Chapter 128: Chapter 17: New Magical Artifact and Water Race Deformity

Baisui Lake.

Construction on the Central Island was still underway. The disciples practicing outside the main hall were working exceptionally hard, and on the shore, Hu Qianqian was no longer in her usual lazy and idle state.

In the distance, the sky above the lake’s surface rippled with azure waves, as if the water from the lake had been poured upside down into the heavens.

This was Yu Lian, inspecting the merchandise...

As time passed, more and more lake water poured into the sky, completely covering the area above the center of the lake. The nearby disciples had long since stopped their practice. They stared at the inverted lake in the sky, an inexplicable fear rising in their hearts.

Wang Ping stood on the Central Island’s only dock. Beside him was a Qi Cultivator from the Daoist Scripture Hall, who was vividly extolling the virtues of the magical artifact Yu Lian was testing, attempting to make a sale.

After about ten minutes, the lake water gathered in the sky began to recede rapidly. It didn’t fall back into the lake but vanished directly into the air, and as the last glimmer of water disappeared, a torrential downpour began.

Yu Lian passed through the downpour and stopped in front of Wang Ping. A solid, jade-green Token floated beside her enormous body.

"How is it?"

"It works great. I feel like if I faced that Gold Cultivator from last time again, he wouldn’t even be able to get his fire started." Yu Lian was still hung up on the matter.

"Alright, I’ll buy it." With a flick of his finger, Wang Ping created a space around them that repelled the rain. He then took two bank notes from his storage pouch.

Seeing this, the Qi Cultivator from the Daoist Scripture Hall happily took out a pre-prepared receipt, which already bore the Daoist Scripture Hall’s seal.

The two exchanged payment for the item, after which the Qi Cultivator offered another round of flattery.

Seeing that the transaction was complete, Yu Lian happily did a flip in the sky before diving to the bottom of the lake to play, sending the busy Shrimp Soldiers below into a chaotic frenzy.

Wang Ping waited quietly for Yu Lian.

It wasn’t until half an hour later that Yu Lian returned to the Central Island. She shook the water from her body, landed on Wang Ping’s shoulder, and placed the Water-Control Pearl in his hand.

"There seems to be a very faint consciousness inside?" Wang Ping asked, observing the Token in his hand.

"Yes, but it’s useless," Yu Lian replied.

Wang Ping observed it for a while longer. Besides being highly attuned to the water element, there was nothing particularly special about the Token. After putting it away, he looked up at Hu Qianqian, who was standing primly nearby, and asked, "Did you have something to report?"

"News has come from Lou County," Hu Qianqian reported in a low voice.

"From Wufeng Temple?"

"Yes!"

"What is it?"

"It seems Wenhai is using Demon Blood to refine something to accelerate the absorption of the Earth Vein within his body. I’ve received word that two Mountain Monarchs are discussing teaching him a lesson."

"He’s got some nerve."

Wang Ping chuckled. He didn’t think the Demon Race in Lou County could pose much of a threat to Wenhai. ’Still, it’ll be nice to cause him some trouble, just to add a bit of spice to my dull life.’

So, he smiled and instructed, "Secretly provide them with some weapons and elixirs. Don’t let anyone trace it back to you."

"Alright..."

After replying, Hu Qianqian simply stared at Wang Ping with expectant eyes.

Amused, Wang Ping took out a bank note for one thousand taels of silver and handed it over. When Hu Qianqian took the note and saw the amount, her expression seemed to say, ’Is that all?’

"Let’s go. To Sanhe Temple."

Wang Ping paid Hu Qianqian no more mind. He called to Yu Lian, then wrapped himself in his True Essence and ascended into the sky. ’It’s an investment doomed to fail, so a small gesture is enough. Spending a fortune wouldn’t be worth it.’

...

Sanhe Prefecture was crisscrossed with waterways that connected to the Great Sea. It was said that there was an underground water source even larger than Baisui Lake, making it one of the most suitable regions for "walking the waters."

It was a common occurrence for the younger generation of Lishui Prefecture’s Dragon Race to attempt to "walk the waters." In this world, the term meant much the same as the "draconic transformation by walking the waters" from the stories of Wang Ping’s past life. The greatest challenges were the descending Thunder Tribulation and the karmic consequences from any death and destruction caused by the ensuing floods.

Of course, the greatest danger came from the prying eyes of other Cultivators; after all, a member of the Water Race capable of undertaking this trial was a treasure from head to toe.

On a remote mountain peak.

Wang Ping and Guangxuan met discreetly.

"Are we really putting the matter with Wufeng Temple aside for now?" Guangxuan’s first question, however, was not about the upcoming trial.

"We’ve already achieved our goal, so there’s no need to remain entangled. He has nothing to lose, while we have everything to protect. If we keep fighting, we’ll be the ones at a disadvantage."

"That’s true."

"Any news from Hongchen?"

"Ever since he went back last time, he’s been holed up in his Dao Field and hasn’t come out once."

"Everyone’s quite patient."

Wang Ping gazed at the beautiful scenery in the distance, pushing the matter to the back of his mind. To a Cultivator with a lifespan of several hundred years, a conflict lasting a mere year or two was insignificant.

"I heard the Single Saber Sect is also preparing to make peace with the Loose Cultivator alliance in Fuming Prefecture."

"Enough about them. Let’s go see our guest."

"Very well!"

Deep within the mountains of Sanhe Prefecture, all linked by its waterways, there lay a deep pool. This was the source of the prefecture’s water routes. It connected to a tributary flowing down from the Nong River of the Eastern Plains, merged with the Five Divine Rivers, and then emptied into the Great Sea.

Guangxuan actually had some reservations about a junior of the Dragon Race undergoing this trial in his territory. However, if it were successful, the waterways of Sanhe Prefecture would be imbued with spiritual energy, so he pushed his misgivings aside.

The two had just landed on the edge of the deep pool when a figure covered head to toe in scales shot out of the water. He had slimy gills on either side of his head, and the barbs on the scales atop his head resembled a coronet. This was a member of the Water Race, born from the union of humans and the Dragon Race; most of the inhabitants of Lishui Prefecture were of his kind.

"Are you Daoist Changqing and Daoist Guangxuan?" the member of the Water Race asked, clasping his fists in salute from within the pool.

’He’s so ugly, and disgusting,’ Yu Lian complained inside Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea.

"We are!" Wang Ping and Guangxuan replied in unison. Then Guangxuan asked, "You know of us?"

"Before I left, the Ninth Lady specifically described you both," the member of the Water Race said, clasping his fists again. "My secular name is Liu Chang. I have come to meet you, Daoists."

After speaking, Liu Chang spun around in the water and leaped onto the bank. A blue Daoist robe had materialized around him.

The "Ninth Lady" he mentioned was Xia Yao. After marrying the youngest son of Lishui Prefecture’s Dragon Monarch, Xia Yao had become one of the chief figures there, which was precisely why Wang Ping and the others had opposed her involvement previously.

"The Ninth Lady said that if I succeed in my trial, I am to bring prosperity to the people of this region in the future."

"We can discuss that after you’ve actually succeeded."

Guangxuan was the first to state his position; he would never allow such a figure to remain in Sanhe Prefecture. After all, for the Water Race of Lishui Prefecture, this first trial was equivalent to the test to become an Entering Cultivator. Success meant becoming one.

However, if Liu Chang were to nominally join Sanhe Temple, it would be another matter entirely.

Wang Ping and Guangxuan exchanged a look, their mutual understanding unspoken.

Next, Liu Chang described the route he planned to take for his trial, as Guangxuan needed to make preparations in certain key locations beforehand. Wang Ping didn’t join their discussion, instead finding an excuse to leave.

「Time passed slowly...」

The mediation from the Daoist Scripture Hall never arrived, but the overt and covert struggles between the various sects tacitly ceased. Meanwhile, Yang Zhiping remained in his prison cell.

「In the blink of an eye, the next year’s rainy season arrived.」

Wang Ping was just about to head to Sanhe Prefecture to act as a guardian for Liu Chang’s trial when an invitation from the Six Heart Sect was delivered to him.

It was Xiao Shan Lord, summoning him for their customary audience...