Chapter 1278: North Sea Jade Qilin, Yellow Sand Green River Duke (Asking for Monthly Tickets, Two-in-One)

Cold currents swept across the seabed, and frost-like North Sea white grass clung to the bottom, growing continuously; the aquatic plants here were unique, their stems thick and succulent, their branches and leaves covered in crystalline snowflakes.

Entirely pure white, with an azure tail, the three-foot treasure fish roamed the water, swaying until it nearly overlapped with the ripples, concealing itself from sight.

"Don't sway! Don't sway!"

"Over there a bit, a bit more, stop stop stop, come back, don't sway!"

The fat fish acted furtively, its back pressed against a huge rock, its two whiskers stretched flat like a great roc spreading its wings, turning its head to capture every bit of information in the water, seeking balance.

The old toad stepped on the big fat fish's head, raising itself up, revealing a small frog head from behind the rock, peering carefully; it was not coveting that little blue-tailed treasure fish — its gaze crossed the treasure fish unimpeded, crossed the plains, crossed ten-odd li, and landed squarely on a frost-white palace.

If Liang Qu were here, he would discover that this frost-white palace was actually larger than the Green Fish King's territory!

Qilin King Hall!

Under heaven there are three great living seas, and one dead sea.

The dead sea is the Boundless Sea.

This name does not share its name with the Wu Sheng Root Sea; rather, the title Wu Sheng Root Sea shares its name with this dead sea, having originally taken it from reality.

The Boundless Dead Sea is larger than the three great living seas combined; no one knows its boundaries, yet it is utterly devoid of life. Even the most common, hardy, and undemanding marimo cannot survive inside; without aquatic plants, it cannot support even tiny animals.

The water is empty and hollow; naturally born treasure fish do not exist either. Besides dead silence there is only dead silence. Martial Saints or Demon Kings with private grudges often choose to fight to the death on the Boundless Sea.

The truly prosperous ones are only the East Sea, North Sea, and South Sea — these three great "living seas"!

The East Sea is the most vast, equal to the North and South Seas combined; the Whale Emperor reigns supreme there, undisputed; most overseas nations are located there, and it is also the main destination of Great Shun's maritime trade.

The South Sea is the most scorching hot; all things flourish; the various forces are small and numerous, intricate and complex, like the gnarled, intertwining roots of an ancient tree underground; there are many dragons, but no leader.

The North Sea is clear, cold, and profound, yet it has three sovereigns: the Jade Qilin, the White Long Wang, and the Ice Phoenix!

That's right.

Because the Ehe River is broad and flows east into the North Sea, it basically counts as one body; the White Long Wang is also counted among the North Sea's three sovereigns, even the strongest "First Sovereign" among them, followed by the "Second Sovereign" Jade Qilin and the "Third Sovereign" Ice Phoenix.

There is no actual concrete connection between the three sovereigns.

Their races are all different; what connection could they have?

It is simply that people love to meddle, insisting on giving them a common title that rolls off the tongue.

What the old toad and the fat fish coveted was precisely the palace of one of the North Sea's three sovereigns — the Jade Qilin!

Frog eyes turned, flashing a ghostly light.

The old toad stared at the Qilin King Hall, extended a webbed paw to rummage, and pulled out a small paper slip from the little yellow skin pouch at its waist, lay it on the rock to read; on the slip were written three lines of tiny characters in neat, regular script.

Profound Nether Cold Jade, North Sea Submerged Silver, Ten-Million-Year Ice Marrow!

The culprit that caused it a blood loss of one hundred million taels.

After a month's effort, the North Sea Submerged Silver had already been found — three catties and four taels, a huge amount, perfectly meeting the requirement — crossed off the paper. The Ice Marrow's source fell on the Great Snow Mountain; the North Sea didn't have it, Liang Qu said he already had a lead and sent people to search, so it was also crossed off.

Only an intact piece of Profound Nether Cold Jade remained unfound.

The old toad had a premonition.

This treasure was inside the Jade Qilin's palace!

How to get it with webbed paws, though.

Desired treasures are always in someone else's home.

The frog face wrinkled into a ball.

The Jade Qilin dislikes activity, staying in the palace year-round; the old toad wandered outside for three double-hours, most of the day, and didn't find a single flaw —

One hundred million lent at usury earns thirty million a day; ten days is one billion; it's been a month, a loss of a hundred billion, tens of millions up or down every minute.

No good.

Can't keep losing like this; must use a trump card!

Its scrunched-up features alternated between resentful and sinister; in a split second the old toad made up its mind, jumped off the fat fish's head, and rummaged out a pile of miscellaneous items.

It stuck two crimson firebird long feathers into the sides of its head, held up a pitch-black, glossy, patinated black tortoise shell with its claws, then shot a look at the fat fish, extended its webbed paws.

The fat fish, baffled, thought for a moment, picked up two stone lumps from the ground, and placed them on the paws.

The old toad flew into a rage, threw the stones from its palm, and knocked two bumps on the fat fish's head.

"Copper coins! I want copper coins! One-wen copper coins, you idiot! Not like my frog clan!"

The stones bounced off.

The fat fish scratched its head with its whiskers, patted its smooth shiny belly, then turned around.

The old toad grabbed the fat fish's long whiskers in one claw, pulled its head close, glared with huge frog eyes: "Don't have any on you? Then go steal, swindle, or rob! Such a simple thing, need this National Preceptor to teach you? Half a double-hour! Fail, and I'll expel you from the frog clan!"

"Smack!"

The long whisker snapped back like a rubber band, whipping the toad's face.

The fat fish flipped two somersaults, covered its mouth, and anxiously swam off, diving into a waterway; after tremendous hardship running a round trip from the Jianghuai to the North Sea, it delivered a string of copper coins.

"That's more like it; frog clan status temporarily retained."

The old toad nodded in satisfaction, untied the copper coin cord, picked out six, tossed them into the tortoise shell, ran circles around the rock, shook vigorously, and shook out dense bubbles.

"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, Supreme Old Toad quickly manifest, quickly manifest! Possess me, possess me!"

Chanting, dancing, praying — all in one smooth flow.

The water current was cold.

The fat fish drew in the sand with its whiskers, its cheeks aching, fins folded behind its back, head tilted up in a sigh.

North Sea water is cold and icy, cannot serve the heavenly gods on left and right; and the Third Prince constantly slanders me — when can I return to the Jianghuai?

Entering the Demon King realm is far harder than ascending to Greater Demon; mid-realm treacherous ministers are already this formidable; a proper stalwart man, for the coming ten-odd years, won't I be stuck depressed beneath the dragon?

At a loss what to do.

Suddenly.

A long whisker stood erect; the fat fish assumed a listening posture, instantly dizzy and dazzled, wildly overjoyed.

Contract the Qinggong Bay!

What is constantly remembered will surely echo; the gods have not forgotten it!

The frog swims in the North Sea, and its merit descends from heaven.

The Huai River's great marsh remains unfinished, yet the yellow sands have taken on another massive project.

The gods' kindness is not yet repaid!

"Splash."

Copper coins fall to the ground, three positives and three negatives; the old toad leaps onto the fat fish's head, tugging its long whiskers.

"Very well, legless frog, head north!"

The fat fish plants its feet and exerts strength, swimming upstream with effort.

Rush, rush, rush!

After taking the treasure today, tomorrow we return to strike black!

"Splash."

Black mist rolls, scraping the ground three feet deep, drifting and gliding past.

The white-bodied, blue-tailed treasure fish is startled and flees, but before it can escape, its tail is caught by clawed fins, leaving a string of bubbles.

The old toad seizes the treasure fish and stuffs it into the Qiankun bag.

Even a tiny mosquito is meat; passing by, it's not to be missed.

"Left, left, right, right, up, up, down, down, dig earth tunnels!"

Inside the Frost-White Wang Gong.

The Jade Qilin exhales white mist, its long whiskers drifting without flow.

The eyes, originally closed in rest, open a slit of deep blue.

Two flowers bloom.

Qinggong Bay, wine cups clink, the banquet is in full swing.

The Third Prince manifests his thousand-zhang true form, circling the side hall once, belly protruding, mouth dripping oil.

"Cannot move" still being swallowed, fists with two pincers waving, leaving afterimages.

Sugui Mountain raises a cup and sings loudly.

"Lord Qinghe, rest assured, Fat Fist Heavy Industry, though its establishment history is short and thus has not yet gained fame in the deserts, yet although the overall establishment time is not long, speaking of the projects undertaken, it is truly among the best; in the Jianghuai great marsh, no fish is unaware, no fish is uninformed."

"Has the Frog King of the Southern Waters heard of the Frog Clan?"

"Indeed, I have heard of it; the Frog King of Jianghuai, endowed with extraordinary talent, possesses a Heaven-Reaching Lotus in the clan."

"Exactly, the entire transformation of the Frog Clan's territory was completed by Fat Fist Heavy Industry."

"Oh, is there such a thing?"

"Of course there; the renowned forging clan, designed by the River Badger, can effortlessly master any style; moreover, in the Jianghuai great marsh, the newly appointed Northern Water King—do you know of him?"

"I have also heard of it; formerly, the Harbor Master often came to and from the Yellow Sands————"

Hiss.

Liang Qu pats his forehead.

Almost forgot this matter.

Speaking of the fish veins of the world, the Harbor Master who comes from the south and goes north is the most extensive, indeed, Ehe, Huangsha, and Jianghuai all come; surely he knows the Qing Fish King, regrettable that we are now in talks; if previously the Harbor Master had acted as intermediary, perhaps the negotiations would have proceeded more smoothly.

"If Lord Qinghe does not speak, I truly forgot this connection; since that is the case, everyone knows the Harbor Master; another day I will gather a meeting, and we shall all sit down to talk?" Liang Qu continues, "Moreover, the newly established Northern Water Palace is also overseen by a fin-chief of Fat Fist Heavy Industry in its construction; besides that, the Jianghuai Dragon Palace—this renowned name, perhaps?"

"Could it not also be built by Fat Fist Heavy Industry?"

"Hahaha, the Jianghuai Dragon Palace has stood for a thousand years, naturally it would not be constructed by heavy industry; repair is repair, and besides basic construction, we also provide greening services! Improving water quality, increasing spiritual vitality, full-package service, with three tiers—high, medium, low—to choose from.

As long as Lord Qinghe is willing to nod, we two parties shall cooperate jointly; you will not only gain the great smoothness of friendship, but also a more majestic palace, a more prosperous territory, a broader lake surface, and clearer water quality————

Ayaya, what is said brings boundless benefit; I feel that today's coming was actually not for the purpose of lowering the riverbed, and you should not regard it so.

"Then what is it for?" The Qing Fish King glances at the clamoring little white dragon serving dishes.

Liang Qu raises the wine cup in his hand, parts the long table, and gestures distantly toward the Qing Fish King.

"It is for the purpose of further advancing your territory, while incidentally lowering the riverbed, beneficial and harmless! If you are willing, today we shall sign and seal, establish the contract; I will give you a ninety percent discount, the imperial court and Lord Qinghe each contributing three-sevenths, how about that?"

Liang Qu, who proposed the cooperation, speaks eloquently, striving to explain the benefits to the Qing Fish King, vying for profit details; Qian Bingyi listens attentively, Sinan takes advantage to record, drafting the documents.

The Qing Fish King closes both eyes.

All around, the serving Qing Fish demons are without exception concerned.

The Great Shun pacifies the north and south; undoubtedly, openly offending is inadvisable, yet abandoning one's foundation is equally impossible; after all, this is the Huangsha River————in compromise, on-site subsidence, combined with water control, while also expanding, seems indeed a good choice?

Sinan quickly transcribes the second document, secretly admiring the Huai King's eloquence, laying out clause by clause for analysis, forcibly turning the lowering of the riverbed into a "secondary purpose," while also securing work for his subordinates.

A long while.

The Qing Fish King opens both eyes.

"Very well, then let it be as the Huai King said."

"Good!" Liang Qu shouts loudly, "Lord Qinghe truly is a king who seeks welfare for his clan, deep in foresight and far in consideration. Rest assured, Fat Fist Heavy Industry excels in dustless operations; you need neither relocate nor endure turbid waters during the period! Only surprises beyond expectation will come, never disappointments below expectation."

The Qing Fish King's long whiskers flutter: "The Ape King is the new ruler of Jianghuai; the Huai King and the Ape King are on good terms; as I am a water clan, I naturally also believe in the Huai King, expecting that the Huai King will not disappoint the fish."

"Rest assured! The Old Dragon Lord is broad-minded, the White Ape is likewise, Sinan!"

Sinan respectfully steps forward, placing the just-drafted document.

The Qing Fish King does not immediately peruse: "Regarding the contract matter, I wish to seek the Harbor Master as an intermediary fish guarantor; Huai King, what do you think?"

"No problem at all! It's merely that river stones" are not easily moved, requiring a report submission, intermediate delays are inevitable "as long as there is spiritual energy."

"Understood! Sinan, write two more copies."

Contract for the Jianghuai Dragon Palace, Water River Supervisor Qian Bingyi representing the Great Shun imperial court, Qing Fish King entrusting, Harbor Master as intermediary fish guarantor, confirming the subsidence well operation, no dust pollution, Qinggong Bay expansion degree, final palace renovation degree.

Four directions each received two copies; first let Jiang Tun take the documents and go by waterway to North Water.

The third day.

The qi mechanism of the Great River Transformation stood densely.

Experts can control their muscles to imitate anyone's handwriting, but the qi mechanism attached to the handwriting cannot be imitated.

At this moment, it is no longer a relaxed banquet atmosphere.

Everyone and beast, with solemn expressions, sat on both sides, each reading carefully.

Qian Bingyi and the Blue Fish King successively completed the final signatures.

Done!

Long Eying immediately organized the household water beasts.

Da He Li put down his hand-held warship model, mustered the troops, selected ten river beaver masters with considerable experience in construction, brought hammers, and rushed to Shahe River and Qinggong Bay.

"Several river workers, please come inside——"

The Blue Fish demon flicked its tail to lead the way.

Da He Li led the team, inspecting inside and out once.

The grand and mighty renovation project began with drafting.

Wearing small yellow safety hats, they erected wooden plaques reading "Safety Production," then measured, surveyed, and explored——the river beavers swung their broad brown tails like oars, propelling themselves, climbing up and down, sketching designs with charcoal sticks for the Blue Fish demon to observe.

Seeing this, the Blue Fish demon relaxed slightly, even secretly anticipating.

Qinggong Bay belongs to natural growth when the water reaches the channel; when it grows, it is dug, when it grows, it is dug, always approaching the critical point, inevitably feeling cramped.

The river beaver clan, during the time of the Dragon Lord, was already widely praised as the "engineering clan"; unexpectedly, today, under Bai Yuan's leadership, they have returned to Jianghuai and seemingly acquired a different characteristic.

Just looking at it seems professional.

Settling Qinghe Gong counts as a small milestone in terrestrial river management, and also a major leap in progress; taking leave on June 6th to return to Pingyang is therefore acceptable.

Wind blows the wheat waves, turning from yellow to green.

The otter leader lifted the water bucket and strode forward, with the young otters behind forming a line.

"Qinggong Bay will next undergo expansion; as a large lake, it will store water from Shahe River as a buffer, requiring the local government offices to prepare for the relocation of terrestrial river fields; the lake surface must expand at least threefold, Heposuo observes."

Liang Qu walked the field ridges, giving instructions one by one.

Sinan nodded: "I will today summon the local magistrate——"

"No, no need to shout now; wait twenty days, wait until June 15th to issue the notice."

Sinan did not quite understand: "Why?"

Liang Qu pointed his finger at the wheat waves on the ground: "Now is the wheat's grain-filling stage; after grain-filling comes wax-ripe harvesting; I asked several experienced farmers along the way, and the harvest time is roughly June 8th or 9th; wait until June 15th, and the harvest will basically be complete; then, when relocating, even if there are execution losses, they will not be too great; if you give advance notice, there is no guarantee that some township officials, to complete their tasks, will not wait for the harvest but directly push the fields and drive people away."

Sinan's pen tip paused.

"Understood, I will issue the notice after the fifteenth."

Liang Qu nodded, stood firm by the riverbank, and gazed upon the turbid yellow water.

The terrestrial river is not a thin earthen wall that could not hold back the river water, but rather a "small plateau" formed by day-after-day accumulation; the plateau is level, and nearby villagers will directly reclaim land on it, planting fields and vegetables.

Qinggong Bay wants to expand, to sink, and will swallow the surrounding areas.

This part of the land must necessarily be hollowed out, turning into water.

It needs to be reported to the imperial court, then Heposuo and the local government offices will cooperate.

Liang Qu is all too clear how the officials below will carry it out: they are ordinary people, all like to slack off, all like to take shortcuts; two whip lashes and the common folk scatter like birds and beasts; the result is the same—returning home, they collapse headfirst and sleep.

Cannot be perfect.

Avoid a little, count a little.

Only twenty days.

Liang Qu walked the field ridges; the river beaver clan continued surveying; in the same time, though the troops have not moved, provisions go first—"cannot move" grass to block sand, Round Head leads the clan in purifying water, Fist softens the edges; several projects are launched first, producing things that show immediate results.

Doing things must let people see them; otherwise, they will inevitably think you take money but do nothing.

The summer heat rose day after day.

Early June.

In the mental connection, Liang Qu intended to examine the core aquatic beast of Fat Fist Heavy Industry, Ah Fei's progress, and ask when he could return from the North Sea, unexpectedly receiving major news.

"Sinking silver has already been settled; dark jade will soon be in hand?"

North Sea.

"Quick quick quick, footless frog, charge charge! Left right left!"

The old toad rode the fat fish, galloping into a black whirlwind, while a group of great demons pursued from behind.

The fat fish surged left and right, reported work, and hurriedly went offline.

Let's not talk now, being chased and killed.

The mental connection dropped.

Good news fell from heaven; the two heaviest, most expensive parts will be settled in just a short month!

Liang Qu drew a deep breath; besides excitement, he always felt that Ah Fei opposite was very busy.

Paying attention to the connection's position, confirming the fat fish was vigorous and lively, he chose to believe the old toad, shifted his thoughts, and connected to another link; this connection's position lies on the far distant Great Snow Mountain, where several habitual lurking river dolphins reside.

Great Snow Mountain, agreed-upon lake.

"Suhe Baru" gazed upon the lakeshore, azure, with stone beaches all around; on the stone beaches, everywhere were small towers built of stacked stones, reaching about calf height, some individually half a person tall.

These are the "Duo Bang," also called "Mani piles," divided into two types: "Obstruction of Filth and Disaster Relief Duo Bang" and "Suppression of Evil Duo Bang"; they are commonly seen at crossroads, lakesides, and riverbanks, and are the Great Snow Mountain's common folk building stone piles to pray for blessings and dispel calamities.

——

However, "Suhe Baru" had long learned from the Fish Elder of the existence of "Niye."

His gaze shifted, quickly finding a "Duo Bang" built of differently colored stones.

Red, green, blue, red.

The color sequence matches, the height matches.

"Suhebaru" crouched down, pushed aside the stone tower, and saw writing on the bottommost piece.

"Suhebaru" silently committed it to memory, wiped the writing away with a fingertip, and restacked them in the order of red, blue, green, red.

"Ten-thousand-year Ice Marrow, six taels————"

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