The Dragon Clan's Troubles

"That grandson is a real scoundrel. When I get the chance, I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!"

Having accepted Zhang Xuezhou's mediation, Dong Zhongshu swore not to reveal the secrets of the Water Mansion and even offered to teach Ao Qing in Jiangdu Kingdom for ten years, thus the matter was basically settled.

Some of the pearls and gems that Ao Qing didn't want to give away were pried off, and the restrictions on the Gaoyou Water Mansion were reinforced again. Dong Zhongshu was left in the Water Mansion, waiting to be rescued by Gongsun Hong and the others.

Ao Li sat on the shore of Gaoyou Lake, looking at the distant cliffs and then glancing at the sneaky Gongsun Hong. He felt a burning hatred for the guy.

Only those familiar with the Water Clan know how to counter it. Gongsun Hong may not be strong in terms of raw power, but he is very adept at targeting Water Clan members.

Not to mention that ordinary aquatic creatures would suffer in such waters, even Ao Li wouldn't want to be in such waters.

He is very good at fighting, but that doesn't mean he can drink lime water or ignore lime water getting in his eyes.

These seemingly low-class and unsavory methods are surprisingly effective; even highly skilled cultivators can fall victim to them if they are not careful.

Ao Li didn't particularly enjoy dealing with these kinds of humans, but he had to adapt to their complexity and diversity to avoid encountering situations where he couldn't even understand the calculations.

He is currently quite open-minded and is even willing to let humans teach Ao Qing.

Where is that... spirit bird?

When Ao Li thought of Ao Qing, he couldn't help but glance at him a couple more times. But when he didn't see Ao Qing at all, he realized that Ao Qing had been the elder brother he had worshipped when he was young and didn't know any better.

Ao Li didn't mind which one Ao Qing took as his elder brother, after all, dragons have extremely long lifespans. Even if Zhang Xuezhou was a bird demon, he could only live until Ao Qing came of age, let alone the other party, who was a half-demon who lacked longevity.

If Zhang Xuezhou doesn't have any special opportunities, Ao Qing will completely lose his elder brother in about forty years.

Things that are fleeting and insignificant don't bother Ao Li.

He was kind-hearted and easygoing, and he trusted his children's interactions with the outside world. If he hadn't been so kind, Ao Li wouldn't have been so at ease building a water palace for Ao Qing when he was sixty years old (equivalent to six years old in human years), allowing Ao Qing to live alone outside.

Of course, the fact that his water palace simply couldn't hold all his many children was also a factor.

For the dragon race to achieve long-term and healthy growth, a blessed land is indispensable.

Only these water palaces can sustain the aquatic creatures for a long time, allowing them to gain even greater power.

Ao Li had finally managed to free up the Gaoyou Water Mansion, and he wouldn't give it up.

"He went out to play again!"

After using his children's blood to sense for a few seconds, Ao Li realized that Ao Qing, Zhang Xuezhou, and others had already run to the other side of Gaoyou Lake, and might even be mingling by the lake to join in the fun.

This forced him to stand up and check the situation, lest Ao Qing and the others be discovered and arrested by humans without their knowledge.

After his muscles, bones, and skin contracted, Ao Li's appearance changed drastically, transforming him into an ordinary, handsome young man.

He adjusted his out-of-place ornate clothes, and couldn't help but envy Zhang Xuezhou's versatile and elegant attire.

If Ao Li didn't care about petty thoughts of revenge, or about triggering the formation of the Gaoyou Water Palace to make the King of Jiangdu suffer a silent loss, he wouldn't actually need to do anything.

He waved his hand, indicating that Xie Xie could run away or even burrow into the mud to take a nap. Once the King of Jiangdu lost interest in the Gaoyou Water Palace, the matter would be over, and everyone could go back to the Water Palace and do whatever they needed to do.

"I've lost another arm!"

Xie Xie muttered something, and only after Ao Li spat at him did he happily hug his new arm and crawl into the muddy lakeside.

"It's both a blessing and a curse!"

Even saliva can bestow glory upon aquatic creatures; the cost of rewards from dragons is among the lowest of all races.

But it is precisely because of this inexpensive yet effective ability that most cultivators believe dragons possess extremely high medicinal value.

Many powerful cultivators harbor ulterior motives towards dragons, including those from the Heavenly Court, the Immortal Court, human dynasties, and various Sacred Land.

For certain top-tier beings, dragons are a delicacy on their dinner table, and dragon liver and phoenix gall are considered top-grade medicinal ingredients.

If it weren't for the fact that the Dragon Clan has always had top-tier cultivators, their fate would be no different from that of the ginseng spirits.

Thinking that he was the most outstanding dragon king in the past hundred years, and that while he had obtained the dragon pearl, he also bore the heavy responsibility of protecting his clan, Ao Li couldn't help but sigh.

Unless absolutely necessary, he would not resort to violence and cause trouble; at most, he would engage in some internal communication within the dragon clan to avoid giving others a handle to use against him.

Simply put, he'll teach a lesson to those he can afford to offend, and avoid those he can't.

This habit is somewhat like bullying the weak and fearing the strong, but the situation of the dragon race forces Ao Li to do so as well. The more he stands at the forefront of the dragon race, the more cautious he becomes.

After walking thirteen thousand steps, Ao Li's thoughts were extremely complex.

He only stopped thinking when he saw Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

Zhang Xuezhou then retracted his demon wings, while Ao Qing covered his buttocks with a tattered cloth he had picked up from somewhere, and Pi Lan transformed into a peasant woman carrying a basket.

The group stood on the shore catching fish, while an old woman and a middle-aged man collected the fish from the side.

Too much lime was added to the waters of Gaoyou Lake, and the lake water flowed extremely slowly, resulting in the death of a large number of fish.

The King of Jiangdu's men picked up some large fish, but didn't fancy the others.

Some resourceful people started a small business of buying and selling fish, purchasing them directly from the boat at a low price for half a tael of silver. Others made a little money by occasionally going into the water to catch fish.

As night turned into day, many people had already relaxed.

Only a few people knew that the search for the dragon in the Water Palace was a genuine attempt to slay it; most people simply assumed that the King of Jiangdu was seeking thrills by coming to catch fish.

The lakeside was bustling with activity as Zhang Xuezhou and others collected fish to sell for money.

Just as humans do not consider monkeys to be their own kind, dragons do not consider all fish to be aquatic. Only those that have gained sentience and become water spirits are considered aquatic. In fact, dragons also feed on fish.

At this moment, Zhang Xuezhou taking Ao Qing to pick up fish did not cause Ao Li any discomfort.

He pondered for a few seconds, then rolled up his sleeves and joined the ranks of those collecting fish.

"I heard that our King is going to the capital to see some swords and will bring tribute with him. Our Jiangdu only has fish as a specialty, and the King is having a headache about how to send tribute. What do you think about us picking a few big fish to present to the King as tribute?"

"A fish weighing over a hundred pounds is definitely a rare find, but Jiangdu is too far from Chang'an City; it would definitely rot by the time it gets there!"

"That's a pity!"

"That sword you're talking about, is it some kind of extraordinary sword, worth our king traveling thousands of miles to see it?"

"That must be a powerful sword!"

"I heard that it's a treasured sword left behind by our ancestors of the Great Han Dynasty, a sword that slayed a dragon!"

"Who knows what a dragon looks like!"

"I've heard that dragons look a bit like snakes with four legs!"

As Ao Li listened, his expression darkened.

Before he could even go to Chang'an City to investigate, news of the Crimson Sky Sword had already reached Jiangdu Kingdom.

At this point, he could only be thankful that he had chosen to avoid conflict with the King of Jiangdu, rather than directly confronting him or even capturing him to make him suffer.

Whether the King of Jiangdu lost his life or his face, the matter was bound to be far from over.

When news of the events in Jiangdu reaches Chang'an City, the emperor wielding the Crimson Sky Sword will likely come knocking on their door.

By then, the matter would no longer be resolved by temporarily relinquishing the Water Palace or spitting on it.

Ao Li took a deep breath, feeling extremely fortunate to have encountered Zhang Xuezhou and the others, who brought the situation to a minimum.