In the farmhouse courtyard, inside the house.
Seeing the Jade Emperor drooling and occasionally grinning foolishly, Zhang Yifan shook his head. He had no idea what this silly son of his was thinking about to keep laughing like an idiot.
But he did not look possessed.
Ignoring the Jade Emperor, Zhang Yifan washed and dried his feet, then carried the basin of foot-washing water outside.
Outside the house, in the courtyard, there was a pond.
Some lotus flowers had been planted in the pond, and some fish were kept there.
At that moment, the Seven Fairies and the Queen Mother were enjoying the moonlight and playing by the pond.
"Elder Sister, look at that fish. Why doesn't it look like a fish at all?" Tianyu, the Seventh Fairy of the Seven Fairies, pointed at a golden fish in the pond.
"Younger Sister, what are you talking about? How could a fish not look like a fish?"
"Exactly. If it isn't a fish, could it be a dragon?"
The fairy princesses chattered away, while the large golden fish in the pond rolled its eyes.
"Look, that fish just rolled its eyes!" the Seventh Fairy pointed at it again.
"Let me see. Which one?"
"That big golden fish."
The golden fish rolled its eyes again.
"Oh my, it really did!"
"Mother, look at that fish! It actually rolled its eyes at us in contempt! Should we slaughter it?" The Seventh Fairy was furious. She had actually been looked down upon by a fish.
The Queen Mother was speechless and followed the direction her seventh daughter was pointing.
At a glance, the Queen Mother narrowed her eyes.
The golden fish seemed unremarkable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was anything but ordinary!
She could not see through the fish's cultivation at all, not even with her Early Quasi-Saint realm cultivation.
Something was strange. Very strange.
The Queen Mother stared at the fish, her mind racing.
Why did this aura feel somewhat familiar?
"Dragon Ancestor!"
Suddenly, the Queen Mother's eyes widened and her pupils constricted as she cried out in shock.
Hearing her, the golden fish could not help rolling its eyes again.
Damn it, could this really be the Dragon Ancestor?
The Queen Mother rubbed her eyes and looked at the golden fish before her in disbelief.
It might actually be true!
Old Ancestor Qilin had become Big Black Dog here, so what was strange about the Dragon Ancestor becoming a fish?
"Senior, are you truly the Dragon Ancestor?" the Queen Mother asked cautiously.
"That's right! It is I." The golden fish raised its head, looking quite smug.
Even after hearing the golden fish confirm it, the Queen Mother was still deeply shocked.
It really was the progenitor of the dragon race—the Dragon Ancestor!
"Wow!"
The fairy princesses cried out in astonishment.
They had already been shocked far too many times today.
First, Old Ancestor Qilin had become Big Black Dog. Then there had been the little Golden Crow bird, followed by food that could increase one's cultivation just by eating it. And now, they had discovered that the Dragon Ancestor lived in their grandfather's pond.
"I never expected this. I thought Dao Ancestor Hongjun had used the Dragon Ancestor to fill the Eye of the East Sea, yet he actually appeared here," the Queen Mother said with emotion.
"Why can't the Eye of the East Sea connect to this pond?" The golden fish rolled its eyes and snapped back.
The Queen Mother was left speechless. The Eye of the East Sea connected here? To this pond?
Even the dignified Queen Mother did not know how to respond for the moment.
"Alright, alright, move aside and make some room. Master will be coming out soon."
Seeing the Queen Mother spacing out, the golden fish grew a little impatient and told them to move aside.
"Why is Grandpa coming out?" the Eldest Fairy asked curiously.
Just then, Zhang Yifan came out carrying the foot-washing water.
"What are you all doing here?" Zhang Yifan asked the women.
"We're admiring the night scenery. The night view at Grandpa's place is still the best," the Seventh Fairy said with a grin.
"The night view here is indeed nice. There's no industrial exhaust pollution, so the stars are especially clear."
Zhang Yifan smiled. As he spoke, he poured the foot-washing water into the pond, then returned to the house.
Industrial exhaust pollution?
What was that?
The Queen Mother and the fairy princesses did not understand.
But the large golden fish did not care about that.
At that moment, its eyes gleamed with golden light! It was so excited that it could barely contain itself.
The instant Zhang Yifan poured out the foot-washing water, it swam through the area where the water fell at high speed. Its huge fish mouth opened and closed rapidly, as if it were eating something.
Just then, the Queen Mother noticed the Dragon Ancestor acting strangely and asked curiously, "Um, Senior, what are you doing?"
"What am I doing? Can't you see that I'm fighting to eat treasure?" The Dragon Ancestor was exceptionally excited. Every night at this time was when he was happiest, most delighted, and most exhilarated.
"Treasure? Where is there any treasure?" The Queen Mother stared strangely into the pond. Where was the treasure? Zhang Yifan had only poured in a basin of foot-washing water.
"Can't you see it? Look at this foot skin, this dead skin—aren't these treasures?" The Dragon Ancestor's eyes shone as he greedily swallowed the bits of foot skin Zhang Yifan had scraped off while washing his feet, practically ecstatic.
"Uh..." Seeing this, the Queen Mother gagged and nearly threw up.
Damn it.
The treasure turned out to be the foot skin and dead skin Zhang Yifan had scraped off while washing his feet.
This was just... damn it!
"Hm?" Hearing the Queen Mother gag, the golden fish—the Dragon Ancestor—turned cold-eyed and deeply displeased.
"My apologies, Senior. I couldn't hold it in. Please continue." The Queen Mother smiled awkwardly and gestured for him to carry on.
"Hmph. I know what you're thinking, but what the hell do you know? Master's foot skin and dead skin contain Great Dao Laws even more complete than those in the food. Swallowing a single piece is equivalent to cultivating for hundreds of thousands of years."
"You think this is a basin of foot-washing water, but to me, this is a gift! It is my supreme glory!"
The Dragon Ancestor shouted proudly.
This was not foot-washing water. This was a blessing bestowed upon him, the Dragon Ancestor!
"Ah!" The Queen Mother was shocked again. The dead skin scraped from Zhang Yifan's feet actually contained Great Dao Laws more complete than the food?
No wonder the Dragon Ancestor had gone so mad!
If it were anyone else, they would probably go mad too.
"Urgh... Grandpa's food is still better," the Seven Fairies said as they too could not help gagging.
That was right!
The Queen Mother shuddered and came back to her senses.
"I'm his daughter-in-law, and I don't lack food. Why am I even thinking about that?" The Queen Mother secretly rejoiced that she was his daughter-in-law rather than some cat, dog, fish, or pet.
Otherwise, she probably would not be much better off than the Dragon Ancestor.
Meanwhile, the golden fish, the Dragon Ancestor, kept rolling its eyes. Cultivators sought the unity of all laws; all paths led to the same destination. Yet they cared about such superficial things. How could they ever achieve great things?
The Queen Mother later told the Jade Emperor everything that had happened by the pond.
When he heard that the Dragon Ancestor was actually in the pond, the Jade Emperor was both shocked and delighted.
He was shocked because his father was so unfathomably powerful, with mighty beings everywhere in his courtyard.
He was delighted because if those mighty beings were in his father's courtyard, then as the young master, could he not command them?
And if he could command them, then... hehehe.
At that thought, the Jade Emperor laughed out loud.
Before you continue