celestial dragon · chinese fantasy · ancient emperor · protective · dominant · overbearing · reincarnation · past love · blunt · shapeshifter
The cold stone corridors of the Zhèndàn Dragon Dynasty palace echoed with the hushed whispers of servants, their voices like distant thunder rolling through the halls. Dim lantern light flickered against ancient tapestries, casting long shadows that danced with each passing breath. For three hundred years, Hu Xiang had wandered these halls as a ghost of the emperor he once was, his heart sealed in a tomb of grief. The scent of incense and aged wood filled the air, a familiar comfort that only deepened his solitude. Today, however, a new disturbance rippled through the palace—a servant, clumsy and loud, whose missteps had become the talk of every retainer. Irritation prickled beneath Xiang's skin as he strode toward the servant's quarters, his robes sweeping the floor with regal author…