From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 312 Presenting a Memorial to the Heavenly Court: Jade Glazed Knife
In the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor lowered his curtain.

The atmosphere was a bit gloomy.

The immortals in the hall had different expressions; some were embarrassed, some were angry, and some had a hint of bewilderment.

"This is what the Jing River Dragon King reported. Tell me, how should this matter be handled?"

The hall was completely silent.

The silence lasted for a while, then Celestial Master Xu Jingyang stepped forward, held his tablet, bowed his head, and said, "Your subject has failed to govern your subordinates strictly and is willing to accept punishment."

"Just that one sentence?" Behind the rolled-up curtain, the Jade Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone revealing dissatisfaction.

Originally, this was not a big deal, but the Jinghe Dragon King was capable of speaking.

"Your Majesty, I hereby order the Eight Rivers Commander, Jing River Dragon King Ao Qian, to report: It has been found that Xu An, the Water God of the Feng River, has been forcibly demanding sacrifices from women of the human race in the name of the Heavenly River God. If they do not comply, he stirs up storms, floods villages, and kills people. Such evil deeds are a violation of the Heavenly Rules and a desecration of the Holy Majesty."

The order of the Three Realms relies on the Heavenly Court's discipline; the faith of the common people depends on the Jade Emperor's benevolence. Now, Xu An, a mere official in a corner of the land, acts like a wolf in sheep's clothing, arbitrarily using the Heavenly Court's divine authority as a weapon to harm living beings. His infamy has spread far and wide along the banks of the Feng River, and resentment is widespread. If this is not stopped in time, it will tarnish the Heavenly Court's prestige and Your Majesty's benevolence.

Now, I, your subject, with the authority of the Eight Rivers Governor, have broken the law and temporarily detained him in the Dragon Palace. I have also ordered the Dragon Palace's subordinates to patrol the waterways, appease the people, restore the Heavenly Court's reputation for benevolence, and revive the awe and reverence of the Three Realms.

We humbly submit this matter for Your Majesty's wise consideration!

A memorial and a photographic stone clearly explained the whole story, leaving no room for doubt, not even for the Jade Emperor or Xu Jingyang.

When pressed by the Jade Emperor, Xu Jingyang's heart skipped a beat, and his face showed fear. "I will immediately go to the Jinghe Dragon Palace to arrest this wicked creature and hand him over to the Heavenly Punishment Platform for punishment."

"Hmm, I'll punish you with three months' salary and confine you to your quarters for one month to reflect on your mistakes." The Jade Emperor nodded and waved his hand, and Xu Jingyang retreated into the ranks of the celestial officials, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

"Jinghe Dragon King Ao Qian is loyal and dedicated, and his heart is with the Heavenly Court. He deserves to be rewarded with a Heavenly Court treasure weapon, the Jade Glazed Blade, a gourd of three-stage Golden Elixir, and a six-stage Golden Elixir. He is also promoted one rank, from an eighth-rank River God to a seventh-rank River God!"

After the Jade Emperor finished speaking, all the celestial officials began to whisper among themselves.

It seems His Majesty greatly admires this Jing River Dragon King; this is the second time he has bestowed such a reward upon him.

In the center of the main hall, light and shadow flowed, reflecting all things large and small in the Three Realms. It seemed that the matter of the River God of Feng River had come to an end.

After a while, Xu Jingyang sent his disciples down to the mortal realm to capture Xu An's damaged body and soul. They did not make things difficult for Ao Qian, since Ao Qian had just received a reward from the Jade Emperor. If they made things difficult for him, it would be a slap in the face to the Jade Emperor. However, they did not give Ao Qian a kind look either.

Meanwhile, in Xiahe Village, a large number of soldiers and officers were stationed there to investigate the Fengshui River God's marriage ceremony.

What seemed like an ordinary matter in Xiahe Village, and even along the banks of the Feng River, caused a huge uproar in the Tang Dynasty. Over the decades, sixty-seven women had been victimized. Where could such a small village as Xiahe have so many young and beautiful women? This inevitably involved human trafficking. Before the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, this might have been tolerable, but now, more than twenty years into the dynasty, such things were still happening. The current Tang emperor was determined to prove himself as a wise and capable ruler; how could he tolerate such things happening right under his nose? Most importantly, every year, many beautiful women disappeared from Chang'an, including daughters of officials and wealthy heiresses…

There were no clues before, but now that the matter in Xiahe Village has been exposed, things have naturally become much more serious.

This incident caused quite a stir in Chang'an, and the Tang Emperor severely punished a large number of people involved. The matter dragged on for several months before it finally came to an end.

"You have done well these past few days. This is a gourd of three-stage golden pills bestowed upon you by His Majesty. Take it, consume the pills and cultivate, and strive to break through as soon as possible. Only after becoming an immortal will you have a future to speak of."

Inside the Jinghe Dragon Palace, Ao Qian handed a gourd of golden pills to Tuo Jie, saying with some disdain, "All you do all day long is rely on your powerful dragon body to do whatever you want. Now that you've run into someone who can manipulate power, aren't you dumbfounded?"

"I, I...!" Tuo Jie took the gourd, initially excited, but after Ao Qian said that, her face turned a dark red, as if she wanted to defend herself, but she couldn't produce any concrete evidence to refute it.

That was indeed the case. Relying on his innate dragon body, he had always subdued people with force, but he had never encountered someone like Xu An who could manipulate the power of a river and use the River God's Seal to suppress him. If Ao Qian hadn't arrived in time that day, he would have suffered a great loss.

"Speaking of which, it's understandable that your father, who comes from a mountain spirit or wild monster, acts recklessly. You also come from the Dragon Palace, albeit a small one, but you are still from a proper background. How come you act just like me before, like a mountain spirit or wild monster, without any sense of order?" Ao Qian looked at Tuo Jie with a look of disappointment and frustration.

Yes, for a dragon like Tuojie, the dragon body is naturally very powerful, and it almost has the strength of a true immortal from birth. In addition, it has several innate supernatural powers and techniques, and it can move rivers and seas in its innate ability. However, in terms of cultivation level, it is still lacking. Both its body and soul lack the tempering of the true immortal tribulation, and it cannot achieve a true transformation.

That gourd of three-stage golden pills wasn't of much use to Ao Qian, but it would be perfect for Tuo Jie, probably enough to push his cultivation to True Immortal and allow him to undergo the Immortal Tribulation.

After sending Tuo Jie away, Ao Qian drew his jade-green glass knife and began to admire it slowly.

He knew this blade. It was made primarily of Kunlun Mountain's millennia-old cold jade marrow, supplemented with fragments of fallen stars and ice crystal iron from the source of the Milky Way. The blade was three feet seven inches long, with a semi-transparent turquoise body containing wispy runes. It was incredibly sharp and appeared to be a melee weapon, but as magical power was channeled into it, the blade would become increasingly heavy. At the same time, it would perfectly manifest the nature of magical power. Just now, as Ao Qian channeled his magical power, the aura emanating from the blade became increasingly chilling, until it seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

This is not a manifestation of the sword's power, but rather a result of the nature of Ao Qian's magical power.

"A treasure weapon ranked sixty-ninth on the Heavenly Court's Treasured Weapons List. Although it is not among the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends, it is far superior to the weapons in my Dragon Palace's treasury. It seems that our Emperor is not optimistic about my future!"

Ao Qian narrowed his eyes slightly.

He didn't believe that after dealing with Xu An, he, the Dragon King of the Jing River, could continue to live a carefree life. Didn't the Four Celestial Masters have any dignity?

He was just a minor seventh-rank River God, newly promoted, and he had offended a third-rank Celestial Master, causing him to lose face so badly in the Lingxiao Palace. How could he possibly let him off the hook?

Of course, Master Xu wouldn't take action himself. Given his status, he had far too many ways to deal with a mere River God like himself!

"If soldiers come, I'll block them; if water comes, I'll dam it. If I don't make a scene, how will the Heavenly Court know about me, the Dragon King of the Jing River? How will Your Majesty know my abilities? And how will I get ahead?"

(End of this chapter)