Chapter 1498

"O-lou-lou, o-lou-lou——" Liang Qu waved banana leaves crisscrossing.

"Pa!"

The dragon tail coiled around his forearm and pulled; Liang Qu turned his head: "What are you pulling me for?"

"Who calls like that?" Long Eying leaned against the railing, shaking a banana leaf, extending her hand to the long nose, watching the nose curl and deliver it into the mouth to chew, "Calling a pig?"

"Isn't this just a long-nosed pig?" Liang Qu pointed downward.

The elephant's gaze went upward, like rolling its eyes.

Long Eying laughed: "Where is there such a strange name?"

"How is there not? Rare things seem strange; I've even seen big-eared sheep, pink-skinned hippos, short-nosed elephants, don't mention it." Liang Qu turned around, leaned back against the railing, grabbed the swaying dragon tail and kneaded it, "Living in Ten Thousand Elephants is quite interesting, first time I've lived in a tree house, and I haven't seen a single mosquito all night."

"Rest assured, my lord." The maid holding banana leaves smiled, "I dare not speak of distant places, but at least within three hundred li, my lord will definitely not see those."

"Oh, why?" Liang Qu turned his head.

The maid said: "Our Ten Thousand Elephants long ago had a Gu insect master, most skilled at controlling mosquitoes to suck blood, sample, and track; later he accidentally discovered this method could use insects to control insects, as long as specific male mosquitoes were released, it would make female mosquito eggs unable to hatch.

At first it couldn't be done, but passed down generation after generation: several hundred years later: even in a place like the Southern Frontier, within three hundred li of the Ten Thousand Elephants center, there are almost no mosquitoes, my lord's location even more so, many Southern Frontier people come to our Ten Thousand Elephants in summer to ride elephants and play."

Liang Qu raised his thumb: "Awesome, I like it very much; back when I entered Zhen Xiang, even using divine abilities I couldn't achieve this; by the way, can this wooden house be bought? If there's a chance later, I might come often."

Mosquitoes spread extremely fast; no mosquitoes within three hundred li means at least a thousand li cleared, a huge project, truly a Southern Frontier pure land.

"Definitely cannot be bought.

"Oh? Then——"

The maid bowed: "Able to make my lord like it, the Great Wu will certainly be happy hearing it; afraid they'd rush to gift it to my lord, how could there be any buying or selling?"

Long Yao and Long Li glanced sideways.

"Hahaha, good good good, then I have real estate in the Southern Frontier too."

Liang Qu laughed loudly, turned again, overlooking the forest.

Shen Ming's arranged lodging was very distinctive.

Ancient trees towering, no extra branches; under the canopy and between the trunks, a round exquisite tree house was artificially built, not large but with all five organs, around the tree house a circle of floor corridor, able to walk all around, three hundred sixty degrees no dead angles.

A person standing on the corridor waving banana leaves can attract surrounding elephants.

Elephants will briefly stand up, stretch their long trunks to reach the banana leaves.

Because many elephants have cultivation bases, their figures are extremely large; this not only feels like Jurassic Park sensorially, the experience is also very similar, like feeding a brachiosaurus.

Even Yixing doesn't have this kind of charm.

Although there is no furnace, Liang Qu has already experienced the fun of a furnace.

"Can you not keep grabbing my tail?" Long Eying twisted her dragon tail.

"Weren't you the one who teased me first?" Liang Qu grabbed hard, stroked all the way down; the dragon tail was like a deer tail, the tail back and tip furry, the root fleshy, "What are you growing a tail for when there's nothing? So what if you have a tail?"

"Can't I? I'm just practicing free transformation; could it be my husband is thinking something bad?"

The dragon tail exerted force and pulled free from the palm, yet didn't leave, swayed twice, winding from below upward, probing out from Liang Qu's chest like a white snake raising its head proudly. The tail tip nimbly flicked, the fluffy tail brushed Liang Qu's chin; Long Eying's eyes showed "provocation".

The maid silently retreated.

Long Yao and Long Li cast contemptuous gazes.

"You're courting death!" Liang Qu backhandedly seized the dragon tail, pulling the person over.

"My lord!"

Liang Qu halted: "What matter?"

"The classics you wanted yesterday, following the clan leader's orders, I've brought them for you."

Liang Qu's movement paused; Long Eying had already pushed open his chest, speaking for him: "Come in."

"Greetings to the Huai King, greetings to the Huai King Consort, two Dragon Ladies——" The servant held a stack of books, respectfully placed them on the table, retreated, "These are what the Huai King needs, some early founding legends and records of Ten Thousand Elephants, not counting translations, some are originals, very ancient years, please——"

"Rest assured, I'll be careful, and won't alter or draw on them without permission."

"Many thanks; if you have any needs, please command at any time."

"Hard work."

The servant respectfully departed.

Long Eying lit the oil lamp; Liang Qu no longer fooled around, sat back at the desk, flipping through the names on the books, all in Southern Frontier script, but correspondingly, inside were matching Great Shun translations.

"What does my husband want these for?"

"To find some things; previously Great Wu Shen said something that caught my attention, you help me look too——"

Long Eying guessed: "The appearance time and reason of the Ten Thousand Elephants Position Fruit?"

"Right. Not necessarily recorded, but try to find key nodes."

Liang Qu affirmed.

Ten Thousand Elephants, once the blessed land of the twelve Red-Tusk Elephant Gods of boundless strength, of Badanisa, mountains dense, ancient trees towering, living there were three Demon King ancient elephants, ruling eight great elephant herds, tens of millions of giant elephants——

This isn't the key point; the key point is, Ten Thousand Elephants' ancestors cleared thorns and cut brambles, leveled earth and flattened mountains, transforming a stretch of hills and swamps into a livable land!

Many key pieces of information might just be hidden in this inadvertent mention.

What do Giant Spirits do?

Isn't it just opening mountains and severing rivers?

Giant Spirit Bixi, high palm distant sole, curving flowing rivers, its traces still remain!

The Ten Thousand Elephants Position Fruit inheritance is extremely ancient; hearing the name tells you: Ten Thousand Elephants Position Fruit, Ten Thousand Elephants.

The two appeared almost at the same time; when there was the Ten Thousand Elephants place, its leader also relied on the Ten Thousand Elephants Position Fruit authority to establish resounding fame.

Liang Qu wanted to know how exactly this Position Fruit appeared, where it came from, how high the probability of it being a Giant Spirit was.

He irrepressibly thought: was he blessed by the old toad, one hit on target; even knowing it might not be, there would be strong regret.

People are always like this; once there's a sign, they lean toward the favorable side; a pretty girl glances once more, and one can't help suspecting if she likes me.

Alas, the inheritance of this Seat Fruit is truly too ancient.

Several thousand years ago, when myriad yaos teemed, humans opened up the wilderness, hardship was extreme, life itself was difficult, and not much was properly recorded.

Even many later descendants, and places deliberately "mythologized" by the people of that time — how much is true or false cannot be known — plus many translations are not very accurate either —

Candle flame flickered, daylight gradually shifted; often a trunk was raised high, passing by the window.

Liang Qu frowned slightly; he had read two volumes, Long Eying had read three.

Cross-referencing them, there were roughly three sources.

The most common: the Twelve Red-Tusk Elephant God and the Python God slaughtered each other; the Elephant God was severely wounded, and on the verge of falling, transformed into the Myriad Manifestations Authority, bequeathing it to the ancestors.

Naturally, there are versions where it didn't die — for instance, it was severely wounded, healed by the ancestors, moved by gratitude — the gist is always the Elephant God's bequest.

Second: the Python God manifested, swallowed ten thousand giant elephants, laid an egg in a mountain stream, spat out the Myriad Manifestations Seat Fruit, then was slain by the Myriad Manifestations Ancestor who claimed its legacy.

Third: the ancestors and the elephant herds leveled the mountain ranges, then appeared upon the earth.

"Could it be the third one?"

"If it's the third one, originally there was only a two-tenths chance; if it's the third one, there's three or four tenths!"

Is it?

Is it not?

Liang Qu pinched his brow, fervently hoping the third was true so the probability would be highest; amid his thoughts his hand reached down, seized his heel, pulled off his snow-white chi boots in one tug, and grasped the soft jade.

Long Eying froze, lifted her head from the book, propped up her pearl-white toes, rubbed against Liang Qu's thigh: "Husband, why are you taking off my boot?"

Liang Qu rested his lower leg on his knee, pinched the fair foot, expression unchanged: "This helps me think —"

"..

""

Night fell.

Elephants walked beneath the night, knelt on the ground sleeping soundly.

Liang Qu, halfway through a volume, still wore a worried frown; at this moment a servant came to summon him.

After a day's interval, the Old Tusi and Shen Damian met Liang Qu again!

Shen Ming brewed a pot of tea, swiftly withdrew.

The Old Tusi spoke: "Prince Huai, if it is merely the Dragon King, I must decline."

Shen Damian nodded: "The Myriad Manifestations Seat Fruit is our ancestors' generational inheritance, generational refinement; it has protected us in peril many times, its significance to us Myriad Manifestations is extraordinary. A Dragon King without a Seat Fruit is nothing more than a water yaoking; a second- or third-rank yao dragon can match it.

Yao dragons in the world are many, but Seat Fruits are rare; Seat Fruits that can be refined generation after generation are even rarer. With the Myriad Manifestations Seat Fruit alone, we Myriad Manifestations would not have stood for thousands of years; with Damian alone we could not either; yet refining the Myriad Manifestations Damian can look down on the world. Exchanging a Dragon King for a Seat Fruit is not equivalent."

The Old Tusi added: "If it were a true Dragon King, our Southern Frontier would naturally rejoice; but per Prince Huai's intent, it ultimately is not — first, not an Awakening Realm; second, not a Middle Seat Fruit; third, no Seat Fruit at all; fourth, its prosperity range is even smaller —"

Liang Qu nodded, hearing the implication.

The price isn't enough!

Yet he felt no anger, rather delight.

Price not enough is good, very good; only fear trust isn't enough, a flat refusal to sell!

Liang Qu smiled: "No matter; the same thing has different value ranges. The Myriad Manifestations Seat Fruit indeed holds extraordinary significance. I wonder what Master Shen and the Tusi deem appropriate?"

The Old Tusi exhaled: "No more longevity treasures needed, no extra conditions; beyond the Dragon King, add one more Seat Fruit!

Naturally, regardless of whether it has a refinement ritual, regardless of whether the ritual is difficult, regardless of what authority it is, strong or weak — as long as it is a Seat Fruit!"

Liang Qu frowned slightly.

The Old Tusi's expression did not change.

Shen Damian's face was complex. He truly had feelings for the Myriad Manifestations Seat Fruit; he still remembered four hundred years ago, the previous Damian, clearly still having several years of lifespan, yet willingly fell, bequeathing his own legacy —

A long while.

"I need to think it over."

The Old Tusi breathed in relief: "No matter; this matter is weighty, one should be cautious."

Scene change.

The one needing to deliberate became Liang Qu; he urgently sent a message, asking the Sage Emperor's opinion.

"Comparing yao dragons and authorities, longevity treasures and demands are mostly just sweeteners —"

Liang Qu paced, sighed long; seeking a Seat Fruit is not ordinary bargaining; the smallest bargaining chip here is a "yao dragon".

"Which one can be exchanged? Tianyuan, Feilian certainly won't do; Wu Guo won't do; the three of the Calamity Realm can't be moved; besides those there is nothing; Hu Wang's Xuan Fruit? Xuan Fruit is water attribute, can be converted into ruling degree, equally precious —"

East Sea, Hu Wang shivered.

March 30th.

"Ashui, a letter came, a letter came!" Su Guishan rushed in breathlessly.

"Maternal Granduncle!" Liang Qu leapt up from behind the desk, snatched the envelope.

—

Four large characters in flying dragon dancing phoenix script.

"Can be borne."

A lick of flame, the letter burned to ash in the bosom.

Liang Qu drew a deep breath; the "borne" here was not the imperial court paying the price, but the Southern Frontier's harvest cost — acceptable!

"Go, see the Kai Tusi again!"

"Kai Tusi, Shen Damian, the terms for the Xiao Fruit and the Dragon King can be accepted."

Shen Damian straightened.

The Kai Tusi struggled to stay calm, but he had even forgotten to breathe: "Prince Huai, are these words true?"

"True! But I also have one condition!"

"Lord Huai, please speak."

"The Dragon King of the Luchang River can be handed over immediately, as long as the Tusi prepares the Living Beings Grand Array. Only the fruit — I currently have none on hand. I must write an IOU, with a deadline of one hundred years."

——

"If within one hundred years the fruit is not delivered to the Southern Frontier, then the Southern Frontier may collect interest; at that time I must repay with a Middle Fruit as the price. What does the Tusi think?"

"If the Tusi agrees, people can be sent to prepare the Living Beings Grand Array right now! The document can be signed and sealed right now!"

Sunlight slanted down; fine dust motes whirled in the light beams.

Tusi Kai closed his eyes.

Shen Ming stood waiting outside the door.

He watched the little mirage dragon dancing in midair catching butterflies; after watching for a while, he tilted his head back to gaze at the sun in the sky, not knowing what his future path would be.

A Myriad Manifestations Meng without the Myriad Manifestations Fruit — is it still a Myriad Manifestations Meng?

Centipede Da Xian stood rooted on the hillock; after the first round of discussion, the subsequent meeting had nothing to do with him — he merely weighed whether Tusi Kai would agree.

Can the Southern Frontier have its own Dragon King?

Xie Hongqi blew in the standing wind, sitting in the grass.

He knew Grandpa Shi was negotiating with Lord Huai; his thoughts unknowingly drifted far.

He had always followed beside Grandpa Shi; coming to Myriad Manifestations Meng was the same — only he had no qualification to take part in the Immortal Dragon's negotiations. Yesterday Grandpa Shi told him: his family's inherited fruit might be gone, used to exchange with Myriad Manifestations Meng so that Shen Da Xian would agree to the swap.

Xie Hongqi did not obstruct, nor could he obstruct; he did not know what to say.

Myriad Manifestations Meng does not equal the Southern Frontier, but do they not equal the Southern Frontier either?

Without the inheritable fruit —

The Southern Frontier Dragon King was the dream Grandpa Shi had pursued for most of his life, and even more so the village's —

"I also have a condition." Old Tusi opened his eyes.

Liang Qu extended his hand: "Tusi, please speak."

"I have a grandson named Xie Hongyi."

"I have heard of him; a youthful hero."

"Polite words like 'youthful hero' need not be said; coming from Lord Huai's mouth, they are truly sincere praise, and Old Kai finds it strange."

"Hahaha." Liang Qu laughed. "Then I won't say it. I wonder what the Tusi's condition is, and what it has to do with the Tusi's grandson?"

"I ask that Xie Hongyi serve under Lord Huai for three years — running errands or given some tasks is fine, as long as Lord Huai is willing to employ him. If Lord Huai agrees, the Living Beings Grand Array can be prepared right now, and the document can be signed and sealed right now."

Liang Qu was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood the Tusi's purpose; he also closed his eyes.

A long moment.

Eyes snapped open.

"Good!"

The words left his mouth; the air current stirred slightly, and the dust motes in the light beams jumped.

Shen Ming, Bai Zu, Xie Hongyi — all three sensed a lightness at the same instant.

Shen Da Xian leaned back against the chair back, suddenly feeling relieved.

Tusi Kai took a deep breath; at this moment, he was unprecedentedly calm. He stood up: "Since it is so — I will immediately prepare the Living Beings Grand Array."

"I will ask Ancestor Ge to go to the Southern Frontier."

"Since it is so, there is still one matter that Lord Huai needs to know."

Liang Qu raised an eyebrow: "What matter?"

"When Ancestor Ge arrives, I'm afraid my fruit will need to be extracted."

Liang Qu suddenly recalled the scene of bringing the Whale King and other Demon Kings to the Southern Frontier, when Tusi Kai blocked them all; at that time the Whale King had spoken.

Tusi Kai has a fruit!

Thoughts flashed like lightning; Liang Qu paused: "Understood."

"Extract the fruit? Create the Luchang River Dragon King?"

"Right, right." San Wangxing nodded repeatedly. "Only a great worthy like Ancestor Ge can do it."

"Truly a Dragon King?" Ancestor Ge couldn't help asking again.

"Of course." San Wangxing scratched his head. "Eying is also a Dragon King; doesn't Ancestor Ge know? She became a Dragon King in the Ehe River, and there's Dragon King Fanrong too!"

"I see."

Ancestor Ge suddenly realized.

He stepped out of the room, gazed into the distance at the sun, and in a trance saw two suns.

Strange — it's clearly just the fourth month, grass grows and orioles fly; how did a Bing Fire sun come out?

He focused his spirit again.

The two suns overlapped into one.

"I will set out as soon as possible.

"

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