Chapter 30: Fishing for Dragon Fish

After leaving Lvyi Garden, Zhou Tieyi did not return home immediately.

Dragon essence and blood are good stuff that the Zhou family doesn't have in stock, so naturally you need to go to a few more places.

As for who possesses the most dragon essence and blood in the world, it is none other than the royal family who regard themselves as the real dragons.

After getting on the self-driving car, Zhou Tieyi asked the monk Gongshu who was accompanying him, "Have you delivered the visiting card?"

"The concierge delivered it this morning."

Monk Gongshujia answered as he started the self-propelled vehicle.

In this world, Gongshujia and Mojia are good at mechanical engineering, and "technology" is developing quite fast. For example, the self-driving car in front of him is, to some extent, more sophisticated than the cars in his previous life and is no less than an armed military vehicle.

However, because it needs to be driven by precious resources such as inkstone, the cost is far beyond what ordinary people can afford. In fact, because the Mohist and Gongshu schools monopolize the technology, only the wealthy and powerful families who can afford to support Mohist and Gongshu school monks can use it. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, no one can repair it for you.

So even if many technologies are available, ordinary human resources are cheaper.

After crossing two streets, we arrived at Youtianfang on the edge of Qinglong City.

This place is very lively because it is close to the road to Yujing Mountain.

On both sides of the broad Bache Avenue, signs of various colors swayed in the spring breeze. In the tavern on the second floor, scholars in blue robes were drunk and singing. The intricate covered bridges were like several long rainbows, connecting the high-rise Wanbao Towers on both sides.

Customers who could not afford to go to Wanbao Tower could still find satisfactory goods in the small blue-tiled shops on both sides of the building. These goods included cotton and silk from Shudu that came along the Luo River, as well as seafood from the East China Sea that went upstream around the Taihang Mountains. It was truly prosperous to the extreme.

This is the heyday of the dynasty.

Zhou Tieyi was admiring the scenery of this completely different era. During this period of time, he had been staying in the Zhou Mansion and practicing hard, but had never seen the hustle and bustle of this world.

After seeing this prosperity today, I feel that spiritual practice is more meaningful.

The bicycle stopped in front of a tall building sign, which was supported by four nine-story towers. Under the building sign, the Beijing guards used sharp eyes to examine the people queuing to go to the capital.

No matter how prosperous Qinglong City is, Yujing Mountain is where the emperor resides. The market town here is called "Youtian" and got its name from this.

Zhou Tieyi, relying on the Zhou family's ancestral influence, did not have to queue up. Ah Er handed over the sign of General Huwei's mansion, and the Beijing guards stationed in front of the tower saluted, and one of them led Zhou Tieyi and the others up the tower.

There is a cable here, woven with wood and steel, with a Yutian boat attached underneath, which connects directly to the Twelve-story Tower in Tianjing, saving the nobles the trouble of climbing the mountain.

Some time ago, there were rumors that the Mohists had improved the technology of the Yutian Boats and that more Yutian Boats could be built in the four cities leading to Tianjing. However, this was unanimously rejected by the dignitaries in the court and the public, who said that this would be a waste of money and time.

Zhou Tieyi just smiled at this. People who sit at the table to eat always don't like others to eat at the same table.

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, a boat landed. The cabin was extremely spacious and could accommodate more than 20 people without being crowded, just like a small boat.

When we got into the cabin, a dull engine sound was heard, and then we saw the Youtian Boat slanting up into the sky.

Through the glazed window, the entire magnificent city of Tianjing came into Zhou Tieyi’s sight.

In the green mountains, high-rise buildings with double eaves are arranged like dragon scales, connected by corridors and plank roads, hidden in the clouds between the mountains, with undulating waves.

Looking down, there are crowds of people in colorful clothes; looking up, there are flying rocs hanging in the sky, majestic and spectacular.

You Tianzhou stopped in front of each level of building signs for a while. There were dignitaries going up and down continuously. When they reached the top of the twelfth floor, only Zhou Tieyi and his group were left.

When he got out of Youtianzhou, he saw a eunuch waiting. When he saw Zhou Tieyi, he immediately forced a smile and said, "Mr. Zhou, the Fourth Prince sent me to pick you up."

Prince Anle Li Jing had not yet been crowned, nor had he been granted any fiefdom, so he usually lived in the palace. The eunuch led Zhou Tieyi and his party onto two self-propelled vehicles. There were many more wealthy families on the twelve-story building than below, but there were fewer people.

We came to a villa run by the clan government, where there was everything from wine, banquets and music.

After entering the courtyard, Zhou Tieyi saw Anle Prince Li Jing whom he hadn't seen for a few days. He clasped his fists and said sincerely, "Jing'er, I have encountered another troublesome matter. After thinking about it, I think only Jing'er can help me."

Li Jing's brows didn't change at all. He took two steps forward and held Zhou Tieyi's arm. "Why are you so harsh, my dear brother? I am just an idle prince. If the Zhou Mansion can't handle it, I can only try my best."

After some brotherly words, Zhou Tieyi finally spoke, "This matter is not difficult for Jing'er. It's just that for my martial arts training, I need one drop of each of the four kinds of blood from Suanni, Chiwen, Fuxi, and Yazi. A medium-quality one will do."

Li Jing laughed and scolded, "You really don't treat me as an outsider."

He took off the beads in his right hand and started turning them casually.

For him, Zhou Tieyi's request was neither simple nor difficult.

However, my 'good brother' has changed a lot recently, so I have to give it a try.

After pondering for a moment, Li Jing said, "This dragon essence and blood is available in the palace's internal affairs department's storehouse, but it's difficult for me to spend it for no reason..."

Zhou Tieyi frowned and asked, "What should we do then?"

Li Jing smiled and said, "Did you forget the festival in a month?"

Zhou Tieyi thought for a moment and asked, "Fishing for dragon fish?"

After the Shangsi Festival, spring returns to the earth and rivers revive.

The new generation of ichthyosaurs will rely on their instincts to swim towards the places where the dragon energy is strongest.

Countless dragon fish come and go, some upstream and some downstream, traveling thousands of miles through the Luoshui River and the Yellow River into the Xuanwu Lake. After experiencing numerous dangers, they swim upstream in the undercurrent at the bottom of the Xuanwu Lake and reach Tianjing, which is the Dragon Gate.

On the first day of April, the five-month fishing ban in Xuanwu Lake was lifted.

The princes and grandchildren of the Great Xia Empire would fish in the Fengyu Lake on the twelfth floor. If they caught a dragon fish of excellent quality, they could take it back to the palace to raise it, or offer it to the Thousand Scale Pond in the Imperial Garden. The Ministry of Internal Affairs would then naturally issue a reward.

As a prince, Li Jing can take the two of them to Fengyu Lake to fish.

Zhou Tieyi remembered that Li Jing had invited him several times before, but he always returned empty-handed, and after that he no longer wanted to go dragon fish fishing.

Zhou Tieyi said embarrassedly, "What if we don't catch it?"

Li Jing smiled and said, "If we didn't catch it, someone else would."

"You mean to rob them?"

Zhou Tieyi's brainless words made Li Jing cough twice, "Brother, have you forgotten about the gambling fight?"

"Now my brother is very popular in Tianjing. He is the fastest person to open the sea in the history of the country. We will spread the news to provoke them. There will always be a few ignorant people who want to stroke my tiger whiskers. Then it will be the time for my brother to show his power!"

Zhou Tieyi smiled, "Jing-ge is so thoughtful!"

The world is like a river, with anglers everywhere. The wealthy families fish for grass fish, while the royal families fish for dragon fish.

(End of this chapter)