Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 346 Where Did the Dragon Come From? Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning

Flood dragon!

As the saying goes, where wind and rain arise, dragons are born.

When Wen Daoyuan looked out over the Yuancang River, he first saw a dragon, and then he saw the waves.

Then, a deafening roar, like the earth shaking, followed.

Then, the magnificent sunrise ahead was suddenly shrouded in dense rain and heavy clouds.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled and rain poured down.

With a deafening roar, a massive downpour began, engulfing almost the entire Tiannan Seven Prefectures.

Wen Daoyuan felt a faint metallic taste rising in his throat.

He understood, he completely understood!
So this is the truth behind why the emperor refused the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

Because... because he wants to raise dragons in the seven prefectures of Tiannan, in the Yuancang River.

But where did the dragon come from?
Ahead, a colossal creature with a snake's head and deer antlers, covered in scales, rose into view.

However, that was not actually a complete dragon.

Although its body was long, its belly was arched, giving it a somewhat large and bloated appearance.

It has no dragon claws on its abdomen, but surprisingly, it has huge, thin, and resilient fish fins on both sides of its back.

Upon closer inspection, the so-called "dragon" was actually just a strangely shaped big carp!

Because of its exceptionally long body, it looks like a dragon at first glance.

Now, this fish has emerged high from the Yuancang River, its upper body protruding into the water, summoning wind and rain, and stirring up waves.

Then, black mist swirled around him, and his resentment was overwhelming.

Within it, countless wronged souls could be vaguely seen writhing and howling in the torrential rain, their cries never ceasing:

"I hate it! I hate it so much! I hate it so much..."

The cries of the wronged souls echoed with the wind and rain, and in an instant, they seemed to be heard everywhere in the seven prefectures of Tiannan.

Those hateful voices twisted, writhed, and murmured, seemingly floating throughout the mortal world.

"I hate it so much. I was born before I was eighteen, and I won't go to the underworld after I die. I have nowhere to go, so why should you have a place to go?"

"They seized my land, kidnapped my wife and children, broke my legs, twisted my neck, and drowned me in the Yuancang River..."

"The world is full of fickle people. I sponsored his studies and his journey to the imperial examinations, but after he passed and became a scholar, he turned around and poisoned me!"

"Come on, turn around and take a look. Isn't your face mine?"

"Hee hee hee……"

Strange, vengeful laughter swirled around the monstrous fish, suggesting that this was no legitimate path to becoming a dragon.

This fish was born from resentment!

At the same time, its transformation into a dragon would inevitably lead to greater disasters and the acquisition of more resentment.

The current storm is just the first step.

Before long, if no one stops it, it may cause the rivers and streams of all seven prefectures in southern China to collapse.

At that time, the waters will flood thousands of miles of mountains and rivers.

The entire seven prefectures of Tiannan are likely to be plunged into a terrifying flood.

Of the millions of people, how many could escape with their lives amidst such a merciless flood?

Countless people died, and resentment and hatred arose between heaven and earth.

This will surely urge the fish to leap over the Dragon Gate.

To transform into a dragon, or to become a true dragon.

Then, His Majesty the Emperor, high above all others, personally intervened to subdue the dragon—

No, no, no, Wen Daoyuan rejected this conjecture again.

Where would the emperor find the power to subdue the dragon?
If he were in Gyeonggi Province, in the royal palace, perhaps he could.

But once they leave the palace and arrive in Pingyang Prefecture, even with all the divine weapons in his possession, the emperor might not be able to subdue the dragon. Not only would he not be able to subdue the dragon, but if a few more powerful rebel armies with strong destiny were to arrive, the emperor might very well lose his life!
Hehehe...

But if the emperor himself doesn't come to subdue this evil dragon, who will take action then?

Having considered this, Wen Daoyuan already had the answer in his heart.

He felt the metallic taste in his throat growing stronger, and he resented that the cloud boat was flying too slowly.

He hated his mortal body even more, for even with the cultivation of a great Confucian scholar, he could travel tens of thousands of miles in a single day through various means.

However, he ultimately could not leap off the cloud boat and reach Pingyang Prefecture.

That wasn't a rescue mission, that wasn't a direct suicide attempt!

Wen Daoyuan could not have died so meaninglessly.

He could only grit his teeth, his heart filled with hatred and anger, yet he forced himself to endure it.

No wonder, no wonder...

Ten years ago, Xie Huaizheng strongly advocated investigating the breach of the Yuancang River embankment. When the investigation led to Liu Shao, the emperor allowed Liu Shao to fabricate charges against Xie Huaizheng, effectively suppressing him!
Unfortunately, Wen Daoyuan was still in seclusion at the time and was unable to save Xie Huaizheng.

Ten years ago, a wrongful conviction was committed. Ten years later, is there going to be an even bigger wrongful conviction?
Wen Daoyuan observed the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning at that moment, and the cloud boat shuttled through the thunderclouds as fast as lightning.

But it's still not enough, not fast enough!

Wen Daoyuan's heart was filled with anxiety and torment, just like the rolling thunderclouds at this moment.

But then he thought to himself: After all, the provincial examination had just ended, and the chief examiner, Feng Xing, was still reviewing the papers in the examination hall.

The examination hall now houses more than a dozen highly accomplished officials who have passed the imperial examinations.

The chief examiner, Feng Xing, was only one step away from becoming a great Confucian scholar.

With Feng Xing in Pingyang Prefecture and Provincial Governor Yao Xing also stationed in Tiannan Circuit, it's expected that as long as these people take action, they can stabilize the current situation for a while.

To prevent that strange fish from causing too much trouble, wait until he arrives, wait until he arrives...

However, what Wen Daoyuan didn't know was that during the storm, the Juntian Bell in the examination hall did indeed ring for a moment.

thump—

That was the bell ringing on its own.

The long, drawn-out chime pierced through the thick rain and resonated in the hearts of everyone in the examination hall.

At that moment, several deputy examiners exclaimed in surprise, "Why is it raining so heavily all of a sudden? This rain is too sudden and too heavy. Could there be another disturbance on the Yuancang River?"

No examiner dared to say that the Yuancang River would breach its banks.

But this is where everyone's worries lie, after all, the Yuancang River has breached its banks more than once or twice.

Several examiners even stopped grading the papers and began to look out the window.

The rain was so heavy that, for some reason, it made me inexplicably uneasy.

However, Feng Xing, who was at the head of the table, said: "Gentlemen, those in positions of power should perform their duties. We are here today only for the provincial examination."

Now is the crucial moment for grading the provincial examination papers; even if there is a great storm, what does it matter to us?

Several deputy examiners remained hesitant. One of them said, "But... with such a severe storm, what if the Yuancang River breaches its banks again?"

Feng Xing said calmly, "Even if the dam breaks, do you think you and I can walk out of the examination hall?"
Once you enter the examination hall, you may not leave until the results are announced. Have you all forgotten the rules?
Even if you and I have forgotten, the weapons of Xingtian Guard will not forget.

Gentlemen, even if the Yuancang River bursts its banks, are we to give up grading the papers and let all our hard work in this provincial examination go to waste?

"Would it prevent all candidates from achieving academic success, further tarnish our reputations and bring shame upon our families?"

Although Feng Xing's tone was calm, every word he uttered resonated deeply with the examiners.

It sent chills down everyone's spine.

Feng Xing left something unsaid, but everyone knew it:
If someone were to actually leave the examination hall during the exam marking period, the only thing that would greet them would be beheading!
All the examiners fell silent.

Only the youngest among them couldn't help but argue, "But if the Yuancang River really breaches its banks, how can we, even if we are in the examination hall, escape disaster?"
When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?

But Feng Xing smiled and said, "With the Juntian Bell here, why worry about the lack of protection for the examination hall? You are all joking."

The rain poured down, and the people in the examination hall finally fell silent, burying themselves in reading the papers.

(End of this chapter)