Merit of Serving the Dragon

The moonlight shone brightly in the courtyard.

Liang Qu peeled and ate a crayfish, his thoughts drifting far away.

After all the commotion, it turns out that of the Great Demon kings of the Jiang Huai Great Marsh, Toad a Earth Demon, while the other three Earth Demon.

There are two more sea monsters from out of town.

They've gone not only to other places, but even to foreign countries.

However, one has been settled for three hundred years and the other for five hundred years, so it's not quite appropriate to say they are from other places.

Liang Qu looked up and asked curiously, "Uncle, so you know the Western Pillar Turtle among the Demon Court Four Pillars..."

"I know him. Cang Shou is a member of the Turtle Clan. Because he is a different species, he has a high status, so our relationship is acceptable."

Su Guishan took a sip of cheese and picked up two pieces of smashed cucumber to cleanse his palate. "After the Dragon Lord disappeared, in the entire Jiang Huai Great Marsh, only the western part still had occasional trade with my Da Shun. I played a part in that, so it's not surprising, is it? You know the Toad in the south too, don't you?"

Liang Qu scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

Su Guishan sneered.

"The Treasure Toad a fortune far superior to Cang Shou's."

As Fortune and Prosperity Dark Turtle, Cang Shou held a certain position among the Turtle Clan, and the Old Toad was no less so.

Besides, the night before last, it jumped out of the underground river, insisting that the pond was its territory and trying to drive Cang Shou away. I had no choice but to give it a Treasure Lotus as rent.

"You're even willing to sell your own pond to it to make its nest, I don't believe you haven't communicated with Namjoo."

Liang Qu's toes gripped the ground.

That day, the Old Toad and the Old Turtle were arguing in the pond, and he had foreseen this scene.

But when you're actually exposed to your face, there's still a sense of shame, like having your fig leaf torn off.

However, he concealed this matter not because he was worried about being labeled as a transvestite.

The imperial court is even doing business with the Dragon Lord, what's the big deal? Liang Qu is mainly worried about losing his unique business of Ship Model!

He runs his own small business, using unconventional methods.

The Imperial Shipyard has an abundance of master shipbuilders, capable of operating multiple projects simultaneously. Competition would be fierce, with shipbuilders being ruthlessly eliminated.

Accustomed to delicacies, would Toad look down on simple meals?

"Alright, kid, don't worry. I came uninvited, and I won't go around shouting about it. I was hoping the Old Monk would leak some information to me."

Su Guishan could see that Liang Qu had gained a lot of benefits from the Frog Clan through his methods, but he didn't care.

Who doesn't have their own luck? Back then, I saved the Fortune and Prosperity Dark Turtle, indirectly connecting with the Western Pillar of the Demon Court. By taking advantage of the information gap, I still made a fortune.

Even a tiny bit of meat leaking through the Demon King's fingers is a huge piece of meat! "But I have something to tell you: the imperial court has always wanted to trade with Nanzhu and expand its share. If you can make it happen, it will be a Great Merit!"

Liang Qu nodded.

Su Guishan didn't know whether Liang Qu's nod meant he knew or agreed, and he didn't care.

"The Jiang Huai Great Marsh is Treasure Land of the most precious and spiritual lakes in the world."

Don't be fooled by the fact that there is only one local Demon King and three foreign Demon King at present; in fact, they were far more powerful in the past than they are now.

At its peak, the Jiang Huai Great Marsh boasted six pillars, containing five Huai River Demon King, three native Demon King, and a single sea demon that Reverse Flow upstream. But that was a long time ago.

"Six pillars? Calculating the Dragon Lord?"

"Not counting the Dragon Lord."

Liang Qu clicked his tongue in amazement.

Six Demon King plus the Dragon Lord —how powerful would that be? If that were the case, the Da Shun's attitude would probably be, "How can we allow others to sleep soundly under our own bed?"

Su Guishan sipped the shrimp meat, discarded the shell, and leaned back in his chair.

"Kid, you've asked me so many questions. Now I should ask you, why are you suddenly asking all these questions?"

Liang Qu felt a chill run down his spine and lowered his head to peel the shrimp.

"The kid is curious."

I don't think so.

Su Guishan savored the taste of the peanuts.

"The year the True Dragon disappeared was during a turbulent time when the world was in turmoil. The Da Shun and the Great Qian were locked in a fierce struggle, and no one paid attention to the Great Marsh. Therefore, the exact time is difficult to estimate, but it was roughly eighty to one hundred years ago."

Based on a calculation of Two Jiazi Cycles, the emergence of the new Dragon Lord will occur within the next twenty to forty years.

In reality, two cycles of sixty years is the full estimate. Most of the recorded events did not take 120 years, but were around 110 or 115 years. Taking the middle 90 years, that is, about 25 years to the left and right, we can say that these events occurred around the middle.

Twenty-five years is neither a long nor a short time.

It took me only fourteen years to go from Wolf Smoke to Grandmaster.

In an ordinary family, there is enough room for a newborn child to grow into the pillar of the family.

Zhang Longxiang, hailed as the greatest Martial Saint of the Da Shun, began his cultivation at the age of eighteen, attained the status of Martial Saint at the age of forty, and completed the entire process in just twenty-two years...

Su Guishan said he was thirsty and drank all the cheese he had on hand.

Liang Qu got up and served himself another bowl.

Su Guishan continued.

"At every critical moment, talented people and demons emerge in great numbers. It's not hard to imagine the undercurrents beneath the surface, and how many Great Demon are eyeing the fortuitous opportunity, yearning to transform into dragons."

Whether one strives to become the Dragon Lord or follows the Dragon, both are acts of Great Merit.

Those with the greatest chance are naturally those born with different traits.

Different species, or anomalies.

Apes are supposed to be land animals, but they are actually Water Beast...

Your friend, the White Ape, is probably one of them, isn't he?

Liang Qu sucked on a lobster and scratched his temple with his little finger.

He finally understood the meaning behind Su Guishan's long-winded rambling.

My uncle has a very rich imagination.

Ah, yes, yes, yes.

The White Ape asked me to ask.

Liang Qu's silence led Su Guishan to believe that he had guessed correctly.

He laughed three times, buried his head in peeling shrimp, and offered his advice while eating.

"Your White Ape must be born with superhuman strength and all four limbs intact, so it is quite easy for it to deal with Snake Demon."

However, having not yet reached the realm of Great Demon, it will be difficult for him to compete for that position in the next twenty-five years.

However, it's not entirely without a chance; it's just that until the crucial moment, it's best to remain out of the loop to avoid alerting the Flood Dragon and causing it to target you intentionally.

"If the White Ape ever has a chance to contend with the Flood Dragon and aspire to the throne of the Dragon Lord, with your connection, the court will certainly favor it."

As expected, the Flood Dragon had already figured it out.

Liang Qu sighed inwardly, but outwardly maintained a solemn expression, looking as if he was listening to advice.

"Honest advice is hard to hear, but Uncle is right. I will definitely pass it on to him later."

"Hey, I've revealed a lot of things to you tonight. Even if you're promoted to the Hengshui Envoy, there are still many things you shouldn't know."

Liang Qu said in a serious tone, "It's all because the maternal uncle dotes on his grandnephew."

Su Guishan was in a good mood. "Don't think you can get away with just a few nice words. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Then what do you suggest, Uncle?"

"I won't give you the water plant. After hearing so much, there has to be a price to pay. This will save me the trouble of getting it."

"Ah?"

"What? If you really want it, you can find another opportunity next time, right?"

Liang Qu understood immediately.

Moonlight shone on the green tiles of the courtyard's sloping roof, and a refreshing night breeze gently drifted through the courtyard.

Oolong lay on the ground, found a chicken bone, and started gnawing on it.

The cups and plates were in disarray.

"Aunt Zhang, go back and rest. You can come back to clean up tomorrow morning."

Aunt Zhang, who was halfway through tidying up, put away the rag, glanced at the moonlight, and did not continue.

"Good!"

Liang Qu nodded, returned to his Quiet Room alone, took out paper and pen, and summarized the information he had gained that day.

The aquatic Treasure Plant flew away, but the few pieces of information it brought back were far more valuable.

Draw circles on the paper.

"Flood Dragon, a true dragon... Innate True Spirit... not found in the sea, but a manifestation of water veins?"

Why is it that those who lead the people's sacrificial rites receive Favorability? Because of the incense offerings?

Liang Qu wrote down the two characters for "incense offering" and then thought about it.

Put an X on it.

wrong.

Once the Favorability was obtained, there were never any ups and downs or fluctuations.

If it were truly a matter of incense offerings, it shouldn't be so stable; it should be connected to the lives of ordinary people.

Therefore, it is clear that the Favorability is not bound in this way.

Liang Qu himself also disliked this kind of binding relationship.

Doing good deeds is something I do willingly.

They forced me.

no.

"Is sacrifice a ritual process? Once something is obtained through a ritual process, it belongs to the person and never changes?"

"Is walking on water a kind of river's recognition ceremony, or one of the conditions for becoming a true spirit after birth?"