Chapter 10 – The Dragon King (Part One)

The Dragon Palace, of course, was not a dragon palace built under the sea.

On a mountain peak that was not towering but vast stood a massive castle.

The castle was surrounded by mountains on three sides. To its left flowed a winding river, and below it lay a bustling market town. Overlooking all living beings from the castle, there was indeed an air of royalty about it.

The castle was as majestic and wealthy as a small imperial palace. Its master’s surname was Long (Dragon), which was why the martial arts world called it the Dragon Palace.

The Dragon Palace was very mysterious, and the Dragon King even more so.

At this moment, the Dragon King was slouching lazily in his chair, slightly bored, listening to his confidants deliver their routine reports.

The elderly man on his left sat very upright, his back straight, with white hair and brows, and a serious expression.

This was Uncle Ye, the steward of the Dragon Palace. He was in charge of palace’s internal affairs. He was meticulous in his work, loyal, and a bit talkative.

The young man on his right had long eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes, a face like jade, and an elegant demeanor. There was a hint of smile at the corner of his mouth. He was dressed in blue robes and held a folding fan.

This was Ye Qingzhou, Uncle Ye’s son, the Dragon King’s assistant and the financial steward of the Dragon Palace.

Most of the time, he represented the Dragon King in business negotiations and events and even made decisions on his behalf. He was almost the Dragon King’s stand-in.

The two men sitting across from the Dragon King were both middle-aged men around forty years old.

The one on the left was short and stocky, expressionless, with deep eyes, a short neat mustache, and his hair tied up at the back.

This was Wan Shoujing, the chief of law and punishment at the Dragon Palace. He was responsible for the selection, training, assessment, supervision, and punishment of personnel within the Dragon Palace and its subordinate organizations. He also managed the Dragon Palace’s intelligence network. He acted decisively, separated public from private matters, and showed no mercy.

The one on the right had a fair complexion, a goatee, medium height, a large belly, wore flashy clothes, and was impeccably groomed. He had a prosperous appearance with round, bright, lively eyes.

This was Fu Antai, the business manager of the Dragon Palace. He was shrewd, capable, smooth in dealings with all sides, well-experienced, and kept the Dragon Palace’s vast business affairs in perfect order.

Behind the Dragon King stood a fierce-looking man. He was lean and tall, with thick brows and deep-set eyes, an aquiline nose, thin lips, dark skin, and piercing eyes. He looked like a leopard ready to pounce, carrying a natural wildness about him that made him hard to approach. This was the Dragon King’s personal bodyguard, Wei Bao.

No matter the situation, Wei Bao stood alert behind the Dragon King, ready to draw his blade and shed blood for him at any moment.

The core leaders of the Dragon Palace gathered in the Dragon King’s study to discuss important matters.

The meeting had already been going on for two days. It was now noon. Uncle Ye had been rambling for an hour, talking about trivial matters like purchasing items for the palace, increasing and decreasing manpower, and building walls and houses.

The Dragon King agreed to all of Uncle Ye’s proposals and requests almost without hesitation.

He could never be bothered to attend to such trivial matters inside. Uncle Ye considered everything more carefully and thoroughly than anyone else, so there was no need for him to waste his energy.

Uncle Ye was a bit dissatisfied with the young master’s lazy attitude, but since all his proposals had been approved, he had nothing to complain about.

After consulting his notebook and reporting on all matters that needed discussion, he closed the book and said, “The twentieth of next month is the young master’s birthday. What are your thoughts on how to celebrate it this year?”

In the Dragon Palace, it seemed he was the only one who called the Dragon King “Young Master.” It suggested that his relationship with the Dragon King was far from ordinary.

The Dragon King swept his gaze over those present. “What do you all think?”

Wan Shoujing never commented on matters outside his area, so he remained silent.

Fu Antai said, “In recent years, the Dragon Palace’s businesses have developed quite well, thanks to the help of friends in the martial arts world. Why not take this opportunity to invite our business partners for a banquet? Everyone can celebrate together and strengthen their ties.”

Ye Qingzhou twirled his folding fan and smiled. “Master has kept a low profile these past few years. Birthdays are usually celebrated with a small family gathering. Moreover, the Dragon Palace rarely opens its doors to outsiders easily. With so many partners in the martial arts world, inviting all of them is somewhat impractical. Why not have Elder Fu privately invite a few trustworthy new friends to gather and solidify our cooperation?”

In previous years, the Dragon King’s birthday celebrations were always kept low-key. He would invite key internal members to a small gathering as a way to reward his subordinates. Occasionally, he would invite a few friends, but he never invited a large number of guests.

The Dragon Palace had many businesses that could not be exposed to the light and naturally had many mysterious clients who could not make public appearances.

The Dragon King said, “What do you think, Elder Fu?”

Fu Antai patted his belly and said, “That would be excellent! In recent years, the Dragon Palace has made many important new partners, all of whom we have business dealings with. They have not yet met Master and have mentioned on many occasions their desire to see him. This would be a good opportunity.”

The Dragon King said lazily, “Just follow the usual procedure of previous years. Don’t be too ostentatious. As for whom to invite from outside, I’ll leave the list to Elder Fu.”

“Understood, my lord.”

“As for the specific arrangements, I’ll trouble Uncle Ye to take charge, with Qingzhou assisting. If there are no important matters, there’s no need to consult me further.”

Wei Bao, who had not spoken all day, suddenly said, “Since outsiders are being invited this time, remember to pay attention to the master’s safety. Carefully investigate everything that will be used, consumed, and every guest who will be invited.”

On this point, Wan Shoujing, who always kept a stern face, spoke up: “I will conduct extra scrutiny and take all necessary precautions regarding all supplies and guests.”

The Dragon King stroked his chin and laughed. “Then it’s settled. If there’s nothing else, the meeting is adjourned.”

He stood up, yawned, and walked towards the door, with Wei Bao closely following behind.

With so many capable subordinates handling all these trivial matters for him, and handling them so perfectly, he had nothing to do but feel thoroughly lazy. He almost missed the days when he roamed the world.

Ye Qingzhou watched his retreating back and suddenly asked, “Everyone, how old is the master this year?”

Everyone was taken aback. This was a question they had never thought about. The master never mentioned it, and if asked, he would be too lazy to answer. Perhaps even he himself had forgotten.

Uncle Ye began counting on his fingers, frowning and muttering to himself.

The other two simply shook their heads. They had followed the Dragon King through wind and rain, roaming for so long that they had truly lost track of the passage of time.