Wet viviparity

Chapter 979 Coincidence, Intelligence Released
Stepping into the building, the seductive music and the alluring fragrances assaulted the senses, almost suffocating the senses.

Several people leaned against the couch, feeling the strange aura. They waved their hands irritably, signaling the servants to stop fanning the incense burner. Their gazes swept over Jiang Shiliu and the others, before finally settling lightly on Ji Ming and Jiang Zheng.

"Jiang Si, why aren't you staying at your Jiang family's Golden Essence Mountain? What are you doing here at our Dragon Gate Hidden Dragon Tower?"

A dragon-like figure with two horns on its forehead that looked like they were made of gold and a tiger-skin skirt around its waist asked lazily.

His tone wasn't exactly polite, but compared to how he addressed Jiang Shiliu and the others, it at least showed some consideration for their equal status.

As for Ji Ming, he was completely ignored by this dragon.

Although it is said in the martial arts world that the old, young, sick, and disabled are the four types of Taoists who should not be provoked, the Zhao family does not need to remember this principle. Moreover, Zhao Jinzhang and his younger brother Zhao Yinlu are known as the Golden and Silver Horned Dragons and are the direct descendants of the Zhao clan.

Even though this crippled Taoist priest seemed to be Jiang Zheng's friend, he still wasn't worth a second glance.

Jiang Zheng's expression was grim, but he didn't say anything. He just turned his head to look at Ji Ming.

"Which palace's deity are you?"

Ji Ming ignored the others and looked at a burly old monster sitting in the corner, asking a question.

His tone was very calm, as if it were a matter of course, which made the old monster, who was covered in armor, frown. His dark blue face looked at Ji Ming with inexplicable unease, and he could only reply: "The Lice Dragon General under the command of the Eastern Dipper Tail Star Lord".

Ji Ming understood that the immortals in the Eastern and Western Dippers, and even the Central Dipper, had never been particularly powerful in the Dipper Department.

Among the five star lords of the Eastern Dipper, the first three—the Azure Spirit Life-Extending Star Lord, the Lingyan Life-Protecting Star Lord, and the Heaven-Opening Fortune-Gathering Star Lord—have intricate connections with the Ji and Jiang families. The remaining two, the Great Bright Star Lord and the Yang Star Lord, are simply subordinates of the master of the Qinghua Palace.

It seems that only the Tail Extreme Star Lord is the reincarnation of the Tail Fire Tiger from the old Eastern Heavenly Demon Constellation. Most of the celestial officials in his palace are demons and monsters, who suffer scorn in the Heavenly Court and have to seek support in the mortal world.

"Where did this unruly Taoist come from? He has no manners at all."

Another silver-horned dragon, Zhao Yinlu, snorted coldly and casually flicked a fruit pit at Ji Ming.

The core was infused with Jia Chen Yang and True Qi, and also carried a trace of Wood Escape Transformation. It flew to Ji Ming's feet and transformed into a thorny vine, which opened its mouth like a dragon or snake to spew poison. Unexpectedly, it suddenly withered and fell to the ground, scattering into a pile of rotten mud that was blown away by the wind.

"The transformation of wood and earth in reverse order."

Zhao Yinlu's expression changed, and he took a step back.

This kind of reversal of the five elements' generating and restraining relationships can generally only be achieved in the middle stage of the fifth realm of the embryonic spirit. The significance of this made all the dragons' expressions turn solemn, and their drunkenness dissipated by more than half.

The Lice Dragon God General in the corner couldn't help but stand up. His gaze fell on the thing behind Ji Ming's waist. He felt the familiar aura of Jia wood and thought of something. He immediately sat down again, but at this moment he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He couldn't help but take a few more glances at the fan.

"Green Mulberry Fan!"

The louse dragon silently recited this in his mind.

He had heard of this fan once by chance in the Heavenly Palace of Da Ming and Yang Xingjun. It is said that Da Ming and Yang Xingjun once asked the Emperor in Qinghua Palace for this magical treasure. After all, the foundation of Da Ming and Yang Xingjun's cultivation was the essence of Jia wood, and the essence of the Qing Sang Fan lies in a bit of innate Jia wood green energy.

If one can obtain this treasure and thoroughly comprehend the true meaning of the innate Jia wood, the Great Bright and Yang Star Lord will surely be able to advance further in achieving the perfect harmony of form and spirit at the pinnacle of celestial immortality.

"It is indeed a green mulberry fan."

After glancing at it several times, Shi Long confirmed in his heart.

He realized that the armless Taoist priest must have a complicated background, and he was glad that he hadn't offended him rashly. At this moment, he thought to himself, "The rumors in the martial arts world are indeed true. Taoist priests who are old, young, sick, or disabled are really not to be trifled with!"

Inside the building, Ji Ming's move caused a slight change in the expressions of the people present, including Jiang Shiliu and his fellow disciples.

Jiang Zheng blinked and placed the large gourd on the ground behind him, seemingly asking Ji Ming, "Are we going to make a move?"

One of the dragon-like figures changed the subject, speaking to Jiang Shiliu and the others with a hint of mockery: "Speaking of which, haven't you lot been talking about that so-called 'Righteous God' lately?! Do you know why this mere wild god from the Cloud and Rain Temple has caused such a sensation in our True Spirit Sect?"

Inside the building, Ling'e blinked her beautiful eyes and said, "I have heard that this righteous god is a vanguard for the king, ordered by someone to come to Baoguang Prefecture to eliminate evil spirits."

The fat disciple quickly said, "It's just some ignorant people spreading rumors; don't take it seriously."

The tall, thin disciple chimed in, “Exactly! The righteous path is not something one can easily claim to be; they are nothing but attention-seekers.”

The older senior brother remained silent, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

The man who started the conversation ignored those who were trying to join in. He looked at Jiang Shiliu and started talking about unrelated things.

"Jiang Shiliu, I heard that you have always regarded Xiaosheng as your idol and have collected many portraits of Xiaosheng."

Renlong stared at Jiang Shiliu and said, "It's strange, back when you had just reached the second level of Qi Refining, you dared to go to the bottom of the cold pool at Jihu Mountain in the South China Sea to rescue the Flower Moon Palace Master. Didn't you know that the Flower Moon Palace Master was killed by this person?"

"I admire you too. Back then, the Palace Master of Huayue Palace went to Heguan in Guhe Prefecture to cause trouble. Her master, Lady Jinmiao, took her primordial spirit, beat her for three days and nights, and then suppressed her in the cold pool of Jihu Mountain in the South China Sea. Her primordial spirit was soaked in bitter cold day and night, making her life worse than death."

When the Flower Moon Palace Mistress was about to complete her imprisonment, many of the masters in our sect who had been defeated by her held a grudge and wanted to sabotage her release. So they sent someone to impersonate her friend and go to the bottom of the cold pool at Jihu Mountain in the South China Sea to rescue her.

The Palace Mistress's master, Lady Jinmiao, is known for her fiery temper and intolerance of even the slightest imperfection. Upon hearing of this matter, she will surely be enraged and kill her disciple to uphold the rules of her Jade Disc Cave on Mount Jihu. At that time, your cultivation was still shallow, yet you, guided by your sense of righteousness, traversed thousands of miles of raging waves in the South China Sea to reach the icy pool at the foot of Mount Jihu and warn the Palace Mistress of Flower Moon Palace, saving her from great calamity and even persuading her to let go of her deep-seated hatred for our sect.

This act of kindness has made you famous ever since. Although you haven't yet achieved true physical form in the path of cultivation, you've already become one of the leaders of the scattered disciples.

"It's just an empty reputation."

Jiang Shiliu said.

"To tell you the truth," the man said, walking toward Jiang Shiliu with a gloomy expression and a strange smile. "Behind that righteous god is the Little Sage Lingxu. After his rebirth, this god received the Little Sage's inspiration and manifested his divine power. The evil he is here to eliminate is my Zhao family."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

The man raised his hands high and shouted excitedly, "Isn't it exhilarating? The little saint, whom you disciples regard as the beacon of reform, has finally shone his light."

On Ji Ming's side, Jiang Zheng cast a knowing glance at him, while the Lice Dragon General "quietly" walked over. It was clear that this general did not want to be noticed, but his majestic demon body and the heavy armor still caused quite a stir.

However, the dragons' attention was all on Jiang Shiliu, as if they could derive endless pleasure from striking down this outstanding member of the Sanmen sect.

"There is one more thing that I'm afraid you don't know."

The man approached Jiang Shiliu and roughly pressed him down as Jiang Shiliu tried to get up.

His hands pressed down on Jiang Shiliu's body. This human-dragon, who had already cultivated his true form, had absolute suppression over Jiang Shiliu. He stared at every change in Jiang Shiliu's expression and said, "That Lingxu Clown has been suppressed by my Holy Ancestor on Dayu Mountain."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Seeing Jiang Shiliu's extremely restrained expression, the man chuckled strangely and turned to Zhao Jinzhang and the others, saying, "Look at him, he really puts the big picture first. No wonder he is praised by the elders. Even Miss Zhao treats him differently."

Jiang Shiliu was pressed down by those hands and sat there stiffly, his head buzzing. He felt that the Zhao family members in front of him were like demons, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws.

His first thought was to use the treasure his teacher, the Palace Master of Flower Moon Palace, had lent him, but that wasn't the solution. At that moment, he unconsciously glanced at Mr. Ji out of the corner of his eye, still hoping to find peace in him as he always had, so that he could get through this difficult time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his three fellow disciples in a pitiful silence, while Mr. Ji was conversing with the divine general.

Although the general was imposing, Jiang Shiliu could still sense a hint of tension in him. This Mr. Ji was indeed no ordinary person.

Mr. Ji ultimately brought Jiang Shiliu no peace; he sat there motionless.

He felt as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into a bustling city, every gaze carrying a scorching heat, searing his pitiful self-esteem. His chest felt as if it were filled with soaked cotton, heavy and suffocating, making it almost impossible to breathe.

His fingernails dug into the soft flesh of his palm, sending a sharp pain through him. This pain, ironically, became the only reality he could grasp at that moment, reminding him that he had to stay alert, not lose his composure, and not give these people waiting to laugh at him any ammunition.

"In this True Spirit Sect, in this Dragon Gate, my Zhao family is the righteous path."

You should all just focus on being your "capable employees," making sure you get your share of the profits—that's the right path for you. Don't even think about things you shouldn't be thinking about!

Finally, the nauseating mockery ended with Zhao Jinzhang's words.

Jiang Shiliu took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound steady, "If you gentlemen have no further instructions, I will take my leave." He stood up almost instinctively, nodded slightly, and turned to walk away without looking at anyone.

He did not leave immediately, but went straight to the direction where Ji Ming was, preparing to say goodbye to Mr. Ji.

At this moment, the Lice Dragon General, with a respectful and even somewhat ingratiating expression, held up a shimmering bead and presented it to Ji Ming. "Do not refuse. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Although this Water-Benefiting Bead is not a priceless treasure, it can still be quite useful in places with abundant water vapor."

"Your Excellency is fortunate to have received such a precious treasure as the Green Mulberry Fan from the Master of Qinghua Palace; it is truly a matter of virtue and destiny bestowed upon you."

Ji Ming remained calm, glancing at Jiang Shiliu who had arrived and was about to speak. He casually replied to Shilong Jiang, "General, you are too kind. I only recently obtained this fan from Qinghua Palace; it was merely a coincidence."

"Lingbao, Qinghua Palace."

These words, which were so distant from Jiang Shiliu's, deeply moved him, even easing some of the humiliation he felt.

Just as he was about to bid farewell to Ji Ming, Zhao Jinzhang, who was sitting in the main seat, seemed to feel that the blow he had just dealt was not thorough enough. In a lazy tone that suggested he was in complete control, he released another piece of information that was circulating within the Zhao family.

"Oh, right, I just received a message from Na Zhenxian, who is by the side of the Holy Ancestor, a month ago."

His gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on Jiang Shiliu's stiff back. A smile curved his lips. "That so-called righteous god has recently sneaked off to the East Sea Immortal Mountain, hoping to pay homage to the master of Qinghua Palace and gain his support."

"Heh, he's really grasping at straws in his desperation. He doesn't even know what kind of person he is. Does he really think he's some ancient, malevolent spirit like the Rain Pig God of his own Cloud and Rain Temple, someone he can set foot in Qinghua Palace?"

"I recently paid a visit to Qinghua Palace."

The smile on Lice Dragon's face froze as if it were frozen in ice, and his head buzzed.

"A coincidence?!"

(End of this chapter)