Excited for Nothing

night.

The torrential rain has not stopped.

Sewage flowed into the muddy ground along the ditch.

The servant helped Liang Qu put on a raincoat and a bamboo hat, and opened the horse stall.

Liang Qu hung Fubo beside Red Mountain, and after receiving a not-too-heavy response, he mounted his horse.

Fubo Forging finished in the afternoon, but Yang Dongxiong and Lu Zao had not seen each other for a long time. Lu Zao warmly invited him to catch up, so Yang Dongxiong had no choice but to stay for dinner.

Master wanted them to stay, Liang Qu and Xu Zishuai, as juniors, couldn't just take the things and run away, so they had no choice but to stay and eat with him until dark.

"I've incurred another debt, but thankfully there's no rush; I can pay it back slowly in the future."

Several people were busy making rubbings of Fubo's portrait and presenting it as a gift. It was only right that they presented his qualifications, but that didn't mean they would let his senior work for free.

Fortunately, we're all acquaintances, so we can repay them slowly when we find some treasures later; there's no rush.

The earth was shrouded in mist, and the iron hooves thundered, stirring up mud.

Red Mountain traversed the muddy road with unwavering stability, transforming into a blazing fire in the rain.

"They're here, they're here."

He knocked on the iron ring, Fan Xinglai rushed over to open the door.

Liang Qu took off his straw hat.

Did anyone come looking for me today?

Fan Xinglai carefully put away his raincoat and shook his head upon hearing this.

"No."

Liang Qu nodded.

"Boil some water, I'm going to take a bath."

"Okay."

After taking a bath and changing his clothes, Liang Qu went to the garden wearing only a light shirt. There he saw the Great River Otter standing on the artificial rock by the pond, squeaking and squeaking in the rain.

In front of the River Otter, Round Head, Scarhead, Mirage Worm, Awei, Fist were all gathered together.

The Water Beast lined up in a row, their expressions serious.

The Great River Otter stood on a rock, waving its arms and legs. One paw was stretched out and gripped the air tightly, while the other paw was waved back and forth in the air, as if demonstrating how it beat people up, brave and fearless.

The Fat Catfish in the pond were so happy they rolled around on the floor.

It used its whiskers to poke the Great River Otter, then used its fins to choke its own throat, and then rolled its eyes back up and floated to the surface belly up.

Round Head, Fist clenched in disbelief, their gazes toward the River Otter filled with skepticism.

It's not over yet.

The Fat Catfish immediately flipped over, pointed to itself with its barbels, raised half its body in the water, curled its fins into Fist, and swung them left and right, indicating that it was the one who had truly displayed its might.

The Great River Otter's two paws left afterimages.

Without its crucial effort to exhaust the One-Eyed River Otter, the Fat Catfish would not have been able to defeat its opponent and would have become its defeated foe as well!

The Fat Catfish snorted loudly, lowered its head to take a sip of water, and a jet of water shot into the face of the Great River Otter.

The Great River Otter was so angry that it jumped up and down. It jumped into the pond with a splash and started fighting with the Fat Catfish.

"What happened?"

Liang Qu ran to the Old Giant Clam, and the raindrops and splashing water naturally separated from each other on both sides, without getting wet at all.

"We set out on our campaign at dawn and dusk to fight the enemy."

The Old Giant Clam chuckled softly as it recounted the whole story in broken sentences.

This morning, Liang Qu sent a group of Water Beast to the Great Marsh to clear out the pond. The Old Giant Clam followed along and witnessed the River Otter exchanging grilled fish for a Fat Catfish and the Cannot Move help of a martial arts expert.

Although I didn't go to see what happened, I could tell from the River Otter family's wounded but spirited appearance that they had definitely won the battle.

"Huh? Why are they back after they won?"

Liang Qu was surprised to learn that the River Otter family had come to settle in the pond because their home had been taken away, unlike the beaver family.

Now that they have reclaimed their home, why return to the pond? The Old Giant Clam laughed heartily, "Naturally, it's because they can't protect their homeland. This victory was entirely due to external forces. Even if they win temporarily, the enemy otters will find an opportunity in the future, and they will become homeless dogs again."

Liang Qu was speechless.

An River Otter, however, had a clear understanding of the situation.

She just has a very short temper.

Are all honey badger cockroaches really good fighters?

After watching the excitement, Liang Qu prepared to go back to his room to sleep when a Little River Otter ran over and tugged at his clothes.

While it's described as small compared to other River Otter, it's actually over a meter tall when crouching, making it a behemoth compared to other fish-cats that are only the size of an arm.

"What's up?"

The Little River Otter kept tugging at his clothes, and Liang Qu followed it to the River Otter family's grass nest.

In the grassy nest, several River Otter parted to reveal two pieces of grayish-brown metallic ore.

"Huh?" Liang Qu squatted down, picked up the stone, and shook it. "For me?"

The group of River Otter nodded.

In the other wooden house, several beavers stood upright, craning their necks in anticipation.

The Little River Otter opened its palms and babbled a lot.

The Old Giant Clam acted as the translator.

The River Otter family and the beaver family already knew each other. They had been collecting ore for a long time and were planning to have the beaver family help them build a small house.

Unfortunately, fate was against the otters. Halfway through their collection, other River Otter attacked, driving them away and leaving them homeless. They also lost all the ore they had painstakingly collected.

I came to stay with an old friend, and I even have to temporarily owe him the rent.

The Great River Otter asked Ironwood Mountain and Ferocious Fang General help him, partly to avenge his family and partly to reclaim his property and pay Liang Qu as rent.

As for home, I can't go back.

The enemy otters were numerous and powerful, and Ferocious Fang General and Ironwood Mountain could not keep an eye on them all the time, so they had to give up.

Furthermore, the pond environment is much better than the Great Marsh; it's clean, lively, and most importantly, safe—no Spirit Monster will wander in. It's much better than my old home.

The ore they brought back wasn't just the two pieces in front of them; the extra had already been paid to the beaver family, and the second wooden house in the pond was about to be built! Liang Qu rubbed the ore, not recognizing it.

One's energy is limited. He is not a casting master and does not have a deep understanding of ores. He can recognize Ink Dragon Gold only because its color is exactly the same as Tungsten Gold, plus the dragon-shaped patterns all over it, making it highly recognizable.

I'll ask Senior Brother Lu tomorrow.

"Okay, I'll accept it."

the next day.

The torrential rain has not stopped.

Liang Qu simply stayed home, resting and recuperating while practicing his shooting skills. Amidst the fierce Gang Wind, he could hear the roars of dragons and tigers.

It seems that with the help of the Subduing Waves Spear, the Azure Dragon Spear Technique has improved again.

However, it could also be the result of the River Lord's favor on the second occasion.

Among the many weapons, Liang Qu was most skilled with spears and bows, which matched the skills of the River Lord.

Speaking of which, the River Master Emperor used quite a few swords.

However, further study would be too scattered, so I have never come into contact with it.

The third day.

It's still pouring rain.

The eaves of the roof were like beaded curtains, and a layer of Rain Water accumulated in the tree pit, which did not seep down for a long time.

Liang Qu frowned slightly, fearing it might be a rebound of the Bing Fire Day. Indeed, there hadn't been many rains on Bing Fire Day.

The rain continued that afternoon.

Knowing there wouldn't be a good time, Liang Qu decided to go find Lu Gang in the rain.

Inside the Lu Residence's main hall, one wall was completely cleared out, revealing a white wall, with only a long scroll hanging on the upper level.

In the center of the scroll, a long, ink-black spear is depicted with lifelike detail and sharp edge, but prolonged viewing of it is tiring to the mind.

Liang Qu shifted his gaze to the left and saw the two characters "Fubo" written in a flamboyant style in the lower right corner of the scroll, with Lu Gang's seal stamped below.

"Junior brother, you've come in the rain. Is something wrong with Fubo?"

"No, it's not that. Junior brother found two pieces of ore and wants senior brother to take a look at them."

Liang Qu untied the cloth bag, revealing the two pieces of gray ore given to him by the River Otter.

Lu Gang glanced down and said, "Two pieces of Gray Steel will probably cost around 360 taels."

Three hundred and sixty taels is neither bad nor good.

Liang Qu had anticipated this.

It's impossible for Wishful.

The River Dolphin finless porpoise has many treasures because it lives in Deep Water Area, has a collecting habit, and has accumulated them over decades.

As River Otter need to rest on Shang An, and with frequent human activity in the nearshore waters, there aren't many remaining treasures.

"I gave it to my senior brother; it's of no use to me."

"Okay." Lu Gang did not refuse. "Gray Steel is tough. If you stack it several times, it will also become a good weapon."

"I'll give it to you when I find something good in the future." Ink Dragon Gold left behind a piece the size of a finger, which was of little use. Liang Qu also wanted to keep it in case Fubo suffered any losses in the future, so there was basically no material left for Lu Gang.

Lu Gang initially wanted to politely decline, but then, thinking of Liang Qu's terrifying fortune in the Great Marsh, he swallowed his words halfway through.

I really want it.

Inside the courtyard, Liang Qu dismounted.

Has anyone been looking for me?

"Have!"

"Oh, who?"

"Lord Li of the River Conservancy Office, you said that if Lord Li came to see you, you should let him in, so I let him in."

Li Shoufu, the Record Keeper? He hadn't forgotten the Merfolk tribes near Fragrant Township County, and even instructed Li Shoufu to come and find him whenever he had a mission in Fragrant Township County or other places.

Could it be...

Liang Qu hurried along the covered walkway to the courtyard.

Li Shoufu was sitting at the table drinking tea when he saw Liang Qu and quickly stood up and bowed. "Lord Liang!"

"Don't be so polite." Liang Qu raised his hand to stop him, then looked down at the book on the table, his expression shifting. "Is Fragrant Town in trouble?"

Unexpectedly, Li Shoufu gave a bitter smile.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lord Liang. It's not that there's trouble in Fragrant Township County, but that Lord Ran asked me to send you the list of River Earl River Chief."

"Oh, the roster."

Liang Qu then remembered that he was now a seventh-rank Dushui Official, and that Ran Zhongshi had previously said he would assign him men.

What a disappointment!