Chapter 359

Autumn wind sighed, sweeping withered leaves between the two otters, dropping into the pond as ripples spread in circles.

The yellow robe hung from a branch, fluttering and swelling.

No words.

No probing.

No hesitation.

Within the battle circle formed by sixteen river otters, the two clan leaders pushed off with their hind legs, charging toward each other, clawing and grappling as they dodged left and right, every strike landing flesh to flesh.

In just two days, Otter Kai's "Monkey Fist" remained half-baked, superficial, and given the vast gap between Liang Qu and the old monk's realms, he could not elevate the technique to tailor it for the river otter.

Thus Otter Kai wielded it clumsily, swinging a weak punch only to take two heavy claws to his body.

After several repetitions, he realized something was wrong—if he kept fighting, he'd lose. He abandoned the Monkey Fist and reverted to wild brawling.

In contrast, Scarface Otter, having trained the "Luo Han Claw" since September, had spent over a month mastering it—not perfectly, but convincingly. His sharp claws slashed with terrifying momentum, dominating the close-quarters brawl from the start.

Yet Otter Kai, having been fully replenished by Ze Ding, was no longer the same—he held a slight edge in physique, grew fiercer with each setback, and returned to wild brawling. The two now fought to a stalemate, swirling into two brown whirlwinds along the pond's edge.

Scarface Otter was terrified.

In just a few days, his former defeated underling dared to challenge him—and had grown significantly stronger!

He had trained diligently in the Buddha's teachings, yet still could not subdue it!

Otter Kai sensed his own strength, his confidence surged. Knowing Scarface's rhythm, he stabilized his stance and began counterattacking, scratching at Scarface's head, gradually reclaiming momentum.

Something's wrong…

Liang Qu, watching the fight, sensed something odd.

Scarface Otter had both momentum and technique.

Otter Kai had received only one replenishment—not an evolution. Even with his physical advantage, he shouldn't be this ferocious, this resilient, bouncing back from disadvantage.

Liang Qu glanced around and spotted the pond's rear—suddenly he understood.

Bu Dong, half-submerged, clamped his front paws firmly onto the pond's rocks, his long tail lashing as his horns glowed with blue light.

From the departure from Huazhu County until today, six full days had passed—Bu Dong's 【Revival】 had finally recovered, and had been granting Otter Kai a buff all along.

As both were under the Heavenly God's command, they were naturally kin, one family of beasts.

Otter Kai had no martial ethics—he called for backup!

"Only one recovery every six days…"

The otters' duel gave Liang Qu an excellent chance to observe—he quietly noted the timing.

Thus, the awkward period between 【Revival】 bursts wasn't too long—it was quite potent.

As for healing effects and the nature of the buff, he still didn't know.

Fortunately, he now had an ideal observation template.

With the aura's enhancement, Otter Kai traded blows for blows, swinging his claws with momentum, style, and ferocity, making the pups behind him howl in excitement.

Every time Scarface landed a hit, the wound would heal within moments, while Scarface himself bore multiple wounds, his stamina draining rapidly, weakening with each strike.

One surge of strength, then decline, then exhaustion—the tide of victory tilted early.

Trapped in a brutal struggle, Scarface Otter doubted his own life, utterly unaware he was fighting an utterly unfair battle.

He was fighting a 1.5x Otter Kai!

In the pondside hut, the giant beaver clung to a wooden post, his long incisors flashing blurs as he nervously gnawed off great chunks of wood shavings.

The five river otters of Otter Kai's clan, seeing their leader on the verge of victory, leapt and bounced in joy.

But the sixteen otters pressed tightly against each other; their jumping caused friction, collisions—two or three accidental bumps sparked sparks, igniting the powder keg.

In an instant, the pond transformed from a single duel into a full-scale clan brawl.

The balance of victory shifted again.

Liang Qu carefully observed the otters' qi fluctuations—under the aura's aid, their collective strength rose by over ten percent.

But it was useless: twelve against six. Even with Otter Kai's advantage and Bu Dong's aura extending to all his otters, the two-to-one odds still led to a catastrophic collapse—with no hope of recovery.

Half a minute later.

Otter Kai let out a cry and plunged into the pond, splashing up a great spray of water; his clan followed close behind.

Scarface's clan seized their enemies by the nape, dragged them along the pebble path to the pond's edge, and kicked them in one by one.

Water splashed everywhere; when the spray settled, river otters floated lifelessly on the surface.

The shame had not been washed away—it kept growing.

Bu Dong shook his head in disappointment, flicked his tail, and climbed back onto land.

Fists, bored, dove into the pond and returned to his burrow.

Liang Qu controlled the water to surge onto land, washing away the blood.

The beavers emerged spontaneously from the hut, picked up the brushes by the wall, and scrubbed the bloodstains from the crevices between the pebbles.

Scarface Otter walked to the pond's edge, spat, limped on one hind leg, tore the fluttering yellow robe from the branch, draped it over himself, then used his claws to slit the swollen corner of his eye and drain the blood.

Once tidied, Scarface Otter bowed to Liang Qu with both paws, then led his clan away from the courtyard.

Liang Qu watched them pass through the round gate—moments later, they turned back, grinned, and pointed at the sun.

"The Master has been busy lately, not in his chamber—he may not return for over ten days."

Liang Qu wasn't sure if the otters understood the concept of a month.

Scarface Otter pondered, bowed deeply, leapt into the pond, and behind her, eleven others lined up and jumped in one after another.

Plop… plop…

Dumplings fell into the pond.

The fat catfish poked his head out from the underground river, clutching his basket, watching the long line of otters wading away like a serpent, then seeing the lifeless roasted fish floating on the surface—completely baffled.

Lost again?

The fat catfish swam closer, bringing his two long whiskers together.

Two thousand roasted fish—to restore the roasted fish brothers' honor.

Otter Kai gave no reply.

He was beyond despair.

Liang Qu took the basket from behind the fat catfish: "Found the Dragon People yet?"

The fat catfish shook his head.

Liang Qu stroked his chin: "Then we'll try elsewhere tomorrow."

The Dragon People came from the deep waters to Huaiyin—they must have some hidden purpose.

They likely won't stay near Wangjiang Port indefinitely; other ports are possible—we must cast a wide net.

The Twenty Jiaoren have Jiao Tears; the Dragon People may not have Dragon Tears—but after living so long in the deep waters, they must carry something valuable, otherwise how could they survive the Great Marsh?

The fat catfish shook his head, signaling he would find the Dragon People—he pounded bricks three hundred times daily, determined to redeem himself!

Redeem himself…

The river otters used that phrase too.

Liang Qu chose to bless them—he opened the basket, filled with plump crabs, weighed them lightly—each weighed no less than seven taels.

He poured them all out—and a round stone slid onto the ground.

Liang Qu picked up the stone, slipped it back into the basket, and returned it to the fat catfish.

That round stone was crucial—it was the fat catfish's standard for judging crab size.

After collecting the crabs, Otter Kai's family still floated on the surface, eyes vacant—clearly useless.

Liang Qu called out to the beaver family.

"Get to work!"

The beavers rushed out of the hut, carrying bundles of rope, picking up each crab, tying their legs and claws, and placing them—male and female separately—into half-submerged crab baskets in the pond.

"I'll give you two extra ore stones at month's end—I've already drawn the new boat design, and we can start construction right away."

It wasn't that Liang Qu was cruel, unable to bear idle moments.

For the beavers, construction was as natural as eating and drinking—no work made their teeth itch, and they always wanted to gnaw on something.

The giant beaver kept working, nodding vigorously.