In the side hall of the outer palace grounds, Bai Qi, the River God of Chunmu River, sat in a guest chair made of white pebbles and waited quietly.

Bai Qi was not impatient. He had made up his mind to wait this time.

After drinking a cup of plain tea,¹ a palace servant with gills on either side of his face and a fish tail on his lower body swam over.

“Master Bai, the Dragon Lord will be here soon!”

Bai Qi perked up, put down the teacup surrounded by a bubble, and looked to the person who had just arrived.

“Really? And Mr. Ji? Is he coming with the Dragon Lord?”

Although there was technically still a banquet being held tonight, most of the aquatic creatures had dispersed after the second night.² After more than two days, Bai Qi had been able to figure out that the Dragon Lord’s “guest of honor” was named Ji Yuan, and was most likely a Taoist master with a mysterious identity.

Moreover, since he was able to become a close friend of the Dragon Lord, he likely did not have much prejudice against monsters.

Seeing how Bai Qi was staring at him, the little monster was immediately frightened by the dragon aura he unintentionally released, to the point where he could hardly speak clearly.

“This… this lowly one doesn’t know!”

Bai Qi realized that he had lost his composure and quickly restrained himself.

“Understood, I will wait here for the Dragon Lord!”

The water monster servant quickly took his leave.

After a moment, the old dragon slowly entered the side hall. Bai Qi hurriedly stood up and bowed.

“I greet the Dragon Lord!”

While standing on ceremony, Bai Qi also glanced behind the old dragon to see if there was anyone following behind him. Naturally, he was disappointed.

“River God Bai, no need to be polite. I wonder, why have you been waiting here to meet me for such a long time?”

Seeing that the old dragon was unhurried in his speech, Bai Qi didn’t bother beating around the bush.

“To be honest with you, Dragon Lord, I, Bai Qi, have been trapped in the Chunmu River for many years. I have had no nope of becoming a true dragon in this lifetime. However, something happened in my role as a river god the other day… I will ask you directly, please introduce me to Mr. Ji!”

Before, when he was sighted in Chunhui Prefecture, Bai Qi seemed to be over fifty years old, but now he looked more like a middle-aged man.

The old dragon looked at him and knew what the other party was thinking.

“River God Bai, I know what you are thinking. I might as well inform you that my daughter did indeed receive a great favor³ the other day. With Mr. Ji’s help, she gained a lot of benefits. Although she has not yet achieved the true dragon transformation yet, she already has the heart of a true dragon!”

Hearing this, Bai Qi’s breathing couldn’t help but pick up, until he seemed nearly short of breath.

“However, Mr. Ji has already made it clear that it was only because my daughter’s state of mind was in harmony, and it was a rare opportunity, that he used his mysterious Taoist sound technique to help my daughter through a dangerous trial in opening her inner-heart…”

“Was it that ‘understanding and reflecting the inner heart’ technique that immortals often talk about?”

Bai Qi couldn’t help but ask.

There was not much communication between immortals and monsters, but they still knew quite a bit about one another. In addition, some monsters were born with constitutions suitable to practice immortal methods, just as some immortals were born with the opposite.

However, an understanding did not indicate an ability to put it into practice. Few monsters could master the ability to “reflect on the inner heart.” They only knew that there were several types of inner-heart trials:⁴ some were like the Dragon Daughter’s, where the timing was right and there were masters to protect them; others were called “inner-heart calamities.”

Moreover, “reflecting on the inner heart” often required a physical effort, and sometimes even a trip to the secular world.

“That’s right! Mr. Ji said that the inner-heart trial was actually extremely dangerous. Of course, after she succeeded, my daughter gained quite a bit, and directly forged her True Dragon Heart!”

Old Dragon Ying Hong said with some pride, and then looked at Bai Qi again.

“River God Bai’s situation is obviously very different from that of my daughter. Although my friend is highly skilled, he cannot go up against the will of heaven… When I came over to meet with you, he had already left!”

Hearing his last sentence, Bai Qi’s body froze for long while, then, as if all of his strength had drained away, he suddenly collapsed.

“Already left……”

Bai Qi murmured to himself. He had heard that the Dragon Lord had searched for Ji Yuan personally for three years. Once such a person left, it wouldn’t be easy Bai Qi to find him.

Having said his piece, Bai Qi didn’t want to stay any longer, and bowed dejectedly to the old dragon.

“Thank you, Dragon Lord, for informing me. I will take my leave…”

Seeing how he was leaving immediately, the old dragon hurriedly stopped him.

“River God Bai, wait a moment. Mr. Ji left a few words for you before he departed. Let me relay them for you.”

Bai Qi assumed that it was probably some advice telling him not to go searching for him. Even though he was in a bad mood, he still had to listen. He paused and waited for the Dragon Lord to speak.

“Mr. Ji said: ‘To seek an obsession is not the way of fate; the right path is through true cultivation. A dragon must act with integrity; a deity must protect their region. With a heart free of desire, worship and offerings will come naturally!’”

Just as the old dragon finished speaking, he found that Bai Qi opposite him stood there in a daze stunned. The very next moment, his aura suddenly changed, and he could hardly contain his dragon energy. His entire mood suddenly became decidedly different.

“With a heart free of desire, worship and offerings will come naturally… With a heart free of desire, worship and offerings will come naturally! Is it him? It’s him!”⁵

Bai Qi murmured nervously to himself, then raised his head to look at the old dragon. His eyes were bright, and he bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Dragon Lord, for relaying the message. Thank you to Mr. Ji, for the guidance. I, Bai Qi, will definitely follow your teachings!”

Bai Qi’s reaction was somewhat beyond the old dragon’s expectations. The old dragon could even see that one of Bai Qi’s hands was actually clutching at the corner of his robe. This reaction was simply unbelievable for a monster of his status.

‘Could there be a message hidden in Ji Yuan’s words about helping him complete the True Dragon Transformation in the future? That can’t be right. The first two sentences clearly told him not to beg. Shouldn’t the whole message mean that he needs to work hard as a good River God to attract people to worship him? It it an indication towards the path of divine cultivation? ’

No matter how confused the old dragon remained, he still politely returned the bow.

“River God Bai, what does Mr. Ji mean by this message? Why are you like this…”

Bai Qi was in a very good mood now, with a wide smile on his face. He felt even happier seeing the old dragon’s confusion.

“Hahahahaha… Please don’t blame me, Dragon Lord. Since Mr. Ji didn’t explain this matter, then I cannot explain it either. In any case, thank you very much, Dragon Lord. Once again, I wish you a long and happy life. I shall take my leave now, farewell! Hahaha… “

Bai Qi strode away with his head held high. As soon as he left the side hall, he transformed into a scaleless white dragon and swam up the river…

…

Somewhere on the Tongtian River, Ji Yuan stood on the bow of a small awning boat, with a smile on his face. Just now, a single chess piece flashed in his sleeve.

When viewed in his inner world, it was a completely solid chess piece. However, it had not yet differentiated into either black or white, and remained a light gray at the moment.

In his inner world, he reached out to hold the chess piece, only to find it unexpectedly heavy, and he heard the faint roar of a white dragon.

Beside the boat, the Dragon Daughter stood with half of her body out out of the river. Seeing Ji Yuan suddenly smile into the distance, she felt a sudden surge of harmony and was stunned for a moment. She waited for Ji Yuan to return to his senses before speakin up.

“Uncle Ji, I, Ruoli, shall leave you here!”

After the Dragon Daughter finished speaking, Ji Yuan bowed to her.

“Lady River Goddess, please feel free to return home. Your father’s birthday banquet has just ended, and the palace must be very busy!”

Amid the waves on the river surface, the Dragon Daughter bowed to Ji Yuan, smiled, and said, “I will take my leave,” then sank into the river.

Ji Yuan watched the dragon girl enter the water, then sat down at the bow of the boat.

He put on his bamboo hat and grabbed the oar, and, just like an ordinary fisherman, he rowed the awning boat away.

Under the water’s surface, the Dragon Daughter was actually still looking at the small boat sailing above through the rippling waves. She watched and found that Ji Yuan truly did not use any spiritual techniques. He was just like an ordinary mortal boatman, slowly rowing his boat along.

If she hadn’t known that the person on the boat was Ji Yuan, she would not have been able to tell that there was anything special about this boat.

Ji Yuan actually didn’t know how to row a boat in his previous life, but after learning from the old fisherman, he could row quite well. He had gotten his first truly and fully solid chess piece, so he was naturally in a very good mood at the moment.

In addition to the chess piece, there were two more things that made Ji Yuan happy.

The first was that he had asked the old dragon for a few cups of special “ambergris”⁶ wine. Of course, it was not brewed using a dragon’s saliva, but there was still some connection; it used algae as the main ingredient, which was stimulated during its growth by the drool that flowed out of the old dragon when he dozed off in his true body. Many treasures and magical herbs that supplemented spiritual energy had also been added. It was extremely difficult to brew, and there was only a very small quantity of this wine.

It was this exact wine that the old dragon had invited Yin Zhaoxian to drink. Ji Yuan had asked for a few more cups, not just because he was greedy for the taste of the wine, but also because he had been thinking of a certain foolish Taoist who kept seeming to seek death. Ambergris wine could replenish Taoist Qingsong’s depleted vitality, so he would not die prematurely.

Second, Ji Yuan had chosen and borrowed several books from the old dragon’s library. To be precise, there was only one book that could truly be called such; the others were jade slips or sticks that used techniques to convey the spirit of the object. Contained in these items was much information that Ji Yuan was interested in but currently lacked.

Ji Yuan mused that, even if he couldn’t catch any fish, it wouldn’t be too bad, as he could simply read a book while waiting for Master Yin to arrive. After the imperial examination finished this coming spring, he could then travel to Taoist Qingsong and extend the life of that poor idiot who was incapable of controlling his mouth!

Therefore, as he rowed his boat, he felt a leisurely sense of contentment and freedom, drifting with the waves. It made him think of the song sung by the old boatman when he chartered a passage to Chunhui Prefecture. His mood an the surrounding environment were in harmony, and he began to sing.

​​”Fishing boat~ Paddle up~ Fisherman~ Laughs aloud~”⁷

His voice was strong, peaceful, and clear, more melodious than that of the old boatman.

The dragon girl listened for a long time under the water, and only returned to the underwater palace when she saw that the boat had long drifted away. She did not transform into a dragon, but instead simply twisted her body and swam downstream, her flowing sleeves and long hair dragging behind her like waves.

‘How did Dad and Uncle Ji first meet? ’

T/n: Sending everyone lots of love and hugs. Stay safe and well ❤

1. 水 (shuǐ): water/shoddy/lacking, 清茶 (qīngchá): green tea/only tea without any food/snacks
2. T/n: abandoning free food??? Inconceivable!!!
3. The literal translation is “obtain the Dharma,” in the sense of a lucky or fated encounter with lasting beneficial impact
4. Once again, it’s all “knocking on the heart” which I have translated in different ways for different contexts: a little more formal for when it’s in quotations, a little more descriptive when it’s Bai Qi speaking (because he doesn’t really know much about it), and “inner-heart trials” when it refers to the technique steps. This might not be strictly perfect translation, but I feel that it reads better and makes more sense this way.
5. In case you didn’t pick it up, he’s realizing that Ji Yuan was the one to offer some of his good karma (in the form of an accidental experiment with the mysterious yellow energy and a couple sticks of incense) to him back in chapter 83. “Worship and offerings” could also be translated as “burning incense,” hence the realization. Which is all the more funny, because it’s like putting 3 and “apple” together to get a full recipe for chocolate chip cookies: technically correct through a series of inane coincidences but the logic is all wonky there. Welcome to JY’s world
6. Ambergris is a waxy substance that comes from the digestive system of sperm whales (or dragons in this case maybe) and is used in perfumes
7. Chapter 74

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read