After leaving his father, Chu Hang kept thinking about the matter, and did not stop even after sitting down in his own study.
The old Dragon King was gone, but if the new Dragon King knew about the past, he could still come looking for trouble!
After three years of diligent study, Chu Hang had taken the imperial examinations last year. As usual, he had failed to make the list.
Although somewhat disappointed, Chu Hang had not taken too great a blow. Great Yong had countless gifted scholars who worked hard year after year. He had only applied himself for three years, so failing was perfectly normal.
The friends who had once agreed to take the examinations together had all failed without exception, and they had promised to meet again another day.
More than a year had passed in the blink of an eye. During that year, Chu Hang had neither shut himself indoors to study as he had during the previous three years, nor devoted himself solely to amusement as he once had. Instead, he had found a balance.
He remained true to himself while holding fast to his desire to learn. His travels had become a genuine pursuit of learning: admiring the beauty of mountains and rivers, observing local customs, and keeping up with his studies, weaving everything into his own literary gifts.
After more than a year, the essays alone that he brought home formed a thick stack.
Yet Chu Hang had never expected that, so soon after returning home this time, he would hear his mother mention his father's dreams of visiting the lake bottom.
If they were merely dreams, that would be one thing. Even if the Dragon King in the lake really had sought his father's help, it might well have been a good