Chapter 121: Reverse Transformation and the Senior Sister's Whereabouts
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Another three days passed.
On the shadowed side of Moon Harbor stood the Stone Drum Dragon Fishing Grounds, a historical remnant from ages past. It now lay within Madam Yan’s sacred domain.
“Roar!”
One white and one azure, one large and one small, two flood dragons transformed into a pair of sharp arrows, racing through the Nine-Dragon River as they chased one another, churning the waters and overturning the waves.
One swallowed clouds and breathed mist. The art of “Spreading Clouds and Severing Rainbows” summoned a vast and mighty spectacle, layer upon layer of pitch-black storm clouds pressing down until heaven and earth seemed to turn upside down.
The other carried wind and thunder with her. The “Art of Crossing the Sea and Hooking the Stars” called the wind and rain, commanded lightning, and heeded the thunder.
The two supreme secret arts resounded in harmony. Wind and rain descended together, lightning flashed, and thunder roared, as though a dragon god governing the celestial phenomena of an entire region had truly descended upon this place.
Yet the azure flood dragon was clearly suppressed by the white one. Every time she tried to resist, she was slapped back down.
Whenever the two dragons began to tussle, every swipe of a claw and every lash of a tail sent great waves surging and lightning blazing, scattering the fish swimming through the river in every direction.
Before long, the disparity in strength proved too great. The white flood dragon wrapped the azure one up tightly, like a length of noodles tied into a knot.
When the azure dragon grew larger, she grew larger as well. When the azure dragon shrank, she shrank with him. Like a wrestler applying a figure-four arm lock, she kept him firmly pinned without the slightest chance of escape.
At last, half of the azure dragon’s head crashed into a great blue stone by the riverbank. He stuck out his tongue and panted heavily.
Even with a body covered in rebellious scales and a naturally defiant temperament, he had still been thoroughly subdued.
The white flood dragon opened her mouth and spoke in a clear, beautiful woman’s voice, thick with triumph.
“Well, Little Cheng? Are you convinced? You may have refined a new Dragon Garment Python Robe, but you still can’t overturn the heavens in your elder sister’s hands!
“From now on, whenever you leave the house, you’ll be my mount.”
Light and shadow rippled across the azure dragon’s body. A dragon garment dissolved into nothing, revealing Wang Cheng’s true form beneath. Yet Yan Yunxiao still had him bound from head to toe like a rope.
He hurriedly slapped the ground in surrender.
“Sis, stop! My ribs are about to break. I yield. I’m completely convinced.”
Only then did Yunxiao slide off him with an air of lofty pride, returning to her cool, aloof humanoid form as a dragon maiden.
The envoy had not yet departed, but Wang Cheng had not spent this period idly. He had just devoted another seven days to refining a new dragon garment, then swallowed it together with water from an unmoored source.
The cast-off skin shed by a flood dragon during its transformation into human form possessed extraordinary effects.
Although it had not directly allowed him to cultivate the second layer of his Natal Star Official, the Azure Dragon of the East, it had not only enabled him to absorb the abilities of the Golden-Coined White-Striped Snake, but had also helped him complete his “reverse transformation” in full.
Once he donned the dragon garment and activated the art of “Transforming into a Flood Dragon,” both his destiny and his flesh would become those of a genuine flood dragon—the Hornwood Flood Dragon. His combat strength soared far beyond what he possessed in human form.
He could grow large or small, ascend or vanish. When vast, he could summon clouds and breathe mist; when tiny, he could conceal himself and hide his form. His greatest talent lay in concealment and transformation.
Though he still fell short of Yan Yunxiao in size and strength, there was no longer any fundamental difference between them.
He truly possessed something of the essence of the legendary Dragon God Skill.
Moreover, his ability to transform into countless forms had become even more pronounced, especially when it came to making simple alterations to his appearance or imitating others.
Tall or short, fat or thin, beautiful or ugly—he could become them all. A single dragon garment was worth more than the painstaking accumulation of years of practice in the Embroidered Garment Art by countless practitioners of the secondary paths.
The most lifelike transformation of all was A-Xiao.
After all, this dragon garment had originally been her own skin and appearance. It could not really be called a transformation at all; it was a perfect one-to-one replica.
Back then, A-Xiao had warned Wang Cheng not to use her little garment for any strange purposes. She had assumed that once the refining process was complete, she would no longer need to worry.
She had no idea that what he could do now was far more stimulating than a mere piece of flood-dragon skin.
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Of course, Wang Cheng was not some pervert. He would never casually wear women’s clothing, nor would he casually transform into her.
His principles were even firmer than they had been when he first obtained the “Beauty Disrobing Art” and swore an oath never to use it. Absolutely.
In fact, when he took on the form of a flood dragon, the resemblance between them was also extremely high. If he encountered other demons, they would probably mistake him for another member of the Yan family.
Yunxiao pulled Wang Cheng up from the ground and thoughtfully straightened his collar.
“Little Cheng, are you really sure you don’t want me to go with you? My flood-dragon body is a terrestrial deity and cannot move about freely, but my human body, a sixth-rank Pearl-Gatherer, could still be of great assistance.”
Wang Cheng thought it over before gently declining.
“Although the court has produced a countermeasure, the situation in the Eastern Sea will never return to what it was. Let your human body remain here to protect the peace of the Eastern Sea.
“Sis A-Xiao, you are a dragon god and terrestrial deity. You need not obey the court’s commands. With you as my rear guard, I can set out with a little more peace of mind.”
“All right. With me here in Moon Harbor, you may proceed without worry.”
Throughout the dynasties, the imperial courts had made a complete mess of the water-service officials and the various sea-god cults, treating them as expendable resources both openly and covertly.
While remaining absolutely neutral, the sea gods of the water service maintained an exceedingly subtle relationship with the court.
One phrase summed it up perfectly: they obeyed military orders, but not political summons.
They accepted military or administrative assignments from the court and exercised their authority within their corresponding divine domains, but refused to submit to the court’s symbolic political authority or direct control.
Madam Yan’s duties had been fixed from the moment she ascended to godhood. Though she lived in Moon Harbor, no official—not even Imperial Inspector Wang Bengu—had any authority over her.
Even if Wang Cheng were absent from Moon Harbor, no one could come here and seize his interests.
Once the Dragon Garment Python Robe had been fully prepared, it was nearly time for him to depart with the envoy.
Wang Cheng arranged matters concerning Zhang Wen, Zhang Wu, and his various businesses in Moon Harbor. He then made a special trip to the Baoshan Beacon Tower to bid farewell to his master.
There was no one else in the little temple of the Heavenly Consort. Shen Yuting’s spirits were visibly better than before. When he saw Wang Cheng enter, he set down his teacup and teased him.
“Well, well, Your Highness the Heir. After being pushed aside during your first assignment after leaving the mountain, have you come back to inherit the family business?”
After master and disciple had shared their greatest secrets and jointly used “Repair the Plank Road in the Open, Cross the River in Secret” to eliminate the hidden threat posed by the Shen family of Wealth Gods, their relationship had gradually transcended that of ordinary master and disciple.
There was even a hint of kindred purpose between them, and they had become much more casual in one another’s company.
Wang Cheng naturally picked up the teapot and refilled his master’s cup.
“Master, listen to yourself. Your disciple has braved wind and rain for the sake of our water-service lineage, and now that I’m leaving, you haven’t even offered me a treasure or sent any helpers to support me.”
Shen Yuting had long since seen through his fourth disciple’s temperament. Wang Cheng never lifted a finger without profit to be gained, but the old man did not take offense. He merely smiled.
“Now that you have advanced to the middle third rank and possess the ability to stand on your own, you ought to choose your own path.
“I told you before: only when consequences exist can rules truly be called rules.
“In the offices of the Court Tribute Officer and the Director of the Annual Service Hall, the functions of witness and regulator far outweigh those of merchant.
“Once a word is spoken, there can be no second promise in the heart. One must honor one’s pledges and uphold one’s oaths, standing surety for every transaction.
“The golden blade used by the Founding High Ancestor when he established the Golden-Blade Prophecy serves as the proof. When an oath is fulfilled, the blade is hidden; when an oath is broken, the blade appears. Even if the oathbreaker flees beyond the borders of the Divine Realm, he must be captured and brought back for punishment.
“I am old now. These past few years, your senior brother and second senior sister have helped me uphold the rules of the Golden-Blade Prophecy.
“Your senior brother, Zhang Quan, has been stationed on Yizhou Island for many years. He serves as the deputy helmsman under the famous pirate queen Zheng Shiniang. If you encounter danger, you may seek his help.
“Now, can you guess where your second senior sister, Shen Yueye, is?”
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Wang Cheng’s heart stirred. Since his master had brought this up at such a crucial moment, could it be that—
“My senior sister couldn’t be in Yingzhou, could she? Perhaps even in the Eastern Sea Kingdom? Did she go there to capture an oathbreaker?
“No wonder she didn’t come home for the New Year.”
Shen Yuting took a sip of tea.
“That’s right. She is in the Eastern Sea Kingdom.
“It is true that Prince Jing guards that stretch of coast, and it is also true that the Five-Peak Banner and the Maritime Merchants’ Alliance under his command are a mixed lot.
“It is an open secret that your father, as their alliance leader, cannot centralize power and rule with unquestioned authority over every merchant and pirate on the Eastern Sea.
“You have already met Wang Bengu. You should understand that not all members of the gentry faction are alike.
“People like Pu Shouying, who personally organize crews to go out to sea and shoulder the greatest risks, are merely minor figures responsible for the dirty and exhausting work.
“The great landlords, powerful gentry, and noble houses who have inherited generations of scholarship, control official positions and the supply of tea, sugar, fruit, silk, satin, cotton, porcelain, and other coveted commodities—those are the true magnates.
“These people have always tried to manage the ocean, which is utterly unlike the land, with the rigid mindset of small agricultural landlords. They want to put a leash around the necks of merchants at the lower end of the industrial chain.
“If the maritime ban is maintained, they can use the court to control the merchants. If the ban is lifted, they will lose their authority over them.
“Wang Bengu is a diehard supporter of the maritime ban, yet this time he has taken the unprecedented step of actively supporting the envoy in breaking the ice. You must be especially careful. Matters may not be as simple as they appear.
“I suspect that because of the interest groups represented by men like Wang Bengu, even if the court manages to open the seas after a fierce political struggle both within and beyond its borders, it will never grant unrestricted access. At most, it will open a narrow breach.
“Before the New Year, the steward of one prominent aristocratic clan betrayed a merchant during a transaction, swallowed the payment, changed his name, and fled to Yingzhou, where he joined the Five-Peak Banner.
“That parasite is Yueye’s target this time.
“I do not know your second senior sister’s exact identity either. But once you see her, you will know. The most beautiful, most adorable, most distinctive woman there will be her.”
A tender smile unique to a doting father spread across the old man’s face. His back no longer stooped, his lungs no longer wheezed, and he seemed suddenly rejuvenated. Wang Cheng found himself looking forward to discovering just how beautiful this senior sister of his truly was.
Shen Yuting then handed Wang Cheng a communication incense stick and gave his shoulder a vigorous pat.
“Fourth disciple, the situation of our water-service lineage is difficult, and the road ahead is long. As the heir to the Prince of Pacifying the Seas, you have inherited Heaven’s mandate. Storms and hardships are unavoidable. Only once you have gained strength can I continue placing greater burdens upon your shoulders.
“Go!”
To Wang Cheng’s ears, those words automatically transformed into:
“I intend to pass the throne to you. You must strive diligently.”
In a sudden flash of understanding, the position of successor to the Director of the Annual Service Hall seemed to wave to him from afar.
As for the safety of returning to the Eastern Sea Kingdom, he was not particularly worried.
The traitor within the Five-Peak Banner had yet to reveal himself publicly. That meant the traitor still did not possess absolute power and had to continue struggling against the other factions.
Before, Wang Cheng had feared that returning rashly would allow the traitor to erase him as effortlessly as crushing an insect.
He had also worried that, without sufficient strength, he would easily be reduced to a figurehead and stripped of all real authority—like the Little Bright King Han Lin in another world, who, after using the tiger’s skin to frighten others, could simply be made to dissolve into water.
But now that he had advanced to the middle third rank, everything had changed. He could handle anything with ease.
Thus, he intended to split his forces into two paths.
His yang body would continue playing the undercover role of Wang Fugui, while his fearless yin body, the Heir Apparent Who Patrols the Realm by Heaven’s Command, would return home openly and in glory.
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