The Riverbottom Dragon Palace was tightly guarded, never mind the Water Demons stationed outside the vault.
“Who’s there?!”
A Water Demon turned his head and spotted a fishing hook drifting toward them.
The guards blinked, exchanged puzzled looks, then walked over.
“A fishhook?”
While the Water Demons stared in confusion, the hook suddenly sprang to life. In the blink of an eye, it slipped right past them.
“Grab that…”
“Hook!”
As they lunged forward, the hook wriggled through a crack in the Dragon Palace vault’s door.
“Pull it out!”
Several Water Demons grabbed the line left outside. Yet, even pulling together with all their strength, it wouldn’t budge.
The leader sensed trouble and shouted, “Quick! Inform the Pri Minister!”
Instantly, the entire palace descended into chaos.
The Turtle Pri Minister, Nine Thousand Years, rushed to the vault upon hearing of the intrusion.
He arrived to find over a dozen Water Demons straining to pull a fishing line, trying to extract whatever had slipped inside.
“Such nerve! Daring to steal from the Dragon Palace!”
The Turtle Pri Minister fud with anger. He raised his hand, summoning the vault key.
“Ka-boom…”
The vault doors rumbled open. The Turtle Pri Minister was about to step inside…
When suddenly, several treasures flew out, hooked together and yanked away.
His lucky coin-adorned hat was knocked askew on the ground.
“Ouch…”
“Thud! Thud!”
Over a dozen Water Demons, pulling too hard, tumbled backward in a heap.
Chaos reigned.
The Turtle Pri Minister’s heart lurched. He scrambled to slam the vault doors shut.
“Stop!”
He set off after the fleeing treasures.
Pursuing them all the way out of the Riverbottom Dragon Palace.
…
Back in the Long Pavilion, Chen Changsheng let out a soft, pleased sound. “Ah, here it cos.”
He tugged firmly on his fishing rod, giving a sharp upward pull.
Below the river, the Turtle Pri Minister, using his Escape Technique, caught up fast. He was nearly within reach…
“Hah!”
With a shout, the Turtle Pri Minister grabbed the cluster of treasures. But the pull from the other end was imnse. He had no ti to resist before he was yanked along.
“Splash!!”
The treasures, with the Turtle Pri Minister attached, breached the surface. Chen Changsheng flicked his rod, sending the hooked pile crashing into the Long Pavilion.
“Crash…”
Treasures scattered across the pavilion floor.
Chen Changsheng turned, then froze in surprise.
A giant turtle shell lay on the ground. A mont later, a head erged from inside it.
The Turtle Pri Minister tumbled upright, shouting, “Thieving scoundrel! Daring to rob my Dragon Palac—”
His words choked off mid-sentence as he saw who stood before him. His legs turned to jelly.
“M-M-M-Mr. Chen!”
He flopped back down uncontrollably.
Chen Changsheng paused. “Turtle Pri Minister, please rise.”
The Turtle Pri Minister stamred, his voice trembling. “Th-this old turtle ant no offense! Please, Mr. Chen… f-f-forgive !”
He even stumbled over his words.
After all, the man before him was the very one whose word had decided the Water Luck of the entire Dragon Clan!
Chen Changsheng’s lips parted slightly. He hadn’t expected…
This old turtle to go down on his knees so quickly.
Just then, figures erupted from the river. The leader wore robes patterned with serpents, crowned by a pair of half-ford dragon horns, his eyes burning with fury.
Seeing the Turtle Pri Minister kneeling, Yingyuan’s face twisted with rage. “Insolent thief! Stealing from my Dragon Palace vault! Treating my Pri Minister with contempt!”
“To your death!!”
Yingyuan brandished his Golden Spear Halberd and charged.
The Turtle Pri Minister cried out frantically, “Second Prince, no!!”
He leaped up, placing himself between Chen Changsheng and the attack.
Yingyuan yanked back his halberd in surprise. His eyes widened. “Pri Minister! What aning is this? Why block my strike!?”
The Turtle Pri Minister glanced frantically at Chen Mr. Changsheng, then at the Second Prince. Panicked, he paced on the spot, utterly flustered.
“A misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!”
He scrambled to explain to the Prince, “Second Prince, this is Mr. Chen! Not a thief!”
“What Mr. Chen?” Yingyuan scoffed coldly. “I don’t know him!”
He pointed the tip of his halberd at the Turtle Pri Minister. “Step aside NOW, Pri Minister! Your Highness will apprehend this thief today!”
The Turtle Pri Minister desperately addressed Chen Changsheng, “Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen! The Second Prince is furious right now. His words… they’re harsh. Please, please don’t take it to heart…”
Chen Changsheng offered a calm smile. “It’s fine.”
He stepped forward, facing the halberd-wielding Second Prince of the Dragon Palace, Yingyuan, and the Water Demons crowding behind him.
Chen Changsheng smiled easily. “I am old friends with the Dragon Lord. By seniority, you should likely call ‘uncle’.”
“Call you uncle?!”
Rage boiled over in Yingyuan. He glared, spitting, “You wish! I’ll be your DAD!”
“Take this!”
Among the Dragon Palace princes, the Second Prince was famously hotheaded and scornful of talk. Without another word, he swung his Golden Spear Halberd at Chen Changsheng.
The weapon drew power from the great river, churning water into towering waves crashing forward.
Chen Changsheng raised two fingers before him. Drawing in a breath of the river’s essence, he uttered a Divine Decree.
“Great River, cease. Be still.”
The mont the command left his lips, the river’s power vanished from Yingyuan’s halberd. The surging water instantly fell placid.
Shocked by the abrupt shift, nonetheless, Yingyuan didn’t retract. He drove onward with brute force.
Chen Changsheng simply held up two fingers, waiting.
A slight frown creased Yingyuan’s brow—until what happened next froze him in place.
Ting.
Chen Changsheng’s fingers clamped onto the shaft of the charging Golden Spear Halberd. All of Yingyuan’s force was simply… dissolved.
The weapon halted dead.
Held by just two fingers!
The Water Demons behind Yingyuan blinked, rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
“The Second Prince’s Golden Spear Halberd…”
“Blocked?”
Yingyuan was stunned. In all his years, no one had ever stopped his halberd blow. This was a first.
Chen Changsheng, his fingers still gripping the shaft, gave a sharp backward tug.
Pain shot through Yingyuan’s hands. He lost his grip, and the Golden Spear Halberd was wrenched free.
Chen Changsheng caught the weapon, glanced at it appraisingly.
He gave a small, satisfied nod. “Not bad. A fine weapon.”
Yingyuan roared, “Return my weapon!”
Chen Changsheng t his gaze, a hint of amusent in his smile. “If Your Highness can take this halberd back from , I’ll return all the treasures. How’s that?”
“They belong to the Dragon Palace!!”
Though losing his Golden Spear Halberd felt like losing an arm, Yingyuan didn’t know the aning of ‘retreat’. He raised his hands—transford now into shining, scaled claws tipped with lethal points—and lunged again at Chen Changsheng.
“Without the Golden Spear Halberd, Your Highness can still overturn skies and seas!”
The draconic claws, radiating Dragon’s Might, slashed through the air toward Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng shifted his stance, settling into readiness. His hands beca open palms. Calmly, he invited, “Co at .”
User Comments
0 comments from readers