Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Chapter 40 Water Token
The walls of this palace are made of water jade, and the roof is covered with golden glazed tiles with green trimmings. In the middle is a water-repellent jewel top. Around the top are nine water chains, each connected to a four-foot-tall man.

The palace has corridors on all four sides, paved with bluestone, with carved railings and painted pillars with tortoise patterns. There is a screen wall at the main gate, with an image of a black tortoise supporting the sky engraved on it.

The palace is located in the north and faces south, with several side halls on the left and right. According to Xia Kexing's low voice, the side hall on the left is for General Tuo, who is sent to train the troops, and the housekeeper Xian, who is in charge of miscellaneous affairs in the palace.
It is where the great demons live and work, serving the master of the mansion, his wife, children and concubines at three meals a day, the eel eunuch who is in charge of the warehouse, and the incense envoys from all directions.

The side hall on the right is divided into the water government barracks, armory, river treasure storehouse, kitchen, but the most common one is the guest room.

River monsters like Liu Qing who were stationed outside the water palace to report on their duties, or those who were sent to and from other water palaces, as well as inspectors like Xia Kexing who seldom stayed in the water palace, all stayed in the guest rooms.

After whispering the introduction, Xia Kexing transformed his legs again and headed towards the black fish guards at the entrance of the Water Palace.

He clasped his fists and said, "Brothers, I, Xia Kexing, have been ordered by the head of the family to bring back the new monster from the Snake Pond. Please inform us."

Anyone who can address the mansion master as "Master of the House" is naturally close to the mansion master. Several Black Fish guards did not dare to neglect him. They said thank you for your hard work, brother, and hurried into the hall to report.

Liu Qing quietly observed that although these black fish guards had not yet transformed into human hands and feet, they could stand upright with their tails supporting the ground, and their pectoral fins had lengthened, allowing them to grasp weapons like human hands.
Comparing himself silently, he was afraid that he was in the middle stage of refining essence into qi, which was one level higher than himself, but one level lower than Xia Kexing.

After a while, the Black Fish Guard who had reported the matter returned and said to the Shrimp Guest, "The Palace Master has ordered us two brothers to come in and pay our respects."

Before becoming a demon, these black fish were the natural enemies of water snakes like Liu Qing. After Liu Qing became a demon, he also ate a lot of them.

Now both of them have turned into monsters, and the earlier opposition is no longer there. Liu Qing understood what was going on. Snake Tail paused, said thank you for your hard work, and thanked the black fish guard.

There was more kindness in the eyes of the Black Fish Guard.

Xia Kexing led Liu Qing through the gate of the Water Palace, around the screen wall, and whispered a reminder, "The master has a straightforward personality and is quite kind to the river monsters below. When you pay your respects to the master later, don't be nervous. Just treat him as an elder of the clan. Just speak directly to me without beating around the bush."

Liu Qing blushed a little and nodded silently, knowing that it was Xia Kexing who was calling him. He guessed that he had been trying to please Xia Kexing on the way, and the Xia Kexing must have understood.

When we arrived at the main hall, we saw Qingyu's personal guards outside the door. These river monsters had transformed into the same form as Xia Kexing, and their cultivation level was almost in the late stage of refining essence into qi.

But when it comes to closeness to the mansion lord, he is not inferior to Xia Kexing in the slightest. After all, those who can serve as personal guards are all confidants.

"Xia Kexing (Liu Qing), requests an audience with the Lord of the Mansion—"

In formal occasions, Xia Kexing addressed the Lord as "Master of the Mansion". This shows that Xia Kexing was a man of propriety. No wonder he pleased the Lord of the Mansion and was assigned the lucrative post of Western Inspector.

As soon as the voice fell, a clam girl came over gracefully.

This clam girl is wearing a white skirt with a clam shell on her back. She has a pretty face, complete hands and feet, and her black hair is tied into a bun, just like the lady of a wealthy family in the world.

"How dare I trouble Madam Clam to come out to greet you? I, the shrimp guest, feel ashamed."

Xia Kexing bowed hurriedly, and Liu Qing instantly understood that this clam girl was a member of the mansion lord's family, but he didn't know whether she was his wife or concubine.

Liu Qing also hurriedly imitated the shrimp guest's greeting. The clam girl said softly, "Big Shrimp, you are clearly being too polite when you speak like that. When it comes to being close to the master of the mansion, I am far inferior to you."

"Oh, you are the newly transformed snake python. You have horns on your head and your body is a horned boa constrictor. You have the potential to transform into a dragon. No wonder the mansion master summoned you."

"Come in with me quickly, the master of the mansion is waiting."

Calling herself "slave," her language wasn't quite dignified enough, and Liu Qing guessed that this clam girl might be the palace lord's concubine. Once inside the palace, with Xia Kexing's previous reminder, Liu Qing acted calmly and composedly, neither humble nor overbearing.

Sure enough, the person sitting high in the hall sounded quite appreciative.

"Having recently transformed into a demon, he is able to greet this palace master with dignity and without any discomfort. This shows that he is straightforward and straightforward."

"This mansion master likes people like you the most. He is impatient with those who are coy, timid, and not straightforward!"

"Well, you have caught the eye of this mansion master. You are quite good."

I saw a man sitting high up, claiming to be the master of the house. He was about forty years old, bald and beardless, with small green eyes, a wide mouth and a red nose.

But it has a majestic figure, a slightly hunched back, a long neck and short and thick hands and feet.

Liu Qing had a guess in his heart that the master of this mansion might be a member of the water turtle clan. He also remembered that when he first entered the water mansion, he saw many turtles and tortoises living among the strange rocks and plants, which further strengthened his guess.

But he dared not let the secret slip. He and Hong Gu had once killed an old turtle in the pond, and it must be a relative of the mansion lord.

Also, when you are stationed at the Snake Pond in the future, you must control the snakes and pythons in the pond and not feed them turtles and tortoises. Oh, and try to eat less river shrimp.

Xia Kexing's heart, which had been hanging in the balance, finally settled down. Seeing that Liu Qing had understood his previous advice and his words and actions were in line with the head of the family's appearance, he couldn't help but feel happy.

Liu Qing was able to catch the master's eye, which meant that his words were not wasted. When he was really assigned to Shetan, he would secretly occupy Xiaolugou.
Liu Qing then became his direct subordinate as the Western Inspector. Liu Qing was a strong person with a clever mind. It was expected that he would be a capable subordinate in the future and would greatly increase the power under his command.

With such a plan, how could Xia Ke Xing not be happy?
Taking advantage of the mansion master's good mood, it joked, "Master, why do you choose to compare me with Big Shrimp? I have been with you for hundreds of years and have never been a coward."

As soon as these words came out, the mansion master burst into laughter: "Big Shrimp, you bastard, you know that I am not saying anything to you, but you still insist on making trouble."

Later, Liu Qing and Xia Kexing cooperated with each other, singing the same tune and winning the favor of the mansion master.

After half a cup of tea, the master of the mansion coughed, and Xia Kexing quickly shut up and secretly winked at Liu Qing.

"You are a good snake. This master is in a good mood today. You can go shopping, cook, or join General Tiao to learn water combat techniques. This master allows you to choose."

As expected, flattery never wears out, and even the most straightforward person cannot escape the silent influence of flattery.

You can choose any of the three: purchasing, cooking, or joining the army. If it were any other little demon, he would surely be ecstatic and secretly call it a good job.

But Liu Qing had already made up his mind and looked down on these things.

Liu Qing paused and said in a clear voice, "Master, I was born in the Ziwu Valley Snake Pond. I wish to return to the Snake Pond and guard it for you. I will work diligently day and night to give birth to more creatures in the pond, transform into more spirits, and strengthen our Dawan Lake Palace."

Xia Kexing also chimed in, "Master, don't blame me for being too talkative. What Liu Qing said makes sense. I was born in Ziwu Valley and know Snake Pond inside and outside the water. No one is more familiar with it than me. It's better to use cooked food than raw."

The mansion lord was indeed quick and decisive. After a moment's hesitation, he waved his hand and a water-blue jade token appeared in his palm, which he threw over.

"Since you are willing to return to the Snake Pond to garrison, and Da Xia has spoken on your behalf, I, the Palace Master, will grant your wish. From now on, this Snake Pond Water Token will be under your control!"

(End of this chapter)