Paying Respects to the Great King

Qu Bushi was a slippery old fox. Racking his brains, he said in a low voice: "That snake demon is not strong in strength and wouldn't dare say much... but the King of Beijiang Stream is a monster held in high esteem by the dragon prince, holding jurisdiction over the Three Streams. A few years ago, even cultivators from Baiyedu Immortal Dao went to pay him a visit in person..." The subtext of the old man's words was: *Your family has a Violet Palace, but his backers have Violet Palaces too; when have the dragonkind ever feared anyone?* He framed it as currying favor and staying on good terms, but in truth, he was afraid the Li family's customary overbearing manner would offend them. He wrapped it in the gentlest possible terms, making Li Minggong chuckle inwardly. Li Chengkun replied with a faint smile, "Rest easy, Guest Elder." As they spoke, daylight gathered and condensed as several figures flew in from the south, descending into the mountains. Leading them was a man clad in bright light armor, grasping a halberd, his golden pupils gleaming. Beside him stood a black-clad man with a somber expression and a sword belted at his waist. Li Chengkun and the others all rose to greet him: "Greetings, Patriarch!" Li Zhouwei helped him up and entered the newly repaired hall. Without sitting down, he asked directly: "How have matters here fared?" Li Chengkun recounted everything one by one. All had gone smoothly, save for the matter of the snake demon. He specially had Qu Bushi recount it once more, and the old man dared not dawdle, explaining everything clearly from beginning to end. Li Zhouwei frowned as he listened. There was no other reason: he, Li Zhouwei, did indeed share a good rapport with Dingjiao, yet the difference between their standings was like the clouds and mud. That sort of goodwill could not easily be cashed in; once used, his favors with this dragon prince would be settled—something Li Zhouwei hadn't even wavered over when offered an ancient Violet Palace spiritual artifact. *Moreover, Dingjiao is a white dragon prince, whereas the faction behind this King of Beijiang Stream might not belong to the white dragons! The other branches would be manageable, but if it is the black dragons... that would mean stirring up a hornet's nest of trouble for no reason!* Li Zhouwei had long heard that dragonkind was not monolithic. At the Miao family in the South Sea, he had witnessed firsthand how Dingjiao made things difficult for Miao Ye... In the end, it was the rivalry between the white dragons and black dragons. *Although dragonkind will most likely not intervene directly, if this King of Beijiang Stream is bent on causing trouble and comes around every now and then for a mouthful of blood-food, it would be thoroughly sickening, and our clan would have nowhere to seek redress...* Li Zhouwei pondered briefly and asked: "What is this King of Beijiang Stream's true form?" "This..." Qu Bushi froze in bewilderment, at a loss for words for quite a while, before speaking with some difficulty: "This lowly one does not know. I have only heard rumors from below... that this King of Beijiang Stream cultivates the path of Joining Waters and possesses an exceedingly potent profound light. Wherever it passes, it not only plunges people into confusing illusions, but can also melt them into blood and water." Lost in thought, Li Zhouwei had an idea of the situation. Suddenly, a warmth brushed his ear, and a calm, ethereal voice sounded, drifting as though from the Great Void: "Minghuang, go meet this snake demon at once. Take your men." Li Zhouwei knew it was Li Ximing's voice. Stowing his weapon, he immediately commanded: "I will go meet this snake demon." Decisive in action, the moment he spoke, he singled out Li Chengkun, Li Minggong, and a few others, leaving only An Siwei to guard their post. Rising on his light, he thought to himself: *This snake demon is no significant figure. For a Violet Palace to take notice, it is likely related to Miyun Cave.* Having grasped this, he quickened his pace. In less than half a quarter of an hour, Baijiang Creek lay before them. The waters of Baijiang Creek were crystal clear with a hint of pale blue. It was the clearest and longest among the three streams and even included a small lake, far from the murkiness of Baiye Creek to the east. Naturally, this lake could not compare to Lake Wangyue, spanning a mere fifty li across. Seen from afar, it was like a cyan-blue dot inlaid among the rolling hills, compact and lovely. Passing the lake and traveling another fifty-odd li, they finally sighted a small mountain, lush and green with striking crags rising up. This mountain was much taller than Fuyun Cave's main peak and was presumably the finest spiritual mountain in the Fuyun Cave domain. Fudou could not match its master's background, nor his strength, nor had the right to compete in methods, so it had naturally been seized by the snake demon. Li Zhouwei halted his light before the mountain and sent Qu Bushi ahead to request an audience. Li Chengkun stepped forward, transmitting his voice via Dharmic power: "Patriarch, it looks like people are waiting at the foot of the mountain. Someone may have beaten us to it to see this snake demon." "Undoubtedly Miyun Cave." Li Zhouwei narrowed his eyes slightly and dimmed the radiant glow about him. After waiting only a short while, Qu Bushi returned on the wind, looking utterly disheveled. Bowing, he reported: "Patriarch, the monster says he is entertaining guests and it is inconvenient to meet." Seeing his battered state, it was obvious the monsters hadn't been as polite as he claimed. Li Zhouwei nodded: "The snake demon has long fed on humans; there was naturally nothing to discuss with our family. We will eliminate him today to spare future trouble." He rose on his light and flew straight into the mountains. Seeing the luxuriant foliage, he drew his long halberd and descended with a cold countenance. Sure enough, two demon soldiers stood outside the cave entrance—one clutching a saber, the other a spear. Seeing more visitors arriving, they grew utterly impatient. A leopard-headed demon barked: "Where did this trash come from now?! Grandfather already said he isn't seeing anyone! What kind of creature can't understand demon speech?!" Li Zhouwei stood holding his halberd, his armor blazing with golden light. He said coldly: "Widen your dog eyes before you speak." "Well now!" The leopard-headed demon threw his spear to the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and strode forward. But catching sight of Li Zhouwei's golden pupils, he froze instantly. He twitched his nose, sniffing the air, and stammered hesitantly: "So it is Grandfather who has arrived... Might I ask which mountain or ridge Grandfather hails from? This little leopard was blind not to recognize Your Honor..." Li Zhouwei had long heard from Bai Rong how to handle such creatures. Glaring at him, he snapped: "Stupid slave, can't you recognize noble blood? Tell your master to roll out here and bow to me!" This frightened both demons out of their wits. Exchanging a glance, one of them scampered into the cave. After a mere dozen-odd breaths, a man emerged, flanked by a throng of lesser demons. Draped in a gaudy, garish python robe, he was unspeakably hideous. At the cave entrance, he craned his neck and squinted. Li Zhouwei met him with a cold stare. Unease drummed in the snake demon's heart. He had no choice but to scurry down the hill, continuing to crane his neck to look. Yet no matter how he looked, the figure bore the direct lineage of a great demon, noble beyond words. Choosing his words with utmost care, he said: "May I ask which mountain the Great King hails from? This humble demon is a minor steward from the Manor of the King of Beijiang Stream, merely scratching out a living here... If Your Excellency has any commands... you may very well meet with the King of Beijiang Stream..." Li Zhouwei did not move an inch. He simply planted his long halberd on the ground without a trace of warmth, demanding coldly: "What kind of thing do you think you are? Which water manor does your master belong to?" Yet monsters were susceptible to precisely this sort of posturing. Most of the snake demon's suspicion vanished. Plastering a smile across his face, he hurried toward the front of the formation. Hesitating for a moment, he ultimately stopped short of stepping outside it. Flicking his tongue, he replied: "For this humble demon's crude, impoverished place to be graced by the presence of noble blood is truly this little snake's immense honor... My master is not of the water manors' direct line, but was enfeoffed by the dragon prince to temporarily govern the territory of the Three Streams..." "Not of the direct line of the water manors?" Li Zhouwei let out a chuckle, an expression of disdain surfacing on his face as he asked: "In that case, now that I have arrived in this territory, how dare he not come out to welcome me? Which branch does he belong to?" When this question was asked, dread crossed the snake demon's face. He whimpered in distress: "My lord... I am merely a petty steward in the manor, how could I know so much! Please allow me to introduce my lord to the Great King..." Li Zhouwei bared his teeth in a smile and said chillingly: "Then why aren't you inviting me inside?" "Right away!" The snake demon leaped up from the ground at once, swept aside his gaudy robes, darted out of the array, and dropped to his knees at his side, oozing obsequious flattery: "Paying respects to the Great King!"