The sea breeze was biting cold, and the lights on the cruise ship flickered in the wine, forming fragmented light spots. Glasses clinked, laughter and pleasantries piled up into a false kind of prosperity.


    I stood in the corner of the banquet hall, my fingers rubbing the cold rim of the glass. The faces passing through the crowd, their smiles bright yet distant, were like dust floating on gold leaf.


    "Mr. Sheng asked you to come over for a toast," someone whispered in my ear, their voice laced with flattery and urging.


    I gave a faint smile, absently rubbing the rim of the glass. In this ancient Eastern land, in the world of business, the drinking table was never about courtesy; it was a trial of power.


    I walked through the false corridors of pleasantries. The scent of the sea rushed in through the open door, the chill climbing up my skin.


    I reached the deck, away from the fake greetings and glances. Leaning against the railing, I took a deep breath, the cold air filling my lungs.


    Then — a cold gust of air suddenly swept from behind me.


    A hand, without warning, shoved hard into my shoulder!


    Before I could scream, the cold railing hit my back, and the next moment, I was thrown into the bottomless darkness.


    The sea was like countless cold blades, relentlessly pouring into my nostrils and throat, the tearing pain piercing my chest. Each struggle felt as though an invisible beast was dragging me into deeper darkness. My limbs felt as if they were filled with lead, and my lungs seemed ready to explode from the violent contractions. A buzzing sound filled my ears, and the world was distorted into countless broken shadows by the suffocating pressure of the water. I couldn''t open my eyes, my voice wouldn''t come out, and even the thought of calling for help was crushed into fragments by the icy sea. Pain bubbled in my veins, my nerves tearing at my sanity, while despair, like the cold tide of the deep sea, eroded the boundaries of my consciousness inch by inch.


    Just as my consciousness was about to collapse completely, a wave of fiery strength suddenly surged from behind.


    A scorching arm, as firm as steel, tightly locked me in. The force was so strong that my bones ached. The water seemed to be forcefully torn apart, and the heat burned my skin, dispersing all the cold.


    I was tightly held against a broad chest, the lines of the muscles hard and distinct. The sensation of his fingertips on my back was unbearably hot. His white hair scattered in the water, and his armor-clad, slender body seemed like a god from the depths of the sea.


    In the darkness, a pair of deep red pupils suddenly opened, as profound as the thousand-year-old沉海. His lowered lashes fluttered slightly as he leaned down, his lips pressed against mine. — He calmly lowered his head, his breathing steady as he forcefully fed air into my lungs, showing no intention of loosening his hold.


    The sea surged, and he tightened his embrace, carrying me through the dark abyss.


    Air suddenly rushed into my lungs, and I coughed violently, gasping for breath. Yet, my entire upper body was still tightly held in his embrace.


    The night enveloped us, and he stood with me on the surface of the sea, the black and gold robe clinging to his muscular body, his broad shoulders seemingly capable of blocking the entire storm.


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    — He was too tall.


    His towering figure pressed my entire upper body against his chest, and I could feel the rigid contours of his muscles, radiating an inhuman strength.


    “You... Who are you...?”


    My voice was hoarse from the drowning, and he lowered his lashes, his gaze heavy as he stared at me, his breath slow and deep.


    “Ao Guang.”


    The legendary deity who controls the winds and rains, the Dragon King.


    My brain exploded, thoughts searing like fire, and my sanity crumbled inch by inch. The beings that existed in ancient texts and myths — were now standing in front of me, real.


    But why was he here?


    The night wind stirred the sea, and he lowered his head, his voice cold enough to send chills down my spine.


    “… You shouldn’t have survived.”


    In an instant, all the coldness, confusion, and suffocation surged up my spine like a tidal wave.


    I forced myself to regain my senses from the shock, my eyelashes trembling, my voice shaking, “What do you mean?”


    He didn’t answer, only holding me tighter as the sea below us suddenly tore open with immense force.


    The next moment, the bitter cold wind cut through, and the night seemed to plummet before my eyes. He lifted me off the surface of the sea so quickly that it felt like the entire ocean was left behind.


    Without mercy, he set me down.


    My knees buckled, and I collapsed, kneeling on the beach, soaked to the bone. My hair clung to my neck, and cold water dripped down my chin, sliding off. My fingers tightly clenched the wet fabric of my clothes.


    I no longer felt the cold.


    My mind was blank, my eyes fixated on the being in front of me, my thoughts completely halted.


    — He was not human.


    He stood tall and straight, exuding an overwhelming presence. His shoulder armor unfurled like wings, and the sharp lines of his back conveyed a sense of power. He stood there, as if the king of darkness, calm yet regal. His pale eyebrows, sharp features, and icy skin resembled white jade that had been submerged in the deep sea for millennia, devoid of color. His white hair, like snow falling into the abyss, was gently moved by the night wind, quiet, cold, untouched by the world.


    And at the side of his forehead—


    There were curved dragon horns, cold and pale, like the skeletal remains of the deep sea, inscribed with ancient runes.


    — A dragon.


    — The dragon was alive.


    In an instant, my blood completely froze, my thoughts shattered into countless fragments, and all reason collapsed.


    “… How… how is this possible…?”


    I murmured, my throat dry, my voice so weak that I could hardly hear it myself.


    Impossible.


    Dragons, they should be myths.


    They should remain in ancient texts, in legends, in the statues, paintings, and idols worshipped in temples.


    — They shouldn’t be standing in reality, shouldn’t be standing less than five steps away from me!!!


    My breath quickened, my eyes locked on him, my fingertips numb.


    “You...”


    My throat tightened, my voice dry and broken, “... You are... a dragon?”


    “How is that possible...” My voice trembled.


    “Although many civilizations have records of dragons as divine beings, never have any dragon fossils been found. There''s no way to verify their existence!”


    I stared at him intently. “You… who are you really?”


    Ao Guang slightly turned his head, his gaze indifferent and distant, as though looking down on a boring question and answer.


    The corners of his lips curled into a faint sneer, “All civilizations declare that dragons exist and are divine. Why do you think that divine beings would need fossils to prove their existence?”


    “You use them to explore fragments of history, yet you foolishly try to measure the existence of gods with them?”


    I still hadn’t regained my senses, shaking my head, my voice trembling, “This doesn’t make sense... This is completely illogical.”


    Ao Guang sneered, a cold mockery flashing in his eyes.


    “Logic?”


    He turned his back, his voice deep like the dark currents of the deep sea, carrying an undeniable pressure.


    “You think human logic can deconstruct the existence of a god?”


    He paused for a moment, his tone even colder.


    “Using your narrow, pitiful survival experience to piece together a self-righteous logical system, then attempting to use it to deconstruct another kind of existence?”


    Hearing these words, I suddenly awakened: Yes, the absurdity was in me.


    He was an existence beyond what human logic could comprehend. Yet, when he stood before me, declaring his existence in the most undeniable way, I had tried to use “logic” to judge that he shouldn’t exist, or perhaps, that he didn’t exist at all.