Just imagine.
Given Lord Jun Cai Shen’s (God of Wealth) status, he’s basically like the financial manager of a company.
But the key thing is, this financial manager position is just a ceremonial title.
The real power lies with that other guy, Zhao Gongming.
Now, Shuǐ Dé Xīng Jūn (Water Virtue Star Lord) is like a department manager.
And the Dragon King is like the top salesperson under him.
Right now, someone has snatched away a huge deal from this top salesperson.
So you’re asking this ceremonial financial manager to tell the department manager, “Hey, don’t let your top salesperson make a fuss about it. The lost deal is lost.”
And on top of that, you want the top salesperson to help out their rival a bit too (by praying for rain).
Isn’t that asking for a bit too much?
Not to mention, does a ceremonial financial manager even have that much sway?
What if Shuǐ Dé Xīng Jūn and the Dragon King are in cahoots?
Even if they aren’t exactly in cahoots…
Asking a Dragon King, who’s holding a grudge over a murdered son, to bring rain to Longhu County again…
Whether you look at it from an emotional or a logical standpoint, it just doesn’t sit right.
Even if they sent some other Rain Master instead,
who would want to offend the East Sea Dragon King, just for a bit of incense offering?
Sun Yourong had already made this very clear back in the car. In the past few years, there must have been at least eight hundred to a thousand rain-summoning practitioners who paid respects to other Rain Masters.
And they all came back empty-handed.
This shows that for this rain-summoning job, if it’s not the Dragon King, it really can’t be done.
It’s not like they could ask Shuǐ Dé Xīng Jūn to come down and do it himself, right?
That idea seems even more unrealistic.
“No way, I can’t let my brother just go and burn through his favors like this!”
Lu Chen’s thoughts were racing.
“Even if my brother, for his own sake, tried to force Shuǐ Dé Xīng Jūn to agree, he’d probably have to pay a terrible price! It’s not worth it!”
“The most my brother can do is talk to Shuǐ Dé Xīng Jūn, give him some benefits, and get him to rein in the East Sea Dragon King a bit, so he doesn’t interfere with our rain prayer. That alone would be a huge help.”
“If we really want rain, we’ll have to rely on ourselves!”
Lu Chen thought to himself and nodded firmly.
“Sun Yourong said this Dragon King Formation can only be broken by the Dragon Clan. When it comes to making clouds and bringing rain, those are basically natural talents of the Dragon Clan. Any old dragon with enough seniority should have these skills.”
Lu Chen fixed his gaze on the dried-up Great Dragon Pool and murmured, “Longhu County, Great Dragon Pool… Logically speaking, with a name with so many ‘dragon’ characters, this place should have been home to quite a few dragons before.”
“Could it be that the East Sea Dragon King killed them all? And then let his son take over their nest?”
“Looks like I need to find someone to ask first. See if there are any dragons who slipped through the net around here!”
With that thought, Lu Chen felt a surge of determination. He turned around, ready to head back to the county office to ask Wang Zhongmin for clarification.
But the soil under his feet was soft. He stumbled, lost his balance, and with a “smack,” he fell flat on the ground.
“Hehe…”
Just then, faintly, it seemed like a soft laugh came from somewhere.
Lu Chen’s heart tightened, and he suddenly shouted, “Who’s there?!”
But the laughter stopped abruptly.
Lu Chen looked around but didn’t see anyone. “Am I seeing ghosts in broad daylight? Or did I mishear? No way! I definitely didn’t mishear!”
Lu Chen shouted again, more sternly, “What kind of ghost are you? Get out here right now!”
But the laughter faded like a stone sinking into the ocean, with no reply.
Apart from the distant sound of car horns and the occasional breeze, there was no other sound around.
And just then, from the corner of his eye, Lu Chen noticed a worn-out, old shrine almost buried by sand and mud, standing not far from the pool’s edge.
If you didn’t look closely, you really wouldn’t see it.
Walking closer, he saw three characters clearly written on the shrine – [Tǔ Dì Gōng] (Lord of the Local Land).
Lu Chen’s pupils contracted, and he slapped his thigh. “Why bother looking for Wang Zhongmin? There’s a living, breathing local county chronicle right in front of me!”
Overjoyed, he immediately ran back to the car, took a stick of incense from his backpack, and quickly returned to the shrine.
He lit the incense and chanted the spell.
“I respectfully invite all Land Gods to appear, ascend to heaven and reach the earth, travel through the realms, guard the winds and clouds in all directions… Three bows before the altar, Land God, quickly show your spirit!”
This was the [Incantation to Invite the Land God], a spell specifically for summoning the local deity!
“Bang!”
Suddenly, white smoke burst up from in front of the shrine.
When the smoke cleared, a little old man holding a datewood walking cane was spinning around in place.
It was the local Land God himself.
This little old man looked exactly like an old farmer, wearing a patched, gray button-front shirt. His face was tanned a deep black, with high cheekbones and stubble scattered on his chin.
He was rough-looking, but in an endearing, familiar way.
And unlike Heavenly Immortals, this Earthly Immortal could appear directly in physical form.
“Lord Land God, my respects.”
Lu Chen gave a slight, formal bow.
Actually, given his current divine position in the Underworld, he could rightly call himself “This Lord” or “This Seat.”
After all, the Land God’s position was roughly equivalent to that of Black and White Impermanence.
“You there, young man! Where did you learn that secret art, daring to summon me directly like this? Confess immediately!”
The Land God was still a bit confused.
He had only laughed twice because he found it funny to see someone fall flat on their face. He was just bored out of his mind.
He never expected to be summoned up directly because of it.
Lu Chen smiled calmly, looking perfectly at ease. “My name is Lu Chen. I am the sworn younger brother of Lord Jun Cai Shen, the orthodox God of Wealth in the Ministry of Finance of the Heavenly Court, and the adopted son of the current King Yan Wang, the ruler of the Underworld. I hold the position of Mighty and Virtuous General of the Underworld.”
Lu Chen rattled off all his titles in one breath.
When you’re out and about, your titles are your identity!
As for being Yan Wang’s adopted son?
Those little details don’t matter right now.
It’s bound to happen sooner or later anyway, so I’ll just use it for now.
After speaking, he turned the back of his hand outward. The Yan Wang Token glowed a deep red, radiating a solemn and intimidating pressure.
Sure enough, as soon as the Land God saw the Yan Wang Token, his face drastically changed. He put down his datewood cane and with a “thud,” kneeled down:
“This old man did not know Your Lordship was coming. I failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive my offense, Your Lordship.”
“Get up.”
Lu Chen stood with his hands behind his back, as steady as an old dog, but his little heart was actually pounding quite hard.
Although Xiao Qing and Xiao Ru had also been very respectful to him before,
it didn’t feel quite like this back then.
But today, seeing this Land God kneel before him, Lu Chen realized only now just how impressive his current status really was!
“Please calm your anger, Your Lordship. Earlier, this old man absolutely did not mean to laugh at you. I beg Your Lordship not to dwell on it.”
Lu Chen waved his hand. “No worries. If you hadn’t laughed, I wouldn’t have noticed there was a Land God shrine here. It’s perfect timing, actually. I have some important business to handle right now, and I’d like to ask you, the local Land God, a few things.”
“Please speak, Your Lordship. This old man will tell you everything he knows, holding nothing back!”
This little old man had a remarkably good attitude.
It had the familiar, comforting feel of the Land God from his memories.
Lu Chen walked in front, and the Land God followed behind, leaning on his datewood cane.
“I came here today for the matter of praying for rain in Longhu County…”
As soon as he started, the Land God excitedly scuttled to his side, leaned on his cane, and clasped his fists: “So Your Lordship has come for this matter! Wonderful! There is finally hope for my Longhu County!”
Lu Chen raised his hand, gently pressing down, and said calmly, “Don’t get too excited just yet. Although I hold a position in the Underworld, here in the mortal world, I’m just a spiritual practitioner. Besides, I already know the full story behind the three-year drought in Longhu County. This matter… is truly quite tricky!”
“Your Lordship’s divine power is unsurpassed. No matter how tricky the matter, I am sure you can solve it easily!”
Seeing this little old man treating him like a savior and frantically flattering him, Lu Chen chuckled disdainfully, but internally, he felt quite pleased.
“Alright, let’s get down to business. I ask you, this place is called Longhu County (Dragon Tiger County). I imagine it used to be a gathering place for dragons and tigers. There must have been quite a few dragons, right? Did the East Sea Dragon King from the forbidden territory really kill them all?”
“You are correct, Your Lordship!” The Land God’s face immediately showed a trace of sadness. “Longhu County used to have a large river called the Xu River. In this Xu River lived the Xu River Dragon King, who protected this land with good weather. His dragon palace and residence were right at the bottom of this Great Dragon Pool.”
The Land God pointed towards the dry, basin-like depression, then sighed. “But later, the East Sea Dragon King violated the Xu River’s territory. The Xu River Dragon King was proud and refused to bow down. The East Sea Dragon King then wiped out his entire aquatic tribe, destroyed the palace, leaving nothing behind—not even scales or hair.”
Lu Chen snorted coldly. “The Four Sea Dragon Kings are certainly domineering in their actions.”
The Land God snorted too. “It’s just them relying on the strength of their sea tribes, boasting about their powerful armies and strong soldiers.”
Seeing that this little old man had some spirit and likely shared a close bond with the former Xu River Dragon King, Lu Chen paused for a moment, then asked, “I heard that the East Sea Dragon King set up a Dragon King Formation here, and that only the Dragon Clan can make clouds and bring rain. I ask you, aside from that already destroyed Xu River aquatic tribe, are there any other dragons left in this area?”
Unexpectedly, as soon as he asked,
the Land God stamped his cane on the ground with a thud, clasped his fists again, and said seriously, “Your Lordship, there actually is one!”
A flash of sharpness appeared in Lu Chen’s eyes. “Where?”
The Land God raised his hand and pointed into the distance. “About fifty miles from here, inside a deep well on a barren mountain.”
Lu Chen was taken aback. “You mean… a Well Dragon King?”
The Land God nodded solemnly. “Exactly! If Your Lordship wishes to go, this old man would be honored to guide you! It will only take a moment to get there!”
