"King Dragon of Jing River, please stay!"
"Is the old Dragon King about to go out and cause trouble for that Taoist in Chang'an city, Yuan Shoucheng?"
"Please allow this humble Taoist to offer a word of advice. This person is not to be trifled with; he is one of the two Grand Preceptors of the Great Tang Empire's current Emperor, Tang Taihuang, and the uncle of Yuan Tiangang."
"This humble Taoist knows that the old Dragon King is filled with righteous indignation for the aquatic creatures of Jing River, but this matter is of great importance. You must not act rashly."
"Why not, you listen to this humble Taoist's advice and dedicate yourself to serving the Jade Emperor from now on. Not only will you successfully exact revenge, but I guarantee your entire clan will remain unharmed."
As expected.
At this moment, the one who would persuade the old Dragon King of Jing River to obey the Jade Emperor's arrangements, acting as a third party, could only be one person.
Taibai Jinxing!
After all, ever since he swore his complete loyalty to the Jade Emperor five hundred years ago, alongside Li Jing, and fully cooperated with the Heavenly Court, the Demon Clan, and the Jie Sect.
He was no longer the younger brother of Laozi as he once was.
Nor was he the wise man who, in order to balance the Heavenly Court and the Demon Race, had proactively suggested recruiting Sun Wukong as a Horse Stable Keeper.
He had completely devolved into a lackey of the Jade Emperor!
Just then.
Taibai Jinxing, disguised as an ordinary Taoist, spoke these words and, to ensure the fifth tribulation was thoroughly established and shaped exactly as the Heavenly Court desired.
He even.
He even tried to trick and manipulate the old Dragon King of Jing River!
"Who exactly are you, to dare guarantee the safety of my Jing River aquatic clan? Could it be that you are the legendary Taibai Jinxing of the Heavenly Court, the supremely wise and the foremost civil official in the Three Realms?"
"If you truly are him, perhaps this King will lend you an ear."
"Otherwise, stop your nonsense and get lost. Don't delay this King from seeking revenge on Yuan Shoucheng!"
Faced with Taibai Jinxing's overture, the old Dragon King of Jing River was extremely impatient.
He was about to leave by force.
Taibai Jinxing dared not miss this opportunity.
Seeing the old Dragon King's fiery temper was even more pronounced than in the original calculations, he no longer concealed his identity and revealed himself on the spot.
It was Taibai Jinxing in his usual noble attire.
In an instant, the old Dragon King of Jing River was dumbfounded!
"Are you truly Taibai Jinxing, the foremost civil official under the Jade Emperor?"
"Indeed, I am."
"Then, pray tell, what is the purpose of the Heavenly Court's Grand Preceptor's visit? Seeking revenge on a mere Yuan Shoucheng should not be too difficult and should not alarm your esteemed self, should it?"
Throughout their conversation, the old Dragon King of Jing River displayed a great deal of admiration for Taibai Jinxing, which made Taibai Jinxing swell with pride.
Although, as of this moment, his identity as a Grand Preceptor of the Heavenly Court was not yet established.
He thoroughly enjoyed such flattery.
And so.
Before the old Dragon King of Jing River could ask further, potentially delaying him and affecting the subsequent development of the tribulation, Taibai Jinxing let out a hearty laugh and, with a blush, informed him of the "guidance" from behind!
"You are too kind, old Dragon King."
"You must have heard, old Dragon King, that not long ago, the conflict between the Taoists and the Demons reignited. Therefore, the Jade Emperor specifically dispatched this humble Taoist to assist you."
"Firstly, all dragons in the world are under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court. If we did not inform you in advance, you might have been harmed by that monkey, Sun Wukong."
"Secondly, it is truly lamentable that you, old Dragon King, have toiled diligently for a lifetime guarding the Jing River, only to be tricked by that Yuan Shoucheng, who is suspected to be a disciple of the Chan Sect."
"Therefore, I implore you, old Dragon King, to heed this humble Taoist's advice and refrain from confronting Yuan Shoucheng directly. It would be best to disguise yourself and intentionally make a bet with him."
"Bet on nothing else but whether he can deduce your identity and the exact time of the rain at noon tomorrow. Consider this: the Jade Emperor is the one most concerned with the welfare of dragons. With his approval, you can make it rain whenever you wish; what right does a disciple of the Chan Sect have to speak?"
"In this way, you will gain merit for the Journey to the West, achieve your revenge, and earn even greater favor from the Jade Emperor. Is this not a splendid outcome?"
Taibai Jinxing's words seemed to carry some logic.
The old Dragon King of Jing River, without a word, expressed his heartfelt gratitude and agreed to the plan. He personally escorted Taibai Jinxing to the entrance and watched him ascend back to the Heavenly Court!
...
"Indeed, the Jade Emperor treats this King well!"
The old Dragon King of Jing River, as if his old eyes had truly become clouded, actually placed some trust in this Taibai Jinxing, and in the Jade Emperor who had betrayed Patriarch Hongjun!
On the other side.
Taibai Jinxing, seeing how smoothly things were progressing, was ecstatic. Moreover, this was the second time the conflict between the Taoists and Demons had erupted, and it was the first time he had acted on behalf of the Demon Clan for the Heavenly Court, making him exceedingly pleased.
He was so elated that he did not personally monitor the old Dragon King of Jing River's subsequent actions.
He directly returned to the Heavenly Court, found the Jade Emperor, and reported the matter.
Upon hearing this.
The Jade Emperor's face flushed with joy!
"My loyal minister, you have indeed served diligently. This time, I shall reward you handsomely, and I will not disappoint you."
"Hmph, how laughable that that monkey Sun thinks he has found backing by seeking out Yuanshi Tianzun and Empress Nuwa. He does not realize that for the fifth tribulation, I had already arranged for seven immortals to descend to the mortal realm."
"Now, with your efforts in winning over the old Dragon King of Jing River, making him willingly walk to his doom and follow the celestial mandate, it can be said that they are all my people. How can a mere monkey demon contend with me?"
"With such a formation, whether it be the old Dragon King of Jing River, Yuan Shoucheng, Li Chunfeng, or Yuan Tiangang, they are all my people. How could I possibly lose?"
Hearing the Jade Emperor's praise, Taibai Jinxing became even more arrogant!
Little did he know.
As the two colluded and sneered, the old Dragon King of Jing River, who had been seeing off Taibai Jinxing just a moment ago, suddenly his expression darkened.
Not only did he not meet his expected demise and allow the Heavenly Court to profit handsomely, but shortly after Taibai Jinxing's departure, he went to the back courtyard of the Jing River Dragon Palace.
He encountered a fellow clan member.
Another Dragon King who had intervened even earlier than Taibai Jinxing and had already warned him.
The Rose Dragon King!
Oh, no.
To be precise, ever since the Rose Dragon King had become a disciple of Jin Chanzi, transforming into the Brocade Kasaya to protect him, he was no longer a Dragon King but a member of the Buddhist sect!
"Brother Dragon of Jing River, have you finally seen through the cunning of the Heavenly Court?"
The Rose Dragon King chuckled. This time, he was acting on Jin Chanzi's orders to preemptively recruit the old Dragon King of Jing River.
And to alter his karma!
And behind this, of course, was still Sun Wukong's plan!
"Brother Rose Dragon, you are too kind. If not for your reminder, this Dragon King would truly have been deceived by that Taibai Jinxing. Now, I will not be fooled, but the celestial mandate is hard to escape. Is there any way to help me?"
Unlike his sycophantic behavior towards Taibai Jinxing earlier, the old Dragon King of Jing River now placed his absolute trust in the Rose Dragon King, who was also a dragon and was being exploited as cannon fodder by the Heavenly Court.
This question.
Immediately struck at the core of the issue.
Seeing this.
The Rose Dragon King no longer concealed his intentions and revealed the subsequent celestial mandate that Jin Chanzi had calculated before his departure, along with a plan to avoid disaster that he had already devised for the old Dragon King of Jing River!