Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

"protocol?"

Li Zhengyuan, who had originally planned to defend Chunhuaze Water Dam to the death, was stunned upon hearing this and stared at Zhao Ying in disbelief.

"You mean, the Zhongshan Serpent God wants to make a deal with me?"

"At least for now..." Zhao Ying said calmly, "The intention that person has shown is not, as you say, to use the opportunity of dragon transformation to prolong life. Besides, what kind of dragon transformation involves going against the current, drifting further and further away from the sea?"

She tossed her high ponytail aside, stood with her back against the wall, arms naturally crossed under her chest, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed.

"And isn't that the God of Zhongshan? Why do you all call him the 'Snake God'?"

"Is it the mountain god?" Li Zhengyuan turned to look at his subordinate.

"Well... according to the edict of that year, the snake god was only a human deity, not a true god of mountains and rivers," the subordinate replied after a moment's thought.

"General Zhao, that snake god..."

Just as Li Zhengyuan was about to ask, Zhao Ying raised her hand to interrupt him: "Don't call me General anymore. I quit that lousy job a long time ago. Just call me Zhao Ying."

"Then... Zhao Qing?" Seeing that Zhao Ying neither nodded nor denied, Li Zhengyuan continued to ask, "Do you think that serpent god wants to use the power of the water to have our Chunhua City help it become a god?"

"You think they need your help?" Zhao Ying sneered. "Look at the rain outside, look at the wind outside!"

She leaped to the door and pushed it open.

A strong wind, carrying torrential rain, rushed in, and the icy moisture instantly filled the room.

It was noon, when the sky should have been bright.

But at this moment, dark clouds loomed over the city outside, the sky was as black as ink, and people had to light candles to travel.

"Which dragon from the East Sea could transform into such a celestial phenomenon!" Zhao Ying's slightly narrow eyes flashed with sharpness as she scanned the camp. "Besides, this is Yongning Continent, which is under human jurisdiction!"

A gust of wind rushed in, instantly scattering the papers that covered the desk.

The subordinate quickly took out a stone to weigh down the papers that were about to fly away.

Looking at the various drafts of war calculations on the table that were being blown around, Chunhua Zeshui Dam would inevitably suffer heavy damage.

Li Zhengyuan pondered for a long time, then sighed and made a decision in his heart.

"I'll go and talk to them."

"My lord, that is a demon..." The subordinate tried to stop him, but he waved his hand to interrupt him.

"Even if we defeat that serpent god with all our might, we cannot guarantee that the Chunhuaze dike will remain intact. Going to war is the worst possible strategy and should not be considered unless absolutely necessary."

"Go and control the entire army. If necessary, you may use my seal."

After giving his instructions, Li Zhengyuan straightened his clothes and looked at Zhao Ying, who was leaning against the curtain, and said solemnly, "General Zhao... Minister Zhao, I'll have to trouble you with this trip."

"I came to Yongning to be troubled." Zhao Ying glanced at Li Zhengyuan sideways upon hearing this, her tone unfriendly. "But your Li family really has two factions within the same family."

"We've already reached an agreement with the Four Immortal Sects that the Imperial Dynasty will temporarily retreat to Yongning, but you and that Li Zhengming are still here."

"Zhongzhou is Zhongzhou, and Yongning is Yongning. Although we share the same surname, we haven't had any contact for a long time," Li Zhengyuan said crisply and decisively, without the slightest hint of reluctance.

It was as if they had already made up their minds long ago.

"We are now the lords of Yongning Prefecture. Even if the sky falls, we must take care of the people under our rule."

"Zhao Qing, let's go." Li Zhengyuan said to Zhao Ying as he walked to the door.

What she received in return was a response with her delicate eyebrows slightly raised and then furrowed tightly, her eyes as cold as frost, and her face full of fierceness.

He clearly disliked the title "Zhao Qing".

However, she still clapped her hands, unfurled a seven-foot-long black spear, held it behind her back, and then stepped forward to follow Li Zhengyuan's footsteps.

And on the banks of the Longhe River.

Faced with a giant serpent with eyes like stars and a face so rugged it seemed to crawl out of the depths of hell, the river supervisors had already vanished without a trace.

"I've been swimming underwater for over a month... and now I've grown bigger again?" The giant snake raised its tail and slid it down its head to its tail.

It's definitely noticeable that it's grown quite a bit, but you can't see exactly how much bigger it is.

The giant snake looked around but saw no life, so it began to try writing on the riverbank.

After all, it is currently unable to see or speak, and can only communicate with people by listening and writing.

How can I write quickly if I can't see clearly?

The giant snake flicked its tongue, attempting to gather its power at the tip of its tail and carve a single character on the riverbank.

A straight, crimson line appeared in its field of vision.

"It's alright, I can write it. But I haven't written in a long time, I need to practice more."

Thus, in the eyes of the world, the giant snake, which was nine zhang long, suddenly emitted a scorching red color from the tip of its tail.

Space was distorted, like red-hot iron; raindrops evaporated in an instant before they could even fall.

The tip of the pen landed on the embankment, instantly melting the bluestone and soil. The pen moved like a fleeting shadow, leaving behind countless horizontal and vertical marks.

Li Zhengyuan and Zhao Ying arrived.

As far as they could see, there was nothing but the breath of melting; the extreme heat did not even allow rain to fall on the dam.

"Oh no!" Li Zhengyuan's heart tightened. Ignoring the high temperature, he rushed forward and stood before the red serpent. The serpent god he was about to call out suddenly changed his mind, "Mountain God...!"

The giant snake turned its head at the sound, and the dazzling starlight fell on Li Zhengyuan, stinging his eyes and bringing tears to his eyes.

He struggled to open his eyes and saw the snake clearly.

The two bony protrusions on its forehead had already burst through the skin, and the four bony protrusions on its snout intertwined and converged into six majestic long horns.

He had never seen a dragon with such a bizarre appearance.

The snake-like face didn't resemble a snake at all; rather, it looked more like a king wearing a mask called a demon, majestic yet ferocious.

The giant snake in the water slowly approached Li Zhengyuan, its forked tongue, which was much larger than a person, flicked out, as if savoring the taste of his flesh and blood.

Standing silently, Zhao Ying gripped her spear tightly, her body lowered, her shapely, long legs taut, as if she would burst out like lightning at any moment.

"Mountain God, what agreement do you want to reach with us?" Under the heavy rain, Li Zhengyuan suppressed his fear and asked.

As if confirming the identity of the person before him, the giant snake withdrew its tongue, then raised its tail, and another character was melted into the dam.

--drought.

"Drought?" Li Zhengyuan's heart skipped a beat as he recalled the water dam project he had built in Chunhuaze.

Could it be that the Zhongshan God in front of me is not here to transform into a dragon, but to discuss with me how to overcome the drought?

What kind of disaster could possibly warrant a mountain god traveling thousands of miles to Chunhua City?

--source.

The giant serpent melted out words once more.

"The construction of the river embankment in Chunhua City is solely for the protection of the people; there is absolutely no selfish motive!" Li Zhengyuan replied resolutely upon seeing the handwriting.

"The purpose of building this dam is to better store water and combat drought. I have absolutely no intention of stopping the flow; the sun and moon can attest to this!"

—Yes.

Upon hearing this, the giant snake remained silent, raised its tail, and, under Zhao Ying's wary gaze, pushed Li Zhengyuan's body away.

Then, raising his head, a golden and silvery light suddenly burst forth from his eyes, shining brightly as if to illuminate the heavens.

A thunderclap boomed in the sky.

The Dragon River roared and surged with enormous waves. The giant snake slithered into the water and lashed the riverbank with its tail.

"You!" Zhao Ying was so angry at this situation that she gritted her teeth and her delicate eyebrows stood up straight.

Just as he was about to intercept him, Li Zhengyuan blocked his way with his body.

"boom--"

"boom--"

"boom--"

Three loud explosions followed, and the dam shattered, its remains being swept away by the surging waves.

"Li Zhengyuan! Just watch it—" Zhao Ying shouted.

"Mountain God, Chunhua City has absolutely no intention of cutting off the source of the Luo River!" Li Zhengyuan suddenly shouted, interrupting her.

"However, with a severe drought looming, the dikes used for water storage at Chunhuaze will absolutely not be dismantled!"

"A severe drought?" Zhao Ying's anger faltered, and she turned her head in surprise. "Is there really a severe drought in Yongning Prefecture?"

"Splash—" The sound of rushing water arose, and the giant snake broke through the river surface, bowing its head in front of the two people.

Under the radiant light of the sun and moon, the rugged snake tail melts into the soil on the shore, forming four characters.

—Nine years, three years.

"Will disaster strike nine years later, followed by a three-year drought?" Li Zhengyuan murmured to himself.

Zhao Ying was not from Yongning, so she couldn't glean any information from the two time periods.

"Can't I just speak!" the woman in the dark-colored close-fitting clothes thought resentfully.

She gathered her magic power in her eyes, raised her head, and tried to communicate with the giant serpent through spirit.

But their gaze had just come into contact with the layer of mist that enveloped the giant snake's entire body.

Suddenly, one eye opened.

This eye was larger than anything she had ever seen, so large that she was speechless and dumbfounded.

Their gazes met for only a moment, yet the vastness of the mountains and the endless flow of time filled Zhao Ying's mind, almost bursting her spirit.

"Ugh—!" Zhao Ying groaned as her defensive shield shattered instantly, and blood gushed from her nose, which was washed away by the rain.

"Zhao Ying!?" Li Zhengyuan was shocked. He did not expect that Zhao Ying was actually fighting against the mountain god in a place he could not sense.

"My lord, please forgive me, Zhao Ying is not from Yongning..."

It's alright.

The giant snake was also stunned for a moment, and then melted into two large characters on the shore.

Just now, my mother seemed to have said in my mind, "He's quite handsome."

Huai Nian was puzzled and turned her head, but could only see the woman's red outline, and could not make out what she looked like at all.

However, now, a pinkish hue has suddenly appeared inside her, as if she has gone mad with qi deviation.

Li Zhengyuan's tense heart immediately relaxed, and he was about to turn around to check on Zhao Ying's injuries.

She swallowed a pill to suppress the surging energy within her, sheathed her spear, and bowed deeply.

"The mountain god truly lives up to his name; I have learned a great deal."

Upon hearing this, the giant snake slapped its tail against the mud underwater, muttering to itself, "I don't think I did anything, and she already gave up?"

Li Zhengyuan gave Zhao Ying a deep look, and after confirming that she was unharmed, he also bowed deeply and did not rise.

The imperial dynasty and the Four Immortal Sects have reached an agreement to withdraw their offerings from Yongning, and to return the land to Yongning once they have achieved a Nascent Soul cultivator at the fifth level or above.

At this point in time, Yongning Continent's top-tier combat power is severely insufficient, and they are only able to operate in the main city of Yongning, making their actions in the branch cities feel restricted.

If only we could receive the protection of a true god now.

With this in mind, he respectfully said, "Mountain God, Chunhua City is willing to weather the drought together with Zhongshan. If the people can be saved, you may allocate all the water resources in the city."

The giant snake's eyes flickered, and after a moment it made a decision.

It melted into a word on the shore.

--Can.

Without hesitation, its massive body disappeared into the Dragon River, slowly disappearing into the distance with the dark clouds.