novelraw Chapter 333: The Dragon Who Hides His Talents
Chapter 333: The Dragon Who Hides His Talents
The three men, upon hearing this, felt as if granted a great pardon.
The leader among them was so excited that he bowed repeatedly. "Thank you for your esteemed presence, my lord! Thank you, my lord! Please follow us. The President has already prepared tea in the main hall and is awaiting your honored arrival!"
They immediately stepped aside to clear the path, adopting a guiding posture, their movements filled with utmost reverence.
Su Zhan gave a slight nod, said no more, and stepped forward.
The three men promptly led the way, not daring to overstep in their pace, always maintaining a distance half a step behind Su Zhan.
Under the night sky, the party of four traversed the labyrinthine streets of Black City, heading towards the headquarters of the Dragon Rise Society.
Su Zhan's mind had already begun to strategize.
Who exactly was this Dragon Rise Society President, whom he had never met before?
And what was his true objective?
Su Zhan passed through several streets and stopped before a rather unremarkable bluish-gray building.The main door of the building was made of thick solid wood, carved with simple cloud patterns.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, the interior light was somewhat dim.
The air carried a faint scent of sandalwood.
Silent guards stood on either side of the corridor, their auras steady and composed.
Upon seeing Su Zhan and his party, they all bowed respectfully in greeting.
Passing through several layers of corridors, they arrived before a tightly shut room door.
The leading guide stopped, bowed deeply towards the door, his tone filled with utmost respect, "President, the esteemed guest has been invited."
"Creak—"
The door was pulled open from the inside.
A young man, who appeared to be an attendant, stood to the side.
Su Zhan stepped inside.
The scene within the room came into view.
Its style was vastly different from the typical impression of the underworld.
It more closely resembled an elegant study.
A dark red carpet covered the floor, several ink-wash landscape paintings of profound artistic conception hung on the walls, and a multi-tiered curio shelf against the wall displayed various antiques and porcelain.
A large, wide zitan wood writing desk was placed on one side of the room.
The Four Treasures of the Study were fully arranged upon it.
In the center of the room, a tea ceremony set was arranged.
Behind the tea set, an elderly man sat upright.
The old man appeared to be around sixty, his hair meticulously combed, with a touch of frost at his temples.
He wore a deep blue Chinese-style mandarin collar jacket with frog buttons, and a string of prayer beads adorned his wrist.
His face was lean, his eyes gentle and serene.
Seeing Su Zhan enter.
The old man slowly set down a small purple clay teapot he had been holding, stood up, and clasped his hands in a salute towards Su Zhan.
"This old man is Long Shouzhuo of the Dragon Rise Society. An esteemed guest has arrived, yet I failed to welcome you from afar. I hope you can forgive this discourtesy."
Su Zhan waved his hand. "It's fine."
Long Shouzhuo gestured with an open hand towards the seat opposite the tea set, his posture humble. "Please, sir, have a seat."
Su Zhan did not stand on ceremony and sat down on the wooden chair as suggested, looking at the other, waiting for him to continue.
Long Shouzhuo personally took up the teapot and poured a cup of steaming tea for Su Zhan, his movements flowing like clouds and water.
He gently pushed the teacup in front of Su Zhan.
Only then did he raise his eyes, carefully sizing up Su Zhan, a look of admiration appearing on his face.
"Just now, I heard from my subordinates that a noble and extraordinary master had arrived on Shatterbone Street. This old man thought they were exaggerating. Now that I see you with my own eyes, I know their words were not false.
You are so young, yet possess such cultivation and realm, still as a deep abyss, moving like thunder. Truly... the younger generation is to be feared, truly astonishing.
This old man has muddled along in this Black City for half a lifetime, yet figures like you, sir, are also rare."
His words placed his own posture very low, positioning himself in the role of an "elder appreciating a junior," giving Su Zhan ample face in his speech.
Su Zhan's face showed no expression of being pleased by this, merely giving a slight nod.
Even a nod felt somewhat excessive...
However, this old fellow's attitude was relatively polite, so he would grant him a sliver of face for now.
Su Zhan picked up the teacup in front of him but did not drink, waiting for the other to get to the point.
Such polite formalities held no meaning for him.
Seeing Su Zhan's reaction so indifferent, Long Shouzhuo's internal assessment of him couldn't help but rise another level.
Indeed, not an ordinary figure. Unmoved by favor or disgrace, his temperament steady and composed.
With someone like this, beating around the bush is useless.
Long Shouzhuo lightly sipped some tea, set down his cup, and looked at Su Zhan with his gentle gaze.
"Your bearing is profound and steady, your strength unfathomable, and you just happen to appear in this place, Black City, at this time... Heh heh, although this old man is aged, his eyes and ears are not yet dim.
Recently, the outside world has been in an uproar. The one who could make that arrogant and lofty Aberrant Purge Division specialist Qin Bai take a major fall seems to be only a young man named Chen Qing."
He paused slightly in his speech, observing Su Zhan's reaction, and said slowly, "I wonder if this old man guessed correctly? You, sir, are that Chen Qing, are you not?"
Su Zhan's face showed little surprise. He slightly raised an eyebrow, met Long Shouzhuo's gaze, and frankly admitted.
"President Long is well-informed and has a sharp eye. Indeed, it is I."
"Truly, heroes emerge from the young! To escape unscathed under the dual encirclement of Qin Bai and the Transcendence Society, and even inflict losses upon them, such courage and methods are truly admirable."
Long Shouzhuo clapped his hands lightly with a sigh. "This old man has operated in Black City for many years, yet figures like you, sir, are also as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns."
Su Zhan remained silent, quietly waiting for what came next.
"Before a discerning person, one does not speak in riddles. This old man genuinely admires you, sir."
Long Shouzhuo's tone became more earnest. "If you, sir, do not look down upon my humble Dragon Rise Society and are willing to stay, aside from this old man's position as President, which cannot be relinquished for the time being, the positions of Vice President, Chief Guest Elder, or even Society Patron are all yours to choose from!
Resources, manpower, the Dragon Rise Society will surely provide full support! What do you think?"
This recruitment offer could be described as full of sincerity.
Offering great autonomy and status.
Su Zhan gently shook his head, politely declining. "I appreciate President Long's great favor.
However, I am accustomed to a free and unfettered life and cannot bear constraints. I'm afraid I would be ill-suited for important positions in your esteemed society.
To be frank, I have important matters for staying in Black City this time.
One of them is to establish a connection with the City Lord's residence. There are some matters I need to discuss with the City Lord face-to-face."
His tone was neither humble nor arrogant, clearly stating his refusal, clarifying his own needs, while also leaving room for a transaction.
"Of course, I also deeply understand that there are no free lunches in this world. If President Long can provide some conveniences or point the way, I, Chen, am naturally not someone who fails to recognize kindness."
Su Zhan said, clasping his fists. "If you have any conditions, or if there is anywhere you could use me, please speak freely. Mutual benefit and reciprocity are the foundation for longevity. I understand this principle."
He spoke in this refined manner to cater to the other's preferences.
If the other party didn't speak this way, he would definitely speak normally.
However, right now, it could be considered that he had requests of the other, so catering to his preferences could also increase the probability of a mutually beneficial cooperation.
"Ah... What a pity, truly a pity. With your talent, sir, if you could stay with the Dragon Rise Society, it would surely be like adding wings to a tiger. One day, the Dragon Rise Society might also rise to greater heights because of you.
However, each person has their own aspirations, which cannot be forced.
Although this old man feels regret, I understand."
Long Shouzhuo changed the direction of his words. "It's fine, it's fine. There is still a long future ahead, opportunities for cooperation will always exist. To be able to establish a favorable connection with you, sir, this old man is already quite satisfied."