The Legend of the Underwater Palace and the Sea Dragon Prince

2. A luminous pearl, sea dragon magic and the submerged kingdom of XianLe

Hua Cheng had spent the whole day in a state of unrest, now that he was close to his destination. He had split his fleet, keeping only 8 junk ships, and sailed for 5 days following the coast undetected, till the province island of Hainam, and then around it. From its southernmost, Sanya, they went south for three more days: this was the eighth.

He Xuan, following Crimson Rain closely with Black Water, didn't see any distinctive features on this location, but Hua Cheng knew the underwater palace was at an equal distance between Sanya, Da Nang and the westernmost of the Xisha Islands. After much insistence, he told He Xuan under which conditions under heaven it could be reached.

"The day must match the month", Hua Cheng grudgingly explained, "Like today, the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month. And, it must be neither night nor day, meaning either dawn or dusk".

"You got all this from those old scrolls?", He Xuan asked, trying to conceal his interest with his usual sarcastic tone, "And, why are you dressed all nicely, as if you were meeting some pretty girl?"

Hua Cheng ignored his teasing; he knew what He Xuan was most curious about was the magical treasure he had, which they'd need as a safe-conduct to that underwater kingdom. It was as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, so Hua Cheng never showed it to anyone, let alone He Xuan: he'd want to steal it straight away, to pay off his debts.

Around one hour before the actual sunset, the receding breeze made the sea look like a mirror of the sky, now a washed-out pale blue: truly neither night nor day. It was the time! Hua Cheng stood at the bow of Crimson Rain and took a luminous pearl from his breast pocket, throwing it in the water without hesitation, ignoring He Xuan's horrified expression.

What happened next was hard to describe: the pirates felt a descending sensation on their lower bellies, while the ships kept sailing on like floating clouds and flowing water; after an incense time they were clearly submerged: everything on a light green colour, hairs and clothes swaying, and the scenario around them... and they were breathing! what kind of magic was that?

"This is the sea dragon magic", Hua Cheng said dazedly, still standing at the bow of his ship, looking ahead. The others looked too, and sucked a breath of cold air.

At a distance, they saw a huge city sprawled on the bottom of the ocean! It looked colourful as if made of precious gems, with opulent buildings and neat avenues. The city surrounded a magnificent palace made of white jade, tall and imposing, with elegant and refined architecture, truly astonishing.

The pirates were beyond stunned: after laughing at Hua Cheng's story, seeing all this with their own eyes shook them to the core, and they started to doubt life itself. The sea dragon magic, whatever that was, kept the junk ships sailing smoothly towards the city, clearly welcoming them.

"That luminous pearl is our safe-conduct, so naturally we're welcome", Hua Cheng explained, giving He Xuan an amused look: he must have his intestines green from regret for mocking him!

According to Hua Cheng's scrolls, the access to this kingdom was magically locked only a few centuries ago; there was a haven, which, underwater, looked more like a high stone bridge with boulders at the edges for the mooring of ships. Hua Cheng gave command for docking and disembarking, noticing the crowd down below.

Taking the lead, he cupped his hands in respectful salute, saying to them, "Greetings to the people of the Underwater Kingdom of XianLe! I'm Hua Cheng, captain of Crimson Rain. We're but humble merchants seeking new markets. We would like to see the rulers of this dazzling kingdom and show our exquisite goods..."

All XianLe inhabitants looked young and beautiful, with long, flowing hair and shimmering slim bodies, which they covered sparsely, wearing battle skirts or loose trousers, and bare-chested if for body chains or wide necklaces, also favouring arm rings, bracelets and hair pieces. They were clearly aquatic creature demons with human bodies.

Hua Cheng wasn't certain of how cultivated they were, as they looked at one another in confusion.

Then they heard a deep pleasant voice, "Merchant ships from the Mortal Realm! XianLe surely haven't seen this in a few centuries".

The crowd parted, revealing a tall and muscular man, with pale skin and clear black eyes, on a white battle skirt with a silvery multi-strand necklace, arm rings and bracelets, his long black hair tied up with a crown and hairpin. He smiled politely and cupped his hands, unfamiliar with the gesture. A highly cultivated whitetip reef shark demon, Hua Cheng felt, not as friendly as he sounded.

"My lord, would I have the pleasure of knowing your name?", Hua Cheng asked, bowing deeply, signalling with his eyes at the pirates to bow too. If you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off!

"I'm Jun Wu, XianLe's chief councillor", he declared, "I must say I'm amazed you were able to reach us. Merchants, yes? As for our trading policy, well XianLe has lived self-sufficiently for centuries – "

"Excuse me", another person arrived from the parting crowd, "Excuse me, I just got word that there are envoys from the Mortal Realm!", he stepped up beside Jun Wu and greeted Hua Cheng with a bow, "Welcome to XianLe. I'm Mei Nianqing, XianLe's estate preceptor".

He had indeed scholarly manners, with a smooth, well-spoken voice, Hua Cheng thought: a yiantai stingray demon dressed in plain and discrete skirt and accessories, tall and slender, with pale skin, brown eyes and hair, and a benevolent expression. Hua Cheng bowed deeply to him, gathering he was rather more welcoming.

"Ah, Guoshi", that Jun Wu demon replied, "You're even so diligent to catch up with the news. I was just about to enlighten these gentlemen about our trading policy – "

As a pirate, Hua Cheng didn't know much about trading policies, but he had a feeling Jun Wu's we're not interested tone was intended to impose them cut-throat deals, truly a tricky situation. The arrival of Mei Nianqing was timely, like disturbing the water to catch a fish!

"That's excellent", the Guoshi commented smoothly, "But, my lord Jun Wu, don't you agree these gentlemen should be taken to see His Highness the Crown Prince first?"

He seemed to be saying, "XianLe's real ruler, not you", and Jun Wu pursed his lips almost imperceptibly, as if thinking, "that would be just a waste of time, what does he know anyway?"

Jun Wu bowed to the Guoshi silently in agreement, and they sent a messenger to the palace.

The Guoshi commented happily, "Ah, His Highness has a great interest in the Mortal Realm, he'll be delighted to meet you!"

Hua Cheng realised this crown prince would be none other than the sea dragon, a powerful demon able to call the wind and summon the rain, and couldn't help feeling apprehensive. However, he was ready to follow the XianLe officials, who, bowing a few more times to one another, led the pirates with much courtesy into the city.

We reached the submerged kingdom of XianLe, I hope you're enjoying it so far – let me know in the comments session. 😁😁😁

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