Chapter 867: Inviting a Fight

The Dazhen envoy group, occupying a prime spot and benefitting from Ji Yuan’s connection, enjoyed a very quiet imperial residence. Few other guests came and went; only a handful of relevant individuals stood nearby watching. Inside, Yin Zhaoxian was engrossed in reading books from the Dragon Palace, having no interest in the commotion outside.

When Ji Yuan approached, Bai Qi and the old turtle, who were on the outer perimeter, noticed him first and bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, Mister Ji!”

Ji Yuan returned the greeting with a smile. Bai Qi’s cultivation was naturally impressive, and the old turtle had truly transformed into human form. With his accumulated power, he gave Ji Yuan the distinct impression of a fully transformed old demon after just a few years.

“Excellent, excellent, this is how a righteous demon cultivator should be.”

Bai Qi echoed his sentiment.

“Wu Chong’s cultivation was already progressing rapidly, but after resolving his inner turmoil, he made even greater strides. His transformation tribulation was surprising even to me; its power exceeded the normal intensity for such a tribulation, yet Wu Chong successfully overcame it in one go. It’s truly rare!”

Ji Yuan looked thoughtful, recalling Lu Shan Jun’s transformation tribulation, but he figured the old turtle’s tribulation wouldn’t be as exaggerated as Lu Shan Jun’s; otherwise, Bai Qi’s tone would have been different.

“Lord River God and Mister Ji flatter this old turtle. Without your guidance, I would not be where I am today. I still cannot fully comprehend Mister Ji’s ‘Carefree Roaming’ essay. For a while, if I wasn’t careful, I would almost forget the verses, constantly forcing myself to remember them. Now, thankfully, I no longer have that worry.”

“Dedicating yourself to cultivation with a righteous heart will naturally yield results. How did you handle the Xiao family?”

Hearing Ji Yuan’s question, the old turtle simply smiled.

“Since leaving the capital, I haven’t inquired about the Xiao family’s affairs. Whether they truly repented or fully fulfilled their promises, I no longer care.”

This answer was somewhat unexpected for Ji Yuan but also made sense. The old turtle only had that lingering obsession, not genuine greed for the two-hundred-year delayed repayment. Now that the obsession was gone, the Xiao family was just like ordinary mortals in his eyes, at most a lingering memory.

Ji Yuan nodded. He had nothing further to say to Bai Qi. Ever since the old white dragon had assisted in guiding spirits in the underworld, his own foundational cultivation had suddenly become much easier to repair, saving Ji Yuan from the trouble of offering him incense as he had originally intended.

Yin Zhaoxian was reading in the room. Zao Niang was not with Yin Qing and Hu Yun; she was likely chatting privately with the dragon girl in her chambers.

The interlude at the Dragon Transformation banquet was likely drawing to a close. Ji Yuan’s mind was no longer focused on it. He didn’t approach to greet others, nor did he wish to disturb Yin Zhaoxian’s reading at that moment. Instead, he returned alone to his own resting quarters.

The guarding yasha and fish maidens outside had already been sent away. Ji Yuan entered the room and only saw the Xiezhi scroll on the nearby table.

“Grandpa Xiezhi doesn’t plan to play outside a bit longer?”

The Xiezhi in the scroll spoke.

“This dragon’s saliva incense is quite intoxicating. The wine here is unusually potent, so I’ve come back to just drift off to a hazy sleep.”

Ji Yuan didn’t bother to ask if it was true or not. He simply picked up the Xiezhi scroll, tucked it into his sleeve, and walked over to the table to sit down, taking out the small crimson sword he had confiscated earlier.

He weighed it in his hand. Though small, the sword felt substantial, as if it were a normal-sized treasured sword. The spiritual inscriptions carved on it were very intricate, interlocking seamlessly and interconnected both internally and externally. Even without any active response at the moment, a faint sword intent still covered the small sword without dissipating.

Ji Yuan turned the small sword over in his hand and finally saw two characters on the back of the blade.

“Crimson Ray.”

Some people like to engrave the owner’s name on a sword, while others engrave the sword’s own name. This sounds like the sword’s name.

Ji Yuan didn’t really believe this sword was Lian Ping’er’s own treasure. As a fellow sword user, when Lian Ping’er used this Crimson Ray against the yasha commander, its speed and power were astonishing, yet it lacked agility. Ji Yuan had anticipated a change in technique when catching the sword, but ultimately, he simply clutched the flying sword in his hand.

“Whose flying sword are you?”

Ji Yuan murmured, extending his left hand and flicking the blade with a bent finger.

“Clink!”

The sword’s resonance was extremely clear, and the blade vibrated rapidly, as if covered by a faint red glow.

“Clink!”

Ji Yuan flicked it again. The second sound was even clearer than the first, and the blade vibrated more intensely, even lifting from Ji Yuan’s right palm and floating in the air.

Ji Yuan bent his left finger again, a faint current passing through his fingertip, and approached the flying sword to flick the blade once more.

“Clink—”

The sword’s sound was somewhat resonant, but the blade no longer vibrated. Instead, a layer of red light diffused over the surface of the blade and remained there. A dim, unclear aura on it also dissipated with Ji Yuan’s third flick.

Ji Yuan’s eyes lit up. The flying sword’s true spirit seemed to reveal itself at that moment. He extended his right hand, caressed the blade, and with an incantation, calmly asked again.

“Whose flying sword are you?”

The voice was calm and far-reaching, echoing continuously in the room. The red glow on the flying sword flickered, and the blade slowly turned, pointing in a certain direction.

Ji Yuan instinctively looked in the direction the flying sword pointed, as if he could see through the house, through the river water, and into the distance.

A moment later, Ji Yuan put away the flying sword Crimson Ray, his gaze now directed towards the open palace door. After a few breaths, the dragon girl’s figure appeared in the doorway.

“Uncle Ji, Ruoli is here to visit.”

Ji Yuan looked behind the dragon girl, who added before he could speak.

“I heard Yin Qing, Hu Yun, and the big green fish are having a lot of fun, so Zao Niang has already gone over there.”

“Come in. This is the Tongtian River Dragon Palace. There’s no reason for Lady Ying to stand outside and talk.”

Ji Yuan made a joke, pointing to a chair inside. The dragon girl smiled sheepishly and then stepped through the door.

“Uncle Ji, please don’t tease Ruoli. I thought becoming a dragon would be easier, but now it seems Ruoli’s difficult days are still far off…”

“I have no solution for that. When it comes to dragon matters, your father understands more than I do. And while the task of opening up the desolate sea seems arduous, it is also an act of great merit…”

At this point, Ji Yuan paused and then chuckled.

“By then, it will be said that you, Ying Ruoli, are the only living true dragon to have opened up the desolate sea. Your reputation might even surpass your father’s, and your status among dragons will certainly be exalted!”

“Uncle Ji, you’re teasing Ruoli again…”

The dragon girl gave a wry smile, stretched, and leaned back in her chair. Seeing Ji Yuan just smile, she took out the fan Zao Niang had given her, then half-leaned on the table and flicked the fan open.

“Swish!”

The folding fan opened, revealing the pattern on its surface.

The dragon girl, with a slightly mischievous air, chuckled and whispered.

“Uncle Ji, Ruoli isn’t skilled with swords. The setting in this drawing is also Juyuan Pavilion, and although the person embroidered is me, wasn’t it originally you, Uncle Ji?”

“Did Zao Niang tell you?”

The dragon girl shook her head, gently fanning herself with the folding fan, the outer edge of her skirt rippling like waves in water.

“Even if Zao Niang didn’t say anything, I could have guessed. But I really like the picture she embroidered. If someone who didn’t know saw it, they’d think I, Ying Ruoli, possessed a hidden, peerless sword art! Heh!”

Ji Yuan shrugged.

“If you knew, why ask?”

“Ruoli just wanted to confirm!”

The dragon girl stuck out her tongue. After becoming a true dragon, while her respect remained undiminished, she was less reserved and more lively in front of Ji Yuan than before.

“When do you plan to open up the desolate sea? Do you have a plan? Do you need my assistance anywhere?”

Normally, opening up the desolate sea was a significant matter for dragons, and Ji Yuan would absolutely not interfere. But since it concerned the dragon girl, he spoke up.

The dragon girl was very pleased and replied with full confidence.

“Uncle Ji, you don’t know, but opening up the desolate sea is not an overnight task, nor is it something to be done continuously year-round in the desolate sea. It requires leveraging momentum. Ruoli plans to gather thousands of water creatures each autumn, when the tide rushing from the East Sea towards the desolate sea is strongest, to collectively open it up. Then, when winter arrives, we will rest and replenish our magic power for the next year…”

“The key is, this way, Ruoli also gets a breathing space. It was hard enough to become a true dragon; it would truly bore me to death to spend a hundred years completely consumed by the harsh conditions of the desolate sea!”

Ji Yuan gave a thumbs-up, praising her with a gesture somewhat unfamiliar to Ying Ruoli.

“Lady Ying has insight!”

“Mmm…”

The dragon girl smiled, lowering her head as she responded. She suddenly seemed distracted, as if considering something important. After a long while, she gathered her courage and suddenly looked up at Ji Yuan.

Even meeting Ji Yuan’s calm, bright, ancient eyes, she felt a slight apprehension, but her words were very firm.

“Uncle Ji, Ruoli wants to have a magical duel with you!”

Ji Yuan’s half-closed eyes widened slightly. This request from the usually well-behaved dragon girl was truly beyond his expectation.

“Uncle Ji, Ruoli is serious! I hope Uncle Ji will grant my request!”

The dragon girl repeated herself, her voice soft but very firm.