The colossal creature loomed over the waters, so immense that the people of Linshui County could not help but tremble in awe and terror.
Someone in the crowd suddenly cried out, voice breaking with excitement, “It’s a dragon! The Dragon King has manifested!”
In an instant, the banks of the Yuan River were filled with the sound of bodies dropping to the ground. Knees hit the earth one after another as people prostrated themselves. There were wealthy merchants in silken robes and poor peasants in coarse hemp clothing, all bowing down toward the shining figure above the river.
None of them had seen Yuan Rutan’s transformation with their own eyes. All they knew was that a golden dragon had appeared in the heavens, and that alone was enough to send them to their knees.
“The Dragon King! The Dragon King has revealed himself!”
“Dragon King, bless us!”
An old man with a white beard knelt closest to the water’s edge. Tears streamed down his face as his forehead hit the ground again and again until blood began to streak across his wrinkled skin.
He was not the only one. Around him, the same feverish devotion spread like wildfire through the crowd.
Among them was Zhang Yuanwai, a wealthy benefactor who had donated the most silver for the Water God Festival.
Dressed in fine brocade, he raised his trembling head and looked at the dragon’s vast golden form, voice quivering as he cried out, “Dragon King! It’s me! I donated a thousand taels of silver to your temple, built a shrine to honor you in my home, please, Dragon King, look upon me!”
While some wept and worshipped, others stared at the dragon in numb disbelief. The sight of that massive golden body soaring in the sunlight froze their blood. Cold terror rose from their feet to their skulls until they collapsed, scrambling backward like frightened insects.
Every kind of human emotion filled the riverbank, faith, greed, awe, and sheer terror.
The golden dragon finally opened its mouth. Its voice boomed through the sky like thunder rolling across the mountains, not merely a sound but a force that seemed to shake the heavens themselves.
“How dare you mortals bow to me!”
The words struck like a shockwave. The Yuan River’s waters surged upward, forming a wall of shimmering spray. The people fell silent at once, trembling as they raised their faces to the mighty dragon.
“Did you not think,” the dragon’s roar deepened, “When you chased after me earlier, that I was the Dragon King you pursued?”
His fury reverberated through the valley. The crowd gaped up at him, lips trembling, too afraid to breathe.
Suddenly, a single terrified voice pierced the stillness. “That’s him! That’s the boy we were chasing, the one who jumped into the river to save the bride!”
The words rippled through the people like a spark through dry grass. The realization made them shrink even smaller under the dragon’s wrath.
“Dragon King, have mercy! Forgive us!”
Someone fell flat on the ground, arms raised high toward the dragon, head slamming into the earth in desperate repentance.
“Dragon King, please calm your anger! I didn’t know! I swear I didn’t know!”
“Dragon King, forgive me! I never meant any harm!”
“Dragon King, it wasn’t me! I had nothing to do with those who chased you! I’ve worshipped you since I was a child, and I even helped prepare the offerings for your festival!”
Their pleas rose in a wailing chorus that echoed along the riverbank. They cried until their voices broke, until their sobs and prayers blended into one incoherent noise.
But Yuan Rutan’s anger did not fade.
He was still young in appearance, yet the injustices he had suffered were countless. Having discovered that his greatest enemy was already dead, his rage now had nowhere to go but outward. Every humiliation he had endured over the years demanded repayment.
His voice thundered again across the sky. “Years ago, I took the form of a child and lived among you in Song Family Village. My surname was Yuan. Some of you must remember me.”
Down below, in the cluster of villagers from Song Family Village, people began to shake. Their faces went pale, and some even started to cry as they lifted their heads toward the radiant dragon above.
So it was true. The young boy they had once known, the quiet, gentle one who smiled like sunlight, was the dragon himself. The very god they had prayed to all their lives had lived beside them all along.
Yuan Rutan’s roar split the air. “And how did you treat me all these years?”
The villagers stared at one another in confusion and dread. Those not from Song Family Village had no idea what he meant, though they would soon learn.
“You bullied me,” the dragon continued, “because I lived alone and had no kin. You took advantage of me again and again. Is that what you call reverence? Is that how you worship your god?”
The people of Song Family Village wished they could bury their heads in the earth. Their faces were ashen.
“I only wished to live peacefully among humans,” Yuan Rutan said, “to farm the land and dwell quietly. But the greedy Song clan could not leave even a dragon’s fields alone, they took what was mine by force!”
His nostrils flared, and a great snort of breath rolled across the mountains. The ground quaked, and boulders tumbled from the cliffs.
The members of the Song clan, still stranded on their rafts in the river, stood frozen. Ever since the moment they had seen Yuan Rutan transform, their minds had gone blank.
When they heard him speak of their crimes, their faces drained of color completely. Then came the shouting from both shores, fury, hatred, and blame.
“Damn you Song clan! You’ve doomed us all!”
“How dare you offend the Dragon King and drag us into his wrath!”
“Banish them! Cast them out!”
“Bury them alive!”
“Sink them into the river!”
Rocks began to fly from the banks, hundreds of them, hurled toward the trembling Song clan. Stones struck heads, shoulders, and splashed into the water all around.
Behind them, the wooden raft carrying the bride glimmered with divine light. The golden radiance shielded it completely; no stone could touch it.
Yuan Rutan looked down upon the chaos below. The fury of men was nothing compared to the wrath of a god. His golden eyes swept across the mob, then lifted toward the ceremonial platform on the shore. With a flick of his massive tail, he brought his head within half a yard of the platform’s edge.
The county magistrate fell backward onto the ground, wheezing in terror. Tears and mucus streamed down his face. “D-Dragon King…” he stammered.
Yuan Rutan bared his fangs. His roar shattered the air, and the officials on the platform were flung aside like rag dolls. When they hit the ground, a dark wetness spread beneath them, they had wet themselves in fear.
“What crime,” the dragon’s voice rumbled, “Did I commit to be imprisoned for three years?”
The magistrate’s eyes rolled back; he could not utter a word.
Yuan Rutan spread his wings and soared upward. His voice rolled over the land like a storm.
“You humans are indeed bold. Your officials dare to slander the Dragon King himself. I see now what the manner of Linshui County truly is.”
“I will go to your human emperor and ask whether this is the custom of the great Xuan Dynasty, to let officials defile the divine!”
The county officials’ faces turned to ashes. Their minds buzzed, their bodies numb with despair.
The dragon’s claw reached down and hooked the cloth sack that held the bride. With a sweep of his wings, he rose into the clouds, his roar echoing behind him.
“From this day forth, dragons shall never again visit this land. Linshui County is forsaken. No god shall bless it. The Dragon King rejects this place and all its offerings. The Water God Festival shall be no more!”
The people could only kneel and weep. None dared stand, none dared speak. Their tears mixed with the dust as they knocked their heads against the ground again and again.
Some turned their eyes toward the officials, filled with hatred so fierce it could have devoured flesh.
High above the clouds, Yuan Rutan reduced his size to a mere ten zhang. Being too large risked colliding with mountains.
His anger began to cool, replaced by a strange lightness. Never before had he spoken so freely or scolded so many at once, it was oddly satisfying.
He glanced at the cloth bag dangling from his claw, and a thought of dignity crossed his mind. Holding a human bride like a sack of grain did not befit a Dragon King.
So he descended to a nearby region where a recent flood had left the people displaced and the villages in ruin.
He landed softly and set the bag down. Then he transformed once more into human form.
The young woman inside blinked in confusion as she looked up at him, then quickly knelt, trembling. Her eyes were wide and unfocused with awe.
Yuan Rutan waved his hand, and a gentle spell lifted her back to her feet.
“You… you are truly the Dragon King!” she gasped.
He gave a soft hum of acknowledgment and flicked his sleeve. Five earthen jars appeared on the ground before her.
“These were the offerings you gave me,” he said. “I’m leaving them with you. They will sustain you for several days.”
The woman shook her head, pushing the jars toward him. “No, my lord, they are yours.”
Yuan Rutan hesitated for a moment, then said, “I am a bit hungry, that is true. Very well, I will take two of the jars. They are worth something, so I will eat what is inside and leave the jars for you.”
Seeing that he would take no more, the woman finally nodded.
After a brief pause, Yuan Rutan reached into his sleeve and drew out ten taels of broken silver. Thinking of the kindness she had shown him in the past, the food she had once offered him when he was in human form, his heart softened. He gritted his teeth and added five more taels.
He placed the silver atop one of the jars. With a sweep of his sleeve, his human shape dissolved, and he rose into the sky as a golden dragon once more.
The woman hurried to call after him. “My lord, Dragon King! Please wait! The jars…. ”
But before she could finish, the dragon wheeled back in a flash of gold. His mighty jaws opened, and in one gulp he swallowed two of the jars whole.
A few seconds later, he spat out the empty jars, perfectly intact, and with a satisfied flick of his tail, soared back into the clouds.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
No propaganda here. Only coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Little DragonChapter 2 · Selling FishChapter 3 · DraughtChapter 4 · Giving LifeChapter 5 · MeritsChapter 6 · Dragon can summon Rain?!Chapter 7 · Wicked Dragon?Chapter 8 · Dragon likes sweetChapter 9 · Dragon WineChapter 10 · Snow Mountain ElixirChapter 11 · The official forced the dragon to rebelChapter 12 · Ministers kneel down and confess their sinsChapter 13 · Court struggle, faith is the dragonChapter 14 · Why do others have auspicious signs, but I don’t?Chapter 15 · Corrupt officialsChapter 16 · The dark side of officialdomChapter 17 Part 1 · Transforming into a golden dragon in full view of all!Chapter 17 Part 2 · Transforming into a golden dragon in full view of all!Chapter 18 · Wrath of the True DragonChapter 19 · Give him a ninth-rank official position!Chapter 20 · The days of being loved by Longlong have begunChapter 21 · Pamper the little dragon, finally full!Chapter 22 · It’s perfectly normal for humans to like dragonsChapter 23 · Avenge Longlong against corrupt officialsChapter 24 · Is being an official like the Dragon King difficult?Chapter 25 · Dragon-shaped woodChapter 26 · Emperor felt the vibrancy of lifeChapter 27 · Do you like the obedient and affectionate little dragon?Chapter 28 · Your Majesty’s PastChapter 29 · A ray of light in a noisy worldChapter 30 · Let’s give the dragon a lake!Chapter 31 · Dragon, don’t run aroundChapter 32 · YaunBaoChapter 33 · Recruiting soldiers and buying horsesChapter 34 · Expand Dragon armyChapter 35 · Longlong is in a dilemmaChapter 36 · Being a king is difficultChapter 37 · Attended the morning court session.Chapter 38 · Secretly feeding the dragonChapter 39 · The restless little golden dragonChapter 40 · Your Majesty foreshadowed thisChapter 41 · Fostering teacher student bondsChapter 42 · Now that the dragon has an official positionChapter 43 · If a dragon wants to become an official, why not touch it?Chapter 44 · Longlong enters officialdomChapter 45 · The Emperor’s disciple?Chapter 46 · Long day’s laborChapter 47 · Being a dragon is comfortableChapter 48 · Thank you, YuanbaoChapter 49 · Very sleepyChapter 50 · The Dragon Who Saves the WorldChapter 51 · Strange storiesChapter 52 · Dragon God saying it wanted to eat peach crystal cakesChapter 53 · The tree is aliveChapter 54 · We can just hold a family feastChapter 55 · What kind of worship?Chapter 56 · Don’t be naughtyChapter 57 · Why does Teacher always avoid my human formChapter 58 · I will be an indifferent learning machineChapter 59 · Jinlong made a fortuneChapter 60 · Ten thousand taelsChapter 61 · FamilyChapter 62 · Will you accompany the dragon?Chapter 63 · What did you hunt, sir?Chapter 64 · From fifth rank to proper fourth rankChapter 65 · Orange PeelChapter 66 · Great Xuan may have enough to eatChapter 67 · Poisoned GrainsChapter 68 · The balance of the mortal world is about to changeChapter 69 · Teacher’s lap truly was very comfortable.Chapter 70 · Caught the little dragonChapter 71 · Only he alone could see that golden lightChapter 72 · Great King must not declineChapter 73 · The top scholarChapter 74 · I do not like other defying meChapter 75 · Great Xuan truly has quite a number of martial expertsChapter 76 · What was there to fear?Chapter 77 · Then Teacher can raise the dragonChapter 78 · Little Dragon Steals Peaches.Chapter 79 · Resentment and Poison.Chapter 80 · Male PartnerChapter 81 · How about choosing a human?Chapter 82 · Young Lord Zhen has a friendChapter 83 · Morning DewChapter 84 · Earth DragonsChapter 85 · Greetings, Your MajestyChapter 86 · Then what am I allowed to do?Chapter 87 · What exactly Happened?Chapter 88 · Praise The golden Dragon!Chapter 89 · ComplexionChapter 90 · Gift is almost readyChapter 91 · Surely Sir would no longer refuse himChapter 92 · Seven YearsChapter 93 · She is really just a childChapter 94 · Good YuanbaoChapter 95 · Ten Thousand year old JadeChapter 96 · They were overwhelmed with griefChapter 97 · Villain: So what if I use magic?Chapter 98 · The Dragon Clan MeetingChapter 99 · The Big reveal!Chapter 100 · The prototype of His MajestyChapter 101 · Autumn HuntChapter 102 · This painting was created by the Emperor’s consortChapter 103 · They gave themselves away and caught the plush rabbit doctor.Chapter 104 · The Rabbit gangChapter 105 · The scars on the fox spirit’s handsChapter 106 · Wang JinzhongChapter 107 · I don’t believe the White Tiger doesn’t protect its foodChapter 108 · Karmic SinChapter 109 · Yuanbao, would you take me a thousand li away?Chapter 110 · Pear FrostChapter 111 · If Yuanbao ever loses sight of the road ahead, then come find meChapter 112 · Let’s take a step at a time..Chapter 113 · The imperial marriage was announced to the public.Chapter 114 · The army, navy, and air force are preparing to attack the Yujing River.Chapter 115 · The attack on Yujing River-humans should not spread rumors!Chapter 116 · King Golden Dragon ascends the throneChapter 117 · Sir, would you like a bowl of dragon soup?Chapter 118 · Wedding celebrationChapter 119 · Establish the Demon RealmChapter 120 · Lord of the Demon RealmChapter 121 · Flourishing and decliningChapter 122 · The Ling Dynasty was defeated, and father and son fought amongst themselvesChapter 123 · The gentleman’s is dragon-themedChapter 124 · People from HeavenChapter 125 · The truth behind the White TigerChapter 126 · Azure Dragon, WarChapter 127 · A great war is about to break outChapter 128 · Victory in the great battleChapter 129 · Side Story (1)Chapter 130 · Side Story (2)Chapter 131 · Side Story (3)Chapter 132 · Side Story (4)Chapter 133 · Side Story (4)Chapter 134 · Side Story (5)Chapter 135 · Side Story (6)Chapter 136 · Side story (7)Chapter 137 · Side Story (8)Chapter 138 · Side Story (9)Chapter 139 · Side Story (10)Chapter 140 · Side Story (11)Chapter 141 · Side Story (12)Chapter 142 · Side Story (13)Chapter 143 · Side Story (14)Chapter 144 · Side Story (15)Chapter 145 · Side Story (16)Chapter 146 · Side Story (17)Chapter 147 · Side Story (18)Chapter 148 · Side Story (19)Chapter 149 · Side Story (20)Chapter 150 · Side Story (21)Chapter 151 · Side Story (22)