Chapter 67 A life for a life, it's only right...
The girl, who was placed in the Odd Jobs Shop by Nezha, was served by slaves for several days. Although her food, clothing, and shelter were all good, she felt uneasy without news of her sisters.
In a moment of distraction, the spinning top in my hand fell to the ground.
It rolled forward and crashed open the door, which was already slightly ajar. The girl stepped over the threshold, intending to pick it up.
Just as the fingertip was about to touch the body of the Buddha, a thunderclap suddenly resounded in the sky!
Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating every person, every building, and every inch of land in Chentang Pass in a stark white light.
She looked up at the sky, where a torrential downpour was falling.
.
Floods and torrential rains breached the flimsy houses inside the pass, and many people drowned.
"What a wicked creature... what a wicked creature! My Li family has been upright and honest for a hundred years, how could such a beast have emerged!"
When Li Jing heard the report at the General's Mansion, he slumped into a chair in despair.
If things continue like this, Chentang Pass will eventually become a ghost town.
Lady Yin was also awakened by the thunder outside. She weakly came to the front of the main hall and asked, "Husband, what has happened? Where is Nezha?"
"You dare mention it again!" Li Jing's eyes widened in anger, and he slammed his hand heavily on the table. "Look at the trouble your good son has caused! If the Dragon King is angered, the entire Chen Tang Pass will probably be buried with that third prince of the Dragon King who had his tendons ripped out and skinned alive!"
"How could this be!" Madam Yin was first shocked, then realized something was wrong. She twisted her handkerchief, stammering, "But Nezha killing the Third Prince of the Dragon was also for the good of the people, and he ate children..."
“Some things are not for us mortals to judge,” Li Jing paced back and forth, shaking his head and sighing, “Even Heaven doesn’t care if he eats people, how can Nezha punish him on Heaven’s behalf?”
As they were talking, thunder roared again.
A fierce gust of wind, billowing into a cloud, violently smashed open the windows and doors of the main hall. Rain poured in, shattering the clay artifacts on the shelves. Decorations scattered all over the floor, and even Madam Yin was thrown into Li Jing's arms. The two looked out in alarm.
A flash of lightning, and a squad of dragon soldiers suddenly appeared at the entrance.
The shrimp and crab, clad in armor, stepped into the house and commanded the couple, "Come on, my king has something to say."
Without a word, Li Jing and Lady Yin were led out of the main hall by the stench of shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
Towering waves rose from all directions, swallowing fishermen whole, while floods surged in from beyond the pass, bringing countless shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
"Please, don't take my child!"
Around the corner, a young woman was forced to the ground by the shrimp soldiers. She stared at the cruelly extended claws of the shrimp, desperately clutching her infant child and pleading incessantly. But the sirens, devoid of humanity, made a move to cut the woman in half at the waist.
The woman closed her eyes in despair, preparing for death.
Just then, the darkness covering his eyelids suddenly lifted.
The woman instinctively cried out, "Third Prince!"
The shrimp soldiers who had just been trying to commit violence were now dead, their livers and brains spilling out. Golden light pierced through the dragon soldiers throughout the street, tearing them apart like dismembered seafood.
Nezha descended from the sky on his Wind Fire Wheels. He raised his hand to put away the Qiankun Ring that had returned to its original position and said succinctly, "Go back inside and hide."
He rushed to Chentang Pass and heard countless wails and sobs.
The dragon soldiers seized the opportunity to snatch the child from Guan Min's hands and put it into a cage. Nezha did not believe that this was included in the authority delegated by the Jade Emperor. He knew that the Dragon King also had his own desires. After receiving the decree, he instructed his subordinates to commit evil deeds and attribute all the violence and evil to "revenge".
Despicable.
This was the only word that could come to Nezha's mind.
His appearance was like wet wood igniting a fire; the terrified villagers swarmed around Nezha like moths to a flame.
They all exclaimed at once, "Third Prince, you're back!"
"They seem to have come from the East Sea. All the fishermen who went out to fish today are dead. You have no idea how wicked these demons are!"
"It's good that the Third Prince is back!" This was the consensus of everyone. They all said, "With the Third Prince back, no one can bully us in Chen Tang Pass anymore!"
The boy glanced down at the faces looking up at him. Guan Min's simple face bore some scars, and the children smiled through their tears when they saw him.
Among them, Nezha recognized many familiar faces:
One day when he came back, the auntie brought him a basket full of pig's trotters;
The child who wet the bed after playing with fire was brought in by his mother, who had twisted his ear.
Dozens of storytellers fabricated versions of his origins and story;
The old man who was lost by Abebe;
besides......
Teach him how to discern the true meaning of a sentiment.
He carried the weight of everyone's expectations, their piercing gazes pressing down on him like a mountain. Before, Nezha was like the wind, free to do whatever he wanted. But now, with people revering him, Nezha felt as if he were holding a jar full of water. He didn't want to take it, but now that he did, he could only worry about whether the water in the jar would spill.
These people are unaware that today's troubles were caused by him, which is why they show such expressions.
He thought: If they knew the cause and reason, and why the Dragon King was angry, would I return to that time when everyone despised me?
Thus, Nezha averted his gaze.
Miss Shen's hair was disheveled. She squeezed through the crowd and asked, "Third Prince, where is Pingyu?"
"My master..." He was surprised that the other party would take the initiative to speak, and Shen Canjuan continued, "When I was running away just now, I saw Lord Li and his wife being taken away by these monsters."
Upon hearing news about his parents, the previously extinguished Wind Fire Wheels reignited in flames. Nezha focused his attention and asked, "Where were they taken?"
"The altar." Shen Canjuan pointed out the direction to him: "I saw them walking towards the highest altar inside the pass."
As the girl said, Li Jing and Lady Yin were kneeling in the center of the altar.
This is the tallest building in Chentang Pass, and it is known as the place closest to "heaven".
The two men were violently forced to look up at the sky by having their hair pulled by the red pincers.
Four long dragons of different colors roamed through the clouds.
The moment they looked up, the long line suddenly stopped.
The dragon's head was lowered, and its four enormous eyes, as large as caverns in the sky, stared intently at the two people who were like ants, completely at the mercy of the fish.
Ao Guang said, "Li Jing, hand over Nezha now!"
The divine pressure nearly caused Lady Yin to vomit blood.
She trembled in pain, tears streaming down her face.
Seeing his wife in such a state, Li Jing felt a pang of pain in his heart. With each tremor of Lady Yin, his hatred for Nezha intensified. If his son were still in the manor, Li Jing would have handed him over without hesitation.
But Nezha wasn't there.
"Brother Dao, I do not know where my rebellious son is."
He said sadly, "He offended Lady Shiji of the White Bone Cave, and I sent him there to atone for his sins. He hasn't returned yet, and I don't even know if Nezha is alive or dead!"
Shi Ji's Taoist magic was profound; Nezha was no match for her.
When he left, he already intended to abandon Nezha as a dead man.
Ao Guang knew Li Jing wasn't lying, because he had escaped while Shi Ji was chasing Nezha. He also knew Nezha was definitely not dead, because Taiyi Zhenren was known for doting on his disciple; it was probably Shi Ji who was more likely to be in grave danger.
Whether Li Jing could hand over Nezha was actually unimportant to him. Ao Guang's goal this time was to slaughter the entire Li family; he only needed an excuse to go on a killing spree. Li Jing, unaware of his thoughts, broke free from the shrimp soldiers' heavy grip, protecting his wife and kowtowing repeatedly: "Brother Daoist, my son is dead. You may go to the underworld to find him; whether his soul has dissipated or not is none of my concern. Please, brother Daoist, spare the people of Chentang Pass, spare my wife, and do not harm innocent bystanders!"
"If I had spared you, why was no one spared my son before he died!"
Upon hearing this, Ao Guang's dragon eyes flashed with a blood-red, ferocious light. He flicked his dragon tail, instantly causing waves of air to surge, stirring up chaos and making the sky appear menacing.
The God of Clouds and Rain possesses the power to bring rain and floods; if he so desired, he could easily inundate Chen Tang Pass. The old dragon's cruelty could no longer be suppressed, and he patiently issued an ultimatum: "I will count to three. If you do not hand over Nezha, all of you will be buried with my Bing'er!"
"three..."
Li Jing tried to speak, but was kicked to the ground by the crab general behind him.
Just as his heart was filled with despair, a cluster of red light suddenly burst forth from the murky sky. It burned away the terrifying gloom like a meteorite, shaking Li Jing to his core.
Could it be...?
"one."
Just as Ao Guang was about to launch his attack, a sudden boom resounded. Under the dragon's watchful eye, thick smoke billowed from the surface of the altar. Shrimp soldiers and crab generals flew out from the thick fog and dust, screaming as they crashed to the ground below. Then, a vortex rose from the fog, and as it gradually dissipated, a boy holding a golden ring could be seen standing in the center, stepping on two balls of fire.
"Old Dragon King" Nezha pointed directly at the four dragons in the sky and shouted, "You dare to harm my parents and the people of Guanzhong! Aren't you afraid I'll go to the Heavenly King in the Lingxiao Palace and report you?"
When the boy mentioned the Heavenly King, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were all somewhat wary.
Ao Guang was surprised by Nezha's arrival so quickly, so he could only put on a fierce front but remained outwardly defiant: "I have received an imperial decree from the Jade Emperor to punish Nezha by bringing rain at Chentang Pass. Even if you try to complain, you won't be able to get anything out of me!"
"Is that so?" Nezha questioned, "Is flooding innocent civilians and ordering private soldiers to snatch the child considered a slight punishment? I'm going to go to the South Heavenly Gate to ask if this was what the Jade Emperor instructed!"
"Nezha!" Ao Guang exclaimed, enraged.
The thunder grew louder, and the lightning flashed even brighter. The raindrops grew larger, and the sound of the rain became so chaotic that it was impossible to see or hear clearly.
He loudly retorted, "A life for a life, that's only right and proper!"
The next second, Li Jing felt a lightness around his waist.
A sharp, ringing sound echoed through the air, momentarily drowning out the torrential rain. As the dragon's roar gradually faded, the longsword slowly came off its sheath; it was Nezha who had drawn Li Jing's sword.
The man, terrified, roared, "You unfilial son, what are you trying to do now?!"
The boy, holding a sword to his neck, ignored his father's shouts and calmly shouted back at the Dragon King in the sky:
"Then I'll repay you!"
A bluish light swirled among the clouds in the sky.
The light reflected off the sword blade, casting a sharp, cold glint that grazed Li Jing and Lady Yin's faces.
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