The frightened date-red horse galloped for its life, startling the pedestrians in the street until their expressions changed drastically and they scattered to make way. When it reached the gate, the rider flipped off and rolled to the ground. The date-red horse did not slow down, racing all the way to the end of the street before blindly choosing a direction and disappearing.
The rider scrambled to his feet. Without time to brush the dust from his body or wipe the sweat from his head, he rushed to the gate and said anxiously, "Quick, I want to see the Dragon King."
There were more than a dozen guards at the Protector's Manor. The earlier events had happened too quickly for them to react, but now they swarmed around him. The captain rested a hand on his saber hilt and demanded harshly, "Who are you?"
"Iron Mountain. I'm Old Man Ye of Iron Mountain. The Dragon King knows who I am."
The captain signaled for one of the guards to go inside and report, then said, "You didn't come at a good time. The Dragon King won't emerge until dusk. Wait a while—go find somewhere to drink or something."
Old Man Ye raised his head and looked at the sky. Noon had just passed, and there were still at least two shichen until dusk. "I can't wait. It's urgent. Once it gets dark, everything will be too late."
The captain remained unmoved. He had received orders to strictly bar all strangers from entering the Protector's Manor today, so he shook his head. "No. No matter how urgent it is, you can't disturb the Dragon King. He's fighting the Unrivaled King tonight. Could your matter possibly be more urgent than that?"
Old Man Ye anxiously paced in circles. The guard who had