Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Gaoxu mounted his horse and galloped straight towards Prince Rui's residence without even entering the gate. Zhu Zhanji followed behind on a small pony, calling out, "Second Uncle, wait for me!"

Upon arriving at the gates of Prince Rui's residence, Zhu Gaochi dismounted and strode inside, calling out, "Fourth brother! Fourth brother! Where are you?"

He stepped over the white marble steps in front of the Chengyun Hall and immediately saw Zhu Gaoxi. In the open space in front of the Chengyun Hall, Zhu Gaoxi was playing with something.

If you look closely, you can see a small golden dragon flying around him. It is only about an arm's length long and as thick as a chopstick, like a small golden snake.

Zhu Gaoxu abruptly stopped, his mouth agape, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. Zhu Zhanji, following behind, peeked out and, upon seeing the small golden dragon, froze: "Fourth Uncle, this...this is the dragon from the sky just now? Why is it so small?"

Zhu Gaoxu snapped out of his daze, rushed to Zhu Gaoxi, and pointed at the little golden horse: "Fourth brother! Did you conjure this up too? Or was it a mount bestowed upon you by the Dao Ancestor?"

Zhu Gaoxi reached out and let the little gold fly into his palm, then put it on his shoulder and said with a smile, "Pretty much. Yesterday, the Daoist Ancestor passed on a supernatural power that can turn stillness into movement, so I conjured up the wooden dragon on the pillar in the hall."

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to look at the giant golden nanmu pillar in Chengyun Hall. The pillar was empty, and the coiled wooden dragon was indeed gone.

He gasped, his voice trembling: "You...turned the fake dragon on the pillar...into a real dragon?"

Zhu Gaoxi nodded, and the little golden dragon on his shoulder let out a low dragon roar in response. The sound was not loud, but it carried a natural sense of power.

Zhu Zhanji leaned closer, his eyes sparkling: "Fourth Uncle, can I touch it?"

Zhu Gaoxi glanced at the little goldfish on his shoulder. The little goldfish tilted its head, as if it were sizing up Zhu Zhanji, and then gently flew up and landed in Zhu Zhanji's palm.

Zhu Zhanji's hands trembled as he carefully touched Xiao Jin's dragon head, finding it warm and smooth. He looked up, his voice trembling, "Fourth Uncle! It's warm! It's real!"

Zhu Gaochi stood aside watching this scene, his fat body swaying, and he had to hold onto a pillar to steady himself: "Fourth brother, your skills... are even more amazing than those in the storybooks."

Zhu Gaosui, standing behind, was also incredibly shocked as he listened to his fourth brother's words: "Since ancient times, we have only heard of immortals riding cranes and deer, but never of an immortal riding a dragon. Fourth brother, your style is probably unique from ancient times to the present."

Zhu Gaoxu slapped his thigh suddenly: "Third brother is right! Riding a crane is nothing! Fourth brother rides a real dragon!"

He crouched down and moved closer to Zhu Zhanji's hand. "Zhanji, let your second uncle touch it too." He carefully reached out and touched Xiao Jin's dragon body. "Hey, it's really warm, just like it's alive. No, it is alive!"

Zhu Zhanji was no longer afraid. He held the little gold in both hands as if it were some rare treasure: "Fourth Uncle, what's its name?"

Zhu Gaoxi squatted down, took Xiao Jin from Zhu Zhanji's hand, and tossed it into the air: "Its name is Xiao Jin."

Little Gold drew a golden arc in the air, its body stretching out, and in a moment it returned to its original size of over three zhang (approximately 10 meters), hovering in mid-air above the courtyard. Zhu Zhanji jumped up and down excitedly: "It's gotten bigger! It's back to the same size as before!"

Zhu Gaoxi looked up at Xiao Jin and explained, "Dragons are born with the ability to change size at will. Soaring through the clouds and summoning wind and rain are their innate supernatural powers."

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together as he leaned closer: "Fourth brother, then... can second brother ride it? Just for a short ride, just a little one!"

Before Zhu Gaoxi could speak, Xiao Jin had already lowered his head. His golden vertical pupils fell on Zhu Gaoxu, his gaze sweeping coldly over him, before he opened his mouth and sneezed.

What was supposed to be a sneeze was actually a strong gust of wind shrouded in mist. Zhu Gaoxu felt a powerful force crashing into him, his feet lost their footing, and he fell backward.

"Ouch—" Zhu Gaoxu fell flat on his back on the ground, and it took him a while to come to his senses.

Zhu Gaoxi suppressed a laugh and bent down to help him up: "Second Brother, Little King Kong has come back to life and doesn't recognize strangers. If it doesn't want you to ride it, there's nothing I can do."

Zhu Gaoxu stood up, dusted himself off, and looked up at the golden dragon in the sky. His eyes showed less impulsiveness and more awe.

He swallowed hard. "Forget it, forget it. This dragon's aura is too overwhelming. Second Brother can just touch it. I'm not riding it anymore..."

Zhu Gaochi stood to the side, about to say, "Fourth brother, eldest brother also wants to..." but when he saw the second brother fall, he swallowed the words back.

Suddenly, a eunuch's announcement rang out from outside the courtyard gate: "His Majesty has arrived!"

The brothers quickly turned around. Zhu Di strode into the courtyard in front of Chengyun Hall, with Huang Yan following behind him, holding a whisk in his hands.

Zhu Di glanced at the people in the courtyard, his gaze lingering on Zhu Gaoxu, whose robes were still covered in dust and whose buttocks showed obvious signs of a fall.

Zhu Di frowned: "Second Prince, you've come to Fourth Prince's place again to freeload?"

Zhu Gaoxu quickly stood up straight and dusted himself off: "Father, I'm not here to freeload, I'm here to see my fourth brother!"

"Looking at the fourth prince?" Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui again. "The eldest and third princes are here too. What are you three doing all day? Have you finished all the affairs of the court? Running around to the fourth prince's place all day long, what kind of behavior is this?"

Zhu Gaochi quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Father, I've come to see if my fourth brother's household still needs anything..."

Zhu Gaosui then said, "Your subject brought over a few potted plants, which are just for your fourth brother."

Zhu Di snorted, about to reprimand him, when his gaze was suddenly drawn to the golden mass coiled in mid-air above the courtyard. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up. A golden dragon was perched in mid-air, silently watching him.

Zhu Di was stunned. A real dragon was standing right in front of him, its body covered in golden scales, its whiskers swaying gently in the wind, and its golden eyes reflecting his image.

"This...this is...this is the dragon that Fourth Brother rode today?"

Zhu Gaoxu, standing to the side, was secretly delighted to see Zhu Di's expression. The old man had just been scolding us for constantly running to the fourth prince's place, but here he was, unable to move when he saw a dragon.

Zhu Gaochi remained expressionless, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly: He was complaining about how often we came just now, but now he probably wants to take even the dragon back to the palace.

Zhu Gaosui's expression was solemn, thinking to himself, "You're the emperor, you're so powerful, you can come here every day and nothing will happen..."

The brothers exchanged knowing smiles, understanding each other's thoughts. Seeing this, Zhu Zhanji pulled Zhu Gaochi aside and asked, "Father, what are you doing?"

"It's alright, kids shouldn't pry into adult matters."

Zhu Gaoxi walked to his side, beckoned, and Xiao Jin fell from the air, its dragon head bowed slightly to Zhu Di, as if paying its respects.

Zhu Gaoxi said, "Yes, Father, this is the magic bestowed upon me by the Daoist Ancestor. I then brought the wooden dragon on the pillar inside the hall to life... It is called Xiao Jin."

Zhu Di nodded upon hearing this, but his gaze never left Xiao Jin. After all, this was a real dragon! Throughout history, which emperor had ever seen a real dragon?

He slowly reached out his hand, pausing an inch from the dragon's head. Little Jin, sensing that Zhu Di's scent was the same as its master's, moved closer and nuzzled his fingertips.