Supreme Dragon Seal

“Thirteen, step back,” Just then, a hoarse voice rang out.

The black-robed man sheathed his heavy sword, took a step back, and his balls were freed from Qi Bei’s sword tip. If his hood was lifted at this moment, one would see fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

Qi Bei’s expression did not show any surprise. He got up and rubbed his sore waist, looking at the two figures that appeared out of nowhere. One was the patriarch, Kurt Nord, who still looked old and feeble, and the other was Qi Bei’s father, Raymond Nord.

“I say, Grandpa, Father, can we not do this as soon as I come back? What if this guy had made a mistake and caused harm?” Qi Bei complained with a bitter expression as he dusted himself off. He knew that the king-grade warrior just now had not used his full strength, otherwise, it would not have been so easy for him.

“You brat, don’t be so impudent. Watch me teach you a lesson later,” Raymond said with a stern face, but the joy in his eyes could not be concealed.

“That’s enough,” Kurt Nord said in a deep voice. Didn’t he know that these father and son were just acting?

As soon as the patriarch spoke, Raymond immediately fell silent. Qi Bei, who used to be afraid of the patriarch like a mouse seeing a cat, now looked at him fearlessly.

Kurt gave Qi Bei a murky glance, revealing some inexplicable emotion. He said, “You guys talk, Thirteen, help me back.”

After watching the fight, the patriarch left without saying much, and no one could guess what he was thinking.

“Kid, you’re getting bolder and bolder. How dare you be disrespectful to your grandfather?” Raymond looked at his son, who seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him. He had protected him for fifteen years, but now he found that his son had changed so much that he could hardly believe it.

“Respect is not just shown in words. I have absolute respect for the patriarch. He is the pillar of our Nord family,” Qi Bei said earnestly.

Raymond looked his son up and down and suddenly slapped him on the back of his head.

“Dad, you said you wouldn’t hit me on the back of my head anymore. Don’t you know it will make me stupid?” Qi Bei yelled without thinking.

Raymond burst into laughter. The strange feeling in his heart disappeared. This was still his son. No matter how much he changed, he was still his own blood. When he used to slap him on the back of his head, he would also yell like this.

“I’m your old man. So what if I hit you?” Raymond said with a smile.

Qi Bei rolled his eyes, feeling speechless.

“You brat, get ready. Half an hour later, go see the Emperor with me,” Raymond said.

“I still have to go? Alright, I’ll go,” Qi Bei felt a bit unwilling. In his previous memories, Emperor Han Mo was definitely a person who made people feel uneasy, someone who emitted a sense of superiority.

“He is your future father-in-law, whether you like it or not,” Raymond said with a smug grin, unsure if he was pleased that his own son had benefited or simply enjoying the misfortune of others.

Qi Bei frowned, wondering if Emperor Han Mo was really planning to keep his promise.

“Hey, brat, shouldn’t you be dancing with joy upon hearing this news?” Raymond was surprised by Qi Bei’s expression.

“Dad, your son has grown in ability and vision, and I naturally have higher standards. How could I settle for some ordinary woman?” Qi Bei said.

“Brat, don’t think you’re so great just because you’ve lucked out. Get ready, the Nord family has already set its sights on Princess Ming Yue as my son’s wife.” Raymond slapped Qi Bei on the back of the head again.

…

…

The Golden Leaf Palace was the place where the emperor and his court officials discussed state affairs. Today, however, only Emperor Han Mo, Kurt Nord, and Qi Bei were present.

Emperor Han Mo sat high on his throne, while Kurt Nord half-closed his eyes and calmly sat on the soft stool provided to him. Qi Bei stood behind Kurt Nord with a large box in his hands.

The atmosphere was oppressive, like the silence before a storm, making it difficult to breathe.

Although Qi Bei appeared calm on the surface, the internal energy of the Divine Dragon Art was frantically operating to withstand the soul pressure Emperor Han Mo was emitting.

It seemed that the saying about “king of turtles’ aura” was not just an empty phrase. *

“Old Kurt, I heard that after Rui Xue sneaked out of the palace, she went to see the Nord tiger of your family,” Emperor Han Mo spoke, his words like a knife, piercing straight to the heart.

“This old minister has also heard of it,” Kurt Nord nodded.

“Everyone knows that Rui Xue has feelings for Huai’an, and now it seems that Huai’an is not indifferent to her either. Old Kurt, do you think we should arrange their wedding as soon as possible? If they secretly conceive, it will be a disgrace to both my royal family and your Nord family,” Emperor Han Mo did not even glance at Qi Bei, seemingly determined to marry Princess Rui Xue to Huai’an.

“Your Majesty, everything has a certain order, although I also like Princess Rui Xue very much, but Huai’an and Miss Feng from the Feng family are already engaged. It’s better to wait for their wedding to be done before marrying Princess Rui Xue,” Kurt said with an unchanging expression and a withered voice.

“Old Kurt, are you suggesting that my daughter, the royal princess should share a husband with other women? And she’s even behind that girl from the Feng family?” Emperor Han Mo slammed the armrest of his throne with a loud thud, his face full of anger.

As the saying goes, when an emperor gets angry, blood will be shed for a thousand miles, and Qi Bei’s heart jumped a few times as Emperor Han Mo slammed his armrest.

But Kurt seemed to be unaffected by any of this. He looked at Han Mo and said, “Your Majesty, calm down. Do you know a maid named Xiao Qing who serves Princess Rui Xue?”

Emperor Han Mo was taken aback and wondered what Kurt was up to. But he knew that the old man wouldn’t ask this for no reason. There had to be something behind this question.

“I know her. Xiao Qing is Princess Rui Xue’s personal maid who has been with her since childhood,” Emperor Han Mo replied with a sullen face.

“Qi Bei, open that box,” Kurt said.

Qi Bei placed the box on the ground, also feeling a bit curious. He didn’t know what was inside, but since the old man valued it so much, there must be something inside that Emperor Han Mo feared.

Qi Bei unlocked the hidden lock on the box, and the lid sprang open.

A head! Inside the box was the head of Xiao Qing, Princess Rui Xue’s maid.

“Old Kurt, what are you…” Emperor Han Mo stood up in shock and stared down at Kurt who was sitting calmly.

“Your Majesty, please have a look,” Kurt said as he held his cane over Xiao Qing’s head. Suddenly, a black mark appeared on her forehead.

“The Nether Mark!” Emperor Han Mo was shocked. Only a dark magic practitioner would have the black-colored Nether Mark on their forehead.

( TL: The “king of turtles’ aura” is a Chinese idiom that refers to a situation where someone with little ability or status acts arrogantly and tries to intimidate others with their presumed power. In the earlier sentence Qi Bei is described as having the “king of turtles’ aura” because he is trying to resist the soul pressure from Emperor Han Mo despite having less power and status than the emperor.)