Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 393 - 387: Wealth Flourishes [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
The brother and sister seemed somewhat embarrassed, grinning sheepishly.
Sha Chen said, "I’ve told you countless times not to provoke powerful enemies, and yet you went and targeted a Nine-headed Dragon? Having done it is one thing, but you even brought the trouble back to me."
He was very troubled.
Ao Lie, however, said, "Brother, rest assured, we won’t cause you any trouble. Even if the Nine-headed Dragon comes, he won’t be able to get in. Once we are strong enough, we’ll kill him too."
Sha Chen snorted. He was speechless at the siblings’ words, but still said indifferently, "Alright, considering you’ve brought back quite a few resources, I’ll let it go this time. As for the Nine-headed Dragon, you needn’t worry. If he comes, he should stay quiet. If he dares to make a fuss, I will rip out his tongue."
Upon hearing this, the Dragon Girl and Ao Lie were ecstatic, shouting, "Brother is mighty!"
Sha Chen was no longer the Meng of the past. His strength was boundless and formidable. The Nine-headed Worm was nothing more than a Daluo Golden Immortal, at best a High-ranking Da Luo Golden Immortal, and at most a Pinnacle Daluo. But that was all; he was certainly not a Quasi-Saint. Even if it were a Quasi-Saint, it would just be an ordinary one, not worth mentioning. He had even defeated the Golden Winged Dapeng, so why worry about dealing with a mere Nine-headed Worm? What’s more, the Golden Winged Dapeng was right here with him! If the Nine-headed Worm refused to accept this, he would let Dapeng go out and gobble up the Nine-headed Worm first.
After Ao Lie and his sister had been excited for a while, they completely let go of their worries and planned to catch up with Sha Chen, recounting the major and minor events that had happened during their years away. For the moment, the Jinghe Dragon King was left out in the cold.
However, the Jinghe Dragon King could also see that the siblings had a good relationship with Sha Chen. Although they seemed to be doing menial work, not just anyone was qualified to serve Sha Chen. Moreover, the significant improvement in their strength was surely related to Sha Chen’s guidance. Gathering resources was essentially for the sake of becoming stronger, and since Sha Chen could make them stronger directly, that was enough.
Sha Chen also directly asked them to go freshen up, while he would prepare to host a banquet to welcome them back.
Originally, Sha Chen hadn’t wanted to make a big fuss, as it was troublesome. But, given that the siblings had brought back so many things, it would be too remiss not to show some appreciation. Therefore, he planned to cook personally—to serve some delicious food and win people over. Besides, many things were easier to discuss over the dining table, once everyone was relaxed and warmed by wine.
Ao Lie and his sister went off to freshen up, leaving the Jinghe Dragon King, who also wanted to do so. But Sha Chen stopped him, rubbing his fingers together.
The Dragon King was startled and asked in confusion, "What’s wrong with your fingers, River Lord?"
Sha Chen said, "I’m a little short on cash."
The Dragon King reached out to try and pry Sha Chen’s fingers apart to help, but he wasn’t as strong and couldn’t do it. So, he said with frustration, "River Lord, I can see that your hand is indeed a bit tight."
Sha Chen glared at him and asked, "So, do you know what to do?"
The Jinghe Dragon King was taken aback; he really didn’t. No one had ever demanded money from him like this.
Sha Chen rolled his eyes at him. This old Dragon King is so clueless! Does he really need me to spell everything out so explicitly? Then, he said, "It seems the Dragon King has forgotten our prior agreement. What were you supposed to give me for letting you in?"
The Jinghe Dragon King was stunned for a moment. Finally realizing what was expected, he hurriedly took out all his possessions and offered them to Sha Chen, saying, "River Lord, this is all my wealth. I beg you to take up my cause."
But Sha Chen frowned and said, "We agreed I would save your life, but I didn’t agree to take up your cause." Then he snatched the offerings, saying, "Wu Qu Xing is hunting you. While you are here with me, he won’t be able to kill you, and that means I have saved your life. We’re even."
The Jinghe Dragon King was stunned and cried, "River Lord, without your help, I truly have no support."
Sha Chen replied calmly, "There’s nothing I can do about that. I’m not going out. If you want someone to help you clear your name, you’ll have to rely on yourself."
For a while, the Jinghe Dragon King did not know what to do. He gritted his teeth and said, "If Wu Qu Xing comes here, could you help me kill him, River Lord?"
Sha Chen replied, "He’s a deity; I dare not provoke him."
The Jinghe Dragon King said, "You dare to provoke even Saint Zhenyuanzi, so is there any deity you wouldn’t dare provoke?" Then, knowing that Sha Chen was as fond of wealth as he was—a kindred spirit—the Dragon King added, "If you, River Lord, can help me kill Wu Qu Xing and reclaim my Crystal Palace, I will henceforth be at your command. Whatever my Crystal Palace possesses, you, River Lord, shall have first use of, and I will henceforth offer regular tribute."
Sha Chen hesitated for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. Unable to make up his mind for a long time, he finally said, "Let’s leave it at that for now. Here’s an Elixir to treat your injuries, and I have a few drops of Sweet Dew Jade Liquid that can heal your internal wounds and restore your spirits."
After handing the items to the Jinghe Dragon King, Sha Chen went to the kitchen to busy himself.
The Jinghe Dragon King, not quite understanding, consumed what was given to him. Then he was astonished as he saw his injuries heal at a visible rate. The fatigue from consecutive days and the despair in his spirit both seemed to replenish.
Amazed, his eyes widened, and he rushed to the kitchen door, kneeling. "River Lord, I beg you, please stand up for me! I will be at your beck and call and dare not disobey!"
At that moment, an annoyed voice came through, "So irritating! Who are you? You’ve disturbed my cultivation."
The Golden Winged Dapeng transformed into human shape, walking over with great impatience. He had been cultivating under the phoenix tree, but the Jinghe Dragon King’s loud cries and wails had disturbed him, filling him with rage. If it weren’t for the fact that this was Sha Chen’s domain, and the Jinghe Dragon King was kneeling to Sha Chen, he probably would have skinned the Dragon King and eaten him on the spot.
The Jinghe Dragon King started, looked over, and upon seeing the Golden Winged Dapeng, nearly wet himself in fear, scrambling backward. "HISS." He stammered in terror, "You—you—you’re the Golden Winged Dapeng? How—how come you’re here? Impossible, how did you get in?"
The Golden Winged Dapeng snorted, "I wondered who it was. So, it’s the Jinghe Dragon King. You old thing, how did you get in?"
The Jinghe Dragon King said in dread, "The River Lord let me in." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
The Golden Winged Dapeng had licked his lips, his eyes filled with ferocity. But upon hearing this, he frowned and lost interest.
Then Sha Chen came out from the kitchen, glanced at him, and said indifferently, "The Dragon King is a guest; you’d better be polite. Don’t scare him off, or you’ll be the main course at tonight’s barbecue."
The Golden Winged Dapeng asked excitedly, "So I’ll eat the most?"
Sha Chen replied, "It’s roasted Dapeng bird."
The Golden Winged Dapeng was immediately startled and hurriedly said he wouldn’t dare.
Then, the Golden Winged Dapeng quickly went forward and spoke politely to the Jinghe Dragon King, "Dragon King, so you are the Master’s honored guest! You should have said so. My apologies for the offense."
The Dragon King was taken aback. Hearing the Golden Winged Dapeng’s words, it seemed he was quite afraid of Sha Chen and was also his subordinate. He was stunned for a moment. When had he become Sha Chen’s valued guest? Just because he gave away all his wealth? Being greedy by nature himself, he immediately sensed that Sha Chen was likely a kindred spirit. He had indeed paved the way with money. Sha Chen was also a straightforward person who, true to the principle of ’take money, solve problems,’ had at least shown him enough respect.
With newfound confidence, the Jinghe Dragon King nodded with a smile, "Of course, I’m the River Lord’s honored guest. Golden Winged Dapeng, we may have had past grievances, but those were our fathers’ issues. Let’s not involve each other. I hope you won’t make things difficult for my Dragon Clan."
The Golden Winged Dapeng replied, "I won’t. Since you are the Master’s honored guest, you are also my honored guest. Why would I make things difficult for you?"
It turned out that the Golden Winged Dapeng’s father, the Great Sun Jin Peng, had a long-standing feud with the Dragon Clan, often hunting dragons for food, while the Dragon Clan had also killed many of the Dapeng clan. The enmity between them had only deepened over time. However, the Golden Winged Dapeng had since become a loner, and the Jinghe Dragon King’s power was waning; neither wished to be entangled in past grievances. Since they were both at Sha Chen’s place, it was natural for them to let bygones be bygones.
The Jinghe Dragon King began to draw out the Golden Winged Dapeng, and after an in-depth conversation, he suddenly understood: the Golden Winged Dapeng was actually Sha Chen’s man! He had pledged allegiance to Sha Chen, who was so formidable that he had easily defeated the Golden Winged Dapeng. Indeed! He had come to the right person. Sha Chen was truly incredible!
While Sha Chen was busy, the former archenemies, the Golden Winged Dapeng and the Jinghe Dragon King, were already chatting merrily, arm in arm, showing no sign of any past grievances!
「An hour later.」
Sha Chen had placed all the dishes on the table, along with several jugs of fine wine. Ao Lie had already finished bathing and was conversing with the Golden Winged Dapeng and the Jinghe Dragon King. Only the Dragon Girl was not yet ready.
After Sha Chen served the dishes, he frowned and said, "What on earth is Ao Mengmeng doing, bathing or paying respects at a grave? Why is she taking so long?"
At that moment, a voice came from the Eight-Treasure Water Tower, "General brother, I forgot to bring my clothes. Can you bring them for me?"
Sha Chen said, "Let Ao Lie help you."
Ao Lie replied, "I don’t have time to bother with her."
The Dragon Girl also called out, "General brother, please bring them quickly! I’m nearly waterlogged from soaking for so long."
Sha Chen frowned but still fetched a clean garment for her and entered the Eight-Treasure Water Tower. Upon entering, he arrived at the pool’s edge.
The Dragon Girl transformed from a dragon into human form and flung herself at him, wetly clinging to Sha Chen like an octopus.
Sha Chen could barely breathe. After several shoves, he finally managed to push her away. However, he was a bit unsteady and nearly slipped.
Seeing this, the Dragon Girl was delighted and said, "Brother, let me help you, don’t fall down."
Sha Chen was pulled by her hand, but he quickly slapped it away. He snorted, tossed the clothes to her, and said, "Alright, get dressed and come out. Everyone’s waiting for you to eat. What’s taking you so long? Bathing for ages like this—anyone who didn’t know better would think you’d drowned in there."
The Dragon Girl pouted, took the clothes, examined them for a moment, and said, "These clothes aren’t mine. Why are they so big?"
Sha Chen indifferently replied, "Oh, they’re Chang E’s. What, you think they’re too big?"
Hearing this, the Dragon Girl, refusing to concede, retorted, "Not at all! These can barely contain me!"
