It Was the Silver Dragon King

The three of them quietly retreated from the entrance of Red Mountain Academy, their figures blending into the thinning morning crowd and the shadows of the streets and alleys until they were far from the commotion.

"Mm, we'll need to make a move and test her tomorrow." After moving away from the Tang family's small house, Huo Yuhao leaned against an old tree with his arms crossed, his expression serious.

"If she's the Silver Dragon King, there's still room for discussion," he continued analyzing. "After all, the Golden Dragon King's God Core is inside the child she's watching. Our goals may be the same, and the Divine Core will have to be extracted eventually. But if she's some other unknown existence..." He did not finish, but his meaning was clear.

Di Tian nodded. He had little interest in the Golden Dragon King's God Core itself, but he absolutely could not tolerate it falling under dangerous or unknown control. If it truly was his lord, everything could perhaps be negotiated. If not, the threat had to be eliminated.

"What do you plan to do?" Di Tian asked.

"Walk right up and ask, 'Are you the Silver Dragon King?'" Huo Yuhao answered solemnly.

"Huh?" Demon Spirit froze beside him, her mind struggling to process it. Could they really be that direct?

Di Tian frowned as well, but after some thought, he shook his head. "I think it would be better to wait a little longer. You've noticed it too. Her instinctive distance from and rejection of human families is decreasing by the day, and she's blending in more naturally. You want to use sudden stimulation to trigger an emotional reaction and judge her that way. But if she becomes even more immersed, then if the instinctive part of her that is 'nonhuman' still remains, her reaction when it is provoked may be more genuine and more intense. If we test her now, she may hide it more deeply."

"But the problem is," Huo Yuhao spread his hands, "all these assumptions depend on her actually being the Silver Dragon King. What if she isn't? Would waiting make us miss our chance?"

A flash of dark gold light flickered in Di Tian's eyes, and his voice took on a cold edge. "Then we use a more direct method. Give her a nonlethal sword aura. If she is my lord, she will have her own means to block or dispel it. If she isn't, then one strike will end it and eliminate future trouble."

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!" Huo Yuhao hurriedly waved his hands, stopping that dangerous thought. "That would cause too much of a commotion. If innocent people get hurt or the protection Tang San left behind reacts, it'll only make things more troublesome." He suddenly thought of something and looked at Di Tian. "Right, has your lord seen your current appearance after taking human form? Is this the image you usually use when operating outside?"

"She has. When meeting important human figures, we usually wear specially made masks. So this appearance is 'clean' in the human world. There's no problem." Di Tian answered.

"Then this will be easy!" Huo Yuhao slapped his thigh, an idea coming to him. "Tomorrow, we'll sell grilled fish outside their school. You sit there and act like an ordinary stall owner. I'll find a chance for you to 'naturally' leak a trace of an extremely faint but unmistakable source spiritual fluctuation—one only someone of her level could sense. If she truly is the Silver Dragon King or has a deep connection to her, she can't possibly remain indifferent. We'll observe her most instinctive reaction!"

Di Tian pondered for a moment. This method was indeed subtler and more concealed than fighting directly or asking outright. He nodded. "Feasible. We'll do that."

With the matter settled, Huo Yuhao relaxed. He got up, preparing to leave and make arrangements for tomorrow's stall.

"Hey, wait a moment." Di Tian suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

"What is it?"

Di Tian looked at him. There was little expression on his face, but he slowly spoke a form of address that instantly sent chills down Huo Yuhao's spine. "Say, Little Haohao... haven't you forgotten something?"

Huo Yuhao's entire body visibly stiffened. Then he showed an expression of teeth-grinding disbelief and rubbed his arm hard. "Ugh—! So this is what it feels like to be called that... Alright, alright, I know! Dinner! Grilled fish until you're full! I'm going now!" With that, he turned and strode away, almost as if fleeing.

Di Tian watched his retreating figure, the corner of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly. He seemed quite satisfied with the result.

Demon Spirit, who had witnessed everything from the side, had long since widened her amber eyes. She looked from Huo Yuhao's "panicked" retreating back to Di Tian's barely noticeable smug expression. She tightly covered her mouth with one hand, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably. Her eyes were full of novelty and suppressed laughter, as though she had just watched the most entertaining show in the world.

The next morning, a brand-new grilled fish stall was set up outside Red Mountain Academy in Aolai City. The charcoal was premium fruitwood charcoal specially ignited by Huo Yuhao with soul power. It produced no choking smoke, only a gentle roasted fragrance. Several sea fish freshly taken from an ice bucket, their scales gleaming silver, were turned, scored, and coated with secret sauce between Demon Spirit's delicate fingers. Her movements flowed like water, carrying a pleasing rhythm.

Their five years of partnership at Eastsea City's Rain Spirit Grilled Fish Shop had not been for nothing. Huo Yuhao controlled the overall heat and the infusion of soul power, locking the fish's juices inside in an instant. Demon Spirit, relying on her sharp perception of subtle energy currents, evenly worked the seasonings into every strand of flesh. They needed no words. A glance, a faint crackle from the charcoal, was enough for them to coordinate. The fragrance of grilled fish was not thick or overpowering. It seemed alive, spreading in fine, endless threads and slipping into the noses of every passerby, stirring their most primal appetite.

Beside the stall, Di Tian had somehow acquired a heavy old-fashioned armchair. He lounged in it carelessly, swaying along with its faint creaks. His eyes were closed, and he looked like an idle old man basking in the sun. He seemed somewhat out of place amid the steadily gathering crowd, yet strangely blended into the noisy morning backdrop.

"Hey, that's not how you act as a stall owner. Why are the two of us the ones working?" Huo Yuhao muttered when he saw Di Tian like that.

"Then I'll do it. Don't blame me if it tastes bad." Di Tian immediately shot back.

Still, Huo Yuhao's grilled fish really did smell incredible.

Like an invisible hook, the fragrance indeed reeled in the people they wanted to see.

"Wow, what's that smell? It smells so good!" A lively child's voice rang out. It was Tang Wulin. He tightly held quiet Na'er's hand in one of his, while Tang Ziran and Lang Yue followed behind with smiles on their faces. Little Wulin sniffed hard, his blue eyes shining brightly. "Dad, Mom, Na'er, we ate breakfast early. Want to try some? I'll treat! Uncle Mang Tian praised me yesterday for being strong and tough, so he gave me eighty Federal Credits in apprentice allowance early!" His little face was full of pride as he puffed out his chest, as if he had become a little man capable of supporting the family overnight.

Lang Yue lovingly and proudly stroked her son's head. "Our Wulin is amazing. But you need to spend your money carefully..."

"No, Mom." Tang Wulin tugged at his mother's arm. "This grilled fish smells so good. Na'er must want some too, right?" He turned toward the silver-haired girl beside him, his gaze eager.

Na'er raised her purple eyes. Her gaze first swept over the sizzling grilled fish, its surface gradually turning golden, crisp, and fragrant. Her long lashes trembled, and she nodded almost imperceptibly. "Mm." Her expression remained calm, but her slightly quicker breathing and the subtle movement of her throat gave away that the aroma attracted her as well.

The family of four slowly moved forward with the line. At last, they reached the stall.

"Uncle, Auntie, how much is the grilled fish?" Tang Wulin stood on tiptoe, trying to look at Huo Yuhao behind the stall as he asked politely. His little hand had already reached for the few crisp new bills in his pocket.

A gentle, harmless smile hung on Huo Yuhao's face, while his hands kept moving. "Don't worry, little friend. It'll be ready soon." As he spoke, he secretly gave Di Tian, seated in the armchair, a look.

Just as Tang Wulin's full attention was on the grilled fish, Di Tian's fingers, seemingly resting casually on the armrest, moved almost imperceptibly. An extremely faint, precisely controlled spiritual fluctuation swept gently over Tang Wulin's family of four like invisible feelers. The first time was like a pebble falling into a deep pool, producing no unusual reaction. All four remained natural. Tang Wulin was still chattering about how he had diligently swung a hammer three hundred times in the forging room yesterday.

Di Tian did not open his eyes, but the armchair stopped swaying. A second spiritual fluctuation followed immediately after. This one was slightly stronger. It was not an attack, but more like the revelation of a "call" or "mark" carrying a particular frequency, its target faintly focused on Na'er.

And in that very instant—

Na'er, who had been slightly lowering her eyes as though all her attention was on the grilled fish, stiffened for one hundredth of a second. Her fingers around Tang Wulin's hand unconsciously tightened for an instant before immediately relaxing. Yet beneath those tranquil purple-crystal-lake eyes, stormy waves suddenly erupted! Her pupils contracted sharply. Although she forcibly calmed herself with astonishing control, the instant of shock, disbelief, and the sharpness of someone whose disguise had been caught off guard like lightning exploding in darkness was clearly captured by the highly alert Huo Yuhao, Di Tian, and Demon Spirit.

She had "seen" it! Not with her eyes, but through a deeper form of perception. She had "recognized" the existence represented by that spiritual fluctuation—an existence that should have been deep within the Star Dou Great Forest: the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian!

Huo Yuhao did not pause in turning the grilled fish, as though nothing had happened. Demon Spirit's hand passing over bamboo skewers remained steady as ever. Yet between the three of them, their eyes completed a silent and complicated exchange in a flash: surprise, confirmation, and deeper doubt.

"Here, here, they're ready!" Huo Yuhao's smile did not change as he handed Tang Wulin two perfectly grilled, fragrant fish. "You're such a sensible little brother, taking care of your sister and treating your parents. Uncle will give you a discount. Five Federal Credits each, ten for two. That's enough for your family to have a taste!"

"Really? Thank you, Uncle!" Tang Wulin cried out in delight. He quickly counted out ten Federal Credits and solemnly handed them to Demon Spirit, then accepted the grilled fish as though they were treasures. He first gave the largest one to Na'er. "Na'er, hurry, eat it while it's hot!" Then he turned to his parents. "Dad, Mom, you should try some too!"

Tang Ziran and Lang Yue repeatedly declined, telling the two children to eat first. Na'er accepted the grilled fish and took a small bite, chewing carefully. The fish was crisp outside and tender within, while the sauce was savory with a faint sweet aftertaste. It truly was a delicacy she had never tasted before. Yet at this moment, her sense of taste seemed separated by a layer of something. All her attention was fixed on the "old man" beside the stall, who had begun swaying in the armchair again with his eyes closed. He was Di Tian? Why was he here? Why was he with these two grilled fish sellers? Who were they? Was their target... me, or Wulin?

Countless questions and vigilance churned within her, but apart from that fleeting initial loss of composure, her face swiftly returned to that of the quiet, even overly obedient little girl. Only her chewing motions were slower and more mechanical than usual.

Huo Yuhao slowly put away his smile only after watching the Tang family of four share their grilled fish and gradually walk away, their warm figures disappearing through the gates of Red Mountain Academy.

Di Tian still lay in the armchair, but it no longer swayed. His eyes were tightly shut, and the leisurely look on his face had vanished without a trace, replaced by deep gravity. The sea breeze stirred the black hair over his forehead. His lips moved slightly as he murmured in a voice only the three of them could hear, carrying an incomprehensible tangle of emotions.

"Split... it really was a split..."

He slowly opened his eyes. His violet-gold dragon pupils looked toward the academy, yet his gaze had no focus, as though it had pierced through the walls and seen the silver-haired girl sitting quietly in a classroom.

"Not a disguise, not an elemental incarnation... It is a portion completely severed at the level of soul and consciousness, carrying an independent mission of observation and learning, yet perhaps... having forgotten the power of its origin and most of its memories?" Di Tian's voice was low, as though he were analyzing the situation, yet also questioning the Void. "My lord... Gu Yuena... what exactly are you thinking? You sent such a fragile 'self' beside the Golden Dragon King's God Core merely to 'observe' humanity? Or can even you not fully control the outcome of this 'split'?"

He recalled Na'er's pure, unfamiliar gaze as she did handicrafts yesterday, the flash of top predator sharpness within her shock today, and the even stronger disguise that followed. This was not the Silver Dragon King he knew, the ruler of all beasts and master of the elements. She was more like a completely new "individual" with an independent path of growth—a lost shadow bearing the Silver Dragon King's imprint, yet walking the path of humans.

"Even at the cost of splitting yourself apart, you still chose to enter this mortal world... What answer are you truly trying to find?" Di Tian's final words were nearly inaudible, dissolving into the sea breeze and the faint sound of reading drifting from afar. There was no anger or urgency in that sigh, only bottomless confusion and a deep concern for his lord's true condition that even he himself had not fully realized.

The charcoal fire at the grilled fish stall gradually died out, and the morning bustle temporarily came to an end. Yet an undercurrent concerning Dragon Kings, the Divine Core, and human bonds had already revealed a deeper corner amid the ordinary sights and smells of daily life.