The West Sea Dragon Palace looked splendid in gold and jade from the outside, and inside, its extravagance knew no bounds.
Luminous pearls served as candles, while fist-sized pieces of deep-sea red coral sat casually in corners as ornamental plants.
Ao Run warmly escorted Chen Wei all the way into the inner hall. Ao Cunxin, who had led the way earlier, had long since vanished.
The third princess certainly had a personality. Perhaps it was because Yang Jian wasn't there?
Chen Wei didn't mind. Dealing with a dragon king was far easier than dealing with a prickly female immortal. After all, they both worked on the Heavenly Court Stage; they understood the rules and followed proper procedure.
Inside the great hall.
The Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals had all withdrawn, without even a single Clam Maiden left to serve tea.
Ao Run personally lifted the teapot and poured Chen Wei a cup, then filled one each for Ma Muzhi and Xiao Yan, who sat farther down.
"Lord Chen, have a taste."
"It comes from a wild tea tree growing deep within the West Sea's Sea Eye. Only a tiny handful can be harvested every five hundred years, and nothing nourishes the primordial spirit better. Ordinarily, even I can't bear to drink it."
Chen Wei lifted his cup and gently blew on the floating tea leaves. "Excellent tea."
What followed was a full hour of empty talk.
Ao Run kept Chen Wei engrossed in endless small talk, moving from this year's rainfall over the West Sea to the reproduction rate of aquatic creatures in the trenches, then to several new regulations recently issued by the Heavenly Court. He even lavished praise on Chen Wei's ninth-grade painting in the Tongming Hall competition.
Every word, spoken or implied, was watertight. All of it