Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Dragon Crown Prince’s Resentment…

Aoxing, who was bolting along the shore clutching his head, heard the old turtle and cried out at once, "Turtle Minister, save me! My mother is going to beat me to death... Ow!"

The old man with the walrus mustache glanced up, saw the Dragon Monarch's gaze sweep over him, and his throat bobbed once before he shrank back into a turtle shell.

That night, the River of Heaven churned with violent waves, as if a flood dragon were rolling beneath the surface.

Only the next day did the water split open and fling out a young man with horns and a battered face. The way he landed made it seem as though someone had hurled him from the riverbed.

Aoxing lay sprawled on the sandy bank with the expression of a soul that had already left the world, staring blankly at the sky. Even now, he still had no idea how he had ended up taking such a beating.

Then the water broke open again. A great cauldron and all manner of odd, scattered things flew up from the river like a shower of blossoms, landing on the shore.

A huge turtle shell followed after them. With a cry of pain, it hit the sand back-first and came to rest by the riverbank.

Aolan stood on the water with a face like frost. She flicked a finger, sending a streak of spiritual light into Aoxing's crown, and coldly rebuked him: "Take your junk and get out to cultivate. If you cannot grasp the chance to transform into a dragon, do not come back!"

She paused, as if remembering something, and then warned him harshly, "And listen well: outside, you are not to call yourself the prince of the River of Heaven Dragon Palace. If you dare sneak back, I will break your legs!"

With that, she gave a cold snort and swept her sleeve as she departed.

"I..."

Aoxing sniffled and looked up at the sky. Two lines of clear tears slid down his cheeks as he muttered brokenly, "I... I'm already more than eight hundred years old, and my mother still hits me. My mother... my mother doesn't love me anymore..."

"Get out!"

As though answering him, Aolan's voice rose from the depths of the River of Heaven. A burst of river water surged up and splashed straight into his face.

Aoxing sat up, wiped his face, and it was impossible to tell whether he was wiping away tears or river water. He wailed at the top of his lungs, "Mother, I don't want to go out! I don't want to go out! The world beyond is full of danger, out there..."

Sitting on the sand, he sobbed as he listed the terrors of the mortal world, all the while furtively glancing toward the River of Heaven not far away.

He was practically one step away from having the words "social anxiety" written across his face.

Yet no matter how much he muttered, how much he cried, the river gave him no further answer.

"..."

Had his mother really gone?

After crying for a long while with no reply, Aoxing seemed to think of something else. His face fell, and he stared with deep resentment at the household items scattered on the bank.

When he saw the turtle shell, his face twitched and he asked, "Wuqin, why were you driven out too?"

"Reporting to Your Highness..."

The turtle shell wobbled as an old head with a walrus mustache poked out. Then two legs stretched out and kicked as it flipped over, transforming into a bent-backed, stooped human form.

"The Dragon Monarch feared that Your Highness, having been long apart from the mortal world, might accidentally offend some taboo. So she sent this old servant to accompany you as your attendant..."

He hurried over, trying to help him up.

"Owww... it hurts, it hurts..."

Aoxing clutched his backside and hissed through clenched teeth. Once he managed to prop himself up, sorrow welled in his chest and he said, "My mother really does want to beat me to death..."

"!"

Wuqin jumped in alarm, glanced at the river surface, and quickly said in a low voice, "Your Highness, please watch your words. In this old servant's view, the Dragon Monarch still cares very much for you."

"She cares about me?"

The flesh on Aoxing's cheek twitched as he said thoughtfully, "My mother hadn't hit me for several hundred years. This time she was so ruthless. There must be some reason for it!"

He paused, as if something had just occurred to him, and asked seriously, "Wuqin, has anyone come to the Dragon Palace as a guest lately?"

"Anyone come to the Dragon Palace as a guest?"

Wuqin frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head. "The last banquet in the Dragon Palace was more than ten years ago, when the gods of the great and small rivers and lakes came to pay their respects. After that, it seems no outsiders came."

His eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurried on, "Though no outsiders came to the Dragon Palace, a few days ago, the Dragon Monarch did go out for a trip..."

"She went out?"

Aoxing immediately seized upon the key point behind his beating and asked at once, "Who did my mother go to see?"

"..."

Wuqin shook his head so hard it looked like a rattle drum. "The Dragon Monarch gave no explanation for the trip, and this old servant does not know either."

"You can't figure it out?"

"I..."

Seeing the old man's face flush red from holding in his words, Aoxing knew the request was too difficult even for a turtle. He waved a hand in disappointment and asked, "How many days was my mother gone?"

"About four days..."

"Four days..."

Aoxing's gaze sharpened as realization dawned. "My mother has always hated to lay a hand on me. She was gone four days and came back acting like a different dragon entirely. Someone must have been whispering slander in her ear!"

"..."

Wuqin flinched in fright and said nothing.

The more Aoxing thought about it, the more certain he became. Grinding his teeth, he said bitterly, "Just let me find out which rat was spreading those lies. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves..."

"..."

Wuqin wiped the cold sweat from his brow, looked around, and hurriedly gestured toward the River of Heaven. "Your Highness, perhaps we should leave first..."

"Right, right..."

Only then did Aoxing notice the River of Heaven so close at hand. He came back to himself in alarm, glanced around nervously, then opened his mouth and inhaled. The cauldron and all the scattered objects on the sand were sucked clean into his belly.

After brushing the sand from his body, he asked casually, "Wuqin, if my mother wants me to go into the world to cultivate, where should I go?"

"Your Highness..."

"Don't call me Your Highness!"

Aoxing shot him a glare and said irritably, "My mother said that outside I am not to call myself the prince of the River of Heaven Dragon Palace. Do you want to get me killed?"

He paused, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Once we're out there, I'll be called Long Xing. You still answer to Wuqin, and you can just call me Young Master."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Wuqin nodded repeatedly and said carefully, "The Dragon Monarch told the... no, the mistress told the young master to go into the world for cultivation.

As far as this old servant knows, there are three kingdoms around here: one is Song, one is Zhou, and one is Liang. This old servant suggests that the young master choose either Song or Zhou as the place for worldly cultivation."

Aoxing raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Song and Zhou are both peaceful and prosperous."

"And Liang?"

"..."

Knowing his young master's temperament, Wuqin patiently explained, "It is said that there has been some unrest and warfare within Liang. Moreover, the ruler of Liang is planning to hold some grand water-and-land ritual...

He says he will widely invite gifted and extraordinary individuals under heaven, select true immortals and true Buddhas, and confer upon them the office of imperial preceptor so they may enjoy the nation's fortune and receive worship from the imperial house. In short, it's a great muddle of things..."

"True immortals and true Buddhas?"

Aoxing sneered when he heard this. He knew very well that not just anyone could casually use the word true. Thus he said, "Then let's go take a look at this Kingdom of Liang..."