Upon hearing this, Lu Chen quickly turned to the Land God. “Great! Then take me there right now!”
“As Your Lordship commands!”
The Land God raised his datewood walking cane and slowly drew a circle around Lu Chen. The cane immediately shone with a dazzling golden light, enveloping Lu Chen completely.
The next moment, Lu Chen felt the ground vanish beneath his feet. A strong sensation of weightlessness hit him, and his vision went dark. From time to time, sharp “scratching” sounds could be heard beside his ears, as if they were piercing through layers of rock.
“Your Lordship, that old Dragon King has a strange temper and a loose tongue. I hope Your Lordship won’t take anything he says to heart.” The Land God’s voice sounded in the darkness. Then, a ball of bright light lit up at the tip of his cane, illuminating their surroundings.
Only then did Lu Chen see that the sand and mud around them were rushing backward like flowing water.
This was the Land God’s specialty—the art of earth遁 (dìndùn, earth travel).
Experiencing such a mystical spell for the first time, Lu Chen felt like a country bumpkin visiting a grand palace for the first time, looking around in amazement and clicking his tongue in wonder. He gave a slight nod and asked in return, “Lord Land God, from what you’re saying, it sounds like you know this Well Dragon King quite well. Do you two usually have dealings with each other?”
“To answer Your Lordship, this old man usually has nothing much to do. Occasionally, I go to that old Dragon King’s underwater palace for a few games of chess. As for being familiar… well, I suppose I do know him a bit.”
“Oh?” Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. “Back when the East Sea Spiritual King invaded the Xu River, the Xu River Dragon King chose to die rather than submit. But this Well Dragon King managed to stay out of trouble. Has he already pledged allegiance to the East Sea Dragon King?”
“Your Lordship jokes,” the Land God said, waving his hand repeatedly. “This old Dragon King is as timid as a mouse. His magical powers are also pretty mediocre, only slightly better than this minor god’s. A figure like the East Sea Dragon King would never bother with him.”
“Even if he’s beneath his notice, the Well Dragon King is still a member of the Dragon Clan. Given the East Sea Dragon King’s methods, I don’t believe he would have let him off so easily.” Lu Chen’s tone grew a bit more serious.
The Land God gave an embarrassed smile. “Your Lordship may not know this, but this Well Dragon King might not be good at much else, but his skill at hiding is second to none. Before the East Sea Dragon King made his move back then, even this old man didn’t know there was a Well Dragon King hiding in Longhu County. It was only about ten years ago, when I was making my usual rounds inspecting the land, that I happened to come across a barren mountain. I vaguely heard the sound of a dragon’s cry. When I went closer to look, I found an old dragon sighing miserably by a stream, and that’s how I discovered his existence. Later, as we interacted more, we gradually became chess buddies.”
At this point, the Land God gave a dry laugh. “This old man has few hobbies in life, but I’m exceptionally fond of the game of chess. It seems that old dragon and I share the same questionable taste. I hope Your Lordship won’t find fault with it.”
Lu Chen looked thoughtful. “From what you’re saying, this Well Dragon King is in a pretty bad state these days?”
The Land God nodded and sighed. “The Well Dragon King’s duty is to manage wells and springs and to regulate the underground water sources. But nowadays, times have changed. How many people still dig wells to get water? The people drink water from great rivers and lakes. Those who offer sacrifices to the Well Dragon King have long since disappeared. Naturally, he’s fallen on hard times. Added to that, he’s inherently timid. Back when the Xu River Dragon King was alive, he was constantly worried about being conscripted into his service. After the Xu River Dragon King fell in battle, he became even more terrified of the East Sea Dragon King’s thunderous methods. He’s been anxious and uneasy every day, not daring to step outside his door.”
“Ever since this old man stumbled upon him, he’s kept his underwater palace tightly shut. Only when he’s truly bored out of his mind will he send a message inviting me over for a few games of chess.”
Lu Chen gave a faint, ambiguous smile. “So it’s a case of that old saying: the more timid you are, the longer you live.”
“Your Lordship sees clearly! That’s exactly it. To be honest, this old man can’t bear to see the people of Longhu County suffer. Protecting this region is my duty after all. It’s not that I haven’t thought of asking the old Dragon King to make clouds and bring rain, but every time, he flatly refuses.”
The Land God paused, then added, “But thinking it over carefully, I suppose it’s understandable. If he really had that kind of courage, he would have stepped up back when the East Sea Dragon King was on his killing spree. Therefore, if Your Lordship wants to convince him to come forward, it will indeed be quite difficult. But this minor god believes that with Your Lordship’s divine might, you’ll surely succeed and sweep away all obstacles.”
Lu Chen: “Uh…”
Damn, it seems like I’ve been showing off a bit too much…
His own power level is only at the peak of the First Grade.
He hasn’t even reached the Second Grade yet.
Even though he has Black and White Impermanence, and Ox-Head and Horse-Face under his command,
and even if they all start at at least the Third Grade,
this old Dragon King is, after all, a true dragon.
If it actually came to a fight, could his Five Underworld Tiger Generals take him one-on-one?
That’s really hard to say…
After all, these dragon types have high defense and a ton of health points.
In any game, they’d at least be a mini-boss.
“Oh well, I’ll go there first and see! Having a chance is better than having no chance at all.”
Thinking this to himself, Lu Chen’s expression remained as steady as an old dog. He said calmly, “Let this humble one go and meet him, then!”
“Your Lordship is truly mighty!!” the Land God quickly flattered, then raised his hand and pointed. “Your Lordship, we’ve arrived!”
Lu Chen felt his body lighten, and the scene before him opened up. He was back on the surface.
Looking around, he saw a single dried-up well standing alone in the barren mountains.
Not a blade of grass grew around it. Surveying the surrounding mountains, everything looked bleak and desolate. There wasn’t a single sign of human habitation.
The Land God hobbled over to the dry well, bent down, and tapped the rim lightly three times with his cane.
“Rraahh!”
After a moment, a muffled dragon’s cry came from within the well, causing the walls to tremble slightly.
Lu Chen’s eyes lit up.
Then, a suppressed roar came from the well, clearly the owner didn’t want to attract attention: “You old fool! Who is that person with you? Have you forgotten my rules?!”
Yet the anger in that voice was almost overflowing.
The Land God lifted his foot and lightly kicked the well’s rim, snorting, “You blind old mud fish! This Lord here is the sworn younger brother of the orthodox God of Wealth in the Heavenly Court’s Ministry of Finance, the adopted son of the King Yan Wang of the Underworld, and holds the position of Mighty and Virtuous General of the Underworld! Come out and pay your respects immediately!”
“Don’t you lie to me, you old fool! This person’s cultivation hasn’t even reached the Second Grade, his magic power is weak. He’s nowhere near as impressive as you claim! Rraahh!”
Another dragon’s cry rang out, shaking Lu Chen’s spirit for a moment.
“Your Lordship…” The Land God clasped his fists and looked at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen gave a slight nod, walked slowly to the edge of the well, and looked down.
He saw that there was actually still water in this dry well, probably connecting to an underground river.
The surface of the water was churning violently right now, bubbles constantly rising.
Without a word, he took the Tongcai Yuanbao (Universal Wealth Token) from around his neck and held it over the dry well. “Old Dragon King, do you recognize this?”
“This is…” The Well Dragon King’s tone suddenly changed, revealing doubt. “This object truly carries the aura of an orthodox god of the Heavenly Court!”
“Correct. This is the personal magical treasure of Lord Jun Cai Shen, the orthodox God of Wealth in the Heavenly Court’s Ministry of Finance. It’s called the Tongcai Yuanbao.” Lu Chen’s mouth curled up slightly. “Old Dragon King, look at this too!”
As soon as he finished speaking, black energy surged around his body, rising into the sky like a tornado, a terrifying display. His long hair moved without any wind, dancing down to his waist. His eyes turned blood-red, like the King Yan awakening from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds. The Yan Luo Ling (Yan Wang Token) on the back of his hand flickered like a red snake’s tongue, sending chills down the spine.
Lu Chen had transformed into the Yan Wang form again!
“Old Dragon King, do you recognize me?!”
His voice, like an echo from the Nine Netherworlds, shook the surroundings, causing the Land God nearby to step back repeatedly and kneel down in worship. “Your Lordship, please calm your anger! Your Lordship, please calm your anger!”
“Rraahh!!”
The next second, the sound of bursting water suddenly erupted.
A golden dragon shot out of the dry well into the sky, circled twice in the air, and then landed on the ground, taking human form.
“Not knowing that Your Lordship was arriving, this little dragon failed to welcome you properly!” The Well Dragon King, who now had a human body but a dragon’s head, hurried over and bowed respectfully.
Lu Chen let the Yan Wang form dissipate and returned the bow with clasped fists. “This humble one greets the Well Dragon King. I’ve come to disturb you today. I hope the Dragon King will not take offense.”
“Not at all, not at all! Your Lordship is being too modest; you’re overwhelming this little dragon.” The Well Dragon King turned to the Land God and grumbled, “Since it was Your Lordship, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The Land God: “… Go to hell, you old mud fish!”
The Well Dragon King knew he was in the wrong. His throat bobbed as he swallowed the retort he was about to make.
Lu Chen took this opportunity to size up the Dragon King. He saw that the Dragon King was dressed in rags. His dragon robe was covered in patch upon patch. Even worse, he didn’t even have a pair of boots. His dragon claws were stepping directly on the dirt. He truly was pitifully down-and-out.
An idea came to Lu Chen. He said to the Land God, “Lord Land God, I’d like to trouble you with a task.”
“Your Lordship, please speak!” The Land God bowed respectfully with clasped fists.
“Go back for me and fetch the backpack from my car. I need it!”
