533: Chapter 533 Red Silk Playing in the Water - Shaking the Dragon Palace

Li Jing's heart sank abruptly. He knew the weight of this bow all too well—a thousand jin pressing down; even an ordinary strongman would have weak legs after carrying it for half a day. Nezha was barely over ten years old, with thin arms and legs; how could he possibly endure it? But since they were in the wrong to begin with, there was no way to refuse, and he could only grit his teeth and swallow this Qi.

Nezha, however, puffed out his chest and spoke in a clear, crisp voice: "Fine! A hundred days it is. I can handle it!"

Shi Ji chuckled and gave a slight nod toward Li Jing: "Good, it is settled then. I shall take my leave first; do not dare to be lazy or play tricks."

"Only turtles are lazy! Hmph hmph hmph..." Nezha wrinkled his nose and talked back while puffed up with Qi.

"Good, good, good, no laziness then! I shall depart now, ha ha ha..."

Li Jing let out a long breath of Qi, relieved that no major disaster had occurred. Yet, as his gaze fell upon Nezha, he couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth—this child, when wrong, admitted it, and when tasked, dared to shoulder it; a True Qi mettle shone through his stubborn bones. It was just that this punishment... was it perhaps a bit too harsh? Just as he was thinking this, he saw Nezha turn and rush out of the courtyard, and he immediately gave chase.

Before long, Nezha indeed emerged with the bow on his back. The bow was taller than a person and wider than his shoulders; every step he took was like treading through a swamp, the bow's tips dragging on the ground and carving shallow furrows, a sight that made one's heart tighten. Lady Li Yin rushed over upon hearing the news, and seeing her son gritting his teeth to endure, her tears instantly rolled down.

"Mother, don't cry, I'm really fine!" Nezha wiped away bean-sized beads of sweat from his forehead, still forcing a wide grin, "It's only a hundred days, a piece of cake!"

Li Jing gently pulled his wife's sleeve, his gaze warm and steady—no more words were needed; this sense of responsibility was something to be proud of.

The trouble was of his own making, and the path was of his own choosing; why should a true hero fear the heavy burden upon his shoulders?

Jinzha and Muzha, however, were already as pale as paper, shrinking back against the base of the wall and shivering uncontrollably.

Shi Ji secretly performed a hand seal, her heart stirred: Indeed, his bone structure is extraordinary; even his fate as a page-boy faintly stirs the secrets of heaven—a ten-year-old child could actually draw the string of the Xuanyuan Bow; if this were not the will of heaven, what else could it be? Perhaps, this is his destiny.

Perfected Lord Taiyi had been watching quietly from within the clouds and no longer intervened at this moment. He had originally thought Shi Ji would surely punish him severely, but who would have known it was merely a trial-like disciplinary measure. Destiny was indeed mysterious; ever since he decided to enter the tribulation, the tribulation had already quietly changed its Dao. What pleased him even more was Nezha—after his Reincarnation, although he had lost some of his arrogance, he had carved that sense of integrity and courage into his very bones. He did not hide his mistakes, nor did he shirk his responsibilities. If a Master could not even match his disciple's Heart-Qi, would that not be shameful?

"Good boy! Just a few more days and the hundred days will be up. When that time comes, Father will give you a long holiday to rest properly for ten days or half a month!" Li Jing watched the approaching deadline and Nezha's steady footsteps, his eyes full of light, "Don't lose your momentum!"

Nezha sat down against the courtyard wall and only looked up after he had steadied his Qi: "Father, keep your word—you must give me a very, very long holiday!"

"Of course I'll keep my word! Your mother is right here listening; she is the most trustworthy person!"

Lady Li Yin was no longer anxious or worried, only quietly watching the muscles gradually bulging on her son's shoulders and the increasingly straight lines of his waist and back—the hardship was not in vain; his frame and bones had been forged.

Jinzha and Muzha, however, were in a miserable state. Because of Nezha's ordeal, Li Jing had made a plan: since even the youngest could carry the bow for a hundred days, how could the eldest and second brothers lie in the lap of luxury? From the day Nezha put the bow on his back, the two were bound into an iron-clad training regimen—running up mountains with stones on their backs in the morning, practicing with staves in the afternoon, and reciting military strategy at night... they were so exhausted they grimaced, not even daring to ask for mercy aloud. Even their mother did not stop it, only sighing as she handed them a bowl of ginger soup: "Drink it, and continue after you're finished." The two had no choice but to clench their fists and endure in silence.

"Son, today we have your favorite soy-braised pork hock. Eat a few pieces while they're hot, chew slowly, and don't rush."

Nezha was already so hungry his stomach was stuck to his back. Staring at the shiny, reddish hock, his mouth watered—this bow was truly no joke; no wonder Father's face turned green when he first heard about it! Fortunately, he had reached the final stage; in a few more days, he could unload this 'iron backbone'.

As expected, on the morning of the hundredth day, Shi Ji arrived as scheduled. She glanced at Nezha's empty shoulders, the corners of her mouth curling slightly as she said to Li Jing: "Good, this matter is now dismissed. In the future, think thrice before acting and do not be so reckless again. As for the bow, it should have been put down long ago—why still pretend to be a tough guy?"

Nezha gave a cheeky grin and immediately took off the Xuanyuan Bow. In an instant, his body felt light, as if a whole mountain had been removed, and his steps felt like they were floating. These days had not been endured for nothing; look at how he now stood like a pine and moved like the wind—where was there any trace of his former childish weakness?

"I shall depart now. Li Jing, raise this son of yours well—anyone else might not have been so accommodating." Shi Ji nodded in acknowledgment and turned toward the main gate.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I have taken it to heart." Li Jing bowed to see her off, his voice heavy and sincere, each word carrying weight.

Watching Shi Ji turn and leave, Li Jing finally exhaled a long breath of Qi, and the suffocating stone in his heart finally fell to the ground—this disaster was finally nipped in the bud, what luck! It truly was a close call!

"Father, can I have a proper rest today?" Nezha immediately approached, his eyes bright and swaying like a tail.

Li Jing glanced at him sideways and deliberately drawled: "Fine, fine, I'll grant you a three-day long holiday, how about that? Heh heh heh..."

Nezha's small mouth puckered, and he jumped up and shouted: "Father is playing tricks again! You're not keeping your word! Mother—listen to this, Father is fooling people again!"

Lady Li Yin smiled and pulled her son into her arms, her fingertip gently scratching his pink cheek: "Oh, our little general, why are you so sure your father is breaking his word?"

"Last time he clearly said a 'long holiday,' but he only gave me one day! And this time it's only three?!" Nezha slapped his thigh while puffed up with Qi.

"Eh? Usually you only get half a day, and now it has increased sixfold; does that not count as a long holiday?" Li Jing raised an eyebrow and countered.

Nezha was momentarily speechless, and since even the mother who loved him most was smiling and not helping, he could only mumble dejectedly: "...Then three days it is."

"That's right, exactly three days—and today counts as the first day." As soon as Li Jing finished speaking, Nezha jumped up to protest the injustice again, but Li Jing had already turned to drink his tea, ignoring him completely.

"Hmph! If it counts, it counts! I'm going to play!" After all, he had a child's Heart-Nature; in the blink of an eye, he cast aside his troubles and ran off.

Li Jing and Lady Li Yin looked at each other with bitter smiles and quickly called over two family guards, repeatedly instructing them: "Watch him closely, don't let him cause any trouble—we cannot survive a second soul-shaking shock!"

"Young Master, Young Master, walk slower!"

Nezha looked back and saw those two figures following him step by step, and he knew perfectly well: what long holiday? It was just a different way of watching him. But it was hard to refute his father's words, so when the two caught up, he looked up and laughed: "The weather is so hot, let's go to the Jiuxi River outside the city to swim!"

The family guards didn't think much of it—their little Master was a good swimmer and brave, and this wasn't the first time he had gone into the water, so they nodded in agreement and escorted him out of the West Gate.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Nezha stripped off his outer robe in a few movements, leaving only a fiery red bellyband, and with a leap and a "splash," he dove into the water. The two family guards were terrified and rushed to the bank, shouting in unison: "Young Master, be careful! Stay closer to the shore! Stay closer! This river current is very swift; do not make the Master and Madam worry!"

It actually worked. Nezha rolled his eyes, his interest fading slightly, but he still obediently swam back to the shallows to splash around, kicking up sprays of water. Seeing this, the family guards quietly wiped away their sweat—thank heavens the little ancestor was willing to listen; otherwise, if something really went wrong, even two heads wouldn't be enough to pay for it.

After playing for a while and estimating that the time was about right, Nezha lazily climbed onto the bank. The family guards hurriedly handed him a dry cloth and clothes, busily wrapping him up and escorting him back to the manor.

After splashing in the water for two days in a row, the family guards gradually relaxed. Seeing that Nezha was playing safely, they found a thick, shady tree to rest under—anyway, the little Master wouldn't be coming ashore anytime soon; they would just wait until the right time to pick him up.

The Jiuxi River led directly to the East Sea; the water was lively, clear, and cool, and Nezha had enjoyed his swimming over these two days. Today, he even untied the Armillary Sash he carried and shook it out in the water—instantly, the entire river surface was covered in a glow like red sunset clouds; where the sash's shadow fluttered, the waves surged as if boiling; with a gentle swirl, the entire riverbed began to tremble. Nezha was washing himself joyfully, completely unaware that far beneath the sea, the beams and pillars of the Crystal Palace were already creaking and groaning.

While Nezha was having a grand time, the Dragon Palace was already in a state of chaos. The halls were shaking, and glazed tiles were rustling down. As soon as Ao Guang steadied himself on his throne, he ordered the Sea-Patrolling Yaksha, Li Gen, to rush to the sea mouth to investigate exactly which Prodigy was stirring the water veins.

Li Gen broke through the water and stood at the mouth of the Jiuwan River, looking up—he saw the entire river surging with crimson waves and blazing light, and a naked young boy was playing by dipping a Red Sash into the water.

The Yaksha split the water's surface and shouted sternly: "Which wild brat is causing trouble here? You've actually dyed the river water the color of blood and are shaking the Foundation of my Dragon Palace to collapse!"

Nezha turned his head at the sound and saw a monstrous shadow with a green face and fangs rising from the water: its face was like indigo, its hair like cinnabar, its giant mouth split to its ears, and it held a cold, glinting Mountain-Splitting Axe. He was startled for a moment, then puffed out his chest and scolded angrily: "Where did this filthy scum come from? Are you even worthy of speaking?!"

Nezha was young and ignorant; seeing this appearance, he only thought it was an evil monster in the river. Without a word, he snatched up his Armillary Sash and lashed out—the Red Sash was like lightning, wrapping and twisting, and Li Gen didn't even have time to parry before he was killed on the spot. This Yaksha was truly unlucky; as soon as he showed his face, he ran into a Little Star of Slaughter who didn't know the heights of heaven, was protected by a Spirit Treasure, and had a tough cultivation; he died hastily and miserably, truly a great injustice!

The family guards on the bank saw the strange phenomenon in the water from afar, and seeing Nezha's swift and decisive strike to finish off the monster in the blink of an eye, they immediately clapped and cheered: "Good! The Young Master is mighty!"

Nezha was happy to hear this and became even more full of Divine Qi, his Red Sash whistling through the air as he danced it.

The Dragon Palace was now rocking and swaying as if by an earthquake; even the Dragon throne was tilted to one side. Ao Guang held onto a golden pillar and growled through gritted teeth: "Li Gen has not returned with news; why has another such fierce deity come?!"

Before his voice had even faded, a shrimp soldier came rushing in, crawling and rolling, his voice trembling: "Reporting to the Dragon Lord—the Sea-Patrolling Yaksha, Li Gen, has been slain by a child on the riverbank; his corpse is still on the shallow beach! Please, Dragon Lord, decide our course of action!"

Ao Guang's expression changed violently: "Li Gen was a Sea-Patrolling Yaksha personally appointed by the imperial brush of the Hall of Divine Mist; who would dare to commit such a cruel act?" Before he finished, he had already issued a stern command: "Quickly mobilize the Dragon Palace elites to accompany this King to Jiangtang Pass to seize this madman!"

The words were still in the air when the Third Prince of the Dragon King, Ao Run, happened to step out from a side hall. Seeing his father's hair and beard bristling with anger and his face like iron, he hurried forward and bowed: "Father, what has moved you to such anger?"