Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Chapter 182 A Good Deed to Help the Clouds and Rain, Encountering a Ferocious Dragon on the Way to the Wei River

This Yuan Datou had a grudge against me before. Now that he has become a god and resides in the Jing River, I have to make a living under his command. I can't afford to offend him, otherwise, he will definitely seek revenge and might just smash my head with a hammer.

Under Yuan Datou's threat, the seven river demons of Jinghe fled back into the water in panic. Meanwhile, the river demons of Dawan Lake, after paying their respects to the old lord, sent the Jinghe water that filled their mouth pouches to Liu Qing.

"It's midnight! —"

"The River God of Dawang Lake responded to the flood victims' prayers and sent rain, one foot at a time!"

"The River God of Luanshitan has come to help with the rain!"

"The River God of Snake Pool has come to help with the rain!"

"The River God of the Wuding River has come to help with the rain!"

"The river god of the four short rivers has come to help with the rain!"

"The River God of Sanliu River has come to help with the rain!"

The old crocodile dragon of Luanshi Pool, along with Liu Qing's four divided spirits, responded simultaneously, their vast divine power spreading out and their voices resounding throughout Chang'an City.

Liu Qing spread his fiery wings and flew into the sky, his demonic aura surging. He reached out and beckoned the shrimp-like creatures standing on the ground.
The river demons of Xia Ke Xing spewed out water from the Jing River. Liu Qing then guided the water, using his cloud and rain technique to transform the river water into rain clouds, which floated in front of him.

Then he pointed downwards, and instantly, countless fine raindrops fell from the sky onto the parched earth.

Liu Qing's three clones, along with the old crocodile dragon of Luanshitan, also used their cloud and rain magic to draw the Jinghe River water that the shrimp travelers had brought, turning it into rain clouds to irrigate the earth.

The anxiously waiting disaster victims looked up at the night sky and saw a huge rain cloud overhead. Their faces lit up with joy. Then, the rain cloud churned and the rain began to fall.

They felt the coolness of the raindrops on their faces, greedily opening their mouths to taste the sweetness of the rainwater.
Overjoyed, they wept, waving their hands and singing and dancing in the rain. They roared, releasing their elation at surviving the ordeal.
They knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Liu Qing in the sky: "Thank you for your mercy, River God!"

The River God kept his word and promised to send rain at midnight, and the rain came at midnight.

The last vestiges of uncertainty among the disaster victims vanished completely. They knelt on the ground in gratitude, their devotion palpable.

A wisp of prayer power flew out from above their heads and landed on Liu Qing and the old crocodile dragon in the sky. Even Yuan Datou, far away in the Jing River, received a share.

The river demons of the Shrimp Traveler's guild, after one group had exhausted the river water in their mouth pouches, would summon another group to continue spouting river water to help the Lord of the Manor bring rain.

The river demons, now without water, hurriedly used magic to move through the water to fetch water from the Jing River. They went back and forth like this, and no matter how tired they were, they dared not delay the important matter of the Lord of the Mansion.

The original rain clouds continued to bring rain, and the river water was drawn back up into the sky, growing stronger and ensuring the rain would continue.

Liu Qing stretched out his finger and parted the huge rain cloud, using his supernatural powers to spread the rain cloud outwards, thus covering a larger area of ​​rainfall.

But the rain clouds were too heavy, and he had to focus on controlling the rainfall. Just then, several figures flew out from the island in the middle of the lake.
Each of them called out in a sweet voice, "Master, don't panic, your concubine is here to help you!"

Hong Gu, Xiao Ya, Bai She'er, and Shui'er all came to help. Hong Gu used her divine power to fly through the air and single-handedly pushed the largest rain cloud.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ya and Bai She'er rode on the back of the Water-Avoiding Golden-Eyed Beast Shui'er, their presence concealed by demonic energy. Together, the three of them pushed the rain clouds, irrigating the earth.

The river demon roamed ceaselessly, drawing the river's currents to form clouds. These clouds were pushed and moved, and raindrops fell steadily from the sky.
The sun-bleached soil regained its original color, the cracks closed up, and some withered but still alive seedlings began to revive.
The servants of the Li family, acting on Li Shimin's orders, temporarily lent a stone of grain seeds from the storeroom to the disaster victims. After expressing their gratitude, the victims busied themselves in the rain pulling up some of the withered seedlings and replanting them.

The rain continued to fall, turning the ground into muddy water. Some of the water seeped deep into the soil, while some flowed into the ditches in the fields. Soon, a sufficient amount of water was gathered to meet the irrigation needs for a short period of time.

Time passed quickly, and two hours were up.

The rain had just reached a foot and an inch in length. Liu Qing was also extremely exhausted at this point. He slowly dispersed the rain clouds and withdrew his cloud and rain spell.

At this moment, tiny golden specks of light emerged from the fields, from the disaster victims, from the flowers, trees, birds, beasts, insects, and fish, converging towards Liu Qing himself.

[Humanitarian Merit +30]

Liu Qing's eyes flickered, her heart churning with turmoil.

As expected, I once again received merit for my humanity. This time, unlike the previous demon-slaying at the chaotic rocky hill, the power of merit came suddenly.
This was a deliberate plan by Liu Qing. He was initially unsure whether the blessings would be bestowed upon him, as his motives stemmed from personal gain rather than a lack of intention to grant good fortune.

However, if humanity approves of this and bestows merit, it means that Liu Qing's plan has been recognized. As the saying goes, a gentleman judges by his actions, not his intentions.

Liu Qing was relieved. This plan had succeeded, and he could continue to use this method to gain merit for humanity.

This rainfall saved countless disaster victims, as well as numerous birds, beasts, fish, and insects, far exceeding the extent of the previous demon-slaying at Luanshigang. Therefore, a reward of 30 merit points is given at once.

The river demons who fetched water, along with their alter egos that helped bring rain, the old alligator dragon, the red maiden and white snake that pushed the clouds, and Yuan Datou who guarded the Jing River,

There was no reward for merit, only the distribution of incense offerings. This was because Liu Qing was in charge of all the rain, and the others were assigned or assisted by Liu Qing. Therefore, all the credit went to Liu Qing alone, and the reward for merit afterwards was also given to Liu Qing.

But after all that hard work, we can't leave without showing some appreciation. Hong Gu and the clones aside, they're all family.
The shrimp merchants and their companions were each rewarded with a spell. Yuan Datou, on the other hand, had been short of incense money recently, but Liu Qing had a good harvest of incense money today, so he had his clone casually tear off a wisp of divine power, turn it into incense money, and give it to Yuan Datou as a reward.

After the rains stopped today, Liu Qing led the group of river monsters back to Da Wan Lake to rest, and will continue tomorrow.

Rain fell on this land, alleviating the drought and saving countless lives. The disaster-stricken people, blessed by the River God, discussed their situation and, after completing the replanting, immediately decided to build a temple for the River God nearby, so that they wouldn't have to rush to Snake Pool in case of future trouble.

Soon after, the temple was completed, and Liu Qing's other incense-burning avatars also had a place to stay, and for a time the spread of faith became wider and the incense burning brighter.

The news quickly spread to other places, and when disaster victims learned that the rain was brought by the River God of Dawan Lake, they flocked to Shetan to pray and make supplications.
Liu Qing was waiting for them to arrive, and immediately manifested himself, saying that rain would fall on their land the next day. With the previous rainfall as an example, the disaster victims from afar were convinced and devoutly thanked him, and he received another wave of incense offerings.

In the practice of worshipping gods and spirits, one must first seek help from those in distress, and then the gods will respond to one's wishes and relieve one's troubles.

Even if merit would be bestowed upon him, Liu Qing would not voluntarily go to bring rain if disaster victims from other places did not come to him for help.
There was no other reason than that things offered to one's door are worthless. In the following days, Liu Qing went to other places, fetching water from the Jing River to summon clouds and rain, alleviating the drought and reaping a wave of worshippers. The river god's fame spread throughout more than ten counties near Chang'an.

You can also gain merit through human virtues, but apart from the first reward of 30 points, the merits are greatly reduced in subsequent rainfalls, with only a few points each time.

Humanitarian Merit: 39 points

Li Shimin also generously donated money to lend grain and seeds to disaster victims. In this way, the two of them gained followers, incense offerings, and spread their faith.
One who wins the hearts of the people and accumulates fame is like a dragon hidden in the abyss.

That day, Liu Qing went to Lantian County to report the rain and instructed the shrimp merchants to continue fetching water from the Jing River. However, the shrimp merchants soon returned empty-handed.

The messenger reported: "My lord, I see that the water level of the Jing River has dropped drastically, and the water depth is less than ten feet. If we continue to draw water, I'm afraid that the river monsters and the millions of fish and shrimp in the Jing River will have nowhere to live."

"Neither the old lord nor I can make up our minds, so we have no choice but to ask the lord for guidance. What should we do now?"

Liu Qing has been busy dealing with the rain at night and meditating to recover during the day, so he hasn't had time to go to the Jing River and has overlooked this point.
The current scorching sun has provided some relief from the drought with the Liuqing rains, but this is merely a stopgap measure, causing the Jinghe River's water level to drop rapidly under the scorching sun and the depletion of the Liuqing rains.

We can no longer transport water from the Jinghe River.

But if we don't use the Jinghe River, where else can we get water? The drought is ongoing, and each area needs to be rotated several times to keep going. We can't afford to lose our water supply.

Besides Dawan Lake, which remains untouched and the Jing River's water level, the other four lakes and four river tributaries—Fulong Lake, Liupan River, Shilang Lake, and Nanshan Lake—also have limited water. Even if water were forcibly extracted, it would be a drop in the ocean.
It seems we have no choice but to target the Wei River.

The Wei River is one of the eight major rivers. It is several times wider and deeper than the Jing River. Despite the drought and lack of rain for several days, the water level of the Wei River has not dropped much.

The Wei River and the Jing River are connected by a waterway, allowing shrimp farmers to cross the Jing River and enter the Wei River through the waterway to draw water from the Wei River to continue supplying their rainfall needs.

Having made up his mind, Liu Qing instructed Xia Kexing before heading to the Wei River to scout ahead.

Because the Dragon King of the Wei River was beheaded, many of his sons and grandsons, along with various river gods and other minor deities, are now busy vying for the throne.

The last time the incense offering avatar went there, it said the Wei River was in great chaos, probably because of fierce fighting and battles over the Dragon King's position. Under such circumstances, we cannot rashly send the shrimp travelers there, lest they lose their lives.

Liu Qing spread his fiery wings, habitually using demonic mist to conceal himself, and under the cover of night, headed towards the Wei River.

Before long, they flew over the Jing River. After traveling a short distance, they saw a large river below. The water was very muddy and the river was extremely wide, several times the width of the Jing River. Liu Qing knew that this was the Wei River.

There is a naturally formed sluice gate in the waterway between the Wei River and the Jing River. The sluice gate is guarded by a river monster to prevent the water of the Wei River from flowing back into the Jing River due to the drop in the water level of the Jing River.

As Liu Qing landed and stood still, he saw a group of more than a hundred disaster victims coming with their families. When they reached the bank of the Wei River, they looked around for boats to cross the river.

After inquiring, Liu Qing learned that these people were disaster victims from counties far from Chang'an City, and that the news of his willingness to help them by bringing rain had not yet spread to these places.

They too suffered from the disaster and could not survive. Hearing rumors that the land south of the Wei River was blessed with abundant rainfall and fertile fields, they prepared to cross the Wei River to make a living.

Liu Qing frowned, feeling that the rumor was unreliable and that its appearance was too coincidental, or that it was deliberately misled by an evil demon to lead them here.

The next moment, what happened confirmed Liu Qing's guess.

Suddenly, the turbid surface of the Wei River burst open, creating waves several meters high. The waves parted to both sides, and then a huge, serpentine creature, over thirty meters long, with horns but no claws and a lion's mane on its back, flew out from within.

Liu Qing strained his eyes to see and saw that the serpent's body was emanating a powerful divine authority. Its aura indicated that the serpent had the cultivation level of the late stage of the Dharma Realm.

Again, a thick, black, malevolent aura swirled around the serpent's body, like ink, mixing with the golden divine power of the authority. Under the power of the Yin Cave, countless wronged souls were screaming mournfully.

Liu Qing's expression was solemn. With the death of the Wei River Dragon King, these dragon sons and serpents were left unrestrained. Furthermore, with the Heavenly Dao obscured by the aura of slaughter, they became utterly unbridled.

Nowadays, they are even using cannibalistic and unorthodox methods to rapidly increase their spiritual power.

He had to intervene when someone ate people right before his eyes; these were his future followers, the source of his offerings. How could he allow this wicked creature to devour them?
Besides, if we don't take down this wicked dragon, the shrimp thieves won't be able to steal water smoothly later.

When the evil dragon of the Wei River appeared, the river demons responsible for guarding the sluice gates of the Jing and Wei waterways all kowtowed and knelt to welcome it, shouting, "Greetings to the decree bestowed upon you, 'Seventh-Rank God of Authority, General of the Water Gates'!"

This further solidified Liu Qing's judgment: this evil dragon was a seventh-rank general in charge of the Jingwei Water Gate, and if it was not captured, it would certainly be impossible to steal the water of the Wei River.

Liu Qing communicated his plan through his clones, and then instructed them to notify Hong Gu, Shui'er, and General Tuo to ambush them on the Jing River side in advance, and wait for his signal to rush forward and capture the Wei River Evil Dragon.

"This monstrous dragon is going to eat people! Run!"

Liu Qing, who was mixed in with the disaster victims, suddenly shouted, startling the victims who were shocked by the ferocious form of the evil dragon.

The victims fled in droves.

Enraged that Liu Qing had let his prized meal escape, the Wei River Demon roared and pounced on Liu Qing.

Liu Qing then spread his fiery wings, flew into the air, opened his mouth and spat out, "Master, wait!" He then thrust his two fanged swords towards the eyes of the Wei River Demon Dragon.
The evil dragon chuckled and, without pausing, simply closed its eyelids. Liu Qing's pair of fang swords clanged once, and the attack failed.

Liu Qing knew it was useless and wasn't surprised. He had planned to use such ordinary methods to provoke the evil dragon and lure it into the ambush on the other side of the Jing River, and then surround and capture it.

When Liu Qing's sword failed to strike, he opened his mouth and spewed out water chains to bind the evil dragon. The evil dragon easily twisted its body, shattering the water chains.

However, Liu Qing had hidden water mines in the water chain. When the evil dragon shook off the water chain, the water mines exploded. Although the evil dragon had profound cultivation and an extremely strong physical body, it was still hit by the water mines at close range, which broke its defenses and blew off several of its scales.

The Weihe Evil Dragon suddenly flew into a rage, roaring repeatedly and increasing its speed dramatically, cursing that it would skin Liu Qing alive and tear out his tendons.

As the evil dragon approached, opening its massive mouth full of fangs to bite, Liu Qing remained calm. She formed hand seals and instantly transformed into a gust of black wind, escaping from the dragon's mouth.

(End of this chapter)