Encircling the Great Marsh from the Shore

The wind blows through the lotus flowers, creating ripples.

Are you the owner of this house?

Old Toad squatted halfway in the pond, half its body submerged, while Fat Catfish served it beside it, its eyes filled with scrutiny.

Liang Qu stood on the trestle bridge, bowing with his hands clasped in greeting.

"The Frog Clan are the true owners of this house."

"Quack, um, cough cough! Okay!"

These words struck a nerve with the Old Toad, who nearly croaked out.

It coughed twice, and its previously scrutinizing gaze became more reserved, though it still didn't fully trust it and retained a hint of wariness.

Humans are despicable, cunning, and greedy!

The Frog Clan is simple, hardworking, and kind!

We must never let our guard down, and we must always remember this...

"Why..."

A sigh interrupted the Old Toad's thoughts, and it couldn't help but ask, "Why the sigh?"

"When I saw that Legless Frog, I thought it was already a rare and Beautiful Frog frog in the world, but I never expected..."

The Old Toad pressed, "What were you thinking about?"

Liang Qu dusted off his sleeves and bowed deeply.

"I never imagined I would meet the Elder today. May your life be as constant as the moon, as rising as the sun, as enduring as the Southern Mountain, never waning or collapsing, as flourishing as the pine and cypress, and may you inherit all my blessings!"

Among a crowd of frogs, he is like a pearl among pebbles; the Legless Frog is not even half as good Elder!

Hiss! The Old Toad leaned back slightly, a huge wave surging in his heart.

This person saw right through me! At this moment, it felt as if it had nowhere to hide under Liang Qu's gaze.

It's like a clam shedding its shell and being exposed to the sun; the feeling of having your softest spot touched makes you feel both ashamed and guilty.

No wonder humans are the most intelligent of all beings.

But that's not all!

Liang Qu continued to chant.

"A majestic Frog Duke, a dragon among frogs!"

The Old Toad stared wide-eyed.

Dragon among frogs!

Is there really such an apt description in the world?

That's right, only Frog Grand Duke can inherit the glory of the true dragon!

"With the talent of a king's advisor, he met an unparalleled ruler!"

Yes! Absolutely right! My meeting with the Great King was precisely because I had encountered an unparalleled ruler. "With the learning of both Celestial Person, one can win the hearts and minds of the world."

The Old Toad thought of the books hidden in his house.

No frog in the entire Frog Clan is more learned than it! "With the capacity to encompass the universe, one can accomplish the affairs of the world."

It can even tolerate stupid frogs like Da Pang Er Pang; its capacity for tolerance is unparalleled!

"One who possesses the integrity of metal and stone can shoulder the weight of the world."

Live in the Dragon Palace and enjoy Beautiful Frog.

My aspirations have never changed!

Comparable to gold and stone!

"The one who shines brightly and awes the world is none other than Frog Duke."

After a barrage of questions, the Old Toad could no longer bear it and suddenly stood up.

It moved its frog legs and scurried over to Liangqu, its webbed claws gripping Liang Qu's hands tightly.

"Sir, you understand my heart! You understand my will! I never imagined that the one who understands me best is not a frog, but a human being!"

In the end, I became the kind of person I hated.

Liang Qu sighed inwardly, looked at Frog Duke, and spat, "Old Toad: Elder, there's no need to worry. Right and wrong will be judged by future frogs."

That evil Flood Dragon in the water is nothing but a scoundrel, a piece of clay and earthenware. Killing the Flood Dragon and living in the Dragon Palace has been the Frog Clan's unchanging policy for centuries!

It's just a pity..."

"What's a pity?"

"The Elder have policies, but no concrete plans!"

The Old Toad humbly asked, "What is the substance of a plan?"

"The shoreline surrounds the Great Marsh!"

"Surrounded by Great Marsh?"

"That's right, if we want to kill that Flood Dragon, we must stockpile grain, build high walls, and delay declaring ourselves king!"

The forces at sea are incredibly complex; aside from the Frog Clan, there are probably countless Demon King.

The Old Toad nodded in agreement.

"Therefore, we must look beyond the water and seek external assistance!"

"Land?"

"The Elder truly possesses the talent to govern the world!"

"The shore surrounds the Great Marsh, the shore surrounds the Great Marsh..."

The Old Toad muttered to itself, as if a bright Great Dao had opened up before it, but it was still completely clueless about how to do it.

"What should I do?"

Seeing that the Old Toad was gradually following the rhythm of his conversation, Liang Qu spread his five fingers and squeezed hard.

"Spend money!"

"Spend money?"

The Old Toad seemed familiar; it was as if it had had the same conversation somewhere before.

Looking back, I saw the Treasure Fish in the Great Beaver's arms.

Oh, right.

Aren't I just here to give away money?

Why do I have to pay again?

"Because it's not enough!"

"Not enough?"

Liang Qu sighed, "Frog Duke, you have lived in the marshland for Great Marsh that you do not know the suffering of the common people. Do you not see that small pond, which is only about an acre in size, but is actually of great value? Have you heard of the 'Special Economic Zone'?"

The Old Toad shook its head.

"The so-called special zone is a place designated by the imperial court for key development. Frog Duke doesn't know that this small Ping Yang County was just a Ping Yang Town in the past!"

"Oh?" The Old Toad exclaimed in surprise, "Is that so?"

Although it rarely comes ashore, it frequently collects human records and is quite unaware of such situations.

"That's right. It's not just about becoming Ping Yang County; Pingyang Prefecture is just a matter of a few years away. That's why land prices here are rising every day! That mere acre of land might be worth tens of thousands of taels of silver in the future!"

"Ten thousand taels of silver... how much is that?"

The Frog Clan bartered goods and had no idea of the value of gold and silver.

"The Treasure Fish and the Mystic Tortoise Shell brought by the Elder are worth no more than a thousand taels of silver."

Prices are so high?

The Old Toad was terrified.

"Your more than one hundred Treasure Fish are only worth a little over ten thousand taels of silver?" "Don't worry, Elder. Ping Yang County has not yet become Pingyang Prefecture, so land prices are not that high for the time being. But if you want to expand, one fish probably won't be enough."

"How much more do you need?"

Liang Qu extended two fingers.

The Old Toad's eyes widened. "Another one?"

Liang Qu was taken aback, looked down at his fingers, and wondered when he had lost a limb.

He truly is a master of feigning ignorance.

Liang Qu pretended to grit his teeth. "At least two more! As for the rest, Yu Xin will turn to the Shui tribe, even if it means borrowing money at high interest rates, to expand another acre of land!"

The Old Toad looked troubled, and after a long while, it seemed as if all its energy had been drained away.

At the edge of the pond, three Treasure Fish were being held in the arms of a beaver family.

Liang Qu and the Old Toad poured out their hearts to each other.

As evening approached, the man and the frog parted ways.

"Phew, it's really not easy to get two Treasure Fish."

Liang Qu wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. He had racked his brains to remember everything he had learned during his brief chat with the Old Toad. Fortunately, he read books every day and had memorized a few words of praise.

People can't live without reading.

Fortunately, the harvest was quite fruitful.

Liang Qu came to the pond, picked up the Mystic Tortoise Shell with cracks on the ground, and touched the symmetrical cracks on it.

"Old Bei, what do you think? Is this thing really accurate?"

"The Mystic Tortoise Shell is probably accurate. It is an aquatic creature, similar to the Treasure Fish. It is a naturally born creature with the ability to bring good fortune and ward off evil. It is extremely difficult to catch unless you encounter a creature with even stronger luck."

The Old Toad croaked that the divination was wrong.

Old Giant Clam, however, felt that the divination was correct.

It's going to have some bad luck in the near future.

"Even stronger fortune?" Liang Qu recalled the Old Toad's appearance, which seemed different from ordinary Toad. It wasn't as ugly, and its overall appearance was quite prosperous. "Could the Old Toad be some kind of special species?"

"The Treasure Toad a unique species of frog. It has the ability to find treasures and explore objects, and it has a long lifespan. However, it is rare to find Treasure Toad that has become a demon. It is probably the only one in the entire Jiang Huai Great Marsh. It is hard to find anywhere else in the world."

Treasure Toad?

Liang Qu was startled. He had underestimated the Old Toad. No wonder he had given away three Da Bao fish, none of which were the Red Blood Perch he usually ate. He estimated that they contained over a thousand kinds of Marsh Essence.

That old man is so stingy, he must have a lot of good stuff at home, like those Treasure Fish, there must be at least a dozen of them, right? "Never mind, let's divide the fish first!"

Liang Qu buried the turtle shell in the pond to let it heal itself, then took out the three Da Bao fish and called for the River Otter and beaver.

All the extras got a turn today.

However, Liang Qu did not come without a price. He had promised Old Toad that he would have to send someone to expand the pond another day.

Spending a few dozen taels should be enough; a hundred taels would be enough to build another artificial mountain, and you could also have the craftsmen carve a more comfortable seat for the Old Toad.

The small pond is becoming more and more lively.

There are raccoons, otters, frogs, Giant Clam...

At sunset.

The water ripples and the Lotus Leaf sway.

Awei sucked the Treasure Fish dry, Liang Qu gutted it, and grilled the fish meat on a wire mesh, while his Fist held up the pliers to help turn it over.

Beavers River Otter lined up by the pond, carrying plates, to receive their share of the Treasure Fish, then happily ran to the side to eat.

Then, for those who haven't arrived yet, Cannot Move. The Round Head, Fist fish is divided into several large pieces of meat, fish bones, and internal organs. The Fat Catfish leads the three Big Fish.

The remaining three pieces, the most succulent and almost half the fish, all went to Liang Qu.

The fish was swallowed whole.

[Marsh Essence +864]

[Marsh Essence +1064]

[Marsh Essence +963]

A grand spectacle, and it did not disappoint!