Chapter 20 — The Beggar Husband Turns Out to Be a Dragon

Before rushing into battle, Bach Tranh did the only thing he could do: he swept his tail and threw the piece of Dragon Seal he was wearing around his neck towards Tuyet Nhi, falling neatly into her lap.

"Hold it." His voice echoed in her head, not through words, but through a strange connection that could only be achieved through aura. "Don't let him touch you."

Tuyet Nhi clutched the piece of jade in her tied palm, nodded softly, her heart was beating rapidly but her eyes remained steadfast and unwavering.

The two dragons rushed at each other. The collision sounded like thunder. Diep Thua Uy is bigger, heavier, six years of accumulating power has made his scales much thicker and harder. The first claw blow sent Bach Tranh flying across half of the warehouse, hitting a steel column, causing the whole building to shake.

"Is that all?" Thua Uy roared and rushed forward.

Bach Tranh stood up, dodged to the side, the second claw just grazed his shoulder, tearing off a piece of scales, dark blood oozing out. He gritted his teeth and counterattacked with a tail swipe, but Thua Uy easily blocked it and counterattacked immediately.

The battle dragged on, episode after episode. Bach Tranh has no advantage. Six years of living in seclusion had eroded most of his spiritual energy, while Thua Uy never stopped cultivating. He was continuously beaten back, his body gradually covered with wounds.

A horizontal tail swipe sent Bach Tranh flying through the thin corrugated iron wall, falling into the open ground outside. He forced himself to stand up, black blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. Thua Uy rushed after him, not giving him any rest.

"Six years of running away have turned you into a weak person." Thua Uy roared, claws swinging down. Bach Tranh rolled to avoid it, dirt and rocks scattered where his claws had just been planted.

He counterattacked with a breath that carried thick steam, forming a thick curtain of fog that obscured his vision. Thua Uy stopped for half a second, enough for Bach Tranh to circle back and bite straight into his wing. Thua Uy roared, knocking him away, then launched into a more fierce counterattack, pushing the battle back inside the warehouse.

Meanwhile, Tuyet Nhi takes advantage of every chaotic moment. She leaned over, used her teeth to bite the previously loose knot of rope, and pulled hard. The rope slipped out. The left hand is free.

She stuffed the piece of Dragon Seal into her inner pocket, quickly untied the remaining ropes, stood up, staggered from numbness but still tried to maintain her balance.

"Where are you going?" Ngao Viet Phong, just getting up from the previous impact, discovered that she was free and rushed to block the way, his eyes flashing with anger for underestimating this human girl.

Tuyet Nhi did not run. She reached for the rusty fire extinguisher next to her, pulled the latch, and sprayed it straight into his face. A stream of white foam sprayed out, not strong, but enough to obscure vision for a split second.

Ngao Viet Phong staggered, rubbing his eyes. Tuyet Nhi did not hesitate, kicking hard at the stack of metal drums next to her. The entire stack of crates collapsed and rolled towards him, causing him to jump back and avoid, losing momentum.

He pulled himself together, growled, rushed towards her again, faster, more decisive. Tuyet Nhi retreated close to the corner of the wall, her heart pounding, but she was able to grab a broken iron bar lying on the ground and swing it horizontally with all her might. The iron bar hit his forearm, not hard enough to cause serious injury, but enough to stop him for another beat, enough time for her to move further away, out of his reach.

"Bach Tranh, the jade piece is here, he can't get it!" She shouted loudly, her voice echoing throughout the empty warehouse.

That sentence made Diep Thua Uy pause for half a beat while pressing Bach Tranh. It's only half a beat, but in a battle between two equals, that half a beat is a whole opportunity.

Bach Tranh did not miss it. He unleashed a sudden claw strike, not aiming at the opponent's body like the previous attacks, but aiming straight at the throat, where the scales were always thinner so that the air could circulate when roaring, a weakness that his father had taught him since childhood during training sessions, telling him that it was the common death point of the entire clan, no one could practice thick scales there.

The claws snapped into place. Thua Uy roared in pain, his giant body swaying.

"You..." He growled, black blood flowing from the wound, the giant body staggered back a few steps.

"Do you think I didn't prepare anything before coming here?" Bach Tranh replied, his voice still panting but his eyes flashed a sharp light. "Ngao Tinh sent all the evidence that you poisoned my father to the council of elders three days ago. Even if you kill me tonight, you cannot escape their judgment."

"You lied." Thua Uy shouted, but in his eyes there was a flash of panic that could not be hidden, his wings trembled slightly.

"I don't need to lie." Bach Tranh replied. "You just need to wait until the sun rises and see if the council of elders has an emergency convening or not, and you'll know right away whether I'm telling the truth or not."

Panic caused Thua Uy to lose his original sanity. He roared, charging forward with a reckless attack, losing control, no longer calculating as carefully as before.

Bach Tranh has been waiting for this moment. He did not dodge, but took the attack straight, used the opponent's momentum, turned around, the claws of both hind legs swept horizontally, threw Thua Uy high, then delivered a straight punch with all his body weight right in the middle of his chest while he was still dangling in mid-air.

Diep Thua Uy fell to the ground, forming a deep crater, his body gradually shrunk, returning to human form, lying motionless, barely breathing but still alive.

Ngao Viet Phong, seeing his master collapse, no longer had the will to fight, turned around to run away, but as soon as he rushed out the door, he was stopped by a shadow.

"Where are you going?" Ngao Tinh stood there, leading a group of silver-armored guards from the council of elders, who had passed through the gate connecting Long Uyen and the human world as soon as they received the emergency message from Bach Tranh sent to Chuong Dich Pham three days earlier.

Ngao Viet Phong was arrested on the spot, no longer able to resist before the large army of guards.

Bach Tranh, his body gradually returning to human form, staggered towards Tuyet Nhi, who ran to help him, tears streaming down her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." He replied, leaning against her, his breathing still rapid but his eyes shining with relief. "Thank you, for keeping the Dragon Seal, and for the timely reminder. Without it, I probably wouldn't have found that opportunity."

"I can't just sit there and wait." Tuyet Nhi hugged him tightly, her voice choked. "You're my wife, this is about both of us."

Ngao Tinh approached and bowed his head to pay respects to Bach Tranh, his eyes full of emotion. "Your Highness, the Council of Elders has confirmed all the evidence. Diep Thua Uy will be escorted back to Long Uyen to be judged according to clan law. Your position, from today, is officially restored."

"Ngao Tinh." Bach Tranh looked at the old servant, his voice choked. "Thank you, for not giving up hope these past six years, for finding a way to send the evidence on time."

"That is my duty." Ngao Tinh replied, bowing his head deeper, his voice trembling with emotion. "I only regret that I couldn't do more to protect your highness and the king from the beginning."

"You've done enough." Bach Tranh replied, patting him gently on the shoulder, a rare gesture of intimacy between a king and a servant.

Bach Tranh looked at Thua Uy being tied up, carried away by the guards, a feeling of relief mixed with sadness rose in his heart, relief because justice had finally been served, sadness because after all, that was his only remaining relative, now completely collapsed because of his own ambition.

"Take him away." He said, his voice tired but determined. "Let the council of elders handle it according to the rules. I don't want to see his face again."

Dawn began to break over the horizon, the first light of a new day shining down on the ruins of the old warehouse. Tuyet Nhi sat leaning on Bach Tranh's shoulder. Both were tired but felt more relieved than ever. In the distance, the sound of ocean waves still pounded steadily against the stone embankment, as if nothing unusual had ever happened last night, a place that had just witnessed a life-and-death battle that completely changed the destiny of an entire ancient clan, and was also a place that demonstrated a love strong enough to overcome all boundaries, including the boundary between two worlds that seemed to never be able to intersect.