Jiang Liu said in a cold voice, white flames surging from his body to resist the chilling aura. Then his gaze fell on the dragon prince, and he said in a deep voice, "I am no match for you, but I will kill your son. Let's see if you can protect him!"
"How dare you!" The words were like thunder, reaching deep into the eardrums, seemingly about to deafen one's ears. The Dragon King was furious, his red beard trembling incessantly, his human form constantly shifting until he became a half-dragon, half-human shape, as if his power had increased once again.
"Who dares to be so insolent before Xueying Palace!"
Just as the Dragon King made his move again, a soft female voice came from inside the palace. Instantly, everyone turned to look and saw a woman in green walking slowly towards them.
The Dragon King took a deep breath, stopped, cupped his hands towards the woman, and said, "Miss Lingzhi, this man plotted to kill my nephew Ao Jing. I encountered him today and was about to take him back to the palace. Please forgive me for disturbing the Third Holy Mother! I will definitely come to apologize in person another day."
"This person killed the dragon prince?"
"That's really bold..."
"Your enjoyment is over, everyone please return!" A clear, ethereal female voice echoed from the palace, reaching the ears of everyone present.
Lingzhi's lips twitched slightly, and she thought to herself: Isn't the princess too impatient? Taking this opportunity is understandable, but... these people will definitely hate the Dragon King and... well, that kid. They dare not offend the Dragon King, so he has to bear the consequences!
"ah!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then sighed and looked extremely disappointed.
"I came with great enthusiasm, but... sigh!"
As expected, most people looked at Jiang Liu with a hint of dissatisfaction in their eyes. Fortunately, they were all accomplished cultivators and did not make a move or utter any insults.
Lingzhi waved her hand and said, "Everyone, please go back! Please take back these gifts as well..."
"Alright, alright... Fellow Daoist, let's go to my cave for a chat..."
"Alright, that's the only way. What a great mood! It's been ruined just like that!"
In an instant, the bustling Snow Reflection Palace became quiet and deserted.
"What grudge does the Dragon Lord have against him? We are willing to mediate and see if we can find out..." Han Zhongli said.
The Dragon King looked at the few people who remained and said, "What is your relationship with this boy? If you have no relationship, it's best not to get involved. If you do, then I'll ask you whether you participated in the plot to murder my nephew Ao Jing! I will definitely take him back to the Dragon Palace today. If you obstruct me, a fight is inevitable!"
Jiang Liu looked at Zhang Guo and his group and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhongli, I appreciate your kindness. Zhang Guo, you and the other immortals should go back. I can easily make my way!"
"Escape? Let's see how you escape!" The dragon prince sneered, pointing at the dragon palace's aquatic army that was vaguely visible in the sea of clouds, and mocked.
The Yellow River is too close to Mount Hua, and in a short time, the aquatic creatures of the Yellow River surrounded it.
Han Zhongli, Tieguai Li, and the others clasped their fists in a gesture of respect towards Jiang Liu, but they were helpless. They couldn't beat him in a fight, nor could they persuade him. The Four Rivers Dragon Kings' family held immense power, perhaps even surpassing that of the Four Seas Dragon Kings.
"My son, you should leave first!" The Dragon King said, squinting at Jiang Liu. Although the fight had only lasted a few seconds, he was now deeply wary of Jiang Liu.
The dragon prince was taken aback, then gritted his teeth and said, "Father, I can protect myself!"
"Go! This boy is rather strange. A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall!"
"Yes!" With that, Ao Min soared away on the clouds.
The Dragon King stood quietly before Jiang Liu, waiting for the fairy Lingzhi to close the palace gates so he could capture or kill him again. He also felt that capturing Jiang Liu alive would be somewhat tricky.
"Please wait a moment, Miss Lingzhi!" Jiang Liu suddenly said as the palace gates were about to close.
"What business do you have? Your feud with the Dragon Lord is none of Xueying Palace's concern..." Lingzhi said calmly.
Jiang Liu took out a book of poems and said, "I have something I would like to offer to the Holy Mother of the Three Realms!"
"I've already said that there will be no literary gathering today, please accept the gift... Hey! Did you write this ugly character?" Lingzhi's eyes lit up, she stared at the poetry collection again and again, and then circled the river a few times.
"It is indeed I, my secular name is Jiang Liu!" Jiang Liu secretly exhaled and wiped away a cold sweat. He did not expect to encounter the Yellow River Dragon King in front of the Xueying Palace, nor did he expect that his killing of the Huai River Dragon Prince would be exposed, and that he would be recognized at a glance.
The Dragon King of Huai River paid a great price to obtain the image of the river.
"It's good that it's you. Come with me!" Lingzhi said with a smile.
The Dragon King frowned and said in a deep voice, "Miss Lingzhi, what do you mean by this?"
"Dragon Lord, your feud with this person is temporarily over. The Third Holy Mother has invited this person, and I dare not neglect him."
"you……"
As the palace gates slowly closed, the Dragon King clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, but he still dared not be presumptuous in front of the Snow Reflection Palace.
Jiang Liu slowly turned his head, smiled at the Dragon King, his mouth slightly open, and silently uttered four words: Come and bite me!
Chapter 182 You Crazy Woman
Jiang Liu followed Lingzhi with small, quick steps, and as the palace gates gradually closed, he even wiggled his buttocks at the Dragon King.
"You'd better not come out, or I will kill you... Even a thousand cuts wouldn't be enough to quell the hatred in my heart!"
The River Dragon King had a ferocious expression, his teeth clenched tightly together, revealing a terrifying cold light.
Jiang Liu followed Lingzhi into a lotus pond where lotus flowers were in bloom. In this early winter season, high in the sky, it was actually late spring weather.
Looking up, one sees a small pavilion in the lotus pond, shrouded in white gauze. A woman can be vaguely seen sitting inside, and the sound of her plucking the strings of a zither drifts out from within, clearly indicating that she is also bored.
"You wait here!" Lingzhi stopped, waved the book of poems in her hand, and quickly walked towards the pavilion.
Jiang Liu dared not act recklessly, and waited as instructed, while secretly plotting how to resolve this crisis. The Dragon King would not give up easily; a battle was inevitable once they were out, and Jiang Liu knew he was no match for him. The Jing River Dragon King and his entire family controlled almost all the major rivers of the Tang Dynasty; to escape, they would have to flee the Tang Dynasty altogether.
However, outside the Tang Dynasty, there were far more demons and monsters. The Tang Dynasty was truly a paradise on earth!
Jiang Liu's plan was to curry favor with a powerful figure, but he failed and instead got into trouble, leaving him somewhat frustrated. Fortunately, he managed to enter Xueying Palace, and the Third Holy Mother was right in front of him, so there was still a chance.
Jiang Liu waited and waited, but there was still no reaction from the pavilion. His heart began to race: Could his deduction have been wrong? Impossible! She had read the poem in front of the temple, and judging from the maid's reaction, she should be right!
"Poetry expresses one's aspirations, and literature conveys the Way!" This was the first sentence Jiang Liu heard, and it sounded very pleasant. However, the next words chilled Jiang Liu to the bone.
"This collection of poems is certainly excellent, but I am very curious, as an earth immortal, why do you have so many insights that are inconsistent with your status?"
The white veil was lifted by a pair of jade-like hands, and a figure from a painting stepped out. Even though Jiang Liu had been tested by beauties like Yun Yun and Medusa, he couldn't help but be stunned.
This is a fairy!
After a brief moment of distraction, Jiang Liu instantly snapped back to reality, not daring to look directly at her, and replied, "Greetings, Third Holy Mother..."
"You haven't answered the question I asked you yet!"
The Holy Mother of the Three Kingdoms plucked a red lotus, took a slight sniff, and exuded a myriad of charms.
Jiang Liu composed himself and replied, "A masterpiece is born of nature, and a skillful hand may occasionally capture its essence. May I ask which poem the Third Holy Mother is referring to?"
The Third Holy Mother paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "You speak verses so fluently, you certainly have a lot of talent! I won't make things difficult for you, as I will be having a gathering with the fairies soon, could you compose a poem for me to celebrate?"
Jiang Liu's eyes darted around, looking at the lotus in the Third Holy Mother's hand. He paced back and forth a few times in a pretentious manner, then began to recite: "Among the flowers of land and water, many are lovely. Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty alone loved chrysanthemums. Since the Tang Dynasty, people have greatly loved peonies. I alone love the lotus, which rises from the mud unstained, washed by clear ripples without being seductive, hollow inside and straight outside, without creeping or branching, its fragrance growing more pure as it spreads, standing tall and clean, to be admired from afar but not to be trifled with."
I say that the chrysanthemum is the flower of the recluse; the peony, the flower of wealth and nobility; and the lotus, the flower of the gentleman. Alas! Few have been heard of who love the chrysanthemum since Tao Yuanming. Who shares my love for the lotus? The love for the peony, indeed, is widespread!
The Third Holy Mother gazed at the red lotus in her hand, listening quietly as Jiang Liu finished reciting it, and softly chanted, "It can be admired from afar but not touched! It can be admired from afar but not touched! Indeed, it cannot be touched. Go!"
As she spoke, she blew a breath onto the red lotus in her hand. As the breath was exhaled, the red lotus petals fluttered and then transformed into a flower fairy the size of a finger. It flapped its lotus-petal-like wings and floated in mid-air. Dots of green light gathered, and it bowed to the Third Holy Mother, then bowed to Jiang Liu, before flying into the lotus pond.
"What kind of supernatural power is this? He blew out a monster with a single breath? Is this the ability of a celestial being?" Jiang Liu was shocked on the spot, knowing that creating life is several times more difficult than destroying it.
"That's the difference!" Jiang Liu thought to himself.
Compared to Jiang Liu's shock, the Third Holy Mother's heart was in turmoil.
What is the title of this short essay?
Jiang Liu noticed a change in the Third Holy Mother's voice and bowed, saying, "Let's call her Ai Lian Shuo!"
"Lotus says! If the Lotus Fairy were to hear your short essay, she too would..." The Third Holy Mother smiled, brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, and said, "Tell me, what reward do you desire?"
Jiang Liu had been waiting for these words, so he immediately knelt down shamelessly, embracing the Third Holy Mother with tears streaming down his face and crying, "Third Holy Mother, save me!"
"You mean the River Dragon King, right? This matter is simple in some ways, but difficult in others... You should get up first! I..." The Third Holy Mother's lips twitched. Looking at the snotty nose on her embroidered white shoes, her body trembled involuntarily. She instinctively wanted to kick it out, but she held back.
He clenched his white teeth and took three steps back.
Jiang Liu wiped away his tears and slowly stood up. The moment he saw the Third Holy Mother, he knew she was a germaphobe; a few poems weren't enough to make her remember him. Jiang Liu was incredibly audacious… a fairy with such power and a strong sense of cleanliness—no one would dare to soil her perfect feet, even through her shoes.
It's difficult to make a rich, beautiful woman remember a poor, ordinary guy, but even so, Jiang Liu was willing to give it a try. Judging from her reaction, Jiang Liu felt there was a chance; this fairy could be won over…
"Please, Holy Mother, teach me what to do!"
“Easy!” The Third Holy Mother frowned. “Come with me!”
As he spoke, a gust of wind stirred up the river, and he was about to ride the wind away.
"Princess, where are you going?" Lingzhi, a maid in Xueying Palace, called out loudly.
"You go back to the Thirty-Three Heavens first, I'll return after I'm done with my work!" With that, he spun the river and headed west.
Where are you taking me?
"Go wherever you see!"
"Send me back to the Tang Dynasty..."
"I'm saving you!"
"You're ruining me! You crazy woman..."
Jiang Liu was dumbfounded. The Third Holy Mother was very fast, at least ten times faster than Jiang Liu. This trip would take most of the day, and according to Jiang Liu's calculations, it was at least hundreds of thousands of miles away.
Jiang Liu talked himself hoarse all the way, but the Third Holy Mother remained unmoved. In the end, Jiang Liu could only resign himself to fate.
"Don't worry! I said I'd save you, and I meant it! This place is 300,000 li away from the Tang Dynasty, the Four Rivers Dragon Kings can't find us here. Just focus on your cultivation here!"
As soon as Jiang Liu's feet touched the ground, he saw a large town ahead, its grandeur breathtaking. Auspicious clouds and smoke enveloped the town, with towering distant mountains and murmuring streams, all connected by fields and paths, creating a scene of great prosperity.
"Where is this?" Jiang Liu had resigned himself to his fate. He was already regretting it; he shouldn't have provoked a woman he couldn't afford to offend! The price he paid for making her remember him was far too high!
The Third Holy Mother counted on her fingers and said, "The Kingdom of Baoxiang!"
Chapter 183 Baoxiang Kingdom
"Baoxiang Kingdom?" Jiang Liu was a little stunned. He had been reading Journey to the West since he was a child, at least six or seven times, if not ten. He knew all the monsters in the various places by heart. This Baoxiang Kingdom was not the territory of the Yellow Robe Monster.
The Yellow-Robed Monster resides in the Wave Moon Cave of Wanzishan Mountain. Originally, he was Kui Mulang of the Heavenly Realm, one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and the head of the Seven Constellations of the Western White Tiger Palace. He possessed boundless magical power and superb martial arts skills. Because he fell in love with a jade maiden who served incense at the Pixiang Palace, he descended to the mortal world, took over the mountain, and became a monster. He captured the jade maiden who was reborn as Princess Baihuaxiu of Baoxiang Kingdom, and they were husband and wife for thirteen years.
As for Kui Mulang's exact strength, Jiang Liu still couldn't determine it. However, it's important to know that all twenty-eight constellations were disciples of the Jie Sect who perished in the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Since many of Tongtian Jiaozhu's disciples were animals who cultivated to the Dao, all twenty-eight constellations were originally in animal forms. This Kui Mulang was a wolf demon who had attained enlightenment, ranking first among the seven constellations of the Western White Tiger Palace.
Because his soul entered the Investiture of the Gods and he was thus deified, his cultivation was forever imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao, making further progress nearly impossible. However, he should not be underestimated; being deified proves his strength is considerable.