Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 121 Beiyue Pretends to Be Dirty
My relationship with the Dragon King is not very good; my previous invitation only stated that I had something to ask of him.

Now that he's asked, Chen Ji can't say everything.

After thinking for a moment, he said that a temple for the Five Sacred Mountains Emperors was to be built in the mountains, and he wanted to ask for some spiritual objects to hold the spirits.

"The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak governs the river transport, and the Dragon Lord is the master of the Water Palace, so I would like to ask if I can ask for something to use as a container for the filth."

"I see, then it's not a big problem."

Ji Ming nodded, not taking it to heart at all.

"If these are simple, then the Hutuo River is a hundred miles long. Even when the wind is calm on ordinary days, there are bound to be things that sink when a strong wind suddenly rises."

"Finding some keel and sails shouldn't be a problem."

Miss Bai shook her head slightly.

Chen Ji knew that pretending to be dirty wouldn't work, so he spoke again.

“If it’s just these few things, we don’t need to ask the Dragon King for help. We can just find a fisherman who is good at swimming and get them ourselves.”

"It seems you have other requests, which you must have already thought of. Mr. Chen, please feel free to speak up. If it is possible, I will naturally not refuse."

"The Dragon King spoke slowly."

Chen Ji didn't say it directly, but instead talked about several other things used to store dirty items.

"We have prepared a set of armor worn by a general from the previous dynasty, a book that a sage from the academy had read, and a handful of soil from the altars used in the capital for sacrifices to Heaven and Earth..."

"What about another one?"

"I plan to find the soul of a ghost king and seal it inside."

"So what I have brought out is indeed not enough. It seems that what you want is what I have on me."

The Dragon King asked slowly.

"But dragon tendons and dragon horns?"

Chen Ji shook his head.

"I dare not be so greedy as to want these two things; even one or two dragon scales would be enough."

"You're really not greedy."

Dragon Lord smiled and shook his head.

"If it were an ordinary dragon scale, I wouldn't mind giving it to you. However, I am, after all, a true dragon with the bloodline of the Four Rivers, the Hutuo Dragon Lord. It's rather inappropriate for you to ask for my dragon scale without any real words, isn't it?"

Long Jun's voice gradually turned cold, and he looked at Chen Ji with a hint of amusement.

"Of course, if Mr. Chen can grant me a request, a few dragon scales are not out of the question, and even dragon horns are negotiable."

Chen Ji's eyes widened as he realized something, but he still pretended not to have guessed and asked what the request was.

The Dragon King smiled slightly.

"Sir, have you ever heard the story of the Dragon Princess getting married?"

"Of course I've heard that."

"Then what does the Taoist priest think of my appearance?"

"Nature is wonderful."

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over him. In ancient times, many nobles were fond of homosexuality.

Could this dragon be the Dragon King before us?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he saw the Dragon Lord looking at him with a dignified expression and shaking his head slightly.

"I don't have the things you're thinking of. It's just that I have sisters who are even more beautiful than me. They are considered outstanding among the dragon maidens, and they are not yet married."

“My father has been trying to find suitable husbands for my sisters in recent years, but he has not met any. They must be dragons or humans, but ordinary demons are not qualified.”

“I have heard about what you have done, and after meeting you, I found that you are a man of great talent and appearance, and you are a perfect match for my sister. Therefore, I would like to invite you to Beidu to meet my sister.”

"If this can be accomplished, we will be brothers. Giving up a few dragon scales for you and sawing off a piece of dragon horn is not a difficult task. What do you say?"

Chen Ji sighed and declined with his hands clasped in refusal.

"Thank you for your kind words, Dragon Lord, but I am truly unworthy to be worthy of the Dragon Maiden of Beidu."

"You think my sister isn't good enough for you?"

"I dare not. I have only been cultivating for less than two months and I still want to see the wider world of cultivation. I really dare not leave any ties because of my personal feelings."

After Chen Ji finished speaking, before Hu Tuo Longjun could turn hostile, he took out the bamboo slips left by the sage.

"Perfect timing! The Dragon King has invited us to a banquet, but he hasn't yet presented us with our gifts."

"This is something the sage gave me when I mentioned visiting the Dragon Lord's residence during the previous sacrificial ceremony."

“I only recognize the book as ‘Records of the Four Rivers’, so it’s perfect to give it to the Dragon Lord. It’s like returning it to its rightful owner.”

"what?"

Long Jun was taken aback, then took it and examined it.

His expression changed after recognizing the words above.

He quickly flipped through several pages, his expression growing increasingly serious.

After a long while, he rolled up the bamboo slips and respectfully looked at Chen Ji to ask a question.

"Is this truly a gift from a saint to you, sir?"

After saying that, worried that Chen Ji might overthink it, she quickly explained.

"It's not that I don't believe you, sir. No one in the human world can replicate this thing. I just want to confirm whether it was truly a gift from a sage."

"nature."

"Then, sir, you are still willing to give me this gift?"

The Dragon King stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "The bamboo slips bestowed by the sage, if in the hands of a Confucian scholar in the mortal realm, would be worth a fortune."

Chen Ji shook his head.

"Since it is the Records of the Four Rivers, and the text is obscure and difficult to understand, it will be of no use to the great Confucian scholar. It is better to return it to the Dragon Lord."

"There's just one thing I'd like to ask you, Dragon Lord: what is this script? I don't think I've ever seen it anywhere before."

After a few moments of stunned silence, confirming that Chen Ji was telling the truth, Long Jun slowly explained.

"This is water script, which only aquatic creatures who have ruled over rivers, lakes and seas can understand. It is a record of information by the water god."

"If the water god obtains this, he can deduce the water-related divine duties and authority recorded in this book from the water script."

"Therefore, ordinary people would not see such a thing, nor would they allow it to leak out."

"The book 'The Records of the Four Rivers' that you gave me is a treasure of the Four Rivers. Not to mention me, even my father would value it."

At this point, the Dragon King sighed again and began to speak slowly.

“Sir, you are so kind! You have bestowed this precious treasure upon me simply because you feel that this item is related to me. I should not hide it from you.”

"To be honest, Beidu has been declining in recent years and is on the verge of being annexed by Xidu. My father sent me here to observe the movements of Xidu and to see if we can acquire more control over the water system to help Beidu regain its strength."

A look of doubt appeared in Chen Ji's eyes.

Can the water system be restored to its former glory?

"Exactly."

The Dragon King nodded.

"This is also a secret among the water gods, but it's alright to explain it to you, sir."

"Sir, do you know what the fundamental strength of the Water God lies in?"

"Control of the water system?"

"Exactly."

Chen Ji nodded, not particularly surprised.

Even in the human world, there are still matters of fighting for territory. The water god is not some god without desires, so it's normal for him to do this.

I'm just curious about how to expand the water system.

Today's water systems have been largely fixed after millions of years of geological changes and are difficult to alter.

Recklessly manipulating floods to expand waterways is also against the duties of the water god, and he cannot think of any way to strengthen the waterways.

"Ancient water system."

"The Dragon King spoke slowly."

"The surface water system is basically unchangeable, but some ancient water systems have not disappeared, but are hidden underground. As long as we can find the ancient water system and obtain the authority over it, we can bring it back to life, which will strengthen the water system."

"I see."

"This book, 'The Records of the Four Rivers,' records many ancient water systems hidden underground. If even one-tenth of them can be found, the chances of the West River system being revitalized will be much greater."

"Now that I have obtained such a treasure, I really don't know how to thank you, sir."

The Dragon King said with shame.

"I was worried about this matter before, which is why I thought of inviting you to marry into the family in Beidu."

"Now it seems that I was presumptuous. You received a gift from a sage in less than two months of cultivation."

"It's my younger sister who's not good enough for you, sir!"

“Is that so…”

Chen Ji then understood the significance of the bamboo scroll that the sage had left him.

It was as if they knew this would happen.

So I looked up at the sky.

I wonder if the scene of the Dragon King reading the "Records of the Four Rivers" ever caught the eye of the Sage.

What else is there to say?

Then he saw the Dragon Lord reach into his collar and clench his teeth.

"hiss!"

A moment later, he gasped and pulled out three dragon scales, still stained with dragon blood, clearly freshly plucked.

Then he touched the top of his head a few more times, took off a piece of dragon horn about the size of a thumb, and handed it to Chen Ji.

“Mr. Chen, these two items are not enough to replace this book, ‘The Records of the Four Rivers’. Please accept them for now, and I will send them to your residence when I have collected better ones in the future.”

Chen Ji looked at the dragon scales and horns and shook his head.

"Dragon Lord, there's no need to overthink it; this is more than enough."

"As far as the Dragon Lord is concerned, you have obtained something extremely important, and you are very satisfied."

"We are just as satisfied with it, and that is excellent."

"Let's not send too much stuff. A bento box is enough for friends to help each other out."

A look of surprise flashed in the Dragon King's eyes.

After a while, a strange look appeared in his eyes.

"Indeed, I was too narrow-minded. Thank you to my three friends today."

"Having obtained such a precious treasure, I dare not linger. I will return to Beidu first, and then bring fine wine to visit the three of you for a drink another day!"

"must!"

(End of this chapter)