In the royal palace, a very handsome young man with golden hair was reclining as he received a massage from one of his maids.
A guard requested permission to enter and addressed the young man while bowing: "Your Majesty, Chancellor Feng Hao requests an audience; he says he has something important to report."
"Let him in", replied the king.
"Yes, Your Majesty", responded the guard before approaching the door to let Feng Hao enter.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Thank you for granting this audience to your humble servant", said Feng Hao as he bowed to show respect and submission.
"No problem, Chancellor. Now tell me, what happened?", the king asked Feng Hao.
"A formation master at rank 4 has appeared and intends to join the kingdom", replied Feng Hao.
Upon hearing this, the king remained calm and said: "It's incredible that someone like that showed up, but I find it suspicious. Did you check his background?"
"According to the report I received from my subordinate, his name is Li Wei, and he belonged to a sect called Eternal Flower located in the south. For some reason, he deserted, and they put a bounty on his head.", Feng Hao explained.
"Hmm... call him in; I want to meet him", Wang Jian said as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yes, Your Highness", said Feng Hao before leaving to fetch Li Wei.
Twenty minutes later, Feng Hao re-entered the palace, this time accompanied by Li Wei.
'What an imposing presence. He's just sitting there, but I feel a great sense of danger', thought Li Wei as he looked at Wang Jian.
In the presence of Wang Jian, Feng Hao bowed, but Li Wei did not, causing a bit of tension in the room.
Despite Li Wei's disrespect, all the guards in the room refrained from acting against him, although many wanted to punish such an offense toward their king.
The kingdom's knights had been trained from a young age to serve only their king and would do nothing unless ordered.
"Calm down. It doesn't bother me", said Wang Jian to settle his guards while locking eyes with Li Wei.
"I suppose you are Li Wei, the rumored formation master at rank 4. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Wang Jian", Wang Jian said.
'He has a bit of that disgusting dragon aura', thought Wang Jian with anger but remained calm.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty", Li Wei responded.
"Do you intend to join my kingdom?", asked Wang Jian.
"Yes, Your Majesty", Li Wei replied calmly.
"Why do you want to join?", Wang Jian asked, puzzled.
"I wish to purchase land and settle there", Li Wei answered.
"I understand. However, the only people allowed to own land in my realm are those with noble titles earned through their contributions", said Wang Jian before pausing and continuing, "I can help you with that since you're a rank 4 formation master, but first, you must answer my final question."
Wang Jian stood up from his chair, releasing his soul transformation realm aura, and in a serious tone, said: "Why do I sense a dragon's aura coming from you?"
Li Wei, feeling the pressure emitted by the king's aura, could not help but be pressed against the ground, yet he refused to lower his head even as blood began to trickle from his mouth and ears.
'Damn, how does he know?', thought Li Wei, panicking.
"I can explain, but it's a bit difficult to speak while you're releasing your aura", Li Wei said.
The king ceased releasing his aura and waited for Li Wei to start speaking.
When Li Wei felt the pressure disappear, he coughed up some blood before starting to speak: "I am not a dragon. I can prove it by showing you this mark."
Li Wei removed his shirt and showed Wang Jian the black dragon-shaped mark on his chest.
Wang Jian calmed down when he saw the mark on Li Wei because he knew what it meant.
"Alright, that mark is enough proof that you are not allied to the dragons", Wang Jian said, sitting back on his throne.
"But tell me why you have a bit of a dragon's aura", Wang Jian said.
"A long time ago, in a secret kingdom, I obtained the refined blood of a dragon that any human can take without consequences. After taking it, my body started to develop parts of a dragon over time", Li Wei said, weaving a false story while showing his black wings.
"Alright, forgive me for attacking you. In this kingdom, dragons are not tolerated because a long time ago, my mother was kidnapped by a dragon, and my father died trying to stop it", Wang Jian explained, his tone turning slightly melancholic as he recalled the past.
"It's okay, no problem", Li Wei said, restraining his urge to attack him since he was still weaker than the king.
"Now that you've answered my last question, I have a solution for you to possess a territory", Wang Jian said with a smile.
"What is that solution?", Li Wei asked, puzzled.
"Marry my second sister, and I'll give you the title of Count", Wang Jian replied, treating his sister as a political tool.
Li Wei was surprised to hear that the king offered him marriage to his sister, but after thinking about it for a bit, he realized that it didn't seem like a bad idea.
"What's she like?", Li Wei asked.
"Her name is Wang Lan. She has a triple spiritual root and is the most beautiful woman in the city", Wang Jian said.
'I don't mind marrying for political reasons; in fact, it seems like a great idea since I'll get the territory where the rank 4 spiritual vein is located, and I'll be able to create a city that will provide me with many spiritual stones', Li Wei thought.
"Alright, I accept", Li Wei said.
"Great, I'll prepare the wedding to take place in a few days. In the meantime, you can enjoy the capital", Wang Jian said with a smile.
...
in one of the rooms of the castle
A very beautiful woman was sitting in her room while listening to what her maid told her.
"WHAT did you say!?", the woman yelled, unable to believe what she heard.
"The king betrothed you to the new rank 4 formation master to strengthen relations", the maid said, trembling with fear.
"That bastard is wrong if he thinks he has the right to marry me off to anyone", the woman said with anger in her voice.
"Tell Gao Feng that if he helps me, I'll agree to go on a date with him", the woman said after thinking of a plan to ruin the wedding.
"Yes, Princess", the maid responded before leaving the room.