The deep, shadowy cave gaped like a great mouth, untended by anyone. Algae ran wild through the passageways like tangled, filthy hair. Bubbles rose with the plants' every breath, clinging to the ceiling and forming silver-white half-circles.
Little River Porpoise led three little river dolphins in pursuit of a Big Grass Carp. With a charge and a snatch, the carp broke into two halves, blood smoke drifting from its wound. Little River Porpoise swallowed the fish head in two bites, but before it could finish the tail, the river dolphins guarding the entrance drove it away.
A dragonfolk reached out and clapped. The glowing blue Jellyfish Lamps on both sides lit up one by one, illuminating the cave.
The Ghost Mother statue gave off a ghostly glow. Liang Qu touched it, and his fingertips received the smooth, icy sensation of stone.
"Has anyone come recently?"
"Reporting to Fourth Elder," replied the stationed dragonfolk, "people from the Da Shun Imperial Court have come four times. There were people from the River Conservancy Office, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and the Ministry of War. At least seven or eight each time, at most twenty-one or twenty-two. There were Wolf Smoke, Hunting Tiger, and True Image experts among them. The shortest stay was three days, the longest a month. They said they were researching the Ghost Mother Sect's rituals. They said nothing more. I verified their identities; there were no issues with their procedures or seals."
Liang Qu nodded.
"You've done well. Leave for now. Unless there is something important, don't let anyone else come in and disturb me."
"Yes!"
Golden Eye opened.
Invisible glittering light flickered. [Marshland Kingdom] shrouded the Ghost Mother sculpture, while Liang Qu's third divine ability enveloped a radius of thirty zhang. Under the intense saturation of his own "origin,"