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

Chapter 293 The Young Fishermen's Choice
Time passed quickly, and several days had already gone by.

On this day, fishermen toiling under the scorching sun on the sea where Hue and Thang Hoa provinces meet in Annam suddenly discovered something astonishing. Not far from them, someone was walking on the sea instead of using a boat!
The fishermen who first discovered this rubbed their eyes in disbelief. When they looked up again, the scene was still the same: someone walking on the sea. Moreover, the person was even closer to them! Was it some kind of ghost in broad daylight? The horrifying scene before them made the Annamese fishermen's hearts pound with fear.

"Look at the sea! Look, there are people on the sea! There are people!" The fisherman who first spotted the scene pointed to the distance and shouted incoherently to the other fishermen around him in Annamese. When the other fishermen noticed this, they all stopped what they were doing and stared at the distance, and then a noisy commotion broke out among them.

As the Annamese fishermen stared with suspicion at the distant figure drifting on the sea, the person approaching drew closer. Once the figure was even closer, the fishermen looked more closely and saw that it was an elderly Taoist priest with white hair, a youthful face, and a serene expression. He wore a magnificent yellow Taoist robe, held a glittering golden object resembling a scripture in one hand, and a white whisk in the other. However, due to the distance, they couldn't clearly see the priest's features, only vaguely recognizing him as a kind old Taoist.

Seeing that it was a Taoist priest approaching from not far away, rather than a ghost, the fishermen of Annam couldn't help but relax. However, they were still somewhat reserved and wary. After all, anyone who saw an old Taoist priest walking on the vast sea, holding a golden scripture and whisk, would feel awe, especially in the feudal Ming Dynasty.

As the immortal drew closer, the Annamese fishermen were astonished to discover that this unfathomable immortal was not actually on a boat, but rather floating on the sea atop a massive black log. This sight made the Annamese fishermen wonder if they had truly encountered a deity. Seeing this extraordinary encounter, the Annamese fishermen called to each other and slowly approached the figure holding the golden scripture.

"Ah~!" But before the fishermen could even get close to the immortal, some sharp-eyed fishermen spotted a horrifying scene. Beneath the rippling water behind the old Taoist priest, a thick, scaly tail was swaying in the sea! Startled, one villager cried out in terror, pointing at the old Taoist priest's feet. Finally, he was so frightened that he fell onto the drifting boat, trembling!

His exclamation and unusual movements immediately attracted the attention of the other fishermen. They looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the old Taoist priest, with his sage-like demeanor, wasn't standing on any black driftwood at all, but rather on a colossal deep-sea beast with fully scaled armor, sharp teeth and claws, a ferocious head and horns, and an extremely terrifying appearance!

The giant beast was pitch black, with a mouth full of fangs, its length unknown, and its scales as menacing as iron—it was truly terrifying! For a moment, all the fishermen were stunned by the sight before them, and they all fell silent!
"Monster! Monster!"

"Run! A monster is coming!" Some of the quicker-reacting fishermen, after regaining their senses, stumbled and shouted that there was a monster. They frantically tried to row away, but they were too terrified to row and just thrashed about in the sea with their oars.

"Don't eat me, monster!"

"My lord, I smell fishy and don't taste good!" "Great demon, please don't eat me! I have elderly parents and young children waiting for me at home to take care of them!" Compared to some fishermen who wanted to run away, many more chose to kneel down and beg for mercy to avoid being eaten by the demon in front of them. After all, how could they possibly outrun this enormous beast in their boats?!
"Don't talk nonsense! What monster? This is clearly a deity descending to earth!"
"This immortal is a deity descended to earth, specifically to subdue the sea dragon!" However, some quick-thinking fishermen had a different view. They believed that the immortal had subdued the dragon and was simply passing through the area, using this place as a stop to rest. Therefore, some of the fishermen knelt and kowtowed to the old Taoist priest! Among these people, a young man knelt silently.

"Uh..." Looking at the panicked foreign people before him, the old Taoist priest was momentarily at a loss. At that moment, he seemed to suddenly realize something very important: he couldn't understand Annam's language at all!

So at this moment, the old Taoist priest could only watch helplessly as the Annamese people in front of him either knelt on the boat and kept kowtowing to him, or tried to row away, but he couldn't understand what they were saying at all!
What a blunder! The old Taoist priest, who had lived to such an advanced age, suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, not being able to speak the language was making things extremely difficult!
However, the old Taoist priest was a seasoned veteran who had lived for decades. Despite the language barrier, he still managed to come up with a feasible solution.

"Say something." The old Taoist priest subtly stomped his foot and whispered to the alligator dragon. He then clearly felt the dragon's body sway slightly. Immediately, the old Taoist priest lowered his body slightly and quietly adjusted his posture.

"Roar!" As the old Taoist subtly lowered his stance to a horse stance to stabilize himself, the alligator dragon suddenly emerged from the sea, its head previously submerged, and let out a deafening roar at the alien race before it. Instantly, a dragon's roar resounded throughout the surrounding area, seemingly causing even the sea to tremble!
The old Taoist priest was also shaken by the sound, but he remained calm and composed. Meanwhile, he thought to himself, "These tokens from Uncle Wei and the other two are really useful!" Indeed, for this plan, the old Taoist priest had directly borrowed the rings from Wei Jizhong, Xiao Huzi, and Xiao Gouzi!
In the eyes of the Annamese fishermen, the noble immortal, who was like a god, moved his body slightly, and the terrifying beast in the sea revealed its terrifying and ferocious head from the sea and let out a deafening roar towards the sky. The sound was so powerful that it made everyone's heads dizzy and unable to control themselves in an instant.

After the dragon's roar, all the Annamese fishermen fell into an eerie silence. As the foreign fishermen recovered, the old Taoist quietly rode the giant beast to the front of them, facing the coastline. He then turned and gently beckoned to the dazed fishermen.

Even though they couldn't understand each other's languages, the fishermen could still understand the waving gesture; they knew that the immortal before them was calling them over. However, the terrifying figure of the giant beast and the terrifying roar of the dragon had already intimidated the many fishermen of different races. At this moment, not one of them dared to step forward.

Finally, seeing that no one stepped forward, the old Taoist priest could only shake his head slightly with regret before turning to leave.

"Immortal Master!" Just as the old Taoist priest turned away in disappointment, a young figure who had been kneeling among the fishermen suddenly gritted his teeth, glanced at his many fishing companions, and, avoiding the dissuasive, panicked, and hesitant gazes of the other fishermen, resolutely called out to the departing, imposing immortal master!
(End of this chapter)