Neither Too Rich and Gaudy, Nor Withered and Desolate
Just like last year, the dishes served were all exceptional and extremely plentiful.
Everyone enjoyed the meal and drinks to their heart's content, their faces flushed with excitement.
At the height of the atmosphere, Yang Dongxiong, as in previous years, assigned the cultivation goals and requirements for the year to his many disciples one by one.
Starting from Yu Dun, everything proceeded smoothly without any problems, except when it came to Liang Qu, Yang Dongxiong pondered for a long time.
The cultivation paths of the nine disciples are all traceable.
Unfortunately, the ninth son, whom they took in last, was incredibly fast.
Yang Dongxiong still remembers that at this time last year, the goal he set for Liang Qu was to break through three passes, and at that time Liang Qu was confident that he could break through four passes.
Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, he would make such a bold statement about condensing his Second True Aura! "Master, don't set any requirements for Xiao Jiu!" Xu Zishuai shouted, "Junior Master is destined to soar to great heights. If you give us a string, it's like holding a kite and letting it fly higher and higher. But if you give Junior Brother a tripwire, it's like giving him a tripwire. Master, you should just let things take their course!"
Yang Dongxiong, interrupted by Xu Zishuai, opened his mouth, shook his head, and chuckled.
"Zi Shuai said makes sense, but I have two more words to say to you."
"Please speak, Master."
Liang Qu stood up, pretending to listen attentively.
"A noble title should not be too high, for it is dangerous; one should not exhaust one's abilities, for they will decline; one's conduct should not be too lofty, for it will invite slander and destruction."
Those who are restless are like clouds, lightning, wind, and lamps; those who crave solitude are like dead ashes and withered wood; only when one's mind is still as clouds and water, yet still as birds fly and fish leap, can one possess the true spirit of the Way.
Liang Qu savored the wine twice, a myriad of emotions welling up within him, but before he could reply, Yang Dongxiong raised his cup.
"Come, time flies, and another New Year is upon us! Let's raise our glasses!"
"Raise a glass!"
"Come on, come on!"
"Senior Brother Xu, stop eating! Have you been starving all day?"
"Nonsense, I ate breakfast!"
Xu Zishuai wiped his hands, threw down the bone, and stood up.
Liang Qu stopped pondering and joined in.
Ten cups clinked together.
"May the sun and moon shine brightly, and may the years be prosperous and new. May everything go smoothly and without worry, and may all your wishes be fulfilled!"
"May the sun and moon shine brightly, and may the years be prosperous and new. May everything go smoothly and without worry, and may all your wishes be fulfilled!"
Deep in the Great Marsh.
Dragonfolk settlement.
The entire tribe was filled with joy, with red ropes connecting the simple houses and red lanterns undulating with the water.
The dragon man and Dragon Girl, who were having a secret rendezvous, met each other among the seaweed.
Compared to the gloomy atmosphere of previous years, the entire tribe has shown an unusually positive attitude this year upon learning that the Dragon Lord may be reincarnated.
The Elder stood at the front, striking while the iron was hot, encouraging the young and middle-aged people in the community to continue their efforts.
Although the reincarnated Dragon Lord has not yet been found, at least there is hope for the future.
The Dragonfolk are thriving! Among the many Dragonfolk, Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe exude a unique confidence.
No one knew that they had already found the Dragon Lord! They had performed an unparalleled Great Merit to the Dragonfolk! The only regret was that the Dragon Lord was still young, and there were too many people and too many eyes in the tribe, so they couldn't inform the other Dragonfolk yet; otherwise, today's commotion would have been even greater.
In his dejected state, two Dragonfolk swam towards Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe.
"Ajiang, Ahe!"
Long Pingjiang turned his head and looked at them. "Zijian, Zihe! When did you get back? I haven't seen you for the past two days."
"We only arrived yesterday and haven't been out much," Long Zijian explained. "I was having drinks with Zihe just now when I saw you two and thought I'd come over and give you a heads-up."
"What reminder?"
"We discovered a Snake Demon near Fragrant Township County, but we don't know which one it is yet. I remember you two are also in Huaiyin Prefecture, so I came to tell you. Please be careful."
Is this really true?
"The snake's movement is so obvious, there's no way to mistake it."
Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe appear solemn.
Why would Snake Demon come ashore for no reason?
Every single Snake Demon in the entire Great Marsh is a subordinate of the Flood Dragon!
The fact that Water Demon suddenly approached the shore at such a crucial moment in the Dragon Lord's development is truly intriguing.
Could it be that the Dragon Lord's information has been leaked? "Hey, what's wrong with you two? Why do you look so serious?"
The Long Zihe puzzled.
The Dragonfolk People had conflicts with the Flood Dragon, but they were ultimately driven away, not hunted down.
After a few decades, although people may grow to dislike each other and become wary, they won't necessarily fight to the death on the spot, and they'll be filled with worry and fear.
"It's alright, it's alright."
Long Pingjiang waved his hands repeatedly, but he had no appetite for the delicacies on the table.
"No, you two wear your tongues on your sleeves, you don't look like you're doing anything wrong." Long Zihe chuckled, but his laughter trailed off, his eyes filled with suspicion. "You two aren't the ones catching the snake demon, are you?"
"Snake spirit?"
Upon seeing Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe, Long Zijian breathed a sigh of relief.
It's quite difficult for two Wolf Smoke Martial Master to deal with a Snake Demon.
"It's good that it's not you. We heard from the shore that a human had captured a giant snake. We don't know if it's dead or not, but the Snake Demon came ashore most likely to find that giant snake, perhaps for its offspring or something."
So that's how it is! Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then it has nothing to do with the Dragon Lord.
Seeing that the two were both tense and relaxed, Long Zijian was puzzled for a moment.
"I have a feeling that you two are hiding something."
"No, no, how could that be?"
"Yeah yeah."
After a long while, Long Zijian with his fist.
"You two haven't taken a fancy to some human woman, have you? Are you trying to break them up? Is it not what you expected?"
"Forehead..."
The Dragonfolk's settlement is located to the south.
The entire Frog Clan Grounds erupted in celebration.
You can hear the Big Frog singing everywhere.
The Toad King sat in the center, completely drunk and unconscious, with a huge Lotus Leaf under him and a group of Big Frog serving him.
The Old Toad, holding Gold and Silver Cup, drank the nectar with relish, leaping over the heads of the Big Frog one after another. A faint blush rose on its white belly as it croaked loudly about things like "the shore surrounds the Great Marsh" and "the first Glory Plan."
The group of Big Frog were eating and drinking well, clinking glasses and making merry, when suddenly their heads sank into the basin. Who could stand that?
But when he looked up, he found that the person on his head was Old Toad, and then he remembered the Old Toad's glorious history of raising and nurturing the Great King.
I tolerated it.
As for what the Old Toad said, most frogs didn't care much.
The Elder has been spouting nonsense for a long time.
However, some of the Big Frog were quite interested in the words spoken by the Old Toad and curiously asked the Old Toad's closest attendants, Da Pang Er Pang.
"Da Pang, what is the first Glory Plan that the Elder mentioned, which involves surrounding the Great Marsh with the shore?"
"Croak~~" Da Pang hiccuped and shook his head. "I don't know much about the Glory Plan. I only know that it's a five-year plan. This is the first one. It was created by the Elder to realize the great revival of the Frog Clan."
"What about the shoreline that surrounds the Great Marsh?"
The Da Pang pondered for a moment, "It seems that the Elder paid for it and went to the shore to buy a large mansion, and he goes there every few days..."
"The Elder are paying?"
"The house?"
"Ashore?"
The Big Frog each have different focuses.
"Doesn't the Elder often visit the Great King?"
"No, there's a passageway over Great King. The Elder went through the passageway to sunbathe on the shore."
"Really?"
How big is the house?
Can we go?
The Big Frog chattered amongst themselves, piquing everyone's curiosity.