Chapter 15: Uncle’s Card Beast Soul

When Long Yin groggily opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a pair of enormous blue eyes, as large as bronze bells. Those blue eyes, cold and deep, resembled the frigid waters of an abyssal trench. Long Yin froze, still half-asleep, and reached out to pinch the other's thick eyelashes—those icy blue eyes made him distinctly uneasy. Long Yin mumbled, "I must be dreaming. How could the ice-blue Dragon Lion from the compendium appear in front of me?"

"This feels quite nice..." His small hands wandered over the Dragon Lion's head, ruffling the soft fur. "So it turns out a Dragon Lion isn't cold all over. This brilliant blue mane would make a rare nine-star card-making material..." Long Yin muttered as he tugged at the blue fur, trying with all his strength to pluck a strand, but not a single hair came loose. Patting the lion's head in frustration, he said, "They say unless you consent, not even a Saint-level Cardmaster could pull a single hair from you. Is that true? Hey, don't be so stingy, give me just one! Even if I can't use it now, I might need it someday..."

Thinking it was merely a dream, Long Yin hugged the lion's head and chattered away as if they were old friends. For a moment, a glimmer of amusement seemed to flicker in the Dragon Lion's emotionless ice-blue gaze—a sight that nearly made Cassano, watching from the shadows, drop his jaw in shock. Long Yin nuzzled the lion's soft mane and exhaled in satisfaction.

At last, the enormous body of the Dragon Lion stirred. Its tail curled around Long Yin, lifting him onto its back. Long Yin, now sprawled atop the beast's broad back, gazed in a daze as the Dragon Lion rose, its massive form suddenly leaping into the air.

Clinging tightly to the mane, Long Yin felt as if they were soaring through the jungle at breakneck speed. He felt no excitement, though—for no matter how hard he pinched himself, he could not wake from this dream. Despite riding upon a rare ice-blue Dragon Lion, darting endlessly through the dark forest left him deeply unsettled.

After a while, the Dragon Lion's tail encircled him once more. The rushing roar of water nearby suggested a waterfall was close. Cold droplets splashed onto his skin, making Long Yin's mouth fall open—was there a waterfall below? The glimmering water in the distance sent beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. Gripping the lion's tail, he stammered, "Great Lion... please put me back on your back. Hanging like this makes me really uneasy. You must hold me tight... don't let go! It doesn't look fun down there at all—I can't swim... ah... you brute—"

Before Long Yin could finish, the Dragon Lion's tail loosened and flicked, and he dropped, screaming curses all the way down in free fall.

Splash! He hit the water, sending up a spray of glittering droplets in the moonlight—a strangely beautiful sight.

Immersed in the icy lake, Long Yin struggled, gulping down mouthfuls of water. Luckily, he hadn't fallen from too great a height, so he remained conscious. But as he thrashed, his lungs burned for air, bubbles streaming upward. Just as he thought he was about to die, he vaguely saw a blue water spirit swimming toward him. Long Yin tried desperately to open his eyes wider, eager to see the spirit's face. To his regret, no matter how near it seemed, its features remained elusive—but he was certain it was beautiful. He couldn't say why; it was simply a feeling. With a final sigh, releasing two bubbles, Long Yin closed his eyes in resignation.

Kalanen caught his small body and hauled him from the water, pressing a hand to his chest. A sphere of blue liquid entered Long Yin's body, and at once his pallor vanished, a healthy flush returning to his cheeks. His breathing grew even, as if he were only sleeping.

Cassano, who had hurried after them and had no chance to intervene, watched in horror as his precious grandson was thrown into the lake by his own cold-hearted son. Then, to his shock, his wayward son leapt in after the child. Before Cassano could erupt in anger, he witnessed something unprecedented—his son pressing his mouth to the boy's, sharing his breath. Well, it was just mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Cassano told himself. But when his son then passed the soul of his Card Beast into the child as well, Cassano's sense of foreboding deepened.

Snatching the sleeping Long Yin away, Cassano shouted furiously, "Hurry and take your blue soul back!"

Kalanen gave Cassano a cool, indifferent glance before resuming his Dragon Lion form, settling quietly atop a rock beneath the moonlight to cultivate, serenely absorbing the moon's essence. He entirely ignored Cassano's furious outburst.

Watching Kalanen go about his business as if nothing had happened—as if giving away his blue soul was as trivial as shedding a hair—Cassano could only clutch his head in frustration, glaring at Kalanen. "Do you even realize he's your nephew?"

"So what?" Kalanen replied airily, nearly making Cassano cough up blood.

"He's your nephew—how could you possibly bond with him? The Card Beast's soul is meant for your future mate, don't you know that? You brat, take the blue soul back at once!"

Kalanen looked at the sleeping Long Yin with cold eyes, then at the flushed and furious Cassano. Standing, he shook out his fluffy mane and said coolly, "I don't need a mate. The blue soul is useless to me."

"Idiot! Even if it's useless, you can't give it to your nephew! Take it back now!" Cassano was nearly beside himself.

"So noisy!" With a kick of his forelegs, Kalanen dove back into the lake, leaving Cassano with his hair standing on end in exasperation.

"You little brat, if you have the guts, stay in the sacred lake forever! I'm telling you, I'll stay here for three years—three years! Let's see if you can hide that long!"

Having shouted himself hoarse, Cassano plopped down heavily, nostrils flaring, wishing he could dive in and drag that scoundrel out for a good beating. Looking at Long Yin, sleeping so soundly, Cassano slapped his own forehead—what a blunder! How could he have entrusted his precious grandson to that rascal? Now, though the boy carried a life-saving aura, he had unwittingly received his uncle's blue soul. What was to be done?

Cassano worried himself nearly bald through the night, finally letting out a helpless sigh.

Long Yin woke up refreshed, only to be startled by the dark, brooding presence of Cassano beside him. "Grandfather, what's wrong?"

Seeing the concern in Long Yin's eyes, Cassano swallowed his frustration, patting the boy's head and standing with a sigh. Little Yin was still young. Let the blue soul remain with him for now—surely, when the time came, his uncle would reclaim it. With this thought, Cassano forced a smile.

Noticing Cassano seemed fine again, Long Yin tilted his head in confusion but let the matter drop.

Cassano led Long Yin back to a small wooden cabin. Along the way, Long Yin gazed about curiously—the towering trees stretched endlessly, their thick trunks like ancient dragons. The ground was thick with fallen leaves and damp earth, releasing an aroma of decay that was both unique and inexplicably stirring.

Inside the cabin, there was only a bed and a table set—so simple, it lacked any ornament, save for two massive horns mounted on the wall. Long Yin's eyes widened in recognition: those were surely the razor-sharp horns of an eighth-rank Bull King, capable of piercing anything.

"Stop staring! This is your home from now on." Cassano sat down, pulling food from his storage space.

The aroma made Long Yin's stomach growl, and he eagerly devoured everything on the table.

Cassano watched his grandson eat with relish, yet found himself with little appetite.

"Aren't you hungry, Grandfather?" Long Yin asked.

Cassano shook his head. He took out a storage pouch and handed it to Long Yin. "There's a year's worth of food inside. You must live here on your own for three years. All Card Beasts above eighth rank will keep their distance—they won't harm you. But as for the rest, there's no guarantee. If you find yourself in danger, I won't intervene. You'll have to rely on yourself. Do you have the confidence to survive?"

After swallowing his mouthful, Long Yin asked, "Why will the beasts above eighth rank avoid me?"

"Because you're under the protection of the Sacred Lake."

Long Yin's jaw dropped in amazement. "They say that any human who enters the Sacred Lake is protected from attack by Card Beasts above eighth rank. Did I go into that lake?"

This time, it was Cassano's turn to stare in disbelief. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what? Didn't we just leave Dezhou Street?"

Cassano scratched his head. Why did his precious grandson have no memory of it? He probed, "Little Yin, have you ever seen an ice-blue Dragon Lion?"

An ice-blue Dragon Lion? Long Yin frowned, then shook his head. In his previous life, he had only seen one in the Card Beast Compendium.

Seeing this, Cassano was stunned. How could his grandson recall nothing? Was this a side effect of the Sacred Lake? But aside from forgetting the events of last night, the boy seemed perfectly fine. Perhaps it was better this way—spare Little Yin any awkwardness toward his uncle.

"No matter, then. Eat up. When you're finished, I'll be leaving."

"I really have to live alone?" Long Yin frowned. Life in the jungle on his own would be a huge challenge.

"Yes. This is a rite of passage for all Dragon family children. Your two sisters came through it the same way."

Since it was tradition, Long Yin could only accept.

"Don't worry, Grandfather. I'll survive just fine!"

Cassano smiled, though he didn't say aloud: I may not be able to save you, but your uncle must watch over your safety. Not that Cassano would say such things—by the end, all would become clear. The Dragon family had so few heirs; they would never let the younger generation perish needlessly. It was merely meant to toughen them a little.