Shulong Daojun

The rear hall of a small temple.

The built-in case is very simple.

However, because the ground was covered with scales of various sizes, piled up like mountains, there was nowhere to stand and it seemed extremely crowded.

Lin Shu followed Bei Chen into the temple, where they saw several earth gods in blue robes hurrying towards them.

They looked around, found an opening, and with a flick of their wrists, forcefully stuffed the object that had fallen from the white python back in.

Upon catching sight of himself, he was startled, quickly cupped his hands in greeting, nodded slightly to Bei Chen, and hurriedly left.

They come and go, without interruption.

"There shouldn't be so many of these things in one county, right?" Lin Shu observed for a moment before speaking slowly.

Bei Chen gave a wry smile and said, "Senior brother, you are wise."

This object is utterly useless to us, and it carries a chilling aura and a sense of hibernation. Its unusual appearance might lead people to mistake it for a treasure and hoard it, thus causing them harm.

After discussing with the city's lord, we decided on a plan: to order all the land under his jurisdiction to be collected.

It just so happens that there is a dead land in my Mangshan County. I might as well put it all in there. This will protect the people and cause little damage to the surrounding area. I just need to wait for this thing to slowly melt away.

This can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Lin Shu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Looking at the scene before him, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, thinking, "The pile of snake scales is even more than in the back hall of Qingwu City; something must have happened."

as predicted.

With a helpless expression, Bei Chen continued, "Things were going smoothly until the God of the neighboring city also came up with this idea."

He had always been on good terms with the city's magistrate. After exchanging favors and promising benefits, this item from the neighboring city was sent to my Mangshan County by the local earth god.

That's why Senior Brother Lin is seeing what he's seeing now.

After listening, Lin Shu thought for a moment and then asked, "Brother Beichen, what's next?"

This matter did not occur within the jurisdiction of Qingwu City, and he had never met the city's guardian deity who protected this place, so he had no connection with him and could not persuade him not to do it. Therefore, he continued to listen.

Upon hearing this, Bei Chen sighed, his expression bitter: "I never expected that piling up too much of this stuff would affect the timing of the day."

Spring had arrived, yet the dead ground was covered in frost, with heavy snow falling as if it were the dead of winter.

If that were all, it would be fine.

However, the desire to hibernate only intensified, spreading outwards from the dead zone and invading all living things nearby, plunging them into hibernation.

Fortunately, the surrounding residents were relocated in time, preventing any major chaos.

As he spoke, Bei Chen's expression relaxed slightly, but soon he was worried again. He said to Lin Shu, "This can't go on forever. That's why I asked that question earlier."

Lin Shu did not rush to answer.

There were also many of these items piled up in Qingwu City. He hadn't figured out how to deal with them at the time, so he decided to think about it here to save himself some trouble.

However, the snake-scaled creatures that landed in Mangshan County seemed to be somewhat different from those in Qingwu City.

He caught a glimpse of a faint black color in the corner, and as he walked over, he slowly said, "This matter shouldn't be too difficult to handle."

Simply disperse the snake scales from that dead site to other locations, breaking them down into smaller pieces, and let them dissolve naturally.

Bei Chen's lips twitched slightly, and he said with a headache, "It's not that Junior Brother doesn't want to, but that he can't do it."

The city god once said: Dividing them elsewhere would only add to the trouble, so let's just pile them all up in that dead place.

The surrounding people have all moved away, so it won't affect their livelihoods. This thing will also dissolve on its own; it will just take a few days at most, so there's no need to worry about it.

That being said, it still happened within my own territory, and seeing it every day felt like a mountain weighing on my heart, causing me constant sorrow.

What's more, those scale-covered things are still being delivered in droves, alas!

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu paused, realizing Bei Chen's predicament.

The way of the gods is like the officialdom; a higher-ranking official can crush you. Even if the county god feels uncomfortable, it's useless; as long as the city god feels it's appropriate, it's fine.

However... this thing doesn't seem to be entirely useless.

Lin Shu examined the object in his hand, noticing the dense, flowing black pattern within it, resembling intricate patterns. He couldn't help but recall a passage from the *Dragon Book*:

"Yin and Yang are the great principles of Heaven and Earth, and the four seasons are the great laws governing Yin and Yang."

Between heaven and earth, the pure and the impure are first separated, then yin and yang are distinguished, and then the four seasons are born.

Born from the purity and turbidity of heaven and earth, two dragons, one pure and one turbid, were born. Through their waxing and waning, the dragons of the four seasons naturally emerged.

It is the seasons themselves, the official of Heaven, governing the four seasons, harmonizing the rhythms of Heaven and Earth, and following the Five Elements, regulating the constellations, and controlling the eight winds.

Born a dragon, of noble birth.

However, this also means that bringing it into existence is extremely difficult.

Firstly, the four seasons of heaven: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

If one wishes to wield the complete authority over the seasons, one must gather the spiritual elements of the four seasons, in accordance with the operation of "Qi," from its emergence to its dormancy.

Secondly, the Five Elements are the principles governing the four seasons.

The heavens have five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Spring belongs to wood, summer to fire, late summer to earth, autumn to metal, and winter to water.

Without the Five Elements, there would be no Four Seasons.

Therefore, to nurture the dragons of the four seasons, it is necessary to supplement them with the spiritual elements of the five elements, and to ensure that the five elements are in balance.

The origin of these nine spiritual creatures is a major mystery.

Furthermore, since it should be born in accordance with the four seasons, it must experience the cycle of the four seasons in the dragon womb before it can be born.

All three are indispensable.

If any link in the chain goes wrong, it may get stuck at a certain solar term and unable to emerge, causing the dragon's body to become unstable and the conception to fail.

The seasonal spirits determine the balance of "timely authority," while the five elemental spirits determine the stability of "the dragon's foundation."

The biggest challenge in nurturing the dragons of the four seasons is finding a balance between the two without them interfering with each other.

Lin Shu was not very proficient in harmonizing spirits.

He excels at cultivating the Tao and comprehending the Dharma, and then uses one method to break through all other methods, single-handedly sweeping aside his peers.

However, it doesn't matter if you don't understand it yourself, there are people in Qingwu City who specialize in this.

For the alchemist, it was simply a matter of practice.

He only needs to properly collect the nine spiritual objects and cultivate them according to the method of raising dragons. If any imbalance occurs in the process, he can leave it to Mu Qiushui to resolve.

As the saying goes, with a junior sister in hand, one dragon is naturally within reach.

With this in mind, Lin Shu had already made up his mind.

He looked up at Beichen, pondered for a moment, and smiled faintly, "It's alright. There's no place to put him in Mangshan County, so you can put him in my Qingwu City."

As a righteous god of a city, I have slightly more control and resources over the land and water than Brother Beichen. I'll just find a secluded place to place it."

Bei Chen felt a warmth in his heart and blurted out, "I am from the Miscellaneous Learning lineage, and I am deeply grateful for your care, Senior Brother. I have no way to repay you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he bent down halfway, intending to offer a bow, but was lifted into the air.

Lin Shu frowned, seemingly displeased, and said in a deep voice, "We are close friends and like-minded people who are plotting great things together. Why are you being so long-winded?"

"Inform the city's guardian deity, and I will take them all with me."

Without hesitation, Bei Chen raised his hand, lit a stick of incense, and, with a divine thought, succinctly reported the matter to the City God.