295 Dragon Palace (1/2)
”The immeasurable!”
In a small temple, the chief Daoist walked out of the room where he was conducting morning classes. He gazed silently in the direction of the Golden Lake Prefecture.
This Daoist was named Qing Xuan, and was in his fifties. His hair was half white, and his complexion was often a healthy pink. He was full of vitality.
However, at this point in time, his face was ash grey as he stared at the reddish skies.
His heart felt as though it was going through a storm.
'The convergence of fate energy, the gathering of an evil aura, this smells of war...the Xu family wants to rebel…'
This was expected, and his sect had invested in this too.
”But according to the plan, wasn't it up to the three grandmasters to advise the head of the Xu family, and subsequently claim all the credit? Why did they act so early?”
This had resulted in a loss and would inevitably compromise the great scheme of things.
”Could it have been the Carp spirit?”
Daoist Qing Xuan pondered, and his eyes were cold.
”I wanted to let her off, seeing that she had already reincarnated into a human being, and also had the protection of dragon aura. Who would've known that she would betray her master? She must be destroyed!”
In truth, if it was only to aid the Dragon Court, it was alright to sacrifice karma and fate.
But the most important consideration was that, this demon was close to the headquarters, and if she antagonised him one day, his investment would most probably fail.
”I doubt that a little demon like her would be this bold…”
The Daoist Qing Xuan pinched his fingers in an attempt at divination, but found the fates difficult to read. He was baffled.
”Although it was destined that our forefathers fought hard for the rise of People Dao...but it remains unclear as to who will have the last laugh when disaster strikes. Although my cultivation in both energy and divination techniques is solid, but I remain confused. Only the three grandmasters…”
”Wait!”
Thinking about the three grandmasters today had put a chill in his heart.
”According to my sect's prophecy, the grandmaster should have arrived, but why hasn't he? Demon hunting is no matter. In the Golden Lake Prefecture, which demon other than the Dragon God would be able to face the combined forces of the three grandmasters together with their purple and green swords?
”Chirp”
At this time, a green light flashed in the skies, and a little green bird landed on a prune tree in the garden. It continued to twitter and chirp.
”This is…”
The Daoist Qingxuan flicked his fingers, and an enchantment was created. His face was extremely solemn.
”What happened exactly? To the extent where the sect has to activate the green bird messenger?”
As Qing Xuan recited some chants, a spiritual aura fell over the green bird.
”Chirp”
The green bird's large beady eyes turned green for a moment, and it opened its mouth to speak. The voice was an old one.
”Qing Xuan! In the Grandmasters' Hall, the jade tablets of the three grandmasters have all broken at the same time, and they are probably in a bad situation. You shall investigate this covertly. Be careful, and remember to not act rashly!”
”What?”
The green bird was not an intelligent animal to begin with, and after uttering the last word, it reverted to the simple beast it was and started to peck its feathers. It was oblivious to Qing Xuan's terror.
”The jade tablets of the Grandmasters' Hall is a secret feature of our sect. The spiritual wills of sect elders will be accumulated on the tablets. Three tablets cracking at the same time can only mean that all three grandmasters have met with harm...could it be the work of the Golden Court Dragon God?”
There were no other possibilities that he could think of.
This problem, coupled with the disturbances in the Xu family's dragon aura, caused him to break out in sweat.
”The forces that the sect has put in place in the Golden Lake Prefecture cannot be entirely activated, but we should not leave them hanging either…”
Daoist Qing Xuan paced back and forth, deep in thought.
”I won't alert the rest, except for the spy in the Xu family. I will send them a message to find out what exactly happened…”
Except that he could not dig too deep or risk disturbing the dragon aura, which could cause things to turn ugly.
It would compromise investigative efforts if that happened.
However, if he put in effort, there would definitely be results.
The reports came in at nighttime.
”Lord Xu intends to send an army to deal with the pirates in the Golden Court Lake?”
The room was dark save for a tiny light. The Daoist Qing Xuan analysed the situation.
”The Golden Court Lake was vast, with countless of small islands. To clear them all was no small feat...also, there were some heroic figures among the pirates who must not be underestimated…”
In truth, Qing Xuan understood that the Golden Court Lake was a god-given chance for the Xu family to grow their power.
Their decision to act now also meant that the odds were in their favour.
Qing Xuan turned to the messenger angrily.
”This is a serious matter. You must report back to the sect immediately. Our people have to participate in this too...or we will lose a great opportunity.”
He looked towards the flame ponderously.
Qing Xuan did not have the means to continue investigating the fate of the three grandmasters . He had to appeal to the sect for help.
________
Fang Yuan was not in the mood.
He went to the water's edge and moved his body slightly. A layer of water vapour materialised and lingered about the surroundings. The light rays were reflected into different colours. This was a special occurrence.
”A horned dragon has power over water, and also has the ability to control the weather…”