Dragon Lord

"Do not make a clamor or disgrace yourselves before the Lord!" the demon official shouted. With a wave of his hand, the two guards standing at either side immediately dragged the man away.

For some reason, that action made Su Ziji's heart tighten. Even if this was a dream, he still instinctively shut his mouth tight and clasped Ye Buhui's hand.

"Su Ziji, where is this?" Ye Buhui whispered once the gazes fixed upon them had returned to normal.

"You don't know?" Su Ziji looked at the "Ye Buhui from the dream" and felt that, although this dream was realistic, there was one difference from reality: this girl's temper was far gentler than the real Ye Buhui's.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, someone viciously twisted the flesh at his waist. Pain made him suck in a hiss, fortunately not loudly enough to alarm those around them.

"What kind of look was that?" Dream-Ye Buhui said indignantly.

"All right, so this really isn't a dream." Su Ziji sighed inwardly. How could he fail to realize that this was not a dream at all?

When that man had been dragged away just now, he had sensed a strange force suddenly enveloping them. Several students who had been about to cry out had instantly become mute, standing there blankly as they waited.

With something this eerie, he would rather it had been a dream. If it had only been him, so be it—but there was this little girl too. If they could not return home safely, would he not have failed Uncle Ye's trust?

Yet whatever lingering hope he had was dispersed by Ye Buhui's pinch.

"Shh, keep your voice down. This is probably a Monster's lair." Afraid that Ye Buhui would be too rash and bring disaster upon them, Su Ziji could only lean close to her ear and whisper, "We were probably snatched from the pleasure boat by Monsters. Watch for the right moment, and don't be the bird that sticks its head out."

Ye Buhui's eyes widened. Forgetting the embarrassment stirred by the warm breath Su Ziji had blown near her ear, she looked around and discovered that this place was steeped in utter strangeness.

At first glance, it was a palace, and the people walking about all had human forms. Some were even quite lovely. Yet by these standards, even the Imperial Palace would be no grander, would it?

They had been aboard a pleasure boat on Coiling Dragon Lake, far from the Capital City. Even flying, it would have been impossible to reach the Imperial Palace in an instant.

And within the prefecture, let alone the prefectural governor's residence, not even an imperial traveling palace could possibly match these specifications.

Though Ye Buhui was young, her father had taught her many things that seemed unnecessary for her. She knew well that clothing, food, housing, and travel all concerned ritual propriety. Minor violations could be overlooked with one eye open and one eye shut, but this was far too presumptuous. This was the standard of an emperor—using it without authorization would not only bring ruin upon oneself, but invite the extermination of one's entire clan!

Moreover, the palace was so magnificently beautiful that people would believe it was an immortal palace.

But was this an immortal palace?

Remembering the sensation of being watched by those "people," Ye Buhui shuddered and rejected the idea.

Immortals in legend were ethereal and kindly. How could they be so terrifying? Even though she was young and had seen little of the world, she could sense it: those were the eyes of predators looking upon weak prey. Would immortals look at mortals like that?

She immediately shrank closer to Su Ziji's side.

But her being able to think this way did not mean everyone else could remain calm.

After passing through the initial stages of Who am I?, Where am I?, and This is a dream, half the chess players wore panicked expressions, their bodies trembling.

"Monsters... Monsters... They have horns..." Several clutched their heads and could only mutter under their breaths. No one could get them to say what they had seen that had frightened them into such a state.

Some forced themselves to remain composed. More of the chess players wore grave expressions and warily watched their surroundings, while a few looked excited, clearly taking this place for an immortal palace and themselves for people who had obtained an immortal opportunity.

"Haha, this must be the Dragon Palace!" A middle-aged man looked around and spoke with delight. He was originally an Examination Student and had some skill at chess, but lived in considerable poverty.

This was only because he was lazy and lustful. Whatever money he earned was mostly offered up to his red-faced confidantes in brothels. Whenever he read storybooks, he especially envied scholars who encountered immortals and demons. Now, he only felt that the immortal opportunity long overdue to him had finally arrived.

The middle-aged man straightened his clothes and stopped a maidservant. She wore her hair in two buns, with shells hanging from them. Against her fair little face, she looked exquisite and adorable—perfectly matching people's image of a female immortal.

"This female immortal, might we be fortunate enough to have an audience with the Lord?" the middle-aged scholar asked with cupped hands.

The maidservant froze, swept her gaze over the dozen or so people around her, then clapped her hands and laughed. "You wish to compete first? Your courage is commendable. Quickly, follow me up—so long as you win, you may naturally behold the Lord's countenance."

Su Ziji felt something was wrong, but as soon as the maidservant spoke, several armored soldiers appeared around them. He could not even take the chance to leave with Ye Buhui.

Besides, he did not know where they were, and Su Ziji could not guarantee that he could bring Ye Buhui out safely. He could only take one step and see what came next.

His gaze shifted, and he gave a startled sound. A young man stood opposite them, looking somewhat familiar. It was Zheng Yingci, whom he had seen at Mount Tong Temple last time.

"Zheng Yingci came too? Then where are Yu Lü and Zhang Sheng?"

Su Ziji examined the hall carefully. Seeing neither of them, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thought, Could Zheng Yingci be planning to strike first and probe the situation?

Zheng Yingci indeed had that thought. He was a Cultivated Talent, born into an official family. Though only a few years older than Su Ziji, he had seen much more of the world. Though alarmed and suspicious now, he was better able to keep his composure.

The group was led into the upper hall, where they found more than a dozen people already kneeling on cushions before chessboards. The cushions opposite them were empty, as though awaiting opponents, but the chessboards themselves were not empty; the games appeared half-played.

Once they distinguished the others' clothing, everyone was shocked.

"This... these are the robes and hats of the previous dynasty. Could they be remnants of the former dynasty?"

Though they were all scholars, there had been obvious differences in attire across several hundred years, to say nothing of officially prescribed robes for officials and scholars.

Even where things were broadly similar, changes had to be made to establish legitimacy.

As they pondered this, drums and music suddenly rang out in unison. A figure dressed in a ceremonial robe could vaguely be seen slowly taking a seat from behind a curtain. His gaze swept over them, and after a slight gesture, the Shell Maiden who had brought them here reported, "Dragon Lord, all one hundred and eleven chess players have been brought here. Sixteen have entered the hall; the rest will compete below the hall."

"Dragon Lord? This is the Water Palace of the Dragon Palace?" Su Ziji was greatly startled. Though he had long been mentally prepared, the sudden confirmation still made horror show on his face.

The others were no better off. Even Zheng Yingci's body jerked.

"Coiling Dragon Lake is said to be famed for dragons. We were originally aboard a pleasure boat on Coiling Dragon Lake, and the Water Tribe seized us and brought us to the Water Palace beneath its waters. That is only to be expected." Su Ziji suppressed his shock and squeezed Ye Buhui's hand again, telling her not to be afraid.

At that moment, Ye Buhui's heart too was churning like monstrous waves. Only when Su Ziji grasped her hand did she come back to herself.

"You mortals, having seen the Dragon Lord, will you not bow?" The shell-wearing girl turned around and cried coldly.

Everyone immediately fell silent. Many felt reassured and relaxed considerably. A Dragon Lord was not the same as a Demon King. Those who had earlier claimed to have encountered immortals looked even more delighted and bowed in unison. "This student pays respects to the Dragon Lord!"