"Is this the Celestial Compass?"
Ao Haiping examined the object in his hand.
It resembled a compass, but without the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, Five Elements, or Eight Trigrams.
The deep blue Celestial Compass seemed to reflect the night sky, with countless stars twinkling on its surface. Meteors occasionally streaked across, making it impossibly beautiful.
Ao Haiping found himself so captivated by the compass that he couldn't tear his gaze away. His mind was drawn in, as if he had traveled to the depths of the universe, with all the stars seemingly within reach.
Just then, he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head, and a wave of dizziness washed over him, naturally pulling him away from the cosmos.
"Father, why did you hit me?" Ao Haiping rubbed the back of his head, looking indignantly at the Old Dragon King behind him.
"If I didn't hit you, you would have been finished today, rushing in so recklessly." Ao Xingyun snatched the Celestial Compass from his hand, then flipped it over so the front faced down. Only then did Ao Haiping notice that the back bore many characters resembling tadpoles.
"Huh? What is this?"
Ao Haiping reached out to take it, but Ao Xingyun dodged him.
"Still not awake?" Ao Xingyun raised his hand again. Ao Haiping instinctively raised his hand to shield his head, then realized what was happening.
"Was my mind captured just now?" he asked, somewhat surprised.
Ao Xingyun nodded.
"This Celestial Compass is no ordinary item; how can you gaze at it carelessly? If I hadn't snapped you out of it just now, your mind would have been assimilated by the compass, turning you into one of its stars."
"What would happen in reality?"
"You would become a mindless, walking corpse."
Ao Xingyun shot him a look, then took a piece of silk, carefully wrapped the compass, and handed it to Ao Haiping.
"You need to make a trip tonight. The sooner, the better."
Ao Xingyun also worried that delay might bring complications. The Dragon Gate was of paramount importance to their dragon clan.
"Alright." Ao Haiping accepted it casually.
"Don't be curious and open it again," Ao Xingyun cautioned once more.
Having just suffered a consequence, Ao Haiping naturally did not dare to retort.
At this moment, Ao Haichao walked in from outside, holding a scroll.
"This is the written blood oath. You both just need to drip your blood and sign it."
Ao Haiping took it and his eyes widened in surprise.
"E'shou parchment?"
E'shou was a mythical beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It resembled a rabbit, with an elegant bearing, emanating spiritual energy with every movement, and it could speak human language.
However, it was often deceitful, saying east when it meant west, and evil when it meant good.
This meant it often lied, and every word it spoke was false. If one ate its flesh, their own words would also be lies.
Therefore, using E'shou fur as a foundation for a blood oath could not only discern truth from falsehood but also strengthen the contractual relationship.
But the mythical beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas had long been extinct, making E'shou fur incredibly precious.
This demonstrated the dragon clan's seriousness and extreme caution regarding this transaction.
Ao Haiping took the blood oath contract and turned to leave with the Celestial Compass.
"You..."
Seeing his demeanor, Ao Xingyun became annoyed and opened his mouth to scold him, but ultimately refrained.
Instead, he said, "Go to your sister-in-law's place. She has some things for you to take to Jiang Yue."
Ao Haiping paused upon hearing this, then continued forward.
In reality, it wasn't that his sister-in-law had things to send to Ao Jiang Yue, but rather that Ao Jiang Yue had prepared some items for her daughter and, being too proud to ask directly, used her daughter-in-law as an excuse.
...
"Gurgle, gurgle..." The little koi swam home, blowing bubbles all the way.
After having hotpot with Big Brother at noon, she had eaten many delicious things at his place, and her little belly was round.
Even now, as a little koi, her belly was still round, so she blew bubbles as she swam.
As she swam, she sensed something was wrong. She looked back, but saw nothing.
The little koi was simple-minded and didn't think much of it, continuing to gurgle and blow bubbles.
Countless bubbles rose from the riverbed and dispersed.
Just then, the little koi felt some bubbles being popped by something.
So she flicked her tail and shot forward like an arrow, moving rapidly through the water.
"Oh no, oh no..."
She fled in panic.
The bubbles she blew weren't just for fun or aesthetics; they could store items and help her detect enemies.
Her bubbles spread across the riverbed like torpedoes. As soon as one was triggered, she would sense it.
From the moment the bubbles burst, she could even detect the appearance and shape of the enemy.
Therefore, she knew immediately that what was following her was definitely not a small fish, but a flat, flickering monster.
That's why she was rushing home. As long as she was near her mother, she wouldn't be afraid.
And in a hidden spot on the riverbed was a water mansion, inscribed with "Zhu Residence," which was the residence of the Yangtze River Dragon King, and also the little koi's home.
As the Dragon King of the Yangtze River, Zhu Yin'e's water mansion naturally had more than just Zhu Yuchan as a servant.
However, other servants were mostly strange in appearance, half-human, half-fish, some even unable to speak.
The transformation of water creatures into demons was extremely difficult, especially freshwater creatures. Due to being continuously caught by humans, they would end up on the dinner table before they could transform.
Sea creatures were different. They could hide in the deep sea, avoiding human harm, so there were naturally more sea creatures that transformed into demons.
At this moment, Zhu Yin'e and Zhu Yuchan were weaving cloth.
It was an incredibly magnificent piece of fabric, emitting a seven-colored glow. It had a beautiful name: Seven-Colored Brocade. Legend had it that the clothes worn by celestial beings in the Heavenly Palace were woven from Seven-Colored Brocade.
"Hong Jin went ashore again. Why hasn't she returned yet?" Zhu Yuchan said worriedly.
She seemed more anxious than Zhu Yin'e, her mother.
"It's alright. She's being looked after by the Su sisters on shore, and in the water..."
Before Zhu Yin'e could finish, her expression changed drastically. She seemed to flicker like an unstable signal and disappeared from Zhu Yuchan's sight.
Zhu Yuchan froze for a moment, then her expression changed as she realized something, and she also rushed out of the water mansion.
"Oh no, oh no..."
The little koi swam frantically. She felt the monster behind her swimming faster than her, getting closer and closer.
Seeing that she was about to be caught, the little koi suddenly turned, transforming into the appearance of a young girl, holding a "Guagua Hammer" and warily looking around.
At noon, Liu Nanfeng had been with her. Although she was a little scared, Liu Nanfeng stood in front of her, making her feel very safe.
But now, in the depths of the river, she was facing the enemy alone. The little koi's eyes couldn't hide her fear, and her heart pounded violently. For a moment, she didn't know what to do.
Just then, the Guagua Hammer emitted a faint glow, calming her panic and illuminating the surroundings.
The little koi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much safer.
At this moment, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.
The little koi's body instantly stiffened, and fear surged through her again.