Chapter 240: Ao Jin

The Xinjiang Dharma Realm is vast and boundless, somewhat resembling the "Eight-Hundred-Mile Black Water River" described in *Journey to the West*.

In reality, the Xin River is only a few zhang wide, and its deepest point is likely no more than a zhang.

Upon reaching the Dharma Realm, it expands a thousand or ten thousand times over.

If someone's soul wanders there in a dream and arrives at the Xinjiang Dharma Realm, they can see water ghosts of all sizes along the banks—some are eerie, evil children, others are fierce ghosts with sneers on their faces... Once encountered, they will seize the soul.

When shamans and witches call back souls, summon spirits, or negotiate with people, it is mostly related to them.

These water ghosts cause trouble not only in the Dharma Realm but also in the world of the living; some people passing by a bridge take an extra look, meet their eyes, and in a daze, seem to see a giant fish, only to return home that night with a high fever that refuses to break.

Some see a fish on the bank that is listing to one side, half-dead, and try to catch it, but the fish keeps moving further away even though it seems right beside them; once they slip and fall, they are thrown into a panic and are also snatched away by the water ghosts.

However, at this moment, with the master of the Water Mansion clearing the way, these water ghosts dare not cause any trouble and keep their distance.

They just refuse to stop watching the excitement even in death, keeping their eyes fixed on Xu Jia; Xu Jia is unfazed, but Xiaopangdun Hui Zhuo feels somewhat uneasy.

"Are there really this many water ghosts in the Xin River?"

"Don't even mention the Xin River; even the ponds in the villages basically have water ghosts," Yuan Jiangjun sighed. "Water is the Sha of Profound Yin and connects to the You Ming and Huangquan. These water ghosts are extremely fierce; they don't usually respect me, the River Earl, and even when I save drowning people, they prevent them from reincarnating, accumulating resentment instead."

"I have no choice but to recruit some of them to serve as the Water Mansion's household, but the Yin ghost Sha is heavy and turbid, while the Water Mansion is supposed to be clear and spiritual. If this continues, the balance of life and death will be exceeded, and the Xin River will no longer be the mother river that nourishes both banks, but will turn into a ghost river."

Yuan Jiangjun followed the script taught by his wife: "There was another disaster a few days ago, and there are even more water ghost souls. Today, with the Heavenly Master visiting, this little god wishes to ask for a favor to see if we can hold a Dharma assembly or perform a Jiao Ritual to purify the Xin River and transcend these water ghosts who need to snatch substitutes. This little god is willing to offer one dou of gold sand, five hu of pearls, and twelve pieces of various river jade as an offering."

Before Xu Jia could speak, Xiaopangdun's eyes lit up; one dou of gold sand is a full four thousand taels of gold. Even though it is gold sand and not refined pure gold, accounting for loss, it is still over three thousand taels of gold.

Xu Jia, however, knew this was clearly a form of bribery. He became reserved, but since he needs to develop, he does indeed need a large amount of money; having this gold sand sit at the bottom of the river is not as good as taking it out to use. It is just that at Jinsha Creek, Qiu Jinsha and the little loaches pan for gold, and they account for several taels of gold sand daily, which counts as a merit. The Golden Toad is also a professional Wealth God, so this little bit of wealth is not enough to make Xu Jia lose his head.

But since wealth can connect with the divine, Xu Jia's attitude naturally softened: "Transcending water ghosts involves more procedures than ghosts on land. They died by drowning and have nothing to rely on, so they need Paper Boats to rescue them. Paper Boats alone are not enough; they also need Lotus Lamps. In Buddhism, the lotus is the Lotus Platform, which governs rebirth, and in our Taoism, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun also has the ritual of the Green Lotus to transcend and ascend to immortality."

"These are all external objects and possess no Dharma Power; true Dharma Power still requires people to chant scriptures and mantras, hold rituals, and perform sacrifices."

"How many water ghosts are in your river?"

"The entire Xin River is over six hundred li long, and I don't know how many people live along the river. Hundreds of people drown every year, and I don't know how many die in flood years. It's not that every drowning is caused by water ghosts snatching substitutes, but once there is some restraint, the water ghosts actually keep increasing."

"I fear that from ancient times to the present, there are at least eight or ten thousand accumulated water ghosts."

If he lets the water ghosts harm people, they go to reincarnate; if he doesn't let them harm people, the old water ghosts won't leave, and new ones keep coming. Plus, the floods are ruthless, and there are those forced to their deaths or who jump into the river voluntarily; it is truly nothing new.

"There are actually ten thousand water ghosts?" Xu Jia's eyes went dark.

Water ghosts are evil ghosts, and in Taoism, they are as famous as hanging ghosts, headless ghosts, and ghosts of women who died in childbirth.

It is just that water ghosts have great limitations and are considered "Earth-Bound" spirits; those that can become a climate mostly exist in large bodies of water like the Yangtze River, the Huanghe, or Poyang and Dongting.

If one speaks of the place with the most water ghosts, it belongs to Fuxian Lake in Yunnan, where there could be hundreds of thousands or even millions.

"Among these water ghosts, are there any that have become a climate?" Xu Jia inquired.

"Naturally, there are. The Xin River connects to Poyang, and Poyang has been a place of water battles since ancient times. At the bottom of the river, there are several troops of water ghost soldiers, all from the previous dynasty or the one before that, who were defeated in naval battles. Even I cannot restrain them. Fortunately, they cannot leave the river, but at night, when boats pass, one can occasionally see Yin soldiers marching underwater."

"These naval troops number four or five thousand."

Xu Jia nodded, having an idea in his mind. These naval troops can be subdued onto the altar; these soldier souls have gathered Profound Yin Sha at the bottom of the water for a long time, and picking out just one would likely be able to trade a few blows with a minor god like Lue Jue.

However, swallowing them directly into his stomach to refine them with his own True Yin True Yang Precious Medicine as before is not feasible; he fears he would drain himself dry.

The five hundred Yellow Heaven Sect followers sacrificed before were land-based dust, while these are naval troops, which is different; they are even fiercer and can catch tides, chase waves, and stir up trouble.

As the group entered the river, fish took the initiative to form a staircase, spiraling downward step by step, and soon they arrived at the Water Mansion.

The Water Mansion had blue bricks and dark tiles, about two or three stories high, with shimmering light reflecting from above, and fish, shrimp, turtles, and soft-shelled turtles playing around.

Yet, everyone treated the water as air. Once they entered the Water Mansion's perimeter, the central gate swung open, and Guiyu Po Hua Ban Furen led the clam maidens and fish maidens out in a line, their faces beaming with smiles, singing and dancing as they swirled and moved through the water.

It was like an Incense Array of a hundred flowers, having the same effect as the Evergrande dance troupe—beautiful but not seductive, grand and imposing.

"We, the water clan of the Xinjiang Water Mansion, respectfully welcome the Lingbao Heavenly Master to the Water Mansion."

"To have such beauties within the Water Mansion, this must be the General's wife."

Hua Ban Furen laughed: "The Heavenly Master jokes. This little demon is of plain appearance; how could I be called a beauty?"

Xu Jia is an Omniscient Earth Immortal, and upon seeing this Hua Ban Gui Po, he understood many matters of Cause and Effect. Yuan Jiangjun is not skilled in the deduction of heavenly secrets and is not of the orthodox Taoist school, so naturally, he did not know that Xu Jia had learned everything about them the moment he arrived at the Water Mansion.

"This Water Mansion actually possesses a Rao Pearl."

Xu Jia had read countless books while in the underworld and knew of many treasures; this Rao Pearl was among them, a treasure of "abundant production" with the ability to bring favorable weather and bountiful harvests.

It is rumored to be the possession of the Grain God, and the annotations state it is a "treasure that guards the Cave Heaven of a Blessed Land."

What is a treasure that guards the Cave Heaven of a Blessed Land? It is nothing more than a pivot, mobilizing the spiritual energy of mountains and geography to nourish the Blessed Land.

Of the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens of Taoism, the largest, Wangwu Cave Heaven, has a circumference of over twenty thousand li, while the smallest, Jinhua Cave Origin Heaven, has a circumference of only fifty li.

The meaning of circumference is a perimeter of fifty li.

Generally speaking, Blessed Lands and Cave Heavens are hemispherical, conforming to the principle of a round heaven and square earth. Calculating based on this, a circumference of fifty li is equivalent to the area of one and a half Macau islands, which certainly counts as the area of a city.

Blessed Lands are even smaller; some are only as large as a village, equivalent to an estate.

This Rao Pearl is a treasure of a Blessed Land and has the ability to amplify it. This Blessed Land is not an Inner Scene Blessed Land like Xu Jia's, but a natural Blessed Land, a plane relying on mountain and water veins.

Just like Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring," one could call it the Peach Blossom Spring Blessed Land; it is about the size of a village, at most no larger than a town.

This Rao Pearl was left behind by the previous master of the Water Mansion, whom the couple drove out of the Water Mansion and wounded; he is now somewhere healing his injuries.

Treasures of Blessed Lands are generally nurtured by the Blessed Land itself. This Xinjiang Water Mansion is also a type of Blessed Land, but now the Spirit Machine is turbid because the two of them are not good at managing it and have been harvesting the origin of the Rao Pearl for cultivation, cutting off the fortune of the Blessed Land—it is not because there are too many water ghosts or the Sha is turbid.

As everyone knows, Blessed Lands inherently have the ability to purify Sha and regulate mountains and geography.

"These two demons are polite on the surface, but they have already decided to hedge their bets and act as fence-sitters. They previously had a good reputation in Poyang, but that was the result of this Guiyu Po's schemes and management; behind the scenes, they act like bandits and robbers. The original master of the Water Mansion was a True God of Heaven and Earth who focused on combing the water veins, but he invited wolves into his house and was even wounded."

Xu Jia's Omniscience had already discerned this; Yuan Jiangjun was originally a mixed demon, and it was survival of the fittest in Dongting Lake, but this Guiyu Po has a devious mind and is not simple.

However, one judges by actions, not by intentions; unless the victim comes to settle the Cause and Effect, the merit they gain from saving drowning people is enough to keep them securely in their divine positions.

It is just that the original master of the Xinjiang Water Mansion did not lack virtue.

The place of worship for these two demons was originally in Poyang, and they have not yet managed this side; there will still be changes later.

Xu Jia saw through this and felt no desire to threaten them, nor did he feel any anger; he simply lowered his evaluation of the two demons—they are not worth major schemes and can only be used for small gains. They are similar to the likes of Hu Agui, and may not even have the wisdom of Hu Agui.

But Xiaopangdun cannot see this; he has little experience, and seeing the grandeur of the Water Mansion and the beauty of the clam and fish maidens, he felt his heart racing. He thought of the stories of scholars and dragon maidens in novels, and combined with Yuan Jiangjun's offer of one dou of gold sand, it matched the stereotype of the wealthy and imposing Dragon Palace, making him quite excited.

At this time, Guiyu Po arranged to start the banquet, and immediately there was the music of strings and woodwinds, played by water ghosts who knew music, their clothing distinct and clearly spanning different eras.

There were also maidservants arranging bowls and pressing them down, serving at the sides of everyone.

Each person had a table, and on the tables were exquisite ceramic wares, offering up spiritual delicacies from the water.

"This rice is so fragrant!" Xiaopangdun did not recognize the other dishes, but he could certainly taste this rice.

That Guiyu Po smiled and said, "The Daoist does not know, but in this Water Mansion of mine, there is a type of rice planted; the grains are thin and long like silk, called Silver Silk Rice. It is nourished by the Spirit Machine of the Water Mansion and can strengthen the spirit and soul. One mu produces no more than thirty or fifty catties, and last year we gathered less than three hundred catties in total. Two hundred catties of that had to be offered to the Poyang Dragon Palace; it is extremely precious. If the Daoist likes it, you may have fifty catties offered to your Daoist temple every year from now on."

Although the Blessed Field of the Yin Earth can also be used to plant Yin rice, it is only for wandering ghosts and lonely spirits to eat; living people cannot eat it. What is planted in this Blessed Land, however, can nourish cultivation; it is comparable to medicinal pills, and even more gentle.

Xiaopangdun's eyes had originally lit up and he was just about to say something, but Xu Jia said, "Poyang Dragon Palace? What ability does that old Flood Dragon have that can make you pay tribute?"

Yuan Jiangjun sighed and said, "My Xin River flows into Poyang in the land of Xinyu, so it is under his jurisdiction. The Shunji Longwang was imperial-decreed by the court and is the orthodox Poyang local deity. He has the ability of a God Immortal. Although our various Water Mansions are lower in rank, we are not controlled by him; we belong under the jurisdiction of the Water Official Ze Yuan Mansion. It is just that he threatens us; if we do not pay tribute, he will stir up floods, raise troops to crusade, overturn our Water Mansions, and destroy our temples. Our strength is small, so we have no choice but to comply."

"Under the seat of that Shunji Longwang, there are nine princes and six princesses, all of whom have obtained good fortune and cultivated into Earth Immortals..."

Xu Jia was already frowning: "Fifteen Flood Dragons of Earth Immortal rank..."

So prolific?

"The nine princes, the eldest, the Pale Flood Dragon, was born of him and the Huangshan Welcoming Pine, and is cultivating in the land of Wuyuan."

"The second, the Green Flood Dragon, was born of him and an ancient vine, and is cultivating in the land of Pingxiang."

"Originally, in the land of Dexing, there was also a Dragon Palace prince, but the Heavenly Master blocked his birth and suppressed him with a Well... so he did not succeed."

"Just because of this, that Shunji Longwang must view the Heavenly Master as a thorn in his side and a splinter in his palm; the Heavenly Master must be careful."

This Yuan Jiangjun appeared to speak sincerely, but in reality, he had already begun to fan the flames and sow discord.

Xu Jia did not fall for his act: "When the Heavenly Master Xu governed the waters, he destroyed the Poyang Dragon Nest and exterminated over three hundred Flood Dragons and countless water demons. If he had virtue, how could it have come to this? I remember that this old Flood Dragon is the tail-severed little dragon from the Town Dragon Well back then."

"I also wish to make a trip to Poyang to find the well where the Heavenly Master suppressed the dragon back then, which is why I came to the Water Mansion. I heard that you, General, cultivated in Poyang back then and, because you did not submit to this Flood Dragon's rule, you followed the water route to the Xin River. So I came to inquire a little: what is the virtue of this old Flood Dragon? What abilities and Dharma treasures does he have? As for those princes and princesses, there is no need to go into detail."

Yuan Jiangjun was not surprised to hear this; his own background was very difficult to hide, and besides, this was something he had intentionally spread.

Ancients worshipped large turtles and tortoises, believing them to be long-lived and blessed; if they had good deeds and a good reputation, it was very easy to be enfeoffed and become a deity.

"That Shunji Longwang has the cultivation of a God Immortal, but he has not yet cultivated a Dragon Pearl and has not passed the Burning Tail Tribulation, because his tail was already severed by the Heavenly Master Xu." "As for what methods he has, I imagine that whatever methods a True Dragon has, he likely has them too. This little god once saw him moving through the Cloud Sea in Poyang; with one breath, nine water columns connected the sky and the earth, and he has the ability to drive thunder and control lightning."

"In addition, Poyang also trains military officials; although they are all of the shrimp soldier and crab general variety, they are also genuine Human Immortal monsters. It is suspected that they were enlightened by Dragon Qi, which is the ability to command the aquatic tribes."

It was as if nothing had been said at all; did Xu Jia not know that dragons had these abilities?

"By his side, there is also a Wu Li Da Wang, a thousand-year-old black fish spirit. Her cultivation is slightly inferior to the Shunji Longwang, but she once exchanged blows with the 36th generation Dragon Tiger Heavenly Master who had not yet inherited the position of Heavenly Master. They did not determine a winner, and afterwards, she accepted the court's amnesty, became Anji Furen, and governed Poyang together with the Shunji Longwang."

"We know a bit more about the abilities of this Wu Li Da Wang. Previously, this little god had many frictions with her; before she had finished her cultivation, she wanted to swallow this little god. This Wu Li Da Wang has the ability of a Taotie; she eats whatever she needs to replenish herself. She is good at controlling water and has several Dharma treasures: one is a Water-Splitting Thorn, one is a Black Calamity Cable, and one is a Fish Bone Sword."

"The Water-Splitting Thorn is a treasure of the Divine Path and has the ability to split water; it can turn a river into land and can also point at land to make it a river. However, she does not use it often; I imagine that as a treasure of the Divine Path, a monster like her does not have the orthodox method and finds it difficult to manipulate. But now that she has received the court's amnesty, she counts as a local deity; I do not know if she has refined it yet."

"The Black Calamity Cable is a strange thing on Poyang Lake; it is rumored to be a mast cable from a large ship that has become a monster. It has the ability to confuse people's hearts and cause chaos for ships; seeing it is inauspicious. Later, it was refined by her. This cable is strange and inexplicable; when cast out, it is like a giant python, and there are thousands of water ghosts wailing, with Black Qi gloomy and dense; it is extremely vicious."

"The Fish Bone Sword is a flying sword refined from the fish bones in her body, and it is also very powerful; it once clashed with the Xiao Tianshi's Supreme Three-Five Sword for Slashing Evil."

This was said by Guiyu Po, and Yuan Jiangjun kept stroking his bald head in agreement, saying, "The Lady is right."

That Guiyu Po spoke while peeking at Xu Jia's expression.

Xu Jia's expression was naturally as usual and would not be frightened, but Xiaopangdun had already begun to exclaim: "Longhu Mountain is the head of the world's orthodox sects. I have heard of the Supreme Three-Five Sword for Slashing Evil in storybooks; it was bestowed by Taishang Laojun. Can it not even defeat this so-called Wu Li Da Wang?"

Xu Jia said, "The Supreme Three-Five Sword for Slashing Evil is a standard Dharma Sword of the Orthodox One sect. A Heavenly Master, or even someone who is not a Heavenly Master, can cast and refine it according to the standards and rituals. It is made in imitation of the original sword, but one cannot say that her Fish Bone Sword can be compared to the Supreme Three-Five Sword for Slashing Evil."

After speaking, Xu Jia smiled and looked at these two monsters: "This poor Daoist also has swords here. Why don't the two of you appraise them and see how they compare to the Wu Li Da Wang's Fish Bone Sword?"

Then, two of Xu Jia's swords were unsheathed, and immediately there was a dragon's roar. A golden Flood Dragon and a silver Flood Dragon stared like tigers, fixing their gaze on the two monsters, with the murderous intent of "seeing blood upon unsheathing."

Although Yuan Jiangjun was an Earth Immortal, being locked onto by such Immortal swords made his neck feel cold. Guiyu Po was even worse; she was frightened out of her wits, yet she still had to force a smile. Her face was deathly pale, her entire body's Dharma Power was difficult to circulate, and she was almost about to reveal her original form.

Xu Jia said, "These two swords were refined from the essence ore of the gold and silver twin Flood Dragons beneath Dexing. They are the brilliance of the Mother Gold and Silver Essence. This poor Daoist refined them from form into formlessness, and then returned them from formlessness to form. These swords have spirits; one male and one female. They imitate the Supreme Three-Five Sword for Slashing Evil's male and female yin-yang treasure swords. General Yuan, what do you think? How do they compare to that old monster's Fish Bone Sword?"

Yuan Jiangjun swallowed his saliva and looked at Guiyu Po for help. Guiyu Po only felt her whole body tingling and numb; how could she care about Yuan Jiangjun? In her heart, she was already terrified: Does he already know everything? Is he going to kill us?

Although Yuan Jiangjun was also an Earth Immortal, how could he compare to the direct descendant of an orthodox sect's Earth Immortal with a spiritual treasure Heavenly Master? Whether it was the Daoist lineage, the Dharma treasures, or his knowledge.

Where would they have the experience to deal with this? Moreover, Xu Jia was also acting up at the banquet, suddenly and without preparation...

From the conspiracy and calculation to now, there was a faint sense of things going off the rails.

"Naturally, the Heavenly Master's swords are a cut above. How could a fish bone monster sword compare to these two dragon Immortal swords?" Yuan Jiangjun was suspicious and uneasy; these two swords were too restraining to the aquatic tribes, making his heart tremble.

"I beg the Heavenly Master to put away this treasure; the living beings of my Water Mansion cannot withstand it!"

The surrounding clam-maidens had already burrowed into their shells, and the fish-maidens were all slumped on the ground.

The two swords were refined from Flood Dragons and also had dragon might, but when the swords were sacrificed, the Lushan Dragon-Slashing Sword Talisman was used, inviting the sword intent of the Heavenly Master Xu's Dharma Sword.

Therefore, it had a specialized restraining effect on aquatic monsters; of course, this is not to say that it would have no power against other monsters.

This was only the result of one revolution and one refining, one kneading and one returning. If it were nine revolutions and seven returns, that old Poyang dragon would probably be kneeling on the ground begging for mercy, asking not to kill his whole family again.

Xu Jia did not put away the swords, but only said, "These swords have spirits; they do not kill the good, only the evil. The two of you are not evil, so why be alarmed?"

By the time Xu Jia left the Water Mansion again, the two monsters had become much more honest. Xiaopangdun was beside him, head held high and chest puffed out, full of pride.

After seeing Xu Jia off, that Guiyu Po Hua Ban Furen let out a long sigh of relief.

Yuan Jiangjun sighed and said, "This one is not easy to deceive or hoodwink. We have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard this time and offended him..."

"General, this one was only beating us a little; he didn't point anything out in practice, but we did indeed underestimate the Earth Immortal True Person..."

"My Earth Immortal... is an Earth Immortal whose potential is exhausted and cannot go any further. His Earth Immortal is just a step on the path of the Great Dao." Yuan Jiangjun was melancholy: "My five hundred years of Daoist Practice cannot even compare to a human's few years of cultivation... No wonder this world has humans as the leader of all spirits and the masters of heaven and earth..."

The two monsters retreated back to the Water Mansion... they would have to be honest for a while.

Xu Jia took Xiaopangdun and headed back: "Master, that old turtle was polite to us, so why did you suddenly reveal murderous intent just now?"

Xu Jia said, "His Silver Silk Rice can grow three hundred catties; he offers two hundred catties to the old Poyang Flood Dragon and fifty catties to us. Isn't this clearly looking down on us?"

"Ah? Just for this?"

"Otherwise?" Xu Jia said, "Having two hearts, having partiality, a heart that is not pure, and loyalty that is not absolute, is absolute disloyalty. He pays tribute to the old Poyang Flood Dragon and is so unwilling; if he pays tribute to us, do you think he is willing?"

"It was just a pretense." Xu Jia said, "You don't know the power of a soft knife. If you are fooled by them, there will be many troublesome things in the future. Throw one punch to avoid a hundred punches. Showing the sword today to capture the spirit and seize the soul is to let them know that you and I are not easy to provoke or bully."

"But what if they run away?"

"If they run, they run; what is there to regret?" Xu Jia knocked him on the head. "You were only focused on eating just now. You had better learn properly, otherwise, how will you be a pillar of the Demon Affairs Office in the future? Among these demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits, some use force, and some use their brains. You have neither force nor brains; you might as well go home and farm."

Xiaopangdun was knocked three times, his Soul returning to his body, and he woke up in a start: "I don't want to go home and farm!"

On the other side, Xu Jia left the Water Mansion and was about to return to his physical body when he heard a call: "Master Heavenly Master, Master Heavenly Master!"

Xu Jia followed the sound and saw a pool at the corner of the mountain. In the pool was a fish, a carp with a green back and a golden belly, about three feet long, chubby, looking like a koi.

He saw it transform into the appearance of a child, about seven or eight years old, with a sorrowful expression.

"Who are you?"

"Master Heavenly Master, I am the former owner of the Xin River Water Mansion, whose ancestral foundation was seized by that evil demon."

"Then why do you seek me out? Did you not see that when I entered and exited the Water Mansion, I was welcomed and seen off by those two demons?"

"Master Heavenly Master, this little god has inquired these past few days. You have a compassionate heart and possess thunderous methods. I know you are not that kind of person, which is why I have come to beg for your help."

"These two demons occupy the Water Mansion and do not know how to dredge it. The water condition is gradually turning from good water to evil water."

"What is good water, and what is evil water?" Xu Jia asked. "I have only heard that the highest good is like water."

The child said: "This comes from the water virtue orthodoxy of the Cave Abyss Great Emperor, which expounds on the five goods and five evils of water, corresponding to the Virtuous Deity and even the Fierce God and evil spirits."

"When water quality is clear and spiritual, it has the function of moistening and nourishing living beings."

"When water quality is turbid and evil, it easily generates Evil Qi, evil, and harms people's lives."

"These two demons occupy the Water Mansion but only intercept the creation of heaven and earth to benefit their own cultivation. They are selfish and do not know the principle of long-term circulation."

"If this continues, the Water Mansion will collapse and turn evil. This Xin River will no longer be able to irrigate the farmland on both banks, and the local vitality will be deficient. I fear it will be hard to keep the name of 'Abundance'."

"What is your background?"

"My name is Ao Jin. It is shameful to say, but I was originally a dragon carp in the Immortal Pond of the Sejie Tian palace. Because my father leaped over the Dragon Gate, I ascended to heaven like a chicken or dog. I chose a place in the Desire Realm, opened up a Blessed Land and Cave Heaven, cultivated the Innate Divine Dao, and accumulated Merit..."

"Since you have a background from Shangjie, how could you still have your foundation seized by him?"

Ao Jin sighed: "In the palace Immortal Pond, I was carefree, but I did not learn any superior methods. Although my father leaped over the Dragon Gate, he did not have a fief or title. He also went to manage the lower realm, and besides, my father has many offspring, so I am not considered the most important..."

So it was a pet from the lower realm, but not a pet of any famous person; it belonged to the category of public ornamental pets.

"Are you asking me to help you take back the Water Mansion foundation?"

"Master Heavenly Master, I do not dare to hope for that. I only need the Rao Pearl to be recovered. Otherwise, if they continue to absorb the origin and intercept the creation like this, it is the common people on both banks of the Xin River who will suffer."

Xu Jia looked at this child carefully, and his heart stirred: "Are you willing to come back with me first, or continue to lie dormant in this pool?"

Ao Jin heard this and was inexplicably Joyous: "Is Master going to take me as a child attendant?"

In Shangjie, masters often enlighten carp, cranes, and spiritual turtles to be child attendants. Firstly, it saves trouble; secondly, they live long; and thirdly, they are considered diligent and simple.

Xu Jia nodded: "You do indeed have some Merit of heaven and earth on you, but I have no Cause and Effect with those two demons. It is you yourself who are suited to go back and take back the foundation."

"This is a case of 'the one who tied the bell must untie it'."

Ao Jin's eyes lit up: "This disciple is willing."

Xu Jia nodded: "That Yuan Jiangjun has the cultivation of an Earth Immortal. What rank are you in the Divine Path?"

"In the Sejie Tian, I am considered a Ninth-Rank Water God, but I have no fief and belong to those without a foundation. Otherwise, I would not have come to the lower realm."

"If I teach you water techniques, can you defeat Yuan Jiangjun?"

"Yuan Jiangjun is an Earth Immortal of the Desire Realm, equivalent to an Eighth-Rank Water God. I cannot defeat him unless I can take back the Rao Pearl."

Xu Jia himself is also an Eighth-Rank official, but he was curious: "Is our Earth Immortal cultivation only equivalent to the Eighth Rank when it reaches the Sejie Tian?"

"The levels of the Desire Realm and the Form Realm are different. Those who ascend, the God Immortal and Yang Spirit, can only be considered Seventh Rank. Even cultivating to a Heavenly Immortal is only Sixth or Fifth Rank. An Earth Immortal is only considered ordinary in the Form Realm."

"Then your father, who leaped over the Dragon Gate, what rank is he?"

"Actually, he is only Seventh Rank," Ao Jin sighed. "But he has no fief; otherwise, he could also manage the water of a prefecture and several counties in the Form Realm."

(End of this chapter)