Shedding skin was not an unusual occurrence for snakes.
Normal snakes would shed their skin three to four times a year, with each shed signifying a growth spurt.
Although the baby flood dragon, Jiao Baobao, had now become a flood dragon, it was still technically a snake.
However, perhaps it was precisely because Jiao Baobao was a flood dragon that its skin was exceptionally tough.
Normal snakes could easily break open the old skin around their lips by rubbing against rocks. But Jiao Baobao's old skin was so tough that it sparked when rubbed against the rocks, yet no tear appeared.
No wonder the little white tiger said it would disappear for a while every day recently. It turned out it was sneaking off to shed its skin.
“So tough, huh? The rock is almost worn flat, and it still hasn't shed. That must be so uncomfortable.”
“It seems I need to help it.”
With that thought, Yang Lin quickly instructed the little white tiger beside him:
“You stay here and don’t move. I’ll go get some tools.”
After speaking, he turned and left Bear Ridge.
When he returned, he was holding a toolbox.
As the toolbox was opened, various tools appeared inside.
The first thing Yang Lin took out was a small hacksaw.
“Little Dragon, don’t move, I’ll help you.”
With a loud shout, Yang Lin, holding the hacksaw, ran to Jiao Baobao’s side.
Jiao Baobao now realized that its own efforts were not enough to complete the shedding. It immediately stayed still in place.
Seeing this, Yang Lin didn’t stand on ceremony. He picked up the saw and began sawing at the scales on its chin.
The saw, capable of cutting steel rebar, produced sparks as it scraped against Jiao Baobao’s skin.
After sawing for over a minute, only a shallow mark was made.
Yet, this shallow mark alone left Yang Lin covered in sweat.
“Phew! This won’t do. Let’s try another one.”
He casually tossed the hacksaw aside and grabbed a small angle grinder.
After grinding through several abrasive discs, a small opening was finally made in the old skin on Jiao Baobao’s lower jaw.
Once the opening was large enough, Jiao Baobao began to wriggle through the scattered rocks again.
After repeating this process several times, a complete snakeskin lay on the ground. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
At the same time, Jiao Baobao’s appearance had changed dramatically from before.
It was originally only a little over 5 meters long and could occasionally wrap itself around Yang Lin.
After shedding its skin, it grew to 10 meters long, with a girth as thick as a bowl.
If it tried to wrap around Yang Lin now, it could crush him to death.
Besides its size, its face had become broader, exuding less coldness and more dignity.
Of course, the most noticeable change was the bulge in the center of its head, which Yang Lin had mistaken for bone hyperplasia. After this shedding, it finally revealed its complete form.
It was a white spike, about as thick as a thumb and less than 8 centimeters long.
“I knew it wasn’t bone hyperplasia. Now that the bone spur has grown, will it get kidney stones in its brain next?”
As he spoke, Yang Lin touched the spike on Jiao Baobao’s head.
“It’s quite sturdy, and it even has patterns. It would be good for opening red wine.”
The moment he finished speaking, Jiao Baobao gave him a speechless, disdainful look.
Yang Lin merely chuckled in response.
Afterward, his attention shifted to the shed old skin beside him.
Unexpectedly, the old skin felt very soft to the touch, unlike dried, discarded skin.
Moreover, it seemed to retain its previous toughness; Yang Lin couldn’t cut through it even with scissors after a couple of tries.
“Back in the day, this would have been a heavenly treasure. If made into soft armor, it would be impenetrable to blades and spears.”
“It also seems to have good insulation. Given its size, it should be enough to make a set of leather armor.”
After a thorough inspection, Yang Lin’s face lit up with joy.
While personal protection was not as crucial in this era, who could refuse a set of Jiao-skin soft armor that provided insulation and was impenetrable to blades and spears?
Especially when venturing out, such armor would be like an extra life.
“Put it away, put it away. I’ll have it processed someday.”
Excitedly packing the entire Jiao-skin away, Yang Lin then remembered the reason for his visit.
The next second, he looked at Jiao Baobao beside him with a sincere expression.
“Little Dragon, I need your help with something.”
Upon hearing Yang Lin’s words, Jiao Baobao, who was getting accustomed to its new body, looked confused.
“Park keeper, how can I help you? Are you asking me to perform another act?”
“I won’t do anything too embarrassing. I was young and didn’t know better back then, but now I’m older and have self-respect.”
“??? You’re only a month older than before.”
“A month is still older. Also, stop calling me Jiao Baobao. Call me by my real name—Li Xiaolong, Ah Da!”
The moment he finished speaking, Jiao Baobao lashed out with its tail, snapping a small tree beside it.
Seeing this, Yang Lin couldn’t help but shake his head.
“Fine, another one going through adolescence.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll call you Xiaolong from now on. But don’t worry, I’m not asking you to perform. I want to know if you can summon clouds and rain, and I need your help to make it rain.”
Having stated his purpose directly, Yang Lin quietly waited for Li Xiaolong’s response.
Li Xiaolong was initially confused after hearing Yang Lin's request. Then, as if recalling something, it nodded.
“I think I have that ability, but I’ve never tried it before, so I don’t know if it works well.”
“How about I try it out first?”
Seeing that Li Xiaolong agreed, Yang Lin immediately nodded repeatedly.
“Yes, yes, yes, try it out first. But try to control it a bit, don’t make it rain too hard.”
“Actually, forget it. I’ll go hide under that tree over there first.”
With that, he trotted with the little white tiger to the shade of a large tree.
After confirming that the tree’s branches and leaves were dense enough, he waved to Li Xiaolong, who was dozens of meters away.
Receiving Yang Lin's permission, Li Xiaolong entered a state of focus.
The next second, a dark cloud drifted into the originally clear sky.
Seeing this unscientific cloud, a glint of excitement appeared in Yang Lin’s eyes.
“Here it comes! The legends of our Dragon Country are true. Flood dragons can indeed summon wind and rain.”
“I just don’t know if it’ll be a drizzle, a downpour, or a torrential rain. I hope it’s not too heavy, or it’ll be hard to explain.”
As he watched the cloud in the sky with anticipation, the first raindrop fell from the cloud.
Following this first drop, more and more dense raindrops began to fall from the sky.
Yang Lin should have been more excited by this sight, but as he watched, he sensed something was amiss.
It wasn’t until he looked at the ground not far in front of him that he realized that after half an hour of rain, the only area that was wet was a small patch where Li Xiaolong was located.
“This… this is like a cloud from an underage year?”
Yang Lin was dumbfounded on the spot.