Chapter 32

In the midst of the dense white fog, a boat with a canopy emerged, and the boatman, wearing a straw raincoat, stood at the stern with his head bowed.

Ye Qing glanced at the small boat, which could only hold two or three people, and stepped aboard.

The boatman paid no attention, rowing the boat himself, heading straight into the lake.

Before they had gone half a li, the fog cleared and the rain stopped, revealing a vast expanse of misty waves and a bright, clear sky. Ye Qing shivered and stared intently at the boatman.

The realm of Taiping, eight hundred li in extent, was the domain of the Dragon Lord, who ruled with the order of the Dao Lord. Water monsters had all transformed into human soldiers, and any who dared to commit evil would surely be punished, so they did not dare to.

"If you have any doubts, please raise the invitation and look back," the boatman smiled slightly, lifting his head. On his weathered face, there was a mysterious crimson seal on his forehead, which was the Dragon Seal.

Ye Qing raised the light green invitation and looked back, but there was no white fog to be seen!

Ye Qing was speechless, and the boatman chuckled, "We're here, hold on tight!"

The boat suddenly sank, the lake surface remained calm, rising by three inches.

Ye Qing quickly held onto the canopy, and subconsciously looked at the deck, which was not leaking, but the boat was sinking. In a moment, the water was level with the gunwale, and before he could think more, the boat sank.

The surging waves turned green, about to submerge him, but Ye Qing merely brushed his clothes, showing no fear.

"Whoosh!" The canopy slid and closed on all sides, not a drop of water entered.

"You have great courage, Sir!" The boatman smiled, abandoning the oars, and touched the canopy. A luminous light shone, the boat tilted thirty degrees downward, and after a jolt, it moved forward automatically, transforming into a magical boat.

Ye Qing tapped the dark canopy, which was as cold as iron, and said to himself, "This boat could have sunk from the beginning, right?"

The boatman was truly moved, looking him up and down, "Indeed, but I was afraid you would be startled, so I let it sink in the middle of the lake. How did you know?"

"Heh, just a guess," Ye Qing said casually, counting the time in his mind. Soon, he heard the sound of water, and the boat jolted again, stabilizing.

The luminous light faded, and the canopy slid open, the boat quietly moored on the water, surrounded by similar boats.

"Please look, the Dragon Palace is ahead," the boatman pointed ahead. Not far away, a vast palace complex stretched, crystal clear, emitting light, with an indescribable majesty.

Ye Qing breathed in the fresh, smooth air, glanced at the palace, and instinctively looked up. The pale green light ended at a vast, unattainable blue sky, giving a sense of a separate space.

Massive golden and green dragon pillars stood according to the twelve celestial signs, supporting the vast blue sky. The green waves rippled, and the stars were scattered, slowly revolving.

A flash of inspiration struck him, and he murmured, "No... the one above is the Dragon Palace, the Spirit Mansion!"

"Above?" The boatman looked up doubtfully, shook his head, and jumped ashore, heading straight for the palace along the straight green stone path. "The living quarters and banquet halls are ahead, please follow me."

Ye Qing smiled and followed, approaching a majestic palace.

The palace was carved with jade railings, faintly emitting a green aura, stretching continuously, making Ye Qing admire it silently.

In the mortal world, due to limited national power and the rise and fall of wars, it was difficult to build and maintain such a vast palace, let alone the historical atmosphere it contained.

Based on his past memories of history, when the Dao Law was holy and the Dao Lord was still alive, it was indeed possible to build such a palace on the ground, even during the Five Emperors era, there were magnificent palaces, similar to the celestial palaces of immortals, but most were destroyed by wars and time.

Only under the protection of the Dragon Palace's magic could such a palace be preserved to this day.

Passing through the vermilion city gate, they arrived at the grandest Dragon Palace hall. A thousand steps of green jade stairs wound upward, with jade railings on both sides, and pearls embedded in the walls reflecting the green light from above.

Most special was the fresh, clear air of a mountain after new rain that permeated the entire space. Ye Qing remained calm, using the Six Yang Diagram to absorb it.

This was the Dragon Palace's spiritual energy, rarely leaked to the outside world.

The boatman stopped, meeting a young girl. She was very beautiful, dressed in a white dress, with a two-inch wide green sash around her waist, her skin smooth like jade, and her hair shiny. Her presence made the room seem to glow.

The girl conversed with the boatman for a few moments, mentioning Ye Qing. She looked at him twice, her eyes filled with curiosity. Ye Qing was unperturbed, straightened his clothes, and slowly ascended the steps.

The girl caught up, leading the way a half-step ahead, occasionally looking back. Ye Qing looked at her, "Miss, is there something strange about me?"

The girl smiled, her voice like a clear spring, "Uncle Qianji is skilled in alchemy and rarely admires others. For him to mention you specifically, you must be quite remarkable."

Ye Qing noticed that her smooth forehead had no Dragon Seal, which was unusual, as most water spirits needed the seal to transform into human form.

He asked, "Are you human?"

The question was impolite, but the girl was not angry, smiling, "Though my father is a true dragon, my mother is a human from the lakeside. Why would it be strange for me to be human? But you can ask me this, if you ask the elder sisters, they will be angry!"

Ye Qing thanked her for the advice, came to his senses, and looked at her face, "Are you a dragon princess?"

The girl spun around on the steps, showing the green dragon pattern on her clothes, and said frankly, "I can be considered a dragon princess, but my father has three thousand concubines and a thousand children. I have to work to earn my living!"

A thousand... working...

Ye Qing was speechless, seeing her matter-of-fact attitude, and thinking of harem novels on Earth, he found it quite amusing to see imagination become reality.

Noticing her beauty and the long steps, he decided to gather some information, smiling, "Miss Dragon Princess, how old are you, and how long have you worked in the Dragon Palace?"

"Hehe, don't you know it's impolite to ask a woman's age... I'm the youngest among my sisters. I started reading at seven and received the immortal seal at thirteen. After a year, I was transferred to the Cloud and Rain Department... I've been working for five years now, and I have a position in the Dragon Palace!"

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ye Qing, proud, "This year, I found the grand banquet interesting, so I applied to be a temporary maid in the World Affairs Department to see what the so-called talents are like!"

"World Affairs Department..." Ye Qing thought, isn't that the intelligence department?

His steps paused slightly, then resumed smoothly, secretly cursing the Dragon Lord and the young dragon princess, smiling, "It's good that I have some knowledge of world affairs, let's exchange ideas..."

The dragon princess's eyes twinkled, and she smiled strangely, "Hey, I won't reveal any family secrets! Besides, think about it, with a thousand children in the Dragon Palace, if my father had any secrets, he wouldn't tell the youngest dragon princess, right?"

"Right, I just want to know about everyday things... What do you usually do, Miss Dragon Princess?"

"..."

After a discussion, they arrived at the grand hall. Ye Qing said solemnly, "I am Ye Qing, remember that!"

"Got it." The dragon princess was not concerned, slightly behind, with a small sense of pride, and disappeared.

Ye Qing walked a few steps, smiling inwardly.

Actually, the dragon princess only talked about the daily life in the Dragon Palace, which was quite reserved. However, on Earth, intelligence work had long been deeply integrated into theory and systems. Even the daily life could be analyzed to reveal valuable information.

A great calamity was imminent, and any insight into the Dragon Lord's affairs was valuable. This cunning Dragon Lord probably didn't expect to be betrayed by his own daughter.

Smiling, he entered the pale green grand hall, with white jade floors, pearls embedded in the walls, and crystal-clear water waves rippling in the hall, which were not real water but the manifestation of water-based spiritual energy.

Ye Qing felt a chill, his gaze falling on the empty pale green throne at the head of the hall.

The hall was brightly lit, with a half-person-high curtain on the west side. Behind the translucent white silk curtain, a row of beautiful girls could be seen, their faces clear and their demeanor calm.

In the middle, tables were arranged in a square, with a few scholars and guests already seated, each with a different appearance and demeanor, but all emitting a faint Dao light.

A red carpet was laid in the middle, standing out on the white jade floor.

As he passed, he glanced around, seeing a young scholar in front raise a cup of jade liquid and drink it in one gulp, smiling and talking. Then, he saw a jade-colored scholar compose a poem, drawing cheers from all sides.

Wherever there were people sitting, various spiritual fruits were placed on the tables for the guests to enjoy.

Ye Qing walked silently, finding the least prominent table at the far west corner, under the end of the white curtain, and sat down low-key.

A maid approached, offering him a cup of jade liquid and spiritual fruits.

Ye Qing did not hesitate, directly pouring himself a full cup and drinking it in one gulp.

"Hey, is it good?" The maid looked up, smiling, and it was the dragon princess, who had unexpectedly arrived there.

Ye Qing did not respond, feeling a pure water-based spiritual energy accompany the jade liquid into his body, making him feel refreshed and clear-headed, silently praising it.

The red fruit on the table was also of high quality. Seeing more scholars enter, Ye Qing lost interest, putting a red fruit in his mouth, which almost turned into spiritual energy as soon as it entered his body. Satisfied, he burped and began to eat the remaining dozen or so fruits.

The dragon princess was not offended by his rudeness, bowing politely and turning away gracefully.

A few scholars in simple clothes, thinking he was a low-key companion, smiled, thinking he was a bumpkin.

Ye Qing understood but did not bother to respond.

The higher the Dao foundation, the more physical resources were needed. The Six Yang Diagram required even more, and he would not refuse any nourishment. Every bit of accumulation was a bit of assurance, which was the fundamental matter.

With such a rare opportunity, why be pretentious?

After a while, the guests were all present, and the music and drums began.

The Dragon Lord, dressed in a pale green robe, slowly walked to the throne from behind the curtain. Behind the curtain, it was the middle-aged man from that day, his gaze sweeping over the hall, and when it fell on Ye Qing, he smiled slightly, nodding, "You are all talented scholars of the world, and your presence today brings glory to the Dragon Palace."

His voice was deep but not old, and as he spoke, a pale green aura filled the hall, and everyone immediately fell silent, bowing in unison, "We dare not, we bow to the Dragon Lord!"