Gaoyou Water Mansion

"I almost drowned in the river before, Master, you'd better keep a close eye on me this time, lest I cause any trouble!"

Zhang Xuezhou did indeed have a connection with water; he had almost drowned in the river near Shu County in the past.

Now, sailing on the water again, time will slowly travel to another world.

He had to inform him in advance so that Dong Zhongshu wouldn't overlook him.

Of course, besides Dong Zhongshu, Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong were also by Zhang Xuezhou's side.

Zhang Xuezhou was relatively at ease about the safety of staying in the inn, but he was also quite worried that Zhang Xuezhou Dong Zhongshu and others might cause trouble for the Water Mansion.

Moreover, this is not just a matter for him alone; it also involves the safety of the Lady Yourong and others.

"We are only conducting reconnaissance and will not clash with them," Dong Zhongshu said. "Even if a battle were to break out, it would be the Prince of Jiangdu who would lead the charge, and you would not be affected!"

The large ship from Jiangdu drifted downstream along the Yangtze River and then sailed towards the large lake in Gaoyou.

According to Gongsun Hong's message, a water palace may exist deep within the Great Lake of Gaoyou.

This is a body of water under the jurisdiction of a blue-backed dragon.

In the hundreds of years since the Immortal Court disappeared, the Dragon Kings, who were skilled at controlling clouds and rain, have become extremely rare beings, and they have never appeared even when people prayed for rain.

The Dragon King did not respond, and practices involving human sacrifice and other evils were significantly reduced.

This was arguably the only benefit the Dragon Kings received for not demanding sacrifices.

After Dong Zhongshu finished providing the guarantee, he had a private discussion with Gongsun Hong.

Among this group, Dong Zhongshu was responsible for communication and liaison, Gongsun Hong was responsible for providing information, and Zhang Xuezhou was responsible for 'discovering' the Water Mansion.

Regardless of whether Dong Zhongshu or Gongsun Hong discovered the Water Mansion, those who had already distributed the benefits would attribute the discovery to Zhang Xuezhou.

The advantage of this pretext is that one can receive 100,000 gold coins as a reward from the King of Jiangdu, but the disadvantage is that it will provoke the hostility of the aquatic tribes.

Gongsun Hong naturally did not want to provoke such hostility, and Dong Zhongshu wanted to develop in Jiangdu in the future, so he did not want to get involved in any trouble. Zhang Xuezhou had a greater need for money recently.

Providing substantial financial assistance to the people of Zhang Household Village, who are unfamiliar with the area Chang'an City, would be a good idea if they wanted to improve their lives.

There's probably no easier way to acquire wealth than through a generous reward from a vassal king, so it's not surprising that Zhang Xuezhou was willing to get involved, even to the point of taking the blame.

"That dragon is called Ao Qing, Ao Qing..."

Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong discussed in whispers, while the two of them also kept imitating the dragon language.

The way to find the Living Water Palace is very simple: just keep calling the name of the Water Dragon King around the water area.

The names of dragons are very special; each dragon's name is unique and they are mostly circulated within the dragon clan and among allied forces.

Those who can correctly call out the name are either of their own kind or friendly forces that are seeking them out.

Ao Qing might emerge to investigate upon hearing a name, and the others would then be able to determine the other person's location based on this information.

First, determine the approximate location, then seek out the item to break through the illusion of the Water Palace, and finally, King Jiangdu rushes into the Water Palace.

The whole process can be simply divided into three steps, and everyone is proceeding step by step.

Before long, Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong would occasionally start shouting in strange tones.

"We're just there to add to the show. You don't have to do any work. Just eat and drink on the boat all day, and follow Master Dong. If you encounter any danger, just run ashore!"

While Dong Zhongshu and others worked on the boat, Zhang Xuezhou kept giving Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong instructions.

The Lady Yourong had seen some of the world, while Zhang Changgong had only circled around the gates of a small sect, pleading for two days without success before being captured and forced to mine and forge iron. His knowledge and experience were extremely limited.

Zhang Xuezhou had previously felt that cooperating with Zhang Changgong in the Huaihe River Water Mansion was somewhat difficult, so he made the opponent fall into a coma to pass the test.

At this time, he entrusted more of his Lady Yourong.

This involves his twelve days back in the real world.

He hoped people wouldn't think of him as dead.

For ordinary people, explaining the reasons behind this is very complicated, and Zhang Xuezhou is also grateful that his parents would unconditionally believe in their child.

While Zhang Changgong was still struggling to understand, Lady Yourong had already nodded in agreement.

Zhang Xuezhou had a history of lying down at certain times, Lady Yourong had already moved past the stage of mistakenly believing that Zhang Xuezhou was dead.

However, Lady Yourong Zhang Xuezhou's health, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou had spent half his life in a coma, and that his condition was getting worse.

After escaping Huainan, she didn't feel relieved. Instead, she started worrying about Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou, even about how he would get married and have children in the future.

"Mother, let me tell you, it's very easy for someone like me to find a wife. The Grand Historian Sima Tan told me that I can buy one of those top-tier noble ladies for just 200,000 gold coins," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Look, as long as I receive the reward from the King of Jiangdu, I'll have half a noble lady in my hands!"

"How could you possibly be thinking of buying a wife? You mustn't do something so absurd. You must know that buying a wife is just a transaction, and a woman bought like that is unlikely to share your joys and sorrows," Lady Yourong advised.

"Too expensive," Zhang Changgong muttered. "My father used to say that you could buy a woman in the city for only three thousand and a half taels of silver!"

"Your father was a scoundrel too," Lady Yourong muttered. "Chang Gong, don't ever be like your father!"

"I don't have any money, I can't afford it," Zhang Changgong waved his hands repeatedly.

"My standards are very high; even with the reward, I can only buy half!"

Seeing that Lady Yourong was unhappy that Zhang Xuezhou had bought a woman to live with, Zhang Xuezhou quickly distanced himself from her.

"You child... sigh, with your poor health, it'll be very difficult for you to get married normally. You can buy one if you want in the future, but you must treat her well after you buy her; don't be sick and treat her badly!"

After much rambling, Lady Yourong's views changed quickly. She even began to inquire about the women Zhang Xuezhou was seeking, and whether they were capable of washing clothes, cooking, and hunting.

Zhang Xuezhou, however, was not annoyed by the explanation.

He is no longer a village boy, so it's normal that Lady Yourong has difficulty keeping up with his vision. Once he returns to Chang'an City and lives there for a year or two, everything will be normal.

Lady Yourong was concerned about Zhang Xuezhou settling down and starting a family, Zhang Xuezhou was also concerned about Lady Yourong's retirement.

The harsh conditions also correspond to a short life expectancy. In the real world, living to seventy or eighty years old is not a problem, and the rich can even maintain high physical activity with life-saving drugs. But this world is far from having such good conditions, and the average life expectancy is about forty years.

Zhang Zhong was sixty years old, Lady Yourong was nearly fifty, both corresponding to advanced age.

Zhang Xuezhou only hoped that the two of them could have better living conditions so they could enjoy their later years in peace.

If he had the means, he also wanted to obtain a few longevity pills so that Lady Yourong and Zhang Zhong could live a better life.

"Oh no! The boat is leaking and we can't plug it! Everyone, get to shore quickly!"

As he was pondering what would happen next, he heard someone shouting from outside the ship.

"The ship leaked before I even got back to reality. The work hadn't even started, and the risk had already arisen?"

Zhang Xuezhou quickly got up and looked out of the boat. He saw that the gunwale was only half a meter above the river surface and was still sinking.

"You monster! You actually scuttled our ship!"

Dong Zhongshu on the boat shouted and swung his Law Treasure fan at the water, instantly turning the river surface murky.

The wind blades of the Law Treasure struck the water with a dull, cutting sound, as if hitting a stone.

"It's a crab demon!"

Gongsun Hong was skilled in watercraft, and his abilities even surpassed those of Prefect Wen Weng.

He stood on the water's surface, gazing at the turbid current at the bottom of the river.

Only when he saw a large, black pair of pincers as thick as an arm did he realize he had indeed found the right place.

The crab demon is most likely a monster residing in the water palace of this area.