Traveling Through Journey to the West: I Am the Dragon King

Yun Chonghua looked at Nezha and said, "Today I must descend to the mortal realm to take up my post. After this parting, I don't know if it will be decades or even centuries before I see you again, brother. Let's not mention that plague-ridden old mudfish today."

Nezha glanced at the "Purple Smoke Bell" hanging from his waist and said, "Why would it take hundreds of years? From now on, we can see each other every day."

"Huh? We see each other every day? My brother is in the Heavenly Realm, and I'm in the Lower Realm. How can we see each other every day?" Yun Chonghua asked in return.

Nezha continued, "The magical treasure at your waist is called the 'Purple Smoke Bell,' a magical artifact used by the Heavenly Court to summon all the immortals. Whenever this Purple Smoke Bell rings and emits purple smoke, the immortals in the mortal realm must go to the Heavenly Court to report for duty. The time for this reporting is in the fourth month of the mortal realm, which is the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) in the heavens. So this is also called 'Dianmao' (the hour of Mao). One day in heaven is equivalent to one year on earth. I live in heaven, and you live on earth. For you, it may have been a whole year, but for me, we can see each other every day."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chonghua said, "I see. I originally thought it was just a token of a celestial being, but I never expected it to have such a function."

Yun Chonghua looked at the small bell at his waist that resembled an incense burner and thought to himself, "So even immortals have to clock in for work."

Yun Chonghua continued, "Do the immortals in the lower realms all possess this item?"

Nezha shook his head and said, "That's not true. Not all immortals in the mortal realm are qualified to report to Heaven. Only those who have been registered in the Heavenly Register are qualified. As for the River Gods and Dragon Lords of the Southern Continent, they are governed by the Four River Dragon Gods and the Four Sea Dragon Kings respectively. Mountain Gods, Earth Gods, and City Gods are ghost immortals under the jurisdiction of the Underworld. Even if they need to report, they only need to report to their own superiors. They are not qualified to go to Heaven."

"Brother, although you are an Earth Immortal, you are an Earth Immortal who has received the Heavenly Register. Although you serve as an official in the mortal realm and work with the Four Dragon Kings to control the clouds and rain, you are not under their jurisdiction. Instead, you are directly supervised by the Kehan ​​Division, so you need to go to Heaven every year to report for duty."

"Among the immortals who have the same treatment as you, the only ones I know are Brother Yang from Guanjiang Estuary, the Third Holy Mother of Mount Hua, the Three Stars of Penglai Immortal Island, the Nine Elders of Yingzhou, and a group of other immortals. However, Brother Yang doesn't have a good relationship with the Jade Emperor, so he doesn't usually come. As for the Kitchen God, he's a bit special; he only goes to heaven at Hai hour (9-11 PM) to report on human fortunes and misfortunes."

Nezha then laughed and said, "The Sishui River where you are stationed is one of the eight streams, right next to the Eastern Ocean. It's good that it's under the jurisdiction of Director Han now, so you won't have to put up with that old mudfish's nonsense."

After hearing this, Yun Chonghua said, "I see. It's indeed a good thing that we don't have to face that old mudfish's stinky face."

Yun Chonghua then said without further delay, "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, brother. It's getting late, and I should go down to the mortal realm to take up my post. Brother, we'll meet again 'tomorrow'."

Seeing this, Nezha also got up to see them off, personally escorting them to the outside of Yunlou Palace.

As the brothers parted, Yun Chonghua said, "Brother, please keep the Seventh Princess's secret to yourself. Otherwise, if others find out, it will be a disaster for me."

Upon hearing this, Nezha laughed and said, "Don't worry, brother. I'm not that gossipy. Besides, I'm sure all the officials in the court are aware of this matter, but it has been handled in accordance with the Heavenly Rules. Since no one can find any fault with it, it's naturally inconvenient for them to speak out. I certainly won't cause myself any trouble."

Nezha looked at Yun Chonghua and said, "Before we part, I have a few words to tell you. You've just entered the public service, and your foundation is not yet solid. Don't be too complacent. The affairs of heaven are far more complex than they seem to us. When you encounter problems, observe more, learn more, and speak less."

Yun Chonghua replied, "Thank you for your guidance, elder brother. I have taken it to heart."

Nezha continued, "Also, when you go down to the mortal realm, do more good deeds for the people. As long as they are kind and sincere and give you offerings, you should send down some sweet rain for them. Don't be as greedy as that old mudfish. Back in Chentang Pass, if the offerings weren't enough, he wouldn't send down a single drop of sweet rain. If I hadn't beaten him so badly back then, he might still be eating young boys and girls now."

Yun Chonghua replied, "Please rest assured, brother, I will certainly ensure that the region enjoys favorable weather and abundant harvests."

After saying goodbye, the two brothers left through the South Heavenly Gate and headed straight down to the mortal realm.

Since eating the peaches of immortality, drinking the imperial wine, and swallowing the golden elixir, Yun Chonghua has acquired the body of a celestial dragon. His magical power has increased several times over. Even his posture of descending to the mortal realm on a cloud is much better than before.

Although his clouds aren't particularly fast, he can now travel across mountains and rivers in a single day with ease.

In just a moment, he arrived at the sacred land of China in the Southern Continent, above the Sishui River in Xuzhou.

Gazing at the vast expanse of water, a smile involuntarily appeared on Yun Chonghua's face. Perhaps from this moment on, his destiny was truly in his own hands. From this moment on, he could finally have his own residence.

He then descended from the clouds and leaped directly into the water.

However, compared to other immortals, Yun Chonghua has a natural advantage: he doesn't need to use the "water-avoiding spell" when he goes into the water, nor does he need any water-avoiding magic treasures.

Although he has returned to his perfect human form, he has not lost any of his dragon characteristics.

Soon, Yun Chonghua followed the waterway and arrived at the gate of a rather unremarkable water mansion at the bottom of the river.

Of course, this "undignified" status is only relative to the old Dragon King's Crystal Palace.

However, as one of the eight major water palaces, the entire water palace was also built with the finest granite.

However, being submerged for most of the year and seemingly neglected, it's covered in moss and looks rather shabby.

Above the main gate of the water palace hung a stone plaque with five large characters: "Sishui River God Palace".

Yun Chonghua murmured, "It seems that this place was originally inhabited by a river god, not a dragon king. Although the name isn't as grand as 'Dragon Palace,' let it be."

After saying that, Yun Chonghua went inside to see where he would live in the future.

Just then, a voice called out from behind, "Immortal, please wait!"

Yun Chonghua turned around and saw a water patrol yaksha swimming towards him from behind. Behind the yaksha was a crab warrior and a shrimp soldier.

The yaksha approached and bowed deeply, asking, "May I ask where your immortal abode is? What business do you have in the Sishui River God's Palace? There is currently no presiding deity in this river, only soldiers from our East Sea Dragon Palace on duty here. If you have any official business, please travel to the East Sea Dragon Palace to see my king."

Upon hearing the yaksha's words, Yun Chonghua took out his jade tablet and the Jade Emperor's edict. He then said, "I am the newly appointed Dragon Lord of the Sishui River, sent here by His Majesty the Jade Emperor to take over this place."

Upon seeing the Jade Emperor's edict and the jade tablet, the yakshas, ​​shrimp soldiers, and crab warriors immediately knelt down.

"So it is the Dragon King himself who has come! We have failed to greet you properly; please forgive us!"

Hearing the commotion outside, a voice came from inside the River God's Palace: "What's going on? Why are you shouting like that? Do you think this River God's Palace is a marketplace?!"

Upon hearing the voice, Yun Chonghua looked up and saw a clerk wearing an official hat, hands behind his back, swaggering towards the door. The wings of his official hat were also swaying back and forth.