A Quarter of an Hour

Crown Prince Liu Qian rode his horse onward, and the guards along the way were practically non-existent.

There were five checkpoints set up to block the way, and various fences were used as temporary barriers, preventing many people from entering.

If Zhang Xuezhou had come on horseback, he would have faced just as many troubles.

Following Prince Liu Qian, Zhang Xuezhou arrived at the construction site of the Huai River project an hour later.

His gaze swept around, searching for anyone from the Lady Yourong or Zhang Household Village.

"Little Qianqian, I heard you found a treasure of Lord Dongfang, let me use it!"

When a thunderous shout came from a hundred meters away, Zhang Xuezhou saw Crown Prince Liu Qian hurriedly fall from his horse.

"I'm not a child anymore, Brother Shi, please don't hug me... Oh dear!"

Liu Qian fell from his horse in just a few seconds, and was then embraced by a man as tall and strong as a brown bear.

The sound of bones cracking rang out, and Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but gasp slightly, realizing that Liu Qian was most likely unable to enter the underwater palace.

"Liu Fei, you're so old, how can you bully a child like this!"

The King of Huainan, who rushed over from behind, spoke with a hint of anger.

His advisors, bound by protocol, dared not make a move, while the King of Huainan pointed his sword at the King of Jiangdu's waist.

Liu Qian was only released when the King of Jiangdu cried out in pain.

"Li Shang, come quickly and check my bones! I feel like I can't use my strength here!"

Crown Prince Liu Qian opened his mouth. He was the son of the King of Huainan, and the person in front of him was a prince, even a king of great bravery.

He was beaten for nothing, and Liu Qian didn't want to seek justice; he just wanted to get treated as soon as possible.

"You're so reckless..."

"A sword's bone is forged through countless trials, but Xiao Qianqian's sword bone is too strong and easily broken. If she fails to kill someone in a sword fight, she will surely be killed in return, and it will be difficult for it to grow back!"

The King of Huainan was about to rebuke the King of Jiangdu, but when the King of Jiangdu spoke seriously, he let out a cold breath.

The opponent excels in physical combat and has a much greater perception of the human body than a swordsman like the King of Huainan.

Despite his recklessness, the King of Jiangdu disliked formalities and always said what he meant.

The King of Huainan should be wary of such a judgment from the other party, lest his son become as overly rigid and easily broken as the other party described.

"You unfilial son, why aren't you building walls in the city? What are you doing here?"

The King of Huainan originally intended to scold the King of Jiangdu, but instead turned his anger towards Crown Prince Liu Qian.

"Father, Dongfang Bubai has woken up! He has a magical Law Treasure that allows him to burrow underground as long as he can hold his breath, leading to that underwater palace." Liu Qian, eager for credit, said, "Your humble servant is willing to lead the vanguard in and take a look."

"He seemed to have mentioned this ten days ago?" asked the King of Huainan.

"The ground was too thick back then, and it took a quarter of an hour to get in. Now it doesn't take that long, so many people should be able to get in now," Liu Qian replied.

"Ah!"

The King of Huainan nodded perfunctorily, then turned to look at Zhang Xuezhou, whose fate was 'all for naught'.

"Can you really hold your breath underwater for a quarter of an hour?" the King of Huainan asked.

"I can barely hold it in," Zhang Xuezhou said politely.

"Come, bring a basin of water and hold Dongfang Shuo's head underwater for a quarter of an hour," said the King of Huainan.

"..."

"Lying is not tolerated here," said the King of King of Huainan. "If you die before you can endure it, you have no one to blame but yourself. If you truly have that ability, I will reward you with a thousand pieces of gold!"

"Tch, you dare to offer a reward of a thousand taels of gold?" King Jiangdu grumbled. "Don't we reward our servants with ten thousand taels of gold when they risk their lives? Why is your reward a whole level lower?"

"Then ten thousand gold pieces!"

The King of Huainan pointed at the King of Jiangdu and had no choice but to change his words.

He glanced at Zhang Xuezhou again, only to see that Zhang Xuezhou's head had already plunged into the wooden bucket filled with water, his entire head submerged inside.

"Tian You, go prepare ten thousand taels of gold. Qian'er, what kind of treasure is that again?"

Zhang Xuezhou readily crawled into the bucket, which shows he's quite capable.

The King of Huainan was eighty percent certain that Zhang Xuezhou would succeed. He had only casually given the idea, but after the Prince of Jiangdu commented on it, he ended up giving away ten thousand taels of gold.

But he wasn't upset, after all, Huainan might not have much else, but it certainly had a lot of money.

The King of Huainan completely ignored the step of waiting for Zhang Xuezhou to hold his breath to verify his actions, and instead had Liu Qian explain.

"Father, that's a Law Treasure hairy thing. Dongfang Bubai said that as long as you put the hair close to your body and lie on the ground, you can slowly crawl inside," Liu Qian explained.

Where's Bao?

"Here it is, look at this hair!"

"Good fur!"

Liu Qian pulled out a long, yellowish-brown feather from his person. After the King of Huainan grabbed it in his hand, he couldn't help but let out a cold breath.

His knowledge far surpassed Liu Qian's, and he also recognized Chang Yu.

There are few demon kings in the world who are good at flying, and even fewer whose feathers can be transformed into treasures; each one of them is a top-tier demon.

"Your feathers..."

He was about to ask Zhang Xuezhou how he got his hands on those demonic feathers, but after looking at the other's head submerged in the bucket of water, he gave up on asking.

"This item possesses Demon Power, but it is not suitable for cultivators above the Divine Ability Realm," said the King of King of Huainan. "Those below the Divine Ability Realm may use this feather to descend to the ground and enter!"

"Father, I am only below the Divine Ability Realm. I have come to the earth to investigate the Water Palace!"

The rules below the Divine Ability Realm are not a problem; 99% of cultivators in the world dabble in the area below the Divine Ability Realm.

Crown Prince Liu Qian was still far from reaching that level. He looked around at the powerful guest advisors, then at the King of Jiangdu and the people he had brought, and realized that among them, he was the weakest in cultivation and therefore the most suitable to use the feather Law Treasure.

"What's with all this talk about falling to the ground? I might as well just dig a hole and crawl in," King Jiangdu complained.

"King Jiangdu, don't act rashly! Hey... Erudite Dong, you should advise him. Drilling holes in the dike like this will cause it to collapse, and that would lead to a flood, which would be a huge problem!"

"Go find me a few good swimmers, those who can hold their breath for fifteen minutes. Anyone who can do this job will be richly rewarded!"

After some back and forth, the King of Huainan ordered the recruitment of people.

Anyone below the Divine Ability Realm who can normally use treasures and hold their breath can be used for testing.

In this matter, many of the accompanying retainers did not meet the rules for using demonic treasures, King of Huainan did not want his son to be the first to go.

If someone can verify the matter of the Water Mansion, it will at least serve as evidence for Zhang Xuezhou's statement, allowing everyone to work with peace of mind and wait patiently.

After giving his orders, several soldiers went around calling for people.

There are many people with deep breathing skills along the Huai River; even without cultivation, these people have the ability to hold their breath for a long time.

For some practitioners, holding their breath for a long time is not difficult.

The recruitment process didn't take long; in just a short time, four more qualified candidates had appeared before the King of Huainan.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Wang Deli, and I have always made a living by fishing in the river. Swimming is not a problem for me. Recently, while repairing the river embankment, I went into the water several times and held my breath underwater for extended periods!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty! I am Gao Yaocai, and I have been skilled in swimming since childhood!"

"Your Majesty, I am Zhang Changgong, a commoner who has mastered underwater magic and can hold my breath. I am willing to serve Your Majesty to the death, but I beg Your Majesty to grant me my freedom!"

"Your Majesty, this Lady Yourong holding her breath. I beg Your Majesty's mercy!"

When recruiting soldiers, many inquiries were made to people near the Huai River camp.

Those who came to the camp at this time were either rich or noble, or top-ranking guest elders, and many of them had extremely high cultivation levels.

Then there were those with quick wit who knew that even if they entered the water palace first, the benefits would go to the King of Huainan, and they might even be suspected of hoarding secrets, so they were unwilling to take the risk.

The matter was relayed through various levels of bureaucracy, eventually ending up in the hands of those at the bottom.

Several voices rang out, and familiar names and voices entered his ears. Zhang Xuezhou, who was holding his breath in the bucket, almost lifted his head up by the bucket.