Chapter Sixty-Five: The Water Palace of Dongting Lake

Wherever the army passed, their march was quiet and discreet. The scouts brought back a steady stream of reports, and as long as any group formed a force, broke free from imperial control, and proclaimed themselves kings, they were swiftly attacked.

Marquis Wu'an examined the incoming reports. The scouts had only investigated for one night, and even though they marched through the darkness and possessed exceptional skills, their reconnaissance could only cover a radius of about two hundred li. Yet, within that range, three self-proclaimed kings had been identified. The boundary between Dongting and Taixuan stretched some seven or eight hundred li, and it was estimated that along the route, the army would encounter a dozen such rebel kings. Across the entire southern continent, the number of these petty kings surely exceeded a hundred.

This was truly a chaos of a hundred kings. Several generals had analyzed the situation together and concluded that the matter was closely tied to the dragon demon of Dongting Lake.

The southern continent was rich in waterways and lakes, and these water veins separated the mountains and hills. For the imperial court’s decrees and economic policies to reach all regions, travel by water was necessary. However, the demon dragon of Dongting Lake would frequently conjure thick fogs across the waterways, preventing government edicts from being delivered in time and causing unrest among the people. With the dragon’s deliberate or inadvertent meddling, brave men from various regions took the opportunity to declare themselves kings, and it all unfolded naturally.

Because the current dynasty had not bestowed any official titles upon the dragon demon, it had no legitimacy. To maintain its position and gather fortune swiftly, it had to vie for supremacy.

Yet, this dragon dared not act openly. It stirred up trouble on Dongting Lake, severing communication between places and blocking the decrees. Now, its efforts were bearing fruit—ambitious men everywhere were proclaiming themselves kings.

Naturally, the dragon demon would not let its labor be harvested by another. Now was the season of reaping; under the guise of seeking a son-in-law, it summoned young and talented men, who were in fact all rebel kings. Once united into a single alliance, they would gradually consolidate power, and when Dongting was unified, the southern continent would be settled, granting eligibility to contend for the empire and to gather the fortune of all dragon veins.

Indeed, the Dragon King of Dongting Lake had precisely this in mind. Deep beneath the waters of Dongting lay a vast architectural complex: adorned with pearls, walls of agate, houses built from crystal, magnificent and resplendent. At the grand entrance, the sign read "Dongting Water Palace." Inside, countless shrimp and crab soldiers stood guard, riding seahorses and bustling about, as if urgent matters were afoot.

Within a great crystal hall, a black dragon with a man's body and dragon’s head, clad in a five-clawed imperial robe, sat at the highest seat—this was the Dragon King of Dongting Lake.

Beside him stood a man bearing a turtle shell on his back, holding a jade tablet and reading aloud.

This was the Prime Minister Turtle, who spoke, "Your Majesty, five hundred invitations were sent; three hundred and fifty were received. Of the remaining one hundred fifty, ten are missing, and one hundred forty were all intercepted by Taixuan Lake. Our couriers have also vanished without a trace."

The Dragon King, hearing this, was furious. He slapped the armrest and roared, "This is outrageous! That Taixuan Lake jiao again, always opposing me at every turn!"

Seeing the Dragon King's anger, the Prime Minister Turtle hurriedly prostrated himself and said, "Your Majesty, please calm yourself. Matters are urgent now."

The Dragon King suppressed his rage. In the previous dynasty, he had been glorious, officially ordained by the imperial court, ruling Dongting Lake and its thousand-li surrounding waters, his fortune long and cultivation rapidly advancing. But since the change of dynasties, the titles of deities had been abolished, most sacrifices discontinued.

Aside from a few old gods and innate deities, most barely survived. His own cultivation was stuck, neither advancing nor declining. The new dynasty cared little for gods; every era began with the ascension of the emperor, the establishment of the three dukes, the bureaucracy, and only then the worship of heaven and the division of gods—then came the granting of titles to kings and marquises. Yet, the new dynasty, after offering sacrifices to heaven, only honored a few natural deities and ancestral heroes, and then stopped. Later, a few marquises were ennobled, but not a single prince. The first prince of this dynasty was the King of Nine Mountains, initially self-proclaimed, later recognized due to his power; the second prince was the Fourth Prince, King Xin, whose circumstances were complex.

Though he had been the Dragon King for centuries, he had never been officially recognized by this dynasty, and his cultivation remained lacking. Thus, he had to gather fortune everywhere to preserve his godhood, for in the eyes of the current court, he was not legitimate.

He was forced to create celestial phenomena and vie for faith, lest he be cast down from his position. After years of effort, success seemed imminent, only for a jiao to suddenly emerge, opposing him at every turn and swiftly unifying Taixuan Lake.

To seize control of the southern continent, he devised the strategy of rebellion to drive out the imperial forces. Using the opportunity of marrying off his daughter, he planned to unite the hundred kings into an alliance. But even the messengers had been intercepted by that jiao.

Reflecting, he realized he may have been too impatient. Had he abandoned his godhood, he would have merely lost his divine power and reverted to his original cultivation at the Great Elixir stage. By following proper cultivation, he could have reached the Golden Elixir stage after centuries, instead of exhausting himself to maintain his godhood.

He addressed the trembling Prime Minister Turtle, "Rise. If the invitations cannot be sent, so be it. With three hundred fifty, we should expect two hundred to attend. Once united, we shall flay that jiao alive."

The Prime Minister Turtle stood and, hesitating, asked, "What if the various leaders refuse?"

The Dragon King glanced at him. He had long considered this problem. There was no solution—once someone became king, they would not relinquish their power unless forced or ousted. The legendary abdication of the human emperor was just a formality; in truth, it was merely saving face.

These rebel kings, upon receiving the invitation, would know his intentions, but dared not refuse to attend. He had no intention of letting them all return unscathed.

He said, "I have my own plan. They will have no choice but to agree."

The Prime Minister Turtle felt the Dragon King was acting rashly. Guiding a young dragon required patience, but steadiness was key. The Dragon King seemed intent on taking matters into his own hands. In the struggle for kingship, once exposed, there was no retreat—only forward, until the world was won or death claimed them.

How many failed contenders survived? The Dragon King of Dongting lacked imperial bearing and grand strategy, and his temper was volatile. Likely, he would become a mere forerunner among kings. The Prime Minister Turtle decided he must seek another master. Seeing the Dragon King’s obstinate secrecy, even from his own prime minister, he doubted the Dragon King could achieve great things.

He spoke, "Your Majesty, wise and mighty, your profound arts will surely gather the world’s heroes into your grasp, unify Dongting, conquer the southern continent, and contend for the empire. The day is near."

The Dragon King felt that, though the Prime Minister Turtle was slow and plodding, and would have been replaced if there were anyone else fit for the post, he did speak pleasingly. If a suitable successor for prime minister arose, he would grant Turtle an idle post for amusement.

He ordered, "Go now, arrange the venue, prepare for the son-in-law selection conference. No mistakes can be allowed this time."

The Prime Minister Turtle knelt again and said, "I will do my utmost, even if it costs me my life."

Seeing the impatient look on the Dragon King’s face, he quickly lowered his head and said, "I take my leave," then crawled backward out of the crystal hall, only standing up and departing once out of sight.

The Dragon King watched him go. Though the Prime Minister Turtle was slow, he was a loyal minister and deeply respectful.

He called, "General Shrimp!"

From behind emerged a shrimp-headed general, holding a fengshui spear, who knelt and answered, "Present!"

The Dragon King asked, "Is Marquis Wu'an’s army still at the mouth of Dongting Lake?"

General Shrimp replied, "Yes, they have been stuck there for over half a day. Marquis Wu'an leads the imperial forces, but they are trapped at the lake’s mouth and cannot advance. They have tried everything, to no avail. Now, they are silent, likely waiting for the fog to clear before marching."

"Good," said the Dragon King, nodding. As long as he had seven days, the situation would be decided. Even if the army entered Dongting, they would not cause much trouble. Yet, he could not be careless, lest they find a master to break his magic. "Keep watch. If Marquis Wu'an’s army makes any move, or summons a mage to dispel the fog, report to me immediately."

"Yes," General Shrimp replied, then left the crystal hall.

The Dragon King watched General Shrimp depart, noting his efficiency but lack of manners. Perhaps he would have Prime Minister Turtle teach etiquette in the palace in future.

He looked upward. Seeing the fog was somewhat unstable, he flew out of the palace, transformed into a black dragon, and concealed himself within the mist. He spewed fog, making it denser, then returned to his human form and went back to the palace.

As the thick fog spread, messengers from the palace delivered invitations to the various rebel kings. Most who received the Dragon King’s invitation had already set out, knowing full well that the Dragon King would likely do them harm, but unable to refuse. If they did not go, in three days, shrimp and crab soldiers would arrive to make an example of them.

The rebel kings, therefore, brought their trusted followers and attended the Dragon King’s conference, though some who ruled over remote mountains and ridges, relying on their advantageous terrain, showed little interest.

Though the Dragon King claimed to invite young talents, he was in truth inviting every rebel king in the southern continent. He had made arrangements in Taixuan Lake, but all invitations seemed to have been intercepted.

On the largest island of Taixuan Lake, many palaces of varying size stood. Within the greatest palace, a man with a single horn like dry wood, a blue face and wide mouth, dressed in black robes, with the head of a jiao and the body of a man, paced back and forth before a table.