Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Saving Yu Qiuhe (16)_1
Chu Hao looked at the corpses on the ground and furrowed his brow slightly. This Water Drought-Demon was truly brutal, having killed so many people; he couldn’t let it go unpunished.
"Let’s go! Check out the Dragon King Temple."
Since they had come to the Dragon King Temple, they found it to be very ancient. It was said that generations of elders in the town spoke of it as a temple from the Ming Dynasty.
Upon arriving at the Dragon King Temple, there weren’t many people around; everyone had gone to the town center to see the bodies.
Walking into the Dragon King Temple, they saw a statue of the Dragon King. Chu Hao immediately felt his mind and nerves refresh.
This was a potent, righteous energy. Generally, when any evil ghosts or spirits got close to this place, they would be reduced to ashes and vanish.
Chu Hao was somewhat surprised. No wonder the Water Drought-Demon wanted him to enter the temple. The Dragon King Temple truly possessed something that restrained it—a power, likely emanating from the Dragon King’s statue, that even the Water Drought-Demon dreaded.
Zhang Qin’ai and the others couldn’t see anything special and asked, "Ah-Hao, is there something particular about this place?"
Pointing at the statue of the Dragon King, Chu Hao said, "I finally understand why the rainwater summoned by the Water Drought-Demon couldn’t enter the houses in town. It’s this temple that protected Jiulong Town."
The group was surprised; it was actually this Dragon King Temple.
Suddenly, the statue of the Dragon King moved its eyeballs and glanced sideways at Chu Hao.
Others couldn’t see this, but Chu Hao saw it clearly because he wore the Yin Yang Ring.
This was Chu Hao’s first encounter with such a phenomenon, and he couldn’t help but feel nervous. After all, his counterpart was the Dragon King. However, he had gotten used to putting on a brave front recently, so even in the face of major events, he still appeared calm.
The statue of the Dragon King spoke, "Little child, you can see this King?"
Chu Hao nodded. He could hear the statue’s words, though others couldn’t. "Dragon King, can you tell me what exactly is going on?"
The others looked at Chu Hao in shock, feeling creeped out and eager to leave at once.
Unexpectedly, the Dragon King had a fiery temper. "Little child, is ’Dragon King’ a name you’re qualified to utter? I am the supreme of the Nine Dragons. Since you can see this King, why haven’t you knelt already?"
If this had been the past, you might have actually scared me enough to kneel. But now, for me, Divine Master Bi Wang, to kneel before a mere Dragon King like you? Would anyone else stand for it?
With a wave of his hand, Chu Hao said indifferently, "Dragon King, you might frighten those greenhorns, but you’re a long way from scaring me. This Taoist Master has debated the Dao with Laozi himself, and even Yama, King of Hell, gives me some face. You’re just a local dragon confined to Jiulong Town, and you want this Taoist Master to kneel?"
"DING... Host has successfully shown off, gained 400 Pretentiousness Points."
Hearing Chu Hao’s words, the others couldn’t help but roll their eyes. He’s way too good at showing off.
The Dragon King berated, "Arrogant little child! This King remembers you. Ten years ago, you came to Jiulong Town. Your name is Chu Hao. You were timid and afraid of everything, and at the age of twelve, you still wet the bed. That bed-wetting issue was only resolved because others pleaded with this King."
Chu Hao was left speechless.
Well... this is awkward. It turns out he knew about my past.
Indeed, when he was twelve, he still wet the bed. He always dreamed of a little boy calling him to go catch fish in the river, and then they would urinate together in the water. He hadn’t expected to wake up to a wet bed.
Looking back now, that little boy must have been a mischievous ghost leading him to pee.
When the old dean saw there was nothing else to be done, he went to the Dragon King Temple to burn incense for Chu Hao and offered many tributes. Miraculously, the bed-wetting stopped.
This incident was a stain on Chu Hao’s life, and Zhang Qin’ai and the others had mocked him for a long time.
Chu Hao’s face turned red. He coughed dryly and said, "Ahem, Dragon King, I was just joking with you."
Zhang Qin’ai, standing beside him, excitedly asked, "Ah-Hao, are you talking to the Dragon King?"
Chu Hao nodded. He had no intention of letting others see the Dragon King; it would be best to let the matter of his bed-wetting be completely buried and forgotten.
The Dragon King’s voice came through, now much gentler, "You are an interesting child. I wonder what sort of fortuitous encounter you’ve had, for this King cannot even fathom it."
This Dragon King protected their hometown. Without him, Chu Hao knew, countless townspeople would have perished. His tone softened as he asked, "Dragon King, what exactly is going on? And that Water Drought-Demon!"
The Dragon King sighed. "This matter! Alas... such sin."
It turned out that the Water Drought-Demon was a person from the Ming Dynasty, dating back more than six hundred years.
The Water Drought-Demon’s full name was Yu Qiuhe, who was a commandery princess of the region back then. Yu Qiuhe was naturally innocent and a very likeable young princess.
One day, the young princess, representing the prince her father, came to Jiulong Town to inspect the populace. At that time, a handsome scholar caught her attention.
The scholar was talented and soon won the young princess’s favor. However, the scholar had his affections set on someone else, a fact he dared not tell the young princess. But the truth cannot be concealed forever, and the young princess eventually discovered it.
The young princess became furious and wanted to have the scholar’s beloved executed.
The scholar was terrified. He begged the young princess to spare his loved one, offering his own life to appease her anger.
The scholar died, right there in the Dragon King Temple.
His lover, overwhelmed with grief, followed him in death. Both died in the Dragon King Temple.
The young princess was greatly shocked. Young as she was, she couldn’t understand why all this had happened. She even contemplated suicide several times, wanting to find the scholar and demand an explanation.
When the prince learned of the situation, he flew into a rage and ordered the destruction of the Dragon King Temple, so that the couple would find no peace.
How could the Dragon King allow his temple to be demolished? He had warned the prince repeatedly, but to no avail. Then, on that fateful day, the prince himself came to the Dragon King Temple with a torch.
The Dragon King was also enraged. How dare a mere mortal show me such disrespect? Then don’t blame this King for being merciless! A roof beam suddenly collapsed, crushing the prince to death.
The Dragon King sighed, "After the prince’s death, Yu Qiuhe was filled with immense remorse and chose to commit suicide by jumping into the river, becoming the rare Water Drought-Demon."
"Then why not just annihilate her?" Chu Hao asked.
The Dragon King replied bitterly, "Ever since that incident, this King has never left Jiulong Town. Her nature is not inherently evil; she was just young and wanted to see her father. But I had long ago sent her father for reincarnation. She doesn’t believe it, so she comes looking for the prince every few years."
System prompt: "Hidden AC-Class mission unlocked: Save Princess Yu Qiuhe, send her to reincarnation. Completion of the mission will award one Golden Treasure Chest and 2,000,000 Experience Points."
Experience Points, almost as much as for the Eight-Headed Ghost Mantis? Chu Hao was secretly astonished.
Thinking about it, this Dragon King was also quite kind; after so many years, he still hadn’t forgotten about this incident. Chu Hao couldn’t help but ask, "But the Water Drought-Demon has already killed many people in town. How can you just let her do as she pleases?"
However, the Dragon King said, "The young princess wasn’t at fault. The real instigator behind the scenes is something else."
"Who?"
"The Transformed Snake."
The Transformed Snake, a monster from ancient Huaxia mythology.
It is recorded in the Shanhai Classics: "A water beast. Human face, jackal body, has wings, moves like a snake, and its voice is like a shout. It summons great floods."