Saving the Heartthrob Frenemy-Chapter 187: "No,"

Qie Xieling glanced up and with his hand on his waist, he asked, "How are we supposed to get up there?" having forgotten that King Luo could grow into a large size and carry them up to the palace in the upper realm.

"Who is we? What makes you think you are going?" asked Yunning pulling off her white gloves her gaze as sharp as knives.

Qie Xieling was about to say something when Jolie interrupted him. "Then the both of us will wait here," she said. She was more than willing to sit down under the shade with him and let them do all the hard work.

"So that you two can run away. No, not happening," said Boran while playfully spinning his great axe.

Yunning turned to face them and said, "Then you can stay with them and make sure they don’t run." She didn’t care if Eling ran or not because he was already a dead man regardless. In fact, she would much prefer him gone and leave them in peace. Ever since these two spent the night together in that tent she had been feeling a slight sense of unease. She suddenly had the urge to separate them from each other.

"We won’t run I swear," he replied. He was a weak ordinary human and had no idea what was waiting for them up there. If he dies all of them die hence it was safer for him down here.

"No," replied King Luo shutting down that discussion real quick. After he spoke no one dared make a sound. Even Qie Xieling could only pout feeling very wronged.

Away from the desperate crowd surrounded by heavy air with a sense of urgency and despair, King Luo was enveloped in a bright light and as he grew larger, his presence caused the people standing not so far to scatter, seeking safety from this awe-inspiring creature.

King Luo shook his huge platinum body. Qie Xieling was mesmerised by the long, sinuous dragon with a frosty indigo colour clearly expressing his mood. King Luo lowered his body in front of Qie Xieling and for a moment Qie Xieling was stuck in a daze just staring.

He wanted to touch and rub up against him to his heart’s content but was too embarrassed to do it in front of everybody.

King Luo’s brows creased thinking that Qie Xieling was afraid of him. He was always a confident dragon and thought himself good looking but now he was doubting himself. His self-esteem was plummeting at a rapid rate.

"You, get on. We don’t have all day," complained Jolie and Qie Xieling finally came out of his stupor.

"Oh, sorry," he said his voice trembling in excitement. With grace and agility, Qie Xieling mounted the dragon’s back, ready for the ascent to the upper palace in the realm beyond the clouds. His fingers entwined in the dragon’s iridescent scale tightly like he was afraid he would fall to his death.

The others followed and King Luo’s wings unfurled, their span stretching wide. With powerful thrusts, they took to the heavens and they soared through the sombre skies, their destination set on the palace in the upper realm.

The others soon realised that they didn’t get any of Eling’s special treatment. It seemed he had gotten the best seat on the dragon’s back. It was less bumpy and windy and he was screaming happily like he was on a rollercoaster ride.

If Yunning said she wasn’t jealous then she would be lying. Her resentment towards Eling rose. She wished the poison would act faster.

Ascending through the clouds, a sense of serenity enveloped Qie Xieling. The turbulence of the world below faded away as they neared the upper palace, a testament to the grandeur of a bygone era. The palace emerged from the mist, its ethereal beauty captivating all who beheld it.

As they approached, Qie Xieling marvelled at the palace’s majestic architecture. Towers soared towards the heavens, their spires reaching for the sky as if yearning to touch the gods themselves. The walls were encrusted with precious gemstones, their vibrant hues casting a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of light onto the surrounding landscape.

The gardens, once teeming with life, now lay in disarray and the once-pristine flowers wilted and forgotten. Ornate statues, frozen in time, adorned the courtyards, their stone features eternally locked in expressions of sorrow and longing.

King Luo landed gracefully in the central courtyard, their presence breaking the silence that had settled over the palace. The air was heavy with an ancient melancholy as if the very essence of the palace mourned the loss of its former glory.

Qie Xieling jumped off and like a toddler visiting a petting zoo for the first time, he wandered around with wide eyes.

"Watch your steps. You don’t know what sort of traps lay await in the palace," said King Luo before flying up high in the sky. He could feel his body losing strength. He was about to transform into his human form and he couldn’t do it here. He glanced down at Qie Xieling but when he noticed the person wasn’t even looking at him he felt a little disappointed.

"Let’s split up. Boran, you can go with Jolie and I will go with Eling," she said her voice imperative. Qie Xieling felt his scalp go numb. He had a subtle feeling that Yunning would push him off the edge while others weren’t looking and claim that it was an accident.

He was about to refuse when Jolie said, "So that you can kill him. You think I am stupid. You go with Boran," while pulling Qie Xieling behind her.

"Everybody calm down. No one is unaliving anyone and besides we don’t even know what we are looking for," said Boran and Qie Xieling couldn’t agree more.

Yunning flipped her luscious hair as she walked away with a humph. Soon the four of them entered through the grand entrance and found themselves in a vast hall, its grandeur defying imagination. Elaborate tapestries, faded with age, adorned the walls, depicting heroic battles by the kings before their time and mythical creatures. The floor was a mosaic of intricate patterns, each tile telling a story of forgotten heroes and lost civilizations.

The throne room stood at the heart of the palace, a testament to the power and authority once held within these walls. The throne itself, adorned with precious metals and encrusted with priceless gems, stood vacant, a symbol of the absent king. It seemed that this palace was designed to be a lair for a dragon. A platinum dragon to be exact and behind the throne was a large tapestry different from the others.