The next day, Deng Jiugong ordered his eldest son, Deng Xiu, to lead a contingent to occupy the four states and twenty-nine counties near Nan Du. There was basically no resistance here, which belonged to easy gains. Old Deng himself led the main force into Nan Du.
Deng Changyu had a heart-to-heart conversation with her stepfather, and old Deng also recognized her idea.
You are just thinking about sponging off your parents, aren't you? Got it!
The Deng family has occupied a large territory, and to smoothly absorb it, they need the consent or at least the tacit approval of the side in Chaogong. At this time, pushing Huang Feipiao forward to claim the first merit and keeping silent while accumulating wealth is indeed a correct choice.
The Yao family, including Yao Jisheng, was entrusted to Deng. Deng Changyu began a new round of negotiations with her brother Deng Xiu.
"Son said that there is an extraordinary person who imparted secret techniques, that's how... so modest?" Just as the dawn broke, Deng Jiugong came to the river to see his daughter. He heard the report from his subordinates that his daughter was possessed and did nothing, standing by the river and grinding a heavy iron club for several days.
Looking at this way of cultivation now, it's so simple? This can't be as easy as just having hands, can it?
"Father, what I am grinding is not the iron club, but my heart. A heart that can persevere in seeking the path no matter what difficulties and obstacles I encounter."
Such words came easily to Deng Changyu, but whether it was the true intention of Lishan Old Mother, I don't know!
Deng Jiugong stroked his beard and nodded, acknowledging this statement.
Deng Changyu was very busy. These days, she grinded day and night, grinding off nearly one-tenth of the iron club. The Qingyang True Fire was heating up continuously, which looked normal but the surface temperature of the iron club was almost as hot as that of cannon-rock, so now was the time to strike while it was hot!
Seeing the pale blue flame appearing in his daughter's hand, Deng Jiugong felt deeply moved. His daughter was now indeed a strange and extraordinary person. By then, the elder son would inherit his position in the court, while his daughter pursued cultivation. The future of the Deng family was indeed promising!
After two more days, it passed.
Deng Changyu thought that using the Qingyang True Fire to cover the iron club was a bit clumsy.
Adopting the philosophy that sharpening the knife won't delay the chopping of firewood, she had her maid Hongxiao sew a leather ball from animal skin. Then, she controlled a thread of flame to rotate within the ball, ensuring that the flame did not burn through the ball while maintaining its high-speed rotation.
She practiced a day with the spinning fire of Qingyang True Fire, and then covered it like a spiral pattern on the stone to burn and cut the iron club more quickly.
Days went by one by one.
The transportation of grain and supplies for the southern campaign was becoming increasingly difficult. The Deng family wanted to manage Nan Du, and they couldn't exploit too heavily on this side; they no longer had the strength to continue fighting. With his brother, concubines, sons, and daughters all in Deng Jiugong's hands, E Zhouyu dared not launch an offensive either. Both sides then remained in a stalemate.
...
Kang was trudging forward under the scorching sun, puffing and puffing. The Phoenix Avatar was not in high spirits these days because her essence was being drained by the other party who was relentlessly grinding the needle. Her two companions had no idea what was wrong with her and thought she might be ill.
Now, it is Kang carrying the small bed-shaped wutong wood on his back, and the Phoenix Avatar is lying inside it, snoring heavily. Zouwu is holding a large banana leaf with his long tail to shade her from the sun.
On this day, the essence from the other party was slightly rested and focused on the avatar's side. As soon as they saw...
“Where the hell are we now?!” Looking around at the surrounding mountains, the Avatar stunned and turned back to ask her two companions.
Dang Kang and Zouwu exchanged looks in surprise. “Isn't it following our instincts? How could we know where we are? We're still kids!”
The Phoenix Avatar resisted the urge to cover her face.
It's clear that we're lost!
Amidst the mountains, for a moment, she was at a loss as well.
With her experience, she found a direction.
Almost halfway through the day, Zouwu suddenly realized that there seemed to be some kind of destiny ahead.
This divine beast combination was originally brought together to seek opportunities, so they naturally wouldn't let this chance slip by.
Soon, following Zouwu's guidance, they arrived at a large lake with gentle beauty, peaceful as a painting.
Where is this place? Could the opportunity be underwater?
Deng Changyu stopped working on grinding the iron club and shifted all her attention to the avatar.
As she observed and pondered, a middle-aged man wearing a sky-blue crown, adorned with a magnificent dragon robe, tied with a jade belt, and stepping on clouds appeared by the lake.
The middle-aged man seemed surprised by their combination, especially the presence of a phoenix in the group: "......Is this really the Phoenix race? Xiaolong is the Dragon King of Dongting Lake. I don't know why this high-ranking phoenix has come to my Dongting waters?"
Can I say that we came here by accident and to seek opportunities?
The two races, the dragons and phoenixes, were originally mortal enemies, having fought countless times over the millennia. They had countless deep grudges between them. Now that they are both on borrowed time, there's no point in fighting again. If they did, their entire tribes would be wiped out.
It's hard to say that they meet and smile to forget the past grudges, but their enmity is no longer as high as before. They even greet each other upon seeing, which can be considered a tribute to their illustrious ancestors.
The Phoenix avatar nodded slightly, just about to speak when Dang Kang blurted out to the Dragon King, "Stupid pig!"
The Phoenix avatar: "..."
Dang Kang looked at her with a self-satisfied expression. "Look, last time you taught me how to greet people in French. I learned it. I'm smart, right?"
The Dragon King of Dongting Lake was taken aback, then burst into laughter. He found Dang Kang quite interesting for introducing himself as "Stupid Pig." Such a name was truly simple and unadorned.
The avatar stepped forward, blocking Dang Kang, and showed a smile: "Greetings, Dragon King. We are mainly... "
After thinking for a moment, she decided to be honest: "It is my companion Zouwu who seems to think there is her destiny in Dongting Lake."
"Is it Zouwu? It is indeed a benevolent beast born from the goodness of the earth and sky. As for the destiny, Xiaolong is not sure. Xiaolong's daughter has been married off to Jing River. This morning, Xiaolong suddenly had a hunch and felt that there might be something over there. So he wanted to find someone with a connection to help take a look at how his daughter was faring over there, and then the esteemed guests have arrived at Dongting Lake."
We are bound by the heavenly laws and cannot neglect our duties. If the three esteemed guests are willing to help, please go to Jing River on behalf of Xiaolong to visit his daughter. As long as you know that she is living well, Xiaolong will be at ease... I will not let you go without reward. The Dragon Palace of Dongting will surely give you a generous compensation."
The middle-aged man bowed his hands and knuckles, his tone was very sincere.
The Phoenix Avatar looked at Zouwu. Is this the opportunity? A running errand task?
The young Zouwu nodded in a naive manner, as if that was indeed what it was about.
The Phoenix Avatar was unaware of the location of Jing River. The other entity immediately turned to a book, quickly discovering that this river was a tributary of the Yellow River, located within the territory of Xiqi, conveniently situated on their westward route.
The task was not difficult, and the other party was very polite. They didn't even mention the issue of additional payment, so they agreed to it on the spot.
Dongting Dragon King is not as powerful as the Four Seas Dragon King, but the Dragon Palace has always been very generous, and this one is no exception.
He gave the Phoenix Avatar a defensive armor that was very strong and could stretch or shrink according to its size, a waterproof pearl for Dang Kang, a drop of Black Unicorn blood and a pair of Cloudfoots that left no footprints for Zouwu.
After absorbing the somewhat impure Black Unicorn blood, Zouwu also entered the juvenile stage. Previously, it was only the size of a pillow. Now, it looked like a small horse, and finally, it could be ridden!
Riding a pig was truly an act of necessity. Who would ride such a thing if they were a real phoenix?
Zouwu looked like a small tiger, and a certain phoenix sat on her back, petting her chin like a cat. This attracted Zouwu to laugh and make a soft "rum-rum" sound.
