Dragon Tamer

Zhu Minglang was comfortably soaking in the hot spring pool, with a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl by his side, serving tea and fruits.

The girl was quite talkative, chattering nonstop by Zhu Minglang’s ear, inquiring about things that interested her, clearly eager to see the more bustling life of the Imperial City.

“Young Master, the Black Gold Hoof is ready. Are you finished here as well?” asked the disciple outside the door in a soft voice.

“Hmm, I’ve had a comfortable soak,” Zhu Minglang replied.

“Oh dear, I was so engrossed in chatting with you that I forgot I was instructed to wait on you. How is the tea, is it good? And the fruits, are they sweet?” the girl suddenly remembered something and hurriedly spoke.

“The tea is good, and the fruits are sweet. Thank you for hosting. And next time, when these shameless scoundrels tell you to wait on someone, make sure you do not agree. You’ll suffer a great loss,” Zhu Minglang stood up, wrapped himself in a towel, and admonished the girl.

“Oh, oh, Young Master, come to play again next time.”

After leaving the hot spring pool, Zhu Minglang changed into a set of clothes.

In order not to be recognized by King An, Zhu Minglang naturally told the people from Zhu Gate not to reveal his identity.

With a small mask on, Zhu Minglang followed the shopkeeper, Zhou Yong, to where King An resided.

It was yet another mansion leaning against the mountainside. One could see that the mansion gate was extraordinarily grand, with trees outside specially painted gold, making the entire mansion look exceedingly noble.

Upon entering the mansion, music and dancing were already in full swing. A group of enchanting dancers swayed their waists around several golden fire basins in the winter day, moving gracefully to the melody with their long, straight legs…

Dances and such, Zhu Minglang didn’t watch much of; people from noble families sent to the deep mountains to practice swordsmanship from a young age weren’t common.

Some elegantly dressed individuals were sitting around the dancers, some focused on appreciating the performance, while others spoke earnestly in hushed tones about various matters.

After a musical piece ended, the dancers sat next to the dignitaries, either pouring wine or receiving praise. When Zhou Yong and Zhu Minglang approached, the surrounding people didn’t pay much attention.

“King An, the Black Gold Hoof you requested has been completed by working overnight. Please have a look,” Zhou Yong presented the Black Gold Hoof.

Zhu Minglang saw King An, who sat in front of a folding screen with his hair neatly groomed and his face looking quite handsome. However, crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes indicated that he was not as young as he appeared.

“Bai Shangren, this is a small gift prepared by myself for you. Please accept it. Zhu Gate is the family with the highest casting art on the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent. Items forged by their hands are definitely of the finest quality,” King An personally came over and took the Black Gold Hoof.

He walked toward a man sitting in front of the folding screen as well and offered it to this distinguished guest.

Zhu Minglang looked over and saw the noble guest sitting cross-legged with his hair falling neatly and looking slightly different than that of ordinary people; it shimmered under the firelight.

He was wearing an unusual wide robe, making it impossible to discern his figure, but the person exuded an air of mystique and majesty, restrained yet filled with immense self-confidence.

Bai Shangren merely nodded casually in response to King An, without even reaching out to accept the item.

Frowning, the high officials by King An’s side were surprised to see the foreign guest show such little regard for King An’s gesture.

King An maintained the gesture of tribute for a while until the man in the wide robe finally extended a hand to take the Black Gold Hoof.

At that moment, Zhu Minglang noticed that the hand extended was the left one. The robe had been so wide that it previously concealed his arms, but this gesture revealed the other side, where to Zhu Minglang’s surprise, there was no right arm!

A one-armed man??

Zhu Minglang was quite astonished.

This guy…

How could it be him!!

The mask Zhu Minglang was wearing slightly trembled.

His inner world was tumultuous.

Was this the otherworldly visitor spoken of by King An??

Zhu Minglang had first thought he was seeing things, but it wasn’t until he confirmed the absence of the man’s right arm that he dared to be utterly sure!

It was this bastard who had cast him into the Void Sea, tumbling into a vortex that led to another world…

Of course, he paid a heavy price for it, that being his right arm, which Zhu Minglang had chopped off.

The swordsmanship Zhu Minglang had used then was his most powerful, leaving a wound that would retain a trace of the Sword Cold Aura forever. No matter how skilled the healing or medical arts, they wouldn’t be able to reattach his arm.

So he had chopped off the arm of an otherworldly visitor??

No, could it be that his own journey to another land was because of this man!

An otherworldly visitor with the ability to cleave through the Void Vortex??

“King An is too courteous. My visit this time is merely to seek a nemesis. In my younger days, I was impetuous and disregarded the advice of my elders, venturing alone into the lower realm, only to be ambushed by a vile scoundrel, leaving me injured with one arm. Now that I cultivate in the Mahayana, it is natural for me to annihilate that individual, lest he become my Heart Demon and affect my subsequent cultivation,” Bai Shangren stated calmly, revealing his purpose for coming here.

“Oh? As far as I know, even though it was your first venture out at that time, you already possessed King-level strength. The person you encountered must have been one of the leaders or powerhouses from the Four Great Sects or some hermit ancient families. I wonder what characteristics that person had. As the sovereign leader of the Supreme Court Imperial Dynasty, it would not be difficult for me to find such a rogue. Please, do not be so modest,” said King An with a smile, continuing with his extremely respectful posture.

“Very young, under twenty, wields a sword, and should be from one of your local battle sword factions…” said Bai Shangren.

After hearing this, King An’s gaze couldn’t help but drift to the others present.

The attendees wielded power and influence, ruling over their own lands, or were high-ranking in their forces, but they had never heard of anyone under the age of twenty who possessed King-level strength.

“Sword Cultivators, with Yaoshan Sword Sect and Miao Mountain Sword Sect at the forefront. The Miao Mountain Sword Sect only has females, no males. As for Yaoshan Sword Sect, it has been in decline in recent years, and there’s been no word of any exceptional genius with King-level strength,” King An explained.

“It’s not just the Sword Sects; the Big Sects and other forces also haven’t heard of anyone reaching King-level strength at that age… Could it be that the person Bai Shangren encountered is also an otherworldly visitor?” expressed the elderly City Lord of Snow Peak City.

“Not knowing is no hindrance. After I complete the mission assigned to me from above, I will find him and personally twist off his head,” Bai Shangren said coldly.

“Indeed, with your current strength, Bai Shangren, ordinary King-level Cultivators would not be able to contend with you,” the others immediately flattered.

“The doors of King An’s Mansion are always open for Bai Shangren. If there’s anything you need us to take care of, please feel free to inform us; I, as the minor king, will certainly do everything in my power to assist you,” King An offered.