Wu Shuai was wise and decisive, possessing remarkable foresight and vision. More importantly, he had an iron will, unlike the weakness that plagued most dragonmen Gu Immortals. Under his leadership, the strength of the dragonman race had been climbing steadily.
In secret, he had been quietly stockpiling resources, never abandoning his dream of constructing an Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu House.
However, good times never lasted. The dragonman race's growing power drew increasingly harsh criticism from the human race, and underhanded interference became more and more frequent. Many were green with envy. In truth, even Wu Shuai himself had to admit that a large part of the dragonmen's prosperity came at the expense of human Gu Immortals' interests.
It was only because of Duke Long that the human Gu Immortals didn't openly cause trouble.
Duke Long's grand birthday celebration — the whole world rejoiced.
The large crimson character for "longevity" displayed in the hall was extraordinarily eye-catching.
Duke Long sat in the seat of honor, surrounded by dragonmen on all sides.
One by one, dragonmen Gu Immortals stepped forward to present their carefully prepared birthday gifts.
"Father, I wish you blessings as vast as the mountains and longevity as boundless as the sea." A dragonman Gu Immortal presented a bundle of White Floodgrass.
This grass was an ancient wasteland plant infused with draconic essence, shaped like a white flood dragon, its scales and horns exquisitely detailed.
"Father, I wish you radiant as the sun and moon, enduring as the pine and crane." Another dragonman Gu Immortal offered a Soft Jade Cherry branch.
"Father, your son offers his congratulations…" Wu Shuai's own father also appeared.
Duke Long's expression remained stern as he simply nodded. Attendants by his side naturally received and catalogued each gift.
After the sons' generation had taken their turns, it was time for the grandsons.
At this point, Duke Long's expression softened considerably, a clear smile appearing on his face.
"Grandfather, your grandson pays his respects! I wish you blessings as deep as the Eastern Sea and longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain. This is a wasteland beast that your grandson caught personally — I hope Grandfather will like it." A young dragonman knelt on one knee, both hands raised, holding a tray. On the tray sat a delicate, exquisite little seahorse.
"That's a Flowing Joy Seahorse — an incredibly fast wasteland beast. Extremely difficult to hunt."
"The Seventh Young Master is only at the Sixth Transformation. Simply killing one would be hard enough, but he actually captured one alive!"
"I heard that the Seventh Young Master spent over a month lying in wait on the ocean floor, not moving a single muscle, just to catch this Flowing Joy Seahorse alive. That kind of filial devotion is truly touching."
The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion. Among them were human Gu Immortals attending this grand birthday banquet as well.
Little Seven was Duke Long's most beloved grandson. Duke Long's face was filled with doting affection as he personally accepted the tray holding the little seahorse. "Good, good, good! Little Seven, Grandfather accepts your gift."
However, when it was Wu Shuai's turn to offer his birthday wishes, Duke Long reined in his smile and simply studied Wu Shuai. "Little Eight, by all appearances, you've achieved the most among the grandchildren. But remember — excess is as bad as falling short."
"Yes, Grandfather." Wu Shuai bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Late that night, after the birthday banquet, Duke Long secretly sent an emissary to summon Wu Shuai to his study.
"That Nanhua Island — return it to them, Little Eight." Duke Long spoke bluntly.
Wu Shuai's heart lurched. He forced a smile. "Grandfather, you may not be aware, but I won Nanhua Island through perfectly legitimate means. Your grandson has plans to make it our home and settle our people there."
Duke Long's expression turned stern, a glint of severity appearing in his eyes that made Wu Shuai's skin prickle with discomfort. "Wu Shuai, don't think your little schemes are beyond anyone's notice! Nanhua Island was originally territory belonging to Fengyun Manor, seized through your scheming. What exactly are you trying to do? Wouldn't it be better to simply lead your people and remain here within the sect? Why must you relocate the clan, traveling thousands of miles to settle on Nanhua Island? Tell me — what is it you truly want?"
Wu Shuai held his breath and remained silent for a long moment before speaking. "Grandfather, your grandson has no grand ambitions. I only wish to give our people a better life."
"A better life? Or a grander ambition!" Duke Long's voice dropped low.
Wu Shuai's entire body trembled. He decided to speak frankly. "Grandfather, even if it is ambition — so what? Should we not have ambition? Should we not strive for a better life?"
"Why must we continue living here? Grandfather, are you not aware of how these human Gu Immortals have been pushing us out, squeezing us dry?"
"What pushing out? What squeezing?" Duke Long's voice turned sharp. "Over these years, grandfather has heard many accounts of your deeds. Do you know why I favor Little Seven? Because he believes the beauty of the world is, at its core, kind and good — and that there should never be a divide between humans and dragons. And you? You have repeatedly relied on my name to run wild beyond the sect's borders, devouring others' territories and siphoning off the sect's resources! Cease these actions at once!" Duke Long's voice rang with severity.
"Grandfather, if it weren't for how these human Gu Immortals treat us, would we have done any of this?"
"What human race? What dragonman race? The dragonmen are simply a branch of the human race — where does this distinction come from?" Duke Long refuted.
"If there's no distinction between races, then what are the dragon horns on my forehead? What is the dragon tail behind me?" Wu Shuai grew agitated, his words tumbling out in rapid succession. "Grandfather, you were originally a human who transformed into a dragonman. The majority of your life was spent as a human — the dragonman's life has only been a small fraction of your entire existence!"