Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 289 Yao Guan's Discovery

For a moment, everyone on the training ground stared in disbelief at the thick cloud of smoke rising from the high platform below. Perhaps the way it descended from the sky was too shocking, so everyone swallowed hard, their eyes glazed over, completely at a loss, even forgetting to run!

After all, although the dark figure descended very quickly, everyone still managed to make out its appearance in a blurry way. It was a gigantic creature, entirely black, covered in scales, with a ferocious mouth—a creature resembling a dragon!

Do dragons really exist in this world?! This is the thought in the minds of countless people at this moment. It's because everything that just happened, descending from the sky, has completely overturned everyone's understanding!
"Welcome the appearance of the alligator dragon!" Just as everyone was stunned and at a loss, Wei Jizhong, along with his two disciples, had arrived at the dusty outer area. They raised their hands, knelt respectfully on the ground, and shouted joyfully towards the dusty land.

With Wei Jizhong's shouts, everyone knew that what was within the smoke and dust was the real dragon they were about to witness!
But how could a real dragon really exist in this world?! Even as they are about to face the truth, this is a question in the minds of countless people. After all, they have never seen a real dragon, so how can they accept its existence so easily?

Furthermore, the smoke and dust obstructed everyone's view, so even the soldiers in the front ranks couldn't clearly see what the dragon inside looked like. Therefore, perhaps due to human curiosity, everyone just stared intently at the smoke and dust, wanting to see the spectacle, and no one ran away out of fear.

"Old Qian, where's the stuff? Hurry up and bring it up!" As soon as the dust rose, Hu Tian led everyone down from the platform. He also reminded Qian Zhongcai, who looked a little dazed, to hurry up and bring up the things he had prepared in advance.

"Oh! Right, right, I'll go get it right away." After Hu Tian's reminder, Qian Zhongcai, who had been looking dazed, suddenly remembered that he still had things to do, so he ran off in a flash.

"Master, please." Hu Tian approached the old Taoist priest Zhang Zhengheng, respectfully raising his hand to signal him to move closer together to view the alligator dragon.

"Please." Faced with Hu Tian's invitation, the old Taoist priest did not refuse, but gladly accepted. After all, he had not seen the alligator dragon for some time and really missed it.

"Lord Yao, please be patient and come closer so we can take a closer look together." As Hu Tian passed by Yao Guan, he did not forget to invite this key civil official from Annam to come along.

"General Hu, please. Elder Immortal, please." Yao Guan, who had been stunned ever since the alligator dragon descended from the sky, finally came to his senses upon hearing Hu Tian's invitation. He let out a long breath, respectfully returned the greeting to Hu Tian and the old Taoist priest, and followed behind them.

Yao Guan had seen it clearly just now. He clearly saw the pitch-black figure descending from the sky; its ferocious appearance with its horns and claws clearly indicated it was a dragon! This time, it seemed they had truly encountered a real dragon! Coupled with the words of the dragon tamer, Uncle Wei, Yao Guan knew in his heart that this time, they were undoubtedly about to witness a real alligator dragon!
"Coming, coming. Everyone make way." Just as everyone was about to reach Wei Jizhong, they suddenly heard Qian Zhongcai's voice from behind. Turning around, they saw Qian Zhongcai pushing a wheelbarrow at a brisk pace towards them. The wheelbarrow was piled high with things, and it was unclear what was inside. Behind Qian Zhongcai, there were four or five other wheelbarrows, similarly overflowing, being laboriously pushed forward by a group of soldiers.

"Hehe, General Hu, I, Old Qian, am ready." After arranging the wheelbarrows in order, Qian Zhongcai came to Hu Tian with a happy face and loudly reported his victory.

"Alright, now we'll wait for Uncle Wei." Hu Tian glanced at the wheelbarrows that Qian Zhongcai had pushed over and nodded in satisfaction. Then he turned his gaze back to Wei Jizhong.

"General Qian, what are these?" Yao Guan peeked through the gaps in the wheelbarrow and saw that it contained piles of pre-cut pieces of animal meat. He asked Qian Zhongcai with a puzzled look. "Master Long was finally released by His Highness, and now he's going to the navy again, and even joining them directly."

Since he has passed through our army territory this time, we can't treat Lord Tuolong badly. So we've prepared some food, and Uncle Wei will help feed Lord Tuolong later! Faced with Yao Guan's doubts and inquiries, Qian Zhongcai didn't hide anything but told him frankly. After all, since His Highness has released Tuolong, everyone will know about these things in the future, so it's okay to talk about them now.

"It's a pity His Highness isn't here. Otherwise, I, Old Qian, could have shamelessly begged His Highness and maybe even fed the alligator dragon one more time!"

That's an unparalleled honor!" Qian Zhongcai explained to Yao Guan, and then said that his only regret was that His Highness the Crown Prince was not here, so he could not personally feed the alligator dragon one more time, which was a real pity!
"General Qian personally fed a dragon?!" Upon hearing Qian Zhongcai's explanation, Yao Guan was thrilled. There really was a dragon! And it was even the Crown Prince's dragon! Moreover, the Crown Prince had sent the dragon out to expand the territory—wouldn't that make them invincible?! Yao Guan, who had been marveling at the existence of a real dragon, was completely stunned after hearing Qian Zhongcai's last sentence. After all, what Qian Zhongcai said was truly astonishing—he had actually personally fed a real dragon!
It seems that General Qian is also one of His Highness's confidants! Yao Guan's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but have a new understanding of General Qian in front of him.

"Don't pay attention to these things, look up over there!" Faced with Yao Guan's surprise, Qian Zhongcai said with arrogance, "These are all trivial matters. You should take a look at the alligator dragon not far away yourself!"
Following Qian Zhongcai's pointing finger, Yao Guan subconsciously turned his head and inadvertently noticed a brass ring on Qian Zhongcai's hand. The design of this ring felt strangely familiar to Yao Guan. He frowned, pondering for a long time, then glanced around discreetly, finally spotting the familiar ring again on the hands of Hu Tian and the old Taoist priest. This sight stirred something within Yao Guan; he remembered seeing similar rings on the hands of Lord Xia Yuanji, Eunuch Xiao Xizi, General Liu Erniu, and Minister Mu Sheng back in Yunnan! And just now, Uncle Wei and his two apprentices also had them!

All the key figures in Yunnan have them! This made Yao Guan gasp. He knew in his heart that those who had the rings must be His Highness the Crown Prince's confidants!

"Brother Yao?" Just as Yao Guan was deep in thought, someone suddenly called him. He turned around and saw that it was Xu Tongshu, who ranked fifth in the examination and was also a prefect in Annam.

"Brother Xu." Yao Guan, having regained his composure, raised his hand and replied to Xu Tongshu.

"Brother Yao, look ahead!" Xu Tongshu called out to Yao Guan in shock. Yao Guan subconsciously followed Xu Tongshu's gaze and looked ahead.

"Hiss~!" Yao Guan gasped when he looked closely. The thick smoke that had enveloped the training ground had dissipated, and in the place where the smoke had been, a huge and terrifying monster had appeared. Its terrifying and imposing figure made Yao Guan freeze in fear.
In fact, it wasn't just Yao Guan; even Jiang Xiaohu, the Mu brothers, and others who had never seen the alligator dragon before were filled with a complex mix of emotions—shock, surprise, and disbelief. Even the old Taoist priest who had seen the alligator dragon before couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

"This alligator has grown so much; it's really quite robust now." The old Taoist priest couldn't help but take a few steps closer, wanting to get a better look at the alligator.

"Immortal Master!" But Wei Jizhong stopped the old Taoist priest from approaching.

(End of this chapter)