North Domain.
Fat Catfish successfully infiltrated the five-fish pufferfish squad and set off in grand procession toward the Central Courtyard Dragon Palace.
Southern Region.
Frog Clan Grounds.
Freezing rain fell from the sky. Great King lotus leaves swayed across the water's surface; rain splashed down, bursting into a misty spray. Transparent droplets rolled along the leaf veins, mingling with the air and gathering into milky-white streams.
The big frogs bustled about, stepping to the edges of the lotus leaves and pressing out ring after ring of ripples.
"Bury two more pieces on the east side."
"It's not crushed finely enough. Crush it again—there can't be a single hard lump."
"Two hops are enough. Three hops pack it too tightly; it won't breathe."
Da Pang and Er Pang braced their claws against the lotus leaves, directing the Frog Clan as they loosened soil and piled fertilizer, crushing leftover fish bones and scraps from their daily meals before burying them in the lotus-root fields.
The Heaven-Piercing Great King lotuses they cultivated absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and drank in the essence of sun and moon, blooming only once every few decades. Each bloom produced eighteen hundred seeds. By the count of days, it would be either next summer or the summer after. Then they could feast splendidly again. It concerned a good harvest, so there was no room for carelessness.
Splash.
Old Toad kicked through the water, pushed aside the edge of a lotus leaf, looked up, and spat out a jet of water.
Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Er Pang stretched out an arm to shield Old Toad from the rain. "Elder, why have you come? Do you have any orders?"
Old Toad ignored Er Pang. It flipped over and climbed onto the lotus leaf, clasped its front claws behind