"What the heck are you doing?"
Zhao Yi looked up to see a pair of fair and delicate little hands holding a pretty little head leaning on the windowsill, peeking at him, almost scaring him into falling flat on the ground.
Huang Ying immediately burst into giggles.
Halfway through her laughter, seeing Zhao Yi's face darken, she quickly restrained her smile.
She curiously looked at Zhao Yi and asked, "Your Highness, what are you doing?"
Zhao Yi turned back, continued staring at the Dragon Egg on the table, and said seriously, "I'm studying a treasure!"
A treasure?
Huang Ying raised an eyebrow and suddenly realized, "Is it the Dead Egg you bought for ten thousand taels of gold?"
Huang Ying was Zhao Yi's steward. When the corpulent shopkeeper from the Four Seas Restaurant came to collect the money, it was Huang Ying he sought out, so she was also aware of the Dead Dragon Egg.
Curiously, Huang Ying asked, "Your Highness, have you figured it out?"
"No." Zhao Yi shook his head.
The Dragon Egg Zhao Yi acquired was one foot tall, weighed a hundred pounds, was entirely black, and had a metallic sheen.
If it weren't for the Four Seas Commerce Association's golden reputation, Zhao Yi would have suspected it was a chunk of iron and not an egg at all!
Huang Ying inspected the Dragon Egg with curiosity and suggested, "Your Highness, I've heard some treasures can recognize their owner through a drop of blood. Have you tried that?"
Zhao Yi nodded, "I did!"
As he spoke, he raised his injured finger to show her.
Then shook his head, "Dropping blood was useless. This thing doesn't absorb blood at all! Besides that, I've tried other methods, but none worked!"
Staring at the Dragon Egg, Zhao Yi looked utterly helpless.
He finally understood why the Four Seas Commerce Association auctioned off such a treasure!
This damn thing is just too bizarre!
Zhao Yi tried all kinds of methods, but the Dragon Egg was impervious to blades and spears, resistant to water and fire, and even extremely toxic substances couldn't corrode it!
Zhao Yi then realized he had been tricked by the corpulent shopkeeper!
The corpulent shopkeeper claimed the Four Seas Commerce Association initially intended to destroy this Dragon Egg.
Because it was too precious to destroy, they decided to auction it instead!
That statement was absolute nonsense!
The Four Seas Commerce Association didn't destroy it not because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't!
Huang Ying added, "Did you consult the Observatory and Xuanzhen Temple? They're both specialists in researching these odd things. Couldn't they figure it out either?"
Zhao Yi shook his head, "The Chief of the Observatory and the Miaoyin of Xuanzhen Temple have both seen it, and neither could do anything."
Huang Ying was surprised, "The Chief is the most knowledgeable person I've ever met. Miaoyin is the Sect Leader, yet even they have no solution?"
The Observatory is responsible for calculating calendars, observing celestial phenomena, and predicting fortunes and disasters.
The Chief is not only proficient in astronomy and geography, divination and calculation, but also an expert in all mysterious techniques!
Xuanzhen Temple is a royal Daoist temple responsible for alchemy for the emperor, guarding the Imperial Palace, and managing all Daoist temples and monasteries in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Each Sect Leader is a member of the royal family proficient in Daoist skills; some emperors, tired of ruling, even retire to Xuanzhen Temple.
Miaoyin is the Sect Leader of this generation of Xuanzhen Temple and is the most gifted and outstanding genius among all Sect Leaders in history!
Both the Observatory and Miaoyin couldn't solve the mystery of the Dragon Egg, leaving Huang Ying at a loss for who could unravel it!
Zhao Yi thought the same.
He had researched for several days with the Chief and Miaoyin, tried all methods, ultimately gaining nothing.
If it weren't for the purple fortune enveloping the egg being so conspicuous, Zhao Yi would have given up long ago!
Zhao Yi asked, "Did you come to me for something?"
Huang Ying then remembered her task and said, "The Second Prince sent an invitation. Tomorrow is his thirty-sixth birthday, and he's preparing a grand banquet for guests. He asks you not to forget to attend."
Zhao Yi was taken aback, "Second Brother is already thirty-six?"
Huang Ying nodded, "Yes."
Zhao Yi nodded, indicating his understanding.
Thirty-six isn't considered old; most people wouldn't celebrate so grandly.
But royalty is different!
The Zhao royal family of the Great Xia Dynasty has a hereditary cultivation technique named "Dragon God Technique," said to be created by their ancestors imagining the Celestial Dragon from above the nine heavens.
The "Dragon God Technique" is extremely powerful, allowing the Zhao family to establish the Great Xia Dynasty and rule the most fertile territories of the world for a thousand years, standing strong to this day!
Not only neighboring countries dare not invade, even immortal sects would withdraw when encountering the Great Xia royal family!
However, everything has two sides.
The "Dragon God Technique" is indeed very powerful, but its side effects are equally terrifying!
The cultivation schools also refer to it as the "Mad Dragon Technique."
The Great Xia royal disciples begin practicing this technique at twenty.
Upon reaching forty, the cultivation technique matures, and the cultivator begins to lose their sanity.
The crazier they become, the more terrifying the power of the technique!
By sixty, the cultivation technique achieves great success.
The cultivator goes utterly insane; if they don't disperse their technique, they will suffer an explosive death!
The current emperor is fifty-eight, with only two years left, and is so mad that he no longer dares to attend court.
The Eldest Prince Zhao Mian is thirty-nine, set to start going insane next year.
That's why he dared to practice a Demon Technique, hoping to resist the erosion of the "Mad Dragon Technique!"
Unfortunately, the Demon Technique couldn't beat the "Mad Dragon Technique." Zhao Mian was on the brink of failure, relying solely on drinking human blood to suppress his injuries!
The protagonist discovered Zhao Mian's anomaly and cooperated with him.
Zhao Mian acquired the Dragon Egg at the Four Seas Restaurant's auction, and the protagonist helped him heal.
As a result, they encountered Zhao Yi.
The protagonist's schemes totally fell apart!
After Huang Ying finished, she worriedly looked at Zhao Yi, "Your Highness, you're almost twenty."
Zhao Yi was initially stunned, then chuckled, "Practicing the 'Mad Dragon Technique' has its prerequisites. As a martial arts wastrel, it's not certain I can even succeed!"
Zhao Yi was speaking truthfully.
In the original story, he didn't master the "Mad Dragon Technique" and eventually died amid chaotic battles!
Now awakened, Zhao Yi hadn't noticed any change in his physique.
But even if it changed, he wasn't afraid!
All things in the world have a balance of opposition.
In the original, the protagonist helped the heroine overthrow the Zhao's Great Xia Dynasty!
Zhao Yi didn't know how that was achieved, but it showed that the "Mad Dragon Technique" wasn't invincible!
The protagonist surely found something to counter the "Mad Dragon Technique!"
If Zhao Yi follows the storyline, he'll eventually discover that thing too.
When the time comes, if he snatches it before the protagonist, maybe he won't go mad!
A "Mad Dragon Technique" without weaknesses is the complete "Dragon God Technique."
Gods block, gods die; Buddhas block, Buddhas die!
"That's for the best!" Huang Ying finally smiled.
Compared to the mystical art of flying through the air, she hoped her master would live a long life.
As for his safety, she and Qing Feng would defend him with their lives!
Zhao Yi had no interest in discussing this further with Huang Ying.
He asked, "What about withdrawing from the Su family's marriage? What did Su Changyuan say?"
Huang Ying recounted what happened and said, "Lord Su has agreed to dissolve the engagement, but since your marriage was an imperial grant, we must await the emperor's recovery for his personal approval before the Imperial Clan Court can issue your divorce papers."
Zhao Yi nodded, "You keep an eye on this. Inform me when it's done."
Huang Ying agreed, then remembered something, "Master Fajing, the Buddha's Son from the West Mountain Temple, visited a few times. Seeing you're busy, I sent him away, but he said he'd return. Your Highness, do you plan to meet him?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow.
The protagonist arrived?
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