Chapter 66: Zhou Mingxuan: My Brother is a Dragon!
"Bro, am I seeing things? The Azure Dragon turned into a person?"
"Is it... really an Alliance powerhouse? Surprisingly so young?"
"It's him! I've seen him! He blocked a beast for me back then!"
A young soldier suddenly raised his voice, full of disbelief.
"But the Alliance notification said he sacrificed himself! How could he be... Lord Azure Dragon?!"
Discussions exploded instantly. Soldiers surrounded Chen Yu but dared not get too close. Their eyes held shock, curiosity, and a measure of awe.
After all, one second he was an Azure Dragon blotting out the sky, the next he was a human just like them.
For friends who had never seen a Mythical Zoan type, the impact was too great.
Just then.
Hurried footsteps came from the distance, accompanied by a steady reprimand. "What's the noise? This is a border stronghold, have some decorum!"
The crowd parted automatically. General Li Kai walked over, draped in a long coat, his face serious.
Behind him followed Zhao Lie. Both had rushed over upon hearing the commotion and reports from the wall.
Li Kai was originally frowning, but when he saw the young man surrounded by soldiers, his steps halted abruptly, pupils constricting sharply.
"You are..."
Zhao Lie also crowded forward, staring at Chen Yu and Ling Yue's faces for several seconds, even rubbing his eyes, suspecting he was seeing things.
His voice carried an imperceptible tremor. "Chen Yu? Ling Yue? Is it really you? Weren't you in the beast tide..."
He stopped halfway. The word "Sacrifice" had already been broadcast to the entire Alliance.
Now that they were standing here alive, obviously, the report was wrong.
Chen Yu put Ling Yue down and rubbed his aching arm.
Cero, that guy, swore he could handle it but dropped the ball at the critical moment. Chen Yu had to transform into the Azure Dragon to tank the explosion.
Luckily Aisha healed him, or he really would have capsized.
Chen Yu gave a substandard military salute to the two, pulling a smile. "General Li, Vice General Zhao, I'm back."
"Sorry to worry everyone. I remember the Earth Black-Maned Bear appeared at the end. How is the beast tide?"
Chen Yu knew the beast tide had receded as soon as he came out. Asking Zhao Lie like this was mainly to change the subject.
He didn't want to mention the Tontatta Secret Realm. Not every Tontatta was as wicked as Cero.
But Chen Yu's words reminded everyone of the scene where the Dragon fought the Python that day.
So, the one who pinned down the Ice Soul Silver Python that day was... Chen Yu?!
He was only... Holy shit! Only Rank 2!
Everyone's heads were buzzing.
A Trainee (2nd Rank) soloing a Master (7th Rank) Beast King? Who would believe this?
Isn't this like a novel protagonist using cheats? Outrageous!
Zhao Lie and Li Kai had just arrived and didn't know what the soldiers were thinking. "The beast tide... receded three days ago. It's just..."
"Why did you appear only now? We all thought you sacrificed yourselves." Zhao Lie stepped forward to squeeze Chen Yu's shoulders.
"It's great that you didn't die!"
Hearing this, Chen Yu thought: Three days?
Seems the time flow in the realm is different from the outside world.
General Li Kai stared at him for a full half-minute. After listening to the soldiers' reports, his serious expression couldn't hold anymore. "You are the Azure Dragon?"
Zhao Lie froze upon hearing this, looking at Chen Yu in disbelief.
Having transformed into human form in public, Chen Yu didn't plan to hide it anymore.
Chen Yu scratched his head. "That's my Fruit Ability. Azure Dragon Fruit, Beast Form."
As soon as these words came out, not only were the soldiers in an uproar again, but even Zhao Lie sucked in a cold breath.
"It really is the Azure Dragon!"
"What series is this fruit? Too cool!"
"Boundless future, promising prospects!"
Li Kai stepped forward and patted Chen Yu's shoulder with considerable force, implying confirmation. "Good kid! Glad you're not dead!"
He remembered Zhao Hu's story. His lie wasn't sophisticated, but there was no proof of death.
But after Chen Yu appeared as the Azure Dragon, that story collapsed on itself.
The hero was Chen Yu!
"Come, go to the command post with me. We need to talk properly about what happened after you went missing, and the fishy business with Zhao Hu!"
Saying this, Li Kai ordered the soldiers behind him, "Pass the order down. Comrades Chen Yu and Ling Yue have returned safely. Revoke the 'Sacrifice' notification immediately!"
"Also, expedite the application for the Medal of Honor, in the name of... all personnel of the Seventh District Great Wall Border Defense Army."
"Strengthen border alert, pay close attention to movements in the Misty Forest, and report any situation immediately!"
"Yes sir!"
The soldiers responded in unison, their voices full of excitement.
Not only because the true hero wasn't dead, but because the Alliance would have another pillar in the future.
In the square in front of the Lanjiang City Awakener Association, Zhao Hu was holding that crumpled "Martyr Notification."
He cried to the onlookers with tearful eyes, "Look, everyone!"
"The Alliance has recognized Brother Chen Yu as a hero! But some people insist on inverting black and white, slandering me as a deserter, and trampling on the hero's reputation!"
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Chen Guodong's crying.
Zhang Li supported her husband, looking at Xia Wanqing with resentment. "Miss Xia, even if you have issues with our Chen family, you can't take it out on a hero's reputation!"
"If Yu'er knew this in the afterlife, how chilled his heart would be!"
The surrounding discussion tipped completely toward Zhao Hu. Someone pointed at Xia Wanqing and muttered.
"Didn't expect geniuses to get jealous and steal credit."
"Exactly. Don't even know respect for the dead."
Xia Wanqing shook with anger. Lin Yan held her arm tight, advising in a low voice, "Don't be impulsive."
Jiang Qingye and Li Mufeng stood aside, enduring the mocking gazes around them, fists clenched until they creaked.
The faces of the Chen family and Zhao Hu were truly punchable.
Just then, a cold voice suddenly came from behind the crowd, carrying unquestionable certainty.
"The Azure Dragon in the Misty Forest is my brother Chen Yu."
Everyone turned toward the sound, seeing Zhou Mingxuan in a crisp white casual suit, pushing through the crowd.
As the son of the Mayor of Lanjiang City, his status was clear. The square quieted down by half instantly.
"Young Master Zhou?"
Someone looked puzzled. "Young Master Zhou, you aren't joking, right?"
"Chen Yu is the only Trainee (Rank 2). How could he be the Azure Dragon?"
Zhao Hu and Chen Guodong's hearts skipped a beat.
But Chen Guodong immediately put on a "heartbroken" expression. "Young Master Zhou, you and Yu'er were friends. You don't want to accept the fact of his sacrifice, but you can't joke like this!"
"How could the Azure Dragon be Yu'er..."
"I'm not joking." Zhou Mingxuan interrupted him, gazing over the whole venue.
"I saw Chen Yu's Beast Form with my own eyes. My status is right here; would I lie to you because I'm bored?"
"I just can't stand this look of the Chen family. When my brother was in your house back then, this wasn't your attitude."
These words caused a stir in the crowd. Their thoughts seemed shaken.
Seeing the crowd waver, Zhao Hu felt tight in his chest.
Just as he wanted to speak, a hearty voice came from the crowd. "Then this old man will also say a few words of justice for the Chen Yu kid."