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

Yun Chonghua followed the Dragon King of the East Sea into the back hall.

After the two were seated, the Dragon King instructed the palace maids to serve him a magical tea to relieve his hangover.

Then the two exchanged pleasantries, first asking if Yun Chonghua was satisfied with today's hospitality.

The Dragon King then apologized to Yun Chonghua again, subtly suggesting that it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester.

Faced with the Dragon King's polite words, Yun Chonghua naturally gave the same polite response.

As for the Dragon King's words about "it's better to resolve enmity than to create it," his answer was somewhat vague, always avoiding the main point and not saying he forgave you, nor blaming you.

Although Ao Guang was somewhat anxious, he only touched on the topic briefly.

At least Yun Chonghua is willing to attend the banquet today, which is a good start.

Ao Guang then asked, "Immortal, you have been in the mortal realm for over half a year. What have you learned from serving as a servant there?"

Yun Chonghua gave the same official reply: "What insights can there be? No matter where you serve, as long as you live up to His Majesty's expectations and fulfill your duties, that's enough."

Ao Guang smiled awkwardly and said, "Of course, of course. It's just that there are a few minor things that I hope you can be more tactful and integrate better with us."

Yun Chonghua was completely bewildered by the Dragon King's words. He then frowned and asked, "What does the Dragon King mean? How do I mean by being tactful or fitting in? Does the Dragon King think that my actions are out of step with everyone else?"

Upon seeing Yun Chonghua frown, the Dragon King quickly stood up and waved his hand, saying, "Immortal, you misunderstand. It is our honor that you have descended to the mortal realm to sit with us. How could I, a lowly dragon, dare to slander you? However, although this matter is small, it concerns the interests of the entire dragon race, and I had no choice but to speak my mind. I hope you will forgive me, Immortal."

Every time the Dragon King spoke to Yun Chonghua, if he was even slightly displeased, he would break out in a cold sweat in fear.

After listening, Yun Chonghua asked, "Oh? If that's the case, then please speak frankly, Dragon King. Where is there anything wrong with what I've done? Although I've been granted the Heavenly Register, I'm young and inexperienced, and I still need guidance from a senior like the Dragon King."

The Dragon King breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Yun Chonghua hadn't completely turned against him.

After settling into his seat, the Dragon King said, "Hehe, Immortal, you flatter me. It's not so much guidance as a few words of advice. Although you are a celestial dragon, you are still a member of my dragon clan. In terms of blood, we are much closer than others. So, I'll speak frankly."

"Our dragon race is able to rule the four seas and reign supreme in this lower realm of water because it possesses the independent power to control rain. If we need to send down a light drizzle, we don't need the help of any divine generals; we can do it ourselves. It is precisely because of this that our dragon race can be employed by the Jade Emperor above and receive offerings from mortals below. It can be said that this power to control rain is the greatest value of our dragon race within the Three Realms."

Yun Chonghua said, "I understand that. But what does this have to do with what the Dragon King said?"

Ao Guang continued, "What Xiaolong means is that he requests the Immortal to stop being so 'responsive to every request' from the people under his rule. The Immortal is a celestial dragon with immense magical power. When he summons clouds and rain, the area affected far surpasses that of us true dragons. It's not just the banks of the Si River; it even extends to the Huai River and other places. Yet, whenever the farming season arrives, the Immortal uses his magic to bring rain, protecting the people and ensuring good weather..."

Yun Chonghua grew increasingly agitated, and he asked, "What? Is it wrong for me to protect this region and ensure good weather and abundant harvests?"

Ao Guang waved his hand and said, "It is true that the Immortal is benevolent. However, the Immortal's actions make things difficult for the other Dragon Kings. In the past, when we sent down rain to benefit the people, we received offerings of meat and vegetables from the mortals. Therefore, according to human custom, whenever people pray for rain, they will rebuild our temples and offer meat, vegetables, fruits, gold, and silver. After they complete the ritual, we take these offerings and then send down this extra rain. In this way, we can not only save the people, but also make the mortals grateful and respect us even more."

"As the saying goes, 'A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment.' Now, the immortals ask for nothing in return and grant every request from mortals. If this continues, mortals will only take our extra favors and blessings for good weather and abundant harvests for granted, and then no one will come to worship the gods anymore. Not only will people stop offering incense and prayers, but if one day we fail to do enough, those mortals might even hold a grudge against us, and then demolish temples and smash statues."

Ao Guang brought this up today not to cause trouble for Yun Chonghua, but simply to get an explanation from him.

After all, Yun Chonghua's conscientious behavior really affected the "offerings" to several rivers around the Huai River. This year, the "offerings" collected were less than half of those in previous years.

If Yun Chonghua were willing to go along with the corrupt practices, that would be best. But if that wasn't the case, he would need a reason to appease the other dragon kings.

Especially the little yellow dragon, who has the worst temper and lives next to Yun Chonghua.

He was terrified that Little Yellow Dragon would also offend Yun Chonghua, which would not only cost him his life but also implicate the East Sea.

Moreover, Yun Chonghua's blessing of favorable weather for the people indirectly affected Ao Guang's interests, and the implications were quite significant.

After all, if the dragon kings under his command receive less offerings, where will they get the extra money to support Ao Guang, the clan leader?

With fewer offerings and tributes to Ao Guang, where would he get the extra money to bribe the "heavenly beings"?

Yun Chonghua is going to stay here for who knows how many centuries. If this continues, it will be difficult to maintain this relationship.

Yun Chonghua's unintentional little action ruined the feng shui of the entire line.

If he weren't someone affiliated with the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, with those two powerful backers, the vested interests along this line would have long since turned against him.

Although the matter was small, it had far-reaching implications. That's why Ao Guang took advantage of Yun Chonghua's good mood after being entertained today to bring up this matter first, even putting it before his own daughter's wedding.

But after hearing this, Yun Chonghua was momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Yun Chonghua didn't think much of the Dragon Kings in the lower realms who would ask mortals for offerings whenever they cast extra spells to bring rain.

After all, people who work for others in the human world are paid wages.

Receiving an imperial decree to bring rain was considered part of his job; doing his own side jobs was considered extra effort.

In a way, the Dragon King's act of sending down rain is also a form of working for mortals.

You have a need, I provide the service, and in the end, the money and goods are exchanged—this is a normal commercial transaction. It's perfectly acceptable and fair.

But the problem is!!!

Whether the offerings are large or small is not up to the common people, but entirely up to the Dragon Kings.

With this "pricing power" in the hands of the Dragon Kings, the elasticity of this "price" is virtually limitless.

They can become tools for them to prey on the people and plunder their wealth at any time.

Although Yun Chonghua was not a moral gentleman, he disdained to associate with them.

Moreover, he didn't send rain to mortals without asking for anything in return; he also received offerings in return.

However, he always stops short of saying anything, and that's enough.

The final result was that the farmers who grew grain had a bumper harvest, and he also managed to get a small benefit, resulting in a win-win situation for everyone.

By simply "stopping at the right point," he has accumulated considerable wealth over this period. Not only is he living a life free from worries about food and clothing, but he could also easily support dozens more people.

This shows just how greedy those bastards were in the past.

But after careful consideration, Yun Chonghua realized that this group's greed had been ingrained for centuries, its roots running deep. He didn't know how many others were involved, and he couldn't afford to provoke public outrage now.

To prevent these greedy bastards from gossiping about him again, Yun Chonghua had come up with a reason to shut them up.

Yun Chonghua smiled and said, "Hehe, I understand what the Dragon King means."

Seeing Yun Chonghua's smile, Ao Guang also laughed and said, "Hehe, it's good that you're so understanding, Immortal. If you have any free time in the future, you are welcome to come to my place anytime for some immortal tea and to watch some singing and dancing. My East Sea Dragon Palace always welcomes your visit."

Yun Chonghua waved his hand and continued, "Dragon King, please don't be impatient. I haven't finished speaking. I understand what you mean, but I cannot agree to this. Since you have spoken from the bottom of your heart to me, I will also say a few words from the bottom of my heart to you."

"Although I am now a Dragon King in the mortal realm, I am under the direct jurisdiction of the Jade Emperor, not the jurisdiction of the Four Seas and Four Rivers. Even His Majesty the Jade Emperor personally bestowed upon me the Jade Tablet. With the wisdom of a Dragon King, I think you should be able to figure out the reason for this."

Upon hearing this, Ao Guang instantly understood Yun Chonghua's meaning.