Chapter 362: Team Leader

Time slipped by, nearing noon.

Langyun Tower's senior manager reported all preliminary work completed—everything packed and modified as needed—then Fan Xing took the address book Liang Qu gave him, hopped onto a cart, and went door-to-door in the county to collect people.

After giving numerous instructions in his kitchen, Liang Qu returned to wait by the pond.

Half an hour earlier, Liang Qu had exerted immense effort to persuade the old toad to grant one more precious fish, to support the three-thousand-li lotus empire.

Unexpectedly, the old toad devoured everything, left behind a pile of empty cages, and vanished without a trace until just before the banquet began.

"Won't it flake out on us?"

Fortunately, as Liang Qu muttered, two bubbles rose from the pond, bursting into spray.

Water splashed everywhere.

The old toad broke the surface, showering a light rain, and successfully watered the flowerbed with a drenching soak before the banquet commenced.

The black dragon turtle, digging in the soil to bury crab shells, froze cold all over, groaned twice, sprinted to the old toad's feet, shook its fur to fling off droplets, then bolted away.

The old toad paid no mind; it puffed its cheeks and spat out a lively, wriggling large fish, shouting loudly.

"Rainbow Seven-Hue! Boy, a truly outstanding precious fish!"

The river beaver and other beasts turned their gazes toward it; Liang Qu's expression remained calm as he bent down, pinching the fish's tail, feeling the force of its struggles.

Indeed, no less than the previous one—same tier!

All that talk wasn't wasted!

Yet… amid his joy, Liang Qu keenly noticed this precious fish differed from the previous three.

Its scales were densely packed, shimmering with radiant hues; its tail floated like a golden carp's, unlike anything he'd ever seen.

How many precious fish does the old toad keep hidden?

Four precious fish, four different breeds?

Precious fish worth thousands of essence aren't something you can just find anywhere—the old toad must be raising many at home.

But prolonged captivity causes precious fish to lose their spiritual essence; thus, the old toad's household must maintain a large, dynamic equilibrium—meaning the number passing through its hands would be even more terrifying…

After being gone so long, was it carefully selecting from its own collection?

Liang Qu's eyes narrowed slightly.

The more time he spent with the old toad, the more he realized how stingy it was.

As the likely sole Yao -formed multi-treasure toad in the entire marsh, it was far from simple on the surface.

One day, I'll send Fatty Catfish over to pay the old toad a visit—get to the bottom of this…

"Look at the coloration, look at that tail—so beautiful, such a fine precious fish! If not for the frog clan…"

The old toad was enthusiastically extolling the rarity of its precious fish and how much it had sacrificed for the frog clan—without it, the frog elders wouldn't have today's glory—when suddenly, its words cut off.

The noise vanished abruptly; Liang Qu's gaze shifted from the fish: "Elder Toad?"

The old toad rubbed its head, silent. It had just felt a sudden chill along its spine, a jolt of unease.

It glanced around.

Wind still, water calm—workers worked, sunbathers basked.

Wrong frog—last month I used the divine tortoise shell to divine fortune, all six copper coins landed face-up, not one reversed.

For others, that's a great omen worth celebrating; for me, it means fortune is perfectly normal.

Strange, strange indeed.

The old toad hesitated, then shivered.

This place is too dangerous to linger!

Land is full of threats—always some rogue folk trying to trick frogs!

The old toad felt a creeping dread, waved its webbed paws: "No matter, no matter—keep working hard! When the lotuses bloom across the three-thousand-li marsh, the frog clan will surely reward those who contributed! I've got matters in my cave—excuse me, I'm off!"

Saying this, the old toad left the precious fish behind, leapt into the pond, and hurried away.

Liang Qu watched its retreating figure, falling silent.

"Did it sense something?"

…

Noon.

The hall was fully prepared; Liang Qu had placed the precious fish, and Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi arrived first.

A worker's spirit, a worker's soul—unlike Liang Qu, who often skipped work, Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi was diligent, reporting daily and returning only at dusk, as always today.

When Fan Xing came to greet him, Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi was handling official duties at the government office.

Closest by, he arrived fastest.

The two chatted briefly about the estate, then Liang Qu invited them to sit.

Soon after, Xiang Fang Su and Ke Ko Wenbin arrived together; Liang Qu went again to the front gate.

Two consecutive arrivals were colleagues—clearly no coincidence.

Colleagues and sect members both needed inviting, but the two groups barely knew each other; gathering together would make them uneasy.

At least Liang Qu himself felt awkward at banquets—two tables, half the people strangers, how stiff.

With aquatic beasts and fish pens supplying the feast, crabs piled up like mountains; he decided to split the meal into lunch and dinner, letting everyone feast freely.

Fan Xing led away two large horses, guiding the guests into the courtyard.

Upon entering, Xiang Fang Su glanced around: "I saw clearly from outside—three courtyards deep! Liang Ashui, you're living well!"

Ke Ko Wenbin chuckled: "Probably the largest residence in Yixing Town, isn't it?"

Everyone came from the capital; there was no local property—everyone had to buy.

But too large and empty, most bought one- or two-courtyard homes, nowhere near as spacious as Liang Zhai.

Liang Qu smiled: "All thanks to the kindness of fellow villagers."

Ke Ko Wenbin grinned: "Why doesn't anyone show kindness to me?"

"Come to think of it, this is our first time visiting your home," Xiang Fang Su rubbed his hands, circling the screen wall, and gasped at the mountain of autumn crabs: "Whoa, so many crabs? Seeing Ran Zhongshi, when did you get here?"

"Half a quarter-hour ago—not earlier. Come, sit and eat."

Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi picked up crab roe dipped in ginger vinegar; two empty shells already sat beside him.

Xiang Fang Su leaned forward, picked up several crabs, weighed them in his palm: "These are all over seven taels!"

"Would I lie? I keep my word. Besides, small ones aren't worth eating—today's a casual gathering, no rules, eat your fill."

"Hehe, I love it!"

Drawn by the aroma, their appetites surged; they didn't wait for others, sat down, and joined Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi in cracking crabs.

At daily gatherings, when mealtime came, whoever was late still ate and drank without delay.

After the three, Ran Ying, Bai Bai Yinbin, Ren Ren Yipeng, and others arrived in turn, filling the long table; Xu Xu Yuelong remained busy with official duties, arriving later.

Unlike Xiang Fang Su and others who returned late from touring Jiangling County, Xu Xu Yuelong had only just returned from Huazhu County the day before and still had follow-up matters to handle.

He rolled up his sleeves the moment he entered: "Liang Ashui, where's the biggest crab?"

"Already prepared!"

Liang Qu went to the kitchen, took a large tray from the assistant—only two crabs inside, one male, one female, but unusually massive.

"Male crab: one jin five Great Qian. Female crab: nine liang three Great Qian! I personally picked each one out from the pile!"

Ke Ko Wenbin leapt off the Luo Han bed: "Damn, Liang Ashui, you buttering up your superior?"

Xiang Fang Su lamented: "Sycophancy! Too much sycophancy!"

"Bullshit! We agreed beforehand—Brother Xu Yuelong helped me pre-claim a major merit; the biggest crab belongs to him!"

"Pre-claim major merit? Can you even do that?" Bai Bai Yinbin put down his crab leg. "I want one too!"

"Get lost." Xu Xu Yuelong sat himself in the center, pushing away Bai Bai Yinbin's face. "Liang Ashui's pre-claiming the year-end performance evaluation merit. Whether it works is uncertain—do you have any? Who has any? I'll write you a note too!"

Ke Ko Wenbin was stunned: "Holy shit, you can actually do that?"

Performance evaluations involved only peers, mostly aristocratic heirs holding ranks above seventh grade—elite everywhere—nothing like Liang Qu's current level. None of them could guarantee top placement.

"I should've asked my dad to get me a River Lord position!"

"Pfft, a wolf smoke expert as River Lord? Aren't you ashamed?"

Everyone chattered loudly.

As Xu Xu Yuelong sat down, Liang Qu signaled; one steaming dish after another emerged from the kitchen.

Crab roe buns, crab roe noodles, crab roe rice, orange slices—plus seasonal fresh ingredients to vary the flavors.

Most present were from the capital, eating crabs and drinking yellow wine this freely for the first time—the banquet atmosphere soared, lively and joyous.

The black dragon turtle darted beneath the tables, its tail leaving afterimages.

Ran Ying didn't eat; she peeled shells and fed the black dog bit by bit.

Xu Xu Yuelong chattered endlessly, and before he knew it, he mentioned fighting Wei Lin in Huazhu County.

Everyone leaned forward.

"Who won?"

"Cough, why talk so much? Eat, eat! Oh right, Liang Ashui—we're starting a shipyard. You'll be busy soon."

"What shipyard?"

"Seeing Ran Zhongshi, explain."

Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi spat out crab shell fragments: "The River Office has been in Pingyang County for a full year—we're now familiar with all aspects. So we must develop the marsh. First step: form a fleet to fish for precious fish in the deep waters."

Not complicated—we provide personnel, equipment…"

After the explanation, Liang Qu understood.

The River Office would establish a new "company," holding fixed monthly dates to send fleets into the marsh's deep waters, catch precious fish, then bring them ashore for sale.

Alleviate the massive fiscal pressure while promoting the advancement of lower-tier martial cultivators.

Of course, assembling a fleet requires personnel; the deep waters are fraught with danger, including escort duties and preventing water spirits from attacking, so someone must lead the team.

"Liang Ashui, with your strength, you may need to lead alone once a month! Don't worry, it's not unpaid—team leaders get a share of the profits!"