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

Seeing that things had progressed sufficiently, Yun Chonghua quickly rose and stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Dragon King, there's no need for this. Although we had some disagreements before, we are now serving as ministers in the same court. Even if we disregard your 'selfless iron face,' we must still consider His Majesty the Jade Emperor's golden face, mustn't we?"

Upon hearing Yun Chonghua's answer, Ao Guang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Yun Chonghua's tone suggested he wasn't planning to forgive himself so easily, there was a hint of leniency in his words. And as long as there was leniency, there was a chance to turn hostility into friendship.

Ao Guang quickly replied, "Immortal, you have a magnanimous heart; I admire you greatly."

Afterwards, in order to appease Yun Chonghua, Ao Guang said a lot of "auspicious words".

Phrases like "magnanimous," "a prime minister's belly can hold a boat," and "a great man doesn't hold a grudge against a petty person" were used. Then, a lot of praise was given to Yun Chonghua for being young and promising, and for gaining the Jade Emperor's favor at such a young age.

He even saw his jade tablet with his own eyes and praised it repeatedly.

They only stopped when Ao Guang ran out of words.

After the formalities were completed, Ao Guang stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Since the Immortal resides in Sishui, we are close neighbors. We should strive to be closer in the future."

Yun Chonghua was also annoyed by him and planned to say a few more polite words before quickly sending him away.

Yun Chonghua replied, "Of course. If I have free time in the future, I will definitely go to pay a visit."

Then they saw the Dragon King of the East Sea out the door.

When the two arrived in the courtyard, just as the Dragon King was about to leave, Chonghua said, "Dragon King, please wait. As the saying goes, 'One should not accept rewards without merit.' I appreciate the Dragon King's kindness, but these gifts are absolutely unacceptable. Please take them back."

When giving gifts, it's not that you're afraid the recipient will ask for too much, but that you're afraid they won't accept it.

Yun Chonghua refused to accept any of his gifts, which made Ao Guang uneasy. He was even a little afraid, especially after learning Yun Chonghua's true identity.

Ao Guang was unaware that he harbored resentment and did not want to be indebted to someone who had fed him.

I still feel that this price isn't worth "turning hostility into friendship," and I want more.

After pondering for a moment, Ao Guang said, "Hehe. Immortal, these gifts are merely a small token of my congratulations on your arrival at your post. There's no other intention. Besides, what's done is done; how can I take back gifts that have already been given?"

This time, Ao Guang was right. Yun Chonghua's refusal to accept his gift meant that he neither wanted to forgive him nor did he want more.

Although Yun Chonghua wasn't a greedy person, if he was satisfied with just this little bit, then he was worthless.

This old mudfish had no money to bribe officials when saving people, but he really went all out to curry favor with those in power.

If we don't take advantage of him thoroughly and really squeeze out all the "gold coins" from this old mudfish, then all the anger he suffered before will have been for nothing.

He didn't accept it this time, only because he wants more next time.

However, Yun Chonghua still had a concern in his heart.

That is, if I accept his gift, does that count as "bribery"?

If that old mudskipper were to have something on us, we'd be falling into his trap.

Yun Chonghua still planned to wait until the time of his report to Heaven to ask Nezha for his opinion at Yunlou Palace.

It's best to avoid pitfalls when you first enter officialdom.

We should listen more, observe more, and consult trusted seniors.

Yun Chonghua replied, "Your Majesty, you flatter me. I was appointed here by the Jade Emperor, and to receive such a generous gift so soon after taking office would be embarrassing for the Jade Emperor. As you just said, we are neighbors and will have many opportunities to be close in the future. But I absolutely cannot accept this gift today. Please do not put me in a difficult position."

The Dragon King replied, "Ah! What are you saying, Immortal? My visit today is an internal affair of our Dragon Clan and has nothing to do with His Majesty the Jade Emperor. The emergence of another Heavenly Dragon from our clan is truly an honor for the entire clan. This small gift is merely a token of our respect."

Yun Chonghua felt somewhat helpless looking at the old mudfish's shameless appearance.

Judging from his attitude, if I don't accept his money, he's probably going to stay here and not leave.

There's no way to stop Ao Guang from being so shameless. If Yun Chonghua doesn't accept him, things might not be so easy for him to talk to when they meet again.

Although Yun Chonghua was afraid that Ao Guang would take the opportunity to plot against him.

But Ao Guang was even more afraid that Yun Chonghua would slander him to the Jade Emperor and retaliate against him.

Given Yun Chonghua's current status, if he were to be slandered even slightly, he would be severely injured, if not killed.

Therefore, Ao Guang hoped that Yun Chonghua would accept his gift this time. If he did, it would be the beginning of a "thawing" in their relationship.

Next time, whether it's a personal visit or an invitation to my East Sea Dragon Palace, it will be much easier to talk to him.

After thinking it over, Yun Chonghua said, "Since the Dragon King is so kind, it would be rather unreasonable for me to refuse."

Hearing this, Ao Guang was overjoyed and was about to say something when Yun Chonghua continued, "However, I really cannot accept so many gifts. How about this..."

As he spoke, Yun Chonghua selected the water-repelling pearl from among the many gifts. He also took a deep-sea pearl, several ingots of gold, and a bolt of dragon silk.

"Living in this water is indeed quite damp and stagnant. I'll keep this water-repelling pearl to keep this water palace cleaner. I'll keep one of these luminous pearls for lighting. This cloth is soft and perfect for making a bed. I'll leave a few ingots of gold to buy some rice and grain in the human world to fill our stomachs. As for the rest, Dragon King, you can take it all back. We have plenty of time in the future; there's no need to fuss over such a small matter."

Yun Chonghua's words, "There's plenty of time in the future," truly startled Ao Guang. But he had already said all the right things, and the other party had already compromised. If they continued to argue, it might damage their reputations.

So Ao Guang said, "Very well. Since the immortal is so modest, then I will offer it another day. If the immortal has time, please come to my humble abode for a visit, and let this old man do his best to be a good host."

Yun Chonghua nodded and said, "Definitely! Definitely!"

Crab Warrior reluctantly loaded all the gifts back into the carriage. Yun Chonghua personally escorted the old Dragon King out of the water palace. After the two bowed and said goodbye, the old Dragon King boarded the carriage and returned to the East Sea.

After the Dragon King left, Yun Chonghua also let out a cold laugh.

He looked at the pearl, gold ingot, water-repelling pearl, and dragon silk in his hands, and a smile appeared on his face. These items were small, but they were a good start.

Then Chonghua didn't delay. He took out the water-repelling pearl from the box and went straight to the roof of the Water Mansion.

Above the roof was a dome inlaid with precious pearls. Presumably, there were originally water-repelling pearls here, but they were taken away when the previous river god left office. Now, the old dragon king has simply returned them.

After Yun Chonghua hung the water-repelling pearl on it, a water-repelling barrier instantly enveloped the entire water palace.

However, when Yun Chonghua returned to the manor, it was still flooded. But after he used his magic to guide all the water out of the barrier, not a single drop of water could seep in from outside.

Yun Chonghua was overjoyed to have obtained the treasure and tidied up the room.

But while some rejoiced, others grieved. After returning to his palace, the Dragon King of the East Sea sighed and lamented incessantly.

Seeing their father sighing and looking worried, the Dragon Mother and the Dragon Maidens were very anxious.

The fourth dragon princess stepped forward and asked, "Father, what's wrong? Did you go to pay your respects to the newly appointed immortal, but he refused to see you?"

Ao Guang shook his head and said, "That's not it."

The old woman stepped forward and asked, "But he didn't accept our gifts?"

Ao Guang sighed and replied, "He accepted the gifts we sent, but not all of them. I also arranged to meet him at the Dragon Palace another day."

The dragon priest and the dragon maidens exchanged glances, then the dragon priest asked, "If that's the case, why is Your Majesty still so troubled?"