Chapter 732: Chapter 21 Breaking the Seal (Part 1) Chapter 732: Chapter 21 Breaking the Seal (Part 1) Yang Zichu was naturally extravagant and loved making a spectacle. When he first transformed into human form, he couldn’t help but show off in front of Li Yan, ordering the crabs, fish, prawns, turtles, and snails in the Water Palace to play music and put on a grand show. As time went on, he grew in knowledge of ancient and modern delights, and became even more skillful at enjoying himself. This time, to please Yan Gong, he really pulled out all the stops.

In the dark depths of the sea, beams of bright red, indigo, and pink light swept back and forth–turned out to be groups of Dragon Mane Jellyfish using their bell-shaped bodies to wrap around various colored giant gems, their luminescent bells contracting and expanding, through which the gems emitted intense hues. It was like the multicolored disco balls.

The large gems cradled by the jellyfish came from the collection of the Seven-Star Precious Pagoda; each was incredibly valuable, untouched for nearly a thousand years–now being put to good use.

Various unnamed sea creatures formed groups, each making colorful circles, and raced through the water.

Onlookers saw only Yan Gong and Li Jiang in the center, with one of her tentacles attached to a bright red Snub-Nosed Turtle. After a moment, Li Jiang flung her tentacle outwards and the Snub-Nosed Turtle spun through the water, striking a silver halo formed by a circle of cod, causing ripples as the cod scattered in all directions.

“First place! Hit, Lord Yan Gong, you’ve scored again!”

Yang Zichu called out vigorously. He swam over quickly, gingerly biting the still dizzy Snub-Nosed Turtle and sycophantically delivered it to Li Jiang’s hands.

Li Jiang gracefully took the Snub-Nosed Turtle from Yang Zichu’s mouth, wrapping it with one tentacle, while gently covering her siphon with another, displaying a slightly more girlish demeanor than before.

“This game of pitch-pot used to be played before the King of Qi by the scholars. It’s nothing new. However, the South Seas sea creatures are mostly dull and timid. It’s not difficult to drive such fools to charge into battle, but this delicate work can really rack one’s brains. You’ve done well to train them to be this clever in just a few days.”

Yang Zichu wagged his tail: “Your lineage is noble, sir. These common sea creatures have at most five hundred years of cultivation, or are just beginning to develop intelligence. Catching sight of such a debonair gentleman as yourself, they naturally become awestruck. I merely gave them a little guidance–once they heard it was for your entertainment, they were all inspired and practiced diligently to achieve such an effect.”

Upon hearing this, Li Jiang chided with a smile: “You sure have a sweet mouth.”

Li Yan and Saint Watson, trapped inside golden bubbles, witnessed this scene, exchanging glances and simultaneously shrugging their shoulders.

Saint Watson blurted out: “I don’t understand; is your crocodile trying to woo that giant squid?”

Li Yan, with his arms crossed: “It’s better than doing nothing. Let’s just wait and see.”

Since the battle at Lantau Island, Li Yan had counted more than eight hundred thousand heartbeats, which he guessed was about ten days or so.

During this period, Yang Zichu’s endless tricks had Li Jiang utterly enchanted, from playing dice games to betting on horse races, watching plays to bouncing games of liubo, all were effortless. He even had the underwater monsters accompany with dance and music, and they turned even ‘Jesus’–belonging to Saint Watson–into a hallucinogenic product to amuse Li Jiang.

Li Jiang, although an ancient Monster, had never seen such an array and spent her days frolicking and playing, utterly forgetting Li Yan and Saint Watson for the time being.

After finishing a game of “fish-pot,” Li Jiang casually rolled a few cowrie shells, but used a bit too much force, and the fishbone-made pieces shattered with a snap.

“Ah, why does Hu Baoyi (the characters of the cowrie shell game represent Water Margin figures) keep breaking? So useless,” she complained.

Annoyed, Li Jiang tossed aside the broken pieces, the sixth time in these few days.

In secret, Yang Zichu’s eyes flickered. These cowrie shells had been hastily made from rotten fish bones that had decayed over many years. He pretended to accidentally drop and damage them while playing. Since Yan Gong was huge, the fishbone cowrie shells were naturally not durable.

He felt the timing was right and, with a flattering smile, said to Li Jiang: “I’m clumsy and not strong enough. Perhaps I damaged them when I threw them earlier, and only after they came into your hands did we notice. How about…”

Yang Zichu swallowed his saliva: “You order me to come out of the Precious Pagoda and find some more suitable material elsewhere to make a set of durable cowrie shells.”

“Hmm?”

Li Jiang eyed Yang Zichu with a playful look and nodded, “All right. Just don’t go blundering in. If a few old monsters see you, they’ll gobble you up as a snack.”

Startled, Yang Zichu jumped, “As an assistant to Lord Yan Gong, how could a little monster dare to make a snack of me? I won’t go, I won’t go.”

Li Jiang had her suspicions, but seeing Yang Zichu’s demeanor, she doubted him much less.

“I was just speaking off the cuff. With your abilities, not many could surpass you in the three-thousand-league sea. Show your moves and shine; it won’t be easy to make you into a snack.”

“Not too many over three thousand leagues? Does that mean there could be one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight? I dare not go.”

Yang Zichu put on a look of grievance.

“You little sly head.”

Li Jiang said helplessly. Just then, she opened her mouth and spat out a dual-colored red and white dragon-shaped jade pendant, which fell into Yang Zichu’s mouth, “With my jade protecting you, everyone in the Heavenly Mother Palace will know you are mine, and they won’t turn you into a snack.”

Yang Zichu held the precious jade in his mouth, his eyeballs rolling around as he bowed again, “The sea is boundless, and this is the Heavenly Mother’s Precious Site. Even with your precious jade’s blessing, I am truly anxious. I must consult with Lord Yan Gong about where ancient monsters dwell for thousands of years, and where Mazu has set up traps, so I can avoid them in good time.”

“About that.”

After recalling for a while, Li Jiang said, “One hundred leagues south is the Poison Fire Pool, filled with ten-thousand-year poison fire. There lives Ma Ling, an old monster born from Chaos like myself, but he’s become muddled. Don’t provoke him. One hundred leagues north lives Heavenly Eyes and Earthly Ears, two monsters in the shell of a black tortoise, and there’s more…”

Li Jiang listed five or six places before adding, “And, the Heavenly Mother Palace usually has three black ships called Wangxiao, Pingxiao, and Lingxiao. Should you see them from a distance, curse them loudly for me, but do not get close. Have you got that?”

Yang Zichu nodded continuously, “Remember, I remember, I am off now.”

With a shake of his body, his massive frame stirred up waves as he soared into the sky, covering a hundred zhang in the blink of an eye.

In about the time it took to burn a few incense sticks, Yang Zichu had already gone a long way. Seeing the desolation around him, he began to mutter to himself, “This is the Heavenly Mother’s Ashram, imprisoning countless gigantic monsters and great demons from over the years. Ma Ling, Heavenly Eyes and Earthly Ears, the Miyao King, each one a legendary being. To save Governor Li, do I really need to take such a risk? If I now throw caution to the wind and break away from the Heavenly Mother Palace to find a river or a lake to become my own Fuhai Great Sage, what are my chances?”

But all his kin were still trapped in the Seven-Star Precious Pagoda, besides, having grown accustomed to the carefree life of luxury with Li Yan, remembering the prospects of returning to the dark rivers to crunch on water plants and swallow mud, Yang Zichu shivered at the thought.

Better to die than that!

Just as he was pondering this, a long, flat red eel swam by, carrying a Black Cauldron on its back. Yang Zichu narrowed his eyes and called out, “Esteemed brother, under whose command do you serve?”

The red eel looked up, realized Yang Zichu’s cultivation exceeded its intelligence, and since it also held Yan Gong’s jade pendant in its mouth, its attitude became much more friendly and respectful, “I am a lowly monster serving under Tian Yan Jun, collecting ten jin of Blood Seaweed to soothe his mind.”

Yang Zichu burst into hearty laughter, “To gain without labor.”

Before the red eel could react, the Pig Dragon King pounced and bit off the eel’s head, the fresh red blood instantly diffusing throughout the water.

Savoring the flavor, Yang Zichu swallowed the entire cauldron of Blood Seaweed and then, recalling Lord Yan Gong’s recent list of names, swayed his way elsewhere.