Chapter 1 The Dragon Queen's Daughter

Long Wang and Long Hou returned to their human forms, their expressions dark.

Although the effects of the Sweet Dragon Incense didn't include paralyzing their senses, any malicious intent would still awaken them instantly.

But this wasn't foolproof. There was a fundamental difference between being awake and asleep.

For example, what if the assassin had their malicious intent sealed beforehand?

Or what if the attacker was under a mind-altering spell, believing all their actions were benevolent?

There were too many ways to deceive and mislead.

One could trust their senses, but not completely.

"This matter… this old man will give you an explanation." Shi Huang's face was grim, but he still forced a smile for the two dragons.

Long Hou Yuan Meng immediately said, "We will not let this matter rest. We must participate fully in finding the true culprit, otherwise… who knows if you'll just grab a few scapegoats to appease us?"

Her words sounded petty, but her true focus wasn't on the surface.

The deeper meaning of her words was to participate in the investigation, even to the point of probing into the internal affairs of Daheng.

Of course, Shi Huang wouldn't agree and immediately rejected it, "What? Long Hou doesn't trust us?"

"If you don't trust us, I, Shi Huang, am willing to return to Yunmeng Marsh with you both. If the results are not satisfactory, I, Shi, will stake my life on it."

His words were full of Jianghu (martial world) banditry, seemingly inconsistent with Shi Huang's identity, but facing Long Hou's verbal coercion, Shi Huang used this rogue tactic to escape.

What else could he do?

He was in the wrong, the other party had seized his weakness, he couldn't afford to fall out, and he needed their help, yet he couldn't concede. Playing the rogue was the only solution.

"Your words are too heavy!"

"Divine Catcher Shi! We still trust your words, but we are burdened with many affairs. If this matter is delayed for too long, causing imbalances in the water vapor of the eight prefectures of Yunmeng, then it would be this king's fault," Long Wang Yuan Jia said at this moment.

His words were neither harsh nor soft, but they revealed his and Long Hou's true purpose.

Ultimately, it was still for their initial goal… searching the royal manor to find the Yunmeng Cauldron.

This was the tragedy of the 'weak'.

Yuan Jia and Yuan Meng, as the Dragon King and Dragon Queen of Yunmeng Marsh, seemed to hold high positions, but in reality, they were still restricted everywhere. Yuan Jia's confidence largely stemmed from his control over the water vapor of the eight prefectures of Yunmeng.

But this confidence wasn't actually reliable.

Daheng could still find a few dragons in its mountains and rivers.

Killing Yuan Jia might not prevent them from finding a replacement.

Therefore, even if their initial goal was to enter the royal manor to find the Yunmeng Cauldron, after suffering a loss and experiencing a 'dangerous event', they still had to use this matter as a bargaining chip to bring the goal back on track.

The couple sang in harmony, one asking for the sky-high price, the other negotiating for the lowest offer, cooperating perfectly.

If Shi Huang and Zhao Wang didn't agree to such basic demands, it would be too unreasonable.

Stubbornly refusing the two dragons would mean they would have to take the blame for the court.

After all, they couldn't afford to alienate their allies.

And these allies didn't only refer to the two dragons. Many alien races and sect forces attached to the Daheng Dynasty were constantly paying attention to the court's direction.

Standing aside, Ye Chuxiao, who had been acting as a background, was constantly paying attention to the micro-expressions of everyone present.

When Yuan Jia mentioned continuing to investigate the royal manor, Zhao Wang clearly glanced unconsciously at the sky outside the cave.

This action wasn't strange.

But combined with the known information, this unconscious action inevitably had another meaning.

"He's looking at the time. The snow-capped hot spring on the summit of Yao Mountain only appears at night under the light of the stars and moon."

"He's seeing how long it will be before the sky lights up."

"This action is definitely not unintentional. Zhao Wang knows that the Yunmeng Cauldron is hidden in the snow-capped hot spring. He may not have gone deep into it, but he knows," Ye Chuxiao clearly interpreted.

Furthermore, he had a new analysis.

"Zhao Wang knows the whereabouts of the Yunmeng Cauldron, but he doesn't hand it over. What's his purpose?"

"Does he want to take the divine artifact for his own use?"

"He hasn't even seen it with his own eyes. If he had, then the large Yuan Yang boulders and so many Dao rhymes wouldn't have been left for me to collect."

"Then there's only one reason, and that is that he knows who put the Yunmeng Cauldron at the bottom of the snow-capped hot spring. He is a conscientious guardian, afraid to cross the line."

Analyzing to this point, Ye Chuxiao's thinking paused slightly, jumping out of the original path and entering a side road.

Assuming that Zhao Wang and Ji Xiang were both related to the Hidden Dynasty, then why would Ji Xiang, as a subordinate of the Hidden Dynasty, lead Ye Chuxiao to such a sensitive place as the snow-capped hot spring?

He even went so far as to sacrifice a princess to frame Ye Chuxiao?

Although the specific implementation of this misleading plan was carried out by Ji Xiang.

But the source of this plan would never be something that a mere eunuch could devise.

"This conspiracy against me isn't really meant to kill me directly, but to 'harm' me, even at the cost of sacrificing a princess's reputation."

"Assuming I follow the plan, what will be the result?"

"It's unlikely that I'll be killed on the spot, but more likely that my cultivation will be sealed and then imprisoned. If the princess's reputation isn't damaged, then I'll die in some inconspicuous corner, silently. If I accidentally leak the news and the princess's reputation is tarnished, then I'll be placed on the chessboard as a pawn to resolve the embarrassment on the royal family's face…"

"My life, honor, survival, everything is left to the randomness of fate, or to the hands of certain specific people." Thinking of this, it was difficult for Ye Chuxiao not to think of Jin Buyi and Ying Shu.

Because, for a small 'Mystic Realm', it was necessary to be so complicated. Besides the battle for the Mind Pill, which first attacked the mind and then killed the person, there was nothing else.

And Ye Chuxiao was inclined to believe that this set of methods originated from Jin Buyi.

Comparing it to Ying Shu's current situation, according to the original rhythm, wouldn't the situation that Ye Chuxiao would have to face be somewhat familiar?

The chaotic thoughts suddenly overlapped in Ye Chuxiao's mind.

Some clues that were originally looming became clearly visible at this time.

Some events that seemed unrelated, once connected and viewed in parallel, had a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"Jin Buyi is not Jin Buyi. If Jin Buyi is not himself, then who is he?"

"Only the late emperor, that is, Chen Wang Xiao Chi, can control the Hidden Dynasty."

"So… Jin Buyi is Xiao Chi?"

Ye Chuxiao came to such a conclusion, but there was still one point that he couldn't understand.

Xiao Bao'er, the real late emperor inside the Yunmeng Cauldron, said that Xiao Chi was a Wuding Realm cultivator. (Realm of No Fixed Abode)

Because in his memory, there were secrets about Wuding.

But Jin Buyi was only at the Intent Realm, and still the kind that… seemed not to be too strong.

"Unless, Jin Buyi or Xiao Chi, had once cut off their cultivation, severing all the cultivation gained in this world, leaving this world in a purer way, and then… he came back."

"It's just that, if my deduction is correct, then what made him make such a big decision, even to abandon the cultivation of the Wuding Realm?" At this time, Ye Chuxiao couldn't help but think of Ye Chuqi's retelling of Jin Buyi's action of refining the realm in the later stages.

If Jin Buyi was Xiao Chi, then the 'script' of Jin Buyi's return to the Wuding Realm after integrating Ying Shu's Mind Pill seemed premeditated and reasonable.

There was no luck. Everything had been planned more than a hundred years ago.

All the luck that outsiders saw was a pre-rehearsed and arranged play.

Thinking of this, Ye Chuxiao interjected inappropriately at this time, "Ah! It's rare to come here, I originally planned to soak in the snow-capped hot spring."

"Long Wang, Long Hou! Why be so tense? Why not take advantage of this rare opportunity to relax?"

"As for other things, it wouldn't hurt to leave it up to fate."

If one didn't know the inside story, they would definitely think that Ye Chuxiao was helping to ease the atmosphere… although it seemed that he wasn't standing in the perspective of the parties involved and didn't fully understand the eagerness of the two dragons to retrieve the Yunmeng Cauldron.

Yuan Jia and Yuan Meng were not brainless people and didn't immediately blame Ye Chuxiao's unreasonableness.

They just looked at Ye Chuxiao with inquisitive eyes.

They knew Ye Chuxiao somewhat and knew that he would never say something aimlessly at this time.

So was this statement a 'dissuasion' from the perspective of the court, or a 'hint' from their perspective?

But Zhao Wang laughed and said, "That's right, two distinguished guests, why not take advantage of the fact that it's not yet dawn to admire the most famous secret realm of Yao Mountain, the snow-capped hot spring?"

"The royal manor is not easily open to the public. There aren't many opportunities to carefully admire such a good place."

Zhao Wang was indeed calm and unruffled, continuing Ye Chuxiao's words, without revealing any clues to the two dragons.

"Oh… sorry!"

"I almost forgot, I just remembered now that the eunuch named Ji Xiang, who tried to assassinate the two Dragon Lords, also told me that a princess had gone to the snow-capped hot spring first, and then we'll talk later."

"I'm afraid the snow-capped hot spring is out of the question!" Ye Chuxiao said.

At this time, Zhao Wang could no longer hold back.

The look in his eyes towards Ye Chuxiao was already filled with undisguised ferocity.

But Ye Chuxiao ignored him. What was a mere Zhao Wang? He could be destroyed with a flick of the hand, what was there to fear?

After making so many deductions, almost making Jin Buyi a household name, there was no point in being cautious at this time. Of course, he had to switch to an alternative plan and test the waters.

Jin Buyi was like a parasitic vine, entwined in the Daheng Dynasty for hundreds of years. No one knew how many experts he had recruited or how many forces he had rooted. Perhaps Jin Buyi was watching some of Ye Chuxiao's hidden actions with a magnifying glass.

Comparing with him in terms of caution and foundation in Daheng, Ye Chuxiao couldn't compare.

Then he would smash the chessboard and let those famous experts inside and outside the Daheng court reveal their true positions in the storm.

He would try to win over any helpers he could.

It didn't matter how much use they were, messing up Jin Buyi's mentality was the most crucial thing.

What was the specific plan?

He would mess it up and ask if Jin Buyi's mentality would collapse.

"Since there is a princess visiting, then… it's not appropriate for us to go!"

"Yuan Meng, why don't you go and visit this princess in place of this Dragon King?" Yuan Jia vaguely blocked Shi Huang with his body, allowing Yuan Meng to go to the summit of Yao Mountain.

As for Zhao Wang, although he had cultivation, he was not at the Intent Realm and could be ignored.

It wasn't like everyone was Ye Chuxiao, who had stacked hundreds of layers before reaching the Intent Realm, his combat power comparable to the Intent Realm.

Yuan Meng turned into a dragon and soared into the clouds, heading straight for the summit of Yao Mountain.

Along the way, although there were various restrictions blocking her, Yuan Meng forcefully supported her own Dragon Essence Domain to resist the tearing.

Without another Intent Realm cultivator presiding over it, these formations and restrictions couldn't stop Yuan Meng's power.

And Ye Chuxiao, although he stood still, his Intent Realm Domain was still quietly following up with the blessing of the artifact cloak's characteristics.

It was equivalent to Ye Chuxiao sending up an all-perspective eye.

Inside the snow-capped hot spring, the princess had just swam ashore and put on her dress.

She was staring blankly at the gorgeous hot spring water, lost in thought.

Suddenly, she heard a loud explosion in the clear sky, and a blue dragon descended from the sky and landed on the snow-capped hot spring.

The water vapor was steaming, and in the bright moonlight, Yuan Meng, who had transformed into human form, saw the princess standing by the pool.

Although the two had different temperaments, the shape of their faces and the charm between their eyebrows were very similar.

"You…!" Yuan Meng looked at the princess, the agitation in her bloodline, jumping and leaping unnaturally, and then roaring and surging like a volcanic eruption.

And faint blue scale-like patterns also appeared on the princess's face and body.

Obviously, neither of them was calm.

When they appeared in each other's vision, the information flowing in their blood had already told them their respective identities.

"Are you… my daughter?" Yuan Meng only felt her mouth dry. She hadn't imagined such an encounter would appear at this moment, hitting her hard and making her continuously dazed.

A piece of already blurry memory resurfaced.

Yuan Meng had once followed Chen Wang and was his Divine Dragon, but she was more than just that.

The old Dragon King might just be a simple mount, but Yuan Meng sometimes backlashed her master and rode Chen Wang.

As a young dragon with peerless beauty, Chen Wang, who was full of spirit, was the man of her dreams, also the great hero she had been thinking about day and night.

When she was pregnant with the great hero's 'child', she was almost always in a state of excitement and anxiety about her happiness.

The sudden change also caused her to lose control of her emotions, leading to the premature birth of the dragon egg.

On the day Chen Wang was killed for 'rebellion', she laid her egg prematurely, giving birth to a dead egg under Yao Mountain.

This was also why she wasn't by Chen Wang's side when he was killed.

And after Chen Wang's defeat, she determined that it was because the old Dragon King had betrayed him, which led to all of this.

Because she had enough reasons and enough 'evidence' to corroborate this point.

In order to seek revenge, she didn't hesitate to marry the old Dragon King, so as to wait for the opportunity to take revenge.

In order to achieve her goal, she 'forgot' the dead egg and deliberately avoided reviewing the wound.

But at this moment, looking at the 'daughter' who was so close and had grown so big, Yuan Meng's entire thoughts were completely chaotic.

She didn't understand how the dead egg had survived.

And how it was hatched and existed as a princess of Daheng.

Logically speaking, this was impossible.