By the ancient road, withered grass lay desolate as the wind swept dust across the sky.
Four streaks of light descended. They all wore red and blue-green silk woven with five-colored clustered flowers, bearing the heavy style of the imperial court. Brocade caps sat atop their heads, and their weathered faces showed traces of fatigue. Upon landing, the four habitually formed a defensive formation.
The leader took out a compass. A faint little fish rested at the center of the mysterious compass; after its head swayed for a moment, it pointed ahead.
"Just as expected. That Dragon Snake passed through here. After searching for three years, we finally have a lead!"
"The Great Tang is in dire straits. We must capture the Dragon Snake and suppress it beneath True Dragon Hall!"
The four men were joyful, exhilarated, and filled with ironclad determination. The Dragon Snake had entered rivers and vanished without a trace. Over the years, countless people had rushed forward one after another, either lying in wait or setting ambushes, hoping to capture the Dragon Snake and suppress the empire's fortune. Without exception, they had all failed. The Dragon Snake was far too skilled at concealing herself. Each time she appeared, she soon disappeared again, and every search had come to nothing.
Fortunately, the court had an expert forge the Dragon Seeking Plate. Rumor had it that, while crafting it, they had deliberately opened the Imperial Mausoleum of a former emperor buried atop a dragon vein and taken a small piece of his spine to fuse into it.
The remains of a former emperor buried in a dragon vein had been nourished by dragon qi for many years and could sense dragon qi.
That Dragon Snake possessed the pure earth qi of a dragon vein. If she came close