The Blue Dragon Clan’s Very Suspicious Little Chick - Chapter 61

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 61

She had heard through the senior attendant that no such person existed, yet she was verifying it once more.
As expected, the court lady Nam shook her head as well.
“There is none, but…….”
And then she added something further.
“A few days ago, the young lady of the Azure Dragon Palace was invited to the hot springs.”
Hwa Gyeom’s eyes glinted sharply at this information she had not heard from the attendant.
“The adopted daughter of the Azure Dragon Palace? To the hot springs alone?”
“She accompanied the young lady of the Vermillion Bird Palace, so both of them came. However, the Vermillion Bird lady departed early, while the Azure Dragon Palace lady remained for quite some time. His Highness did not visit the hot springs himself.”
It seemed Geon-u had not gone to the hot springs and thus had not received a report on it.
Even so, this was information of its own kind.
For even now, as Geon-u was seeing off the children of the Four Celestial Palace, he held the adopted son of the Azure Dragon Clan’s hand the longest.
Hwa Gyeom deliberately cast a glance at Geon-u, then asked as though barely interested.
“Why was she invited?”
“On the day of the boat excursion at Hongnanjeong, there was an incident where that young lady fell into the water. It seems His Highness felt apologetic about it.”
A look of displeasure crossed Hwa Gyeom’s face at once.
“I have heard that when the Xuanwu Youngest jumped into the pond, a Spirit Being appeared? And that the Xuanwu Patriarch calls the youngest a Divine Incarnation.”
Historically, whenever the prestige of the Four Celestial Palace grew too great, the Imperial House would express its unease.
As court lady Nam hesitated in simply relaying the information, Hwa Gyeom drew her own conclusion.
“In short, it seems that even this supposedly extraordinary Xuanwu Youngest pays attention to this adopted daughter, and so does His Highness the Crown Prince.”
In truth, Hwa Gyeom’s displeasure stemmed not solely from her failure to uncover clues about the Four Celestial Palace during the painstakingly prepared Ritual Ceremony.
The greater problem was that through herself, she could perceive the surrounding circumstances quite well, yet through the Crown Prince, she could perceive almost nothing at all.
It meant that once she lost the initiative around the Crown Prince’s person, she saw and heard nothing of what transpired in his vicinity.
And so she had to rely on hearing accounts from the attendant or the court ladies.
How frustrating it was……!
At last, the members of the Four Celestial Palace began passing through the Imperial Dragon Gate one by one.
“I shall go in first. Farewell.”
The moment Hwa Gyeom bowed to court lady Nam and turned to leave.
That which had been silent throughout the Ritual Ceremony as though depleted of strength suddenly spoke.

-I will kill the girl from the Azure Dragon Clan.

Hwa Gyeom, though already separated from the other palace attendants, lowered her voice as she asked.
“That girl is not of the Azure Dragon Clan. And if she is not the cause, then what?”

-Kill the girl and see what happens!

Upon reflection, there was nothing wrong with that reasoning.
Normally, the heirs of the Four Celestial Palace are precious resources—future ministers whom Geon-u will govern by decree after becoming emperor.
But what harm would come from such an unremarkable girl, not even of the Azure Dragon Clan, disappearing from the world a little early?
Moreover, if it would distract its turbulent temperament and allow it to settle even somewhat, that too was a gain.
Hwa Gyeom came to this conclusion and asked again.
“But they have already left the palace. Do you have a way?”
The voice laughed at Hwa Gyeom with an eerie cackle.

-Grrr-hahahaha! Do I seem incapable in your eyes?

In the next moment, Hwa Gyeom’s vision went dark. Her stomach churned violently, and bile rose in her throat.
“Ugh—kgh……!”
As she spewed black blood as she had done before, the wretched mass crawled across the ground and seeped into a beetle by the wayside.
The beetle, which had been colored like old wood, turned an eerie black in an instant.
The blackened beetle flew toward the Imperial Dragon Gate with a shrill, ominous buzz.
Just as Hwa Gyeom caught her breath, thinking that it had left her for a moment, unexpectedly the voice rang out once more.

-The Ritual Ceremony will be held for ten years, you say? I can kill one or two each year……!

Indeed, it could inhabit both the Crown Prince and herself at once.
Hwa Gyeom masked his alarm and pressed ahead with his plea.
“Regardless, the child belongs to the Azure Dragon Clan. See that no blame for her death falls upon the imperial household.”
The voice offered no answer—only laughter.

—Krkrkrkrkrkrkrk! Krkrkrkrkrkrkrk!

Hwa Gyeom walked on, fighting the urge to clap his hands over his ears.
He had to find a way to sever this thing from himself and bind it instead to the imperial prince.

***

Four days into the journey toward Azure Dragon Palace.
The carriage had entered the mountain pass without incident.
It was the final gateway between the Imperial Capital and Azure Dragon Ridge.
The seasoned horses did not balk or hesitate as they stepped into the narrow Gorge, hemmed in by overlapping mountain walls.
Aran was listening to So Rim’s chatter from within the swaying carriage.
“Can you believe I thought White Tiger Palace’s nursemaid was just another martial instructor like me? The woman had the strength of an ox……!”
During the Ritual Ceremony, the nursemaids from each Palace had lodged together in one hall, so So Rim had naturally formed friendships with attendants from the other Palaces.
“So surely you’re not telling me that you lost to White Tiger Palace’s nursemaid, are you?”
When Xuanwu Youngest opened her eyes wide in surprise, So Rim let out a scoff.
“What? Young master, what are you taking me for now? I am So Rim……!”
Even as they traded such banter, the mountain path grew steadily narrower.
Soon the carriage reached the Gorge’s most constricted point—if another carriage came from the opposite direction, they would likely have to pull aside and wait.
The stone-walled mountain road, starved of sunlight, was so dim that one could not tell what hour it was.
“This feels ominous somehow.”
Xuanwu Youngest spoke while peering out the window.
Grrrummmmble.
Then came a sound that should not have been heard.
For a moment she thought it might be thunder.
But she had lived a hundred years in her past life, spending decades of those in the mountains—there was no way she could mistake that sound.
Aran threw open the window and shouted.
“A landslide is coming! Faster! Ride faster!”
Neeeigh!
The horses, sensing danger before any human could, began to rear and bolt.
The carriage lurched violently.
“Steady! Steady!
The man sitting on the driver’s bench was one of the Blue Guard Unit.
He worked to calm the horses while trying, at the young mistress’s command, to coax a little more speed from them.
So Rim’s urgent voice reached him, cutting through his hesitation.
“Faster! Faster! Push them! Get us out of here!”
So Rim did not entirely trust Aran’s judgment in this moment.
Yet the young mistress’s always composed face was now etched with unmistakable terror.
Vermillion Bird was also a direct descendant of Four Celestial Palace, so So Rim could only hope the Spirit Being’s instincts were sharper than her own.
As the horses surged forward, an eerie cry echoed down from the mountainside—again and again.
Grrrumble! Gruuuuuuuuu!
This time the roar and tremor were impossible to ignore.
Now even the Blue Guard Unit knew for certain.
“A-a r-real l-landslide……!”
The panicked horses bolted forward, but it was nearly impossible to wheel several carriages out of the mountain pass with such speed while maintaining their guard.
From that distant place came the sound of sand cascading down, mixed with the ominous crack of stones fracturing loose.
“Ahhhhh……!”
Thud-crack!
A chunk of rock hurtled near and struck the carriage roof in intermittent blows.
Sand and earth poured through the window gaps.
“Eeeek!”
Xuanwu Youngest, seized with fright, wrapped both hands around her face.
Boom! Crash!
A massive boulder fell from behind them.
The impact sent the stone mountain thundering with a deafening roar, hurling loose rocks down in a furious cascade.
Neeeeeigh!
One of the horses panicked and bolted sideways of its own accord.
“Whoa! No—!”
The carriage lurched violently before he could finish.
The children inside tumbled to one side in a heap.
“Hyah! Hyah!”
The driver fought desperately to rein in the terrified horses, but a carriage in tow could never outpace the boulders tumbling down the mountainside.
Dust from the falling stones and clouds kicked up by the horses’ hooves obscured everything.
“W-what do we do…?”
Yeon clung to one of the training master’s arms, her voice trembling.
That was when So Rim steadied her breathing, peeled the children away from her, and gripped the door handle.
Aran watched as blue scales flickered across the back of So Rim’s hand, then clung to her tightly.
“No!”
So Rim was about to shift into her true form to escape this crisis.
The Azure Dragon Clan’s Peculiar Little Problem, Chapter 61
E-book Release Date | August 5, 2026

Author | Ravioli
Publisher | Odd Eye
Submissions/Inquiries | [email protected]

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260722065.0061
List Price | 100 won

© Ravioli 2026

This e-book is protected under copyright law.
This e-book is published by contract with the author, and unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or sharing without written consent from both parties is prohibited.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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