Such a Capable Tortoise Exists in This World!

"Old Chen came in and said."

Liang Qu stepped back, making way for him.

"Aren't you in a hurry, sir?"

Chen Zhaoan looked up and down, feeling uncertain.

With a long spear and a large bow slung across his back and half-armored Arm Guard, Liang Qu looked ready to go out and fight.

Could it really cause a delay?

"I'm not in a hurry. I have about two weeks to think things through. It's good that you came today, Old Chen, so you won't have made a wasted trip. You can come tomorrow as well."

Having said that, Chen Zhaoan wasted no more time declining, said "excuse me," and stepped inside.

In the courtyard, Chen Xiu put down the feather duster and turned to go to the kitchen to boil water and make tea.

Chen Zhaoan glanced at her for a moment, then hesitated and asked, "Is this Chen Dajun's daughter?"

"I don't know Chen Dajun, but her mother is Zhang Hongjuan. She asked me for a job a few days ago."

Chen Zhaoan understood.

"That's right, she's from Chen Dajun's family. It's her good fortune to be able to work under Lord Liang."

Liang Qu smiled but didn't respond much. He went to the hall, put down Fubo and Abyssal Wood Bow, and led Chen Zhaoan to sit down.

Chen Zhaoan, holding his cane, took the hot tea but didn't drink it. "A few days ago, several Martial Arts School owners in the town sent people to ask you about the location of the ancestral shrine. According to the usual practice, there was no need to discuss it; it has always been handled by our local Shang Rao Wharf."

Furthermore, the wharf was expanded once in winter, and the area is large enough to accommodate both local and out-of-town villagers.

Ironically, it was also this year that the Water God Temple was completed, located in the south of our town.

I've heard that many villagers are interested in moving the River God Sacrifice to the temple, so I've come here today to ask for Lord Liang's opinion.

If we were to make changes, would it clash with other towns? Would the Prefectural Office agree to it...?

Chen Zhaoan did not ask Liang Qu whether he wanted to serve as the Chief Priest.

Over the past two years, Liang Qu has become the Chief Priest of the River God Sacrifice, a consensus among the villagers of Yi Xing Town.

He himself was also very enthusiastic, and last year he even went into the water and caught a three-headed water monster.

Liang Qu pondered for a moment.

"No change."

"Still Shang Rao Wharf?"

"Still in Shang Rao Wharf, the local prefect must personally go to the temple to worship and preach every spring and autumn."

Although June 6th is not an auspicious day, this year is the first year the Water God Temple has been completed, making the situation special, and it's highly likely we won't be included.

That's true.

Chen Zhaoan nodded.

Seeing this reaction, Liang Qu knew that the old man was perfectly aware of the situation.

I came here specifically to discuss this, and I suspect that the villagers are indeed vocal and have their own ideas, so we can't just leave them alone.

In addition, whether the prefect would come or not was a matter of speculation, and no one knew for sure, so they needed to find someone who could make Human Stillness set the tone.

"This year, just like in previous years, we won't go to explain the reason. We'll just trouble the Village Elder to explain it to the villagers."

"It's my duty," Chen Zhaoan said, taking on the responsibility. "And there's another..."

"Liang Qing!"

A loud shout came from behind the pond, interrupting the conversation; the voice was melodious, reminiscent of a frog in Xia Tian.

Chen Zhaoan looked up. "Lord Liang, this..."

"It's alright, there's a friend in the backyard, Old Chen continue."

Liang Qu remained expressionless, using his Mental Link to send the Great Beaver to greet them, while he continued to sit in the hall discussing matters with Chen Zhaoan.

Chen Zhaoan opened his mouth, but didn't ask any further questions, and continued talking.

It's not a big deal.

The town's population has increased again this year. Hearing that Liang Qu Chief Priest for two consecutive years and has a special status, many wealthy households have taken the initiative to "support" him, making the "activity funds" much more abundant. They are now discussing how to spend the money.

"We have enough money to throw a banquet, hire two helpers, slaughter a couple more pigs, and make noodles with the leftover scraps..."

The matter was discussed and finalized one by one.

No problem.

Chen Zhaoan finished his tea and took his leave.

Liang Qu asked the Village Elder to wait a moment, then took out a one-hundred-tael Silver Note and five Small Silver Ingot and handed them to Chen Zhaoan.

"This year's River God Sacrifice is on a grand scale, so Old Chen will need to put in extra effort and manage it well. One hundred taels is my personal contribution, and the remaining ten taels is a token of appreciation for the hard work of the Village Elder..."

"No, no, I am also a Yixing native, how could I..."

"Please accept this, Village Elder! I have other important matters to attend to, so there's no need to refuse! If there's anything lacking, feel free to come find me anytime. If I'm not here, please leave a message for Xing Lai Chen Xiu."

Chen Zhaoan then accepted the money and made a guarantee.

"Lord Liang, please rest assured, I have been organizing the River God Sacrifice since I was fifty-six, and I have never made a mistake!"

A few pleasantries.

Liang Qu watched as Chen Zhaoan walked around the screen wall.

The Chief Priest in a local ceremony cannot repeatedly switch locations.

If it works this year, and not next year, try again the year after.

Unless there is a truly important matter requiring a temporary change of personnel, such as mourning, or a better option like Liang Qu has emerged as a rising star and shown his brilliance, the villagers will feel that he is not sincere and that trouble will ensue.

However, these reasons are still not enough.

Before May, Liang Qu still held a cautious attitude towards the Favorability.

However, after spending half the night chatting with Su Guishan over a crayfish meal a few days ago, Liang Qu's understanding of Flood Dragon's situation became increasingly clear.

In a word, beset by internal and external troubles.

The Flood Dragon is currently only the top contender to become the Dragon Lord.

Whether it's stable or not is hard to say.

Outside the marshland, Da Shun, for the sake of safety, wanted to support a Dragon Lord who was close to him, sharpening his knife, ready to chop him down at any moment.

Within the marshland, various forces were at play, and Great Demon were eager to make their move, driven by hunger and thirst.

Liang Qu attracted the attention of the dragon by accident, and the backstab caused a real injury.

Furthermore, would stealing Favorability lead to a longer appearance time for the Dragon Lord? Su Guishan's news, coupled with the fact that several Snake Demon from Round Head were not causing trouble, showed that they were quite "restrained".

Liang Qu felt that he could take on the Chief Priest this year.

After settling the matters concerning the River God Sacrifice, Liang Qu went to the pond.

"Old Tortoise!"

"Little frog!"

"Old Tortoise!"

"Little frog!"

The sounds of turtles and frogs filled the air.

The Old Turtle and the Old Toad's perpetual bickering.

When he saw Liang Qu come in, the Old Toad's eyes lit up.

"Liang Qing!"

"Frog Duke!"

The Old Turtle sneered.

The Old Toad ignored the Old Turtle and climbed onto the boulder. "I've brought you something good today!"

"Nice one?"

Liang Qu looked around and found that the Old Toad was empty-handed; he hadn't even brought the Yellow Leather Bag.

The Old Turtle laughed even louder, "You old stingy fellow, your pockets are cleaner than a licked bowl, what good stuff could you possibly be carrying?"

The Old Toad roared in fury, "But I brought news of Grandmaster- level treasure!"

Grandmaster's Treasure?

The Old Turtle was taken aback, Liang Qu's eyes flashed.

Seeing the entire room fall silent, the Old Toad smugly held up five fingers. "As long as Liang Qing expands my pond by five hundred acres and fills it with lotus flowers, I will reveal the whereabouts of the Grandmaster's Treasure..."

"The treasure that Frog Duke Grandmaster of, could it be the Heavenly Water Long Qi, which is located 1,650 to 1,700 miles to the south and east of Great King Majesty?"

The Old Toad stammered, took a step back as if electrocuted, and revealed its surging white belly.

"You! How did you know?"

"Shou Lord told me that he was enjoying a trip to the Great Marsh Shou Lord day before yesterday and was moved by something, so he told me this news."

Who, me? Upon first hearing about the Grandmaster's Treasure, Wu Cangshou was already bewildered, but when he saw the incredulous Old Toad turn around, it stretched its neck and revealed an arrogant expression.

"That's right, it's me! I was enjoying a long swim in the Great Marsh the other day, and it gave me some insights!"

The Old Toad was greatly alarmed.

I thought I was the only frog in the Great Marsh who could get the news more than half a month in advance.

Even the Black Tortoise can do that?

The plan to sell another copy of the news item fell through.

The Old Toad found it hard to accept, clutching his aching heart, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him, and he straightened his back again.

"Then do you know how to subdue that energy? I know! You just need to expand by thirty acres..."

"Use ice! Old Ice that's over two hundred years old, three hundred years is best!"

Liang Qu bowed respectfully.

Splash! The Old Toad spread its arms wide, tilted its head back, and fell into the pond, splashing up a large spray of water.

An unprecedented sense of crisis has arrived.

Wu Cangshou laughed wildly, amused by the alternating rise and fall of his two front legs.

I don't understand at all, but I'll watch the show! (A long pause.)

The Old Toad, with Lotus Leaf on its head, climbed onto the round stone in a daze, its frog skin drooping down, and a trickle of water dripping from the edge of the Lotus Leaf.

Disappointed, Liang Qu seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.

"Frog Duke, Qu has recently made some progress and is planning to expand the Frog Clan Pond by more than three acres."

However, court officials were greedy and demanding, and with Ping Yang County becoming Pingyang Prefecture, land prices had skyrocketed. Although the clerks agreed, they had already raised the price to the point that three Treasure Fish were needed per mu (unit of land area) to cultivate the land!

The Old Toad felt as if it had been shot in the heart, and its spirits were low.

"We'll talk about the Frog Clan's pond later..."

"Frog Duke!"

Liang Qu spoke with righteous indignation, "I once said that Ping Yang County would become Pingyang Prefecture, and now it has come true."

The Old Turtle chimed in, "Not bad!"

"Surrounded by the Great Marsh marshland, by uniting all forces that can be united, we have only managed to create two acres of pond, yet we have already attracted two Grandmaster- level experts. Isn't this a great help?"

"That's right!"

"Frog Duke, don't be complacent with the harvest of just one Treasure Lotus and stop there! The fact that you've received a reward proves that developing land-based ponds is a worthwhile endeavor. Now is the time to increase investment and buy in large quantities!"

"Absolutely! We must increase investment!"

The Old Giant Clam also spoke up, "Excellent!"

By the pond, Great Beaver building a boat picked up a plank and chewed out the seven characters "You reap what you sow".

The Ta Ta Kai its arms high and chattered away.

Cannot Move bite off the lotus stem, but present a lotus bud.

In an instant, a subtle fragrance wafted through the air.

Lotus blossoms were reflected in all directions, above and below! Upon opening it, three large characters appeared!

"Throw! Throw! Throw! "The Old Toad let out a strange cry and collapsed onto the rock.

I'll throw!