Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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The dark clouds and waves gathering on the sea gradually dissipated amidst the Azure Dragon’s grief. The Azure Dragon was utterly dejected. When cultivating, it always felt that a golden dragon palace awaited it in the sea, until it jumped into the sea and saw the garbage, and only then did it realize the difference between dreams and reality.
Mr. Gu and the Taoist priests who arrived at the beginning had their attention focused on the Azure Dragon and the extreme weather since entering the sea park. Now, hearing his cries, they had the spare energy to observe the sea and found that what was surging in the gale was not only seawater, but also waves of household garbage splashed up by the water.
Because of Qinglong’s attempt to enter the sea, a lot of trash had been washed into the seaside park by the agitated waves. A thick layer of trash had piled up next to the park’s seawall railing— plastic bags, water bottles, lunch boxes, discarded fishing nets, and even tattered clothes and shoes. These items were covered with a thick layer of seaweed, and it was impossible to tell how long they had been in the sea. Looking around, many other objects could be vaguely seen floating on the shimmering surface of the sea.
Azure Dragon’s grief was beyond words: “How did my Dragon Palace become like this? It’s completely different from what was described in the inheritance…”
Everyone present seemed a little embarrassed. Mr. Gu couldn’t help but cough: “With the development of tourism in various coastal cities, marine pollution has indeed become quite serious…”
Qinglong smacked his lips upon hearing this, his eyes becoming confused again: “So that’s why the seawater tastes so strange too?”
Mr. Gu exclaimed, his eyes darting around: “…Really?”
Tuan Tuanyi, standing nearby, whispered to his master, whose face was grim, “Master, is he just pretending? How could he not know that Ruhai City was put on the blacklist for environmental remediation last month? It’s said that the local government’s oversight is inadequate, and those established companies that were brought in to attract investment are secretly discharging industrial wastewater directly into the sea. When reporters came to interview them, they said they had already been fined and rectified, but I think that’s just a lie.”
Wei Xi: “…?”
Azure Dragon: “???”
Mr. Gu felt guilty and, meeting Qinglong’s incredulous gaze, stammered, “This, I really don’t know! I will definitely report this situation to my superiors as soon as I get back!
Qinglong felt no comfort whatsoever. Realizing he had drunk sewage, he angrily opened his mouth and began to retch.
Xia Shouren and Chong Ming felt some sympathy upon seeing this. After all, although they did not know each other and their ranks differed, they were fundamentally of the same kind. They couldn’t help but step forward to persuade this poor junior: “Don’t be so stubborn. In this day and age, where is there any Dragon Palace? I don’t know what your inheritance contains, but I can tell you clearly that times have changed and many things no longer exist.”
Qinglong, having already deduced from the previous capture operation that these individuals were likely not human, listened with a mixture of disbelief and lingering resentment. He then glanced furtively at Wei Xi: “…What nonsense are you spouting? My dragon race has existed for millennia! What do you mean by ‘times change’? I fell in your hands because I was too careless; I shouldn’t have fought you alone. If you’re so capable, wait until I gather my millions of followers…”
Xia Shouren rolled his eyes when he heard it was still dreaming: “Your followers, what followers? Do you think this is the past? You’ve been a dragon for so long, have you seen them come to greet you?”
Qinglong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that he had overlooked this issue.
The transformation of a horned dragon into a soaring sea was an extraordinary ritual for the ocean. In its tradition, this was the most glorious moment in a dragon’s life, accompanied by towering waves and countless marine animals coming to pay homage. Yet, to this day, it had not seen those figures that should be here.
What’s going on? It couldn’t help but turn its head to look at the still motionless sea.
Xia Shouren’s expression held a hint of almost cold pity: “These days, marine fishing is rampant, and species are going extinct rapidly. They can barely protect themselves. Even if they hear the call, how many would dare to risk their lives to approach human settlements?”
Qinglong shook his head in disbelief: “How could this be… my valiant and skilled millions of dolphin, shark, and whale teams…”
“That’s all in the past, and there aren’t even millions left.” Xia Shouren smiled enigmatically, but the curve of his lips didn’t look like he was happy. “Even your once largest porpoise team has now been listed as an endangered species, not to mention the others.”
Azure Dragon stared blankly at the gradually calming waves in the distance.
The Taoist priests standing nearby felt embarrassed and guilty, but remembering their purpose, they still asked him nervously, “Then, Lord Azure Dragon, do you still want to go into the sea?”
“Go into what?” Azure Dragon slumped down dejectedly, resting his head wearily on the floor. “There’s no Dragon Palace, no followers. Go into the sea to soak in sewage? Whatever.”
….
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a mix of emotions. They never expected that this would be the reason Qinglong abandoned its plan to go to sea. Mr. Gu remained silent for a moment, then took out nail clippers to help Qinglong cut open the mineral water bottle trapping it. As he cut, he comforted it, saying, “Lord Qinglong… if you ever want to go out to sea again, I can apply to my superiors to arrange a cruise trip for you, as long as you don’t cause any accidents in coastal waters. As for water pollution and marine animal protection, our government has been working hard to address these issues. Your position is rather special; if you have any concerns, you can raise them with your superiors when we meet in person. I’m sure they will do their best to consider them.”
The Azure Dragon stopped struggling and returned to its original size after leaving the bottle.
A living dragon lay peacefully before them. Amidst the dramatic ups and downs, the Taoist priests were almost moved to tears. Their gazes swept over the dragon’s head, whiskers, claws, and… its broken horn. Suppressing their excitement, they took out handkerchiefs and other items to wipe its wounds.
The Azure Dragon wasn’t particularly interested in the humans trying to curry favor with it; its gaze remained fixed on Xia Shouren and his group. During the capture operation earlier, it had vaguely realized that these people were probably similar to itself, so even though it had been hostile before, it couldn’t help but feel a sense of closeness to them amidst its current desolation.
Moreover, there was Wei Xi on the human side, who was showing a strong appetite for its presence and was still looking at it with deep eyes. It sensed the danger, so it couldn’t help but raise its head, push aside the people around it, and slowly crawled towards Xia Shouren, seeking protection.
Xia Shouren was still saying to Shuo Zong, “We finally took it down without bloodshed, why do you still look a little unhappy?”
Shuo Zong, wearing his short-sleeved shirt, leaned against a large tree with his arms crossed. The Dragon-Twisting Spear lay casually at his feet, still gleaming with a chilling light. He exuded an imposing aura, yet his expression remained calm: “Is that so?”
Xia Shouren looked at his expression with suspicion, but couldn’t see anything amiss. So he could only advise, “Buddy, although it’s just a dragon, it’s still one of our juniors. It hasn’t really caused any major trouble. It will be a fighting force when it transforms into human form. Let’s give it a try.”
Shuo Zong glanced at him but didn’t say anything. However, seeing Qinglong’s hesitant approach, he finally put away the Dragon-Twisting Spear.
The Azure Dragon was a little afraid of him, but seeing this, a look of emotion flashed in its eyes. Sure enough, it was its own kind who were reliable. No matter how much the other helped humans, he was still on its side and would not hurt it for no reason.
The next second, Shuo Zong, who had sheathed the Dragon-Spinning Spear, walked calmly toward him, lowered his eyes, coldly scrutinized him for a moment, and then stretched out his hand—
“Click”.
Azure Dragon: “Awoooooo!!!”
Xia Shouren: “…”
It howled and rolled around frantically, then revealed a furious rage as if its worldview had collapsed. Shuo Zong, however, walked away without even glancing at it. The Azure Dragon, watching his retreating figure, burst into tears, sobbing, “Why!!!”
Xia Shouren was also confused. After a long silence, he seemed to understand something: “I’m afraid he needs to teach you a lesson.”
Azure Dragon: “What?”
Xia Shouren increasingly felt that his guess made sense, and his expression became serious as he looked at it: “You committed evil deeds and almost caused a great disaster. Did you think that just because you are a dragon, you can get away with it? You may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot be so easily forgiven. You have already become a dragon. Losing your dragon horns will not affect your cultivation. It is just a little physical pain. Compared with the ordinary people affected by the floods you caused, what is that?”
Upon hearing these words, Qinglong finally showed a look of shame on his face: “Is that so?”
Xia Shouren said solemnly, “Of course. Since the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, we auspicious beasts have shouldered the heavy responsibility of maintaining the balance of the human world. Now that you have received the inheritance, you must also keep this in mind.”
Qinglong’s cries of pain subsided, and his fear dissipated slightly. He whispered, “So…so that’s how it is. No wonder he wanted to kill me just now. I thought he was like that curly-haired guy, wanting to eat me too.”
Xia Shouren said, “How could that be? What do you think of us auspicious beasts? They are all your elders, they would never treat you like that.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his friend walked into the crowd and stopped next to Wei Xi. Without saying a word, he opened his hand and showed him the dragon horn he had just broken off: “Want some?”
Azure Dragon: “…”
Xia Shouren: “…”
Qinglong looked confused: “…You said you are my elders…”
Xia Shouren: “…”
Azure Dragon: “…So, why did you try to kill me just now?”
Xia Shouren: “…”
You’re asking me? How would I know?
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