On the second day of the second lunar month, when dragons raise their heads, the peak of Zhongshan, which had been tranquil for hundreds of years, was bustling with unprecedented liveliness.

Starting from the hour of the rabbit, bowl-sized golden flowers descended one by one from the clouds. Celestial music played in waves, fragrant winds filled the air, and guests came and went endlessly. Zhongshan Dijun had been smiling all day long, receiving gifts all day long until both his chin and arms ached.

His youngest daughter had been born exactly two hundred years ago today. Ordinarily, the banquet need not be so lavish, but a few days prior, the little girl who had been wriggling about like a loach suddenly transformed into human form. For the lineage of Zhongshan Longshen, this counted as a matter of utmost importance, so naturally the celestial deities from all corners of the realm had to be invited to share a drink.

Watching the sun climb higher and higher, with more and more guests arriving to offer congratulations, Zhongshan Dijun’s face had gone numb from smiling.

Something was off today—he kept getting distracted, calling out the wrong titles to arriving guests several times. Fortunately, the divine official Qi Nan was at his side to smooth things over, so no major mishaps occurred.

Finally finding a moment of respite, Zhongshan Dijun looked at the sun climbing ever higher and couldn’t help but let out a low sigh: “Is A’Cui truly not coming back?”

Qi Nan smiled and said, “The little princess gained human form at two hundred years old—such a joyous occasion, how could the madam not come? Dijun should set his mind at ease and not worry so much.”

The Dijun remained concerned: “She must still be angry that I invited people from the Tongshan clan to the banquet, but Shan Shan is innocent. Her feelings for me begin with emotion but stop at propriety. That foolish A’Cui—why must she quarrel with me even now?”

Qi Nan smiled faintly with downcast eyes, secretly brushing away the goosebumps rising on his arms. Even after following the Dijun for over a hundred thousand years, he still couldn’t get used to this tone of his.

The Dijun was fine in all other respects—it was just this amorous manner he could never change. He loved whoever he saw, and for each one he claimed his feelings “began with emotion but stopped at propriety.” The meager reputation for cold ruthlessness accumulated over countless generations of the Zhongshan Longshen lineage had nearly been squandered entirely by him.

Even the minor celestial lords on the three immortal islands of Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou knew that Zhongshan Dijun was one of the most difficult to provoke among all dijuns. To be called a dijun by the Celestial Emperor meant one’s status was already extraordinary, but the key point was that their Zhongshan Longshen lineage was absolutely incomparable to any other dragon deity across the eight wildernesses and four seas.

The ancient Celestial Emperor once said: “When dragons battle in the wilderness, their blood is dark and yellow.” This referred precisely to the Zhongshan Longshen lineage.

There had been rumors that a previous Zhongshan Dijun had some friction with the phoenix clan of the nine heavens, and in his fury, he completely banished the Sea of Parting Regret in the extreme west into eternal darkness. To this day, that place remained bone-chillingly cold, occupied by countless formidable evil spirits. Ordinary divine clans would be gravely injured just by approaching it slightly, so the Celestial Emperor had long since sealed it as a forbidden land.

This was the domineering nature of the Supreme Dragon—but looking at the current Dijun… Qi Nan sighed silently.

Sighing aside, what needed consoling still needed consoling. Qi Nan advised, “With countless guests present, the Dijun should still watch his words. Besides, with the little princess possessing such exceptional talent, the Dijun should be overjoyed—how can you furrow your brows in worry?”

The bloodline of Zhongshan Longshen differed from other dragon deities. They were born in dragon form and often had to spend five or six hundred years in the dragon-nurturing pool at the peak of Zhongshan before they could transform into human shape. The current Dijun, as well as the young dragon lord, had both gained human form around five hundred years of age. For the little princess to achieve human form at merely two hundred years old was sufficient proof of the depth of her divine power. Perhaps in the future, she would be the one to restore some of the Zhongshan Longshen’s威name.

He repeatedly brought up the little princess, finally moving Zhongshan Dijun’s sentimental heart. Just as he was about to ask a female official to bring his daughter over for some affection, he suddenly felt a weak force tugging at his sleeve. The Dijun looked down and saw his son Qing Yan leaning against his leg, lifting his childish face to look up at him.

“Want daddy to hold me.” Qing Yan reached out his hands in a babyish voice, asking to be picked up.

Zhongshan Dijun broke into a smile and was about to lift his son when he heard the protocol officer call out loudly: “The Third Princess of Tongshan arrives to offer congratulations.”

At the palace gate, auspicious clouds danced, carrying a grand procession of celestial deities floating in. The leading goddess wore celestial robes of pale peach blossom color, with sleeves and hems embedded with countless star fragments from the Celestial River, brightening the entire Zhongshan mountain.

Upon seeing Zhongshan Dijun, her eyes flowed with gentle waves, and she performed a graceful bow with shy restraint, softly calling out: “Dijun.”

This single call made Zhongshan Dijun’s heart melt. He involuntarily walked before her and responded: “Shan Shan.”

Qi Nan looked down at Qing Yan. The child’s arms were still outstretched in confusion, but the embrace from his father never came. He could only sigh once more in his heart, crouching down to say gently, “Young Dragon Lord, the Dijun has too many guests to attend to today. Why don’t you go see the little princess?”

The innocent Qing Yan was indeed swayed, waving his arms repeatedly: “See little sister! See little sister!”

A female immortal immediately came forward to carry him away, using her body to block his line of sight, preventing him from seeing how Zhongshan Dijun was holding the hands of the Third Princess of Tongshan.

With the Third Princess of Tongshan having arrived, the Dijun surely had no mind to attend to other guests. Qi Nan had no choice but to take over, bustling about like a spinning top.

By the time the sky gradually darkened and the hour of the rooster descended, there was still no sign of the madam appearing. Qi Nan thought to himself that she certainly wouldn’t be coming back.

The madam was the daughter of the river deity Cuihe. In terms of status, she had indeed married above her station into the Zhongshan Longshen lineage. This was also a thorn in her own heart. Combined with the Dijun’s perpetually amorous and fickle nature that never changed even after their grand wedding, she quarreled with him every few days. This time, she was probably exhausted and needed some peace and quiet—that was for the best.

However, among these divine clans both great and small, eight or nine out of ten were chaotic in their affairs. With endless stretches of time and supremely gorgeous faces and figures, which one of them didn’t have feelings that were impossibly tangled and confused? Loving this one today, hating that one tomorrow—with such immeasurably long years at their disposal for creating drama and entanglements, who cared about what happened before or after marriage? A goddess like the madam who took things so seriously was actually quite rare.

At precisely the hour of the rooster, the female immortals carried the little princess out from the side palace. Having gained human form at merely two hundred years old, the little princess looked more like a mortal infant. Her tiny body was wrapped in brocade woven from golden threads, with an exquisitely ornate golden lock placed on her chest. She slept soundly while sucking her finger in her mouth—absolutely adorable.

Qing Yan hopped and jumped along behind, constantly trying to reach her with his hands, excitedly shouting: “Pink dumpling! Pink dumpling!”

Enormous exclamations of admiration rose and fell among the guests. Previously, everyone had thought Zhongshan Dijun was boasting—how could there be a dragon daughter who gained human form at two hundred years old? Now seeing it with their own eyes, it was actually true. Many elderly celestial deities recalled the past domineering nature of the Zhongshan Longshen lineage and couldn’t help but sigh with deep emotion.

With such tremendous commotion, the little princess was inevitably awakened. The female immortal feared she would cry and hastily rocked and patted her with great care, but she was quite calm, simply switching to suck on her other hand while her large eyes, black and white distinct, curiously gazed at the countless divine beings before her without blinking.

Qi Nan estimated that the Dijun would soon be naming the little princess. This ceremony was extremely important and could not be disturbed. He stepped forward to restrain the inexplicably excited Qing Yan, instructing a female immortal to take him to his seat, while he himself held up a jade box. Inside were arranged fine sticks made from the undying tree, each one carved with characters, all waiting for Zhongshan Dijun’s selection.

After the Dijun offered prayers to the four directions, he suddenly raised his hand and lightly patted the jade box. The countless fine sticks of undying tree inside seemed to come alive, flying up and arranging themselves in the air into numerous circles of varying sizes. Before long, two fine sticks appeared to be pulled by invisible threads, gently falling into the Dijun’s palm.

He looked down, then took up the writing brush from the table, dipped it in Celestial River water, and swiftly wrote two characters in the air: “Xuan Yi.” Instantly, light shimmered brilliantly. The two characters “Xuan Yi” slowly rose in midair, suddenly transforming into myriad points of light that floated glimmeringly through the night, only dissipating into the wind after a long while.

“Since the Heavenly Dao has shown its indication, this seat shall naturally follow the will of Heaven. Today, I name my daughter: Xuan Yi.”

In the next moment, congratulations rose and fell in succession. Behind the enormous glazed screen, the music officials played celestial music. Ten thousand golden flowers fell like rain, and countless fine wines suddenly appeared on the empty ceremonial tables. All the celestial deities raised their cups in invitation to drink.

The wine’s aroma was rich and mellow. The little princess Xuan Yi in the female immortal’s arms was not yet accustomed to this scent and sneezed. Immediately following with a “poof,” this exquisitely delicate jade doll transformed before everyone’s eyes into a drab little dragon, only a few inches long, swaying head and tail in the female official’s hands, just like a loach.

All around suddenly fell silent. The Third Princess of Tongshan turned pale with shock, her voice changing and becoming somewhat shrill: “Oh my! How did she turn into a loach?!”

Zhongshan Dijun’s expression darkened. The celestial deities who had been toasting fell silent as cicadas in winter, pretending they hadn’t heard the Third Princess of Tongshan’s words. Even the music officials behind the screen stopped their playing—a dragon deity lineage that had already gained human form theoretically should not transform back into dragon form, unless… unless their divine power was weak and they couldn’t maintain human form for long periods.

But what bloodline was Zhongshan Longshen? How could the little princess have weak divine power? Everything had been fine earlier about gaining human form at two hundred years—what did this mean now? Transforming back into a small dragon before everyone’s eyes, and looking just like a loach—it was as if slapping Zhongshan Dijun’s face with resounding smacks that echoed across the heavens.

Qing Yan, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly walked quickly to the awkward female immortal, raised his hands to cradle his little sister in his own arms, and used his fingers to gently stroke the small horn on top of her head that looked like a tender sprout, while softly coaxing: “Good child, be obedient, quickly transform back.”

However, the little princess who looked like a loach yawned in his palm, blew out a string of saliva bubbles, curled into a ball, and fell asleep.

On the second day of the second lunar month, when dragons raise their heads, the two-hundredth birthday banquet for the little princess at the peak of Zhongshan ended early. When the various deities left, rain had already begun to fall on Zhongshan’s peak. It seemed the Dijun was in poor spirits—in a couple of days, he would probably freeze Zhongshan over.

Regardless of how displeased Zhongshan Dijun might be, this incident still spread throughout the entire divine realm at the fastest speed. Even the minor celestial lords on the three immortal islands knew that Zhongshan Longshen had blown his boast to smithereens—the little princess who was claimed to have gained human form at two hundred years had turned into a loach at her birthday banquet.

The title “Loach Princess” naturally resounded throughout the universe. The Zhongshan Longshen lineage, which held the title of Supreme Dragon, saw what little remained of its prestige smeared black once again. Even the demon clans below dared to openly mock them.

It wasn’t until over a thousand years passed that Zhongshan Dijun’s wife, the goddess Cuihe Nushen, perished for unknown reasons in the Great Wilderness. At the same time, the Tongshan clan in the north was suddenly subjected to freezing ice, and all the deities within the clan perished without exception. Rumors claimed that this was precisely Zhongshan Dijun’s doing.

The Tongshan clan’s annihilation was too bizarre. The Celestial Emperor had also questioned the Dijun about it, but the results were unsatisfactory. No one knew what the two divine lords discussed, only that Zhongshan Dijun returned safely to Zhongshan and continued to be his dijun, while the matter of the Tongshan clan was quietly suppressed by the Celestial Emperor as if it had never happened.

With this, the prestige of Zhongshan Longshen once again shook the divine realm, and jokes about the Loach Princess finally became something no one dared mention again.

Time rushed by swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, eight thousand years had passed.