There were only a little over twenty people inside the teahouse. Yuan Wu counted them once, then flew back out to busy himself around Half-Dragon City.
Fu Qi watched him, and he didn't dare slack off, so he threw himself into the task of gathering people with exceptional vigor, no longer caring about his grudge-match with Li Jiao.
"Palace Master Yang, what do we do?" Li Jiao sent a secret transmission to Yang Kai.
He didn't particularly want to go to the Dragon Palace. He'd never been there, but the very thought of the place made his heart clench with dread—an instinctive, visceral fear. At a time like this, he could only rely on Yang Kai to make the call.
Yang Kai glanced at him indifferently and transmitted back: "Let it run its course."
He had come to Dragon Island to find Zhu Qing, and he still hadn't even caught sight of her, let alone figured out where to look. Now Fu Qi's appearance had presented an opportunity—Zhu Qing was almost certainly inside the Dragon Palace.
Being able to infiltrate the Dragon Palace alongside Fu Qi was exactly what he'd been hoping for, so he felt no real resistance to it. As for what to do once inside—whether to reveal himself immediately or play it by ear—well, that truly could only be decided as things unfolded.
Since Yang Kai had said as much, Li Jiao had no grounds to argue. He simply gave a faint nod and turned his gaze to Lü Sanniang and her daughter. "Stick close to me. I won't let anyone bully you."
Lü Sanniang's face had gone pale ever since Yuan Wu called her name. The Dragon Palace—it was a place of nightmares. She had spent two or three hundred years there, longing every single moment to escape. In the end, the dragon race had thrown her out, stripping her of her dignity, but at least her wish had been granted.
Who could have imagined that after more than a decade, she would have to return? The thought filled her with anxious dread. She gripped her daughter's hand with desperate force, and Lü Yuqin, clearly sensing her mother's turmoil, pressed close to her in silence without a word.
Before long, everything was ready.
The dragon descendants who had gathered here far exceeded two hundred, but Yuan Wu was clearly experienced in this sort of thing. He selected two hundred of them whose cultivation and spirits were reasonably sound and dismissed the rest.
Those who were sent away visibly breathed sighs of relief. The ones who remained wore grim expressions, as though mourning their own parents.
Five hundred mortals had also assembled here.
Only then did Yuan Wu fly up to meet Fu Qi, stopping ten zhang away. He cupped his fists and grinned obsequiously: "My Lord, everything is prepared."
"No time to waste. Follow me," Fu Qi said curtly and strode ahead to lead the way.
Yuan Wu turned back and barked in a low voice: "Everyone, keep up! If you delay Lord Fu Qi's important business, you will be executed without mercy!"
He had no idea what Fu Qi wanted five hundred mortals for, but anything involving the dragon race on Dragon Island was a matter of utmost gravity—and could not be taken lightly.
The crowd straightened at his words and rushed to follow.
In an instant, seven hundred figures soared into the sky. Sovereign Emperor realm cultivators were among them in great numbers—the sight was truly magnificent.
Lü Sanniang possessed cultivation at the first level of the Sovereign Emperor realm, but Lü Yuqin was only at the Saint King realm. Such cultivation was naturally insufficient to keep pace with the main group. Fortunately, Li Jiao lent them a hand along the way, and they managed to avoid falling behind.
Li Jiao's feelings toward the mother and daughter had grown exceedingly complicated.
Especially toward Lü Yuqin. She was the offspring of Lü Sanniang and a member of the dragon race. No matter how beautiful or endearing she might be, Li Jiao found it nearly impossible to feel any warmth toward her. This colored his feelings toward Lü Sanniang as well, filling him with a lingering resentment—he felt he had suffered an unfathomable humiliation for nothing.
Yet at the same time, he knew the whole affair truly couldn't be blamed on Lü Sanniang.
All those years ago, she had simply missed him and slipped out of the Ruyi Sect in secret, intending to travel to the edge of the Dragon Palace to find him. Who could have predicted she would be intercepted by the dragon race along the way and dragged to Dragon Island?
No one could have seen it coming. Lü Sanniang certainly hadn't wished for such a fate. The fact that she had initially been too afraid to acknowledge Li Jiao spoke volumes—she carried a deep sense of guilt toward him in her heart.
Li Jiao's emotions were a tangled mess. His chest felt as though a great mountain had been dropped upon it, and even his breathing had grown unsteady.
Lü Sanniang obviously understood what was weighing on his mind. So throughout the journey, she simply followed silently at his side, saying nothing, careful not to draw his displeasure.
The procession of several hundred was utterly silent. Every person wore a look of unease. The dragon descendants at least understood what this trip was about—the five hundred mortals, however, were gripped by anxiety. There had never been a precedent for summoning mortals to the Dragon Palace. The whole affair had descended upon them with stunning suddenness. A few of them, clearly on familiar terms with Yuan Wu, probed him with careful, indirect questions.
But what could Yuan Wu have known? He had merely obeyed Fu Qi's orders and gathered the mortals. He had no idea what would happen next. Yet when confronted with their inquiries, he feigned mystery and offered only vague, opaque answers.
This left the questioners frustrated and utterly powerless.
Halfway along the way, Yang Kai seized an opportunity to discreetly slip several bottles of spirit pills into Li Jiao's hands.
This trip would inevitably involve Li Jiao being bled to cultivate dragon blood flowers. Without preparation, it could very well undermine his own strength. With the help of these spirit pills, he should be able to weather the ordeal safely.
Li Jiao clearly knew that anything Yang Kai produced had to be good, so he didn't refuse. He accepted them in secret and silently gave a mental word of thanks.
The group left Half-Dragon City and flew for a full half-day before they finally felt a hot, humid sea breeze brush against them. The crashing of waves grew louder, the sound of surf striking rocks reaching their ears.