Chapter 326: Everyone Has Their Moments of Cowardice

With this conjecture in mind, Ji Yuan didn’t bother beating around the bush; he directly questioned the giant whale.

“Is the ‘Master Mo’ you speak of named Mo Rong?”

Suddenly hearing Ji Yuan’s question, the giant whale, which had been chattering endlessly as it floated on the surface of the sea, instantly froze. One of its eyes cautiously watched Ji Yuan, its heart still pounding in trepidation. It wasn’t sure whether to answer yes or no: what if Master Mo had offended this person?

However, Ji Yuan didn’t need the giant whale to say it plainly; he could already tell he had guessed correctly from its reaction, and he directly continued.

“If you are referring to the black flood dragon who cultivated in the Wan Province of Dazhen, then you do not need to wait any longer. Mo Rong will not return.”

The scene Ji Yuan had witnessed years ago, of Mo Rong flowing away into the water after his death, flashed through his mind. Even now, thinking back on the moment that the remnants of his soul departed still filled him with a touch of melancholy. The Old Dragon’s fury was also still fresh in Ji Yuan’s memory.

Looking out at the distant sea, he wondered if that remnant soul had completed its journey “flowing away into the water” by now.

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Had it transformed into a wisp of true Qi, devoid of thought or desire, or had it found an opportunity to rebuild itself?

The ocean surface undulated, and the sea breeze continued to blow. The giant whale was clearly not all that stupid; after a short while, it vaguely considered some terrible possibilities. Looking at the Green Vine Sword in Ji Yuan’s hand, its heart trembled slightly.

“You, what did you do to Master Mo?”

Ji Yuan shook his head and looked at the giant whale again.

“I did nothing. Eight years ago, on Mo Rong’s way back from foraging in the Eastern Sea, he was ambushed by a large number of unidentified demons. He fought with all his might and self-destructed his Dragon Pearl just to escape back to Dazhen. Due to his severe injuries, his inner essence dissipated, and he fell from the sky, eventually perishing in Guangdong Lake soon after…”

Ji Yuan paused before continuing.

“Before his demise, I and the old gentleman Ying Hong stood beside Mo Rong’s corpse, watching his dragon soul depart to ‘flow away into the water.’”

The giant whale remained silent, seemingly still reeling from the information. After a long while, it murmured in disbelief.

“Impossible, impossible! Master Mo’s cultivation was so profound; he could crush me with a flick of his hand. How could he… how could he possibly be dead!”

‘Is Master Mo truly dead? Or is this man deceiving me? But Master Mo said he would go to the sea every year… Could something truly have happened to Master Mo? What will I do in that case? I can’t travel up the rivers or to the lakes, and I don’t know anyone there…’

Although it was a giant whale, Ji Yuan could sense its panic. As its massive body swayed, the surrounding ocean waves surged even more violently. Only when it finally calmed down a bit did Ji Yuan speak again.

“What business do you have with that black flood dragon? Or are you looking for the old gentleman Ying Hong? Is it you who seeks him, or the ‘Lady Mother’ you spoke of?”

Ji Yuan had instantly thought of many possibilities, and guessed that the ‘Lady Mother’ the giant whale had previously mentioned was the Old Dragon’s legitimate wife, the birth mother of the Dragon Son and Dragon Daughter.

The giant whale was clearly quite worried at this moment, even feeling utterly lost. Hearing Ji Yuan’s words, its worry became even more pronounced, and it mumbled to itself.

“I can only seek Master Mo, I only dared to seek Master Mo…”

As if suddenly and belatedly realizing something, it immediately looked at Ji Yuan.

“Immortal Master! Do you know the Dragon Lord?”

Earlier, Ji Yuan mentioned watching the black flood dragon’s soul flow away into the water with the Old Dragon, which clearly implied that he was friends with the Dragon Lord, not enemies. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the right to stand in such a place at such a time, as that moment was extremely important for those of the dragon lineage.

“I do.”

The giant whale gently stirred the seawater, subconsciously swimming a little closer, and asked in a low voice.

“Do you know him well?”

Ji Yuan looked at him and nodded.

“Very well.”

“Then, then… Can you call upon the Dragon Lord?”

The giant whale said, a little agitated and expectant.

Ji Yuan pondered for a moment. Given his friendship with the Old Dragon, and with a clear cause, it shouldn’t be difficult to ask him to personally come from Dazhen to meet this giant whale. So, he answered directly.

“I believe I can.”

“Then…”

The giant whale hesitated, dragging out a single word into a long sound before finally saying:

“How about– How about– How about asking the Immortal Master to… to help me inform Lady Ruoli? Or even Prince Feng would do!”

It was quite clear the giant whale was extremely afraid of the old dragon; it whimpered and sobbed for a long time, but ultimately only dared to request to call upon the Dragon Daughter and Dragon Son.

Ji Yuan didn’t provoke him further, nodding calmly.

“Alright, I will go call upon them for you. By the way, were you always seeking Mo Rong before? When was the last time you came?”

“I’ve never come seeking Master Mo before. The last time I saw him was probably… probably forty or fifty years ago. I can’t recall exactly.”

Ji Yuan understood. Recalling his conversation with Li Baotian, the City God of Lishun Prefecture back in Wan Province, he calculated that it was roughly around that time that the flood dragon Mo Rong had ust taken residence in Guangdong Lake.

“Alright, wait here for now. I’ll make a trip to the Tongtian River in Dazhen. In the meantime, if you get hungry, try to find a suitable place to eat fish. Those fishermen were quite terrified of you.”

“Yes, yes, yes, this General— Er… I will certainly do as you say!”

At that point, the giant whale asked in confusion:

“Immortal Elder, aren’t you going to ask why I have come here?”

Ji Yuan smiled.

“It is most likely a family matter. If it’s convenient for me to know, then I will be informed once the person is found. I would also like do ask, do you trust me?”

The giant whale glanced at the Green Vine Sword, which had returned to Ji Yuan’s back. The immortal sword had still not yet concealed itself. The giant whale thought to himself, ‘how could I dare openly say that I don’t trust him?’

“I trust you! Immortal Master, you are clearly a profound master of the Tao. Hihgly accomplished immortal cultivators rarely lie. I trust you!”

“Good. In that case, I shall take my leave.”

Ji Yuan, unaware of the giant whale’s little schemes, took to the sky, riding on a clou,d and towards the southwest.

After about a quarter of an hour as Ji Yuan flew away, the giant whale, who had continuously and cautiously watching the distant night sky from the sea, quickly dove down with a ‘whoosh’ of displaced water.

‘First things first, better make a quick escape! ‘

…

Approximately a day and a half later, in the River God’s Underwater Palace in Dazhen’s Tongtian River.

The sky was already bright, but it was still the middle of winter, right before the New Year’s Eve, so there weren’t many boats navigating the Tongtian River at this time.

Ji Yuan descended from the sky on his cloud, directly plunging diagonally into the water, and after a small splash, he disappeared beneath the river surface.

He hadn’t actually visited the Tongtian River God’s underwater palace many times, but he remembered the route perfectly. He swam directly towards the correct location, bypassing the underwater barriers, and arrived at the front of the underwater palace.

Several underwater patrol yakshas spotted someone approaching on the water from afar and gathered around. When Ji Yuan drew closer, they recognized him and immediately bowed with cupped hands.

“We, the underwater Patrol Yakshas, greet Mr. Ji!”

Ji Yuan had already stopped as the Yakshas approached. He glanced at the faintly visible entrance to the underwater palace behind them, and returned the bow.

“No need for formalities. I have some business to attend to in the underater palace. I need to see your Dragon Lord, as well as the River Goddess and His Highness Ying. Are they all within the palace? I must trouble you yakshas to inform them!”

The Yakshas looked at Ji Yuan. He emitted no trace of spiritual energy; the murky river waters naturally parted from him. Coupled with his demeanor and manner of speech, it was basically confirmed that he was who he said he was. Moreover, in Dazhen, who would dare impersonate Mr. Ji?

“Mister Ji, what are you saying? When you come to our Tongtian River underwater palace, there’s naturally no need to seek permission. Please, sir, follow me directly into the palace!”

“Very well, please lead the way.”

Although the Yakshas insisted, Ji Yuan could not simply set aside his courtesy.

After accepting his polite bow, two Yakshas led Ji Yuan towards the underwater palace, while the other two swiftly went ahead of them, leaving behind a trail of blurry bubbles as they entered the underwater palace to report.

Not long after, one of the Yakshas arrived at the underground dragon pool deep within the Tongtian River’s underwater palace. After passing the guards, it cautiously swam inside, approaching the massive, jet-black form looming in the darkness before it, and respectfully bowed.

“Reporting to the Dragon Lord, Mr. Ji has come to see you, the River Goddess, and His Highness Ying.”

From the darkness, it seemed as though two massive curtains lifted, revealing a glossy amber color behind them.

“Ji Yuan!”

He mumbled, then instantly transformed into a mist of light, solidifying into an old man in brocade robes. This was none other than Ying Hong’s true form. He then spoke to the Yaksha.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!”

Usually, when something was reported to the Dragon Lord, it would either be met with a “get lost ” or complete indifference. The Yaksha couldn’t help but marvel at Mr. Ji’s immense influence.

In the main hall of the underwater palace, Ying Ruoli had already arrived early, while Ying Feng happened to be absent.

The Old Dragon approached with unhurried steps. Rather than walking, his movements seemed to glide through the water. But before he could even reach the front hall from where he had entered at the back, he heard his daughter’s uncharacteristically loud cry of astonishment.

“Uncle Ji! Are you saying my mother might have sent someone to look for me?”

That shriek made the Old Dragon’s steps halt abruptly. His face contorted with an extremely complex and conflicted mix of expressions. He reached out and grabbed the Yaksha, who was still moving forward.

Startled, the yaksha tried to bow, but the Old Dragon quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

The Old Dragon lightly tapped the Yaksha’s forehead with a finger, and a voice echoed in its mind.

“Go out and say you couldn’t summon me! ‘

The Yaksha’s stared wide-eyed at its Dragon Lord, expression utterly bewildered. Then, the voice sounded in its mind again.

“Just repeat what I told you. Also, Ji Yuan’s ears are very keen; don’t give anything away. No need to verbally receive my orders, just just go directly.”

The Yaksha understood. It nodded slightly, turned to glance towards the front hall, and when it looked back at the Dragon Lord, he was already gone.

The Dragon Lord’s current state was something the Yaksha had never witnessed since it had begun working in the underwater palace, but it didn’t dare think too much; it only knew the Dragon Lord’s command took precedence.

See ch. 229