Chapter 336: You Fear Your Wife

Ji Yuan immediately leaped from the ship's rail, landing on General Giant Whale's back. The Dragon Girl quickly followed, while Chi Gui and Lin Jian hesitated for a moment before deciding not to join them.

Standing on the giant whale's back, Ji Yuan immediately asked, "General Giant Whale, did you hear the drumbeats and see the red light in the sky just now?"

General Giant Whale's state was subtle at this moment, and he spoke hesitantly. "To answer Mr. Ji, I didn't hear any drumbeats, nor did I see any red light. But, just now, I felt extremely suppressed, almost unable to control myself. I nearly submerged into the deep sea, and then I involuntarily let out a cry, and then..."

The giant whale strained its eyes upwards, looking at Ji Yuan on its back. "Then I heard a strange cry. That cry scared this general to death! Good thing it disappeared immediately!"

"You heard that cry?" Ji Yuan felt slightly surprised yet found it reasonable.

"Yes, I heard that strange cry. The sound was extremely bizarre and a bit hoarse, as if it was close by yet also far away. I wasn't even this scared when the Lady Ruler got angry!"

The sea beneath the giant whale undulated for a moment, and it asked Ji Yuan, still feeling a trace of fear, "Mr. Ji, you are a profound Taoist master with vast knowledge. Do you know what that cry was? What kind of demon was it?"

"Wait, you heard it too? Why didn't I hear it?" Ying Ruoli asked General Giant Whale incredulously. General Giant Whale's cultivation was insignificant compared to hers, so why could this simple-minded whale hear it?

"Ah? Lady Ruoli couldn't hear it?" General Giant Whale looked even more surprised and quickly explained the oppressive and terrifying feeling he had just experienced to Ying Ruoli. The latter, in turn, looked thoughtfully at Ji Yuan. This matter was quite strange; even her Uncle Ji seemed a bit bewildered.

"There's no need to worry too much about this. Since there's no clue, let's not overthink it. The meal hasn't been paid for yet; I'll go settle the bill."

Back on the flying ship, Ji Yuan went straight to the restaurant. After paying, he had no further desire to linger and prepared to leave immediately.

Actually, Ji Yuan had originally wanted to ride Nine Peaks Mountain's realm-traversing flying ship. However, this journey had a clear purpose and a different destination. Moreover, it was impossible to leave General Giant Whale behind and travel by himself on a flying ship, which rarely sailed on the sea and couldn't be accompanied by General Giant Whale.

The cost of eating on the immortal flying ship was indeed expensive, totaling ten taels of silver. This immediately depleted most of Ji Yuan's reserves. However, the ordinary dishes and wine accounted for less than one tael; the real bulk of the cost came from the plate of so-called "immortal aura seasonal vegetables." The taste wasn't particularly remarkable, but the price was exorbitant.

It was merely to form a good connection. As Ji Yuan was leaving, the two Nine Peaks Mountain True Immortals naturally escorted him to the ship's edge.

"Mr. Ji, meeting you is a matter of fate. I observe that your immortal aura is pure and serene, indicating you are a highly virtuous cultivator in this world. Our Nine Peaks Mountain is located in Hengzhou, in the Northern Reaches. Every sixty years, we host an Immortal Gathering. Counting the days, it's only a few years away, set to commence in the midsummer of the Wuxu year. If you have some leisure at that time, you are welcome to visit our Nine Peaks Mountain."

At this point, Chi Gui took out a bamboo slip from his person and handed it to Ji Yuan with both hands. "Mr. Ji, this is a token from our Nine Peaks Mountain. If you come to visit, the mountain gate will guide you to me or Lin Jian from here. We hope you will honor us with a visit when you have time. You are welcome at any time, not just during the Immortal Gathering!"

Ji Yuan didn't decline, reaching out to take it. He saw the four characters "Nine Peaks Command" written on the bamboo slip, which also contained a special prohibition.

"Alright, I will certainly visit when I have time!" Ji Yuan held the bamboo slip and cupped his hands in greeting. "Then we shall take our leave. No need to see us off!"

"Mr. Ji, take care!"

The two True Immortals saw them off. Ji Yuan nodded and flew directly away from the realm-traversing flying ship again. Ying Ruoli, on the other hand, didn't even greet the two of them and simply flew down. Earlier, the two True Immortals from Nine Peaks Mountain had presented the bamboo token and extended their warm invitation only to Ji Yuan, clearly not including the Dragon Girl as an invitee. Although the Dragon Girl didn't care for it, she still felt a slight displeasure and didn't even bother to feign politeness.

Stepping onto General Giant Whale's sturdy back once more, the realm-traversing flying ship had already flown sideways. On the ship, Chi Gui, Lin Jian, and some other cultivators from Nine Peaks Mountain cupped their hands and bowed in Ji Yuan's direction. Ji Yuan merely nodded and did not return the gesture.

"Hmph, cultivators often have this demeanor, holding many prejudices against us demonkind."

Seeing Ying Ruoli's rare display of petulance, Ji Yuan smiled and comforted her. "After all, inherent prejudices are like that. If you had revealed your identity as the River God Lady, it might have been better. And if they had genuinely invited you just now and you actually went, it might have only led to awkwardness. It's better not to be invited at all."

"I don't care at all! General Giant Whale, what are you standing there for? Aren't you going to swim?"

"Oh, oh, oh! At your command!" Hearing Ying Ruoli's annoyed words, General Giant Whale dared not delay and quickly flapped its massive tail.

With a "rumble," a huge wave was whipped up behind it, and the giant whale's body shot forward. At that moment, the realm-traversing flying ship had already flown farther and farther away, leaving only a small, bright silhouette in the night.

Ji Yuan had no interest in writing at this moment. Instead, he stood on the whale's back, facing the sea breeze, his thoughts adrift. What exactly was that peculiar drum sound? What was that cry? Why could General Giant Whale hear it, and why couldn't he hear it completely? What was in that direction in the East Sea? Ji Yuan believed that there had to be a reason for such a strange occurrence at this moment, the transition from the old to the new year. And for him to witness it, it might even be related to the extremely loud whale calls from General Giant Whale, that simpleton, earlier.

"Alas... human power has its limits; it's difficult to fully comprehend the world's mysteries!" Ji Yuan sighed. The Dragon Girl looked at him as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

At the Tongtian River Water Palace, Dragon Prince Ying Feng, who had been visiting and drinking with distant friends, finally returned. As soon as the dragon's shadow swam into the Water Palace's forbidden zone, it discovered that several palace sections had actually collapsed, and some other areas appeared newly built.

The flood dragon transformed into a brocade-robed man and grabbed a passing merrow. "What happened? Did someone dare to attack my Tongtian River Water Palace?"

"Your Highness, you're back? No one dared to attack the Water Palace. It was the Dragon Monarch who sneezed twice in his sleep, turning this entire section of the Tongtian River into a mess."

Ying Feng nodded in understanding. "Oh, so that's what happened. Father actually sneezed; I've never seen that in so many years. What a pity..."

Ying Feng stopped asking questions and walked directly to the main hall. He flopped onto a comfortable armchair, his feet resting on the armrest. He reached for a handful of pastries, began chewing them, then took a flask of wine from his robe. After sniffing its aroma, he carefully opened his mouth and poured a tiny trickle into the air. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, can't drink too much, can't drink too much, this is for Uncle Ji!"

This crystal-clear white jade flask was a "Thousand-Dou Flask," considered a treasure. As the name suggested, despite its small size, it could hold a thousand dou of wine, which was a considerable amount.

"Hehe, Uncle Ji will definitely like it! If he's in a good mood, and he could teach me lightning spells, then I would..." Ying Feng happily recalled this again. Through his drinking buddy Gao Tianming, he had learned about several other great divine abilities of his Uncle Ji that had never been revealed. Among them, the Samadhi True Fire was naturally terrifying, but what interested Ying Feng the most was lightning spells.

He wandered around the palace a few times but surprisingly didn't see his sister. "Where's Ruoli?"

Ying Feng frowned. His sister rarely went out, except to help their father bring clouds and rain. In Ji Yuan's previous life's words, she was a "homebody." But today, he had been back for so long and still hadn't seen his sister appear.

"Hey, you, have you seen Ruoli?" Ying Feng asked a fish-maiden who was bringing new pastries. She repeatedly shook her head. "The River God Lady hasn't been in the Water Palace recently. This servant doesn't know where she went!"

Ying Feng frowned, stood up from his seat, and went outside. Seeing some yakshas approaching, he immediately asked, "Do you know where Ruoli went?"

The two yakshas were already on their way to report, so they naturally stopped and bowed in response. "To answer Your Highness, some time ago, Mr. Ji visited and invited the Dragon Monarch, the River God Lady, and Your Highness to a certain place. The River God Lady went with him then."

"Ah? My father went too? Only I didn't go?"

The yaksha quickly and cautiously replied, "The Dragon Monarch was in a deep slumber. Mr. Ji and the River God Lady called him several times, but he didn't wake up, so he's still in the Dragon Pool."

Ying Feng's eyes widened as he looked toward the Dragon Pool behind the palace. "My father didn't wake up? That's nonsense! He must be faking sleep! If Uncle Ji came looking for him and he still didn't go, something's definitely fishy!"

The two yakshas almost broke a sweat even in the water. They quickly bowed their heads and tried to look inconspicuous.

Ying Feng pressed on. "Then where did they go? I'll go after them!"

"We heard... we heard they went to the easternmost point of the East Sea, a place bordering the North Sea. A whale-like demon named General Giant Whale sought Mr. Ji's help, hoping the Water Palace could go to rescue his Lady Ruler."

"My mother—!" Ying Feng cried out, a trace of panic appearing on his face. "What happened? What happened to my mother? Why did they seek help from Uncle Ji, why not directly from Tongtian River? Never mind, just tell me how to get there, I'll go find them!"

"Don't fret, Your Highness, don't fret. Mr. Ji and the River God Lady have been gone for a long time. We don't know the route. At this moment, not only is it uncertain if your speed can catch up, but you also don't know which direction to go!"

Another yaksha also advised, "Yes, Your Highness, you don't need to worry. With Mr. Ji accompanying them, it's as good as the Dragon Monarch himself being there. Nothing untoward will surely happen!"

Ying Feng paced back and forth, vigorously clapping his hands together. "Alright, I'll go find my father!"

Ying Feng, with hurried steps, went directly outside the Dragon Pool. Seeing his agitated appearance, the nearby yakshas dared not block him. However, as Ying Feng tried to charge inside, he was bounced back by a water bubble. "Father! Stop faking sleep! Let me in! If not, at least tell me how to get to Mother's side! Father—Father, you're going too far!"

Ying Feng angrily punched the Dragon Pool entrance, only creating a small dent in the bubble barrier, which quickly restored itself. "Father, you... you... you... you're henpecked!"

"ROAR! You wretched creature—" The old dragon's furious curse roared forth with a dragon's cry.

Rumble...

Large waves surged out, directly sending Ying Feng flying. This section of the Tongtian River shook once again, and the entire Water Palace suffered damage yet again...