The land closest to the nearby mountains was so barren, the Dragon Race found it uninhabitable. As a result, they’d long since abandoned it.
Now, since Zuo Mo had requested a chunk of land to build a factory, they offered it to her.
In just a few days, this long-neglected patch land underwent an astonis.h.i.+ng transformation. The gunpowder factory was already complete. Inside, you could already see quite a few workers going about their business.
“Tower Head Zuo, you move rather quickly,” said the elderly former clan head of the Dragon Race. He had only come to see how things were going out of boredom. He never would have guessed that things were moving so quickly.
No wonder humans ruled the world. They had a major advantage in everything, even reproduction.
But for the Yao, that wasn’t the only terrifying thing about them.
“We’re pressed for time. The demons and zombies are eying our borders hungrily; they could attack at any time. If we want to increase or odds of victory, we have to seize every last second and take the initiative,” said Zuo Mo gravely.
The atmosphere was extremely tense. Zuo Mo was no optimist; at a time like this, she couldn’t bring herself to smile and make merry.
“Tower Head Zuo, you’re absolutely right.” The former clan head nodded his a.s.sent.
“Of course,” said Zuo Mo, “this is all thanks to you granting us this territory.”
She bowed to him, but the former clan head hurriedly pulled her back up. “What are you doing? We dragons live in the Three Realms; we naturally share responsibility for its future. This is the least we could do.”
Suddenly, an illusory azure dragon manifested in the sky.
“Father.”
This new arrival was none other than the Dragon Race’s second-in-command, Xia Keke’s uncle, Xia Yingqiu. A few days ago, he’d left to investigate why they hadn’t received the signal for reinforcements.
“You’re back.” The former clan head’s gaze shook when he saw his son. Then he turned to Zuo Mo and cupped his hands respectfully. “Tower Head Zuo, this old dragon won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll take my leave for now.”
“Take care.”
She watched them leave, then returned to the factory to help produce explosives.
…...
The father and son pair flew through the sky. They were headed back to the clan’s main hall. On the way, the former clan head turned to Xia Yingqiu and asked, “do you have any leads?”
Missing the call for reinforcements was an extremely serious issue; he had no choice but to take it seriously.
“I do,” Xia Yingqiu said gravely.
“Could it be……” the former clan head started, then stopped.
Although he didn’t finish his sentence, Xia Yingqiu nodded, his dense, dark eyebrows tightly knit. “It will take some time to explain clearly, but while investigating, I captured someone. He’s currently in the main hall. Once you see him, all will be made clear.”
“Alright.”
The main hall of the Dragon Race.
All the elders were already seated. Clearly, Xia Yingqiu had notified them before leaving in search of the former clan head.
A man knelt in the center of the main hall, his head touching the ground. He trembled non-stop, clearly terrified.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The old clan head entered the room, his gait majestic. His gaze immediately fell onto the kneeling figure.
After a while, he retracted his gaze and took a seat. “Yingqiu, tell everyone who this is.”
Xia Yingqiu walked up the kneeling figure, then turned to look directly at the elders and the former clan head.
“Clan Head, Elders,” said Xia Yingqiu, “this is the spy who infiltrated our clan on the demon’s behalf.”
There was an instant uproar.
The crowd’s gaze fell on the kneeling figure, their expressions clearly astonished.
“To think the demons’ reach extended even to our Dragon Race!”
“How is this possible? We have so few clansmen. If they sent someone to infiltrate our clan, how could we not notice them?”
“It’s completely unbelievable!”
Responses varied wildly. In particular, the elder to the clan head’s side pointed, his finger shaking, and said, “Yingqiu, you’d best not tell jokes.”
This elder had a long record of service and a very high status; he was the third elder from several generations back.
“Great-uncle, this is no joke. But then, shouldn’t you know that better than anyone?”
To their surprise, Xia Yingqiu laughed playfully, his words pointed.
The elder’s pupils constricted. He frowned and said, “what’s the meaning of this? Are you implying that I arranged for this spy to infiltrate our clan?
The elder was obviously infuriated. His face trembled as he spoke and his cane thumped against the ground repeatedly
“I’ve served the Dragon Race for tens of thousands of years. You…. You……”
“Third Elder, please stay calm.”
Everyone else present was his junior. Even the former clan head had to respectfully address the elder as “Great-uncle.”
Seeing this esteemed elder’s fury, the group tried their best to comfort him.
“Yingqiu, what are you saying?” the old clan head scolded.
“Great-uncle, please calm down,” Xia Yingiqu spoke again. “You’re no spring chicken. If you hurt yourself in a fit of rage, won’t my father beat me to death?”
Although some of the others tried to comfort the enraged elder, others could tell that something fishy was going on.
Xia Yingqiu was the pre-eminent genius of the younger generation. There was no way he’d baselessly accuse the third elder.
“Little brother, what exactly are you trying to say?” The current clan-head, Xia Keke’s father Xia Yingda, stepped in. “You can’t just say whatever you want about our great uncle.”
That’s what he said, but from his tone of voice, it was clear he stood with Xia Yingqiu.
“Big Brother, have you ever heard me joke about this sort of thing? Even if I did, why would I target Great-Uncle specifically? Really......”
He reached out and tugged the kneeling figure’s hair. His face, which had been obscured by his hair as he knelt on the ground, was revealed to everyone for the first time.
“This….”
Everyone was dumbfounded. The kneeling man was middle-aged. Judging from his face, the vicissitudes of life had taken their toll on him.
Xia Yingqiu relaxed his grip and laughed, “Oh, look at my poor manners. How could I grab my uncle’s hair? I really do deserve to die! Father, please punish me for crimes! That said, Great-Uncle, isn’t my uncle your son? This…. Ha ha…. I’m just a member of the junior generation. I’d better not say anymore!”
As he spoke, Xia Yingqiu knelt on the ground. Throughout the main hall, no one spoke.
After a long pause, the high-ranked elders spoke, their voices filled with disbelief, “Uncle, how could it be you?”
The spy who’d infiltrated the Dragon Race was…..
Their senior.
The others had no idea what to do. They didn’t know how to even begin processing all this.
The Dragon Race cared deeply about seniority. The older you were, the higher your position within the clan. No matter whether it was the third elder or his heir, the other elders….
The other elders had no authority over them whatsoever!