Chapter 92: A Local Lord? King Of Aquatic Products!
Li Ye was stunned for a moment, took the file, and began to read it.
The meaning inside was simple: he had eliminated Bishapovacha and exposed the Ren Family for raising a Skin-Peeling Demon, which was meritorious. Considering geographical factors and to encourage cultivation, the Ren Family’s fiefdom ‘Hulong Palace’ that should have been reclaimed was granted to him.
The large seal stamped on it was still from the Provincial Department.
“Fiefdom?”
Li Ye chewed on these two words and joked, “I thought I had gone back to ancient times. With this, can I become the King of Ningjiang?”
“What’s the difference between this fiefdom and the Demon Realm? Is there some otherworld space for me? Then it can freely produce resources, and even be beneficial for cultivation?”
“Pretty much.”
Sun Shun’s words stunned Li Ye for a moment.
He saw him solemnly take out a jade box and place it on the table.
“I didn’t even dare to open this thing after getting it. It’s too precious. In ancient times, with this, you would truly be a local overlord.”
“A fiefdom is no different from those Demon Realms that have had pollution removed. It’s just that a Demon Realm with pollution removed has a chance to produce a token. In the East, it’s a seal; in the Western Countries, it’s an authority ring. It varies by region.”
Sun Shun pointed at the jade box and said, “In ancient times, with this thing, one would have the qualification to establish a Water Mansion and set up offices.”
“Once the Demon Realm is cleared, a special existence will manifest: a Water Mansion, palace, city—anything is possible. The holder of the token can then open it.”
Sun Shun thought for a moment and smiled, “In the late Qing Dynasty, when the Demon Realm descended, the ancestor of the Ren Family cleared the pollution and killed a flood dragon, obtaining a token that opened a water mansion in the lake, thus gaining a fiefdom. To be precise, half of Ningjiang City really was theirs.”
“Later, when our Shenzhou was established, the Hulong Palace that the Ren Family itself held was retained.”
“Don’t underestimate that place. Just the resources alone are very good. Although mostly aquatic products, they are high-quality ingredients for fine cuisine, with almost no threat. That’s a steady source of wealth.”
Sun Shun said, “No need for breeding, yet it continuously produces abundant resources. That’s the Ren Family’s foundation. He can sell the resources, and with influence, easily re-establish roots in Ningjiang City.”
“But that’s not the key. The most crucial thing is that this water mansion is beneficial for cultivation, greatly so, especially for the Three Realms.”
Li Ye asked, “How is it beneficial?”
“I don’t know.”
Sun Shun shrugged. “I’m just at Two Dragon Gate. The information from above is all memorized by me. How would I know?”
“Sounds like a blessed grotto-heaven.”
Li Ye smiled wryly, picked up the jade box, and found upon touching it that the jade material was very warm—top-quality stuff. Opening it, inside was a thumb-sized golden seal. Holding the golden seal felt ordinary, just the most common gold material, nothing special.
Instead, the small seal-like characters below were quite special, glowing with green jade color, with just three words on them—Hulong Palace.
Holding the seal in hand, Li Ye inexplicably felt a strange sensation, as if he had grasped some kind of switch.
“By the way, are they willing to give this up? From what you said, this is a rare resource.”
“What’s there to be unwilling about? Demon Realms are too hard to handle.”
Sun Shun shook his head and smiled. “From a Demon Realm’s appearance to successfully clearing the pollution takes a lot of time. Compared to that, what does a little gain or loss matter? The meat is still rotting in the pot, isn’t it?”
“Even now, if someone clears a Demon Realm’s pollution without using resources from above, they’ll still be granted a fiefdom. Besides, you have to grant it. If you don’t, and other countries do, what then?”
“Plus, if you can grant it, you can also take it back.”
Hearing this, Li Ye nodded thoughtfully, then smiled again. “It’s a good thing. By the way, where is it?”
“The one you’re familiar with: the large lake across from the large courtyard house that Director Pan gave you is your fiefdom.” Sun Shun smiled.
“You’re not joking with me, are you?”
Li Ye was stunned. “That Lake Park? That’s just a normal lake, right?”
He certainly knew that lake. Ningjiang City had a famous scenic spot there, with no fishing or swimming allowed. Though there were fish and shrimp inside, they were just ordinary food, at most a bit fresher.
Sun Shun just glanced at the golden seal in Li Ye’s hand and smiled without saying anything.
“Alright, I get it,” Li Ye said.
Sun Shun didn’t stay too long either. After confirming the division of spoils was complete, including handling those gangs, he went off to his own work. Li Ye stayed in the office a bit, then rode his bike to the purpose.
He first arrived at the large courtyard house and looked toward the mansion gate opposite, where the lake extended far ahead. This position gave a clear view of the lake heart island’s outline in front.
“Let me see what’s going on.”
He opened the jade box and took out the golden seal. The moment he held it, he seemed to perceive something—as if between heaven and earth, there was a place for this golden seal to press. So he pressed it into the air.
Da.
Like a large seal striking the base, pressing down heavily. Before Li Ye’s eyes, it seemed something opened.
Clearly the calmest lake water, yet at this moment it was like qi and blood steaming, with something steaming inside the lake water.
Li Ye frowned, suddenly reached out, and grabbed a fish leaping from the lake water.
Crucian carp.
He had seen it before. Pan Zhengyang would set up a stool here to fish when idle. Bans on fishing applied to ordinary people, not him.
But this crucian carp was clearly different now. This fish actually had two tiny dragon whiskers growing, and its tail had become swollen. It thrashed more powerfully in Li Ye’s hand.
Li Ye looked around and saw no one nearby, then opened his mouth and inhaled.
Devour Ghosts authority activated, sucking the entire fish into his mouth.
Li Ye pondered for a moment and couldn’t help laughing. “There really are changes.”
Ordinary fish were just food. Under the authority’s effect, they could boost qi and blood a bit at best. But this fish now had significantly stronger qi and blood than ordinary ones, and even a tiny bit of talent added.
Although only an imperceptible trace.
“But it wins in quantity, and it’s free.”
He scanned the vast lake, a smile tugging at his lips, then stepped into the lake.
With the golden seal activated, he felt as if he had merged with this body of water. The lake water had no effect on him.
Sure enough, with one step, he didn’t even feel any wetness. It was like the water was fake, allowing him to walk right into it. Reaching the lake’s depths, he felt no resistance at all, yet he was drifting in the water.
This magical scene made Li Ye feel wondrous, yet somewhat unaccustomed.
He practiced martial arts, not cultivation immortality.
The water seemed to welcome him home, carrying him deeper until the lake center, then further down. The center was different from other places—deeper, connecting to unseen darkness.
The water current carried Li Ye sneaking into the darkness for a while, until his eyes brightened. Deeper still was a lake bottom area, topped by a majestic palace!
The palace wasn’t sitting in lake bottom silt but seemed suspended within, surrounded by gentle blue-white water flows, like clouds lifting it up.
The palace surface was covered in layers of special algae and moss glowing dark blue, emerald green, or light purple. Below were strange reef clusters, scattered to form a guarding formation, faintly tracing some profound array pattern.
The palace roof was covered in huge, overlapping glazed tiles like dragon scales, colored from deep blue to ink green, refracting ghostly light in the depths.
With a thought, the water carried Li Ye to the main gate. The main gate was two huge bronze doors, engraved with reliefs of massive dragon patterns churning the seas and stirring clouds to make rain.
Above the gate, the plaque was also written in small seal script with ‘Hulong Palace’ three words.
As Li Ye arrived, the bronze doors opened automatically, letting him in.
The space inside wasn’t small, far exceeding what it looked from outside. Overhead wasn’t a roof but a flowing dome of water emitting soft, moonlit blue light.
The hall had coiling dragon pillars several people could hug, not man-made but like natural strange stone, covered in the same glowing moss as outside, illuminating the great hall.
Underfoot was ground paved with strange black jade-like floor tiles and seashells. The surrounding walls had relief murals of a flood dragon treading auspicious clouds toward the water wave dome above, unclear if watching or receiving enfeoffment.
Couldn’t understand.
Li Ye felt there was meaning here, but he couldn’t figure it out.
The hall’s decorations were also strange: a massive cold jade table carved as a recumbent turtle, a throne polished from a huge seashell, coral screens—absolutely not man-made, more like a dragon palace.
“Hulong… Dragon Palace living in the lake?”
Li Ye sensed for a while, then suddenly thought of something and began martial arts training directly.
Twelve Golden Palace Dragon Tiger Gate: Golden Palace effect average, Tiger Gate average, but Dragon Gate Technique seemed a bit faster in progress than before.
He also thought of the [Sui Pass Calamity Heart] visualization method Pan Zhengyang had sent earlier, which he couldn’t practice before, but now it was different.
He had swallowed massive pollution from the yaksa, transformed by Devour Ghosts authority, all boosting his own talent.
“Visualize.”
With talent changed, he felt his mind clear. The [Sui Pass Calamity Heart] visualization suddenly felt real in his mind, like flint sparking his heart fire, constantly friction-igniting, gradually growing.
“No.”
After practicing a bit, Li Ye shook his head. “This place has limited improvement for this martial art.”
He then practiced the three martial arts seized from the Ren Family.
Cicada Song Shattering River Sword Scripture was for Army Breaking Pass, heavy on swordplay.
Great River Whale Swallowing Technique was for Qi Meridian Pass.
Nine Bends Listening to Waves Art was for Five Senses Pass.
The first two didn’t need practice; Li Ye had already broken through. Instead, he could practice this Nine Bends Listening to Waves Art.
This martial art focused on senses, implying using endless river torrents to scour the five senses, reaching a realm of preternatural skill without contrivance.
Practicing it here in the dragon palace had an effect even greater than Dragon Gate Technique.
“But this isn’t for Second Realm martial arts training.”
Training had effect, but not the most effective.
Just as Sun Shun said, it should have greater effect on Three Realms.
Li Ye shook his head, scanned the surroundings again, then walked out the dragon palace gate, letting the water guide him back up.
It was a good place, but not much use to him now. Wait until Three Realms.
The only current benefit was that with the golden seal opened, the aquatic creatures inside would rapidly mutate into high-quality ingredients.
But there were limits, seemingly due to the water mansion itself, though Li Ye didn’t know the exact amount—not unlimited void creation.
Fortunately, it wasn’t the martial arts crossing to immortal cultivation he imagined, nor any big secret. Aside from him entering the lake without getting wet, nothing else was particularly miraculous.
In the end, he just gained a Three Realms cultivation ground and a base to be king of aquatic products.
Talked up so mysteriously, he thought it was some profound secret canon.
He didn’t know if it was because this fiefdom had been around a long time or originally not that large-scale.
Anyway, rating: not as good as killing a god.
But having it is better than not, especially since it costs nothing here.
Sorry, a bit late.
