Chapter 232: Dragon Head
Duan Lang turned his head and looked at Elder Cheng with deep humiliation. "Elder Cheng, calculate it. How much do I owe you?"
Elder Cheng hurriedly waved his hands. "No need! No compensation necessary! Young Prince, please, be on your way!"
Duan Lang didn’t dare to leave. He turned and looked at Cheng Yuan with an inquiring gaze. After the latter gave a faint wave, Duan Lang finally sighed in relief and left, dragging his injured leg and hobbling away.
After Duan Lang left, Elder Cheng looked at Cheng Yuan with a pleading expression. "Mr. Cheng, Prince Duan is fiercely protective. If he finds out the Young Prince has been crippled, he will certainly storm over here. For your own safety, you should go into hiding! I suggest you come back to dine another day."
Cheng Yuan waved his hand calmly. "It’s fine. Continue serving the dishes."
The reason Cheng Yuan was so calm was that he had long since discovered an old man standing outside the door.
The energy within the old man’s body was terrifyingly immense. He could kill him with a single finger!
Although the old man was clearly over seventy, his frame was sturdy, and he stood ramrod straight.
This indicated the old man held a position in the Battle Department.
Putting it all together, Cheng Yuan guessed that the old man at the door was either the Dragon Lord himself or someone sent by the Dragon Lord.
With this old man around, even if Prince Duan showed up, his life would be safe.
That was why Cheng Yuan had been so ruthless without a moment’s hesitation.
Elder Cheng wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and continued to announce the names of the dishes.
Soon, all the dishes had been announced. Elder Cheng looked at Cheng Yuan with a somewhat fawning expression. "Mr. Cheng, all the dishes for the banquet have been served. I will take my leave now."
Cheng Yuan replied in a calm voice, "Apologies for the trouble, Elder Cheng, but please prepare another serving. I need to entertain an esteemed guest."
Elder Cheng gave Cheng Yuan a deep look. ’Is the esteemed guest Mr. Cheng wants to entertain... Prince Duan?’
’What incredible audacity!’
’What incredible nerve!’
’If Mr. Cheng can survive today’s ordeal, he is destined to soar to the heavens in the future!’
"Right away. I’ll go have the dishes prepared."
Elder Cheng took his leave, leading the kitchen assistants out.
The atmosphere in the private room became extremely heavy. The very name "Prince Duan" was like a great mountain, pressing down on the three of them until they could barely breathe.
Hu Shishi said in a placating tone, "Xiaoyuan, with your current strength, you’re no match for Prince Duan. Don’t be reckless! Let’s eat quickly, and then you’ll come with me to Dragon Flame Headquarters."
Cheng Yuan didn’t reply. Instead, he looked toward the wall, as if his gaze could penetrate it and see the old man outside.
Well, Cheng Yuan *had* indeed seen him.
"Friend, a meal has been prepared for you. Why not come in and join us?"
"HAHAHAHA, good lad! To think you discovered my presence!"
SWOOSH!
A light breeze swept through, and a figure flashed like a phantom, appearing instantly at the dining table.
Seeing the old man, Hu Shishi, Han Zhongming, and Xiao Xun’Er jumped in fright. They scrambled to their feet and bowed with utmost respect.
"Greetings, Dragon Head!"
’Dragon Head?’
Cheng Yuan narrowed his eyes. He had thought it was the Dragon Lord, but it turned out to be the Dragon Head, Yang Qianhuan.
In Dragon Flame, the Dragon Lord oversaw the grand strategy, while the Dragon Head was in charge of combat and enforcement.
Cheng Yuan sized up Yang Qianhuan carefully and saw a thick ring of Karmic Obstacles around his head. However, there was also an even denser ring of fortune!
What Cheng Yuan found strange was that, under normal circumstances, fortune should be able to cleanse Karmic Obstacles.
And yet, Yang Qianhuan’s fortune and Karmic Obstacles did not affect each other, coexisting in harmony.
Facing the Dragon Head, Cheng Yuan didn’t dare to be arrogant. He slowly rose to his feet, gestured to the seat beside him, and said calmly, "Senior, please sit."
Yang Qianhuan didn’t stand on ceremony and plopped down in the seat next to Cheng Yuan. He turned to the others and said coolly, "This is a private banquet. No need for formalities. Everyone, sit."
Only then did everyone sit down.
Yang Qianhuan suddenly shot out a hand and grabbed for Cheng Yuan’s wrist.
Cheng Yuan’s expression changed slightly as he instinctively tried to dodge, but Yang Qianhuan’s movements were too fast. There was no way for Cheng Yuan to evade it!
However, Cheng Yuan wasn’t overly nervous, as he sensed no killing intent from Yang Qianhuan.
And that was indeed the case. Yang Qianhuan was only checking Cheng Yuan’s constitution and his Cultivation.
The results of the examination both delighted and shocked Yang Qianhuan!
He was delighted because Cheng Yuan’s constitution was terrifyingly strong. In terms of pure physical strength, Cheng Yuan was definitely on par with an ordinary Martial King!
This proved that Cheng Yuan truly possessed a Sacred Body!
However, the type of Cheng Yuan’s Sacred Body was very strange; it wasn’t one of the more common types known in the history of the Dragon Country Ancient Martial Realm.
What shocked Yang Qianhuan was that the True Essence in Cheng Yuan’s body was far too sinister and cold. Even for someone like him, burdened by Karmic Obstacles, it raised a layer of goosebumps and made him extremely uncomfortable!
This meant that the True Essence in Cheng Yuan’s body was not orthodox! It was even somewhat demonic!
Combined with the fact that Cheng Yuan had just used Witchcraft, Yang Qianhuan was now uncertain.
Yang Qianhuan stared intently into Cheng Yuan’s eyes. "Cheng Yuan, who is your master?"
Cheng Yuan answered truthfully, "It’s a family martial art. I figured out cultivation on my own through trial and error. I have no master."
Cheng Yuan’s gaze was frank and his demeanor was calm. Yang Qianhuan couldn’t detect anything amiss.
Besides, Dragon Flame had already thoroughly investigated Cheng Yuan’s background and relationships, so Yang Qianhuan had no reason to doubt his words.
"To teach yourself cultivation and reach the Quasi-Divine Realm in just two short years... you are a once-in-a-millennium genius for the Dragon Country."
"Senior, you flatter me."
"How did you discover me just now?"
Of course, Cheng Yuan wasn’t going to admit that he had the Double Pupil, which gave him X-ray Vision. He simply bluffed, "This junior’s Spiritual Power is relatively strong."
Yang Qianhuan’s eyes lit up. ’This kid has a Sacred Body and strong Spiritual Power. As long as we cultivate his talent properly, he’s certain to become a Martial Saint in the future!’
’I must protect him!’
’Even if it means offending the Dali Duan Dynasty, it will be worth it!’
As the two of them spoke, Yang Qianhuan’s portion of the banquet was served.
Cheng Yuan said respectfully, "Senior, please eat."
Yang Qianhuan didn’t hold back and began to eat with great relish.
====
The He Family residence was bustling with activity.
Someone had spread the news of He Jing’s full recovery, and many distinguished guests had come to offer their congratulations.
"Announcing! Prince Duan of Dali has arrived to offer his congratulations!"
For ordinary guests, He Hongting and his brothers were enough to play host.
But when it came to Prince Duan, the He Family took the matter with utmost seriousness. Elder He himself came out to greet him personally.
Duan Yanqing was quite respectful toward Elder He. He quickly took his arm to support him. "Elder He, you shouldn’t have come out to greet me personally! You do me too great an honor."
Elder He chuckled. "Ah, Yanqing, Xiaojing is just a junior. How could we trouble you to make a personal visit? Come now, tell me, what really brings you here?"
Duan Yanqing scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed. "I really can’t hide anything from you, Elder He. My daughter, Yingying, contracted a strange illness half a year ago. I’ve consulted over a hundred Divine Doctors, but Yingying shows no signs of improvement. Her vitality fades with each passing day. If this continues, I’m afraid..."
Elder He understood immediately and asked gently, "Yanqing, are you hoping I can introduce you to the Divine Doctor who cured Xiaojing?"