Chapter 351: The Water Dragon Appears, the Alliance is Formed

Inside the great hall.

A broad‑faced, big‑mouthed, purple‑bearded, blue‑eyed hulking man sat high upon the throne. His eyes flashed with sharp light as he carefully examined Zhuge Bu Liang, who stood in the center of the hall.

If Zhang Xingyu were in the hall now, he would surely shout "Foreigner!".

The strikingly unusual Sun Quan sized up Zhuge Bu Liang, and Zhuge Bu Liang sized up Sun Quan.

Neither spoke, and for a moment the great hall fell into an eerie silence.

"Um, Great King…" Zhou Yu was about to speak to ease the awkward atmosphere, but a shout from outside the hall doors startled him.

Something terrible happened?

What major event occurred? Could it be that Cao Cao's troops have crossed the Yin Spring River?

At that moment, the official rushed into the hall.

"Great King, Great King, something terrible— a Divine Fruit has fallen."

A Divine Fruit fell?

Sun Quan heard this and his thick brows rose.

Who? Who dares to steal our nation's treasure?

Sun Quan sprang to his feet with a thud and roared at the official, "Who? Who stole my treasure?"

The official ducked his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Divine Fruit fell. It was not stolen."

Sun Quan grew even more angry upon hearing it.

He strode to the official and kicked him, "You scoundrel, did it fall or was it stolen?"

"The Divine Fruit fell to the ground, it was not stolen." The official, having taken the kick, dared not breathe.

"Damned it, the words are unclear. It made me think the Divine Fruit was stolen." Sun Quan kicked the official again, then stormed back to his throne.

Seeing the official still kneeling, he roared, "Damned you, why are you still kneeling there? Bring me the Divine Fruit now."

"Great King, calm your anger. The Divine Fruit entered the earth when it met soil. I sent men to dig three feet, yet we did not find it." The official dared not look up.

"Damned!" Sun Quan roared, but did not flare up again.

The Divine Fruit possesses its own spirit: it enters soil, dissolves in water, shatters in metal, withers in wood, and burns in fire.

He glared at the official and ordered, "Scram back, find out why the Divine Fruit fell, or I'll take your head."

"As you command!" the official fled, clutching his head.

Zhang Xingyu rubbed his eyes, glanced at the upright Zhao Yun, then saw the official sprinting away.

The official was so focused on returning to investigate that he didn't even look at them and ran straight off.

Zhang Xingyu patted his little liver. "It's fine, it's fine; I ate the Divine Fruit in a dream, so that official can't find it on me."

Stealing a Divine Fruit in a dream. Who would believe that story?

Zhang Xingyu, bored out of his mind, alternated glancing at the palace and at Zhao Yun.

Inside the great hall, the faint sound of Zhuge Bu Liang debating scholars drifted. Soon, several civil officials, disheveled, clutched their heads and fled like mice.

While running they wailed, "Damned Zhuge Bu Liang, how he twists truth! Too bad our strength is lacking; we're no match for him."

After those officials left, the hall seemed to regain its calm.

After a while, a eunuch emerged from the hall doors, shouting, "The King of Wu commands, General Zhao Yun of Shu, present yourself!"

Zhao Yun, who had been holding a stance, heard the words and immediately lowered his posture. He thrust his long spear into the ground, then strode up the steps.

Zhang Xingyu walked toward the spear and widened his eyes.

The spear penetrated a foot into the earth, and cracks spread around it like spiderwebs.

Zhang Xingyu stood on the ground, hearing a crack crack sound beneath his feet.

It was the sound of rock cracking.

One should know that Chicken‑Crowing Mountain is a massive rock, and the Wu King's palace was built atop it.

Zhao Yun's spear split the stone; his strength was indeed astonishing.

Zhang Xingyu stared blankly at the spear, and the hall rang again with clang clang.

Soon, several warriors, hair disheveled, clutched their heads and fled.

As they left they sighed, "Zhao Zilong of Shu truly reigns supreme; we are nothing compared."

Did Zhao Yun go inside to fight?

Does this Wu‑Shu alliance still require a test of force?

Zhang Xingyu shook his head and sat down to the side.

For such a grand Wu‑Shu alliance, he couldn't help anyway, so he might as well sit under a tree and be a salted fish.

Others fight for life and death; he sits beside them as a salted fish, and that life isn't bad.

Thinking that, he closed his eyes again to rest.

At that moment, a loud shout came from above, "Zhang Xingyu, get up, time to work."

Zhang Xingyu opened his eyes and saw Zhao Yun standing before him, his huge eyes staring like copper bells.

Zhang Xingyu jumped at his gaze.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Xingyu asked.

Zhao Yun, seeming to notice his blunder, apologetically explained, "The commander‑in‑chief orders, Zhang Xingyu, quickly go to the river and catch a Yin‑Yang fish."

Seeing Zhang Xingyu seemed not to understand, the usually taciturn Zhao Yun spoke again, "The Wu‑Shu alliance lacks a divine fish. The King of Wu orders that if Shu presents a divine fish, the pact will be sealed."

"Damn. All this fuss and it still needs a divine fish. So you both were in the hall—one debating scholars, one battling all sides—was that all for nothing?"

Zhang Xingyu stood, his face scornful, and said.

"All this talk, in the end it still comes down to me, Old Zhang, stepping in. When Old Zhang steps in, the fee is steep. I tell you, Brother Zhao Yun, that old fellow Zhuge Bu Liang—did he ever mention what reward he'd give me?"

"Dong!"

His words hadn't finished, and a violent strike hit his head.

At some point, Zhuge Buliang and Zhou Yu also walked out of the great hall.

"No reward, but I have a whip. You stinky brat, go fish right now; you have one hour to catch one. If you fail, see how I deal with you!"

"Oh!"

Zhang Xingyu rubbed his head, stretched his legs, and bolted toward the palace gate.

Zhao Yun chased after him, shouting, "Brother Zhang, fishing needs a rod, fishing needs bait."

Zhang Xingyu heard it clearly ahead. Yet he had no intention of stopping.

I, Zhang Xingyu, don't need a rod to fish.

As for bait, I have plenty inside my body.

The two ran forward and back, out of the palace, across the street, drawing the gazes of passersby.

A patrol of shadow soldiers, seeing this, thought something was wrong and pursued them relentlessly.

Two quarters of an hour later, Zhang Xingyu reached the riverbank, darted onto a small boat moored at the shore.

"Boatman, set off quickly. When I catch the fish, I'll reward you handsomely!"

The boatman looked bewildered.

"Who is this person?"

While he was puzzled, Zhao Yun also caught up from behind.

"Brother Zhang, fishing needs a rod, fishing needs bait."

"No need. When I fish, it's like Jiang Taigong fishing; whoever wishes may take the hook."

"Huh? Who is Jiang Taigong?"

"You wouldn't know even if I explained. In short, I fish without a rod, without bait."

Zhang Xingyu finished speaking and tossed a large black coin, outer square, inner round, to the boatman.

It was a soul coin, the universal currency of this nether realm.

Zhuge Buliang, to show off before Zhang Xingyu, had once given him a full crate.

"Got it! You two hold on tight!" The boatman, after receiving the reward, happily untied the rope and rowed.

The small boat drifted slowly toward the middle of the Shadow Spring River.

The shadow soldiers who reached the shore, seeing they couldn't keep up, brandished their knives and shouted.

"Come back quickly, or you'll see what we'll do."

The boatman's face turned ashen.

Zhang Xingyu, seeing this, urged, "Boatman, row quickly. If you turn back now, I'll surely treat you as a Cao army spy and capture you."

The small boat arrived at the river's center.

Zhang Xingyu had the boatman drop the anchor.

He lifted his robe, untied his belt, and a large yellow dragon shot out.

The dragon surged everywhere, splashing water, the river boiling as if heated.

A few minutes later, a fish two feet long and half a foot wide broke the surface.

The fish was half white, half black—the Yin‑Yang fish, a divine fish of the Shadow Spring River.

"General Zhao, why are you still staring? Hurry and haul the fish!"