A Most Filial Son

How difficult would it be to resolve the drought plaguing the area around Fengyang?

Zhang Jian reflected that with his own meager cultivation, he was afraid he would find it difficult to accomplish such a thing.

But Zhang Jian immediately thought of the Dragon Pearl in his hand.

He had just obtained several extremely important pieces of information from the Dragon King at the bottom of that well.

First, a deity existed in the Whitewater River.

Second, this Dragon Lord had been trapped by someone, and his current situation looked grim.

Zhang Jian could not help but entertain other thoughts. A dignified Dragon Lord was a deity of a region—why was he a dragon trapped in shallow waters, reduced to such a state?

"The Sword-Locked Flood Dragon Diagram?"

The diagram of waterways winding through the relief carving inside Prince Mian's Tomb surfaced in Zhang Jian's mind.

Since the Whitewater River had a Dragon Lord, when Prince Mian built dikes to restrain the flooding Whitewater River, he surely would have had to confront the Dragon Lord.

"Prince Mian, the Sword-Locked Flood Dragon Diagram—there seems to be a subtle connection between the two..."

In that instant, countless fragmented clues surfaced in Zhang Jian's mind.

As he carefully pondered those fragments, Zhang Jian saw a sliver of hope.

Perhaps this notion that had suddenly arisen in his mind might not fail.

The two figures deep within the well were still envisioning the future. Yet after discussing it back and forth, they still had their concerns. Still, it was clear they already intended to contend for the position of Whitewater River God.

A moment later, a faint voice rang out. "Big Brother, there is actually another way to contend for the position of Whitewater River God."

"You mean?"

That voice instantly turned grave.

The two voices abruptly fell silent.

Zhang Jian had been listening with great interest when it was suddenly cut off at the crucial moment. He immediately frowned, but he had already guessed what the two figures at the bottom of the well meant.

The most direct way to seize a divine office was naturally to kill its current holder.

At the same time, a warning stirred in his heart. Rather than draw closer to the well to continue listening, he instead put on an indifferent air.

Then he turned and left.

Not long after he departed, an invisible flicker of spiritual awareness extended from the depths of the well. Only after finding nothing amiss did it slowly withdraw.

Deep within the well, a thin, elongated figure clad in a dark dragon robe gave a cold snort.

He looked toward another clansman before him, whose scales and horns were imposing, and spoke.

"Second Brother, how could you say such a thing so carelessly? If others learned of it, would that not be inviting disaster?"

Hearing this, the other slender figure glanced around and smiled. "Big Brother, you worry too much. There are only the two of us in this Well Dragon Palace, and we spoke in the language of the dragon race. Even if someone heard us, so what? There are not many people in this world who can understand the true language of us dragons!"

Spiritual energy flowed thickly around this figure as well, while specks of golden light glimmered in the depths of his narrowed eyes.

At this, the Well Dragon King shook his head. "This matter still requires careful consideration."

The other figure merely smiled slightly. He knew his elder brother had been tempted.

Although the Well Dragon King possessed no small authority, and the well connected to the nether realm, serving as a gateway between the worlds of yin and yang, wondrous beyond compare, how could it compare to the status of the Dragon Lord of a great river above ground?

Only by commanding a great river could one seize more incense offerings and fortune.

In the eastern district of Fengyang Commandery stood one of the Zhang family's properties, and Zhang Jian had set up his testing ground there.

Outside the courtyard were piled load after load of gold and silver ingots that had been carried over.

Now that the gold and silver ingots had been bought, Zhang Jian promptly found an opportunity to prepare to worship his ancestors.

Naturally, he had to avoid the eyes and ears of the Qi family.

Otherwise, if word got out, it would inevitably invite criticism.

His image as a most filial son would not hold up.

Burning gold ingots during his maternal grandfather's birthday celebration—if that got out, it would be enough to make him the laughingstock of Fengyang Commandery.

Once the brazier had been set up and a simple ritual performed, Zhang Jian lit the many gold and silver ingots within it. Hanging high in the center of the hall was a portrait.

Under Zhang Jian's gaze, some of the gold and silver ingots in the brazier turned to ash, but nearly one-third of them refused to burn.

That was less than the amount that had ignited during his previous ancestral offering.

But Zhang Jian did not mind. Instead, his eyes brightened. He knew his idea had been correct.

This put him in an excellent mood.

He could still fleece his ancestors for some wool. At the very least, this showed that he would not be nailed to one place, forced to remain rooted there for a long time.

That also removed many of his misgivings.

In his high spirits, Zhang Jian spent most of the following period in this small courtyard.

He focused his attention on his cultivation.

After entering the spirit-nurturing stage, he had gradually become able to cast spells without relying on talisman paper as a medium. This was precisely what required long hours of practice.

Zhang Jian had not forgotten this.

Nor did he dare slack off in the slightest.

During this process, Zhang Jian also took the opportunity to replenish the three types of talismans in his possession that had been nearly exhausted.

At Phoenix Nest Mountain, almost all the accumulation he had built up over half a month had been poured out, and he had used every means at his disposal.

Now, he needed to replenish them.

At the same time, Zhang Jian began using the Dragon Pearl in his hand for cultivation. He had long discovered that this Dragon Pearl was of considerable benefit to cultivating the Thunder-Walking Formula.

It seemed to amplify lightning techniques.

If he used the Dragon Pearl as a medium to circulate the Thunder-Walking Formula, it seemed capable of unleashing several times the power of even more formidable heavenly lightning. However, such heavenly lightning was difficult to control!

Outside Fengyang Commandery

There stood a remarkably mystical temple here.

The Red Flower Goddess Temple.

Enshrined within was a goddess known as the Red Flower Goddess. Legend had it that this goddess had originated from the family shrine of a virtuous woman several centuries ago.

It was exceedingly mystical.

Gradually, more and more common folk from the surrounding area came to burn incense and pray for divine aid.

The air was thick with the scent of burning sandalwood. Pagoda groves covered the ground, and sparks glowed atop bronze cauldrons packed with sandalwood incense, wisps of smoke curling upward.

Beside the temple stood a massive wishing tree, covered in red ribbons and bamboo slips.

Zhan Li had no mind to admire any of this as he hurried in through the doors of the main hall.

"Lay devotee Zhan!"

At the sight of Zhan Li's arrival, several resident Daoist priests in the temple slightly cupped their hands.

When he entered the rear hall, he saw an incomparably beautiful figure seated at a desk, writing with a brush. Numerous sheets of yellow paper lay on the desk, folded again and again into lifelike paper figures.

These paper figures were vivid and lifelike, but their eyes glowed with a faint red light, making them especially eerie.

Meanwhile, beneath the curtain at the center of the rear hall stood an enshrined black statue of an eight-armed goddess. Crimson fire wheels covered her body, and beneath the curtain, she appeared exceptionally solemn and majestic.

Zhan Li first respectfully bowed to the goddess's golden body before lowering his head and walking up to the incomparably beautiful noblewoman.

"Chief Host, this subordinate has failed his mission. I ask the Chief Host to punish me!"

The instant his words fell, a fierce yin wind rushed from the dark temple and merged into Zhan Li's body. His expression immediately changed, the spiritual energy around him violently fluctuating as it suffered a tremendous blow!

Yet he endured the agony of ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart, cold sweat beading across his forehead without uttering a single sound.

He even faintly breathed a sigh of relief within his heart!