Soon, the group of eleven arrived at the scenic Longtan in Caixi County.
Rather than a true dragon pool, it was actually just a freshwater reservoir typical of the plateau region. "Fatty, for those of you who can't swim, just take a swim ring and play in the shallow area that Xizi and I have cordoned off with fishing nets. Don't go anywhere else. Every year, people say the Dragon King is looking for a son-in-law here. Safety first, got it?" Mai Zi emphasized.
In reality, the legend of the Dragon King seeking a son-in-law probably arose because a large number of boys drowned here. Yang Xi felt this might be due to the freezing temperature of the water. However, teenage boys were usually competitive and loved to see who could swim the furtherest. Once they exhausted their physical stamina, they were prone to cramps and other issues, ultimately leading to drowning. Yang Xi had once witnessed many middle and high school students frequently betting on whether they could swim to the opposite shore. The opposite bank was at least a thousand meters away!
"Xizi, the two of us haven't practiced diving in years. Let's warm up first and have a contest!" Mai Zi said.
"Sure," Yang Xi replied.
"Yang Xi, you're so handsome, why don't you stay out of the water today? It's been at least ten years since we last swam in Great Longtan, and this year the Dragon King might be taking a son-in-law. You're the only one left single in our group," teased his bad-influence friend, Xu Ansheng.
"Pfft! This lord was born with a wife-cursing fate, destined to be single for life. If the Dragon King really fancies me, in a few years it'll have to find a husband for its son-in-law instead!" Yang Xi retorted carelessly.
"Wan'er, you be the referee and keep track of the time. Let's see who comes up first, Xizi or me." Mai Zi began counting down. "One, two, three, go!"
The two of them dived simultaneously.
Outside, Wan'er took out her phone and started the stopwatch. One minute... five minutes later, Mai Zi surfaced.
"Wow, Brother Mai Zi, you lasted five minutes! That's athlete-level performance," exclaimed several of the young men and women on the shore.
"But Brother Xizi is even more amazing, he hasn't come up yet."
Underwater, Yang Xi was wide awake. He could breathe normally and remembered he was having a diving contest with Mai Zi, but he found himself completely paralyzed and unable to rise no matter what he tried.
With a sudden shift, he was dragged into a massive palace, where a group of giant loach-like creatures with long whiskers were staring at him.
"Big brother, this guy is really handsome. I've taken a fancy to him," a sweet female voice said.
"Third Sister, you're only sixteen hundred thousand years old and not even a grown-up yet. Wait until you're of age and let Father pick one for you. Can you leave this one to your older sister?" another alluring female voice pleaded.
"Hold on, both of you, stop bickering. He cannot be your husband. This person carries baleful energy. If we give him to you, you will be killed by his ill fortune, and our Dragon clan is no exception. A person like this is destined to die alone," an aged voice rang out.
"Sigh, I never thought today would be such bad luck. Trying to find a husband for my sister only to run into a disaster," another young male voice sighed.
"Then let him go," the aged voice commanded again.
"Father, can't we help him? I feel a destined connection between us. How about I give him my orb?" the alluring female voice suggested.
"Nonsense! How can a Dragon Pearl be given away casually to a mortal? Not only will you fail to save him, but you'll also kill yourself."
"Since you feel a karmic tie with him, we will trust in this fate and bestow upon him a stroke of good fortune. If the two of you meet again within three years, you may continue your destiny then."
With that, a dark green pearl the size of a glass marble was taken out from a seashell behind them and placed into Yang Xi's mouth.
...Sure enough, that dragon-shaped loach looked at Yang Xi for a long time and spoke in human words, "You're a good-looking fellow, but your fate is too harsh—destined to die alone. Since I've brought you here, I'll grant you a stroke of good fortune!"
...Yang Xi returned home in a daze. The bizarre encounter at the bottom of the Longtan terrified him, and the mark on his forehead left him bewildered, until he slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.
In his dream, he saw a man practicing martial arts: sword techniques, fist techniques, palm techniques...
When Yang Xi woke up, he felt an unbearable thirst and reached out to grab a cup, only for the cup to shatter into powder under his touch...