Chapter 326: Who Has Times of Cowardice

After this guess formed in his mind, Ji Yuan didn't beat around the bush at all and directly questioned the giant whale.

"Is the 'Master Mo' you spoke of named Mo Rong?"

Hearing Ji Yuan's sudden question, the giant whale, which had been chattering incessantly on the surface, was stunned. One of its eyes carefully watched Ji Yuan, its anxiety undiminished, unsure whether to answer yes or no. What if Master Mo had offended the other party?

However, Ji Yuan didn't need the whale to answer readily; its reaction already confirmed his guess. He spoke directly.

"If you are referring to the Ink Dragon that cultivated in Wanzhou, Da Zhen, you don't need to wait anymore. Mo Rong won't be coming back."

The scene of the Ink Dragon's soul departing after its death, which Ji Yuan witnessed years ago, flashed through his mind. Even now, recalling the moment the remnant soul departed still filled him with a sense of melancholy. The old dragon's rage that followed was also fresh in Ji Yuan's memory.

Looking out at the distant sea, he wondered if the remnant soul had completed its "journey through the waters" by now, whether it had transformed into a true spirit devoid of thought and memory, or if it had found an opportunity to cultivate again.

The sea surface undulated, and the sea breeze still blew. The giant whale was clearly not too dull; after a moment of processing, it vaguely considered a bad possibility. Looking at the Azure Vine Sword in Ji Yuan's hand, its heart trembled slightly.

"You, what did you do to Master Mo?"

Ji Yuan shook his head and looked back at the giant whale.

"It wasn't me. Eight years ago, on his way back from foraging in the East Sea, Mo Rong was ambushed by numerous unidentified demonic entities. He used all his strength to detonate his dragon pearl to escape back to Da Zhen. Due to severe injuries, his vital essence disintegrated, and he fell from the sky, dying shortly after in Guangdong Lake..."

Saying this, Ji Yuan paused, then continued.

"Before his demise, I, Ji, and old Mr. Ying Hong were standing by the Ink Dragon's corpse, watching its dragon soul depart into the waters."

The giant whale remained silent, seemingly not having recovered from this information. After a long time, it began to murmur incredulously.

"Impossible, impossible! Master Mo's cultivation is so profound, he could crush me to death with a flick of his hand. How could he, how could he possibly die!"

'Is Master Mo really dead? Or is he lying to me? But Master Mo said he would go out to sea every year... Did something really happen to Master Mo? What do I do then? I can't go to the riverlands, and I don't know anyone there...'

Although it was a giant whale, Ji Yuan could sense its panic. As its body swayed, the surrounding ocean waves grew more turbulent. Only when the whale finally calmed down a little did Ji Yuan speak again.

"Why are you looking for that Ink Dragon? Or is it old Mr. Ying you truly seek? Are you looking for him, or is the 'Lady Monarch' you mentioned looking for him?"

Ji Yuan had already thought of many things. He also wondered if the "Lady Monarch" the whale had mentioned earlier was the old dragon's legitimate wife, the mother of the dragon prince and princess.

The giant whale was clearly filled with sorrow at this moment, even somewhat distraught. Hearing Ji Yuan's words, its worry became even more apparent, and it muttered to itself.

"I can only seek Master Mo, I only dare to seek Master Mo..."

As if suddenly realizing something belatedly, it immediately looked at Ji Yuan.

"Immortal Master! You know the Dragon Lord?"

Ji Yuan had just said he watched the Ink Dragon's soul depart into the waters with the old dragon, which clearly indicated he was a friend, not an enemy, of the Dragon Lord. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the qualification to be in such a place at such a moment, knowing that moment was extremely important for dragon kin.

"Yes, I do."

The giant whale subtly stirred the water, instinctively swimming a little closer, and asked softly.

"Very well?"

Ji Yuan looked at it and nodded.

"Very well."

"Then, then can you get the Dragon Lord to come?"

The giant whale said, a little excited and hopeful.

Ji Yuan thought for a moment. Given his relationship with the old dragon, and that there was clearly a reason, even asking him to personally leave Da Zhen and come here to meet the whale wouldn't be difficult, he figured. So he answered directly.

"I believe I can."

"Then..."

The giant whale hesitated, drawing out a single word for a long time, before finally saying.

"How about, how about, Immortal Master, please help me inform Princess Ruoli? Or Prince Feng would also be fine!"

It was clear that the giant whale was very afraid of the old dragon. After much hesitant mumbling, it still only dared to ask for the dragon princess and prince.

Ji Yuan didn't provoke it and calmly nodded.

"All right, I'll go get them for you. By the way, did you always look for Mo Rong before? When was the last time you came here?"

"I've never come looking for Master Mo before. The last time I saw him was probably forty or fifty years ago. I can't remember the exact details."

Ji Yuan understood. This timeframe, recalling his conversation with Li Baotian, the City God of Lishun Prefecture in Wanzhou, he calculated that it was just about the time the Ink Dragon had first taken residence in Guangdong Lake.

"All right, you wait here first. I'll make a trip to Tongtian River in Da Zhen. If you get hungry in the meantime, try to find a suitable place to eat fish. Those fishermen were scared half to death by you."

"Yes, yes, yes, this general, uh... I will definitely do as you say!"

Saying this, the giant whale asked a question, puzzled.

"Immortal Master, aren't you going to ask why I came?"

Ji Yuan smiled.

"Most likely it's a family matter. If it's convenient for me to know, you'll naturally let me know when the person arrives. I, Ji, would also like to ask, do you trust me?"

The giant whale looked at the Azure Vine Sword, which had returned to Ji Yuan's back. The immortal sword was not hidden at the moment. It muttered to itself, "How could I openly say I don't trust him?"

"I do! Immortal Master, you clearly are a master of the Dao. Those of profound immortal cultivation rarely lie, so I trust you!"

"All right, if that's the case, I'll be off now."

Ji Yuan was unaware of the giant whale's hidden thoughts. He then rose into the clouds and swiftly flew towards the southwest.

After Ji Yuan had flown away for about fifteen minutes, the giant whale, which had been cautiously watching the distant night sky from the surface, quickly splashed and displaced water as it dove.

'Better get out of here first!'

About a day and a half later, within Da Zhen, in the domain of the Tongtian River Water God's Palace.

The sky had already brightened. However, it was now the cold winter season before Lunar New Year's Eve, so there weren't many boats on the Tongtian River at the moment.

Ji Yuan descended from the sky on a cloud, directly swooping down into the water, and disappeared into the river after parting a small splash.

He hadn't actually visited the Tongtian River Water Palace many times, but the route was fresh in his memory. He swam directly towards the correct location as if he knew the way well, bypassing the underwater restrictions, and arrived directly at the front area of the Water Palace.

Several river patrol yakshas saw someone approaching, walking on the waves, from afar. They gathered towards that direction. Once closer, they recognized Ji Yuan, and immediately bowed with cupped hands.

"We, the river patrol yakshas, greet Mr. Ji!"

Ji Yuan had already stopped as the yakshas approached. He glanced at the indistinct entrance to the Water Palace behind them, then, after a slight bow in return, said.

"No need for such formality. I have something to attend to in the Water Palace. I need to find your Dragon Lord, as well as Lady Jiangshen and Prince Ying. Are they all in the palace? Please trouble a yaksha to announce my arrival!"

The yakshas looked at Ji Yuan. He had no discernible magical aura, yet the muddy river water automatically parted around him. Coupled with his demeanor and manner of speech, it was almost certainly confirmed he was the real person. Furthermore, in Da Zhen, who would dare impersonate Mr. Ji, knowing who he was?

"Mr. Ji, what are you saying? When you come to our Tongtian River Water Palace, there's naturally no need to ask for permission. Please, Mr. Ji, follow me directly into the palace!"

"All right then, please lead the way."

Although the yaksha said so, Ji Yuan couldn't disregard proper etiquette.

Two yakshas, after receiving his gesture, led Ji Yuan towards the Water Palace, while two others swiftly went ahead, creating a blurry stream of water and bubbles as they entered the palace to announce his arrival.

Not long after, one of the yakshas arrived at the underground dragon pool deep within the Tongtian River Water Palace. After passing the guards, he carefully swam further in, stopping before a colossal, dark figure dimly visible in the gloom, and bowed respectfully, saying.

"Reporting to the Dragon Lord, Mr. Ji has come to see you, as well as Lady Jiangshen and Prince Ying."

In the gloom, it seemed as if two massive curtains rose, revealing a glossy amber color behind them.

"That fellow, Ji Yuan!"

He muttered, then instantly transformed into a misty light, becoming an old man in brocade robes, who was Ying Hong in human form. He said to the yaksha.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

Usually, when something was reported to the Dragon Lord, it was usually met with either a dismissive "Begone!" or simply ignored. The yaksha couldn't help but think, "Mr. Ji certainly has great prestige after all."

In the main hall of the Water Palace, Ying Ruoli had already arrived early, while Ying Feng happened to be out.

The old dragon approached with an unhurried gait. Rather than walking, it was more like silently gliding slightly up and down in the water. But before he could reach the front hall from the back, he heard his daughter's uncharacteristically loud cry of astonishment.

"Uncle Ji! You mean my mother might have sent someone to find me?"

This shriek made the old dragon halt his steps abruptly. His facial expression became extremely complex and conflicted. He reached out and grabbed the yaksha who was still moving forward.

The latter, startled, was about to salute, when the old dragon quickly covered his mouth.

The old dragon lightly tapped the yaksha's forehead with his finger, and his voice echoed in the yaksha's mind.

'You go out and say you couldn't get me to come!'

The yaksha stared wide-eyed at his Dragon Lord, his expression full of bewilderment. Then he heard the voice in his mind again.

'Just say what I told you. Also, Ji Yuan has overly sharp ears, don't show any flaws. Don't say "Yes" to me as acknowledgment; just go directly.'

The yaksha understood, nodded slightly, turned to glance towards the front hall, and when he looked back at the Dragon Lord, he found that he was gone.

The Dragon Lord's current state was something the yaksha had never witnessed in all his time serving in the Water Palace. But he dared not think too much. He only knew that the Dragon Lord's orders took precedence.