Gongsun Hong Questioned His Life
"Come on, pour the lime!"
On the vast lake of Gaoyou, numerous large ships continuously sailed in and began to unload lime in specific areas as requested by Gongsun Hong.
Lime is produced by burning limestone, dolomite, seashells, and other materials; it is a type of stone dust.
These stone chips are fine and easily mix with water to form a cement, making them a building material for constructing houses and dwellings.
This material also has some niche uses, such as fishing in waterways.
Baskets of lime were thrown into the waters below the cliff, turning the dark lake water into a murky white in the night. Countless fish thrashed about, struggling to breathe, and eventually died, floating on the surface in patches.
"Such a magnificent sight—a school of fish swimming in great numbers!"
King Jiangdu had no interest in doing anything else at night, but capturing the dragon in the underwater palace was an exception.
He hasn't seen the dragon yet, but the white waves on the lake and the dead fish have given him quite a strong impression.
Holding a torch and using the moonlight to look down, he saw only a deathly stillness beneath the water.
"Master Gongsun, do dragons breathe through their nostrils like we do, or do they have gills like fish, allowing them to breathe underwater?" King Jiangdu asked.
"Dragons have nostrils," Gongsun Hong said.
"How do you breathe underwater through your nostrils?" King Jiangdu asked.
"Dragons have two septa in their nostrils. These septa open and close to allow them to breathe, inhaling water and exhaling stale air. "Dragons don't stay underwater all the time. Sometimes they come to the surface to take a deep breath, and this single breath is enough for them to stay underwater for six hours without needing to breathe again." Gongsun Hongdao said, "Dragons don't stay underwater all the time. Sometimes they come to the surface to take a deep breath, and this single breath is enough for them to stay underwater for six hours without needing to breathe again."
"Sir, your knowledge is truly profound. I didn't even know about the dragon's 'ghost gate'," said King Jiangdu. "Could it be that its 'ghost gate' sucks in this lime water and then expels it with each breath?"
"I've heard of a rare poison in the Western Regions called Soul-Severing Powder. Once it's inhaled, it's difficult to expel from the body. This lime water, while far less potent than Soul-Severing Powder, shouldn't be so easily expelled with a single breath," Gongsun Hong said smugly. "Look at these fish breathing in the water; they can easily inhale this lime water, but expelling it is not so easy!"
"Wonderful!"
The King of Jiangdu was extremely satisfied.
He would be even more pleased if the dragon could float to the surface belly-up like these fish.
"Some of the big fish are already giving up!"
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, nearly half of the fifty large ships had unloaded the lime, and some large fish weighing over a hundred pounds in the lake began to float to the surface and start rolling around.
Even the most composed soldiers couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Small fish have a strong fishy and meaty smell, so even fishermen are reluctant to take them home, while big fish are completely different.
These large fish not only have firm flesh, but more importantly, they are rich in fish oil, which can be extracted for oil extraction.
Humans can only become strong by consuming oil, and only foods containing oil can provide strength.
If they weren't still carrying out the King of Jiangdu's orders, many people would undoubtedly have gone into the water to catch fish.
Even so, some people still managed to cast their nets and haul some large fish onto their boats.
"There's something underwater! Our net has been cut!"
The boat is leaking!
At the same time, some panicked voices began to emerge.
Large ships don't sink that easily; a leak in one cabin can be contained, but severe damage to the hull is a different story.
On the lake, a large ship began to tilt and sank deeper into the water. Even the experienced boatmen could not save it and could only quickly transfer everyone to other boats.
"A dragon has appeared! A dragon has appeared!"
King Jiangdu, carrying a gilded halberd with goose-wing-shaped handles, held a torch high and gazed at the surface of the great lake.
As long as he can capture the dragon, he won't care about the loss of one or two large ships, and he can afford to lose dozens or even hundreds of people.
Using the light of the night, as he strained to open his eyes, he saw something sharp gliding across the lake, which almost made the King of Jiangdu throw his gilded halberd.
"Bring me the bow!"
King Jiangdu called out, and his personal attendant immediately bowed and presented him with a sturdy bow.
The arrow was nocked in the King of Jiangdu's hand, and the bow was bent under its weight.
He stared down into the lake, and when he saw the unusual turbulence in the water again, he immediately released the bowstring he was holding.
The arrow shot down like a ray of light and pierced the water.
A sound like metal striking metal rang out, and the King of Jiangdu felt as if the arrow had struck something metallic.
He drew his bow again, and the water became still. Only a thick, black object remained, bobbing up and down on the surface.
"I believe I shot off a dragon horn. Have them retrieve that thing!"
The King of Jiangdu gave the order, and Jiangdu rubbed his eyes hard again, trying to see clearly what was on the water at night.
It must be said that nighttime is a good time for a sneak attack, but the dim light also brings too many inconveniences; even the moon on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is not enough to provide sufficient visibility.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
Gongsun Hong greeted him respectfully with a cupped-fist salute.
In his hazy state, Gongsun Hong felt that the King of Jiangdu had shot a pincer-like leg.
That's the same kind of large pincers that Dong Zhongshu had previously severed with his wind magic.
This little demon had previously suffered the loss of one of its large pincers from Dong Zhongshu's attack, and then had another leg severed by an arrow shot by the King of Jiangdu, making it an incredibly unlucky creature.
Gongsun Hong also did not want to shatter the expectations of the King of Jiangdu at this time.
He shifted his body further into the shadows. He could handle the matters of searching for the dragon and the water, but the fighting and exerting effort were things that others should do.
If Gongsun Hong were to face a counterattack from the Water Dragon King, he would add fuel to the fire if victory seemed assured, but if defeat was imminent, he would flee as far away as possible.
As a man who had escaped from the Dragon King, Gongsun Hong was certain that he could quickly slip into the mountains near the shore of Gaoyou Lake and escape.
Having secured a relatively safe escape, he also did his best to rescue Dong Zhongshu.
"Unfortunately, there are very few cultivators in the world who are as proficient in multiple Technique Method as Zhongshu!"
Seeing the soldiers drag the large pincer from the waves onto the boat, Gongsun Hong couldn't help but lament his own inadequacy, finding it difficult to track the crab demon using the severed limb.
"It's leaking! It's leaking!"
When the large ships began to issue loud warnings, Gongsun Hong quickly came to his senses.
After the crab demon was defeated, many of the large ships began to leak almost simultaneously.
This situation made Gongsun Hong extremely vigilant. He felt that the Water Dragon King had already begun to make his move, and might even start to retaliate against the Jiangdu Kingdom's fleet.
Gongsun Hong was on tenterhooks and prepared to flee.
But he remained on tenterhooks the whole time, and almost until dawn, only to find that everything was all bark and no bite.
In the large lake of Gaoyou, there were dead fish of all sizes scattered everywhere. A large pair of pincers as thick as an arm and dozens of large fish weighing over 100 kilograms were also caught.
However, the Water Dragon King did not reveal his presence; it is possible that he secretly sabotaged the boat.
Thinking that he and Dong Zhongshu had been captured by the Water Dragon King and taken to his underwater palace as soon as they went into the water, and that they hadn't encountered a strong enough counterattack despite the commotion they were making, Gongsun Hong couldn't help but question his life for a moment.