Old Toad

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Old Toad (老蛤蟆)
Alias(es)	Frog Duke; Frog Elder; Frog Grand Duke; Jiang Zuo Frog Gentleman
Species/Race	Treasure Toad; an innate aberrant species born of heaven and earth
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Frog Clan; Dragon Palace
Occupation/Role	Frog Clan Elder; representative and adviser to the Frog King; treasure seeker; information broker; Dragon Palace National Teacher
Status	Alive; Treasure Great Demon 1207 1229
First Appearance	Chapter 284 284

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Demon	Pre-story; attested 1199 1200	Became a demon despite the Treasure Toad lineage's usual limit; a three-day lightning storm followed his transformation, and Dragon Lord protected him.
Great Demon / Treasure Great Demon	1206 1207	Survived a heavenly tribulation with Liang Qu and multiple sixth-realm cultivators' aid, shed his stone-like old skin, and became the world's first Treasure Great Demon. His new state grants passage between the underworld and living world and extends his life by at least three to four centuries.

Background / History

Old Toad is a Treasure Toad born from the Huai River rather than from parents. His kind is an aberrant species with a fixed lifespan and innate talent for seeking fortune and avoiding calamity. Though he initially believed his 206-year life was ending, the apparent decline was the precursor to his breakthrough into a Great Demon. 1199 1200 1201

In his youth, Old Toad traveled the Great Marsh alongside the future Frog King. The pair attended one of Dragon Lord's birthday banquets over a century before the main story, and Old Toad later kept the Gold and Silver Cups taken from that event as prized trophies. 292 1200

He raised the Frog King from childhood and became the Frog Clan's senior elder. He promotes an expansive vision of frog supremacy: occupying territory, building ponds, trading with other aquatic clans, and eventually filling the Great Marsh with lotus flowers. 284 286 1200

Old Toad first came into contact with Liang Qu through Fat Catfish's fabricated “Legless Frog” identity. Initially distrustful of humans, he became receptive after Liang Qu acknowledged the Frog Clan as the true owners of the pond and repeatedly appealed to his vanity. Their relationship developed into a long-running partnership built on treasure exchanges, information, and mutual aid. 284 288 363

Appearance

Old Toad is a small, stout, rough-skinned toad, standing at less than the Frog King's palm-sized scale. He habitually carries himself with exaggerated dignity despite his round body and visibly aged features. 284

• Rough, bumpy skin and a prominent round white belly. 284 286
• Short limbs with powerful hind legs and webbed claws. 284
• Often clasps his webbed forelimbs behind his back while posturing as a statesman or scholar. 284 465
• Commonly carries one or more Yellow Leather Bags filled with valuables. 592 795
• During his advancement, his body faded gray and hardened into a stone-like shell before he shed it entirely. 1203 1206

Personality

Old Toad is theatrical, vain, and highly susceptible to praise. He sees himself as a cultured statesman, recites poetry, collects human military treatises and classics, and gives himself grand titles. Flattery from Liang Qu reliably makes him straighten his back, puff out his belly, and accept a more favorable view of events. 284 288 362 1006

He is also famously miserly. He speaks passionately of unifying Jianghuai and bringing prosperity to every frog, but becomes evasive and distressed whenever asked to spend his own Treasure Fish. Even so, he will part with his private hoard when the Frog Clan's future is truly at stake. 284 286 436

His greed does not erase his loyalty. Old Toad consistently prioritizes the Frog Clan's territory, resources, and long-term survival. He negotiated support for its landward stronghold, helped secure its expansion, agreed to assist the Ice Jade Toads' relocation, and risked tribulation to become strong enough to safeguard his people. 285 286 581 1032 1201

Abilities & Skills

Treasure Seeking and Fortune Perception

Old Toad's defining gift is locating treasures, predicting natural phenomena, and sensing opportunities and dangers across the Great Marsh.

• Identified the approximate location and emergence window of a Long Qi phenomenon more than half a month in advance. 433
• Can sell both the location of Long Qi and the method required to subdue it as separate pieces of information. 433 435
• Detected treasure on the shell-island of General Yuan, though he could not immediately determine how to reach it. 592 593
• Guided Liang Qu through dangerous Southern Border stockades while seeking Long Qi. 1144 1145
• His predictions are valuable enough that Liang Qu regularly consults him before dangerous expeditions. 880

Trade, Administration, and Negotiation

Old Toad applies his treasure knowledge to strengthen the Frog Clan's political and economic position.

• Proposed the nine-tier Treasure Fish classification system: High, Medium, and Low Grade, each divided into three tiers. 725 1032
• The system became a common trading standard among the Great Marsh's aquatic clans, Sea Merchants, Merfolk, and even the Dragon Court. 1032
• Represents the Frog King in major matters; his instructions can effectively stand for the Frog King's authority. 465
• Negotiates aggressively for payment, land, ponds, Lotus resources, and shares of recovered treasure. 435 723 1074 1106

Great Demon Transformation

After surviving heavenly tribulation, Old Toad became a Treasure Great Demon.

• Shed his old skin during the transformation and emerged with renewed vitality. 1206
• Used water pillars during the aftermath of the tribulation to let Martial Saints and Demon Kings temper themselves with residual lightning. 1207
• Can travel back and forth between the underworld and the world of the living. 1207
• His advancement established him as the first known Treasure Great Demon. 1207

Equipment / Wealth

• Yellow Leather Bag — His habitual treasure container; he carries multiple bags when collecting large quantities of valuables. 592 795
• Treasure cave — A layered home containing Treasure Fish, Treasure Plants, books, ores, gold, silver, armor fragments, and other collected items. 286 1200
• Human military treatises and classics — Read and collected to support his self-image as the Frog Clan's grand strategist. 284
• Mystic Tortoise Shell — Previously gave Liang Qu a piece of the shell. 1200
• Frog Clan pond deeds — Held deeds for four mu of ponds in Pingyang Prefecture, which he entrusted to the Frog King during his presumed final preparations. 1200

Relationships

• Frog King — Raised him from childhood; serves as his elder, adviser, and trusted representative. 284 465
• Liang Qu — Trade partner, ally, and eventual friend. Liang Qu relies on Old Toad's treasure sense, while Old Toad relies on Liang Qu's influence and resources; Liang Qu played the central role in enabling his advancement. 288 723 1202 1206
• Fat Catfish — Initially accepted Fat Catfish as a “Legless Frog” after being deceived by the Frog King. Fat Catfish later serves as his mount, scout, occasional bargaining counterpart, and frequent target of scolding. 284 581 593
• Da Pang and Er Pang — Green Skin Frog subordinates who transport Old Toad, obey his orders, and endure his frequent reprimands. 284 286
• Wu Cangshou — Black Tortoise associate who recognized that Old Toad was advancing rather than dying and used divination to help identify his chance of survival. 1200 1201
• Dragon Lord — An old acquaintance from the Great Marsh; protected Old Toad during the lightning that followed his earlier transformation into a demon. 292 1200
• Ice Jade Toad Clan — Agreed to support their relocation from Blue Lake to Jianghuai Great Marsh, strengthening the broader Frog Clan against the Flood Dragons. 1032

Story Role / Major Arcs

Frog Clan Stronghold

Old Toad arrived at the Frog King's cave with Da Pang and Er Pang, presented a replica anchor as a “Supreme Divine Weapon,” and spoke at length about unifying the aquatic clans. He accepted Fat Catfish's false identity as a limbless frog and visited Liang Qu's pond to inspect the supposed frog-clan stronghold on human territory. 284 285

Though initially reluctant to spend his savings, he provided Treasure Fish and other materials to support the stronghold's continued expansion. His visit convinced him that the Frog Clan had truly established a foothold beyond the Great Marsh. 285 286

Treasure Trade and Long Qi Information

Old Toad became an important source of Treasure Fish, rare materials, and advance information about Great Marsh phenomena. He traded intelligence on Long Qi to the Dragonfolk and repeatedly attempted to leverage his knowledge for pond expansion and other benefits from Liang Qu. 433 434 435

He later formalized Treasure Fish grades, creating a system that made large-scale aquatic trade more practical. 725 1032

Blue Lake and Frog Clan Expansion

Old Toad traveled to Blue Lake to meet Dragon Lord after more than a century. Though hesitant to remain, he agreed to help facilitate the Ice Jade Toad Clan's move to Jianghuai Great Marsh, prioritizing Frog Clan unity against the Flood Dragons. 1006 1032

Great Demon Ascension

Believing his lifespan had reached its end, Old Toad distributed his wealth, pond deeds, and treasured possessions among the Frog Clan. Wu Cangshou determined that the apparent death omen was instead an extremely dangerous opportunity to advance. 1200 1201

Liang Qu strengthened Old Toad's fortune with River Rule favorability and brought him into Marshland Kingdom. Old Toad survived the ensuing heavenly tribulation, transformed into a Treasure Great Demon, and gained a vastly extended lifespan. 1202 1203 1206 1207

Notable Quotes

“When lotus blossoms cover the Great Marsh for three thousand li someday, the frog clan will surely richly reward those with merit.” 363

“The shores encircle the Great Marsh, with lotus flowers stretching three thousand li. This has been the Frog Clan's national policy for a hundred years.” 1200

“Alone in the pond, I crouch like a tiger; beneath green-shaded trees, I nourish my spirit.
When spring comes, if I do not speak first, which insect would dare make a sound?” 1207

Trivia

• Old Toad considers humans “vile, cunning, and greedy,” while describing the Frog Clan as “simple, hardworking, and kind.” 286
• He is so stingy that Da Pang and Er Pang are shocked whenever he voluntarily gives away fresh Treasure Fish. 436
• He knows at least a little Snow Mountain Language. 1006
• He enjoys shadow plays enough to spend most days watching them when not sleeping. 1154
• Despite claiming the Gold and Silver Cups were bestowed by Dragon Lord, the Frog King remembers Old Toad taking them from the old banquet. 292 1200