If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1206 So Embarrassing

Ten thousand years pass in a dream, but only an hour in reality.

The dragons, dazed and confused, rose from the ground just as the eastern sky began to lighten with the first hints of dawn.

Xiao Yu looked around at the dragons and found that they were in good condition, still full of energy and spirit.

Previously, when the princes of the Qin Dynasty traveled through dreams, they consumed a lot of physical and mental energy and were extremely tired.

These dragons were, after all, not mortals.

Each of them was full of vigor and vitality, and the dream of ten thousand years only made them dizzy for a short while.

Neither my body nor my soul felt tired.

"I just let you enter a dream world." Grand Tutor Yu briefly explained the process of the dream world test.

"Have you experienced it yourself? Doesn't it feel just like reality?"

Your performance in your dreams represents your achievements.

"Master Qin, as a witness, please tell them about the main content of this assessment and the final results."

Master Qin recounted his observations in detail, including the key points of each event.

Make sure all dragons understand where they can score points and where they lose points.

Finally, he emphasized: "Early before the assessment, Grand Tutor Yu had clearly defined the three requirements for selecting the River God: ability, good fortune, and compassion."

Some people are killed by assassins as soon as they enter the Yellow River. If you are not capable enough, don't complain about being eliminated.

Some people caused rain or disasters, but their efforts failed to satisfy the Heavenly Court, and they were stripped of their divine positions.

Some lacked compassion and were besieged and killed by the extremely enraged human heroes during the natural disaster.

For various reasons, you were unable to stay together until the end.

Since they didn't make it to the end, they were naturally eliminated. The two dragons that remained will obtain the positions of River God and the God of the Ji River.

Knowing that he had not made it to the end, the dragon's offspring looked dejected, as if he had lost his parents.

Zhao Dezi and Ao Nie, who were the last to reach the end, were also uneasy. They looked around anxiously and stared at Grand Tutor Yu.

Master Qin glanced at Zhao Mudan with regret and said loudly, "Ao Nie, Zhao Dezi, you have the best results, ranking first and second respectively. Congratulations, Grand Tutor Yu will bestow divine positions upon you."

"Ah, thank you for your guidance and teachings, Master! And thank you for your mentorship, Grand Tutor Yu!"

Overjoyed, the two dragons rushed forward and knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.

"It's them! Unbelievable! Ao Nie is clearly of mediocre talent. He cultivated in the Dragon Cave for a thousand years before barely transforming into a three-clawed black dragon. Now he's actually ranked first."

"It is a fact that Ao Nie's bloodline and cultivation level are relatively poor. But cultivation level is not the same as supernatural power."

He had diligently practiced the Dragon Mystic Technique, mastering the art of transforming air into rain with unparalleled skill; today, he was finally reaping the rewards.

"It's not just that he has strong supernatural powers; Zhao Mudan's cultivation is clearly more profound than his."

The dragons were discussing among themselves. Xiao Yu glanced at Zhao Mudan and saw that she was in good spirits, so she quietly sent a telepathic message to her master.

"Zhao Mudan didn't realize she was so close, so she wasn't too disappointed. You'd better not tell her the truth."

I could subtly hint to her that I, the Grand Tutor, admire her.

He instructed her to diligently cultivate the Taoist techniques she had learned in her dream. The supernatural powers and Taoist techniques of the true dragon in the dream all originated from the River God's Dragon Pearl, and were absolutely true.

If a new position for the water god is sought in the future, it will be reserved for her first.

Master Qin said, "Doesn't Grand Tutor Yu also have the Huai River Divine Talisman?"

"Having a divine talisman without a dragon pearl means having no power. Giving the talisman to Zhao Mudan is harming her," said Grand Tutor Yu.

She was certainly willing to give up the divine position.

But they shouldn't expect her to be a mother hen, constantly worrying about their safety and protecting them in times of danger.

She only gave up the divine position; whether they could hold onto it and what path they would take in the future depended entirely on their own destiny.

In the previous dream world, all the contestants had taken the Dragon Balls in advance.

The Dragon Balls contain the power of the River God over millions of years.

Only by absorbing the power of the Dragon Balls can one quickly gain control of the Yellow River and avoid being easily killed.

It should be noted that the person who assassinated them at the first hurdle was none other than the Dragon King of Huai River, who had lost power over the Huai River.

It's not that Xiaoyu is deliberately making things difficult for them; this is a very likely possibility.

Without the Dragon Balls, none of them would have survived the first stage.

“Zhao Mudan previously said she was willing to be the Grand Tutor’s fan-bearing maid. Perhaps the Grand Tutor could keep her by his side and teach her for now,” said Master Qin.

“I don’t need the fan-bearing maiden. At least not now. Let her focus on her cultivation in peace. Only her magical power and wisdom will belong to her forever.”

Even the position of the River God is merely an external thing.

"What you may gain today, you may lose tomorrow; what you don't gain today, you may gain something better tomorrow," said Grand Tutor Yu.

After returning to the Imperial Observatory with Ao Nie and Zhao Dezi, Grand Tutor Yu immediately fulfilled his promise and handed over the dragon pearls of the River God and the Dragon Lord of the Ji River to the two dragons for refinement.

The River God's position is inside the Dragon Ball.

The two dragons immediately knelt down, tears welling in their eyes, to express their gratitude and appreciation.

If it were Zhao Mudan's behavior, Xiaoyu would respond more enthusiastically. As for the two of them, she didn't give them a cold look, but only offered a few words of encouragement, telling them to focus on refining the dragon pearl before leaving the Imperial Observatory.

Now that the night has passed, the public trial at Xianyang Palace is about to begin.

The trial at Zhangtai was conducted with the general public allowed to visit, a first since the founding of Xianyang City.

Naturally, it was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.

Not only was the Zhangtai Palace packed with people, but many commoners were also craning their necks to look out from the high platform outside.

There were also many extraordinary people, even immortals, who disguised themselves as ordinary people and stood in the crowd, waiting for the public trial to begin.

Among them are even "Great Immortals" and "Immortals".

For example, there is the Longevity Goddess from the Immortal Island of Zuzhou in the East China Sea, on the "Immortal Mountain".

This refers to the very famous "Magu" in folklore.

At this moment, she transformed into the appearance of a middle-aged wealthy man, with a smile on her face, looking very amiable.

For example, there is the head of the Taiyuan Palace on Xuanzhou Immortal Island in the North Sea, the Purple Mansion True Man.

At this time, Master Zifu was an old man in his sixties. He looked old, but his face was ruddy and he looked very healthy.

The two met and immediately recognized each other.

"Your Majesty, you've had a long journey. It's nearly 90,000 li from Zuzhou to Xianyang!" Master Zifu bowed respectfully.

Neither of them entered the palace grounds. They had just crossed the Golden Water Bridge and were standing on the spacious bluestone square outside the palace.

The surrounding area was very lively, with vendors even carrying loads on shoulder poles and quietly calling out, "Osmanthus cake, freshly baked osmanthus cake."

Well, it's not that the people of Beijing are wild and uninhibited.

A few months ago, even if Grand Tutor Yu had opened the palace gates, they wouldn't have dared to be so carefree. This was mainly because Grand Tutor Yu's "ten years of benevolent governance" had already been effectively implemented in Guanzhong and Xianyang for several months.

The ten years of benevolent rule not only exempted people from taxes and corvée labor, but also abolished many cruel punishments and crimes.

The people's spirit and morale have not changed completely, but at least they are no longer as apprehensive as before.

Seeing how casually ordinary people acted, the two immortals naturally became even more carefree.

"From Xuanzhou to Guanzhong is nearly 400,000 li. Wouldn't it be even more arduous for you, Master?"

"Master Magu" returned the greeting with a smile. Their words were coded with Taoist magic, but their actions and expressions revealed it directly.

However, with so many onlookers at the scene, the two of them didn't attract any attention at all.

Master Zifu sighed, “Although 400,000 li is a long distance, I am not like the Empress, who rushed here in a hurry. I stayed in Huashan for almost half a month, and before that I went to Huangshan to see Gengsangzi.”

"Sigh, we deserve to suffer this because we didn't teach our disciples well!"

Magu sighed bitterly and asked, "Since you've arrived early, have you met the Grand Tutor of Qin?"

Master Zifu shook his head and said, "I have no face to see him, I dare not see him, I have no reason to see him, and even if I did see him, I wouldn't know what to say."

Magu asked curiously, "If you're too ashamed to see me, why don't you dare to? Is the legendary 'curse of honorifics' really that powerful?"

Master Zifu said, "There's nothing to fear about using honorifics to curse."

It's merely a side effect of absorbing the essence of the demon god.

The reason why the story is so widely circulated is mainly because Yu Fengxian is bad at interpersonal relationships and has made too many enemies.

Once your reputation is ruined, even the smallest stain on your record can be exaggerated into an unforgivable crime.

“But I’ve heard that the Queen Mother and the Jade Emperor are very wary of her.” Magu secretly calculated with her hands hidden in her sleeves, and added, “I feel that contact with her will bring misfortune.”

Master Zifu said, "Preventing curses using respectful language is very simple; just be free from thoughts and desires, and act naturally."

Even if one is truly cursed, it will only slightly diminish one's fortune, which is nothing.

The ominous signs originate more from Yu Fengxian herself.

She exuded a strong aura of calamity.

The great calamity of heaven and earth is currently at its peak, and the secrets of the heavens are chaotic and unpredictable. If I get involved with her again, it might be difficult to extricate myself.

Magu remained silent for a while, then said helplessly, "Who doesn't know that the great calamity in the Central Plains is in full swing?"

Who would be willing to abandon their quiet cultivation at this time and wade into the muddy waters of the Central Plains?

But now our disciples have committed crimes and are about to be publicly tried.

Will constantly avoiding her solve the problem?

Upon hearing this, Master Zifu couldn't help but scratch his head in frustration.

"This case has absolutely nothing to do with us, the division commanders."

If a disciple encounters problems on their spiritual path, the master should indeed lend a helping hand.

But they all became immortals, left their masters' schools, and embarked on their own paths.

You make your own choices, and you bear the consequences of your chosen path.

We're just sitting at home, and disaster strikes out of nowhere—it's so unfair!

I didn't even know that He Sheng (He Zhenjun) left Beihai to come to Shenzhou to participate in the 'Huashan Daoist Debate'.

I haven't seen him for thirty years. Now he's gotten himself into trouble, and I've been implicated. Tell me, fellow Daoist, am I unjustly accused?

"It's no use crying out for justice. They are our disciples. We gave them the opportunity to become immortals and let them embark on the path of immortality. This is a cause and effect that will last a lifetime."

"Now that disaster has struck, I can only blame myself for misjudging people and for not teaching my apprentice well," sighed Magu.

"Silence!"

Suddenly, a majestic shout rang out from the high platform and inside the main hall.

The voice contained profound inner strength, loud yet not harsh, and could still be clearly heard even from afar.

"It's 9:00 AM, the public trial is about to begin." A faint glint of light flashed in Magu's eyes, and immediately her vision became hazy and yellow, her eyes stinging slightly.

"Oh my, the Qin Dynasty is almost finished, yet the dragon aura is still so strong."

She rubbed her eyes, and her eyes were a little wet.

Master Zifu smiled and handed over a "Qilin Jade Pendant," saying, "Try Yu Fengxian's Ancestral Dragon Secret Technique; the effect is quite good."

Magu's expression changed slightly. She did not accept the spirit jade, but instead stepped aside and said solemnly, "How could you, fellow Daoist, have made such a mistake? To casually steal other people's Daoist techniques is hardly the act of a True Person of the Xuanmen Sect."

Master Zifu quickly explained, "This is not the Nine Cauldrons Dragon Control Method, and it does not involve leaking the Heavenly Dao."

Yu Fengxian has publicly explained theories related to the Earthly Fiend Dragon Vein and the Qi Luck of Humanity.

Some people found the information helpful and compiled some tips on utilizing dragon energy and shielding the imperial dynasty's dragon aura.

Magu still didn't take the spirit jade, only saying, "This place is too far from Zhangtai. Using Taoist magic to eavesdrop would seem a bit strange to the Qin guards around here."

Let's squeeze onto the higher platform!

The Purple Mansion Immortal sheepishly put away the jade pendant and silently followed Magu up the steps.

When they arrived outside Zhangtai Palace, they could no longer squeeze in.

However, they were ultimately immortals; they didn't need magic, and their physical bodies were extraordinary. Their eyes could see clearly through the gaps in the crowd. Their ears were also incredibly sharp, able to distinguish the voices of hundreds of people around them.

Then they saw Ziying, the magistrate of Xianyang, sitting below Huhai's dragon throne, with a table in front of him and a thick stack of documents on it.

There were two small tables next to him, where six people, including clerks, criminal investigators, and officials, were sitting.

The high-ranking officials who remained in Xianyang, such as Grand Tutor Yu and the Grand Commandant, were also present. They did not participate in the trial directly, but sat in the audience seats on both sides.

"The Immortal Judgement? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing."

"What's wrong with immortals? This is Xianyang, the capital of the Shang Dynasty!"

"It's not surprising to see immortals in Xianyang City, but to judge immortals is indeed very rare."

"It's rare to see an immortal being judged. But have you ever heard of an immortal breaking their oath to Heaven, stealing a precious imperial treasure, even a sacred artifact like the Great Yu Cauldron?"

"In the past, I only heard that gods and immortals were all sages, selfless and without desire, morally noble, gentle, honest and upright, relieving suffering and distress, and having great compassion. Alas, today I have truly broadened my horizons."

The public trial only started today, but the case of the Qin Celestial Masters' collective defection occurred several months ago.

News of the incident spread rapidly that day. Therefore, even before the suspect was brought up, the onlookers were already whispering and discussing the case.

Although she wasn't named, just hearing the people talking about her made Magu feel like she had thorns in her back, and she felt uncomfortable all over.

"Fellow Daoist, you've arrived early. Do you know how Immortal Yu Feng will handle this case?" she asked quietly via telepathy.

Master Zifu understood that Magu was worried that she would be implicated by her disciple and suddenly become "famous".

He was worried too!
If he hadn't been anxious, he wouldn't have changed his appearance to attend the public trial at Xianyang Palace.

He said, with both comfort and hope, "There are nearly five hundred Taoist masters who have defected; it's certainly impossible to try them all one by one."

Generally, it involves recounting their crimes, presenting evidence and witnesses, and finally reaching a verdict.

Alas, what a misfortune for our family! We will surely be implicated by our disciples this time.

But as the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses.

We don't expect to absolve our disciples, but at the very least, we ourselves shouldn't be implicated too deeply.

Magu nodded slightly, feeling that what he said made a lot of sense. More than five hundred celestial masters came from all over the country, and most of the Xuanmen Taoist sects were implicated. Many of the great immortals in the celestial realm could even be related to those involved in the case by a generational connection.

Does Yu Fengxian intend to interrogate each person in detail, one by one?

Just as Madam Ma was beginning to relax, the torture chamber in the palace started shouting at the top of its lungs: "The trial of the Great Qin Celestial Master for treason and breaking his oath is officially open."

Now, we announce the Celestial Masters involved in the case. The culprit is none other than the Venerable Master Xuji Chongying of the East Sea, who is also Zhong Yuanzi, the beloved disciple of Ma Gu Niang.

This one sentence immediately caused Ma Niangniang's delicate body to tremble slightly, almost causing her to lose her composure and cry out in pain.

"I'm so embarrassed, so incredibly embarrassed~~" She didn't yell, but her face flushed red as she whimpered softly.

(End of this chapter)