Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 251 Flood Control (Part 2)

On the banks of the Wei River,

The raging waves crashed against the shore, swallowing sand, and a golden light suddenly appeared.

After the golden light faded, Lü Shang landed on the ground and immediately reached into his robes, taking out a jade dragon scale from the painting of King Mu's Eight Steeds.

This jade scale was the talisman given to Lü Shang by the Dragon King of the Wei River when he last went to the Wei River Palace for a banquet.

At that time, the Dragon King of the Wei River personally promised him that if he encountered a water disaster, he could use this jade scale to summon the aquatic creatures of the Wei River.

"Such a display of force suggests that the Dragon King of the Wei River is truly enraged,"

Holding the jade scale in his hand, Lü Shang focused his gaze, his eyes shining brightly, illuminating the Wei River.

Above the Wei River, dark clouds churned, demons pushed through the clouds, dragons parted the mist, lightning surged, and thunder roared like drums.

Beneath the Wei River, the waves surge and roar, shrimp soldiers wield spears, crab generals beat drums and horns, turtle commanders lead flags, and tortoise ministers wave banners, stirring up thousands of miles of blue waves.

The Dragon King sat in his water palace, with a red carp holding a talisman on his left and a primordial tortoise holding a seal on his right. His divine light was vast and his aura soared to the heavens.

Seeing this, Lü Shang remained calm, raised his jade scale high, and said loudly, "I am Lü Shang from Liangzhou. I have been favored by the Dragon Lord and given a token. Now, carrying the Dragon Lord's token, I wish to enter the Water Palace. Please guide me."

As they spoke, the jade scales emitted a clear glow and fell into the Wei River. Upon seeing this, the turtle commander who was leading the flag below the Wei River turned pale and flipped the flag over.

Before long, the raging waves subsided, and the torrents parted, carving out a waterway in the middle of the Wei River.

"My lord, I am the prime minister of the Dragon Palace, and I have been ordered by my king to welcome you into the palace."

In the waterway, an old turtle rose up on the waves and bowed to Lü Shang.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Tortoise."

Lu Shang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately returned the greeting and leaped down.

After falling into the water, Lü Shang walked on the water as if it were flat ground.

"My lord, this way please," Prime Minister Turtle nodded and led Lü Shang onto the waterway.

Lü Shang followed closely behind, and saw that the blue waves on both sides were like walls, crystal clear, with fish swimming like shuttles and colorful clams spitting out pearls.

A man and a turtle walked along the waterway. After a while, they suddenly heard bells and drums ringing in front of them.

Lu Shang frowned and looked up. He saw a crystal palace rising from the water, with gold bricks as its foundation, jade pillars as its beams, and glazed tiles as its roof. Bright pearls hung from the eaves, illuminating a hundred miles away, as magnificent as a reflection of a heavenly palace.

In front of the Crystal Palace, the aquatic creatures stood in two rows, all solemnly welcoming the arrival.

The Turtle Prime Minister stepped aside to lead the way, saying, "My king is already waiting in the palace. Please follow me, my lord."

Lü Shang nodded, then straightened his clothes and hat, and steadily entered.

The palace doors were wide open, and a wave of steam rushed in. Lü Shang stepped into the palace and saw a bright pearl hanging high inside, illuminating the room as if it were daytime.

On the throne in the palace sat a king, wearing a crown and a black robe, with a face as white as jade; he was none other than the Dragon Lord of the Wei River.

Lü Shang stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Lü Shang greets the Dragon Lord."

The Dragon King raised his eyes, scrutinized Lü Shang for a moment, and said, "Lord Lü, it's been a while since we last parted. It seems you have quelled the Qiang rebellion."

Lü Shang said softly, "Thanks to the blessing of the Emperor of my Great Sui Dynasty, I have not failed in my mission, and the Qiang rebellion has been quelled."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King nodded slightly and said, "Very well. But may I ask, Lord, what brings you to my Water Palace today?"

Lü Shang raised his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I have come here today for two reasons: first, to reminisce about the past, and second, for the sake of the millions of people living on both sides of the Wei River."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King of the Wei River's expression turned cold, and he said indifferently, "I didn't realize that Lord Lü had such a compassionate heart."

Lü Shang remained unmoved and said, "Your Majesty is joking. I am but a mere warrior and dare not speak of mercy."

"However, I, Lü, have known the Dragon Lord for a time and consider him a friend, and I cannot bear to see the Dragon Lord face this tribulation,"

"Oh?"

The Dragon King of the Wei River coldly said, "So, Lord Lü's intentions are entirely benevolent?" Lü Shang cupped his hands and said, "Dragon King, you are the Dragon God of the Wei River, and you should know that Heaven cannot be deceived. It is understandable that you are furious about the princess's abduction. However, to take your anger out on innocent people, causing the Wei River to overflow and resulting in widespread suffering, is also a violation of the Heavenly Laws."

"At that time, Heaven will punish them, and the Dragon King's ten thousand years of cultivation may be destroyed in an instant,"

The Dragon King remained silent for a moment, then said, "In your opinion, what should I do?"

Lü Shang bowed and said, "I, Lü, beg the Dragon Lord to temporarily quell his thunderous wrath and restore peace to the Wei River."

Before the Dragon King of the Wei River could even get angry, Lü Shang declared loudly, "I am willing to find the princess for the Dragon King, capture the culprit, and bring him to justice."

The Dragon King of the Wei River was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Lord Lü, although you are already an immortal among men, having reached the pinnacle of humanity, you are still far inferior to that wicked demon. That wicked demon's supernatural powers are extraordinary, as can be seen from the fact that he can evade the eyes and ears of all the people in the world."

"In my opinion, with Lord Lü's supernatural abilities, he is no match for that scoundrel. How can you possibly capture him?"

Lu Shang said solemnly, "There's no need for the Dragon Lord to worry; Lu Shang has his own way of capturing the demon."

"That's fine,"

The Dragon King's eyes flickered slightly. After pondering for a long time, he said, "Since Lord Lü dares to make such a boastful statement, then I will believe you this once."

"If you can find the princess and capture the culprit within a month, I will withdraw my naval forces and restore peace to you."

In response, Lü Shang bowed deeply and said, "Since the Dragon King trusts me, I will certainly not fail in my duty. Within a month, I will definitely send the princess back to the palace."

The Dragon King nodded and said, "Alright, then it's a deal!"

Lü Shang clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It's a deal."

The Dragon King of the Wei River raised his hand and waved his sleeve, saying, "Prime Minister Turtle, see the magistrate out of the mansion."

"My lord, this way please," the turtle minister responded and led Lü Shang away from the palace.

Before the Crystal Palace, the aquatic warriors remained standing solemnly, but upon seeing the two approaching, they all bowed their heads.

Upon exiting the palace gate, the waters on both sides were still and calm. Lü Shang walked slowly along with the Turtle Prime Minister, his feet treading on the shimmering water.

Upon reaching the middle of the Wei River, Prime Minister Turtle bowed deeply and said, "My lord, this is the way out of the water. I can only escort you this far. I wish you a safe journey and that you will capture the culprit soon."

Lü Shang returned the greeting, saying, "Thank you for showing me the way, Master Gui. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

After speaking, Lü Shang leaped into the air, transforming into golden light, which flashed and burst out of the water.

"His Majesty has decreed,"

Watching Lü Shang depart, the Turtle Prime Minister opened his mouth and spat out a beam of light that transformed into a long banner.

"Listen up, generals! His Majesty has decreed that the navy be temporarily suspended!"

Prime Minister Turtle raised his banner and announced loudly, "Temporarily withdraw the naval forces!!"

All the aquatic creatures responded in unison, their voices echoing across the blue waves.

"withdraw troops,"

The turtle general waved his flag, the crab general silenced his drum, and the dragon, snake, and yaksha retreated from the clouds.

A short while later, the dark clouds above the Wei River gradually dispersed, the lightning disappeared, and the surging waves gradually calmed down.

"The water has finally receded,"

As the golden light fell on the banks of the Wei River, Lü Shang looked back at the gradually calming blue waves and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the water has only receded temporarily, it will return a month later if Lü is still unable to save the Dragon Girl.

However, Lü Shang did manage to buy a month of time for the people on both sides of the strait.

With this month of flexibility, both the Qin Prefecture General Administration and the central government of the Sui Dynasty above it can accomplish a great deal.

(End of this chapter)