Chapter 150: The Holy Sea Dragon King

"I am not weary at all, Your Majesty; I have seen and heard much, and learned a great deal." The Third Prince of the Eastern Seas stepped forward, pointing at the inscription master, and said, "This is the Grand Inscription Master whom I have invited."

The Dragon King nodded and said, "The art of inscriptions is a creation of heaven and earth. I wonder if you, wise sir, would be willing to take the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas as your disciple and impart to him the methods of inscription?"

Hearing this, the inscription master revealed an expression of great excitement and immediately replied, "It is precisely what I desire, though I dared not hope for it."

The Dragon King nodded with a smile.

Then the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas pointed at Chu Youcai and said, "I also met this wise gentleman. He is exceptionally gifted in poetry and prose, having composed *Brocade Zither*, *The Gallant Traveler*, and even played a piece of music of the utmost ethereal beauty in the Great Rakshasa Kingdom." He then vividly elaborated on the events in the Great Rakshasa Kingdom, embellishing the account with great enthusiasm.

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King wore a look of astonishment and said, "So it is Young Master Chu."

Chu Youcai had not expected that even the Dragon King would have heard of his name. He was slightly startled and said, "This humble one greets Your Majesty the Dragon King. The Third Prince praises me too highly; I am only vaguely familiar with a thing or two, and those poems were merely moments of accidental inspiration."

"Accidental inspiration?" The Dragon King nodded slightly and said, "You truly possess great literary talent, sir!"

He then mused, "Since that is the case, I would like to trouble your magnificent brush to compose a piece describing the Sea Market. What do you think?"

Chu Youcai replied, "This humble one is willing to do his utmost."

The Dragon King nodded and instructed his attendants to fetch the Purple-Gold Snow-Jade Paper and the Dragon-Whiskers Brush.

Chu Youcai was inwardly startled. It was said that this Purple-Gold Snow-Jade Paper was extremely precious, something that millions of taels of silver might not even be able to buy.

At this moment, seeing the Dragon King attach such great importance to Chu Youcai, the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas felt a sense of elation and said, "Father, Fourth Sister also rather favors literary scholars. Why not summon Fourth Sister here as well? It has been a very long time since I last saw her."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King's expression turned frosty, and he said in a chilling voice, "What kind of behavior is this! According to the Heavenly Law and precepts, a Dragon Princess should quietly recite the *Sutra of the Plain Girl* deep within the palace. How can she show her face in public and make a laughingstock of us before honored guests?"

For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to drop drastically in temperature, as if a freezing murderous intent had locked onto the area. The Third Prince of the Eastern Seas instantly felt a bone-chilling cold throughout his body and could barely stand upright, while the inscription master turned deathly pale. Only Chu Youcai, who had practiced the Demonic Body Tempering Art, withstood this immense pressure.

Lowering his head, the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas said, "Father's reprimand is just."

He knew that before the Dragon King of the Sacred Sea, there was no room for rebuttal. Even if he were in the right, he could only submit.

In the Dragon Palace, the word of the Dragon King of the Sacred Sea was law. To argue back would bring family punishment at the very least, or direct banishment from the Dragon Palace at worst.

The Dragon Palace emphasized heavenly laws and statutes, which were even stricter than the imperial palaces of the mortal world.

Seeing the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas like this, the Dragon King of the Sacred Sea then said indifferently, "Your conduct in the southern frontiers of Loulan over the past few years has been acceptable; you charged forward bravely in battle and still showed some vigor. But looking at you now, you are fickle and impatient, and your self-cultivation falls far short of completion. As a prince, you ought to study diligently and refine yourself. Displaying your emotions so blatantly, how can you make others submit?"

"Yes." The Third Prince of the Eastern Seas lowered his head once more. Having returned in high spirits, he felt his heart grow cold upon hearing the Dragon King's words.

At this point, the Dragon King's expression softened slightly. "Your Fourth Sister is naturally fond of tranquility. Since you have not returned for so many years, you must miss her dearly; you may go and see her of your own accord. Moreover, she does not have much time left in the Dragon Palace. Aside from studying inscriptions during these days, spend more time accompanying her."

At this, the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas blurted out, "Is Younger Sister getting married?"

The Dragon King frowned. "Is this a matter for you to meddle in? Master your inscriptions and devote your energy to them! The paths of Yin and Yang in heaven and earth have become extremely turbulent nowadays, and the recruitment of the Zhuxian Academy is precisely for this reason. The Dragon Palace will be shaken as a result, and the entire Three Realms may even suffer a great cataclysm of heaven and earth. When that time comes, if you do not even know inscriptions, what will you rely on to make your stand in a chaotic world?"

"This son understands," the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas murmured.

"Go." The Dragon King waved his hand.

Watching the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas leave—transformed from full of vitality to utterly dejected—Chu Youcai was speechless.

At that moment, a dragon attendant brought the Purple-Gold Snow-Jade Paper and the Dragon-Whiskers Brush before Chu Youcai, saying respectfully, "Please, Young Master."

Along with these two items came a crystal inkstone and ink that exuded an orchid-like fragrance.

The Dragon King of the Sacred Sea smiled and said, "I hope, sir, that you will not stint your wonderful words."

Chu Youcai replied, "I dare not." He then fell into deep contemplation.

He thought of the vastness of the Sea Market, comparable to an imperial city. Seen from the city gates, numerous houses stood in rows like fish scales; there were misty willows, lakeside paths, painted bridges, lotus flowers, and countless immortal treasures displayed for sale on both sides—all of them rare and precious treasures, so breathtakingly beautiful.

Without further hesitation, the tip of his brush moved, and he wrote down a line of verse: "The finest scenery of the southeast, the metropolis of the Three Wu—since ancient times, the Dragon Palace has been prosperous, with misty willows and painted bridges, wind-curtained and jade-screened, ten thousand households overlapping."

Concentrating with all his heart, he infused every single word with Daoist magic, allowing the radiant power to penetrate within and make the characters brilliantly luminous.

At this moment, the Dragon King of the Sacred Sea merely closed his eyes quietly, as if taking a nap, taking care not to disturb Chu Youcai.

Chu Youcai paused the tip of his brush and continued to write: "Cloudy trees wrap around the embankment sands, raging billows roll frost and snow, the heavenly chasm knows no bounds. The market displays pearls and jade, households overflow with gauze and silk, competing in sheer extravagance."

At this moment, the sounds of cranes weeping and dragons roaring seemed to echo back and forth around them, as if startled awake by Chu Youcai's poetry.

Then Chu Youcai continued to write the latter half of the stanza: "The layered lakes and towering peaks are clear and lovely. There are osmanthus flowers of the third autumn, and ten li of lotus blossoms. Tartar pipes play in the fair weather, water-chestnut songs drift across the night, joyful fishing elders and lotus-picking maidens. A thousand horsemen surround tall banners. Riding in intoxication to listen to flutes and drums, chanting and admiring the misty clouds. Another day I shall paint this fine scenery, and boast of it upon returning to the Phoenix Pool."

Upon finishing, Chu Youcai presented the work to the Dragon King.

The Dragon King gazed intently at it, his body freezing in place. Then he read it word by word, his expression grave.

Suddenly, he praised aloud, "Sir truly possesses supreme talent! Such a magnificent and sweeping brushwork with dramatic ups and downs, rendered in rich and heavy colors yet with winding and affectionate sentiment, ornamenting the pristine beauty of the lakes and mountains—truly admirable! The realm of water has gained no small amount of glory because of this."

Immediately, he summoned the members of the dragon clan and instructed that Chu Youcai be transferred to the Caixia Palace, where a grand banquet would be held exclusively for him.

At this very moment, the Third Prince of the Eastern Seas was walking back from afar. Although he had departed in a fury with hidden anger in his heart, he suddenly remembered the promise he had made to Chu Youcai about opening the Heaven-Overturning Seal, and so he had returned.

Yet when he stood at the doorway and saw from afar that his father wore a rare and long-absent smile, he was momentarily stunned. Then, seeing his father invite Chu Youcai to the Caixia Palace—which he knew to be the place where his father feasted honored guests—a wave of joy washed over him. It seemed that Chu Youcai's talent was genuine, and he no longer needed to worry about the matter of the Heaven-Overturning Seal.

He noticed that a member of the dragon clan was making rubbings of the poetry and prose written by Chu Youcai. Taking a copy in his hand, he felt the literary grace rush toward him at a single glance. When he saw the lines about the osmanthus flowers of the third autumn and the ten li of lotus blossoms, he was stirred with excitement, feeling as though the wondrous sights of the Sea Market were vividly unfurling before his eyes.

Holding the poem carefully, he walked toward the Dragon Princess's quarters, thinking to himself, "Fourth Sister is quite fond of poetry and prose; this piece will surely suit her tastes. I shall take it to her."