Chapter 4 The Supreme Dragon

• The following day, Zi Han opened his eyes to the gentle twittering of birds. As he looked around, he was surprised to see that he was lying on a king-sized mahogany bed with spotless black bed sheets and satin-cloaked pillows.
• Everything about this room looked elegant and beautiful, and there wasn’t a single speck of dust on the white marble floor.
• “Where the hell...am I?” Zi Han mumbled groggily. “Did someone pick me up last night?”
• Zi Han wasn’t friends with any wealthy kids, and the only rich people he had ever rubbed shoulders with were the guests visiting the restaurant where he used to work. However, it was highly unlikely one of them would have cared to save him from those thugs.
• As Zi Han took a few deep breaths, he realized there was something sticky on his face. Someone had plastered his broken nose and treated all his wounds.
• He was about to get down from the bed to find out more when the doorknob turned, and a maid dressed in a black dress with a white trim entered the room, carrying a tray decked with expensive chocolates and handmade butter cookies along with a cup of Oolong Tea.
• “Good morning, master. I hope you slept well,” she greeted, smiling politely.
• Zi Han blushed as he looked at the pretty girl dressed as a maid. She was barely a year over twenty and had a shallow dimple on her right cheek.
• “Ma...master?” Zi Han fumbled. “Could you please tell me where I am? And who owns this place?”
• “You are at home, master,” she replied, smiling again.
• Slowly walking up to his bed, the maid placed the tray on the oak wood table beside it and opened the porcelain container filled with sugar cubes. “Would you like your tea sweetened, master?”
• Hearing the word ‘master’ repeated again, Zi Han became confused. “Ye...yeah,” he stuttered.
• The maid obeyed at once and dropped two sugar cubes into his tea. She then began stirring it with a delicate-looking spoon.
• Zi Han could make neither head nor tail of this situation.
• Suddenly, a strange thought flashed in his mind. He wondered if he had died in an accident and been transmigrated into another world as they showed in those popular webtoons and TV dramas.
• It wasn’t uncommon to end up with a pretty-looking maid in such a situation. However, it all seemed a bit too farfetched and dreamy.
• “But my nose still hurts, and she understands my language too.” Zi Han shook his head. “No! I am just being ridiculous!”
• “Huh? Did you say something, young master?” the maid asked.
• “Why do you keep calling me—”
• Before Zi Han could complete his sentence, the door opened again, and a group of men dressed in black suits entered, along with a tall, muscular guy wearing a black shirt. He had a pencil mustache and sported a long black man bun.
• Noticing the dragon tattoos on their necks, Zi Han gulped hard. It did not take him long to realize that he was standing face-to-face with the infamous Black Dragon gang.
• “I...am just a poor kid. Please...let me go. My parents won’t pay a single Yuan for me,” Zi Han stuttered, his heart racing like crazy.
• He was convinced the gang had abducted him for money and was about to make a ransom call soon.
• But to his great surprise, all the gang members, including the guy who seemed to be their boss, bowed before him.
• “We have waited for you for years, Supreme Dragon!” the boss exclaimed aloud. “Thank you for gracing us with your presence at last. Our wishes have been fulfilled. Zhen Lee is at your service, boss.”
• Befuddled by this speech, Zi Han gulped hard.
• ‘If they haven’t abducted me for ransom...then they must be trying to sell my...my organs!’
• Zi Han shuddered at the thought and made a low bow while joining his hands submissively. “I am really sorry...but my liver is in terrible condition and my...ki...kidneys too. I drink daily. And...I am a chain smoker too. Please let me go. I haven’t seen anything. I promise I’ll keep shut.”
• Zhen Lee raised his eyes in surprise and immediately noticed the maid still standing upright. His single glare was enough to make her bow.
• “Please do not insult us like this, Supreme Dragon. We have waited for you all this time. We are your own children after all,” Zhen Lee spoke in a subdued voice.
• Confused and at his wit’s end, Zi Han thought they were toying with him, and this was some form of mental torture or bullying tactic to break his spirit. He immediately dropped to his knees.
• “Please, let me go. I am just a simple college student. I promise I’ll never tell anyone anything about this,” Zi Han pleaded, getting down on his knees.
• Seeing Zi Han on the ground, the mobsters stooped their heads to the floor in submission.
• “Supreme Dragon, I...am truly sorry for not recognizing you at first. It was my mistake. I will bear whatever punishment you deem fit. But please do not play with our emotions. All our hearts beat for you!” Zhen Lee exclaimed in such a loud voice that Zi Han almost shuddered.
• “Yes, Supreme Dragon, we apologize for everything,” one lackey pleaded.
• “Please take us under your wing once again!” another added.
• “What the hell is going on?” Zi Han mumbled, unable to understand anything. Suddenly, the thought occurred to him that they had him confused with someone else. “My name is Zi Han...I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”
• Zhen Lee finally stood back up, a puzzled expression plastered on his face. Zi Han and the others followed his cue.
• “You...you really do not remember anything at all? Not even me?” Zhen Lee questioned in disbelief. “You saved my life when I got hit by that stray bullet,” he added, showing him the scar on the left side of his chest.
• Zi Han shook his head. “I swear I don’t know any of you. Who do you think I am?” he asked.
• Zhen Lee gasped, and his eyes widened in surprise. “How can you not remember? You are Master Zhao Long, the Supreme Dragon whose seat is highest among all Celestial Warlords. We are but your humble servants.”
• Judging by the tone of their voices and their genuine obedience, Zi Han finally realized that these men weren’t trying to mock or bully him, but actually meant what they said.
• He looked at Zhen Lee long and hard, trying to see if he could remember anything. But nothing came to his mind. It was an unfamiliar face, just like the rest of the faces in the room.
• “I really don’t know you,” he spoke softly. “I am sorry. I am just a poor college student. My name is Zi Han, not Zhao Long. It’s all just a mistake.”
• Zhen Lee’s shoulders dropped as he heard those words. “So that prophecy came true, master. You have lost your memory after your rebirth.”
• “What prophecy? What rebirth?” Zi Han asked, casting a curious glance at him.
• “When you sacrificed yourself to protect the Golden Mountain, you promised you would be back after a century. But the Elders prophesied that you will not remember anything of your past life and suffer great hardships after your rebirth,” Zhen Lee answered.
• Everything Zi Han had been hearing for so long left him confused and dumbstruck. Just a few hours ago, he was getting thrashed by some bullies, and now one of the most powerful gangs in the city was bowing before him.
• “I...really don’t understand anything...”
• “Perhaps this might help,” a deep voice proclaimed from behind, and as the gang members turned around, they noticed it was none other than the leader of their clan, Master Dongxiang.
• The grim-faced man looked well over sixty. He was dressed in a loose black robe and had a sword strapped to his waist.
• “Elder Dragon!” Zhen Lee greeted the old man, making a low bow, and his comrades followed suit.
• Dongxiang walked past the crowd and approached Zi Han. Fishing out a bracelet from his pocket, he tied it around Zi Han’s right wrist.
• “What...what is this?”
• “A gift of fire, water, earth, lightning, and air,” Dongxiang replied.
• As Zi Han stared at the gold bracelet he noticed that it had five different elements engraved on its broadside, each represented by a flame, a droplet, a rock, a blue bolt, and a swirling tornado.
• “Argh!”
• Before Zi Han could utter another question, he felt the bracelet tightening around his arm. He screamed and tried to get it off, but suddenly, the dragon wing tattoo on his wrist turned red, and a strange power surged through his veins.
• Memories of his past life flashed before Zi Han’s eyes, and he remembered glimpses of the great battle between the two celestial families. As each scene played in Zi Han’s mind, everything that had happened over a hundred years ago came back to him in broken pieces.
• However, almost all the faces appeared to be blurred and distant. A part of each scene was shrouded in fog and Zi Han could only see fragments of his past as the years rolled back in a hurry.
• Overwhelmed by the strain, Zi Han keeled over and clutched at his chest.
• After a few seconds when he looked up again, his face had turned pale and beads of sweat were streaming down his wrinkled forehead.
• “What the hell was all that? Who were those people?” he mumbled, confused by his own unfamiliar memories. “This is all so messed up. I think I must be hallucinating.”
• Trembling and scared, Zi Han looked at Dongxiang and asked nervously, “What is going on? How do I know you?”
• “I am your humble servant, Master Zhao.” Dongxiang unsheathed his katana and kneeled before Zi Han. “It has been a long wait. But now that you are here, my sword is yours to command, Supreme Dragon!”
• Zi Han gulped nervously and looked at the men kneeling before him. Just a night ago, he was a nobody, but suddenly, everything had changed.
• Like any sane man, Zi Han wanted to run away, but he somehow felt connected to the strange memories he had just seen. Among them, a beautiful young lady dressed in violet silk robes stood out most distinctly, reminding him of a forgotten past.
• “Who am I? Why do I remember such things?” he asked.
• Dongxiang stood up and replied, “They are the memories of your past life, master. You are not some ordinary college student. You are the Great Dragon. The Supreme Overlord of the Emerald Palace and protector of the Celestial Realm!”