Ao Qing and He Xiuyuan traveled together, and along the way, both of them seemed quite relaxed and content.
Originally, Ao Qing had intended to go to the Capital City with He Xiuyuan to take a look, but he didn't expect that just as the two of them passed Tianxin Prefecture and then turned onto another road, arriving at Zhuangyuan Ferry to cross the river, the river water suddenly became turbulent.
"River Lord..."
On the water, a river crab, with a body the size of a millstone and a grayish-blue back, poked its head out.
After the river crab surfaced, it called out to Ao Qing.
Ao Qing looked at the giant river crab, his brows furrowing slightly, then he asked in surprise, "How did you get here?"
As he spoke, Ao Qing introduced him to He Xiuyuan, who was beside him, "This is a Crab General from my Dragon Palace; he has also learned some Water Clan Divine Abilities."
He Xiuyuan looked at the giant, millstone-sized river crab and nodded.
The Crab General, hearing the Dragon Lord's words, couldn't help but turn his head in surprise to look at He Xiuyuan.
Who was this Mortal? How could he receive such favored introduction from the Dragon Lord?
"Speak, what is the matter?"
After the Dragon Lord finished introducing He Xiuyuan, he questioned the Crab General.
The Crab General quickly replied, "River Lord, the East Sea Dragon Lord's birthday—you still need to return to preside over it and then go to offer congratulations..."
By their calculations, the Dragon Lord should have returned after Cloud Manipulation and Rain Invocation, but they hadn't expected him to be gone for so long. In desperation, they could only come out to search for the Dragon Lord.
Fortunately, they found the Dragon Lord at Zhuangyuan Ferry.
Ao Qing, hearing this, immediately remembered the matter. When he met He Xiuyuan in Huo Yun County, he was so happy that he had forgotten about it.
"I almost forgot about this."
At this point, Ao Qing turned to look at He Xiuyuan, his Face showing a hint of apology, "Little Friend He, in that case, I won't be able to accompany you to the Capital City anymore."
"No problem, if the Dragon Lord has matters to attend to, he should naturally go take care of them first."
He Xiuyuan didn't mind, replying directly.
Ao Qing nodded at his words. Just as he was about to turn and leave, his heart suddenly stirred, "Little Friend, do you have any other plans next? If not, would you like to come to the East Sea Dragon Palace for a visit?"
"I see that Little Friend seems quite fond of various delicacies. The delicacies in the East Sea are different from those in the Mortal Realm, and now it's that old fellow's birthday in the East Sea, so there will be no shortage of fine dishes."
As he spoke, Ao Qing's expression grew a bit more enthusiastic.
He had been chatting with He Xiuyuan all this way, often discussing matters of Cultivation, and found his conversations with He Xiuyuan to be very rewarding.
If possible, he really didn't want to part ways with He Xiuyuan like this.
He Xiuyuan hesitated at his words, "This... is it appropriate for me to go?"
To be honest, hearing him say that, He Xiuyuan was very tempted. While traveling, he often tasted excellent local snacks, which were extremely delicious.
And according to the Dragon Lord's words, the delicacies prepared in the Dragon Palace were also very unique, which made He Xiuyuan very excited.
Another point was that he was also curious about what the Dragon Palace looked like.
"Hahaha, of course, it's appropriate! If I, Ao Qing, bring someone along, that old fellow wouldn't dare not give me Face!"
With that, Ao Qing directly settled the matter, "This place is not far from the Capital City. I will go back to prepare some birthday gifts and depart in three days. At that time, I will send someone to pick up Little Friend He at the canal outside the Capital City, and then we will go to the East Sea Dragon Palace together. How about it?"
Seeing He Xiuyuan's interest, Ao Qing was naturally very pleased and immediately finalized the matter.
Knowing that He Xiuyuan still needed to go to the Capital City, he calculated the time and felt that three days later would be just right.
He Xiuyuan, seeing Ao Qing say so, was indeed very curious about the Dragon Palace, so he readily agreed.
"In that case, I will trouble the Dragon Lord."
He Xiuyuan cupped his hands in thanks.
Ao Qing waved his hand at his words, "Hey, why be so polite?"
"In that case, I'll take my leave first. See you at the canal outside the Capital City in three days."
After speaking, Ao Qing's figure flashed, and he then entered Zhuangyuan Ferry, transforming into an Azure Dragon and swimming in the river.
The Crab General, after curiously glancing at He Xiuyuan a few times, also turned and entered the river, disappearing from sight.
He Xiuyuan smiled at this, feeling a bit more anticipation.
A trip to the Dragon Palace would probably be good.
"Boatman, how much does it cost to cross this ferry?"
He Xiuyuan came to the ferry and called out to a boatman.
The boatman looked at He Xiuyuan and said, "Sir, ten large coins will do!"
He Xiuyuan nodded at his words, immediately boarded the boat, and gave him ten large coins.
The boatman waited a bit longer, and after six more people arrived, he slowly pushed off the boat and rowed towards the ferry on the opposite bank.
"Boatman, I heard that in the past, there was a River Lord in this Zhuangyuan Ferry. Is this River Lord still causing trouble?"
As the boat reached the center of the river, He Xiuyuan's gaze fell upon the river surface, and he suddenly asked.
The boatman beside him immediately turned to look at He Xiuyuan in surprise, "Sir, you also know about this River Lord?"
This matter was basically only known by locals; outsiders who came here and saw them pouring wine into the river were usually quite puzzled.
"Yes, I learned about it when I passed through here last time."
He Xiuyuan nodded, but his gaze noticed the wine jar on the boat.
"Sacrifices are still made today, as for causing trouble..."
The boatman hesitated for a moment at his words, then shook his head, "Ever since an Expert passed by last year and reprimanded that River Lord, we haven't seen him cause any trouble since."
He Xiuyuan nodded with satisfaction at his words. It was good that this fellow wasn't causing trouble anymore, otherwise, with his current Dao, he could easily slay this so-called River Lord.
"What is this River Lord, and why do you still offer sacrifices to him?"
The other people on the boat, hearing their conversation, suddenly became interested and quickly asked.
"Hush, you mustn't speak like that! If the River Lord hears you, he might get angry!"
The boatman, hearing this, immediately frowned and quickly said.
Seeing the boatman's confident demeanor, the other passengers were also scared. Although they muttered inwardly, they were in the middle of the river at the moment and dared not speak carelessly, so they quickly shut their mouths.
The boatman also worried that these people might say something else inappropriate, so he quickened his rowing speed.
A moment later, the small boat docked at Lin'an Prefecture.
Seeing that it was still early, He Xiuyuan had no intention of staying overnight in Lin'an Prefecture and went directly through Lin'an Prefecture towards the Capital City.
The time agreed upon with the Dragon Lord was in three days; if he didn't hurry, he might not make it in time.
