Chapter 327: The Origin
In the main hall, the Dragon Daughter, unlike her usual dignified and composed demeanor, was now visibly surprised and a little pale. Although most of her inner turmoil had been alleviated after Ji Yuan’s profound guidance at the birthday banquet those years ago, hearing news of her mother so suddenly still greatly agitated her.
“Uncle Ji, where did you see him? Why didn’t he come with you? “
The Dragon Daughter spoke several times faster than normal.
Ji Yuan answered frankly, without hiding anything.
“The other party is a giant whale, who calls himself General Giant Whale. He said it was a title bestowed upon him by the Lady Mother. He was waiting for Mo Rong somewhere along the coast of the Eastern Sea in the country of Zuyue, seemingly aware that Mo Rong went out to sea every year. I found him because his appetite was too immense; he ate all the fish along the coast, and the fishermen had to call in exorcists…”
Ji Yuan recounted everything in detail to the Dragon Daughter, finally concluding with:
“This whale is simply too massive to easily enter ordinary rivers, and he also seems to know only Mo Rong. As for whether your mother truly sent him, I am still uncertain. I need the River Goddess to accompany me to clarify the matter. “
“Mhm!”
The Dragon Daughter clasped her hands together, pacing a few steps from side to side, her long skirt swirling out like a blossoming flower.
Just then, a Yaksha hurried over from behind. After looking at the Dragon Daughter, he turned to Ji Yuan, cupping his hands in a bow. “River Goddess, Mr. Ji, the Dragon Lord is in a deep sleep with no signs of waking. “
“What? Uncle Ji came personally to invite him! “
The Yaksha cautiously glanced at Ji Yuan, then clasped his hands and bowed to the Dragon Daughter.
“Begging your pardon, River Goddess, the Dragon Lord truly hasn’t woken. This humble one dared not disturb him further! “
The Dragon Daughter frowned. After glancing at the Yaksha, she turned to Ji Yuan.
“Uncle Ji, please wait here. I’ll go call my father! “
With that, the Dragon Daughter strode away, leaving only Ji Yuan and the Yaksha in the hall.
Ji Yuan smiled and nodded at the Yaksha, who hurriedly returned the smile.
“Mr. Ji, let me bring you some tea! “
“Alright, thank you. Please, bring some hot tea. “
“Yes, sir! “
The Yaksha seemed as though he had received some great pardon, and hurried away. He felt that Mr. Ji and the Dragon Lord exerted two entirely different kinds of “pressure”—indeed, it was pressure—both of which made him feel immense strain, especially in this current situation. He clearly felt that Master Ji had seen through his lie but simply chose not to expose it.
At this moment, the Dragon Daughter rushed towards the depths of the inner palace, quickly arriving at the cavern entrance to the Dragon Pool. Two Yakshas reached out to stop her.
“River Goddess, the Dragon Lord is in slumber. It is inadvisable to enter at this time.”
The Dragon Daughter said nothing, merely gave them a glance. The two Yakshas exchanged looks and withdrew their hands. She strode directly inside.
However, after only two steps, the Dragon Daughter found she could go no further. She reached out to touch the space in front of her, only to find that the water currents were incredibly dense. As she extended her hand into the water ahead, the resistance grew stronger the deeper she went, and she could advance no further than half a hand’s width, before finally being unable to advance.
‘A barrier technique! ’
“Father! Father, let me in! Uncle Ji has come to see you! Didn’t you complain last year that Uncle Ji had disappeared again? Weren’t you very curious after hearing about the True Fire of Samadhi? Uncle Ji himself is here! Father—”
The Dragon Daughter roared from outside. Meanwhile, the two Yakshas beside her found themselves in a difficult position, pleading earnestly.
“River Goddess, please keep your voice down. The Dragon Lord is resting! “
“Yes, River Goddess, if you keep shouting like this, our lives will be forfeit! “
Ying Ruoli frowned. After a moment’s hesitation, she roared again.
“Father, this time, it might be about Mother…”
She stopped mid-sentence. Ying Ruoli turned her head and found a hand resting on her shoulder. The Yakshas would never dare touch her. Turning fully, she saw that it was indeed Ji Yuan.
“Uncle Ji…”
Ji Yuan shook his head, transmitting his words in a low voice that only the Dragon Daughter could hear.
“You cannot wake someone who is pretending to be asleep—or rather, a dragon pretending to be asleep. It will have the same outcome if we go together to see the General Giant Whale. “
With that, Ji Yuan withdrew his hand and bowed towards the Dragon Pool.
“I will take my leave now, so as not to disturb Elder Ying’s rest! “
After speaking these words, Ji Yuan glanced at the Dragon Daughter, then turned and walked back the way he came. The latter hesitated for a moment, looked again at the entrance to the Dragon Pool, before finally giving up and turning to follow Ji Yuan.
Before long, the two figures left the underwater palace, swimming diagonally upwards towards the surface. They finally broke through the surface in an uninhabited section of the river, then stepped onto clouds and ascended into the sky.
However, about half an hour later, elsewhere on the Tongtian River, water rippled once more. A small stream parted to either side with a splash, and a blurry, invisible dragon-shaped aura rose into the sky from within the water.
Another day and a half later, Ji Yuan and the Dragon Daughter were now approaching the coastal region of the country of Zuyue. The Dragon Daughter had been deep in thought the entire journey, but now that they were arriving, she felt somewhat anxious.
“Uncle Ji, where is that giant whale?”
The Dragon Daughter meticulously observed the sea below, but apart from the surging waves, she could discern nothing else. She even manifested her true form and entered the ocean to search.
“I am not entirely sure. He might also be hiding; after all, he might not fully trust me…”
Ji Yuan smiled at the Dragon Daughter.
“But it’s no matter. Last time, I performed a little trick on him; I shot a wisp of sword Qi into his spine. I won’t have trouble finding him. “
“Omm…”
No sooner had Ji Yuan finished speaking did the Green Vine Sword behind him hum faintly, flashing in front of him.
“Go, drive him out.”
“Omm…”
With a soft hum, the Green Vine Sword’s blade flashed and vanished. Almost at the same instant, a ten-zhang long chasm split open in the sea below. The Green Vine Sword darted through it, the roiling seawater cut open by the immortal blade, creating a brief, waterless void in its wake.
“Let’s go, we’ll follow. “
With that, Ji Yuan and the Dragon Daughter once again took to the sky, following the Green Vine Sword from a distance.
“Sigh, my father really is something. Why didn’t he come! “
Ying Ruoli was still rather vexed at this moment. As Ji Yuan flew, he swept his gaze across the sky and various parts of the sea, then softly spoke, his eyes alight.
“He might not necessarily be absent. “
This was not because Ji Yuan truly sensed the Old Dragon’s presence, but rather a psychological deduction. If he were to put himself in the Old Dragon’s shoes, he would have secretly followed along to observe.
In the distance, a wisp of dragon mist carefully receded into the cloud bank.
‘Ji Yuan is far too perceptive! I came here with a split consciousness using the Mirage Transformation Technique, and he still sensed me!?’
Approximately a quarter of an hour later, within Ji Yuan’s and Ying Ruoli’s line of sight, a “bang!” suddenly echoed from the distant ocean surface, and large waves exploded into the sky.
“Don’t kill me… Immortal Master, don’t kill me—”
A giant whale actually leapt directly out of the water, soaring over a dozen zhang high into the air, then plummeted back down.
“Boom!”
With a deafening roar, the sea surface looked as though it had been struck by a colossal bomb.
A massive wave surged forth, crashing outwards in all directions, while a sudden downpour struck the surrounding area. The Green Vine Sword flashed amidst this “rain” and returned to floating directly behind Ji Yuan.
“I told you to wait patiently, why did you hide?”
Ji Yuan spoke calmly from the low-hanging clouds. He did not truly wish to hear the giant whale’s explanation, and simply gestured to the Dragon Daughter beside him.
“You should recognize him, yes? As for Elder Ying, he’s deeply asleep and can’t get up.”
Ji Yuan deliberately elongated the latter part of his sentence, his gaze casually sweeping the surroundings.
However, the giant whale clearly paid no attention to the second half of the matter. In fact, his attention was completely focused on Ying Ruoli.
“You… are you truly the River Goddess Ruoli? You look so much like the Lady Mother… “
The giant whale seemed to possess some special ability; despite this being their first meeting, he instantly recognized the Dragon Daughter. Lady. His deference and sincerity far surpassed that which he showed towards Ji Yuan.
Ying Ruoli had by now reverted to her usual goddess-like appearance, serene and divine, and she looked towards the giant whale.
“You are General Giant Whale, appointed such by my mother? Did my mother send you?”
The giant whale circled once on the water surface, answering truthfully.
“The Dragon Mother did not send me. How could she possibly mention such a thing? I secretly came to find Master Mo myself. I wouldn’t dare to disobey the Dragon Mother’s orders. I didn’t intend to alarm the Dragon Lord and the two Highnesses. I just didn’t expect Master Mo to…”
Ying Ruoli’s eyes dimmed slightly. So, it wasn’t her mother who sent him. Still, she pressed on.
“Then what brings you here? “
At this point, the giant whale did not conceal anything.
“About a hundred years ago, aquatic demons frequently appeared from beyond the Desolate Sea. Then, some twenty or thirty years ago, a malevolent flood dragon with profound cultivation arrived and pestered the Dragon Mother endlessly… The Dragon Mother, unable to bear the harassment, retreated beneath Dragon Rock Island for over a decade, never venturing out. I felt truly aggrieved, so I came to ask Master Mo for help in teaching that scoundrel a lesson… As for what happened next, this Immortal Master already knows! “
“What!? Such a thing exists? He must not want to live anymore! “
Ying Ruoli couldn’t hold back from exclaiming upon hearing this. As her brows furrowed solemnly and her draconic aura surged forth, her long hair scattering and billowing out, as if waves of invisible qi were radiating outwards from within her.
T/n: Curious family dynamics in the Ying family. Wonder what’s the drama between Ying Hong and his wife? Guess we’ll find out. Plus, JY casually tracking down this poor whale and telling him “I told you to wait patiently, why did you hide?” which let’s be real, is an objectively terrifying thing to hear from someone who can hunt you down across the ocean.