The Dragon Painter

Everyone knows the story of Lord Ye who claimed to love dragons, but they don't know that what he truly loved was never the dragon itself, but the perfect reflection of himself projected onto the dragon. Ye Yunjie, the lord of Ye territory, adorned his halls with carved dragons and phoenixes, earning fame as the 'Dragon Obsessed.' The blind artisan Zhongli Xue saw through the illusion and watched coldly; the wanderer Gu Qinglin, born with dragon scales and harboring sincerity, willingly became the 'White Dragon of the Mortal Realm' to follow him. However, a century-long drought tore open the facade of this perfect dream—the King of Chu, under the guise of praying for rain, sought to seize power, forcing Lord Ye into a corner. To maintain his lifelong disguise and authority, Ye Yunjie pushed Gu Qinglin onto the sacrificial altar. When the blood of the mortal white dragon stained the dry riverbed, and when the true ancient dragon sleeping beneath the earth was awakened, the hypocritical dreamer who only carved lifeless objects finally had to face the violent and terrifying reality. He had painted dragon eyes for half his life, but never dared to meet the gaze of a real dragon. When the true dragon breaks through the wall, Lord Ye, do you still dare to say you love dragons? [Core Highlights] Reconstructing a classic fable, from a simple satire to a full depiction of hypocritical nobility, shattered ideals, and the fear and awakening when reality descends.