Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 191 The Arrangements of the Northern Dragon God

Chen Ji was surprised to hear this.

The dragon from the Northern River came to the Western River to become the river god, and was named Jiuqu, calling himself "this dragon." His identity is indeed a bit too complicated.

"It's a long story, let's sit down and talk about it slowly."

The nine bends point towards the ground.

Two white jade beds appeared out of thin air, carved with seaweed, fish and water patterns, exuding a watery and spiritual aura, clearly not ordinary objects.

Then, with a flick of his fingers, a ripple spread out in front of him, gradually expanding.

A moment later, a giant tortoise came carrying something.

Then the snail spirit set the table, the shrimp soldiers held up cups, the fish demon served dishes, and the clam maiden served wine...

In an instant, this place was transformed into an excellent venue for banquets.

Chen Ji knew that the Dragon Lord had just used a unique communication method of the aquatic race, similar to the old abbot's Bluebird Communication Technique.

Upon reflection, I realized that the same story had spread when my group went to Hutuo River to deliver our visiting cards.

However, it was just a gray line at the time, so I didn't pay attention to it.

Looking back now, I realize that's actually true, and I find it quite amusing.

As expected, the methods of communication on land and in water are different; even the techniques for transmitting messages are quite different.

"What are you thinking about, fellow Taoist?"

Just as the dishes and drinks had not yet been served, Jiuqu noticed Chen Ji's gaze and asked curiously.

Chen Ji didn't hide anything and told him what he had just been thinking.

"I see!"

The Nine-Bend Dragon God laughed heartily.

"It seems that Lord Jiming has not explained to you, fellow Daoist. This is the Water-Knocking Technique, a common technique among aquatic creatures, which uses water to transmit messages."

“Aquatic creatures can naturally sense the fluctuations in the water, and since it is inconvenient to speak underwater, this technique came into being.”

"It is said that it was originally based on the wind-summoning and communication techniques on land, but it is now impossible to determine which demon created it."

"Indeed ingenious!"

Chen Ji nodded and sighed.

"If you wish to learn, I can teach you, but it may take some time to feel the rhythm of the water."

After saying that, he took out a smooth, jade-like seashell, held it for a moment, and then slowly put it down.

"The technique is already contained within; you may comprehend it at any time."

"Thank you, Dragon God."

Chen Ji bowed in thanks and accepted the seashell, but was in no hurry to comprehend it.

The Dragon God had not yet spoken of his affairs, nor had he received an answer from the Water Palace regarding their actions; this was the real matter.

After a short while, all the food and wine were ready.

A woman dressed in a light veil poured wine into a cup and handed it to the host and guest.

The inside of the wine glass shimmered, and the outside was almost translucent, holding an amber-colored liquid that seemed to contain a sip of moonlight.

The Dragon God raises his cup.

"Fellow Daoist, please don't be disgusted. My place is not as rich in products as the Hutuo River, and this wine is not as good as the fine wine of the Beidu Dragon Palace. Only the Tusu Li wine brewed at the beginning of the year has been stored in the water palace for half a year, guided by the water vapor and moonlight day and night, and now it has a unique flavor."

Chen Ji, naturally unwilling to refuse the Dragon God's kindness, raised his cup to his lips and took a sip.

This Tusu wine is sweet and mellow on the palate, with a rich medicinal aroma. After drinking it, the aftertaste is even more lingering, far from the fact that the Dragon God said there was no good wine at all.

Even considering the many wines Chen Ji had tasted, this one was only inferior to Diling Liquor and Yuejiang Wine, and it wasn't bad even compared to the wines in the Jiming Water Mansion.

only……

Chen Ji still raised his eyebrows.

Drinking this kind of wine at this time is a bit inappropriate.

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the wine, but rather that, like Yan Chixia, the dragon's drinking habits were off.

Tusu wine was originally prepared to slay ghosts and awaken human souls; it is harmful and not beneficial for demons and ghosts to drink it.

The Nine-Bend Dragon God couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet he still drank it...

Chen Ji looked at Jiuqu, hesitating whether or not to speak.

It was Jiuqu who first understood Chen Ji's meaning and asked with a smile if there was any problem.

"Although Tusu wine is good, it seems inappropriate for the Dragon God to drink it."

"Snakes avoid realgar and dislike Tusu wine. The Dragon God has not yet become a dragon, so he should not drink this wine."

Chen Ji told the truth.

The Nine-Bend Dragon God laughed heartily.

"Everyone says that people have no good words when they see demons and ghosts, but I think you are not like that, fellow Daoist."

"In all these years, you are the first person to advise me not to drink this wine."

The fact that Jiuqu emphasized the word "human" made Chen Ji realize that other demons and ghosts must have persuaded him, so his continued drinking of the beverage must have been his own decision.

Sure enough, after a moment, Jiuqu put down his cup and slowly opened his mouth.

"As you said, Tusu wine has the effect of eliminating ghost energy and awakening human souls. For a dragon to transform into a dragon, it is just right to sever the demonic energy on its body and cultivate this bit of human energy."

"Although this Tusu wine is not good for the body, it can help with the transformation into a dragon. It's hard to say whether it's effective or not."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji suddenly understood, and after a moment of thought, he admired the Nine-Bend Dragon God for coming up with such a remedy.

Using Tusu wine to cultivate popularity is similar to Yan Chixia using realgar wine to ward off the cold poison.

Thinking of Yan Chixia, I couldn't help but look south, wondering how Fellow Daoist Yan is doing now.

Have we reached Jinhua territory yet? Have we encountered any demons or ghosts at Lanruo Temple?

Chen Ji seemed to be deep in thought, and smiled slightly, which aroused Jiu Qu's curiosity and prompted her to ask a question.

"What is it that makes you so happy, fellow Daoist?"

"He is an old friend, who, like you, also relies on medicinal wine to suppress the yin poison in his body."

Having said that, he then told Jiuqu about Yan Chixia's situation.

"Wonderful! There is such a wonderful person in the world. He is indeed worthy of being called the sword immortal of this era, as my fellow Daoist said."

"If I have the chance, I must meet this Taoist Master Yan and have a good drink with him."

"At that time, what harm is there in sacrificing a few years of cultivation to drink a cup of realgar wine!"

Chen Ji shook his head slightly upon hearing this. He was indeed a man of strong character; he could already imagine what Yan Chixia would say if he knew about the Nine-Bend Dragon God's situation.

It would be wonderful! There is such a carefree dragon god in the world. I would be willing to endure a few days of cold poison just to have a good drink!
With his thoughts settled, Chen Ji didn't dwell on it much, simply cupping his hands slightly in greeting.

"Please be sure to invite someone to have a drink with us then."

"nature!"

The Nine-Bend Dragon God put down his wine cup and nodded earnestly.

"If we are still in the mortal world at that time, no matter where we are, Jiuqu will definitely invite you to have a drink together."

“Excellent!”

Chen Ji readily agreed.

Now that things had progressed to this point, and their relationship was no longer as awkward as before, Chen Ji didn't wait for the dishes to be served before getting straight to the point.

"I saw that the Dragon God was surrounded by pure energy, unlike an ordinary blood-eating demon. He also acted with integrity. So why are there rumors circulating in the human world that the Dragon God eats people?"

Silence fell over the water palace.

Chen Ji's expression was serious, and he pointed to the ground, ready to strike at any moment.

But then the Nine-Bend Dragon God burst into laughter.

"Is that what people say? Excellent, excellent! The grand plan is halfway done."

"Ok?"

Chen Ji was taken aback by what he heard, not understanding what the Nine-Bend Dragon God meant by that.

After laughing, the Nine-Bend Dragon God looked at Chen Ji again.

"Fellow Daoist, are you aware of the tarnishing of your reputation?"

"nature."

Chen Ji nodded.

"That's exactly what I don't understand. Fellow Daoist is a Heavenly Dragon God, capable of cultivating in the Northern River, so why is he now in the Western River..."

"I was sent here by the Dragon God of the Northern River, to switch allegiance on the grounds that the Northern River is weak."

"Although the river god of the West River has many tributary river gods under his command, I am the only water god who came from the North River. Moreover, I belong to the dragon family, so naturally I caught his eye."

The River God of Nine Bends spoke slowly.

"Ok?"

Chen Ji was taken aback, then suddenly understood.

No wonder the Nine-Bend Dragon God's identity is so complicated; there's another reason behind it.

"What about the women who came to marry into the family?"

"Naturally, it's to build a reputation, which is why we specifically invited the Water Mansion."

The Nine-Bend Dragon God sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"The Northern River Dragon God knew about the Western River's ambitions long ago, and he made me switch sides and join the Western River a hundred years ago."

“At that time, the river god of Xidu wanted to test me, so he asked me to manage this place.”

"Fellow Daoist, do you know what I looked like when I first came here?"

“The people in Shanghe Village were starving and cold. I felt sorry for them, so I drove away their fish and gave them my catch. I also appeared in their dreams and told them to build a temple. That's how we managed to build a small temple.”

"That's really good."

Chen Ji said seriously.

"Yes, by the standards of normal gods and humans, it is indeed good, but the water god of Xidu laughed at my stupidity for thinking of such a method."

"They... sigh..."

Jiuqu sighed again, her brows furrowed with helplessness.

"They never care about the lives of the people along the river. They directly lead the aquatic creatures to stir up trouble. If they are slightly displeased, they will flood the fields. If there is heavy rain, they will directly flood the houses, turning the entire village into a swamp..."

"Despite such brutal methods, the people were extremely respectful to them. Not to mention livestock, they never lacked human sacrifices."

"This is normal."

Chen Ji clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Ordinary people fear authority more than morality; it is in the face of life and death that they are more likely to develop this sense of awe."

"So I changed my approach, from a benevolent god at the beginning to an evil god now."

"From the three sacrificial animals to the present day, the practice of sending young boys and girls to marry the river god has brought back a lot of incense offerings and earned the favor of the Xidu River God."

"After all, his previous behavior was really not like that of the River God of Xidu."

Chen Ji finally understood.

No wonder the Nine-Bend Dragon God has changed so much; it was all to tarnish his own reputation in order to blend in among the water gods of the Western River.

It seems to have been quite effective, but Chen Ji still has one problem.

"Fellow Daoist, this matter will indeed allow you to infiltrate Xidu. However, have you considered whether you should assume the roles of temple keeper or matchmaker in the human realm?"

"nature."

The Nine-Bend Dragon God nodded in response.

“The temple keeper and the matchmaker were the first people I helped to be willing to build a temple and offer incense for me. I saw that their families were pitiful, so I asked them to do this.”

"How does Fellow Daoist usually inquire about their affairs?"

The Nine-Bend Dragon God was taken aback and shook his head.

"Under normal circumstances, we really haven't questioned their actions."

As he spoke, he suddenly looked at Chen Ji, as if he had just thought of something.

"Fellow Daoist, what did they do?"

"We did do some."

Only then did he explain to the Nine-Bend Dragon God what the sorceress and the temple keeper had been doing.

"How dare you, Shuzi!"

Upon hearing this, the Nine-Bend Dragon God was enraged, his eyes turning bloodshot as if he were about to spit fire.

Although Jiuqu's actions tarnished his reputation, they also had the merit of providing relief, so the two canceled each other out and he even gained merit.

However, this sorceress and temple keeper have completely tarnished the reputation of the Nine-Bend Dragon God. If it is truly deeply entrenched, it is unknown how much incense it will take to restore the clear dragon energy.

This is something that hinders cultivation, almost an irreconcilable enmity.

(End of this chapter)