Ao Tu accepted the task of delivering the elixir, bade farewell to Gold Horn and Silver Horn, and left Tushita Palace with Little Alligator Dragon.
The two arrived at Douniu Palace. Ao Tu went around the guards outside and walked straight in.
Beyond the outer halls, he saw two star lords standing together in a pavilion, arranging two star charts.
These two were Dou Muxie and Niu Jinniu of the Northern Black Tortoise Seven Mansions.
Ao Tu looked closely. One chart depicted the ancient Southern Dipper and the Seven Killings Star Cluster under its jurisdiction, numbering sixteen thousand stars in all; the other depicted the present Southern Dipper and Seven Killings Star Cluster, numbering five thousand four hundred stars in all.
Times had changed, and many stars had shifted position.
The two star lords were comparing the charts, using the ancient arrangement to examine the present.
After watching for a while, Ao Tu reached out and pointed out several stars that had changed positions.
Following his finger, the two star lords smiled. "Exactly! Exactly! These stars..."
Suddenly, they came to their senses and turned to see Ao Tu.
"Great King, how did you find the time to come here?" they asked in surprise.
Following behind, Little Alligator Dragon could not help looking at Ao Tu when he heard this address, his eyes full of bewilderment. Was this what his fifth brother had meant by having a few connections?
Ao Tu smiled. "Here in the Heavenly Realm, there's no need to call me Great King. I came to ask for your help."
Ao Tu then explained why he had come.
Hearing this, the two hurriedly invited Ao Tu and Little Alligator Dragon inside, into the inner hall.
There, they saw many more star lords, including Taibai Jinxing and the Taiyin Star