Free Web NovelChapter 60: Chapter 36: A True Dragon Slays Good Fortune; Within the Secret Histories
Led by the giant whale and Master Si, Xuzhuang and his companion swam toward the Dragon Palace. Arriving at a side gate, they saw several Shrimp Soldiers with their spears and halberds crossed, blocking the entrance and the path of a few demons.
The demons were still wasting their breath when the Shrimp Soldiers suddenly swept their weapons, startling the demons and forcing them back several steps to clear a path. The soldiers then retracted their spears and halberds and said respectfully, "Greetings, General."
The giant whale transformed into his human form and landed before the gate. He nodded and said, "Hurry and stand aside. These two are guests of the Sixth Prince."
As for Master Si, he naturally needed no introduction. Upon hearing this, the Shrimp Soldiers hurriedly parted to make way, allowing the whale-man and Master Si to lead Xuzhuang and his companion through the gate with a confident swagger.
Seeing this, the other demons cried out, "What kind of treatment is this? We are guests of the Eighth Prince, too!"
Hearing this, the Shrimp Soldiers’ expressions soured. One of them barked, "Who do you think you are? You think you’re worthy of being the Eighth Prince’s guest?"
"And why aren’t we? Our general has an invitation to attend the Eighth Prince’s wedding feast..."
"Oh! And where is this so-called general of yours? ...Now, scram! Pester me again, and I’ll skewer you for dinner."
After passing through the side gate and a palace wall, they could still hear the noisy commotion behind them. Master Si muttered, "Lately, all sorts of riffraff have been trying to sneak into the palace."
"Oh? And why is that?" Shishi asked, feigning curiosity. But Master Si just coughed dryly a few times, not daring to answer.
The giant whale-man rubbed his forehead and said, "Master Si, since we’re inside the palace, I’ll be returning to my post."
Master Si nodded. The giant whale-man took another path and departed. Master Si then turned to Xuzhuang and his companion and said, "This way, please."
The pair had no choice but to follow. The three of them made their way through corridors and pavilions, heading toward the inner court.
While ’walking’ in the outer areas, the palace paths were all straight. But upon reaching the inner court, the paths became winding and twisting. They occasionally had to tread on roads paved with Crystal Stone and pass through courtyards of coral forests. Along the way, they saw many Fish Princesses and Clam Girls swimming hurriedly by, carrying lanterns to decorate the coral trees and courtyard pillars. It was a scene of joyous celebration.
Xuzhuang guessed, ’These must be the decorations for the True Dragon’s wedding feast.’
’Ao Hai hadn’t left that long ago. Even if he rushed, could he have gotten back to the Dragon Palace a full day and night before us? How could they have started hanging the lanterns and streamers so quickly?’
The two exchanged a look. Xuzhuang could see a hint of delight in Shishi’s eyes, but both of their expressions remained impassive. They continued following Master Si and finally arrived at a palace.
This palace occupied a vast area but had few decorations. The courtyard had very little coral planted, and the inside was even less lively, with only a few maids bustling about.
The three of them stepped into the main hall and immediately saw Ao Hai sitting upright on the main seat, his eyes closed in rest. A beautiful woman in palace attire was leaning against him, massaging his shoulders.
Seeing them enter, the beautiful woman cried "Ah!" and hurriedly stood up. Covering her face, she scurried to the back of the hall.
Master Si quickly trotted to Ao Hai’s side and said solicitously, "Your Highness! I have brought Young Master Xu and Fairy Shi."
Ao Hai opened his eyes and grunted softly. He said to them, "You two may reside here in my palace for now. However, I dislike noise, so there are few treasures here, nor are there many managers and servants. If you need anything, just ask Master Si directly."
Xuzhuang cupped his hands. "Thank you, Your Highness." Fairy Shi also gave a slight curtsy. Following up on his words, she asked with feigned curiosity, "On our way here, we saw lanterns and streamers being hung everywhere. Is there some kind of festive event happening in the palace?"
"What?" Ao Hai seemed as if he were just hearing of it. He was stunned for a moment, then sneered. "Hmph. That fool, Ao Lin. I’ve only just brought back the Sixteenth’s Dragon Pearl, and he’s already this impatient."
"For you two, however, I suppose it really is a ’joyous feast.’ If you want to join the festivities, have Master Si get you a couple of invitations from another palace. Just don’t use my name."
Hearing this news seemed to have soured Ao Hai’s mood. He waved his hand dismissively. "If you have any questions, just ask Master Si. It’s not worth worrying about any taboos."
"You came to the Dragon Palace for leisure, so I imagine you don’t need me to entertain you. With my Token, as long as you don’t trespass into forbidden areas or other people’s palaces, you can come and go as you please elsewhere. Feel free to do as you wish."
Having said this, he stood up and also went to the back of the hall.
Seeing Ao Hai leave the front hall, Master Si breathed a sigh of relief. But as he looked up, he met Shishi’s gaze. She smiled. "Sir, perhaps you could tell us what exactly this joyous occasion is that’s causing all the commotion outside?"
Master Si gave a wry smile. "I wouldn’t dare hide it from you, Fairy. It’s like this..."
"Originally, two months ago, the palace began large-scale preparations for the Eighth Prince’s wedding. All the invited Demon Marquises and Demon Generals had already arrived. But then, suddenly..." At this point, Master Si’s voice dropped to a whisper. "The Sixteenth Highness was murdered by an unknown assailant, and their Dragon Pearl was lost to the outside world."
"With such a disaster, even the grandees of the palace were alarmed. They ordered a thorough investigation to not only capture the murderer but also retrieve the Dragon Pearl. Under the circumstances, how could the palace remain festive? So, the Eighth Prince’s wedding feast had to be temporarily postponed."
"The Eighth Prince has been very unhappy about this all along. But even so, who would have thought? Our prince only just brought the Dragon Pearl back to the palace today, and the Eighth Prince is already impatiently restarting the preparations."
"I see," Shishi said with an air of sudden realization. "A True Dragon’s wedding feast! That’s an incredibly rare and lively event. Right, Xu Lang?"
