In the river of history, astrologers shone like stars, arranging the 28 constellations and observing the movements of the five planets and the moon to record omens of fortune and disaster.

Their gaze was not limited to the vicissitudes of individual destinies but overlooked the outcomes of wars, the safety of royalty, and matters of national significance such as floods and plagues.

Throughout history, emperors have treated them as honored guests, their status sometimes surpassing that of tribal chiefs.

In the era Ling Ji lived, the feudal system had not yet been established, and the practice of abdication was prevalent. Leaders were chosen based on their virtues. At that time, astrologers were not called astrologers but wizards, holding a revered place in people's hearts, especially when facing natural disasters. A wizard who could predict disasters was naturally highly respected.

However, Ling Ji's situation was quite different. She always seemed unwelcome, with people either shaking their heads in pity or hurriedly avoiding her. But there were always exceptions. An old wizard in the tribe treated her kindly, often bringing her delicious food despite his advanced age.

Ling Ji was grateful to this old wizard, so when a young astrologer appeared, she unconsciously showed more patience. She said lightly, "It was I who captured it."

The young astrologer, Xing Miao, his eyes filled with curiosity and excitement, as if brimming with starlight, asked, "You are?"

Suddenly, a scream pierced the tranquility. Jiang Lingyan, pale and frightened, stared at the giant beast in the mud. This was the first time in her two lifetimes she had seen such a terrifying creature, and fear stripped away all her pretense, leaving her oblivious to the person she longed for, who was right beside her.

Ling Ji, irritated by the sudden scream, seriously asked Mu Bai, "Can I knock them out?"

Mu Bai was silent for a moment, wanting to nod but knowing it wasn't right. "No," he replied, "they are ordinary people; we can't harm them."

"Oh." Ling Ji lowered her head in disappointment, stepping on the restless yellow dragon, lightly pressing it down. The dragon, pushed into the pool, ate a mouthful of mud and made a feeble sound, then obediently lay still.

Jiang Lingyan, seeing this, gradually calmed down, reason returning. She felt ashamed; it was just a fierce-looking creature, no need to lose composure. She tightened the straps of her backpack, took a deep breath, and was about to speak when she suddenly widened her eyes, tremblingly pointing behind, "Watch out, the flood is coming!"

Ye Jianghuai immediately grabbed Ling Ji's hand and ran. He didn't need to look back; the omnipresent water vapor and silent pressure already told him the danger behind. At first, Ling Ji was pulled along but soon reversed the grip, stopping him. "Why run?" she asked.

"Sir, the flood is coming," Mu Bai said while running, reaching out to pull Ling Ji, who stood still.

"It won't reach us," Ling Ji avoided his hand, looking back at the three- or four-meter-high wave, calmly saying.

Jin Hong was the first to stop, pulling the unstoppable Mu Bai along. "Sir said it won't reach us, so it won't. We don't need to run."

Aquatic creatures have a natural ability to control water, and the dragon race is the best among them. As the deity of Zhongshan, Ling Ji had a natural control over water, her words carrying the power of law.

Xing Miao hesitated, then gritted his teeth and stopped. Zhou Tian, having run dozens of meters, looked back and nearly had his eyes pop out. He thought, why are they dawdling? Run! But the next moment, he understood why they weren't running.

The several-meter-high flood wave, like a mischievous child seeing its parent, twisted mid-air and with an inexplicable posture, "whoosh," turned back the way it came. The flood receded visibly, and within ten minutes, there was no trace of water within a hundred meters of the rescue station.

Yang Zhen, witnessing all this, was too shocked to speak. She pinched Dong Shanmin's arm, "Shanmin, am I dreaming?"

Dong Shanmin, hissing from the pain, snapped out of his shock and slapped the back of her head, "Does it hurt?"

Yang Zhen: "Yes, it hurts."

Dong Shanmin: "Then it's not a dream."

Yang Zhen: "But this isn't scientific!"

Even as a liberal arts student, she understood what had just happened was beyond scientific explanation. She thought of a word—miracle. Her thoughts drifted to the monster she had just seen, increasingly believing it resembled a legendary creature.

"Brother Dong..." she began but was interrupted by Dong Shanmin, "Don't talk." He needed a moment. Despite his extensive knowledge and experience, he needed a reason to convince himself.

A deity stood before them; there was no hesitation in embracing the opportunity. Dong Shanmin, dragging the slow-reacting Yang Zhen, ran back but kept a respectful distance.

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Jiang Lingyan, believing she had the protection of the system, didn't panic like the others but calmly stood still.

In fact, she was so terrified she forgot to run. Facing the flood directly, she saw everything more clearly than anyone. But the clearer she saw, the more incredulous she became.

She felt lucky to be reborn, and later, with the system, she was convinced she had the protagonist's script. But what she saw shook her belief. With a single word, the devastating flood was halted.

Was it her superpower or the system's help? If it was the former, she was still unwilling; if the latter, she was even more so. Both systems were worlds apart.

"System, system? System!" Jiang Lingyan called thrice, but the system, as unreliable as ten years ago, gave no response.

"Go to that dragon; it has the energy I need," the system finally spoke. Jiang Lingyan's gaze fell on the battered creature, questioning the system's judgment.

"Are you sure that's a dragon?"

"...I'm very sure," the system said through clenched teeth, "Avoid that girl in black; she's powerful. Don't let her notice."

The system had never praised anyone so cautiously and seriously before. Instead of feeling the same, Jiang Lingyan was more jealous. "How powerful?" she asked.

The system: "...She can crush you like an ant. I can't stop her." One sentence made Jiang Lingyan swallow her resentment and jealousy.

Seeing her compliance, the system relaxed, eyeing the dragon with excitement. If it could get its hands on its demon core, the risk would be worth it.

While receiving praise, Ling Ji sensed a special energy fluctuation, raising her eyebrows and looking towards the source.

"You, hello," Jiang Lingyan, meeting Ling Ji's icy gaze, stiffened, tried to smile, and was about to speak when she saw a familiar figure. Her eyes widened in genuine delight, "Brother Ye, what are you doing here?"

She lifted her skirt and ran to the man, her face radiant with joy. This should have been a beautiful scene, but Jiang Lingyan forgot it was raining heavily. She trod through the mud, careful but still stained. Especially as the system, to avoid detection, deactivated the rain protection, letting the rain drench her hair and face.

So Ye Jianghuai saw a familiar woman, wearing a mud-stained raincoat, with wet bangs clinging to her face, her eyes smudged black.

"Miss," Xing Miao's gaze paused on her face before stepping in front of Ye Jianghuai, saying softly before he could speak, "Your makeup is smudged."

Her voice was gentle, smile sweet, and eyes concerned, standing in the rain in a clean sky-blue ancient costume like a kind little fairy.

Jin Hong pouted. As a koi, her instinct told her this girl was definitely a hidden danger.

Jiang Lingyan felt the same. Not because she had Jin Hong's keen intuition, but the other's natural beauty without makeup made her look even more disheveled.

Suddenly, Jiang Lingyan's gaze turned hostile. As a woman, she sensed the other did it on purpose.

"Pfft," Yang Zhen, also approaching, couldn't help but laugh. Serves you right for pretending; now you've hit a wall.

"Captain," Zhou Tian, looking at the unperturbed girl and her calm companions, felt his worldview shattered.

"It's okay; you'll get used to it," Mu Bai wiped rain from his face, sycophantically saying, "My lord is omnipotent. You'll get used to it after seeing it a few times."

Zhou Tian: "..."

"My lord," Mu Bai approached again, "Can you stop the rain too?"

Ling Ji looked at Ye Jianghuai.

Ye Jianghuai said, "Another hundred boxes?"

"Alright." Ling Ji reluctantly nodded, then raised her head and roared at the sky.

A dragon's roar, carrying an ancient aura, echoed through the heavens. Invisible sound waves entered the thick, dark clouds, each layer disappearing as if crushed by immense force. Soon, the clouds scattered, and the long-lost sun shone again, bringing warmth.

Ling Ji extended her claw to the young man basking in the sun, meaning clear.

Ye Jianghuai smiled, his cold eyes softening, "I don't have that much food now; I'll give it to you later."

"Aren't there many in your car?"

"Those are for disaster relief, not for private use."

Perhaps the sun after days of rain was too comfortable. Ye Jianghuai became more gentle. "I'll give it to you after we finish here, I promise."

Ling Ji's cold eyes reflected the young man's handsome face and serious, indulgent expression. She didn't know why but nodded, conceding to the familiar gaze.

Hungry, Ling Ji rubbed her belly, eyeing the nearby dragon. Licking her lips, she slowly approached. The dragon, sensing danger, struggled but was pressed down by a delicate foot.

It raised its eyes, its scarlet pupils filled with tears, turning to reveal its white, bony wound, hoping for pity.

"Heh," Ling Ji mercilessly pressed harder, the dragon's body sinking into the soil, forming a wavy line.

"Such heavy sin; you've eaten many people," Ling Ji moved to its weak spot, and when it braced for a fight, she stomped lightly.

"Crack," the sound of bones breaking. The dragon's pupils dilated, its fierceness fading, replaced by death.

"Too ugly to elicit sympathy," Ling Ji commented coldly, "Or you'll suffer more." Seeing it dead, she extended her pale hand, transforming into a black dragon claw, slicing through the thick skin, and skillfully extracting the core.

What Ling Ji didn't know was that far away, in a deep mountain cave, a roar echoed, filled with pain and hate.

In the darkness, a pair of lantern-sized pupils glowed, filled with cold, fierce hatred.

Ling Ji washed the bloody core and her hand with a water stream, looking at the ugly core with disdain.

"Growl," her stomach protested again. Closing her eyes, she raised the core to her mouth.

"Stop!" A man and woman, one near, one far, one old, one young, shouted simultaneously.

The young woman, Jiang Lingyan, regretted shouting, recalling the girl's control over the rain and her claw slicing through skin. Fear overwhelmed her as the cold, emotionless eyes locked onto her.

Luckily, the other voice distracted the girl.

"Fellow Daoist," the old man, with a dust whisk, was about to speak grandly but met the girl's cold gaze and changed his tone. "This core looks strange; it's best to be cautious."

His tone was warm, his demeanor almost kind.

Never seen so gentle, his companions were shocked, wondering, "Elder Ming Ying, who is this girl?"

Ming Ying, stroking his beard, smiled with a high-spirited air, though internally panicked. He didn't know her origin but felt as if he had walked through the gates of hell.

He discreetly took out his phone, pretending to take a casual photo of the girl. The phone remained silent.

Ming Ying's expression grew serious. The phone, a new model, had powerful demon detection, identification, and measurement capabilities. Any demon registered with the Bureau would be instantly identified, and their information would be displayed.

Now, there was no reaction, indicating three possibilities: she wasn't a demon, which was impossible given her claw. She was a new demon not yet registered, or most worryingly, her power exceeded the phone's detection range.

"No problem," Ling Ji glanced at the old man, her nose twitching, recognizing him as a cultivator.

Not interested in his presence, she raised the core to her mouth again, only to be stopped by a slender, jade-like hand.

"Daoist, what's wrong with this core?" Ye Jianghuai politely asked, stopping her.

"The core's energy is impure and scattered. I suspect it's been artificially induced," Ming Ying, seeing his uniform, felt less wary and spoke honestly. Such items often carry great risks, potentially harming the girl.

Moreover, he smelled a familiar scent of disinfectant from the core, adding to his concern.

"May I see the core?" Ming Ying asked.

"Give it to him," Ye Jianghuai instructed, "I'll give you another hundred boxes."

"...I'm hungry now," Ling Ji struggled, reluctant.

"I have high-grade fasting pills," Ming Ying offered a porcelain bottle decorated with orchids, ignoring the surprised looks of his companions.

"Don't want," Ling Ji dismissed, "Tasteless and bad."

Growing up, Ling Ji had a huge appetite. When unable to find food, her guardian had once given her fasting pills for six months, making her never want to touch them again.

"How about candy?" a baby-faced youth offered a colorful lollipop.

Ling Ji didn't take it, her gaze lingering on him until he pulled out more, saying, "All for you."

Ling Ji gestured, and the candies floated into her hand. "Here," she tossed the core.

The youth quickly caught it, looking at Ming Ying.

Ming Ying, staring at the candies-for-core exchange, felt old for the first time.

"Are you Mu Bai of Xianshou Village?" a man suddenly spoke.

"Yes," Mu Bai instinctively replied, recognizing the familiar face. "You are?"

"Zhao Jiong," the man smiled, stepping forward, "Met you ten years ago during a human trafficking case."

"Captain Zhao," Mu Bai recalled, subtly stepping in front of Ling Ji, "Long time no see."

Zhao Jiong, seemingly unaware of his move, looked at the candy-eating girl, "Who is she?"

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