The Dragon Palace's great hall had immortal gold for flooring and immortal jade for pillars. Coral-shaped lamps hung on the walls, bathing the hall in light.
Seated on a throne carved with dragons, a middle-aged man with green hair and a red face wore an Azure Dragon Emperor Robe. He flew into a rage at the badly injured youth before him. "What a disgrace to our family! How did the East Sea Dragon Clan end up with a rebellious son like you? You even dared to plot against the Daughter of the Human Emperor! Do you think life is too easy for our Dragon Clan, and want to bring about our extinction?!"
As it turned out, the Little Green Dragon who had nearly killed Nuwa was the third son of the East Sea Dragon King.
Ao Guang practically roared. He had never imagined that while he was away attending a banquet at Dragon King Suojie Luo's home, Ao Bing would get himself into such enormous trouble.
In this era, the Human Clan was the Protagonist of Heaven and Earth.
The Human Clan commanded the Primordial Land and possessed the fortune of being the Protagonist of Heaven and Earth. Even if their strength couldn't match that of the Witch and Demon Clans, they could absolutely crush the Dragon Clan into dust.
The Dragon Clan had only Old Ancestor Candle Dragon left to prop them up. But Old Ancestor Candle Dragon was in a dire state, barely able to protect himself.
People burdened by karmic debt would suffer all kinds of tribulations as soon as they appeared in the world. To avoid this, Old Ancestor Candle Dragon had sealed himself inside a deep-sea trench.
Under these circumstances, Ao Bing hadn't merely failed to lie low. He had actually gone out of his way to provoke the Human Clan.
Ao Guang was truly furious with Ao Bing. If Ao Bing weren't his son, he would have had him executed on the spot to appease the Human Clan's anger.
Ao Bing knelt below, trembling. His small face was deathly pale, without a trace of color.
Fang Yang had already left him gravely injured. After Ao Guang ransomed him back, he hadn't even given him a chance to recover before dragging him into the hall.
"Ao Guang, you heartless man! Is this how you treat your own son?"
Just as the Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals were about to drag Ao Bing away, a woman in a Colorful Coral Dress stormed into the hall and pointed at Ao Guang's nose, berating him.
Though the woman's figure had grown somewhat out of shape, her face still retained its charm.
Ao Guang immediately developed a headache at the sight of her. His Dragon Queen had an impressive background: she was Geng Wuniang, daughter of the Yangtze Water Emperor, who was Old Ancestor Geng Chen's eldest son.
If the Ao Clan Dragon Clan was the royal family of the Four Seas Dragon Clan, then the Geng Clan Dragon Clan was the royal family of the Land Dragon Clan.
Of course, Ao Guang and Geng Wuniang had fallen in love freely; theirs wasn't a political marriage. Geng Wuniang had once been as beautiful as a flower, and in her youth she had been the Dragon Clan's number-one beauty. After getting together with Ao Guang, she had borne too many Dragon Sons and Daughters, damaging her vital essence. That was what had turned her into a haggard old woman.
"Mother, Father wants to beat me!"
When Ao Bing saw his mother arrive, his fear vanished. With tears and snot streaming down his face, he rushed to the Dragon Queen and began to complain.
"Mother, Prince Yuan Suo said that our East Sea Dragon Clan were all cowards, and couldn't even deal with a little girl. That's why I went after the Human Princess. Father isn't blaming Prince Yuan Suo at all—he's punishing me instead!"
Ao Guang was even more incensed. He slammed his hand against the armrest of the throne, instantly shattering the immortal jade and sending sparks flying.
"Rebellious brat! You still have the nerve to bring up Yuan Suo? If he told you to die, would you do it?"
The Prince Yuan Suo they were talking about was the son of Dragon King Suojie Luo, the Dragon King of the Western Water Element.
Ao Guang had befriended Dragon King Suojie Luo because he wanted to build connections and pave the way for the Four Seas Dragon Clan's future. He hadn't expected that while he was trying to befriend the man, the man would scheme against him.
That was what enraged Ao Guang the most. His son was so stupid that anyone could use him as a pawn. It was only because Fang Yang had stepped in in time and crippled the brat that things hadn't escalated even further.
Even though Fang Yang had crippled Ao Bing, Ao Guang felt somewhat grateful to him.
Geng Wuniang shielded Ao Bing tightly behind her, her willow-leaf brows raised as she shouted back at Ao Guang. "Ao Guang, don't you dare throw your weight around in front of your own family! That brat Yuan Suo insulted the East Sea Dragon Clan—that was an insult to both you and me! Bing'er is still young. He lost his temper and acted rashly. If anyone's at fault, it's Yuan Suo for provoking him first. What right do you have to blame Bing'er?"
"I'm punishing him for being stupid! For not knowing his place!"
Ao Guang tried to reason with Geng Wuniang, but was she the sort of person who listened to reason? If she had, she wouldn't have raised her son to be the way he was.
She covered her ears and shook her head repeatedly. "I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening."
Then she picked Ao Bing up and left the hall, leaving behind Ao Guang with his face livid and several Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals with numb expressions.
Only after Geng Wuniang and her son had left did Ao Guang sigh helplessly. "A doting mother spoils her son."
The Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals stood in the hall, daring neither to speak nor to ask questions.
The Dragon King's family affairs weren't something they could meddle in. Besides, they'd heard that to appease the Human Clan, the Dragon King had offered up thirty percent of the Dragon Palace's resources and promised to help the Human Clan control the Xiang River Flood. That was what had saved the Dragon Clan's foundations.
One could imagine how awful Ao Guang felt at that moment.
But the matter wasn't settled yet.
"Interception Sect. Fang Yang."
Ao Guang's expression grew solemn. His son had offended a Disciple of the Sect of Interception.
True, Ao Bing hadn't attacked Fang Yang, but Fang Yang had punished Ao Bing. This old dragon Ao Guang would never give the Interception Sect's disciples an opening to make trouble.
Ao Guang was fairly lucky.
Fang Yang's original plan had been to visit Zhao Gongming at Mount Emei and collect some rewards. But after taking the Creation Mending Pill, his cultivation had advanced again, and he had broken through to the Late Golden Immortal stage in one go.
He had to stay at his sanctuary to consolidate his cultivation, lest advancing too quickly harm his foundations.
That was why Ao Guang hadn't made the trip in vain.
Although Ao Guang hadn't been able to meet Fang Yang in person, he had managed to leave his "apology gifts" on Ningzhen Island. Only after seeing that Fang Yang had accepted the gifts did Ao Guang return to the Dragon Palace, reassured.
The Disciples of the Sect of Interception were, after all, Disciples of a Saint. They had received a Saint's teachings, and however overbearing they might be, they still followed reason.
Fang Yang hadn't met Ao Guang because he didn't want to fall into someone else's scheme. After learning the Little Green Dragon's identity, he had begun to have doubts about what had happened to Nuwa.
How could so many things just happen to line up so perfectly? The East Sea Dragon King had happened to be visiting the west, Nuwa had happened to be playing in the Eastern Sea, and Ao Bing had happened to see Nuwa. One coincidence was just a coincidence, but a string of them together made the outcome inevitable.
Although Fang Yang had already intervened, as long as he didn't get further involved, he wouldn't be dragged in too deeply.
As a Disciple of the Sect of Interception, occasionally taking a chance to save someone was in keeping with the Heavenly Mandate. No one could find fault with him.
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