The Dragon Patriarch’s eyes widened, disbelief and suspicion flickering across his face. “Is that true?” he demanded, unable to hide his shock.
“Yeah, the labyrinth in Shifting Mountain is just insane.” Evan Yang grinned. The Dragon Patriarch paused in thought, then asked, “So how did you stumble onto that labyrinth?”
“That’s all thanks to him.” Evan Yang pointed at the mountain spirit, nodding toward the little spirit-dwarf. The Dragon Patriarch’s curiosity deepened, “Who’s that?”
“He’s the mountain spirit of Shifting Mountain.” Evan Yang explained. The Dragon Patriarch listened, then let out a hearty laugh, “You’ve got some wild luck, you know that?”
“Guess so.” Evan Yang grinned back, easygoing.
Just then, the vice-patriarch burst in, calling out, “Patriarch, the Phoenix Clan’s vice-patriarch just arrived.”
“What’s she doing here?” The Patriarch’s brows rose, clearly intrigued.
“Not sure. She says it’s urgent and wants to talk to you.” The vice-patriarch replied. The Dragon Patriarch frowned, “Alright, let’s go see what this is about.”
The Dragon Patriarch led everyone outside, just as April Moon swept in with a crowd of Phoenix Clan folk. When April Moon spotted Evan Yang, she froze in shock. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, her tone sharp.
“Why not? Is there some rule against me?” Evan Yang replied, flashing a relaxed grin.
“Dragon Patriarch, what’s the deal here?” April Moon pressed, her gaze intense.
The Patriarch blinked. “What do you mean, what’s going on?”
“Him! Who is he, and why’s he here?” April Moon had come for business, but seeing Evan Yang rattled her, and she couldn’t help demanding answers.
The Dragon Patriarch chuckled, “Him? He’s a friend of the Dragon Clan. Is there a problem?”
“What? A friend of the Dragon Clan?” April Moon eyed him suspiciously.
“That’s right. I don’t know what you’re here for this time, or why you brought so many people?” The Dragon Patriarch asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Three days from now, the Four Divine Beasts gathering will be held here. Our Patriarch can’t make it, so she sent me to travel with your clan.” April Moon’s tone was sour, clearly annoyed.
The Dragon Patriarch laughed, “Oh, so that’s it. No problem, I’ll pick some folks and we’ll head out together.”
Then the Dragon Patriarch said to Evan Yang, “Hang tight here, I’ll send some people to go with them.” Evan Yang nodded, “Sure, no rush.”
As the Dragon Patriarch walked off, April Moon eyed Evan Yang, wondering what made the Patriarch treat him so well. Evan Yang caught her look and grinned, “Wow, you sure get jealous fast.”
“Jealous? Don’t be ridiculous!” April Moon shot back, icy.
“Am I wrong? April Lei—why did you lock her up? What exactly did she do wrong? Care to explain?” Evan Yang’s smile was teasing, but his eyes were serious.
April Moon snorted, “That’s Phoenix Clan business. None of your concern.”
“She’s my friend. If my friend gets punished for nothing, you think I’ll just sit back and watch?” Evan Yang said, half-smiling.
April Moon remembered how Evan Yang rescued April Lei last time and snapped, “You took her away before—I haven’t even settled that score with you! And now you dare bring it up again?”
“What, you wanna throw down?” Brocade, already pissed at April Moon, said bluntly.
“You’re not even a divine beast, and you dare act tough here?” Another phoenix beside April Moon scoffed.
Brocade snorted, “So what if you’re divine beasts? I’ll tell you right now—if I decide to move, none of you could catch me!”
“Oh yeah? Then let’s see what you’ve got!” April Moon barked, burning to prove she wasn’t easy to mess with.
Evan Yang didn’t interfere, letting Brocade and April Moon duke it out. The two vanished in a blink—outside Dragon Mountain, Brocade tunneled through the earth at lightning speed, leaving April Moon chasing shadows, totally unable to catch him.