Chapter 296: The Patrol
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The Dragon Palace was opulently grandeur and precious materials lined the floors and walls. Even though it was the most grandiose palace Fang Yuan had ever seen, he was unamused as he had seen similarly magnificent palaces before.
The tortoise guard was caught off guard by Fang Yuan's indifference.
"My master is the richest amongst all in the seas and this palace is home to many treasures of Golden Court Lake; even the previous visitor, the Monkey God, was in utter awe of the palace. Yet, I can't believe unlike others, you are so indifferent to such opulence! Perhaps, you are from the seas?"
With greater reverence, the tortoise guard led Fang Yuan inside a large plaza.
Inside the plaza, a black water dragon opened its eye.
"Leave him here and the rest of you all are dismissed!" he ordered with a powerful demeanour.
"Yes, your majesty!"
With the Golden Court Dragon God's command, all the water dwellers solemnly and respectfully retreated.
However, Fang Yuan's expression changed suddenly as he gazed at the black water dragon. "This can't be right…, that's not his true form!"
"Splash!"
Under the soft noise of water splashing, it was as though the mirage was dispelled by water.
Akin to a soap bubble bursting, the humongous body of the black evil dragon suddenly disappeared and left behind a majestic deity. The deity was donned in a royal crown and had two dragon horns coming out of his forehead.
"God Dao Golden Body!"
Fang Yuan was in awe and paid respects again, "It is my honour to meet you!"
The golden body was cast from the beliefs of the people dao and possessed boundless powers that were even greater than that of the dragon body.
Unfortunately, it was after all built from the intangible beliefs of the people dao and was not bound by flesh.
"So the Golden Court Dragon God's true form is actually a people dao deity!" he thought.
It was a sudden realization for Fang Yuan as all his doubts were cleared at once. "No wonder the clearing of the evil gods' offerings went so smoothly, behind those righteous gods, there was help from this greater god!"
"Ah, no need for formalities!"
The Dragon God raised his hands slightly and a surge of force lifted Fang Yuan.
"I have been paying attention to you for a long time!"
The Dragon God smiled and continued, "I welcome you inside to talk!"
The two of them then entered the palace hall behind the plaza.
The palace hall was colossal. It had forty-nine sturdy golden pillars supporting a golden dome roof. Above it, ripples of water could be seen and it was truly a sight to behold.
"This is the heart of my Dragon Palace, Blue Water Hall! Whatever we discuss here cannot be leaked, and it can even conceal secrets and mislead those who try to predict!"
He then sat on his main seat and gestured towards Fang Yuan, "Have a seat too!"
Fang Yuan sat on the Fire Jade Coral Chair and felt warm and comfortable.
At that moment, a puzzled expression appeared on his face. "Paid attention to me for a long time? Have we met before…?"
"Ah, I have been noticing you ever since you destroyed the Monkey God's magical clone. However, I was busy doing my dragon transformation and was too wary of you. Hence, even though I thought of inviting you many times, it is such a pity I ended up backing out every time…"
The Dragon God grinned, "Also, about that Black Dragon General's Temple of yours? I was also the one who sent people to tidy it, else people would have stopped visiting and providing offerings…"
It was all clear to Fang Yuan.
The Golden Court Dragon God was in charge of all the water deities in the surrounding radius of Golden Court Lake, he must have noticed Fang Yuan since that period.
But was he biased towards the humans since then?
Fang Yuan was even more certain that he could achieve his goals during this trip.
Initially, he simply wanted to meet him first while transformed as a horned dragon and then look for more information later on.
However, he could now complete it in one step.
"This Dragon God's water dragon incarnation is already destroyed, what's left is just the embodiment of people's beliefs. He can be influenced the most easily now, and there's no doubt he is biased towards the humans." Fang Yuan thought.
Fang Yuan stood up and bowed, "Thank you Dragon God! However, I have a favour to ask of you!"
"Go ahead!"
The Golden Court Dragon God gestured.
Although he was already a people dao deity, his heart was still influenced by his previous form. Thus, he had a warmer attitude towards this fellow horned dragon.
"The prefecture minister of Golden Lake Prefecture, Xu Ren, deeply pities the commoners' tough life and furthermore, pirates are rampant over there. He wants to eradicate those pirates but however, the Golden Court Lake is so vast with thousands of islands. So please, I seek your helping hand, Dragon God!"
Fang Yuan narrated Xu Ren's situation and added, "If you help out the commoners of Golden Court Lake, they would be tremendously grateful for your benevolence!"
"Ah, even if you did not mention this matter, I was already prepared to do so!"
The Golden Court Dragon God stroked his beard with satisfaction.
As a people dao deity, it was beneficial for him to maintain both the peace and stability of the environment and a large number of believers.
"As a righteous god, I, the Golden Court Lake Dragon God, would definitely know the hiding locations of all those pirates… Just that gods and humans should not interact too closely, hence, I still require a human aide!"
The Golden Court Dragon God exclaimed with radiance in his eyes, "You! How about you?"
"Of course I can!"
Fang Yuan laughed; he knew that he had successfully established rapport with the Dragon God.
"In his eyes, we are very much alike… both born as dragons, both sensed great tribulations, both wanted to help the people dao… unlike humans and their infighting…. Of course, perhaps the Golden Court Dragon God's does not require a lot of karma points, solely relying on self-sustenance, unlike those of Xuan Zhen Sect who consumed so much and fought with others who vied for it too..." Fang Yuan thought.
"Ah, it is my privilege to have you as my guest! I have already informed my subordinates to prepare a grand feast for you tonight!"
The Golden Court Dragon God nodded, his divine gaze momentarily faded as he chatted like any other noblemen, "You must enjoy a couple of drinks tonight!"
"Of course!"
As they spoke, Fang Yuan began to wonder about the entertainment the Dragon Palace provided and he inevitably expressed his curiosity.
It was normal for someone with such a high cultivation level to be so direct.
"Hahaha…, great!"
The Dragon God was elated. He clapped his hands and two groups of gorgeous shell ladies swarmed out. Behind them were water dwellers carrying an array of delicacies.
Spiritual meals that could be eaten by both humans and Yin Spirits were consumed in the Dragon Palace.
Although it was not very useful for Fang Yuan, it was eye-opening for him and he enjoyed his time with the host.
...
Spring, 3rd Year of Yong An, Da Chu.
At the pier of Black Lake District.
Xu Ting stood on top of two ships and behind him were soldiers. The soldiers were fully geared and carried a faint sense of ferocity.
As he looked at the ships and the soldiers, he was very satisfied.
At that time, Xu Ting was already a ninth grade official. He was assigned as Black Lake District's naval patrol officer.
As a patrol officer, he was in charge of recruiting soldiers, busting pirates, and also had the authority to set up roadblocks both on land and sea. At his current rank, he could only recruit a hundred men at most.
With help from his clan and aid from the district leader, Zhang Gui, he managed to form the troop quickly. The only thing left for the substantial troop was to test its prowess in a real war.
"Father was right, troubled times are ahead. I don't need scholarly honour, in the future, it is a brawn over brain kind of world…" he thought.
Unknowingly, Xu Ting felt melancholic as he looked at his military officer's uniform.
Black Lake District's district leader was an old friend of his father. He was very kind to Xu Ting and supplied him with all the bows, arrow, armour and food that he required.
Xu Ting still had some regrets. Once a candidate has been promoted to an official, he could no longer take the imperial examinations.
"As a man, you shall seek for respect and authority!"
As he stood at the front of the ship and faced hundreds of subordinates staunchly obeying his orders, he felt a strong sense of power and authority within him. The surge of dominance seemingly opened another door in his heart, as he felt like he had a greater ambition ahead of him.
"Eradicating the pirates of Golden Court Lake is just the part one of my grand plans, once it succeeds, my clan would at least have the capital to have a footing in this tumultuous world..." he thought.
Although he also thought of what would happen thereafter, he quickly buried those thoughts.
At that moment, such wild ambitions were too elusive. He had to ensure his current plans succeeded first.
"Sir, we can prepare to sail now!"
The crew reported the conditions of the winds and the water to Xu Ting.
"Hoist the sails! Embark!"
As Xu Ting gave his commands, he glanced at the pier for the last time with no wistfulness.
"Raise the anchor!"
"Set sail!"
The ship's crew were all experienced seafarers. Under his command, the two ships embarked smoothly.
Also, it was an official vessel, it had a larger body, drained more water and was immaculately stable. The possibility of feeling seasick on the ship was also much smaller. Furthermore, the key areas were covered in iron sheets and the ships' defence was unparalleled.
There were two such warships and each had fifty soldiers on it. The soldiers were equipped with bows and other weapons. They were definitely a force to be reckoned with in Golden Court Lake.
"Doesn't matter if it is politicking or working, the worst thing to do is to create a big commotion right at the start. With my current status, a hundred men and two ships are ample. Anyway, we wouldn't encounter pirates throughout the whole journey and they can only have at most five hundred to a thousand of its people on those small islands. Plus, since they are mostly comprised of the elderly, the women and the young, we would definitely be able to bust them all!"
Xu Ting was not an empty strategist, he was fully confident in his plans and envisioned, "By leading a troop of hundred, I am certain that I can conquer them all, and my power would snowball further afterwards!"
Furthermore, every time the pirates were cleaned up with his efforts, he could claim his merits from the imperial court and be promoted to receive greater power and authority.
Hence, when he finally conquered all the pirates in Golden Court Lake, his rank would be comparable to others.
"Call all the sergeants and above to come to the meeting!"
Xu Ting then issued his command as his watched the glistening waters.
The military system of Da Chu was formed on the basis that five men formed a team led by a corporal and ten men formed a team led by a sergeant.
Be it a corporal or a sergeant, both ranks were below that of a ninth grade official. However, they formed the backbone of troops and were future candidates for officers.
As he met the sergeants, Xu Ting stroked his sword and thought about how he could fully earn the loyalty of his men through leading them with both care and authority.
In this tumultuous world, one has to be fully prepared at all times, and it was even more important to have a firm grasp of one's own military power.
Such a belief was not due to distrust, it was simply due to the temperament of water dragons!