Eavesdropping on the Storm

The Fat Catfish is mysterious, half-hidden, a true riddle.

The implication was clear: they were planning to steal something big.

Liang Qu wasn't sure if it was real or if he was simply confused and believing everything he heard. After thinking about it, he decided not to investigate further and let the Fat Catfish do as it pleased, then rode his horse south.

No rush to go home.

Yesterday, Cha Qing Fan Zixuan, Yan Qingshan, and other River Earl, upon hearing of Shangguan's return, paid him a visit one after another. Today, he plans to inspect various towns and villages.

We can't just sit around doing nothing.

Dushui Official Da Zao Marquis, and the River Conservancy Office would provide him with a monthly salary of 168 taels.

I just need to hire two people to run errands for me and buy gifts.

Red Mountain raised its four hooves, transforming into a raging wind, galloping in all directions, stirring up swirling leaves.

at the same time.

An otter in a state of heightened excitement...

The Small Restaurant, proclaiming "Eight copper coins to eat your fill, twelve copper coins to eat well," fluttered in the wind, its torn flag legs swaying wildly.

On the wharf, passersby stopped, forming a human wall and whispering among themselves.

Outside the shop, Ta Ta Kai a small stool, holding a large wooden bowl. He used chopsticks to pick up pieces of meat, removed the bright red chili peppers from the top, and stuffed them into his mouth. He ate with great sweat and bared his sharp teeth.

The younger children followed suit, grabbing chopsticks and sticking them into the iron pot, stirring it as they did so. The rich aroma of meat wafted through the air, completely oblivious to the stares of passersby.

The shopkeeper came out of the house and brought over a plate of prepared offal and tendon meat, which he slowly added to a large pot that was bubbling and filled with bright red chili peppers.

The boiling gradually stopped.

Someone couldn't hold back any longer and pointed at Ta Ta Kai, quietly asking the shopkeeper what was going on.

The shopkeeper tilted the tray, talking as he poured.

"I was about to close up shop at noon today when, to my surprise, Master Liang's River Otter came over, dumped a bag of copper coins on the table—several hundred of them—and pointed at the big pot of stew! I've been making this spicy stew for half a year, and I've seen many dockworkers, but I've never seen anything like this. I counted the copper coins on the table, and it was a full four hundred and sixty coins! Hey, four qian of silver! How generous! It doesn't matter who I make money from, it's all the same."

Thinking of setting up a new pot.

Everyone marveled.

"The things that Master Liang raises are amazing!" The shopkeeper added, "Don't worry, everyone. It's not the same pot as the ones sold outside. This pot is for my own use."

"The shopkeeper is very particular, but you don't mind?"

"What's so special about it? Decades ago, my great-grandfather fled from the south and even had to fight with wild dogs for food!"

The crowd erupted into a noisy commotion.

Ta Ta Kai found the people around him strange and peculiar, and then scooped up the scalded offal and ate it with gusto.

Spicy! Spicy! Spicy! So refreshing!

After finishing this spicy braised pork, I'll regain my strength and then go find Scarface to get revenge!

Today we vow to avenge this humiliation! "Master Liang is awesome, and his pet is just as awesome, so clever!"

"I really want to touch it..."

"Careful, or you might bite your hand off and fall into the Village Head be stewed and eaten!"

Several outsiders marveled at the sight.

"Big places are just different."

At the bottom of the water, the Fat Catfish, having eaten its fill of fish meat, felt warm all over and swam around, groping for a perfect spot in the valley. It lay down among the water plants to conceal its presence and peeked at the hillside not far away.

This place is remote, low-lying, and lush with aquatic plants. It's also a perfect spot to observe any unusual activity in the Old Toad's burrow. Excellent!

Everything is ready; now all that's left is for the Old Toad to make his move! "Croak~"

The Fat Catfish was startled.

A small red frog had somehow landed behind it. It quickly swung its tail to shoo the frog away, then closed up the water plants to cover itself. After confirming that it hadn't attracted the attention of the other frogs, it continued to lie in wait and observe.

First Class...

I'm getting sleepy while waiting.

The Fat Catfish lowered its head and lay down in the water plants, as if it wanted to take a nap.

After an unknown amount of time, the Fat Catfish, half-asleep and half-awake, saw flickering lights and shadows before its eyes.

It felt as if lightning was flashing through it.

The Fat Catfish and carp leaped up, looking up.

Several arrow-shaped White Sturgeon darted about, pulling shuttle-like boats behind them, shooting in from afar and leaving long trails of white air. They flashed across the valley, blocking out the sunlight, and hovered above the Frog Clan.

It's here!

The Fat Catfish was greatly encouraged.

It raised its head, looked around, and the entire bottom of the water rippled with layers of orange light. It waited until evening!

Er Pang's comment about the afternoon being a bit too late is misleading.

The shuttle sank and landed below the White Sturgeon.

Several tall Dragonfolk sat up from the flying shuttle, flipped themselves into the water, their Dragon Silk flowing without getting wet, which, combined with their White Marble- like skin, gave them a rather ethereal appearance.

A Big Frog, holding Mountain Character Anchor, stepped forward to question them, croaking a few times that were barely audible.

The Dragonfolk bowed deeply and secretly took out two Treasure Fish from his wide sleeves, giving them to the Big Frog.

The Big Frog looked around cautiously, quietly stuffed the food into its mouth, turned and landed at the Old Toad's door, not daring to get close, only croaking twice from a distance.

There was a series of crackling sounds.

The vines contracted, revealing the entrance to the hole.

The Old Toad peeked out and saw the hovering Dragonfolk in the distance. It turned around and punched the vines, covering the cave entrance again before finally going out.

As the Old Toad Big Frog frog, he suddenly stopped and looked at it suspiciously.

The Big Frog gazed at the sky.

After a while.

The Old Toad withdrew its gaze, took two steps forward, and just as the Big Frog relaxed, the Old Toad suddenly turned around and punched the Big Frog in the belly.

Thump~ The Big Frog's belly trembled and rippled like water, forcing the two Treasure Fish to spit them out. The Big Fish hurriedly fled, Old Toad was quick-witted and grabbed them, stuffing them into his mouth, making his white pocket bulge.

The Big Frog, carrying the anchor on its shoulder, rubbed its belly and sat down listlessly.

Quack~ The Elder's senses are too sharp. Every time we catch some good fish, it never escapes the Elder's discerning eye.

The Dragonfolk in the sky was stunned.

A few young people asked quietly.

"The Frog Clan Elder... has it always been like this?"

The leader glared back. "You have no right to speak!"

"..."

The Old Toad kicks its leg upstream.

The Fat Catfish emerged from the grass and swam silently close to the ground. It patted the Big Frog on the shoulder to comfort it, but instead of taking advantage of the Old Toad's absence to go into the burrow to investigate, it followed behind the Old Toad, its ears perked up.

Finding out the Old Toad's assets is to set a better price.

But right now, the deal between the Old Toad and the Dragonfolk seems to offer more direct benefits? The Fat Catfish always believed he was far smarter than the Round Head, and that he was the most valued and intelligent of all the Water Beast under the heavens' command! Proof!

The Dragonfolk noticed the Fat Catfish approaching, but its nonchalant manner, including patting the Big Frog on the shoulder, made them pay little attention.

This is the heartland of the Frog Clan, so their presence here so openly must mean they are all one of their own.

Besides, Long Qi isn't that important to the Demon Race, otherwise the Old Toad wouldn't have sold it so easily.

The Old Toad swam up to him.

"Frog Elder!"

The leading Dragonfolk bowed respectfully, showing no disrespect whatsoever to the Old Toad served as the patriarch of the Frog Clan.

The Old Toad gave a soft grunt, raised its head, but remained silent, while two Treasure Fish struggled incessantly in its white pouch.

The leader of the Dragonfolk understood and respectfully presented two large boxes from the flying shuttle.

"We hope Frog Elder can tell us where this Long Qi is located, and whether there are any unusual celestial phenomena."

The Old Toad took the large wooden box, opened it one by one to check, and after confirming that everything was correct, he put it away with satisfaction. He knocked out the two Treasure Fish in his pocket and pointed to a position slightly to the south-east.

"Around 1,650 to 1,700 miles away, in the middle of the valley between the two sides, there will be a strange phenomenon. It is probably the Sea Moon Tide Rising and one of the Immortal Island Above the Clouds. It will appear in the world within half a month."

The leader of the Dragonfolk quickly wrote it down.

The treasure-hunting ability of the Treasure Toad is unparalleled in the Great Marsh.

The leader humbly asked again.

"Frog Elder, how can we subdue this Long Qi?"

Finding the energy is one thing, but Qi Ingestion is another.

The Old Toad raised its head again and turned its webbed feet away.

The Dragonfolk had a toothache.

Obviously.

Telling the address is one price.

How to subdue the Long Qi is another matter.

Fortunately, this wasn't the first time the Dragonfolk had traded with the Old Toad, and another wooden box was brought out.

Old-timers may be Mind's Eye and petty, but they are honest in business, unless they didn't clearly state their requirements when buying the goods.

The Old Toad took the wooden box, opened it, and beamed with joy.

"Use ice! Old Ice that's over 200 years old! To be on the safe side, 300 years old would be best."

"With ice?"

The leader looked distressed.

Let alone Old Ice that's over two hundred years old, even ordinary ice is hard to find this season.

Fortunately, it will be some time before the Long Qi appears in the world.

The tribe sent many young people to the South Bank to see if they could obtain Old Ice of sufficient age from the human race.

Meanwhile, the Fat Catfish secretly memorized everything.

It doesn't know what Long Qi is.

But its intuition told it that the Dragonfolk hadn't bought something cheap with those three large boxes.