"Uncle Ji, please have some tea. Ruoli is discussing matters with those flood dragons in the Dragon Palace's main hall. She should be here soon."
There were no Dragon Palace maids in the side hall. The Dragon Son personally carried over the tea and pastries, poured tea for both Ji Yuan and Old Dragon, then stood to one side.
"Mister Ji, this tea is made from tender buds of Ice Vine Flowers grown beneath the extreme ice of the North Sea, stir-fried over both gentle and fierce heat. It is exceedingly difficult to obtain, and few in the world have had the chance to taste it. Extreme Ice Old Flood Dragon presented it to Ruoli as tribute and emptied out his entire hundred-year stockpile. Please enjoy!"
Old Dragon stroked his beard with a smile and urged Ji Yuan to try the tea. Ji Yuan lifted the lid of the tea cup and looked inside. The cup felt pleasantly warm to the touch, yet a beautiful icy flower had formed atop the water. When he gave it a slight shake, the ice flower seemed to melt into the water without hardening the tea's surface. Yet when he sniffed it, he could not detect the slightest tea fragrance.
Ji Yuan glanced at Old Dragon. He rather had the feeling that a daughter who had made something of herself was being proudly displayed. Looking again at the Dragon Son, he found only a smile, without the slightest dissatisfaction or inferiority.
"Good, I'll give it a taste!"
As he spoke, Ji Yuan lifted the tea cup and took a sip. It was not cold, but possessed an exceptionally mellow texture. Then came a faint, refreshing aftertaste, followed by a rich fragrance blossoming in his mouth, as though the tea fragrance hidden before had suddenly