The Ancestral Dragon City State stood on a vast, fertile plain. Three frozen rivers meandered down from the mountains extremely far away, coursing through countless villages, towns, cities, and finally meeting at the silvery grey Ancestral Dragon City State!
The city state was split into two areas, with quiet, majestic, and tall silvery-grey walls as its borders.
The most stunning thing about the Ancestral Dragon City State was exactly this wall. In the instant they flew over this green plain, it was like witnessing a primordial dragon making its first contact with the world, crawling on the horizon.
-According to the legends, the Ancestral Dragon City State was formed from the body of an ancestral dragon. Witnessing it for myself today, it doesnât seem to be a lie!- Zhu Minglang thought.
After seeing the Ancestral Dragon City State, the emotional knots in Li Yunziâs heart didnât loosen much. When she thought of having to face those who knew her, she had difficulty breathing.
âYoung Miss Yunzi, you donât have to worry about that matter. Iâve already killed them all,â Luo Xiao assured her, seemingly noticing the complications Li Yunzi was feeling inside.
Li Yunzi didnât reply to him.
After adjusting her state of mind, the usual cold glint returned to Li Yunziâs eyes. She said plainly, âLetâs go.â
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The Li Clan and the Nan FamilyâŠ
These two reputable clans had always governed over the Ancestral Dragon City State. When Zhu Minglang had first heard of the Valkyrieâs name, he immediately knew her origins.
It was no wonder she was able to rule over Ever City for a year in the chaotic Wutu. Her background was surely unfathomable.
But why was she overthrown overnight?
Zhu Minglang was starting to panic on this escort journey. The mission was finally over, but he was still not allowed to leaveâŠ
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The Li Clanâs imperial court was magnificent. Alas, they werenât returning in glory.
The party of three was quietly waiting in a palace hall built with pear wood. Zhu Minglang and Luo Xiao stood a few steps behind Li Yunzi, while she stood there facing a thin man with a long beard nearing old age sitting in the main seat.
A lady was seated beside the man. She had an extraordinary air around her, elegant and dignified. She poured a cup of tea for the slender long-bearded man.
âDonât get agitated, my lord. Itâs enough that she returned safely,â the woman said softly.
Pa! The long bearded man smacked the tea cup away fiercely.
Sharp porcelain pieces came flying, falling at Li Yunziâs feet. One of the pieces bounced up from the marble floor and streaked past the side of her face mercilessly.
A thin, fresh red line appeared on her cheek, blood seeping from it.
However, Li Yunzi just stood there, having shown no intention of dodging.
âIf it were any other of our Li Clanâs descendants, they would have already chosen to kill themselves at one of our temples. That way, theyâd have barely saved some face for themselves and our Li Clan!â the middle-aged, long bearded man said, showing neither happiness nor anger.
âMy lord, this subordinate has already torched Ever City to the ground. How did this matter spread here so quickly?â Luo Xiao exclaimed in disbelief.
âIs it your place to speak?!â the Li Clan patriarch glared at Luo Xiao.
Luo Xiao quickly knelt down, flustered and not daring to raise his head.
It was like he had an inborn fear of the Li Clanâs patriarch. The ambitious and extremely arrogant Luo Xiao didnât dare have any thoughts of causing trouble.
âYou canât even protect your own reputation; how can you protect the Ancestral Dragon City State in the future, with threats from all around us!?â Patriarch Li said angrily.
Li Yunzi didnât speak a word.
Seeing her being silent, Patriarch Li grew even more angryâŠ
However, he very quickly suppressed the rage that had risen up in his throat.
âNo matter what, Yunzi achieved many war merits for our city, and expanded our territory. Even if her reputation is tarnished now, her prestige in commanding remains,â the woman at the side said persuasively.
âWhat commandeering prestige is there to speak of? Not only that, the troops under her Queenâs Guard banner have to bear this shame with her! The Queenâs Guard shall disband from here on; the troops will be distributed to other camps to continue guarding the battlefields in the west. Nan Lingsha will take over the position of the successor to the Divine Maiden of the Ancestral Dragon, and youâll be under house arrest in the palace, forbidden from seeing anyone!â The Patriarch Liâs eyes were indifferent as he spoke.
âMy lord, as a younger sister, Iâm afraid Nan Lingsha would also be affected, more or less. Why donât we recall her as wellâŠâ The woman seemed to be hinting at something.
âNan Lingsha is Nan Lingsha, and Li Yunzi is Li Yunzi. Who dares implicate Nan Lingsha in this matter? Iâll send the order to have the tongues of whoever dares speak anything about this cut off, no matter their status!â Patriarch Li said.
âThis concubine shall relay this message,â the woman replied.
âLuo Xiao.â It was only then that Patriarch Li lowered his gaze onto him.
âYour guilty servant is here!â Luo Xiao remained kneeling, not daring to look up.
âYour dragon is a gilded fire dragon?â Patriarch Li asked.
âGilded fire dragon? My lord, this is a breed of dragon that has hopes of rising to the ranks of Dragon Lord. Their bloodline and attributes are all upper tier; if he pledges his loyalty to usâŠâ The woman showed hints of surprise.
âIt is indeed a rarely-seen, precious dragon. I didnât expect you to come across such shocking fortuitous encounters after leaving the Li Clan. Youâve done very well this time, making those vagrants of Wutu understand our Li Clanâs people arenât to be stepped on lightly!â Patriarch Li said.
âThis subordinate bears deep regret for my mistake that resulted in my exile in the past. But my heart has always been with the Li Clan. After becoming a master dragon tamer, this subordinate was coincidentally training in Wutu and headed over as soon as I got knowledge that Young Miss is in trouble. Alas, I was a step too late. I beseech my lord to not blame her. It was this subordinateâs fault for not being decisive enough; I should have burned down the surrounding towns as well. That way, this matter wouldnât have spread here,â Luo Xiao said, expressing his loyalty.
Patriarch Li nodded, satisfied with his ruthlessness.
âCome under my wing. The gilded fire dragon is indeed a precious dragon with unlimited potential, but it requires massive resources, and a great master to guide it⊠As long as youâre loyal enough, I can assure you of a brilliant future!â Patriarch Li told him.
âMany thanks my lord, many thanks my lord!â Excitement that couldnât be hidden showed on Luo Xiaoâs face. He kowtowed again, expressing his gratitude.
A brilliant future!
What he wanted was exactly that, a brilliant future!
It wasnât to be a revered dragon tamer in the poor areas of Wutu, but to be at the top in a prosperous city like the Ancestral Dragon City State, which had everything!
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During all this time, Zhu Minglang had rehearsed countless times in his heart on how to answer the cold and tyrannical patriarchâs questions, and thought of many vague answers to conceal his identity.
In the end, Zhu Minglang realized they had not noticed his existence from beginning to end.
They had never even spared him a glance, let alone spoken to him.
This made Zhu Minglang feel bitter. There was a time when many influential people pointed at him, saying that he had an extraordinary appearance and was sure to become a dragon among men. Only a few years had passed, and he had become so plain and invisible?