Xu Mu stepped out of his villa and walked into the courtyard.
At the distant gate stood Xiao Ran, dressed the same as before — short, side-parted hair covering her left eye, wearing a long black coat with both hands tucked into its pockets.
"Xu Mu."
When she saw him come out, Xiao Ran raised her hand in greeting.
Xu Mu walked over curiously. "How did you know I was home?"
"I asked Wanyue."
Xiao Ran smiled from outside the gate.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes. Someone wants to see you."
She smiled faintly. "If you're free right now, come with me."
"And if I'm not?"
Xu Mu's expression gradually turned serious. From that single sentence, he could already tell — the Dragon King had returned.
"If you're not free," Xiao Ran said with a sly grin, "I'll just have to tie you up and drag you there."
"Fine."
Xu Mu nodded lightly.
He had to meet the Dragon King sooner or later, and for now, there was no reason to believe the man would harm him.
He locked his house and followed Xiao Ran out of the villa district.
Outside waited a Yangwang U8 SUV.
Using his Divine Eye, Xu Mu saw that aside from the middle-aged driver, Meng Wanyue was sitting in the back seat. Even through his perception, he could sense her unease — or perhaps nervousness.
"Get in."
Xiao Ran opened the rear door.
Meng Wanyue, who had been sitting with her head down in deep thought, visibly relaxed the moment she saw Xu Mu.
"President Xu."
"Wanyue, you're here too?" Xu Mu smiled, taking the seat beside her.
Xiao Ran closed the door, sat in the passenger seat, and glanced at the driver. "Drive."
"Yes, ma'am."
The car pulled away smoothly.
"So, who's so mysterious that they need to see me like this?" Xu Mu asked, though he already had a guess.
"Our boss," Xiao Ran replied with a teasing smile. "Your wife's younger brother."
"Don't worry — he just got back to the country and wants to meet you."
——
Tianxia Restaurant, Jiang City.
Xiao Ran led Xu Mu to an upscale restaurant.
When he stepped out of the car, Xu Mu glanced up. If he remembered correctly, this place was part of the Guo family's businesses — owned by Guo Xiao's family, the wife of that son-in-law Fang Chu.
Activating his Divine Eye, Xu Mu looked through the building.
On the eighth floor, in a luxurious private suite, sat Ye Chen, the Dragon King himself.
He wore a slicked-back hairstyle and a black overcoat, seated at a round dining table, eating heartily.
More than a dozen people surrounded him, yet none of them were seated — only Ye Chen ate.
Under Xiao Ran's guidance, Xu Mu and Meng Wanyue took the elevator to the eighth floor.
She pushed open the door to the private room. Instantly, everyone turned their gaze toward the entrance.
Xu Mu could feel the powerful aura radiating from them — each one clearly a martial expert.
This Ye Chen… Xu Mu thought. He really is capable — to gather so many strong followers in such a short time.
"Dragon King!"
Meng Wanyue immediately walked forward, placed her right hand over her heart, and bowed her head.
Ye Chen kept eating, swallowing his food before speaking in a cold, calm tone. "Wanyue, you did well this time."
Hearing that, Meng Wanyue finally let out the breath she'd been holding.
"Dragon King," a mocking female voice came from near the window, "for such a simple mission, you're actually praising her? Anyone listening would think Meng Wanyue accomplished something great."
The speaker was a woman in a trench coat, roughly the same age as Meng Wanyue, with shoulder-length hair and a sharp, vicious glint in her eyes.
Xu Mu discreetly activated his Divine Eye to inspect her.
Name: Zhang Hehua
Identity: Assassin
Favorability: 0
Fate Level: 2 (Max: 10)
Xu Mu nodded inwardly. So it's Zhang Hehua. He remembered her from the story.
Like Meng Wanyue, she also had feelings for Ye Chen. Because they were of similar age, she had always seen Meng Wanyue as her rival.
But Ye Chen had never looked at her that way.
In the middle arcs of the original plot, she was killed during a mission.
"Hehua, mind your words. Do you think protecting the Dragon King's family is some low-level task?"
The rebuke came from an older man sitting on a nearby sofa.
He looked to be in his fifties, with graying hair and a thick beard, lazily puffing on a cigarette and smiling faintly.
He was the only person seated besides Ye Chen himself.
Xu Mu didn't even need the Divine Eye to guess his identity, but he checked anyway.
Name: Huang Qu
Identity: Assassin, Supporting Character in The Dragon King's Descent
Favorability: 2
Fate Level: 5 (Max: 10)
As expected. Xu Mu nodded inwardly.
Huang Qu was Ye Chen's other right-hand man — stronger even than Xiao Ran.
According to the storyline, Huang Qu's power slightly surpassed the Dragon King's.
He'd once been betrayed and ambushed, and it was Ye Chen who saved him. Moved by Ye Chen's potential, Huang Qu pledged loyalty, waiting for the day Ye Chen would help him take revenge.
"Old Master Huang, I didn't mean it like that," Zhang Hehua said quickly, glancing nervously at Ye Chen.
Xu Mu's gaze finally settled on the man of the hour — the protagonist himself.
Name: Ye Chen
Identity: Protagonist of The Dragon King's Descent
Fate Energy: 3000
Fate Level: 30 (Max: 10)
Damn!
Xu Mu's heart jolted. That's insane — three times the max level! No wonder he's the Dragon King.
At that moment, Ye Chen dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin and said faintly, "Home cooking really is the best."
"So you're their boss?" Xu Mu asked dryly. "Quite the attitude — you summon me here just to watch you eat?"
"You're insolent!"
Zhang Hehua's eyes turned icy, and a dagger flashed into her hand.
"Stop."
Ye Chen glanced at her, and she instantly froze, retracting the blade.
"Sit, Xu Mu."
Ye Chen gestured casually, his tone cool and distant.
"That's better," Xu Mu said lightly, taking a seat. "If you invite someone, at least have the decency to show some manners."
He knew Ye Chen was trying to assert dominance, but he wasn't intimidated — not yet.
"Xu Mu," Ye Chen said evenly, "if not for the Xu family's past kindness to the Ye family, those words you just spoke would have already earned you a kneeling punishment."
"Because you have disrespected me."
Xu Mu nearly laughed aloud at the man's arrogance. This guy really thinks he's in some cultivation novel… But now wasn't the time to pick a fight.
"The tone you're using," Xu Mu replied calmly, "I don't like it either. Since you yourself mentioned the Xu family's kindness to the Ye family — is this how you treat your benefactor? You call me here, eat by yourself, and make me stand there waiting?"
Meng Wanyue clenched her fists. She thought Xu Mu made perfect sense, but she dared not speak — the Dragon King's power was overwhelming.
In truth, not only she but even Xiao Ran silently agreed — Xu Mu's words were entirely reasonable.
Especially since Xu Mu had once saved her. He wasn't a bad man at all.