Dragon King's Son-In-Law

by Dragon King

He withdrew his Nature Essence and looked around. The bamboos on one side of the yard were leaning against each other, and the biggest bamboo had a big hole in it. The flowers and grasses were cut, and the clay pots were broken. The garage wall that was facing the yard had two big holes in it, and about a dozen deep holes could be seen on the ground!

  It looked like the scene after a hurricane!

  Hao Ren had not expected that the sword array formations would be so powerful. He was wondering how to apologize to Zhao Guang for the damage when he heard applauses from behind him.

  He turned and saw Zhao Guang smiling at him while standing at the back door.

  “Uncle, sorry for the mess,” Hao Ren looked around and apologized.

  “It’s ok.” Zhao Guang smiled graciously. “You’re only at Li-level, right? I have never imagined that the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll could be so powerful. It seems that we judged it wrongly in the past, and it looks like Zhao Kuo made the right decision in choosing the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll over his previous cultivation technique.”

  “Did Third Uncle also choose this cultivation technique?” Hao Ren was surprised.

  “Yeah. He once teased you and found that your technique had great potential. Therefore, he took the technique with him when he left the Dragon Palace,” Zhao Guang said.

  Hao Ren nodded. After failing the Heavenly Tribulation, Zhao Kuo had lost all of his cultivation strength, even though the array formations and the altar the East Ocean Dragon Clan put together saved his life.

  However, the minimal five-elemental essences he had afterward gave him a chance to cultivate the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll which required steady cultivation of all five elements simultaneously.

  Despite the slow speed of the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll, Zhao Kuo’s cultivation experience of the past 200 years would help him cultivate at a faster pace. After a few or a dozen years of hard work, Zhao Kuo would regain his great power!

  Besides, East Ocean now had a stock of over 200 godly elixir pills.

  For him, his failure was a blessing in disguise.

  “Well, what are you guys talking about?” Zhao Hongyu walked to the back door, drying her hands; she had just finished washing the dishes.

  When she saw the mess in the backyard, her eyes widened. Her beloved orchids only had a few leaves left!

  “Ren’s cultivation strength has improved.” Zhao Guang looked at her, a little embarrassed as well. “The orchids… Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to get some replacements.”

  “Since they are ruined by Hao Ren’s cultivation strength, I have no problem with it.” Zhao Hongyu smiled helplessly.

  In fact, the orchids in the backyard had cost her hundreds of thousands of yuan. She poured a lot of attention into them and had planned to move them into the house that night, but…

  “The backyard is too small for you. I thought you wanted to practice sword energies and didn’t expect it would be such a big upheaval. However, I will recommend one place for you to practice in,” Zhao Hongyu said.

  “Where?” Hao Ren asked. His exhilaration dimmed at the sight of the mess he caused in the yard. He felt quite guilty and wanted to offer compensation, but he knew it was meaningless.

  “I’m not mad at you for ruining the plants. If you want a spacious place to practice your techniques, you can to go to Elder Sun’s martial arts dojo downtown on Yingchun Road,” Zhao Hongyu said.

  Hao Ren suddenly remembered that Elder Sun owned a large martial arts dojo among other businesses such as restaurants, vacation resorts, and yachts. The martial arts dojo was the place they trained guards for East Ocean’s companies, and it could provide a big space for Hao Ren to practice the large-scale sword array formations.

  “Good. I’ll go there and have a look when I have time.” Hao Ren nodded.

  Recently, the core elders of East Ocean had been extremely busy with the business of the Nine Dragon Palace, and Hao Ren didn’t want to bother Elder Sun before it was over.

  “By the way, have you read the books yet?” Zhao Hongyu asked.

  “I’m almost finished reading the books you gave me. However, I’m busy this weekend, and I’m afraid that I can’t help you in your studio,” Hao Ren answered.

  “Ok. I can’t go there this weekend either. We can go next weekend.” Zhao Hongyu smiled mildly.

  “Well, Uncle, Auntie, I’ll head back now,” Hao Ren said as he looked around at the ruined plants.

  “Ok.” Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu nodded.

  “Oh, one more thing.” Hao Ren stopped at the door. “If I agree to join Su Han in breaking into the Nine Dragon Palace, do you think it will be a violation of the rules?”

  Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang hesitated for a few seconds.

  “As an Inspector, Su Han has mastered many mystic techniques. You should be fine to go with her,” Zhao Guang said.

  “If Lu Linlin and Lu Lili are willing to join you, it would be even better. They know a lot of stuff that we don’t and will give you a great advantage in the Nine Dragon Palace,” Zhao Hongyu added.

  With so many forces trying to make a go at the Nine Dragon Palace, East Ocean would need to keep some forces in the East Ocean Dragon Palace to protect it. They would then send the rest of the elder to the Nine Dragon Palace. After all, more people going meant greater hope of getting treasures from it.

  With Su Han leading the team, Hao Ren’s safety was guaranteed. If they could bring back another 200 to 300 godly elixir pills, the East Ocean Dragon Clan would be ultra-rich! If the pills were used properly, many cultivation masters would emerge in the next hundred years!

  After getting Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu’s approval, Hao Ren began to make plans. If his last trip into the Nine Dragon Palace were a mock test, then the trip next week would be the formal exam.

  The Trading Convention on Fifth Heaven was the preparation before the exam! Any cultivation sect with moderate power would want to enter the Nine Dragon Palace and find treasures.

  “Please tell Zi that I’ll have no time to tutor her in the following days. I’ll resume the tutoring sessions next week,” Hao Ren said when he went out the door.

  Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang nodded, knowing that he would immerse himself in preparations.

  Zhao Guang had high hopes for Hao Ren after witnessing the great power of the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll. He imagined the awe-inspiring scene where a top-tier Qian-level Master like Zhao Kuo unleashed this technique at full strength.

  The five-elemental eight-trigram array formation made of dense sword energies would defeat a troop of tens of thousands of cultivators, not to mention the Heavenly Tribulation.

  Hao Ren had steadily opened a brand-new way of cultivation.

  The more Zhao Guang thought about it, the more hope he had about East Ocean’s future.

  Oblivious to Zhao Guang’s high hopes for him, Hao Ren took a bus and returned to school. Friday passed in reading, cultivating, and classes.

  Then, Saturday morning came.

  “Hahahaha!” Zhou Liren, who was sleeping in his upper berth, sat up abruptly and laughed. “Guys! It’s Saturday! It’s time for us to see the beauties in Xin’an City!”

  231 Excitement of the Trip

  His shout woke up Hao Ren, Zhao Jiayi, and Cao Ronghua.

  On the other side of the hallway, Room 301 was creating a commotion as well. Huang Jianfeng and his roommates rushed out with washbasins, towels, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

  They had never gotten up so early on a weekday, not to mention a Saturday morning!

  “Beauties, wait for me!” Excited, Zhou Liren dashed to the public washroom with his washbasin.

  Huang Jianfeng followed him with his toothbrush and washbasin noisily. They were so excited as if they were going to a carnival.

  The bus Xie Yujia booked was waiting for them at the roadside in front of the student dorm area. Shortly, Xie Yujia, Ma Lina, and the other girls came.

  Xie Yujia was wearing a pair o
f shorts with short boots which accentuated the elegant lines of her legs. With a pair of sunglasses on, the usually simple-clothed Xie Yujia was quite stylish today.

  Sitting in the back row of the bus, Zhao Liren was amazed. He bumped Hao Ren with his elbow and asked, “Hey, is that Xie Yujia?”

  Hao Ren had been reading. He looked up and saw Xie Yujia walking along the aisle of the bus.

  The tall and slim figure, elegant aura, smooth skin, and fashionable clothes!

  If not for the familiar face, Hao Ren wouldn’t have recognized her.

  “F*ck! Xie Yujia has the potential of becoming a big star!” Yu Rong mumbled beside them.

  As Xie Yujia strolled toward the back rows of the bus, the guys’ hearts began to race!

  She had the elegance and confidence of a big celebrity!

  “Yujia, let’s sit here!” Ma Lina pulled her to a seat several rows before Hao Ren and his buddies.

  “No…” The guys were disappointed.

  About a quarter to eight, the guys with girlfriends began to arrive. Yu Rong and the other single guys were jealous as they watched them get on the bus hand in hand.

  “Ren! How come Lu Linlin and Lu Lili are not here?” Zhou Liren asked Hao Ren.

  “I never said they would come,” Hao Ren replied.

  “What a shame!” Zhou Liren complained, “A group of single guys touring Xin’an City! That’s no fun!”

  The guys who led girlfriends onto the bus all turned to look at Xie Yujia sitting by the window when they passed.

  Not recognizing her, they thought she was a friend Ma Lina brought to the trip. Their girlfriends all whispered at them, asking, “Who is she?”

  The girls all felt an invisible pressure from Xie Yujia’s dazzling and straightforward elegance.

  To satisfy their boyfriends’ vanity, all of them dressed up. But obviously, they were overshadowed by Xie Yujia.

  After everyone had taken a seat, Xie Yujia stood up and did the roll call. Then, she called out to the driver, “Sir, everyone is here. Let’s go!”

  She had pushed her sunglasses over her forehead, and her long black hair looked silky and fresh. Yu Rong and the guys felt like their hearts began to race.

  The bus drove slowly, and the sunshine outside made it look like a day in spring.

  Xie Yujia sat back down and took out a novel from her backpack. She began to read quietly while leaning against the window.

  Sunlight shone on her through the window pane. Half of her body was in the sunshine while the other half was in the shads.

  Her hands that were holding the book were like jades in the sunshine with the light blue veins visible. The part of her in the shadow looked like a pure white luminous pearl that was hidden in the dark.

  “I didn’t notice that Xie Yujia is so pretty!” Zhao Jiayi exclaimed in appreciation while eating chips.

  “She never dressed up before! I told you that the Class President is beautiful,” Gu Jiadong, who had the looks of a decent guy, blurted out.

  “Well, I wonder which lucky dog will become her boyfriend…” Yu Rong sighed.

  Through the slits between the chairs before him, Hao Ren glanced at Xie Yujia but didn’t join their discussion. He resumed his reading of the architectural design book.

  After this weekend, Xie Yujia would probably be gone shortly, and that was why she didn’t want to be too bossy with them as the Class President.

  In fact, Xie Yujia didn’t care about the small power attached to the title of the Class President. She just wanted to do something for the class and keep the energetic guys out of trouble.

  The bus left East Ocean City and entered the highway. The excited singly guys began to pass around the food they bought in the store last night. Comparatively, the guys with girlfriends appeared more restrained.

  The bus entered Xin’an City in their high-spirited talks.

  “Wow! Beauties!” When the bus entered the city, Zhou Liren pulled the curtain aside and looked out of the window. He exclaimed at the sight of some girls in mini-skirts.

  “Don’t ruin the reputation of the students of East Ocean City!” Zhao Jiayi reached out and slapped Zhou Liren on the head.

  Zhou Liren nodded sulkily, but he still sneaked glances to the road outside.

  “Here we are!” The driver yelled before stopping the bus on the side of the road. Then, the door slid open.

  “Thank you! Please come back to pick us at about four o’clock tomorrow afternoon!” Xie Yujia stood up and thanked the bus driver in her crisp voice. She called out, “Here we are! Everyone, get off the bus in a line!”

  She looked like an energetic tour guide, and her excellent organization skills made it an easy job for her. The guys got excited and walked down the bus to breathe in the fresh air of Xin’an City.

  “Beauties, wait for me!” Zhou Liren was the first to rush out of the bus. He spread his arms toward the sky.

  But he quickly lost his posture when Zhao Jiayi kicked his butt from behind.

  Xie Yujia stood by the roadside and told the group, “We can visit the Big Buddha Temple this morning and have lunch together. After that, we have no more group activities. In the evening, if you like, we can tour the night market of Xin’an City together. Tomorrow morning, we have no group activities. After lunch, let’s gather together and go to Sanmu University to watch the basketball match.”

  Since it was a rare opportunity for the classmates to enjoy some together time and the trip gave them lots of free time, everyone agreed to the plan.

  Seeing everyone agreeing to tour the Big Buddha Temple together, Xie Yujia led the group to a nearby Hanting Hotel.

  “Put your bags in your hotel rooms, and we’ll go to the Big Buddha Temple without any burdens.”

  “Ok!” Following the pretty and vibrant Xie Yujia, everyone looked high-spirited. Excellent weather and beautiful Class President; everything was perfect!

  After entering the hotel, Xie Yujia got the keys to the rooms she had booked and began to allocate them.

  “Zhou Liren and Cao Ronghua, you two share a room! Yu Rong and Gu Jiadong, you two share a room! Huang Jianfen and Yang Zhili, you two share a room!…”

  “Zhao Jiayi needs to report back to the basketball team tonight, so Hao Ren has a room to himself!” Xie Yujia handed the last key to Hao Ren.

  232 The Mysterious Masters

  When Xie Yujia handed the key to Han Ren, her fingertips touched his palm.

  Her fingertips were a bit cold. Hao Ren looked up, but Xie Yujia had turned her head away, calling out in a joyous tone, “Ok! Everyone, put your bags in your rooms and come down to the hall in two minutes. We’ll go from here!”

  “Ok!” They scattered.

  “Cool! You have the room to yourself!” Carrying a backpack, Zhou Liren nudged Hao Ren with his shoulder.

  “Not cool at all! I’ll be bored by myself!” Hao Ren rolled his eyes.

  “Do you want me to keep you company tonight?” Zhou Liren gave him a meaningful look.

  Hao Ren shivered in disgust and replied, “No, thanks. I’ll try to enjoy my boredom.”

  His room faced the south with proper ventilation and sunshine. It was a spacious double room, and Hao Ren suspected that Xie Yujia had given him a good room with her ‘power.’

  He tried the TV and the shower and found no problem with them. Leaving his bag in the room, Hao Ren took the key and went down to the hall.

  As the Class President, Xie Yujia was already waiting in the hall. Besides her, Hao Ren was the first one to get down to the hall. The others were still in their rooms.

  After all, this was their first class trip, and they were all excited about the prospect of staying the night in a hotel. Moreover, some people had secretly traded rooms with others so that they could share a room with their boyfriends and girlfriends. They must be especially excited.

  Hao Ren faked a cough and walked over. “Class President, who’s your roommate?”

  “I have the room to myself tonight as w
ell. Ma Lina was supposed to share the room with me, but she now wants to stay over at her auntie’s since she lives in Xin’an City,” Xie Yujia said with a smile.

  “Oh…” Hao Ren looked at her and didn’t know what to say next.

  Xie Yujia gazed at him, and her long eyelashes fluttered at a loss of words as well.

  “Hey! You two are quick!” Ma Lina ran out from the corridor joyously.

  “You don’t plan to stay here, but you still went to the room!” Xie Yujia glanced at her, pouting.

  “Well, I wanted to have a look at the room even though I won’t stay the night!” Ma Lina cast a sly glance at them. “Since you both are living alone tonight, why not…”

  “Stop your nonsense!” Before she could finish, Xie Yujia reached out to pinch her nose.

  Ma Lina laughed like crazy and ran to the other side of the hall. Xue Yujia pursed her lips and decided not to chase her.

  After everyone had come down to the hall, Xie Yujia stood on her tiptoes and counted. Then, she said, “The Big Buddha Temple is not far from here; we can just walk there!”

  Hao Ren found her quite cute when she was not bossy as the Class President. Looking at the other guys’ expressions, he knew that they shared his feelings.

  “Ren, if you like her, make your move!” Zhao Jiayi leaned over and whispered to him.

  Others might not know what Hao Ren was thinking about, but Zhao Jiayi, who slept in the berth below him, knew what was up.

  Since Hao Ren didn’t respond, Zhao Jiayi patted him on the shoulder and continued, “This is a good opportunity for you to get close to her now that we are out on a trip. With my experienced eyes, I think Xie Yujia likes you!”

  “Ok. I got it.” Hao Ren smiled at him, touched by how much his buddy cared for him.

  Zhao Jiayi, Yu Rong, and the other guys looked careless, but in moments of need, they would stick with each other.

  They followed Xie Yujia to the Big Buddha Temple two blocks away like a group of elementary students who just got off from school.

  Hao Ren looked up at the sky and found that it was clear without the Nine Dragon Palace blocking the sunshine. He looked toward the direction of East Ocean City and caught a glimpse of the Nine Dragon Palace which was still hovering in the air.