More than a month later, in one of the back gardens of the Dragon Palace in Tongtian River Water Palace, Ji Yuan and Lao Long sat opposite each other at the garden table. This time there was no chessboard on the table, only cakes and tea.
Ji Yuan and the three dragons of the Ying family only returned here yesterday, but they don't need to worry about searching for the dragon corpse worms and the sightings of the Fusang sacred tree and the Sun Golden Crow for the time being. The old yellow dragon Huang Yuzhong will be mainly responsible for informing the dragon clan of this matter, so Ji Yuan and the others are happy to take a break.
At this moment, Ji Yuan was taking out the Xiezhi scroll from his sleeve and slowly unfolding it on the table. The gentle and clear water waves in the water palace had no effect on the scroll. Lao Long was staring at the lifelike Xiezhi on the scroll and chewing a handful of berries.
Ji Yuan looked at the unresponsive Xiezhi on the scroll, stretched out his hand and placed some magic power on the scroll, watching the Xiezhi on the scroll become more and more vivid and the colors gradually brighter, and then he spoke in a deep voice.
"Xiezhi, do you have anything to say to me?"
Although Ji Yuan's question seemed unclear, there was actually a reason for it. When he was observing the Fusang sacred tree, Ji Yuan had taken out the Xiezhi scroll more than once, but those times, the Xiezhi scroll did not react at all.
After Ji Yuan asked the question, he waited for a while, but the scroll still did not respond. The old dragon glanced at Ji Yuan, and like Ji Yuan, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Xiezhi, you have also seen the Fusang tree and the Sun Golden Crow before, right?"
After waiting for a while, the scroll still did not respond much. Ji Yuan and the old dragon looked at each other, and the latter nodded slightly. The next moment, Ji Yuan waved his sleeves and threw out a corpse. It was as big as several tables. It was the monster that attacked the dragon group outside Xu Tang Valley.
"Um?"
The Xiezhi on the scroll suddenly made a puzzled sound. Ji Yuan picked up the scroll and pointed it at the monster's corpse.
"What do you want to say?"
Black smoke began to rise from the scroll, and the head of the Xiezhi beast was already close to the surface of the scroll, as if it was about to drill out of the scroll.
"Tiger dragon? This ghostly appearance is only 60% similar at best, and it's also a little smaller... Draw its blood and marrow for me!"
Tiger Jiao? Ji Yuan had no impression of a tiger Jiao. It sounded like a Jiaolong, but Xie Zhi actually said that it looked 60% similar. However, Ji Yuan put aside these thoughts for the time being and looked at the Xie Zhi in the scroll.
"Are you just a painting, or are you something special? Who painted you?"
"Draw his blood and marrow for me, draw his blood and marrow for me!"
Xiezhi started repeating the same words again. Ji Yuan frowned, thinking that Xiezhi was playing dumb again. This time he was too lazy to fight with Xiezhi. He simply shook his hand and put the scroll away, without giving Xiezhi any time to react.
"Uh, Mr. Ji, why did you just put away the scroll?"
Lao Long was a little confused. He thought Ji Yuan would have another conversation with the Xiezhi in the painting. Ji Yuan did not hide it from Lao Long and spoke frankly while looking at the painting.
"Although it is said that Xiezhi is a fair beast, it cannot be believed. The one in the picture may be a real Xiezhi. We cannot help him all the time. Such ancient mythical beasts with names and surnames cannot be treated as ordinary monsters. Mr. Ying has seen the Sun Golden Crow. Xiezhi is certainly not as good as the Golden Crow, but it is definitely not ordinary. Since this Xiezhi often plays dumb in front of us, I cannot help this Xiezhi all the time."
The old dragon looked clear, and recalling the shock he felt when he saw the Golden Crow, he naturally looked up to the Xiezhi.
"Mr. Ji's concerns are reasonable. Please have some tea."
"please."
While the two were sipping tea, Ying Ruoli also entered the courtyard. She had just returned from her temple in Tongtian River.
"Dad, Uncle Ji, I'm back."
Lao Long pointed to the table.
"Sit down and tell me about the changes in the past three years."
Ying Ruoli walked to the table and sat down, telling her everything she knew. She was not talking about the internal affairs of the dragon clan, nor the major Shinto events, and it didn't even have much to do with cultivation. It was mainly about what happened in Dazhen during the past three years.
Three years is only a short period for those who practice cultivation, but it is neither long nor short for the mortal world. There are two things worth emphasizing. The first is that Emperor Hongwu of the Dazhen period passed away a year ago. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he did not confer an honorific title on himself like the previous emperors. Influenced by the education of the imperial teacher Yin Zhaoxian since childhood, the new emperor believed that only outstanding emperors could have honorific titles unless they were vain. He himself had just succeeded to the throne and was not qualified.
Ying Ruoli finished the first thing slowly, and Ji Yuan put down the teacup and sighed thoughtfully.
"Really? Emperor Hongwu is already dead..."
Ji Yuan saw at the beginning that Yang Hao's fate was not good, but it got a little better after they entered "Wild Fox Shame" together. Unexpectedly, he only lasted less than two years before passing away.
"As for the second thing, well, Uncle Ji, Dad, you may not guess that the Zuyue Kingdom has launched an attack on Dazhen."
After Ying Ruoli finished speaking, Lao Long didn't react at all, but Ji Yuan was obviously stunned.
"Hmm? Zuyue Kingdom mobilized troops against Dazhen?"
Ji Yuan had not expected this. In his opinion, it was possible that the situation would turn out to be a possibility. How could the Zuyue Kingdom be the first to break the armistice agreement and attack Dazhen
"That's right, and Uncle Ji, just half a year after Emperor Hongwu passed away, the Zuyue Kingdom raised an army of 80,000, claiming to have 300,000 soldiers. In two months, they conquered six passes and thirteen camps on the border of Dazhen, entered Qizhou, and occupied half of Qizhou..."
Ji Yuan even felt that this development was a bit dramatic. Zuyue was in turmoil due to internal and external troubles, but they could achieve such a result? This should be Zuyue's last stand, right
"What about Dazhen's reaction?"
Ji Yuan frowned and asked this question. Ying Ruoli knew that Uncle Ji was more concerned about Dazhen's affairs, so of course she answered truthfully and in detail.
"The whole country of Dazhen is indignant. From the nobles and gentry to the common people, everyone is angry about Zuyue's attack. Many of those who pray in my temple pray for Dazhen to win the war. Now even many Confucian scholars have given up their pens and joined the army, and there are even Confucian scholars who carry swords with them..."
"oh… "
Ji Yuan nodded slowly, and the old dragon on the side smiled.
"Hehe, that's interesting. Although I'm not very interested in human affairs, I know that the people of Zuyue are full of holes. From what Ruoli said, Dazhen has suffered a great loss?"
Ji Yuan was already counting on his fingers. It was hard to say about matters involving human destiny, but it was difficult to predict the future. However, predicting the past did not require too much effort and one could get a general idea of the direction.
"To put it bluntly, it was because the Dazhen border troops underestimated the enemy and made deliberate and unintentional moves that they suffered a great loss."
Divination is not like watching a video. When the direction of the divination is so large, it is not a problem to understand the absolute details, but it is not a problem to know the general idea. Generally speaking, almost everyone in the Dazhen army believed that the national conditions of Zuyue Kingdom were extremely bad, and they did not have the courage to attack Dazhen. They also believed that the existing army of Zuyue Kingdom would not have any combat effectiveness. As a result, they underestimated the enemy and were defeated.
After hearing these two things, Ji Yuan sighed slightly and stood up to say goodbye. Lao Long did not keep him long, but gave Ji Yuan the small jar of ambergris that he had promised before. However, even if Ying Feng had not happened, he had originally planned to drink the wine with Ji Yuan.
After leaving the water palace, Ji Yuan flew on the waves and mist, and soon landed in the capital city of Jingji.
The streets were still prosperous and bustling. Ji Yuan walked on the streets, and there was a constant stream of pedestrians and merchants coming and going.
"Selling cakes, freshly baked cakes~~" "Tanghulu, sour and sweet..."
"Bows and arrows, bows and arrows for sale. A strong bow made of one stone can penetrate the armor of Zu Yue thieves from a hundred steps away!"
…
Ji Yuan was walking on the street, hearing all kinds of noisy conversations and hawking sounds. His eyes wandered around the street. Although it was blurry, it seemed that in this early winter, eight out of ten people who were dressed like Confucian scholars actually wore swords, hanging them at their waists and walking with swords in hand. Ji Yuan looked like an outsider.
Suddenly, outside a teahouse not far away, a waiter started shouting loudly.
"There is news about the border troops. This teahouse has news about the border troops. Anyone who comes to order tea in the teahouse will receive a plate of snacks~~~"
"What? News from the border troops?" "Let's go and take a look!"
"Wait for me, take a seat, take a seat!"
…
Many people on the street moved when they heard the sound. Some vendors asked the vendors next to them to help look after their stalls, and they quickly ran towards the direction of the loud noise. This was especially true for the readers and pedestrians on the street.
Ji Yuan paused, then quickened his pace and walked forward. When he arrived at the teahouse, the seats inside were already full, but people were still coming. The tables in the teahouse, which originally seated four people, were now crowded with at least eight or nine people. There were even more people sitting on small stools by the aisle pillars, or just standing. Almost everyone was holding a teacup in their hands, and the tea doctor was holding a teapot and pouring tea for them one by one.
The teahouse was almost completely packed with people. Several tea masters were carrying teapots and pouring tea everywhere, just like the skilled bus ticket sellers in Ji Yuan's previous life, who could make everyone buy tickets in a crowded bus. The only exception was a table next to the counter, where a middle-aged scholar holding a paper fan stood.
"Everyone, the Zuyue rats have gone too far in bullying our Dazhen! They took advantage of our border troops' unpreparedness and attacked Qizhou. The Zuyue Kingdom is in turmoil, and the so-called soldiers are just like bandits, burning, killing and looting in Qizhou, which has attracted more and more bandits from the Zuyue Kingdom to enter. Several armies of our dynasty have rushed to Qizhou to help, and the vanguard has already fought several battles with the Zuyue bandits!"
"A bunch of bastards!" "Yeah, I wish I could go to the battlefield to serve my country!"
"Our dynasty is peaceful and stable, and our national strength is strong. Zu Yue, these rats, have no gratitude for our dynasty's generosity towards them, and dare to seek their own death!"
For a moment, everyone in the teahouse was furious.