Ao Tu's barrage of threats frightened the imperial envoy until his face drained of color. He repeatedly dropped to his knees and kowtowed, promising that he would report everything to his sovereign.
Ao Tu nodded, then prepared to leave.
Seeing that Ao Tu was about to leave, the envoy hurriedly asked, "Lord Dragon God, when can construction of the Great Bridge begin?"
Ao Tu said, "Only when the holy monk from the Tang dynasty arrives."
The envoy said, "But... Lord Dragon God, why must we wait for the Tang monk to arrive before construction can begin?"
Ao Tu said, "Such are the Heavenly Rules. You mortals must not ask further."
The envoy dared not ask about that again, saying only, "Lord Dragon God, do you know when that Tang monk will arrive in our kingdom?"
Ao Tu said, "In a few months. No more than half a year at the latest."
The envoy breathed a sigh of relief at this and said, "Then this humble official will wait here for the Tang monks and make preparations for the bridge once they arrive."
This was the envoy's way of navigating officialdom.
If he returned straight to the Capital now, his sovereign would certainly be displeased to see that he had accomplished nothing. Not only would he earn no credit, but he would also be punished.
Better to wait here for half a year. Once the Tang monks arrived and construction of the Great Bridge began, he could even pick up some credit for nothing.
Ao Tu ignored the envoy and returned straight to the Yellow River.
The envoy settled in a city near Black Water River.
Before long, news of the Dragon King's appearance spread throughout the surrounding area. Merchants came flocking at the news, bribing officials and buying up land