VIP Volume Chapter 028: The Dragon Seal Appears Again

Lake Immortal is a saltwater lake, officially listed as covering 410 square kilometers, separated from the East Sea by the Gaosuo Mountain Range.

In truth, Lake Immortal was once part of the East Sea, but the mountain-building movement formed the Gaosuo Range, isolating it and thus creating the largest saltwater lake within the Central Nation’s borders.

For this expedition, the archaeological team deployed just one vessel—a large fisheries patrol boat weighing five hundred tons, with three bold white characters painted on its hull: Fortune.

Including Ye Xiaoxuan and his companions, thirty-eight people boarded the ship, leaving Reed Village behind and heading toward the heart of the lake.

Ye Dajun and Hao Six-Fingers rushed into the pilothouse, their first time seeing such a grand vessel, and their excitement sent them darting everywhere. The chief engineer and first mate needed their help as well; no matter how advanced the instruments, none could match the precision of children who had grown up along the shores of Lake Immortal. Once five kilometers from land, the ship’s electronics failed completely!

This was a mystery the archaeological team had only discovered days ago. Thus, they asked Chen Jiatang and Yuan Desheng to recruit villagers to assist, joining them on the voyage. Sometimes, human intuition outperforms machinery!

Ye Xiaoxuan sat on the deck, gazing at the mirror-like calm of the lake. A strange sensation suddenly stirred within him, akin to the thrill of returning home after a long journey.

“How beautiful!” Hua Lingluo exclaimed, holding Wen Xiaoyu’s hand as they stood at the rail, admiring the distant sunset reflected on the tranquil waters.

Ye Xiaoxuan curled his lips, turned to shoot the two girls an annoyed glance, and replied sarcastically, “Just wait until the sun sets before you call it beautiful! By then, you’ll wish you’d never come aboard, regret running so deep you’ll want to cough up your guts!”

Both girls scoffed at him, “Spoilsport!” and ignored his words, continuing to revel in the scenery before them.

A gray seabird skimmed swiftly across the lake, wings spread wide and motionless, gliding effortlessly above the surface. It then beat its wings, slowly rising, silhouetted against the enormous setting sun, the whole scene bleak and hauntingly beautiful.

Wen Xiaoyu clasped her hands to her chest, gazing dreamily at the approaching seabird. “Next time, I must bring my camera!”

Ye Xiaoxuan, the perennial killjoy, burst out again, shouting up at the girls, “Beautiful, my foot! That’s a sea eagle—get down and keep quiet!”

Wen Xiaoyu was about to retort, but saw the sea eagle flying straight at them, showing no intention of avoiding the large ship.

Within a hundred meters, she could see the eagle’s fierce eyes and sharp beak. Suddenly it swooped down, and even Hua Lingluo cried out, pushing Wen Xiaoyu aside in the nick of time. The eagle’s claws tore at Wen Xiaoyu’s shoulder, shredding only her clothing, sparing her skin.

“Whoooo!” Ye Xiaoxuan flailed both arms like a madman, shouting loudly and dancing wildly across the deck.

Wen Xiaoyu, still pale from the shock, crouched on the ground, asking Hua Lingluo—whose face was equally drained, “Sister Hua, what’s wrong with him?”

Hua Lingluo had no idea what had gotten into Ye Xiaoxuan, snapping irritably, “Who cares? We need to get inside—those sea eagles are coming back!”

Wen Xiaoyu looked up and nearly fainted from fright. Trembling, she said, “Sister Hua, run!” Above the ship, a dozen sea eagles circled, their spirals promising imminent attack.

The two girls had to dash from the deck to the cabin door—three or four hundred meters, but for these fierce carnivorous birds, more than enough distance to tear a person to shreds.

Strangely, the sea eagles overhead did not immediately attack, instead hesitating, as if debating which prey to strike first.

Hua Lingluo clutched Wen Xiaoyu’s hand tightly. “Forget the madman, let’s take our chances, we must—” Before she could finish, Ye Xiaoxuan yelled, “You two idiots, run! Waiting for dinner service?”

Wen Xiaoyu’s heart trembled. Eyes wide, she turned to Hua Lingluo, “He’s covering for us!”

Hua Lingluo bit her lip and nodded. “He’s foul-mouthed but not heartless! Let’s go—these sea eagles might be sensitive to sound. Keep your mouths shut—charge!”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s wild ritual finally drew the sea eagles’ attention. One after another, the gray birds dove at him like miniature bombers, claws slashing down.

Hearing the ripping of fabric beside them, Hua Lingluo and Wen Xiaoyu pressed their lips tight, resisting the urge to look back or stop.

No matter how useless or disrespectful this brat had been, at this moment he was worthy of respect. In a crisis, he risked his life to save theirs.

Ye Xiaoxuan, seeing the girls had reached safety, relaxed, closed his eyes, and let the sea eagles tear at his clothes.

After these days, he was confident in the dragon-marked armor beneath his skin, so he had no urge to evade.

Soon, under the wild assault of the eagles, Ye Xiaoxuan’s clothing was shredded, more tattered than a beggar’s, hair tousled as if the eagles meant to nest on his head.

Yet their attacks grew increasingly hesitant. Most circled above him, unwilling to land, for from Ye Xiaoxuan’s body emanated a faint fragrance, the same subtle scent Jianran had once noticed.

Another sea eagle swooped down. Anger flared within Ye Xiaoxuan; he swung his arm and shouted, “Is this ever going to end?”

At that moment, his upper body blazed with golden light. On his chest and back appeared a fearsome five-clawed golden dragon—the head on his left chest, tail on his back, coiling twice around his torso, each scale sharply defined.

Dragon-marked armor! Though Ye Xiaoxuan had never seen it before, he knew instinctively this was the dragon mark, hidden within his skin, with no trace of human handiwork, as if he’d been born with it—majestic, yet uncanny.

Above, the circling sea eagles instantly fell silent as the dragon mark appeared. Led by a brown-feathered king, they split into three squadrons and spiraled around Ye Xiaoxuan, forming a gray tornado that enveloped him completely.

By now, Hua Lingluo and Wen Xiaoyu had retreated to the cabin, and the others were occupied elsewhere, none noticing what transpired on the lower deck. This eerie, awe-inspiring moment went unseen by any other, and would have defied explanation if witnessed.

Ye Xiaoxuan squinted, watching the miracle unfolding on his body, amazed but unafraid. Strange events were multiplying, and his inner strength and character were undergoing a profound transformation.