The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha
Chapter 182 - 181 Dragon Clan: This Heavenly Court is Damn Corrupt

Chapter 182: Chapter 181 Dragon Clan: This Heavenly Court is Damn Corrupt

Nezha left the Palace of the Polestar and immediately headed to the Turquoise Pool to find Long Ji.

Hao Tian: "..."

He instantly knew what was going on and got furious. But he couldn’t say anything.

Nezha ’worked hard’ at Long Ji’s place for eight days, then wandered around for a bit. On the ninth day, he lazily made his way back to the Palace of the Polestar to report.

Hao Tian glared at Nezha, gnashing his teeth in frustration. How could anyone behave so brazenly?

Nezha didn’t care about Hao Tian’s opinion. If you annoy me, I’ll make sure you’re even more annoyed. That had always been his way—pliable when coaxed, but never when pressured.

"Reporting to the Great Venerable: after several days of diligent investigation, some clues have come to light in the case."

Hao Tian: "..."

Diligent investigation? My foot. You were ’diligent’ on my daughter, weren’t you!

Though seething with anger inside, he couldn’t show it. Nezha had, after all, completed the task he was assigned. Forcing a kind expression, Hao Tian said, "Minister, you’ve worked hard. What are the findings?"

Nezha took a moment to organize his thoughts before beginning with, "I have a friend."

"I have a friend who, not long ago, went to the Undying Volcano for some reason. While there, that elder Yuan Feng mentioned seeing the Ancestor Dragon eating a Heavenly Peach.

This friend of mine grew suspicious and told me about it. I suspect the Dragon Clan stole the Heavenly Peaches, possibly as part of some grand conspiracy."

Hao Tian: That ’friend’ is you, isn’t it?

There are no coincidences in the Primordial world. A while ago, the tremor from the southern heavens had been noticed by all the Great Experts, but without any follow-up, no one knew what had truly happened.

Hao Tian’s controlling tendencies kicked in as he tried to appear nonchalant while asking, "Ahem, Minister, what exactly was your friend doing at the Undying Volcano?"

Nezha cast a sidelong glance at Hao Tian. You nosy Old Deng, your curiosity knows no bounds, huh?

"I don’t know. We’re just regular friends. Asking too many questions would cross the line."

Hao Tian was once again gritting his teeth. You cheeky brat—who are you implying here?

But since the task ahead still required Nezha’s help, he had no choice but to put up with the antics. With the Dragon Clan now playing the "nothing to lose" card and the Heavenly Court lacking sufficient martial power to deal with them effectively, neither side wanted to engage in direct confrontation.

If the case were to be resolved with dignity, it would still have to rely on this meddlesome yet well-connected brat standing before him.

The responsibility of apprehending the culprit and recovering the peaches ultimately fell to Nezha.

Seizing the opportunity, Nezha said, "Great Venerable, I’m not good with water. Could you assign someone to assist me?"

Hao Tian thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I’ll have Marshal Tianpeng accompany you."

"Great! But given how pressing this Dragon Clan matter is, I’m afraid the two of us alone might not be enough to complete the mission. I hear Princess Long Ji excels in swimming. Could she accompany us as well?"

Hao Tian looked at Nezha, who had the expression of someone saying, "If you don’t agree, I’m not going." In the end, he could only relent. "Long Ji is currently being punished by the Queen Mother. Whether she can go depends on your ability to persuade the Queen Mother. However, if the mission fails, she’ll have to return to her confinement."

Nezha pouted. My mother-in-law is so much nicer; she’s nothing like this Old Deng.

As soon as he left the Palace of the Polestar, Gold Star Taibai rushed over, handed Nezha a scroll, and hurried back.

Nezha unrolled it and took a look. Oh, boy—Hao Tian had doubled the compensation amounts that the Queen Mother initially reported!

This Heavenly Court really is corrupt!

Nezha, not to be outdone, doubled the numbers again!

He figured that the amount he could recoup would depend on his skills anyway. The Dragon Clan was wealthy, and he was just redistributing wealth to the poor.

The Dragon Clan was rich; Nezha was poor.

He swung by the Turquoise Pool to bring Long Ji along. The Queen Mother didn’t stop him. Long Ji, thrilled to have her punishment lifted, was ecstatic to tag along with Nezha to explore the East Sea.

They then went to find Marshal Tianpeng Bian Zhuang, who was napping by the Heavenly River. Without much interest, Bian Zhuang glanced at the decree, yawned, and tagged along looking entirely indifferent, as if just there to pass the time.

Leading the two, Nezha arrived at the Dragon Palace of the East Sea. The Old Dragon King instantly started trembling at the sight of Nezha.

Without hesitation, he began shouting, "Prepare the feast! Prepare the feast!"

"All the beautiful Bivalve Girls, get to dancing!"

The previously uninterested Bian Zhuang perked up immediately. "Why didn’t you say earlier what kind of perks were involved on this mission? I admit, my earlier attitude was a tad arrogant."

Seeing Nezha’s unblinking gaze fixed on the hypnotically swaying waists of the Bivalve Girls, Long Ji couldn’t help but feel jealous.

"Nezha~ am I better looking, or are they?"

Without hesitation, Nezha wrapped an arm around Long Ji and said, "Of course, you’re the most beautiful."

"But we must cultivate the ability to appreciate beauty when we encounter it. Look at how gracefully that Bivalve Girl’s waist moves."

Long Ji followed his pointing finger, nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! We must view beauty with an admiring eye."

Long Ji: "???"

Is that how it works? But to be fair, they *are* beautiful—and thus, she joined Nezha in admiring the dancers.

Bian Zhuang, watching this interaction, marveled at Nezha’s wisdom. What a role model for us all!

From now on, whenever I see a beautiful female immortal, I’ll openly admire her with eyes trained to appreciate beauty!

After a satisfying meal, the new East Sea Dragon King respectfully asked, "Honored Immortals, may I know what brings you to my humble Dragon Palace?"

Nezha’s previously relaxed demeanor turned stern, and he barked, "Hmph! How dare you, Dragon Clan! To unlawfully infiltrate the Heavenly Court and steal the Heavenly Peaches—are you plotting treason?"

The Old Dragon King immediately broke into a cold sweat. He’d assumed that Panlong had acquired the peaches by other means.

To his shock, they’d been stolen—and worse, someone had found out!

"This—this... Honored Immortal..."

The East Sea Dragon King stammered, unable to explain, convinced that the evidence must already be solid if they had come knocking.

And sure enough, Nezha had a witness: Yuan Feng. If Yuan Feng were called upon, this wouldn’t just be about stealing peaches—it’d escalate to something far bigger.

"Old Dragon, there’s no need to argue. The evidence is irrefutable. Hand over the culprit and compensate the Heavenly Court for its losses. Only then can you avoid further disaster. If the decree from the Great Venerable arrives and your Dragon Clan’s celestial registry is revoked, you’ll face dire consequences."

"Please, Honored Immortal, have mercy! I swear we’ll root out the beast who caused this disaster. We’ll compensate for the Heavenly Court’s losses!"

"Please provide me a list of compensations, so I may consult with the clan elders."

Nezha handed over the scroll he had modified. The Dragon King unrolled it, his hands trembling more and more as he read. By the end, he could barely stay standing.

Was the Ancestor Dragon stealing peaches, or robbing them outright? How could they owe *this* much?

Until now, he had only known that the Ancestor Dragon wanted some Heavenly Peaches. He had no idea how much Yin Long had actually taken, as he wasn’t privy to such high-level dealings.

The sheer value of the items listed on this scroll... even if they sold the entire East Sea Dragon Palace, it still wouldn’t be enough!

Calling for the newly appointed Turtle Prime Minister—the grandson of that old turtle who’d once been used as a living firework—he instructed him to properly entertain the three honored immortals.

Then, clutching the scroll in his trembling hands, the Dragon King transformed into his true form and raced toward the Ancestor Dragon Hall. This was no longer something he could handle on his own.