Suddenly, the Dragon Girl grabbed Nezha's wrist, her eyes sparkling with excitement. " Nezha! I'll take you to the Dragon Palace! There's a coral corridor that glows, and a seashell screen that plays music. It's so much fun!"
Nezha ( Huo Yuhao ) had a sudden thought, realizing this was the perfect opportunity to investigate the Dragon Palace's true strength. He lightly touched his brow with his fingertip, and a pale golden incantation appeared on his forehead, instantly creating a water-like barrier around him—he had cast a spell ( Water Avoidance Art or...).
The Dragon Girl led him into the waves, completely unaware of the scrutiny in the boy's eyes. Passing through the seaweed forest glowing with a fluorescent blue light, the majestic Crystal Palace slowly unfolded before them.
The palace walls, built of coral, shimmered with light. Attendants carried luminous pearls as they moved among them, and the melodious sound of chime bells drifted from afar. On the surface, Nezha marveled at the magnificence of the Dragon Palace, but secretly he took in the deployment of guards and the layout of the protective barriers.
As the moonlight climbed to its zenith, the Dragon Girl reluctantly sent Nezha back to the shore.
The tide gently licked their ankles.
Nezha said, " Dragon Girl, thank you for today. I'm really happy to be your friend."
The Dragon Girl smiled slightly and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nezha." She suddenly pulled a crystal-clear conch shell from her sleeve, its surface Entanglement with silvery patterns. " Nezha," she said, "If you want to play with me in the future, just blow this conch shell. No matter where I am in the East Sea, I'll come immediately!"
Really? If I blow this conch shell, will you appear?
Nezha took the conch shell, and as his fingertips touched the lingering warmth on its surface, a strange tenderness welled up in his heart.
"Of course!" The Dragon Girl nodded vigorously, the pearl tassels in her hair swaying. "As long as you blow it, even if Father makes me drink bitter medicine, I'll sneak out!" She waved her little hand, drawing a graceful arc on the waves as she walked away. "I have to go back now, otherwise Father will punish me by making me copy the ' Canon of Clouds and Rain ' again! Goodbye, Nezha!"
Watching the Dragon Girl's figure gradually disappear, Nezha whispered, "I will miss you." The sea breeze lifted his clothes, and the conch shell in his hand suddenly emitted a faint hum, as if in response to his words.
"No..." He suddenly snapped back to reality, shaking his head to try and dispel the inexplicable emotion. "How could I... (Am I getting too caught up in the role?)" But recalling the Dragon Girl's innocent and carefree smile, and the purity in her eyes when she talked about "friends," he involuntarily tightened his grip on the conch shell.
"She's different from those Dragon Clan who wreak havoc on the human world..." he murmured to himself, gazing at the shimmering sea, " Dragon Girl, I hope you truly can be the key to rewriting destiny..."
As night deepened, Nezha carefully put the conch shell away from his body, then turned and stepped into the night of Chentang Pass. The rhythm of the conch shell resonating with his heartbeat quietly spread through his chest.
The next morning, before the morning mist had even dissipated, the roar of the Sea-Patrolling Yaksha shattered the tranquility of Chentang Pass like thunder. This monster, covered in blue scales, stood on a boulder on the riverbank, its iron fork stirring up a foul wind, while behind it, surging, turbid waves crashed against the embankment, the splashing water shimmering with an eerie blackish-purple hue.
"Listen up, everyone in Chentang Pass!" The Yaksha shrieked in a voice as loud as a broken gong, the sound shaking the grass and trees on the shore. "My king has said, no pigs, sheep, fruits, or anything else! Want good weather and abundant harvests? Quickly offer up young boys and girls! Any delay—"
It grinned, revealing sharp fangs, and shouted, "Not a drop of rain falls in Chentang Pass! Not a drop!" The last four words, imbued with demonic power, exploded into a ten-foot-high column of water on the river, startling countless crows into flight.
Meanwhile, in the study of the Li family mansion, sandalwood incense filled the air as Li Jing was reviewing official documents. Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps outside the door, and the steward stumbled in, his official robes stained with mud and his face drained of color. "Master! Something terrible has happened! The Sea-Patrolling Yaksha is saying by the river that he demands young boys and girls be sacrificed to the Dragon King, otherwise..." Before he could finish speaking, his teacup fell to the ground with a "clatter," shards of porcelain and hot tea splashing onto the blue bricks.
Li Jing's eyes were filled with shock and hesitation. He was struck dumb and muttered to himself, "What? Young boys and girls? This... how can this be!" The faces of the people of Chentang Pass appeared before his eyes.
If he didn't agree to the Dragon King's request, Chentang Pass would be plunged into drought, and the people would suffer from hunger and thirst; but if he agreed, those precious lives would be tragically lost. The inner struggle surged within him like a raging torrent.
A deathly silence fell over the study. After a long while, Li Jing slowly closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing laboredly. When he opened them again, the former majesty was gone. He said with a heavy heart, "Send the order: immediately conduct a survey of all eligible children in the city... This is a matter of righteousness... a matter of righteousness indeed..."
After much deliberation, I decided to sacrifice my own interests for the greater good, even at the cost of a few children's lives, to ensure favorable weather and abundant harvests for Chentang Pass. So be it, so be it; this is the only option left now.
Upon hearing this, the butler, though showing reluctance, could only helplessly retreat to convey this heartbreaking instruction.
Nezha ( Huo Yuhao ) had just left the Li residence when he was suddenly stopped by cries coming from the street. Around the corner, several villagers were gathered together, all of them looking haggard with red and swollen eyes.
Nezha went ahead to investigate and finally understood what was going on.
"Young master, you don't know this, but the Dragon King wants to offer young boys and girls as tribute, and my child has been chosen!"
A woman sat on the ground, her hair disheveled, her coarse cloth clothes still stained with tears from the previous night. "My son Afu, is only four years old!" The old man beside her was hunched over, clutching a half-eaten cornbread in his hand—the breakfast he had saved for his child, which would never be given to the little guy again.
"My child is only two years old..." Another mother trembled as she pulled out a rag doll, the faded embroidery thread dangling between her fingers, "She can't even walk steadily, how could she..." Before she could finish speaking, she choked up and couldn't say anything more, only tears streaming down her face and falling onto the rag doll's crooked face.
The cries of anguish, rising and falling, struck the hearts of the crowd like heavy hammer blows. Some beat their chests in despair, some covered their faces and wept, and an old man slumped to the ground, muttering in despair, "God, what terrible things have happened!" The pancake stalls on the street were deserted, the rising steam carrying endless sorrow.
Nezha crouched down and gently helped the woman up. His hands were warm and firm, and his gaze swept over the despairing faces of the crowd. "What parents would bear to send their child to their death? Don't worry, I will definitely save your child!" Beneath his white sleeves, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
As he turned to leave, his steps grew heavier. The conch shell the Dragon Girl had given him yesterday flashed through his mind, and the girl's cheerful laughter seemed to still echo in his ears. "Shall we begin after all...?"
He looked up at the sky filled with rolling dark clouds, the sea breeze carrying a salty, fishy smell. "I haven't had a chance to tell the Dragon Girl about this yet..." His fingertips unconsciously caressed the conch shell in his arms, but the cold touch could not calm the anxiety in his heart.
However, this couldn't hide the anger in his heart, "Damn Dragon King."
Under the blazing sun, a suffocating atmosphere permeated the Nine Bends Bay of Chentang Pass. Nezha ( Huo Yuhao ) had beads of sweat on his hair, his robes fluttering in the sea breeze, and he ran wildly towards the bay as if the wind were blowing through his feet.
His gaze was fixed on the surging waves, and he prayed incessantly, "I must make it!"
When he finally reached the shore, the sight before him made his pupils shrink. In the murky seawater, shrimp soldiers and crab generals were dragging crying children down to the seabed, and several tiger-head hats that had been torn off floated in the salty waves.
Three children remained, slumped on the rocks, their innocent faces filled with fear. One of the girls had a bloody gash on her arm from the Yaksha's steel fork, and drops of crimson blood dripped onto the rocks, resembling blooming red plum blossoms.
"Oh no!" Nezha's roar shook the sand and stones on the shore. "Hey you monster over there, put the children down!"
The yaksha turned around, its scales gleaming with a bluish-green light in the sunlight. It let out a piercing, eerie laugh, " The Dragon Palace's rules are one of no return! Little brat, you've got the path to heaven but not the gate to hell. The Dragon King is craving young boys' flesh; one more like you is just what he needs!"
With that, it suddenly swung its steel fork, the cold light of its tip aimed straight at Nezha's throat, "Come back with me obediently, and you might at least have a whole corpse!"
These insulting words instantly ignited Nezha's anger. His eyes suddenly flashed with golden-red light. "You're asking for death!" With a roar, he flipped his wrist, and the Universe Ring shot out from the bracelet. It instantly grew larger, like a small mountain, and smashed towards the Yaksha.
With a deafening roar, a column of water dozens of feet high exploded from the sea surface. The Yaksha didn't even have time to scream before it was slammed into the seabed by the Universe Ring, its bluish-gray scales churning in the waves with blood. The shrimp soldiers and crab generals on the shore were terrified and scattered in all directions.
Meanwhile, inside the magnificent Dragon Palace, Dragon King Ao Guang was irritably pounding the armrest of his throne. "Why is this yaksha so slow? He can't even handle a few children!"
Before the words were even finished, a shrimp soldier tumbled in, his antennae trembling so badly they almost fell off. "Your Majesty! The Sea-Patrolling Yaksha... was killed by the children on the shore!"
"What?!" Ao Guang abruptly stood up, causing the dragon throne to collapse with a crash. Blinding lightning erupted from the dragon horns on his head, and the entire Dragon Palace trembled violently. "A mere child killed a yaksha? What a piece of trash! Guards! Seize that wretch immediately! I will skin him alive and devour his flesh!"