Lotus Emerges

If Chen Luo's senses were correct, the only living thing nearby besides himself was the creature currently staring at him— a frog!

The Little Frog was only the size of an infant's fist. A flower hat sat atop its head, with two stamens dangling down and tied in a knot beneath its chin. Though its eyes were large, they were a pair of dead-fish eyes, and no matter how one looked at it, it had an unbearably smug air. A delicate little backpack rested on its back.

Its whole appearance was incredibly similar to the protagonist of the Zen mobile game Travel Frog, which had once been wildly popular on Blue Star in his previous life—the famous "Frog son."

"Did you attack me?" Chen Luo asked. The attack just now had not been very powerful, probably enough to stun a fish. Chen Luo swam ashore and walked toward the Little Frog. The Little Frog also hopped toward him.

The man and frog were no more than a meter apart when the frog suddenly lowered its head. The little backpack on its back came undone by itself, and a cloud of mist sprayed out from within, lifting the frog until it was level with Chen Luo's gaze.

The frog opened its mouth. "Croak..."

Something strange happened. The frog had merely croaked, yet Chen Luo inexplicably understood what it meant.

"I smell like bugs?"

"Croak..."

"You hate the smell of bugs, so you attacked me?"

"Croak..."

"No need to apologize. It's fine. I just killed a bug demon, so its scent might still be clinging to me."

After hearing that, the frog nodded slightly. It stood upright on its hind legs like a human and clasped its forelegs toward Chen Luo in an apology. Then the mist dissipated, and the frog hopped away.

Chen Luo gazed in the direction the Little Frog had left and shrugged. Demons were nothing unusual.

Chen Luo returned to the river and thoroughly washed himself. He gazed at the mountain forest before him, feeling somewhat hesitant. There might be quite a few demons in this forest as well. If he went in recklessly, he might encounter danger.

But at present, this was the only road.

It would be much easier if he had a guide familiar with the area.

While Chen Luo was racking his brains for a plan, a crisp voice suddenly came from beside his ear—

"Croak... (Hmm? This place feels so familiar, and this person feels familiar too!)"

Chen Luo turned his head and saw that Travel Frog son again.

"Why is it you again?"

"Croak... (I think I dropped something. I came back to look for it. Goodbye!)"

The Little Frog hopped away again.

Chen Luo frowned slightly, sensing that something was strange.

Sure enough, ten minutes later—

"Croak... (Hmm? How did I end up here again? I walked straight ahead...)"

"Did you get lost?"

"Croak... (Nonsense! How could I, this great lord, get lost? Goodbye.)"

The Little Frog hopped away once more.

Another ten minutes passed.

"Croak... (Holy crap!)"

Chen Luo had originally planned to persuade this Frog fellow to serve as his guide, but judging from the situation... Heh-heh.

Chen Luo glanced at Frog son and walked into the mountain forest.

In a resplendently magnificent pavilion, the council hall on the top floor was in a clamor, packed with people.

More precisely, it was packed with Humanoid monsters.

Some had horns growing from their heads, some had monkey tails trailing behind them, some had wings instead of hands, and some had sharp claws in place of legs...

A gathering of a hundred demons!

The door to the council hall was pushed open, and the sound of an abacus rang out. The moment the demons heard it, they fell silent.

An aged Old Woman was supported inside by two beautiful maids with fox tails. At first glance, the Old Woman seemed unremarkable, except that her neck was unusually thick and completely out of proportion with her head. As she walked from the doorway toward the main seat, illusory images of gold, silver, and jewels dropped behind her along the way.

Only after the Old Woman had taken her seat did she sweep her gaze over the demons and slowly speak. "Everyone received the Town Profound Division's bounty notice, right..."

A female demon with deer antlers stepped forward and bowed. "Reporting to Granny, all the demon strongholds on Floating Cloud Mountain have received it. We were just about to send people out to search for that Little Earl."

The Old Woman nodded slightly and continued, "Good. The Town Profound Division's bounty is five Moonlight Pearls. I'll add to it as well—three grains of Essence of Sun and Moon!"

The demons erupted into an uproar. Everyone knew that when the Demon Race cultivated and refined its bloodlines, unless it took an evil path, it could only absorb the radiance of the sun and moon. There was no need to say much about Moonlight Pearls: they were formed by condensing moonlight through special methods, and a single pearl could equal a year's worth of moonlight. Essence of Sun and Moon was even rarer, being the essence of sunlight that had been tamed by an expert.

After all, moonlight was gentle, while sunlight was fierce. Though absorbing sunlight was more effective, it was several times harder than absorbing moonlight.

"However, I'd like to trouble all of you with one matter."

The demons fell silent again. The Old Woman on the main seat was a towering figure. What matter could she possibly be unable to resolve herself, requiring the demons to handle it? At once, the demons pricked up their ears. Compared with Essence of Sun and Moon, the Old Woman's favor was clearly worth far more.

"You've all seen my only grandson. He ran away from home again two days ago. While searching for the Little Earl, please also keep an eye out for that little beast from my family. If you encounter him, knock him unconscious and send him back to me..."

The demons were stunned. The deer-antlered female demon stepped forward again and asked, "Granny, didn't the Young Master always fail to make it more than a hundred li whenever he ran away before? Do you have any clues this time?"

The Old Woman sighed. "Last time, I purchased ten Thousand Mile Wind Talismans from True Person Yuanxia. That little beast stole one."

The demons felt their hearts ache. A Thousand Mile Wind Talisman!

Though it could not be used instantly at will like the Great Teleportation Talisman and required some time to activate, it was still a life-saving treasure. The demons seated here held fairly high positions in their respective strongholds, yet they often needed two or three years of wages to afford a single one.

Such a treasure, and the Young Master had actually used it just to run away from home...

If he were my descendant, I'd drag him back and beat him to death!

"That little beast took a defective one, far from enough to let him vanish for a thousand li. He should still be somewhere within Floating Cloud Mountain's territory. Sorry for the trouble, everyone. Please send word back and keep an eye out. My thanks..."

"Granny, you're too polite..." The demons hurriedly returned the salute, taking out communication jade slips and sending messages to the leaders of their demon strongholds...

"Crack!"

Chen Luo plucked a wild fruit from a tree and bit into it. It was somewhat sour and astringent, but he forced himself to swallow it anyway. At that moment, Chen Luo missed the taste of meat terribly...

Chen Luo turned his head and looked at Frog son in the distance, frowning slightly.

"Forget it. It's not even a pound or two of meat. It isn't worth the trouble." Chen Luo dismissed the thought. Ever since he had entered the forest, Frog son had been following behind him.

Chen Luo waved. "Little Frog, come here..."

"Croak... (You want me to come over just because you said so? You come over!)" The Little Frog hopped over to Chen Luo.

"Why are you following me?"

"Croak... (Human, this great lord wants to make a deal with you!)" The Little Frog stood up, crossed its forelegs, and struck a pose with its arms folded across its chest.

"What deal?"

"Croak... (You take this great lord out of Floating Cloud Mountain, and this great lord will pay you. How about it?)"

As it spoke, the Little Frog lowered its head. A beam of light shot out from the backpack on its back and stopped before Chen Luo. It was actually a pearl even larger than the Little Frog itself.

"Croak... (An East Sea Pearl. Worth a fortune...)"

Chen Luo's gaze merely swept over the pearl before landing on the Little Frog's backpack.

A spatial treasure?

Chen Luo calmly accepted the pearl and said, "You little demon, don't you know the saying that wealth should not be flaunted? Aren't you afraid I'll rob you?"

The Little Frog looked Chen Luo up and down, then suddenly snorted disdainfully.

"Croak... (You? Why don't you try!)"

Seeing the Little Frog's manner, Chen Luo felt a surge of delight. This Little Frog did not look like some wild demon from the mountains at all. Rather, it looked exactly like a young master from a wealthy demon clan who was out playing rebellious.

That kind of background, combined with that spatial equipment, made perfect sense.

There was no way Chen Luo would believe it had no defensive treasures on it.

If he brought it along, then if that demoness Lian Ai caught up, he could still throw it out as a shield! Even taking ten thousand steps back, a Little Frog not yet as large as a palm would not be any trouble to carry. He might even be able to raise his favorability. No matter how he looked at it, he would not lose out!

Mm, the plan is foolproof!

"I'll take the deal!"

At the same time, where Lian Ai was, the white cocoon suspended in midair had already been reduced to a thin layer. Lian Ai's figure could faintly be seen inside.

A moment later, a small crack appeared on the cocoon. An arm as white as jade broke through the cocoon and reached out from within.

Then the crack widened, and another hand reached out. The two hands pulled in opposite directions, ripping the entire cocoon open. Lian Ai, completely naked, stepped out from inside.

Lian Ai slowly descended to the ground. She lightly brushed the jade bracelet on her wrist, and an entire set of clothing appeared from thin air.

Lian Ai took a deep breath. Sensing the aura of the Tracking Gu on Chen Luo, she turned her gaze toward the direction in which Chen Luo had fled...

There is beauty like jade in books. Let me say a few words.

Please recommend, bookmark, vote monthly, and invest...