deep within his consciousness, suddenly sharpened his gaze, his previously calm sea of consciousness instantly rippled. He knew perfectly well—someone had come knocking. Those faint auras, carrying undisguised hostility and probing intent, were like slippery snakes, lurking and testing the waters in the shadows. Although the other party deliberately concealed their presence, how could such subtle movements escape his perception? It seemed that what was bound to happen would happen; a tough battle was unavoidable.
However, those few auras only probed from a distance, as if confirming something, without taking any further action or uttering a single word. They quickly retreated as if their presence had vanished into thin air, continuing to lurk in the shadows like dormant beasts, patiently waiting for the best opportunity.
He Yuzhu rubbed his forehead against the wall for a long time until the throbbing headache gradually subsided. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, shake his head, and stop thinking about it, assuming it was just from being busy at the factory lately and not getting enough rest. But Long Shishen knew very well that those pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows had never left him, like a group of experienced hunters holding their breath, watching their prey's movements intently, patiently waiting for the moment to strike. He maintained He Yuzhu's usual somewhat dull yet straightforward demeanor without showing any abnormality. He leaned against the wall when he needed to, and closed his eyes to rest when he needed to, without revealing anything unusual. Now was not the time for He Yuzhu to know the details. He had to bear these open and hidden attacks himself first, and he couldn't let the owner of this body panic unnecessarily.
Two days later, the sky was clear and the breeze was warm. Long Tian looked up at the sky; the sun had just climbed over the treetops, and the light was just right. He turned to Long Jiao, who was fiddling with some gadgets, and said, "It's about time. Let's try it today and see if he really is Long Shishen."