Chapter 2177: Breaking the Deadlock

At this moment, the fortune-teller looked at him, rose, and bowed, saying, "Please take the seat of honor, Your Excellency!"

As the Dragon King, and also regent of various clans, Zu'an already possessed the dignity of a high-ranking individual, and naturally took the seat of honor.

The surrounding crowd, seeing his extraordinary demeanor, expressed their admiration.

After a young attendant served tea, the fortune-teller, named Yuan Shouchang, inquired, "Your Excellency, what brings you here to inquire?"

Zu'an glanced at the arrogant couplets in the room and replied, "Master, please divine the weather conditions in the heavens."

The memories of this body informed him that the Jing River Dragon King was originally responsible for orchestrating clouds and rain in this region, and no one understood this art better than he.

Yuan Shouchang rolled up his sleeve, tossed out several divination stalks, observed them carefully for a moment, and replied, "Clouds shroud the mountain peaks, mist covers the treetops. If one divines for rain, it will surely come tomorrow morning."

Zu'an pressed on, "What time will it rain tomorrow? And how much rain will there be?"

This fellow was still pretending to be quite the expert. Zu'an knew that some fortune-tellers in his previous life liked to give ambiguous answers, so he naturally wouldn't give this one such an opportunity.

The fortune-teller calmly replied, "Tomorrow, clouds will gather at Chen hour, thunder will erupt at Si hour, rain will fall at Wu hour, and it will cease at Wei hour, with a total of three feet, three inches, and forty-eight points of water."

Just as Zu'an was about to speak, an uncontrollable impulse surged within him, and he chuckled, "This is no laughing matter. If it rains tomorrow according to the time and amount you've predicted, I will present you with fifty taels of silver as a token of my gratitude. But if there is no rain, or if it doesn't match your predicted time and amount, I tell you truthfully, I will smash your storefront, tear down your sign, and immediately drive you out of Chang'an, never to be allowed to deceive the public here again!"

After speaking, Zu'an paused, perplexed. Although what he said was logical, he felt something was strange, as if he had been possessed when he uttered those words.

A normal person might not perceive the difference, but with his current cultivation and insight, he keenly sensed the abnormality.

Yuan Shouchang replied cheerfully, "This is entirely up to you. Please, please. We shall meet again after the rain tomorrow morning."

Zu'an left Yuan Shouchang's residence and fell into deep thought on the way.

Perhaps others who came to this temporal slice would subconsciously believe that defeating the fortune-teller, expelling him from Chang'an, and protecting the aquatic creatures in the Dragon Palace from harm would constitute completing the mission. However, Zu'an, through the recent anomaly, perceived that something was amiss.

Was this truly the path to victory?

Unconsciously, he had already returned to the Jing River bank. Various aquatic ministers came out to greet him, asking, "How was Your Majesty's visit with that fortune-teller?"

Zu'an recounted the recent conversation between the two to his ministers, who all burst into laughter. "Your Majesty is the Grand Overseer of the Eight Rivers, the Great Dragon God who commands rain! Whether it rains or not, only Your Majesty knows. How dare he speak such nonsense? That fortune-teller is surely defeated! Surely defeated!"

Zu'an, however, could not laugh. He had always found it strange; the reason he made the bet with that fellow named Yuan was precisely because even he, the one who commanded rain, didn't know if it would rain tomorrow. So, it was clear that the fortune-teller was bound to lose.

Yet, he still felt that something was amiss, to the point where the hairs on his body stood on end.

This was the keen spiritual intuition he had honed through frequently facing immense life-or-death crises and integrating with the abilities of the *Records of the Book of Lu*.

But where exactly did the danger come from?

Could tomorrow's bet harbor a hidden killing intent? But even if he lost, what was the big deal?

A group of aquatic ministers were currently mocking the sorcerer named Yuan, ridiculing him for "having eyes but not recognizing Mount Tai" (meaning, being ignorant of a great person) and daring to "wield an axe before Lu Ban's door" (meaning, showing off one's slight skill before a master) in front of the Dragon King. Each of them was beaming with delight.

Zu'an's unease grew stronger. This wasn't the typical villainous setup in novels, where characters mock and provoke hatred, showing off how arrogant they are in the early stages only to suffer a miserable demise when the protagonist counter-attacks.

So, after all this, I'm the villain?

Who then is the protagonist?

Yuan Shouchang?

But shouldn't protagonists be young men? That fellow is a doddering old man, and he really doesn't exude any protagonist's aura.

Zu'an felt a surge of irritation. This trial method was truly a pain in the neck; with no mission guidance or clear objectives, he could only guess how to pass.

Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from mid-air: "Jing River Dragon King, receive the imperial decree!"

Everyone looked up to see a golden-robed warrior, holding an imperial decree from the Jade Emperor, flying directly towards the aquatic palace.

Zu'an was stunned. It truly was the Heavenly Court!

The golden-robed warrior shimmered with golden light, exuding a sacred aura, and appeared to be a powerhouse above even Earth Immortals.

If a mere messenger warrior was this powerful, what level of powerhouse was the Jade Emperor?

Were there any figures in the entire Heavenly Court more powerful than the Heavenly Emperor?

Regardless, he at least understood one thing: the Heavenly Court was by no means an entity he, with his current cultivation, could contend with, and he absolutely could not become its enemy.

At this point, a minister beside him hastily reminded him, and only then did Zu'an adjust his robes, burn incense, and receive the imperial decree.

After the golden-robed warrior departed, Zu'an unrolled the imperial decree and read: "By imperial command to the Overseer of the Eight Rivers, to drive thunder and lightning; tomorrow morning, bestow nourishing rain, universally benefiting Chang'an City."

The times and amounts specified in the decree were identical, down to the last detail, to what the fortune-teller had predicted.

Zu'an's heart pounded in alarm. No wonder he had felt uneasy earlier; the problem lay here.

At this, many aquatic ministers exchanged glances, and several exclaimed, "Such a spiritual person exists in the mortal world! Truly, he can comprehend the heavens and the earth! It seems we are doomed to lose this time."

Then, Advisor Shad presented, "Your Majesty, rest assured. What difficulty is there in defeating him? Your humble servant has a small plan that will surely silence that fellow."

Zu'an glanced at him, his face expressionless, and said, "Tell me about it."

Advisor Shad said, "If we alter the time of the rain and reduce the amount, then that fellow's divination will be inaccurate. Won't we defeat him then? At that point, smashing his sign and driving him away will be no difficulty at all!"

Upon hearing this, many ministers exclaimed how brilliant it was, and Advisor Shad looked quite pleased with himself.

Zu'an's face darkened. "Audacious! The Jade Emperor himself has issued a decree. How can we defy an imperial edict for such an innocuous bet? You are trying to make me commit a grave crime of deceiving the emperor! Come, seize this fellow and behead him!"

Everything happening now finally brought to his mind a vague memory of a legendary tale from his previous life. Although he couldn't recall it clearly, he keenly realized that this fellow's idea was absolutely a huge trap.

At this, the entire hall suddenly fell silent. The ministers' expressions were incredulous, and Advisor Shad immediately burst into tears, crying, "Your Majesty, your humble servant is wronged! I only wished to devise a strategy to help Your Majesty win this bet. What fault is there in that?"

Hearing his wails, many ministers also pleaded for him, but Zu'an remained unmoved. Soon, shrimp soldiers and crab generals dragged Advisor Shad away.

Not long after, the soldiers rushed back in a panic, reporting, "Your Majesty, Advisor Shad's head fell off, but a stream of light suddenly emerged from his body and instantly vanished!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers who had previously felt sympathy and dissatisfaction on Advisor Shad's behalf immediately fell silent. What was wrong with Advisor Shad?

Zu'an sneered, "He was indeed someone sent to harm me."

At this, many ministers exclaimed in alarm, "What powerful divine being wishes to harm Your Majesty?"

"What should we do in this situation now?"

"Perhaps we should apologize to that fortune-teller and ask him not to take offense?"

"Nonsense! Your Majesty is the esteemed Great Dragon God who commands rain. How can you yield to a mere human? Moreover, those fishermen are growing greedier by the day. If that fellow continues to instruct them to cast those 'extinction nets,' within ten years, perhaps only one in ten of our Jing River aquatic creatures will remain. By then, our entire clan will be doomed!"

"But if we don't yield, what alternative do we have? That fortune-teller can even know the Jade Emperor's imperial decree in advance; he must have a powerful backer in heaven. Wouldn't it be suicidal to stubbornly confront him?"

Hearing the ministers' heated discussions, each point having some merit, Zu'an felt deeply vexed. He was now rapidly contemplating the entire situation.

In fact, by now, he generally understood what this trial was about. In his previous life, there was this story in *Journey to the West*. The original Jing River Dragon King, due to a moment of impulsiveness and a dispute, listened to Advisor Shad's deceitful words and truly resorted to trickery, defying the imperial decree. As a result, he violated heavenly laws and was sentenced to execution.

Then the Jing River Dragon King panicked and ran to Yuan Shouchang for advice. Yuan Shouchang told him that the heavenly executioner sent by the Heavenly Court was Wei Zheng of the Great Tang, and advised him to seek help from Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

The Jing River Dragon King then appeared in Emperor Taizong's dream to plead for rescue. The Emperor agreed, and on that day, he deliberately summoned Wei Zheng to the palace and engaged him in a game of chess, precisely to keep him occupied.

Wei Zheng fell asleep while playing chess. The Tang Emperor thought the matter was settled, but little did he know that Wei Zheng's primordial spirit left his body in his sleep and went to the Dragon Slaying Platform to supervise the execution.

The Jing River Dragon King's wronged spirit felt that Emperor Taizong had broken his word. Thus, he sued the Emperor in the Underworld. Coincidentally, Emperor Taizong's lifespan was nearing its end, so the Underworld dispatched ghost envoys to bring the Emperor's soul to the Underworld for confrontation.

Emperor Taizong had a "day trip" to the Underworld, and after returning to the living world, he was filled with lingering fear. Therefore, he held a grand Water and Land Mass to deliver the souls of those who had died by his hand over the decades. There, he met Xuanzang (Tripitaka), and a discussion about Hinayana Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism ensued, leading to the story of sending Xuanzang to the West to obtain scriptures.

The reason he hadn't recalled it initially was that this particular plot point was too inconspicuous in *Journey to the West*. His attention had always been on storylines involving Sun Wukong, the Seven Fairies, the Womanland, and so on.

However, now that he had personally experienced so much, those hazy memories became clear once more.

So, how should he break out of this predicament next?

On the surface, it seemed quite easy, but the instigating Advisor Shad mysteriously harbored a hidden entity within him, making everything even more confusing.

He thought of several crucial points, and an idea gradually formed in his mind.