Dragon Tamer

Riding in a delicate little carriage, the carriage interior adorned with many cute dolls and hanging with a host of fragrant little sachets, Zhu Minglang drew back the curtain, gazing at the streets of Qin City.

Qin City was not as bustling and congested as Man City; everything here appeared orderly, the to and fro of people seeming leisurely and comfortable. From time to time, melodious flute and zither music wafted from street corners, and occasionally, a few flower-selling girls drifted by, their fragrance spreading in their wake.

No wonder it was known as the City of Flowers and Songs.

“Just a short while ago we had stormy weather, and everyone was planning to call it off. We never expected the wind to cease, the rain to stop, and for the sun to shine down so comfortably!” Zhu Rongrong said, her smile blooming.

This little cousin loved to laugh, seemingly very contented by the smallest of things, including the sight of her cousin from afar. All along the way, she was excitedly introducing Qin City to Zhu Minglang.

Spring warmth had come, sunlight showering everywhere, and a gentle sea breeze blowing; it indeed felt quite exhilarating. But for such sunny weather, he had himself to thank.

The Rattling Sea Bell had dispelled the storm that swept over Qin City, ushering in clear skies ahead of time.

Upon arriving at the Stacked Flower Garden, one could see layer upon layer of flower clusters like walls of different colored blossoms, adorning the buildings above with exquisite and noble embellishments. Some carefully crafted waterfalls would occasionally leap with brightly colored Jinli, brimming with the vitality of nature.

There were plenty of pale blue palatial buildings on top of Stacked Flower Garden. Zhu Minglang, curious, asked Zhu Rongrong who lived here, and how they managed to maintain their residence as splendid as a sky-high garden.

“This is the garden manor of Qin City’s master. My dear sister Li Caimo is the young miss of this city. She invited me to enjoy the first blooms of spring warmth and mentioned there would be a very important guest today; she insisted I meet them,” explained Zhu Rongrong.

The first blooms of spring warmth were the holy buds that bloomed after the winter, which young ladies of noble families adored. They liked to sip tea, admire flowers, and read poetry…

It must be what was called the Camellia Tea Gathering.

Walking into the garden manor of Qin City, Zhu Minglang couldn’t help but admire the gardeners and builders’ extravagance and the stunning elegance they created, wondering how much annual maintenance a manor like this must consume.

Each place had its own local customs; in Neon Sea, the focus was on atmosphere and romance, unlike the people in the Imperial City, who always thought about how to expand their power, forge alliances, or overthrow adversaries.

Passing through the outer courtyard, crossing a small wooden bridge, with maids fluttering about like swallows, dressed in very special attire, their cloud-soft skirts billowing, Zhu Minglang began to believe what Zhu Rongrong had said earlier.

He hadn’t met the princesses of the Camellia Tea Gathering yet, but the scenery along the way was already very moving.

Upon reaching the floral gallery, the beautiful bonsai arrangements were dazzling, not feeling like being in someone else’s home, but rather as if stepping into the back garden of some Immortal’s House.

Zhu Minglang had already seen some exquisitely dressed ladies; they sat elegantly and gracefully at the lengthy osmanthus wood tea table, whispering softly, with restrained laughter occasionally ringing out, indeed intoxicating.

“Sisters, Rongrong is here! Let me introduce everyone, this handsome man is my cousin. He’s traveled from the Imperial City to Neon Sea, specially brought to meet all of you princesses,” Zhu Rongrong was clearly well-acquainted with all the seated ladies.

Near Qin City were quite a few countries of Neon Sea, not large in land but very prosperous and quite powerful.

“`

The princesses from various countries often gather together in the independent city of Qin City, where they need not worry about the backstabbing and intrigue as the power of Qin City is enough to deter all other nations.

“What a coincidence, the distinguished guests I’ve invited are also from the Imperial City, and they are from the Imperial Dynasty…” The woman with the orchid hairpin stood up, speaking with a smile brimming with delight.

As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at a few young men of noble bearing who were enjoying pastries at a nearby table.

Zhu Minglang looked over and at the same time, the young men at that table also lifted their heads. Among them, a man who was eating an osmanthus cake seemed to have choked on it and almost coughed it up, looking somewhat disheveled.

His face flushed red, yet he pointed at Zhu Minglang and his eyes immediately conveyed his anger as he said, “It’s you!”

Zhu Minglang was also astounded to the extreme!

Talk about a narrow path for enemies.

I’ve come all the way to a place hundreds of thousands of miles from the Imperial City, and yet I’ve run into this bastard Zhao Yin Ge!

“So it’s Princely Heir Zhao Yin Ge, what bad luck,” Zhu Minglang responded without a hint of courtesy, speaking directly to the point.

Zhao Yin Ge started to cough violently once again, probably out of anger.

Next to Zhao Yin Ge was a young man exuding an imposing presence, dressed in a yellow qi robe. He was handsome and tall; even as Zhao Yin Ge, as a little princely heir, sat beside him, he seemed somewhat inferior.

Zhu Minglang was even more surprised to see this person.

Zhao Yin Ge was merely a small bully among the royal family in the Imperial City, someone Zhu Minglang never took seriously, but there was one person whom Zhu Minglang did feel wary of, which was this young man in the yellow qi robe.

He was the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent’s young prince, a leading figure among the Imperial City’s younger generation. Compared with Pu Shiming, who was narrow-minded and fancied himself a genius, this man was practically an imbecile.

Zhu Minglang’s wariness stemmed not only from the fact that this man already possessed strength to match his own at that time, but also because he was cunning. Sometimes, it was impossible to discern whether he was a benevolent person or a malicious and selfish one.

The young prince Zhao Yu looked no less surprised than Zhu Minglang, for he had not expected to encounter him here either.

After a moment, the young prince of the Supreme Court Court Empire smiled warmly and said, “Eldest son of the Zhu, have you also come here to enjoy the fragrance and to recognize beauty?”

“Just passing by,” Zhu Minglang replied.

“So the young prince also knows this talented youth,” Li Caimo remarked.

“How could I not recognize him? I remember someone once tried to breach into our Royal Family’s sacred land, the Dragon Country. I caught him red-handed and released a few dragons to chase him. But this man’s cultivation base was indeed impressive; he managed to escape the pursuit of the dragons I raised. It was later that I learned this thief was none other than Zhu Clan’s Young Master Zhu, a sword master genius rarely seen in a thousand years. I still don’t know why he would do such sneaky things,” the young prince Zhao Yu also spared no courtesy, bringing up the past incident of pursuing Zhu Minglang.

“Young prince, I, too, drank with your sister until late at night. I lost my way in the Imperial Palace, so I flew up into the air to find my direction. You insisted that I was trespassing into the Dragon Country. What could I do? However, considering the deep friendship between your sister and me, let’s not dwell on it. Otherwise, those dragons of yours would have been chopped by me for making dried dragon meat,” Zhu Minglang said smoothly, without a change in expression.