Chapter 2178: Counterattack

He immediately stopped the ministers' arguments, instructing them to prepare various precious gifts. He then transformed back into human form and went to Chang'an City to visit Yuan Shouchang once more.

Seeing his arrival, Yuan Shouchang was visibly surprised. "What are you doing here, sir?" he asked.

Zu An had his subordinates bring forward the gifts, then bowed respectfully in admiration. "Sir," he said, "your divine calculations truly astound me. I apologize for any offense given previously; I hope you won't take it amiss."

Many onlookers nearby still remembered him. He had previously boasted loudly about wanting to smash Mr. Yuan's stall, but now he was humble after having been arrogant. Everyone started to jeer, increasingly impressed by Yuan Shouchang.

Yuan Shouchang stroked his beard and smiled mysteriously. "Tomorrow has not yet arrived, sir, so how can you know you've lost?" he said. "Perhaps you should come back tomorrow."

Zu An stared at him. "Since you are so divinely calculative, Sir," he pressed, "how could you not know why I have come?"

Yuan Shouchang was taken aback and, for a moment, didn't know how to respond.

Zu An bowed sincerely once more. "If you require golden carp, Sir," he offered, "I will send someone to deliver one to you every day from now on. And if you are so inclined, you are welcome to visit my water mansion anytime as a guest."

As the yaksha had said earlier, the reason Yuan Shouchang taught the fishermen where to cast their nets for fish was precisely to have them deliver a golden carp to him daily.

Seeing his enthusiasm, Yuan Shouchang found it difficult to maintain his reserved demeanor. "Sir, you exaggerate," he said. "It was merely a misunderstanding before; let's not dwell on it. The Jing River is by Chang'an, so we are practically neighbors. We should certainly keep in touch more often in the future."

"Naturally," Zu An agreed with a smile. The two conversed happily for a long time before finally bidding farewell and leaving.

After Zu An had left, Yuan Shouchang dropped his previous smile. The boy attendant beside him also transformed, with various rays of light emanating from his body.

The common people outside, who were seeking divination, seemed to be in a time-stop and could not see the changes happening inside.

The "boy" said in a deep voice, "You're not actually going to be friends with him, are you?"

Yuan Shouchang smiled faintly. "He's just a pawn," he said, "there's no question of friendship."

"But this time the Jing River Dragon King didn't fall for it," he continued. "Our plan has been disrupted. What should we do now?"

Yuan Shouchang said blandly, "The Jing River Dragon King wants to escape the game, but it's not that easy. Those golden carp are dragon offspring, all candidates for succession. After a while, their Dragon Palace's lineage will be cut off. Furthermore, human nature is greedy. Those fishermen, having learned the patterns of the fish schools, cast 'annihilation nets' every time to earn more money. If this continues, in a few years, perhaps less than one in ten of the aquatic creatures in the Jing River's water mansion will remain. At that time, as the Dragon King, failing to protect his domain, he will still be guilty of a capital crime. No matter what, he cannot escape his predetermined fate."

The other "boy" smiled upon hearing this. "Excellent!" he said. "The Jing River Dragon King is fated to face this calamity, so we are not to blame."

Meanwhile, after Zu An left Yuan's residence, his face, which had just been radiating smiles, suddenly turned serious.

Of course, he didn't believe that his recent "apology and compensation" would truly solve the problem. If that shad military advisor hadn't had some mysterious entity inside him, and if Zu An hadn't read *Journey to the West* or experienced many trials and tribulations, he might have actually believed it.

The reason for this act was merely to temporarily lull the Yuan fellow into a false sense of security.

He did not return to the Dragon Palace. Instead, he went near the imperial palace and stayed at the nearest inn.

After nightfall, he directly let his primordial spirit leave his body and performed the art of dream infiltration.

The imperial palace was protected by heavenly laws, making it difficult for someone like him to enter unnoticed. However, the art of dream infiltration could guide the Tang Emperor out.

This was a skill innate to the Jing River Dragon King. Coupled with his recollection of relevant plot points, it wasn't hard to think of this.

Speaking of which, although the Jing River Dragon King's combat strength wasn't particularly formidable, the skills he possessed were quite mystical, such as the transformation art and this dream infiltration art. Even Zu An coveted them somewhat, wondering if he would still remember how to perform these arts after leaving this body.

Unconsciously, his primordial spirit arrived outside the imperial palace gates. He happened to see Emperor Taizong Li Shimin strolling outside, and judging by his state, he was clearly in a dream.

So he stepped forward and bowed. "The Jing River Dragon King greets Your Majesty," he said.

Emperor Taizong was startled. "You... you are the Dragon King?" he asked.

He was, after all, an emperor who had emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Seeing that the other party had no ill intentions, he gradually calmed down.

Zu An somewhat admired his composure. Although he was merely a mortal, his composure surpassed that of countless masters in the world. "Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven ruling over all under heaven," he said, "I am merely a dragon of one aquatic domain, far inferior to Your Majesty."

Emperor Taizong laughed heartily. "Dragon King, you are too modest," he said. "May I know why you seek me?"

"Indeed, there is a small matter I wish to trouble Your Majesty with," Zu An began. "Recently, many fishermen along the Jing River have been indiscriminately fishing. While it's natural for people to catch some fish and shrimp to make a living, these fishermen, for some unknown reason, can always precisely locate the fish schools. And they are insatiably greedy, casting 'annihilation nets' that catch everything. If this continues, the fish and shrimp in the Jing River will be depleted, which would certainly not be a blessing for the future generations of the Great Tang."

Emperor Taizong was startled. "Such a thing exists? I understand," he said. "Tomorrow, I will dispatch the relevant government departments to investigate this matter. We must not drain the pond to catch all the fish, leaving future generations with a lifeless Jing River."

Seeing his expression, Zu An immediately knew he wasn't taking it very seriously. After all, for an emperor, there were countless major national affairs to handle daily, and the livelihoods of fishermen in one particular water area were truly difficult to capture his full attention.

However, he was well-prepared and continued, "Actually, these are minor matters, and I wouldn't need to come in person. It's just that those fishermen catch one golden carp every day. Your Majesty, have you heard the saying 'carp leaping over the Dragon Gate'?"

Emperor Taizong nodded. "When a carp leaps over the Dragon Gate," he confirmed, "it becomes a true dragon."

"Precisely," Zu An said in a deep voice. "These golden carp are actually future true dragons, and they are linked to the ley lines of Chang'an. Now that fishermen are catching them daily, it will inevitably affect Chang'an's ley lines and the destiny of the Great Tang."

As expected, Emperor Taizong's expression changed drastically. He no longer responded in a perfunctory manner as before. "What?" he exclaimed. "Which demonic figure is secretly undermining my Great Tang empire!"

No matter how grandly the emperor spoke about the livelihoods of common people, he might not genuinely care that much. But when it concerned the stability of his own empire, he would be more attentive than anything else!

Zu An said in a deep voice, "I am the Dragon King of the waters, bound by heavenly laws, and it is truly inconvenient for me to interfere in terrestrial affairs. That is why I specifically sent this dream to Your Majesty."

Emperor Taizong had initially been somewhat puzzled as to why a dignified Dragon King would be troubled by mere fishermen. Upon hearing this, he no longer had any doubts. Instead, he sincerely thanked him. "Thank you, Dragon King, for informing me," he said. "Otherwise, I would have remained ignorant. I will certainly investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Zu An smiled faintly. "Your Majesty exaggerates," he said. "Your Majesty has offered to help resolve a great difficulty for our Jing River water mansion. To express my gratitude, I specifically wish to recommend an extraordinary person to Your Majesty."

"Oh, who might that be?" Emperor Taizong immediately became interested. Someone like the Jing River Dragon King should be considered an immortal; for him to call someone extraordinary, that person must be truly exceptional.

"On West Chang'an Street, there is a fortune teller named Yuan Shouchang," Zu An replied. "This person knows both the heavenly secrets above and the earthly geography below. Every time he divines or tells fortunes for people, he is unfailingly accurate. Your Majesty can consult him to ascertain how much longer your lifespan remains."

Emperor Taizong was overjoyed. "Many thanks for your guidance, Dragon King!" he exclaimed.

For emperors, what else in the world was there that they could not obtain?

Their only concern was their own lifespan. Everyone wished for immortality, but centuries of experience and lessons made it clear to them that this was impossible. If they could know their remaining lifespan in advance, many matters could be arranged more effectively, and there would be no risk of sudden demise leading to upheavals in the empire.

After relaying everything, Zu An bade him farewell and exited his dream.

In the inn outside the palace, Zu An opened his eyes. He wasn't sure what conditions this "slice of time" needed to meet to break the deadlock, so he could only try his best to solve all problems.

He couldn't defy the heavenly court's decree and become a wronged spirit.

Nor could the aquatic creatures of the Jing River be allowed to be wantonly hunted by those fishermen.

Of course, merely doing this wasn't enough. He couldn't just keep passively defending while that Yuan fellow dug pits for him; it was time to actively dig some pits for him as well.

For instance, he vaguely remembered that in *Journey to the West*, Emperor Taizong was taken to the underworld not only because the Jing River Dragon King filed a complaint, but also because his own lifespan had ended.

That Yuan fellow is quite good at divination, isn't he? Should he tell Emperor Taizong the truth then?

If Emperor Taizong knew he was about to die, and by then the investigation into those fishermen should also have yielded results, he would be informed that it was this Yuan fellow who instructed the fishermen to catch the fish. What would Emperor Taizong think then?

Would he not feel that this fortune teller was spreading demonic rumors, secretly using the fishermen to sever the Great Tang's ley lines while simultaneously threatening him about his impending death? If he didn't execute him then, it would be an injustice to the empire he had forged through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Zu An did not find such retaliation excessive. One must remember that from the start, it was clearly the Yuan fellow who set a trap for him, aimed at taking his life. He wasn't like the Jing River Dragon King, foolishly jumping into it.

Completing this was not enough. He returned to the water mansion and quickly personally wrote a memorial to the throne.

The memorial mentioned that recently, the aquatic creatures in the Jing River basin had been subjected to large-scale, unusual fishing. Investigations revealed that those fishermen could precisely detect the changing whereabouts of fish schools. No matter how he commanded the aquatic creatures to change their routes, the fishermen could still accurately catch them. He had initially thought there was a traitor among the aquatic creatures, but his personal investigation revealed their information came from a fortune teller in Chang'an City. This person frequently divulged heavenly secrets, and whatever he divined was unfailingly accurate. Especially today, he was able to know the Heavenly Court's decree for rain even before Zu An did; the time and amount of rain were perfectly accurate, which was truly incredible.

As a minor Jing River Dragon King, he could not comprehend the reasons behind this and dared not make wild guesses, so he could only report these circumstances truthfully.

From beginning to end, he never overlooked the existence of the Heavenly Court.