Chapter 540: Weijing and the Dragons

After Yuanbo finished speaking, Sinuoli felt a sudden realization; he had cooperated with Yin Yin the earliest, and the bloody battle on the Jade River against the God-Blessed evil party had made a name for himself; as for the time he discussed heroes over wine in a desolate village with the Storm Dragon Zhaoming, that was for their formal alliance.

Miaoying would certainly not report to Yuanbo about encounters she could not even explain clearly herself, so he had earned another merit for resisting Kairos before the Nine Walls of Nangao; added to his recent care for Shenzhu and his sparring with Lidao, he had already dealt with the Dragons of Zhendan one by one.

"The Prime Minister is too kind; you are the true gentleman, elegant and refined as jade."

Sinuoli bowed with a smile; compared to the Lord of Shangwu, the Storm Dragon preferred to be called Prime Minister. The Central Province was guarded by the four garrisons and had almost no external threats, so his main work was in maintaining internal stability, which was why the Governor of the Central Province was not often addressed as such.

"Please!"

The Storm Dragon's dragon-chariot was quite spacious, with twenty or thirty square meters inside arranged as a study—the ones carrying the sedan were eight Dragon-Blooded warriors with pure bloodlines; never mind a sedan chair, even a thousand-jin burden would be nothing to them.

"I heard from my younger sister-in-law that you harbor great ambitions and intend to launch a Northern Expedition to destroy the gaps where evil spirits manifest in the world. I wonder to what stage your planning has reached?"

Lighting a cup of fragrant tea, Yuanbo expressed concern for the most magnificent of missions; many things that other Dragon-Blooded fought hard to contend for were simply not issues to him—he was stronger in both strength and influence, and even the favor of his parents belonged mostly to him.

"The Northern Expedition is not something one clan or one nation can accomplish alone. I have already contacted..."

During the Great Chaos Invasion, Yuanbo had just entered his youth, and as a main force, he had fought against the Sichenmojun that had not yet been weakened by the Great Vortex. At that time, the Greater Daemons of the Gods were true Demigod-level combatants, unlike now, where they had fallen to the level of peak mortals.

Relying on a massive bureaucratic system, Yuanbo possessed sufficient information, and not having to frequently lead from the front gave him time to absorb and digest it. Through the frequency of attacks on the Changyuan and internal rebellions, he was clear that the power of Chaos was gradually rising.

Communicating with such a senior predecessor was relaxing and highly rewarding; he provided many refreshing suggestions on governing territories, reconciling relationships among the clan, and even selecting officials through imperial examinations.

"Selecting only those with talent and virtue—there is no greater good!"

Sinuoli's governance was a fusion of East and West, with knowledge from his past life accounting for more of it—centralized power could mobilize more resources and possessed stronger war potential. This made him and Yuanbo very compatible in conversation; other Dragon-Blooded only cared about results and were not interested in the mysteries within.

"Gentlemen, let us finish this cup together!"

Chatting until the sun slanted to the west, it was only at the evening banquet that he understood why Yuanbo was not liked by his younger siblings—he was too peaceful, with an indifference on his face that saw through everything, showing almost no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. Living a dragon's life like this was somewhat boring.

Early the next morning, Yuanbo sent a General of Haotian to take Sinuoli on a tour of the capital. Only the most powerful figures could wield the divine weapons bestowed by the Weijing armory to command the Dragon Emperor's Junjun.

Although it was not wartime, the city was still relatively tense; the patrolling Jade Warriors and the Crow-men hanging from tree branches and eaves told every resident that they needed to be cautious in speech and action. It was truly as Licunmao had said: Dwarfs found it hard to adapt to such a stifling environment.

Weijing was not positioned as a war fortress, and its political center functions had also been relocated to Yuanbo's fief, Shangwu; it acted as an economic and trade center, a center for Dragon worship, and a general reserve command post to support all directions.

The city was divided into one hundred and eight independent, walled, and sealable wards, along with four massive markets in the east, west, south, and north. Although the Dwarfs were permitted to be exempt from the curfew, the entire city was so silent that they could not exactly take up part-time jobs as night watchmen.

"There are not many days left until the New Year; brothers, let us follow the host's customs and restrain ourselves. We can drink to our hearts' content when we pass through Weidong on the return journey."

Sinuoli could not neglect his old trade partners; before landing, he had already arranged for the Ironclads to sail down the river to Fuzhou to wait. Over the years, a sizable settlement had formed there, and as the initiator, he had a responsibility to provide support to his compatriots living in a foreign land.

"The Clan Princess has arrived early!"

"The Northern Barbarians do not invade the south every year."

The Storm Dragon Nian Erba arrived in Weijing, carrying the cold wind that kept strangers at bay. As a Demigod, Sinuoli enjoyed special treatment and stayed in the pavilions within the Tiandang Huayuan—the Moon Empress's sacred garden was crafted with such supernatural skill that it was said even Awalong paled in comparison.

"Is the Clan Princess satisfied with the treasure of my clan?"

After a few pleasantries, the study fell into a silence where they stared at each other; Sinuoli could not help but look at the Beast-Taming Collar on her jade neck. The Dwarf could feel a mental connection that was not too strong but profound and mysterious; he believed Miaoying felt the same.

"Not bad."

The white-haired Longnü gave another cold reply, and Sinuoli rubbed his forehead. Chatting with her was exhausting; if he didn't create topics, the conversation would be cut dead by a single sentence, even after he had finally found an opening.

"Sigh, who told me I just like this type~"

Shaking his head, he continued to force a conversation to build favor; Sinuoli was very motivated—given Miaoying's personality, her taking the initiative to come over was already a huge positive sign, indicating that he was different in her heart and possessed a certain level of attraction.

The next night, Sinuoli sat drinking with Lidao and Zhaoming. As the eighth brother had come of age and was governing a region, he had developed a rebellious streak against his eldest brother's strict discipline. Furthermore, Yuanbo had criticized him for teaching mortals the art of the cauldron, which made the Storm Dragon complain that it was easy to talk while standing.

"Two brothers, I understand that your parents are in perfect harmony, but since neither of you siblings has married, I wonder why?"

"Haha! Marriage, marry whom, mortals? We Dragons live for eternity; a hundred years is but a fleeting moment. Besides, beauties age easily; hmph, at most they have a three-to-five-year blooming period."

Sinuoli had brought in a whole cart of Bergman beer wort from the Dwarf Chamber of Commerce, paired with Western roasted meat dishes, allowing the Dragon-Blooded to feast to their hearts' content, while he took the opportunity to learn everything about the Dragon family.

"Sigh, back then, the Seventh Sister couldn't let go of it."

"Who can say clearly? Didn't Father also regret it all along?"

"Things got too stiff; Mother went into seclusion, and Big Brother refused to state his position."

"Hmph! Not stating a position is the same as having the same thoughts as Father; besides him, who else can speak up? Mention it too much and it will annoy the Dragon; drink!"

From the secrets remaining in the Five Elements Temple, Sinuoli pieced together the gist of the story—the Soul Dragon fell in love with a mortal, and the other Dragons disagreed but could not persuade her. In his fury, Shenyang adopted the simplest method to break up the couple, which ultimately led to her never returning to the Tianting.

"Please!"

The inner city, named Zijincheng, was modeled after the structure of Sinuoli's past life; passing through three palace gates was the Jinluandian where Yuanbo acted as regent. Going out the back door, there should have been several courtyards for daily living, but before his eyes were only empty squares and side rooms leaning against the palace walls.

"May you live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

"The time has come~ Open the Heavenly Gate, welcome the Heavenly Ladder!"

Standing at the very front was the ancestor of the Jade Blood Clan, Eunuch Wang; from him, Sinuoli smelled a familiar scent—one of the Nine Books of Nagash was in his hands, which made him a master of Siling Mohua similar to Khatep.

(End of chapter)