Chapter 90: Resistance is Futile
"Your humble servant escorts the Dragon King and the Imperial Son-in-law." Minister Xia bowed, his right hand stretching forward.
"You go and attend to your own business, let those elders also don't have to come out to see you off." Zhao Guang said calmly.
"How could I dare to be remiss?" Xia Chengxiang said as he continued to follow.
They walked all the way to the main gate of the Dragon Palace, where Xia Chengxiang stopped in his tracks. "Your humble servant will send you off here," he said. "May the dragon king and the crown prince have a smooth journey!"
Hao Ren turned to Xia Chengxiang and said, "Thank you for showing me the way today, goodbye!"
"Goodbye?" Xia Chengxiang was slightly stunned, and then immediately realized that this was the "Husband of the Princess" bidding him farewell.
Hao Ren's simple words made him feel grateful and tearful. He stared at Hao Ren, suddenly unsure of what to say.
"Follow me," Zhao Guang said as he made his way through the city's defensive formation and walked towards the sea in front, "Left three, forward one, right six."
Hao Ren hastily took out the Water Avoidance Pearl and put it in his mouth, not daring to relax at all, closely following Zhao Guang step by step as they walked away.
Standing at the gate of the palace, Xia Chengxiang looked at the back of the departing groom and had tears in his eyes: What a good groom with great virtues and kindness to subordinates! I wonder when we can meet again.
In this boundless sea, Zhao Guang seemed to be strolling leisurely in a courtyard, while Hao Ren was drenched in sweat, even more tense than when he took the English listening comprehension test for his college entrance exam. He feared that he would mishear Zhao Guang's commands and worried that he would make a wrong move due to his tension.
It went on for over ten minutes, and finally, Hao Ren followed Zhao Guang out of the formation. Even with the water-repelling pearl, his clothes were still soaked - not from seawater, but sweat.
Back on the ground, Hao Ren spat out the pearl, his mouth full of bitterness. The sky had completely darkened, with only the moonlight on the sea surface still carrying a faint glow.
Hao Ren took out his phone and saw that it was already 10 o'clock at night. Although there wasn't a feeling of "one day in the Dragon Palace is one year on earth", time still flew by quickly.
Zhao Guang started his car, Hao Ren wiped the pearl clean and walked over, "Uncle, here's your pearl back."
"No need, you can keep it for yourself." Zhao Guang started the car. "Get in. It's too late today, let's go to my place to rest and head to school directly tomorrow."
Hao Ren thought that at this moment, his grandparents and parents should all be asleep. Now going back to disturb them is not necessary, so he nodded, "Then trouble Uncle."
"How are you feeling?" Zhao Guang asked Hao Ren on their way back by night train.
"It's completely different from what I imagined." Hao Ren replied.
"Hehe, I go back to the Dragon Palace once a month to deal with some accumulated things. This time I brought you over just to let you get familiar with the environment. Although we don't live in the Dragon Palace often, it's still a very important place for us." Zhao Guang said.
Hao Ren nodded in agreement, suddenly remembering the matter in the ice cellar, and said, "Today when I went to the ice cellar with Xia Chengxiang, I saw an icy sealed Tian Nu, do you know about this, Uncle?"
"I know, she's a heavenly maiden who was struck down by heaven two hundred years ago. Calculating it out, the agreed-upon imprisonment time has already passed."
"Hao Ren said: 'I let Xia Chengxiang release her.'"
Contrary to Hao Ren's expectations, Zhao Guang didn't have any special reaction. "She was just a heavenly maiden who made mistakes, no big deal, let her out if she's going to be let out, keeping her locked up in our Dragon Palace isn't a solution either."
Since he is his own "son-in-law", Zhao Guang will still give this right to Hao Ren, and of course, he won't blame Hao Ren for this matter. Moreover, Zhao Guang also knows that Xia Chengxiang handles things with caution, so this matter will definitely be handled properly.
Hao Ren murmured a response and seemed reassured. He was still worried that Zhao Guang would say he had acted on his own initiative.
The car drove smoothly on the highway and soon returned to Zhao Ziyuan's home.
They arrived home at 11 o'clock in the middle of the night. Zhao Hongyu heard the sound and came downstairs wearing her pajamas to greet them.
"Are you two coming back together? Are you hungry?" Zhao Hongyu asked with concern.
"Not hungry." Hao Ren shook his head. He had eaten two small red fruits and wasn't hungry until now, but he had walked a lot around the various palaces today and was slightly tired.
"I'm not hungry either, let's get some rest early." Zhao Guang took off his coat and said with a hint of fatigue. He had been dealing with the affairs of the Dragon Palace all day, which was no easier than Hao Ren's task.
Only then did Rong Yin understand why Zhao Ziyuan, who loved to have fun, was not interested in going to the Dragon Palace. It turned out that the Dragon Palace was just a small place after all, and every time she went home it was always midnight, so of course she wouldn't be happy about it.
"You sleep in Zi's room today, I have some design drafts to work overtime, so the attic studio is occupied by me." Wen said to Hao Ren with a gentle tone.
"Can I sleep in the room where my grandma used to live?" Hao Ren asked.
"Because your grandmother won't be coming over to stay for a while, I sprayed insecticide in that room today and it still smells, so no one can live there." Zhao Hongyu smiled and explained gently.
Then Hao Ren wanted to say more, but Zhao Hongyu blocked his words, pulling him upstairs by the clothes, in front of Zhao Ziyuan's room.
"Sleep! Sleep!" Zhao Ziyuan shouted loudly from inside.
"Stinky girl" Zhao Hongyu took out the key, opened the door, and indeed saw Zhao Ziyuan wearing a pink nightgown, with her hair casually tied up, squatting on a chair, still playing computer.
She turned around and saw Hao Ren, immediately becoming dissatisfied, "How did you come again!"
"Ah Ren is sleeping in your room today, you should stop playing computer too and go to bed early!" Zhao Hongyu pulled Hao Ren into the room, then opened the closet, took out the bedding from above, and threw it onto the carpet beside Zhao Ziyan's bed.
"Mom!" Seeing Zhao Hongyu arrange Hao Ren to his room without her consent, Zhao Ziyuan shouted in dissatisfaction.
"It's no use calling, I need to use the small attic studio. The deeply lived-in room was sprayed with insecticide today and the living room is too cold, so you can only stay here." Zhao Hongyu ignored Zhao Ziyuan's protests, spread out the bedding, and then said to Hao Ren, "Ah Ren, go to sleep early."
"Thank you, Auntie." Hao Ren said sincerely.
"If Ah Zi is affecting your sleep, come find me to complain." Zhao Hongyu said a sentence and exited the room, closing the door.
"You" immediately left the room with Zhao Hongyu (I changed "immediately room" from the picture), Zhao Ziyuan suddenly jumped up from her chair, "You did it on purpose!"
Hao Ren felt wronged in his heart, actually he thought of going to the room where his grandmother originally lived, and could make do for a night, so he followed Zhao Guang over. Who would have thought that the room had been sprayed with insecticide and couldn't be occupied?
However, he didn't plan on explaining anything to Zhao Ziyuan either. He unzipped his jacket and headed towards the bathroom.
Look at his familiar appearance, Zhao Ziyuan was even more angry, "I don't allow you to live in my room!"
"Go to bed early! Sleeping in till noon, playing games all night, what kind of lifestyle is this?! You still have class tomorrow!" Hao Ren turned around and lectured.
"Hmph! It's not your turn to lecture me!" Zhao Ziyuan, fuming, picked up the pillow beside her and hurled it at Hao Ren.
