Chapter 1499

"Roar roar roar!"

"Wuhu wuhu wuhu, I'm home!"

The golden-haired monkey leapt up and down, ran along the eaves, while the river otter lunging at its head bared its teeth, screamed, and threw stones, leaping onto the jujube tree and violently shaking the branches, shaking off leaves. The Third Prince unfurled his dragon-claw kite, Wuhu wuhu spinning in flight.

The vine soldiers and grass soldiers in the corner shook themselves and danced; the black dog as large as a horse circled with lowered head, sniffing and recording scent information.

The great river otter shouldered a wooden plank as it passed, glanced at the newcomer, blinked slightly, then combed its head hair, swept it to one side, made bangs, nodded in greeting.

Xie Hongyu froze for a moment, then nodded in response, his heart feeling novel and interesting.

He was not visiting Yixing for the first time.

Last year, during the River God Festival, he came with the Tusi to observe and learn, gaining much insight, filling a thick volume, but this was his first time entering Huai Wang Fu, truly —

Eye-opening.

"Does Huai Wang usually live with animals — "

Xie Hongyu tilted his head, glanced around, took in the sights at a glance, only to feel dazzled, when suddenly his foot caught, nearly stumbling forward.

He looked back.

Jade-green stone slabs stretched across the ground, following the jade-green stone slabs all the way up —

Scrape scrape.

The jade-green long-tailed creature scraped against the blue bricks, the "Jade Dragon" opened its eyes and glanced.

Xie Hongyu was surprised it was a living thing, feeling a bit embarrassed: "Sorry."

The "Jade Dragon" flicked its tail, crawled forward two steps, leaned against the wall, and continued basking in the sun.

"Hongyu, now that you're in Yixing, don't stand on ceremony."

Xie Hongyu's back was struck with great force.

Liang Qu embraced Xie Hongyu's shoulders, gesturing with open hands: "Just treat this as your own home; your Dayun speech is quite good, I'm not worried you won't fit in — there are plenty of rooms in Wang Fu, where would you like to stay?

The rear courtyard is definitely off-limits, you know; the middle rooms are reserved for the masters, and also where my disciples live. You may choose the front courtyard or the left annex; my elder brothers occasionally stay there as well."

Xie Hongyu hurriedly said: "The annex will do."

"Fine, I won't stand on ceremony with you either; in half an hour it's dinner time, more people will be around, go to the kitchen yourself, Xinglai!"

"." Fan Xinglai came rushing over.

"Take Hongyu to tour the annex, familiarize him with the place, remember to call him for dinner tonight."

"Alright, little brother, let's go." Fan Xinglai waved.

"Many thanks!" Xie Hongyu bowed respectfully.

Liang Qu said: "After dinner, a little hedgehog will come over; you're talented, I won't really make you run errands, I have no business secrets here either; once you're familiar with the situation, in a couple of days you'll assist the little hedgehog."

"Thank you, Huai Wang!"

Xiao Wei? Xiao Wei? Xiao Wei?

Could it be a name —

Xie Hongyu led the two attendants who had followed him from Nanjiang, following Fan Xinglai to the annex, pondering the name he had just heard.

"Over there is the pond, with waterways; the dragon people often come and go through there; the kitchen is here — " Fan Xinglai introduced each point in turn.

In the pond, old broken stones chattered, the great river otter built boats, each chisel strike a foot long. In the stables, Chishan pushed aside the leg-soft mare, that thing still exhaling hot smoke, standing proudly erect, face showing contempt and arrogance, exceedingly proud.

Xie Hongyu somewhat strangely settled into his new home.

He realized it.

The animals raised by Huai Wang, each and every one, possessed extraordinary skills.

"Having come, settle in!"

Xie Hongyu took a deep breath, arranged his books properly.

He was no child; by his reckoning, he was older than Huai Wang, would not cause a fuss just because he was sent away, understood his grandfather's intention.

Now Nanjiang, Dayun, and Beiting, the three parties allied, signatures and seals naturally count, strength strong, possibly lasting a hundred years?

Substituting the position fruit, one could fully attend to state affairs and withdraw. Breakers of contract, Dayun as well, not my Huai Wang; Huai Wang, even if wounded, causes no great harm to propriety.

Yet these three years of following, mingling emotional bonds, even if Huai Wang becomes immortal, it would not be so easy to detach from worldly affairs, unless one wishes to become the second founding emperor of Great Li!

Although still cannot guarantee, at least it increases the cost for the other party to break their promise.

At the same time, my departure could also add to grandfather's sacrificial "chip"!

My three years serving as a "hostage" following, the Tusi's sacrifice of the position fruit, are all "costs".

Aside from Shen Daihui, Liang Qu, and myself, no one else yet knows of the substitution matter, the Dragon King affair, yet it benefits all of Nanjiang.

Therefore, as long as the Tusi temporarily does not reveal that they have already agreed to the substitution result, we can take advantage of the time spent arranging the great array of living beings, using self-sacrifice as a chip, continually exchanging for concessions from the remaining eight strongholds, strengthening the "Tusi"'s power!

Liang Qu leapt onto the wall, gazing at the annex, stroking his chin: "If this fellow can slay dragons in the future, then he will surely be the new Tusi, set in stone."

Long Eying blinked her eyes: "Why is that? The Tusi is not jointly elected by the nine strongholds? How can my husband be certain?"

"Before, it could not be certain; now it can be roughly determined. Because before departing, the old Tusi specifically told me not to make a fuss, I suspect he wants to use this as a chip to consolidate power." Liang Qu and Long Eying walked side by side in the covered corridor.

"How so?"

"For example, Nanjiang's Changmu Dian and Tian Dong, these strongholds, are the front strongholds of Nanjiang; each time they clash with Dayun, they bear the brunt, while the later strongholds have long-held grudges.

They most hope the Lu Cangjiang has a Dragon King as a barrier, but Shen Daihui is unwilling to exchange the position fruit — what then? After all, it is a position fruit that can stabilize refinement, with thousands of years of sentiment; Shen Dai now unwilling, reasonable and proper, others cannot force him."

Long Eying understood, following Liang Qu's train of thought: "The Tusi willing to offer their own position fruit to make up for Shen Daihui's lack, is what the other strongholds desire, because it benefits them; as long as they agree, not only will past grudges vanish like smoke, but they can also use this to exchange for more power or conditions?"

"Clever!" Liang Qu snapped his fingers, "So the Tusi specifically instructed me to temporarily not make a fuss, only to leak the news.

If it were known the matter had already been settled, these strongholds would merely feel grateful at the time. Once the boat is built, the cooled gratitude cannot fetch much.

Now showing hesitation allows negotiation with the other strongholds, exchanging for more concessions, such as the extent of the Tusi's exercise of power, the Tusi's successor, policy implementation, even without naming names."

"The Tusi's such proactive sacrifice already allows leveraging great reputation to benefit descendants."

"Yes, once the Dragon King appears, it will further enhance the old Tusi's reputation, combined with Xie Hongyu's three years as a hostage" experience; as long as he can slay dragons, he will smoothly inherit the Tusi's position, nearly a matter of course; once power consolidation succeeds, the nine strongholds of Nanjiang themselves will become even more united.

There is an extra portion of heavenly and earthly essence in the southern borderlands; I suspect the chieftain used it, and given his age—already older than Xindaxian by a considerable margin, at least three hundred years—without unexpected developments, the situation could proceed exactly as he envisioned.

Of course, the most difficult step is whether Xie Hongyu can himself succeed in subduing the dragon; however, it is not without hope, for I have heard the old chieftain has many descendants, and bringing Xie Hongyu alone already indicates exceptional talent.

Long Eying laughed blankly: "My husband is truly clever; I fall far short, never having thought of it."

"Isn't it because I'm here?" Liang Qu grinned, embracing her waist. "The old chieftain is no ordinary man—he can sacrifice and will sacrifice. He has labored for three hundred years, Xie Hongyu will continue for five hundred, totaling eight hundred years—enough to replace a generation, to overturn the southern borderlands completely. Ah, all are heroes and good men."

"None compare to my husband." Long Eying's eyes sparkled.

"I will be proud."

"Today, pride is permitted."

"Hahahaha————"

Long Eying sank into the pond, went to the Dragonfolk's territory, to discuss this year's River God Festival.

Liang Qu stood in place, repeatedly pinching his fingers to count.

"Blooming at the end of February, ten months remain————"

Early April, the weather grew slightly warm.

According to the old chieftain's words, preparing the Great Array of All Living Things requires over a month.

He and Xindaxian also need time to adjust their conditions.

To be safe, should the process of extracting the position fruit encounter any mishap, leaving the southern borderlands' dragons leaderless, it is better to advance both in tandem.

Only in May can he obtain the Myriad Phenomena Position Fruit.

If it is a Giant Spirit pre-condition, he must not only refine it but also find a way to elevate the Myriad Phenomena to a middle-rank fruit! In just ten months, two rituals!

Liang Qu's teeth ached; even if the refining ritual is clear and not difficult, the refinement alone takes at least two months, and with the River God Festival in between, requiring his appearance, that means starting in mid-July, ending in mid-September, leaving less than five months for elevation.

Just thinking about it makes him sweat profusely.

Chang You turned into Wu Fruit; even the Old Dragon Lord used no less than five months.

He felt the tension of taking a long vacation, then returning to school the next day with homework untouched.

No, it is even worse.

Homework can be made up, all means exhausted, one can call for help, one can ask for leave—this matter————

"Having come, one should settle; the Frog Lord is with me, Heaven's Mandate is with me————"

Liang Qu arranged the preparations for this year's River God Festival, meanwhile burning the Golden Eyes, subduing a small fish, and running to Peng Ze to spy.

Although the negotiations went smoothly, the Old Yuan Dragon King's countermeasure was not very usable, yet some attention was still required.

Result————

In just a few days, Yuan General had indeed cultivated to the peak of Wolf Smoke, and was about to perform the most important—tiger-charging divine technique seeded in advance!

"I go, this speed————" Liang Qu stared, dumbfounded.

Having a strange stone is already strange enough; Liang Qu still hasn't figured out where Old Yuan's strange stone comes from, and as a result, his realm advances a thousand li per day.

Liang Qu greatly doubts that if true internal and external circulation succeeds, and then he is transformed into a Dragon King, just how far this fellow could go.

Late April.

In the center of the Jianghuai Great Marsh, a pillar of air shot to the heavens, its magnificent and mighty might sweeping across the southern waters.

Xie Hongyu startled, looked up, then let out a frog's croak, echoing through the courtyard.

"Liang Qing! The Great King has emerged from seclusion, come drink wine! Eh, you are————"

Xie Hongyu gazed at the one-zhang-tall, one-zhang-wide old toad, hastily bowing: "I pay respects to the National Preceptor, I am Xie Hongyu, a person of the southern borderlands, currently following the Huai King's left and right."

He had already followed the hunter in training; the great figures and great frogs of various places naturally knew of him.

The old toad immediately composed himself, shouldering his double flippers: "So it is————"

"National Preceptor!" Liang Qu strode forward, "Congratulations to the Frog King on successfully emerging from seclusion, your cultivation advanced, with virtuous talents above, the state is governed; with virtuous talents below, the state is in chaos. Since the Frog Lord became National Preceptor, our Jianghuai strength truly grows day by day."

"Now that the country is in chaos, with Sir Frog serving as State Preceptor, our strength in Jianghuai is truly growing day by day."

"Later I will prepare a gift to present to the National Preceptor; thus, in the pond are the treasure fish raised by the round-heads, and if the National Preceptor takes a liking to any, feel free to select ten."

"Later, I will prepare a gift to present to the State Preceptor; in that case, the pond contains treasure fish raised by the round-headed ones—if the State Preceptor takes a liking to any, feel free to select ten."

"Do it, do it!"

Xie Hongyu looked bewildered, watching the old toad shout "do not do" while opening his sack to scoop up fish everywhere, fearing he would be too slow.

Xie Hongyu's expression turned to astonishment as he watched the old toad shouting "Don't do that!" while opening his sack and scooping up fish everywhere, afraid of falling even a step behind.

Ripples spread, the old toad immediately retracted and departed, leaping into the water and vanishing.

Xie Hongyu: "————"

Sunlight baked the stone surface slightly warm.

"It's already late April————" Liang Qu, having emerged from seclusion, felt the warmth through his soles, realized the passage of time, pondered briefly, then turned: "Hongyu brother."

"I dare not call you brother; if the Huai King has orders, just tell me." Xie Hongyu felt fearful.

"Then go by waterway to the southern borderlands, ask me about the progress of the great array and the preparations of the chieftain and Xindaxian, and when we can set out."

"And travel by waterway to the southern frontier to inquire about the progress of the great formation, as well as the preparations of the Tusi and Shen Da—when can we set out?"

Meanwhile.

In the frogfolk's territory, Great Fat and Second Fat had bruised noses and swollen faces, listless and spiritless, kneeling on the ground.

The fat fish held high the coral hammer, circling on the stage.

The Frog King seized the heavenly and earthly essence, stuffed it into the fat fish, grabbed its tail, and lifted it high: "Champion!"

The Frog King seized the essence of heaven and earth, stuffed it into the fat fish, grabbed its tail, and lifted it high: "Champion!"

"Legless frog, legless frog, legless frog!"

"Frogfolk power!"

"Frog tribe power!"

The frogs shouted in unison.

Frog Mobile Corps Commander's eyes brimmed with hot tears.

Escaping a snake's maw as a child, losing four limbs, yet refusing to accept the fate arranged for him, he still persisted in cultivation and training; with a crippled body, he defeated the combined forces of the First Commander and Second Commander — what an inspiring, what a blood-boiling story!

"Ribbit! Champion?" The old toad, who had just returned after catching treasure fish with the yellow skin bag, was struck dumb with shock. "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

He had clearly bestowed a blessing, arranged for Fatty One and Fatty Two to ambush him together in the finals, two against one — how could this be possible?

His treasure!

The old toad croaked once, kicked out with force, determined to seize the essence of heaven and earth; the fat fish moved with lightning speed, clutching the red light tightly in its embrace.

"Let go! Let go!"

The old toad seized the fat fish's long whiskers and kicked with both legs, afterimages continuous.

The fat fish drooled, holding on tight, head raised high; no matter how it was grabbed or twisted, it refused to let go.

It had properly entered the competition and won fair and square!

"Elder!" The Frog King seized the old toad, separating the two, and earnestly admonished, "One who stands above must keep his word; since you said it would go to the victor, you must keep your word, with so many frogs watching."

"Ah?"

The old toad turned back.

Frog heads stood dense as a forest; at the forefront, Frog Mobile Corps Commander's gaze was complex.

The old toad's face showed embarrassment: "Cough cough, haha, this National Preceptor was merely making a joke — very good, very good, this third Frog Clan Fighting Tournament has displayed our frog clan's style, displayed our frog clan's bearing —"

The Frog King shot the fat fish a meaningful look.

Shui Leng Chiehu!

The fat fish understood instantly, whiskers folded at sixty degrees, clutching the essence of heaven and earth, hurriedly flicked its tail and left, running joyfully back to its cave.

The red light wandered, magnificent and splendid.

Looking left and right, confirming no frogs.

The fat fish opened its big mouth ————

May 6th.

Zhang Longxiang, Ge Zu, and Liang Qian rendezvoused again, crimson clouds surging, continuing toward the Southern Frontier.

Zhang Longxiang cultivated alone; the old toad perched on the window frame, craning its neck, sticking out its tongue to catch flying birds.

Ge Zu glanced at Eying, withdrew his gaze, then glanced again.

Long Eying smiled: "Does Ge Zu want to watch me transform into a dragon?"

"Cough cough cough, cough cough cough, no no, merely a slight curiosity, curiosity."

White mist permeated the air.

Ge Zu's pupils dilated, reflecting the white dragon; the duster in his hand trembled slightly. He could not distinguish between the Dragon King and the dragon form, but everyone said it was ————

Long Eying transformed back, accompanied by phoenix-cry misty raiment and feathered wind.

The mist gradually dissipated; the scene gradually settled.

Everything seemed illusory, like a dream.

Ge Zu's pupils returned to normal; he let out a long sigh of turbid air.

"Why does Ge Zu sigh?" Liang Qian asked.

"Without the Great Li Taizu to shake me awake, this poor daoist dare not even sleep; ten-odd years and still changing daily and monthly, and with you awakening, it is hard to believe. If I were to sleep again for decades or a hundred years, I fear I would not know what heaven and earth are."

"Hahaha, no matter; when we reach the Southern Frontier and confirm without error, Ge Zu will immediately be able to see the second Dragon King born."

Ge Zu: "————"

"At that time we will still have to trouble Ge Zu; Awei reaching the Southern Frontier is all thanks to Ge Zu's divine abilities."

"A trifling matter; Liang Zu entered the dream to save you from fire and water, mere physical toil, nothing worth mentioning; being able to help Liang Zu is exactly what this one wishes."

Liang Qian was too embarrassed to say where the fire and water came from, but increasingly felt Ge Zu was a decent sort.

The Lu Cang River surged southeast, flowing among clusters of orchids.

The E River is sky-blue, the Huai River is azure-blue, the yellow sand is earth-yellow; the Lu Cang River is pure algae-green, with green mountains stretching continuously on both banks.

Liang Qian ignited golden pupils.

The grand array has not yet risen; the heaven-and-earth spiritual mechanism is not yet dense.

The "Yellow Dragon" prepared for metamorphosis has already received the message, standing by ready.

Back then Liang Qian incarnated as the White Ape and raced a flood dragon on the Lu Cang River; the giant yellow-scaled snake before him was swatted flying by the flood dragon with one claw, its strength roughly only at high-level Demon King.

It is said it was once a white python; from its ancestors' generation, it was honored by the Southern Frontier as the "Python Orchid God."

Perhaps because snakes don't like to move after eating their fill, and it naturally possessed a great demon's aura, letting the other demon beasts dare not offend it, it became the protector god of the nearby Southern Frontier people —

worshipped generation after generation by the Southern Frontier.

The two cycles reinforced each other, growing ever stronger, until it became a massive snake group; the strongest was the Orchid God, each generation had great demons, occasionally even several heads, living in harmony.

Over time, the servant and the "Orchid God" developed no shallow friendship.

Until this generation, the "Python Mountain God" was extraordinarily gifted, cultivating to a great demon early on; noticed by the Tusi, two hundred years ago they began pouring resources into it.

It was also a complete transformation, preparing to become a River God.

The Tusi and the Great Wu Xin stood on emptiness and mercury: "Troubling the Huai King."

"Each takes what they need; Tusi, Great Wu Xin, which of you two comes first?"

"No rush." The Tusi raised a hand, then turned back, "Raise the array first."

Liang Qian was stunned.

Beside the Tusi, a Grandmaster immediately turned back, threw back his head and shouted loudly; the melodious shouts reverberated through the orchid clusters; in an instant, the heaven-and-earth spiritual mechanism began to flow, began to change!

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