Chapter 1557: The Huai King Arrives But Doesn't Pay Grain (Two-in-One, Final Five Hours of Completion Event)

"Watered down, watered down! How many times have I told you, are your ears deaf? Pure white silver eaten into bellies — what a sin! One part water loses nine parts money, ten parts wine loses ten parts money. This State Preceptor's lifelong reputation, how did I end up raising you two prodigal things."

The old toad flailed his two webbed feet, crooked and twisted, finally executing a fierce tiger-leaping-the-ravine move, pouncing face-first to grab the big frog's mouth, stretching it long and wide, slapping its head hard, flipping over to land and snatching the wine jar, dragging over the water vat, glug-glug mixing them inside, a flick of the ladle into the gourd.

"Plop."

"Alright, let them lie there and drink! Wait!"

Frog Mobile Corps Commander and Frog Patrol froze mid-step, sweat soaking their backs.

"What dish is this? Why so fragrant?" The old toad leapt forward, blocking the serving frog, rummaging through the water-boiled fish in the basin, roaring at the sky, "What a sin! A Mother Frog Banquet, using this many fish slices? Ten parts fish loses ten parts money! More bean sprouts, more bean sprouts, are your ears deaf? Just a touch of fish flavor is enough. Scoop them out, use them for the next basin!"

Frog Mobile Corps Commander and Frog Patrol exhaled in relief — not them — just about to leave when a shadow suddenly fell over them.

The fat fish flashed into position, blocking the two frogs, snatching the wine jar, glug-glug re-distilling the wine, removing the moisture, stuffing it back into the frogs' arms, then another forward pounce, scraping away the bean sprouts at the bottom of the basin, pouring fish slices back in.

The old toad flew in a pounce at the front.

The fat fish followed close behind.

"Stools as small as can be, bowl bottoms as thick as can be! Eat and leave, not full? No second bowl."

"What shark fin, more glass noodles! More glass noodles!"

"How many times, use thick-bottomed bowls, thick-bottomed bowls! This thin, this deep — what if it burns Zhen Xiang? What if it burns the Heavenly Dragon? Can you bear the responsibility?"

"Precious fish, how can you use precious fish? Such a big grass carp, isn't it fragrant? Gokumaiisu, stick two meters, stick two meters, crooked! Despicable! Crooked!"

"Where is this table being sent? What 'my old flame'! You're the one with an old flame, you're the one with an old flame! Slander! Slander!

This State Preceptor keeps himself pure, no old flame, and also, the fish is for the Mother Frog to look at, not for the Mother Frog to eat, you big—

Fool! Egg! Ah!!! Take this strike from me!"

Feet stepping on the frog's head, both webbed feet raised high, like a great roc spreading wings, a rabbit kicking an eagle.

"Halao, I'm out————"

"Smack!"

Frog skin rebounded, trembling back and forth.

Clang-clang, bang-bang.

Bind-bind-bind three punches smashed into the frog's head, the old toad circled the kitchen once, returned to the exit, surveyed his handiwork, heart satisfied. The fat fish stood behind the old toad, wiping hot sweat too, standing in the blind spot of vision, waving a webbed foot signaling everything as normal.

"Hm?"

A shadow brushed overhead, stirring a breeze. The old toad grew suspicious, suddenly turning back.

The fat fish lowered both webbed feet, let his whiskers droop, pretending nothing happened.

The old toad looked him up and down.

A drop of cold sweat slowly slid from the fat fish's temple, heartbeat gradually speeding up——————

"Sigh, this State Preceptor looks around, and actually only you, the legless frog, can understand this State Preceptor's painstaking efforts." The old toad sighed long toward the sky.

"Hoo————"

The fat fish puffed out his chest, raised his head, exhaled in relief, wiped sweat along his webbed foot, long whiskers folded at sixty degrees.

"Good, Legless Frog, the frog clan just needs a loyal general like you. Let's go, to the next kitchen!" The old toad grabbed a long whisker, flipped onto the fish's back, cursing and grumbling, "These prodigal things, this State Preceptor earns fish one by one, delivers them basket by basket. Don't watch closely and the Long Gong will be eaten empty by them sooner or later! How can I govern the Jianghuai well together with this bunch of insects!"

The fat fish nodded repeatedly.

"Charge!"

Tugging the long whiskers, the fish rose upright.

Two frogs inspected the kitchens in grand procession.

"Back then, I saw at a glance that the Huai King wasn't human."

"Nice, you dare say the Huai King isn't human!?"

"Peh, misspoke, drank too much, big tongue."

"If you're drunk then scram! Still waiting to eat dishes."

Inside and out the Long Gong, lanterns hung and decorations tied.

Top-grade precious fish, supreme precious fish served to tables like flowing water.

"Cannot Move", Third Prince, Round Head, Fist sat at one table, shrunk to half-human height, bellies bulging, left hand grabbing, right hand stuffing.

The Southern Frog Clan especially exaggerated, every one a whirlwind swallowing clouds, violent inhalation — even the West Turtles' dishes on the next table got sucked airborne, a chaotic din.

"Come! For my rainbow-transforming son-in-law! My empress daughter! Brothers, down one!" Long You raised a wine jar, glug-glug chugging it down.

"Hah, back when Junior Brother just entered the sect, he saw rosy clouds ten thousand li. Master determined this child would surely be extraordinary in future————" Xu Zishuai stood on a stool on one leg, recounting the past.

Guan Congjian ate meat fiercely, occasionally raising a cup, "wu wu" two sounds, echoing in shared celebration.

"Big Brother!"

The Wu King swam over, toasting with the Yao Kings. After three rounds of wine, he quietly pulled the Whale King aside.

"Hm? Younger Brother, what matter can't be said, must be like this?" The Whale King turned his head.

"Big Brother, Little Brother has a matter, thinking Big Brother might know."

"Hah, you speak, Big Brother I know everything without reserve."

"Cough, this Ape King is the Huai King, that Female Emperor today is for the King Consort Empress, what exactly is the deal with Hai Fangzhu?" The Wu King was truly burning with curiosity.

Originally Liang Qu and Long Eying were a pair, Ape King and Hai Fangzhu were a pair, no major issue.

Humans match humans, beasts match beasts.

Now it's good, Liang Qu and the Ape King are the same person!

Then isn't this Eying and Hai Fangzhu a messed-up set?

"Idiot!" The Whale King rebuked, "How could it go? No matter how beautiful Hai Fangzhu is, in the end she's a widow who cursed the Eight-Clawed King to death. Even if there were reasons, would outsiders care? Can this be brought to the table, made a Consort?"

"Hiss, understood! Elder Brother sees through it like fire."

"Naturally." The Whale King spoke confidently, "A real man, which one doesn't have three wives and four concubines? One at home, one outside, isn't that normal?"

"Could it be that Big Brother also————"

"Hush————"

The Demon King ate and drank to the side, while the Martial Saints continued discussing Liang Qu's twenty-year plan.

"Three twenty-year plans, sixty years, making everyone well-fed and warmly clothed, everyone practicing martial arts — this, how could this be possible? Could it be that the Huai King never served as an official? Idle fantasy?"

"Didn't he serve as a runner in Great Shun for over a decade?"

"All military posts; he never held a civil office."

"You are all worrying needlessly. The Huai King can even fabricate the moon out of nothing; if he can fabricate the moon, he can fabricate grain, fabricate cloth, fabricate food, clothing, and daily necessities. Since he can say it, he naturally has his reasoning. Right now the Holy Emperor, the Tusi, and the Khan King are being kept behind alone — who knows, perhaps they are being imparted some Great Dao."

"That makes sense————"

Quan Guangqin and Quan Yuxuan performed the "Yan Jing Kai Yun Melody" on either side, all feeling moved and stirred.

In the past the Dragon Lord only sheltered Huaijiang; beyond Huaijiang, there were occasional disappearances, without proof, the whip too short to reach. From now on, no matter how vast the world, where could one not go, what land could one not roam?

A great boon for the water races, a great boon for the water races!

The Jiao people shall rise!

Outside the hall it was clamorous; a grand banquet for the ministers.

Inside the Long Gong.

The Three Immortals and Three Kings gathered together, receiving Liang Qu's private little classroom.

The Khan King was deeply worried, thinking that the so-called Great Unity society mentioned at the conference was fundamentally impossible to realize, completely a slap-of-the-head notion. As a result, he now listened in a daze.

"Productivity?"

"Exactly, productivity!" Liang Qu tapped the blackboard. "Why do I say everyone cultivates, everyone passes the Four Gates, and not say everyone gallops on horses, everyone lights beacon fires?

Because the former cultivation only requires medicinal materials, it can be done completely without involving heaven-and-earth spirit objects. So the first thing to do is to vigorously develop productivity."

The old Tusi took notes seriously: "May I ask, Lord Wang, how to develop productivity?"

"First, the quality of the common people improves — high-quality, high-grade development. Second, the martial dao system feeds back — responsibility and authority unified, everything used to its fullest. Third————"

The blackboard writing was dense and packed.

The Holy Emperor stared with straight brows and stiff eyes.

There was one thing he could not figure out.

Liang Qu — why would he understand these things? He's a military general, isn't he? He didn't even attend an academy for long.

"If the average person reaches the Second Gate, the Third Gate, what would happen? Average lifespan greatly extended, still having sufficient labor force at eighty or ninety, labor force growing massively, hardly falling ill————"

"But where does the 'money' come from? Where do resources come from?" the Khan King asked.

"Tax revenue!"

The Khan King subconsciously wanted to retort — expenditures aren't enough. Beside him the old Tusi's pupils dilated: "Tax Martial Masters, Grandmasters, and Martial Saints!?"

"Exactly!"

The Khan King frowned, just about to say it was courting death — if you don't want to be Tusi just say so early. But his thoughts flashed like lightning, and he suddenly froze, raising his head to look at Liang Qu.

Yes, originally it was courting death, but————

Now it's different!

"Progressive taxation → low tax → tax exemption; the richer, the more collected; the poorer, the less collected. Honest tax payment, the Underworld prioritizes life extension." Liang Qu wrote in flowing cursive, continuously writing, then turned back around. "Compulsory cultivation, Martial Master diversion, tiered cultivation————current martial dao development is too monotonous!"

"Monotonous?"

"Under my command there is a water beast named Tie Mu Shan. Together with General Yuan, the Yao leader of Peng Ze, they opened a plantation. But looking around, aside from the occasional specific Entering Zhen Xiang that can be cultivated within the imperial court, there are no such specifically cultivated experts in all under heaven.

Why can't we divert them early, at the Galloping Horse and Beacon Fire stages?"

Calculated by locality, obtain startup capital. After the Entering Zhen Xiang dies, it can be made into a Divine Ability Token, accumulating more and more. This is characteristic productivity development————obtaining startup capital in the early stage————"

Yes, originally unwilling, because everyone's cultivation was painstakingly fought for by themselves. But if compulsory martial practice is realized, universal martial practice, then it becomes rights and responsibilities equal and integrated, requiring obedience to assignment————

Apart from the human race, one should also share weal and woe with the Yao race. Human development is diverse; many Yao races can possess specific talents from a very young age.

Let those who can fight fight, let those who can produce produce.

In the future, everyone at the First Gate, everyone at the Second Gate — this doesn't need talent. No talent, stop there. Have talent, layer by layer screening upward, saving resources. Assignment then gradually cycles, opening sources and throttling expenditure!"

"This is a long process, so I use twenty years as one interval, a sixty-year cycle as one set."

One arrow followed by another arrow, finally interlocking with each other, turning into a complete circle.

"Gulp."

The Holy Emperor, the old Tusi, and the Khan King's Adam's apples bobbed.

Suo Li Weng, Zhang Longxiang, and Bei Ting Xian were all shaken.

All this was originally impossible, because Entering Zhen Xiang and Yao Dragons paying tax was a dead cycle.

It has always been layer by layer upward; where has there been layer by layer downward?

"This is my general methodology." Liang Qu clapped his hands. "There are many loopholes, so I only propose a general direction. How to specifically implement it is the key to your scores.

Do well, rank among the immortal class, boundless longevity. Do poorly, well, same as said before — no punishment, we're all friends. Coercion through awesomeness isn't my style, so there's only a reward mechanism. Later I'll successively create some cultivation methods, some specific directional functional cultivation methods————"

Damn it!

If this whole set really gets going, how strong would it become?

If they fall behind, wouldn't they be directly swallowed by other powers?

The Khan King was sweating profusely.

The Holy Emperor suddenly recalled the "Minor Divine Ability Token" Liang Qu had once mentioned.

No one knows if Liang Qu's set can actually be pulled off.

At least, compared to empty talk of goals, there really seems to be a few points of possibility for realization?

A hundred years later, what a flourishing age it will be?

"These are actually part of the twenty-year plan. When I have time, I still have some things to lecture on; I'll invite you all again. For now, let's stop here — the banquet is important, all treasures. Also, Khan King, stay behind."

Me?

The Sweat King was stunned.

The Holy Emperor and the Tusi glanced at each other across their own furnace, unclear on the reason, yet still took their leave and departed, hurriedly going out to search for people and formulate policies.

"I wonder what matter the King wishes to instruct?" The Sweat King asked respectfully, his heart uneasy.

The Southern Frontier, the Northern Court, and Great Shun — only the Northern Court had a special relationship with Liang Qu; Great Shun need not be mentioned, there was grace; the Southern Frontier, though enemies at the start, later swapped positions and achieved results, and the relationship was likewise good.

Liang Qu covered his mouth and coughed once: "Sweat King, there's a matter I owe you, old brother."

The Sweat King's head sank, his heart panicking.

What does this mean? Did his Yanzhi let Liang Qu sleep with her?

"No matter, Immortal Huai speak directly."

Seeing the Sweat King's expression awkward, Liang Qu sighed again: "It may be even more severe than the Sweat King imagines; this matter belongs to a historical legacy issue."

It's over. Not just the Yanzhi, even the Khatun was slept with by Liang Qu?

"Back then the Northern Court, Great Shun, and the Southern Frontier had not yet allied, they were hostile to each other, the Great Snow Mountain still existed————"

The Sweat King's face darkened. It was at that time he slept with them? Deliberate revenge?

"Suhebaru, the Fierce Tiger King, does the Sweat King remember?"

The Sweat King froze: "Naturally I remember. Although the Fierce Tiger King was beheaded once by Immortal Huai, that is already past. Now————"

It's over.

Truly over.

The Sweat King's eyes widened.

He thought of a certain possibility.

*Whoosh. *

A slight breeze stirred in the hall.

The "Suhebaru" amidst the feast inexplicably flashed into the hall. Upon seeing Liang Qu, and even more so seeing the Sweat King with an unsightly expression, he instantly understood the situation and bowed deeply to the Sweat King.

"Hey, so that's it, a historical legacy issue." Liang Qu draped an arm over the Fierce Tiger King's shoulder, rarely awkward. "Ying Tian, introduce yourself?"

"Lao Ying Tian, a minor soldier of the Netherworld, fortunate to be favored by the Huai King, Lao Meng Yao's elder brother."

Lao Meng Yao!

Liang Qu's disciple!

Liang Qu's interpersonal connections, the interpersonal connections of his interpersonal connections, the eighteen generations of ancestors of his interpersonal connections had all been investigated thoroughly — how could the Sweat King not know? He kept taking deep breaths.

Damn it. Better if the Khatun had been slept with by Liang Qu!

Silence for a long while.

"Wonder when————"

"When the Great Snow Mountain summoned souls, they didn't summon the right one."

The Sweat King fell into silence again. After a long moment: "Fierce Tiger King, has he thoroughly perished?"

"That's not the case. He's in my hands."

"Hm?" The Sweat King's eyes widened.

Liang Qu raised his hand and grasped out a clump of soul.

Back then, what allowed Lao Ying Tian to successfully seize the nest and occupy the magpie's perch was that he tore away much of Suhebaru's soul, pasted it onto Lao Ying Tian as a "skin," and used no small amount of supreme-grade blood treasures as adhesive. The remaining portion had always been in his hands.

Turning the illusory into the real.

A brand-new Suhebaru emerged before them.

He raised his hand and pinched again.

The "Suhebaru" body continuously changed. From the deepest depths the origin surged, influencing the exterior. The appearance gradually returned to Lao Ying Tian!

The Sweat King stared with straight brows and stiff eyes.

No matter how many times he witnessed death and resurrection, fabrication from nothing, it was still marvelously skillful!

Heart pounding *bang bang*, Lao Ying Tian lowered his head, gazed at the floor tiles, stroked his cheek, looked at the unfamiliar yet familiar face, clenched his fists tight. Tremendous excitement exploded in his sea of consciousness.

He's back.

The true self. No, not the self either.

Calamity Dragon Body!

Lao Ying Tian was incomparably fortunate for his choice back then. What an enormous leap.

Looking at Lao Ying Tian, then at Suhebaru, the Sweat King knew "returning things to their original owner" was already impossible. Distressed to the extreme.

Bad news. The Calamity Dragon Fierce Tiger King was gone.

Good news. The original Entering Zhen Xiang sick tiger wasn't lost.

Quite a sky-high joke.

What were the past congratulations? What was the past grand gathering? How to explain to the Northern Court's Eight Divisions?

The Sweat King was desolate.

Light and shadow flowed. The jade-white ground reflected inverted images.

Eyelashes trembled.

Pain.

Agony!

A fleeting spear light cleaved vertically downward. Suhebaru violently shuddered. His whole body's cold sweat emptied out in one go. His eyes snapped open.

"Heh————"

His chest heaved. His withered lungs fiercely sucked in a breath. A hurricane surged up.

Pupils contracted violently, a blank whiteness.

Light and shadow gradually cleared; Suhebaru nearly retched, an indescribable dizziness, as if turning endlessly inside a jar, and also feeling he had slept a very long sleep, and moreover experienced the pain of his soul being torn apart; finally, the layered figures before him settled.

An unfamiliar amiable youth; strange, unfamiliar, how could he feel amiable.

Beside him was————

Suhebaru froze: "Khan King?"

Before the Khan King could speak, Suhebaru's peripheral vision caught another person at the side; a sweeping glance, and he instantly halted, staring dead at the third person.

"Liang Qu!!"

A thunderous roar of rage.

Wait.

The rage had just risen and was pressed down again.

Suhebaru dazedly realized the situation was wrong.

Khan King? Liang Qu?

The Khan King is here, and Liang Qu is also here————

Suhebaru wild with joy: "Khan King, have we caught Liang Qu?"

A moment of quiet.

The Khan King wiped sweat from his forehead: "Fierce Tiger King, the war is over."

"Over————we really caught Liang Qu?"

Suhebaru grew even more delighted, only feeling dizzy; he did not know how he had survived, but it was worth it, worth it to be like this upon just Entering Zhen Xiang; given time, a heart-and-belly grave trouble for the Northern Court.

"Khan King, this child's talent is peerless, he must absolutely not be deceived by the Great Shun, exchange supplies, release the tiger back to the mountain, must quickly————"

"Presumptuous!!!"

Lei Ting roared in fury, Suhebaru's train of thought stalled.

The Khan King both anxious and embarrassed, struck with a palm: "Fierce Tiger King, you must not be rude to the Huai Immortal!"

Suhebaru covered his face, full of bewilderment.

The Khan King hurriedly bowed in apology: "Sorry, Huai Immortal, Suhebaru he drank too much————no, slept too long."

"No matter." Liang Qu smiled, "Understandable; Khan King, take the Fierce Tiger King outside to eat some dishes and recover, perhaps he will feel much better."

Suhebaru: "?"

"I dare not disturb the Huai Immortal; thank you for today's instruction, opening the Dao path, I will take him down now."

The Khan King dared not be negligent, reached out and grabbed Suhebaru, forcibly dragging him out of the Long Gong.

Suhebaru was dragged stumbling, feet scraping the ground; he looked back, watching Liang Qu's figure recede, tilted his head up to see the palace towering, the bewilderment in his eyes deepening.

Huai Immortal?

"He has become the Crucible————"

"It is Transforming Rainbow!" The Khan King heard the muttering, corrected emphatically, "Defeated both the Great Li Grand Ancestor and the Whale Emperor, two Transforming Rainbow's Transforming Rainbow!

"

Suhebaru: "?"

Seeing him like this, the Khan King's heart suddenly birthed pity, inexplicably thinking of when his own Old Ancestor revived, whether it was also like this; he patiently explained: "Fierce Tiger General, you have already returned from the dead, and————have been fallen for too long."

So it is like this————

White clouds a thousand years, ten thousand ages do not return.

Able to breathe, yet able to see flowing water ripples.

Suhebaru tilted his head up, eyes flashing, clenched his fists; the him in memory clearly remembered Liang Qu had just Yao Long, not even a year, a blink————

"Khan King, from my death until now, how much time has passed? Old friends still alive, no, the Eight Beasts have they ever————"

"Four years, a full four years." The Khan King sighed.

Suhebaru stared wide-eyed, turned his head with difficulty.

"?"

"Ah————"

Liang Qu let out a long sigh.

This kind who slept too long, when shocked it is the fiercest.

"Elder!" Lao Ying Tian roused and saluted.

Liang Qu collected his emotions, patted his shoulder, smiled: "Your sister is just outside, give her a surprise!"

Lao Ying Tian took a deep breath, thud, dropped to both knees, kowtowed three times heavily, then turned, steps light, almost without waiting to leave the great hall, flew away on the void.

The Northern Court matter is resolved.

Only the Southern Frontier remains.

The Northern Court's magpie's nest occupied by the dove, exposure no matter; the Southern Frontier's spies, just do it quietly.

"!"

Cheeks bulging, eating treasure materials fiercely, a mouse perched on each shoulder and head, Li Xiang Han's chopsticks picked empty, she raised her head and met Liang Qu's gaze.

"Mmph————" Li Xiang Han abruptly stretched her neck, swallowed the treasure fish, legs together, stood at attention, "Wang Jun loyal!"

Three mice simultaneously raised tails, lifted paws and folded them in salute.

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