Chapter 651: Three Things in Three Years

More than a month later, in a back garden of the Dragon Palace in the Tongtian River Water Mansion, Ji Yuan and the old dragon sat opposite each other at a garden table. This time, there was no chessboard; only pastries and tea were served.

Ji Yuan and the three dragons of the Ying clan had only returned here yesterday. However, they didn't need to worry about searching for dragon corpse worms or the previous sighting of the Fusang Divine Tree and the Sun Golden Crow for the time being. The old Yellow Dragon, Huang Yuzhong, would primarily be responsible for informing the dragon race about these matters, and Ji Yuan and the others were happy to rest.

At this moment, Ji Yuan took out the Xiezhi scroll from his sleeve and slowly unfurled it on the table. The soft, clear water in the mansion had no effect on the scroll. The old dragon watched the lifelike Xiezhi on the scroll intently, while popping a handful of berries into his mouth and chewing.

Ji Yuan looked at the unresponsive Xiezhi on the scroll, then reached out and slowly channeled some magical energy into it. He watched as the Xiezhi on the scroll became increasingly lively and its colors gradually brightened. Then, he spoke in a low voice.

“Xiezhi, do you have anything to say to me?”

Ji Yuan's question seemed vague, but there was a reason behind it. When he was observing the Fusang Divine Tree previously, Ji Yuan had taken out the Xiezhi scroll more than once, but each time, the scroll showed no reaction.

Ji Yuan waited for a while after asking, but the scroll remained unresponsive. The old dragon glanced at Ji Yuan, a smile appearing on his lips, just like Ji Yuan's.

“Xiezhi, you saw the Fusang Tree and the Sun Golden Crow before, didn't you?”

After another wait, the scroll still showed little reaction. Ji Yuan and the old dragon exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded slightly. The next moment, Ji Yuan flicked his sleeve, and a corpse, several tables in size, appeared beside them. It was the monster that had attacked the dragon group outside Xutang Valley.

“Hmm?”

The Xiezhi on the scroll suddenly uttered a sound of confusion. Ji Yuan picked up the scroll and pointed it at the monster's corpse.

“Do you want to say something?”

Black smoke began to rise from the scroll, and the Xiezhi's beast head was now pressed close to the surface, as if about to emerge from the painting.

“This ghostly appearance is at most sixty percent like a Tiger-Jiao, and it's also a bit small. Extract its blood marrow for me, your master!”

Ji Yuan had no impression of a 'Tiger-Jiao' in his mind; it sounded like a flood dragon, yet the Xiezhi claimed this monster resembled it by sixty percent. However, Ji Yuan suppressed these thoughts for now, looking at the Xiezhi in the scroll as he spoke.

“Are you merely a painting, or do you possess other special qualities? Who painted you?”

“Extract its blood marrow for me, your master! Extract its blood marrow for me, your master!”

The Xiezhi began to repeat itself again. Ji Yuan's brows furrowed; he felt the Xiezhi was feigning ignorance again. This time, he couldn't be bothered to play mind games with it. With a flick of his wrist, he put away the scroll, giving the Xiezhi no time to react.

“Uh, Master Ji, why did you put away the scroll so abruptly?”

The old dragon beside him was slightly puzzled; he had expected Ji Yuan to have a further conversation with the Xiezhi in the painting. Ji Yuan didn't hide anything from the old dragon, looking at the painting and speaking plainly.

“Although Xiezhi is reputed to be a beast of justice, that cannot be entirely trusted. This one in the painting might be a true Xiezhi, and I cannot keep helping it. Such an ancient divine beast, with a name and identity, cannot be treated like an ordinary demon. Old Master Ying has seen the Sun Golden Crow; naturally, the Xiezhi cannot compare to it, but it is certainly not ordinary either. Since this Xiezhi keeps feigning ignorance in front of us, I certainly cannot keep assisting it.”

The old dragon's expression showed understanding. Recalling the shock of seeing the Golden Crow, he naturally held the Xiezhi in much higher regard.

“Master Ji, your concerns are valid. Please, have some tea.”

“Please.”

As the two men sipped their tea, Ying Ruoli entered the courtyard. She had just returned from her temple in Tongtian River.

“Father, Uncle Ji, I'm back.”

The old dragon gestured to a seat at the table.

“Sit, tell us about the changes over the past three years.”

Ying Ruoli approached the table, sat down, and recounted what she knew, not about internal dragon clan affairs, nor major divine matters, and not even much about cultivation. She primarily spoke of events that had transpired in Da Zhen over the past three years.

For cultivators, three years was a short span, but for the mortal realm, it was neither long nor short. Two events were worth Ying Ruoli's emphasis: First, Emperor Hongwu of Da Zhen had passed away a year ago. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he did not bestow an honorary title upon himself, unlike previous emperors. Influenced by the teachings of his imperial tutor, Yin Zhaoxian, since childhood, the new emperor believed that only truly outstanding emperors, not those who merely loved vanity, should have such titles, and that he, newly enthroned, was not yet qualified.

After Ying Ruoli slowly finished the first matter, Ji Yuan set down his teacup, sighing thoughtfully.

“Is that so? Emperor Hongwu has passed away.”

Ji Yuan had discerned that Yang Hao's fate was not prosperous, though it had improved slightly after they entered Wild Fox Shame together. He hadn't expected him to last little more than two additional years before passing away.

“As for the second matter, well, Uncle Ji, Father, you might not guess this: the state of Zuyue has launched a military campaign against Da Zhen.”

As soon as Ying Ruoli finished speaking, the old dragon showed no particular reaction, but Ji Yuan was visibly stunned.

“Hmm? Zuyue launched a military campaign against Da Zhen?”

This was unexpected for Ji Yuan. He thought the reverse was more likely; how could Zuyue be the first to break the armistice and launch a campaign against Da Zhen? “Indeed, and Uncle Ji, just half a year after Emperor Hongwu's passing, Zuyue mobilized eighty thousand troops, claiming a force of three hundred thousand. Within two months, they captured six border passes and thirteen strongholds of Da Zhen, pushing into Qizhou, and half of Qizhou has fallen.”

This turn of events struck Ji Yuan as somewhat dramatic. With Zuyue plagued by internal and external turmoil, how could it achieve such military success? This must be Zuyue's last desperate gamble. “What was Da Zhen's reaction?”

As Ji Yuan asked with a frown, Ying Ruoli knew that Uncle Ji was particularly concerned about Da Zhen's affairs, so she naturally answered truthfully and in detail.

“Throughout Da Zhen, from the gentry and local squires to the common people, everyone was enraged by Zuyue's invasion. Many who came to my temple to pray asked for victory in Da Zhen's war. Now, even many scholars have put down their pens to join the army, and it's not uncommon to see scholars carrying swords.”

“Oh?”

Ji Yuan nodded slowly, while the old dragon beside him chuckled.

“Heh heh, interesting. Although I have little interest in mortal affairs, I've always known that Zuyue's human path is riddled with holes. From Ruoli's words, it seems Da Zhen suffered a significant loss.”

Ji Yuan was already calculating with his fingers. Matters concerning human destiny were difficult to predict, but while foretelling the future was hard, divining the past didn't require much effort and could reveal a general direction.

“To put it simply, Da Zhen's border army underestimated the enemy, and Zuyue's calculated attack caught them unprepared, leading to their significant loss.”

Divination isn't like watching a video. With such a broad scope for a reading, one doesn't get absolute details, but understanding the general situation is no problem. In short, almost everyone in Da Zhen's army believed that Zuyue's national condition was extremely poor, that they wouldn't dare to attack Da Zhen, and that their existing army would have no fighting capability. This underestimation ultimately led to defeat.

Hearing these two matters, Ji Yuan sighed softly and immediately stood up to take his leave. The old dragon didn't try to detain him, only presenting Ji Yuan with the small jar of ambergris wine he had promised earlier. However, even without Ying Feng's matter, this wine was originally intended to be shared with Ji Yuan.

Exiting the water mansion, Ji Yuan stepped on the waves, creating mist, and flew. Soon after, he landed in the capital city.

The streets were still bustling and lively. As Ji Yuan walked along, pedestrians and merchants flowed incessantly.

“Pancakes for sale, freshly baked pancakes!” “Candied haws, sweet and sour!”

“Bows and arrows, selling bows and arrows! A powerful bow, strong enough to pierce the armor of Zuyue bandits from a hundred paces!”

Ji Yuan walked through the streets, his ears filled with various noisy conversations and vendor calls. His gaze drifted across the street, and though his vision was blurred, it appeared that in this early winter, eight out of ten people dressed like scholars were surprisingly carrying swords, slung at their waists as they walked. Ji Yuan, by contrast, seemed unconventional.

Suddenly, outside a teahouse not far away, an attendant shouted loudly.

“News from the border army! This teahouse has news from the border army! Order tea here and get a complimentary plate of pastries!”

“What? News from the border army?” “Let's go, let's go see!”

“Wait for me! Grab a seat, grab a seat!”

Many on the street who heard the call began to move. Many vendors selling goods asked neighboring hawkers to watch their stalls for them, then quickly rushed towards the bustling sound. This was even more common among the scholars and pedestrians on the street.

Ji Yuan paused, then quickened his pace towards the teahouse. By the time he reached it, the seats inside were already packed, yet more people were still arriving. Tables originally meant for four were now squeezed with people, and many more sat on small stools by the aisle pillars or simply stood. Almost everyone held a teacup, as tea servers poured tea from teapots for each person.

The teahouse was practically besieged, packed to the brim. Several tea servers, carrying teapots, moved around pouring tea, much like the skilled bus conductors Ji Yuan remembered from his previous life, who could ensure everyone bought a ticket even on a crowded bus. The only exception was a table next to the counter, where a middle-aged scholar stood, holding a paper fan.

“Esteemed sirs, those Zuyue rats have gone too far in oppressing our Da Zhen! They took advantage of our border army's unpreparedness to invade Qizhou. With Zuyue in turmoil, their so-called soldiers are nothing more than bandits, looting and pillaging in Qizhou, drawing even more bandit-soldiers from Zuyue across the border. Several armies from our dynasty have rushed to Qizhou's aid, and the vanguard has already engaged the Zuyue bandits in multiple skirmishes!”

“A bunch of scoundrels!” “Indeed, I wish I could go to the battlefield to repay my country!”

“Our dynasty enjoys peace and stability, and our national strength is robust. Those Zuyue rats, instead of being grateful for our generosity, dared to seek their own demise!”

Immediately, the teahouse erupted in a wave of indignation.