Chapter 517: A Remarkable Person

Zhang Xu pulled back the carriage curtain.

"Then I leave Little Xiao Shitou in your good care, Mr. Liang."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness."

The Princess Consort bowed slightly, promised to return in the afternoon, boarded the carriage, and took her leave.

The Prince of Xu Yue's fleet would depart tomorrow; having just taken on a master, it was natural to let the master and disciple grow familiar with each other as much as possible.

Liang Qu told Long Yao to look after Wen Wen Shi Yun and not let him run outside the courtyard.

Liang Qu and his senior brother and sister huddled together in a circle, observing the rare Profound Yellow Tablet.

The Profound Yellow Tablet was extremely light and dark gold in color.

It was square overall, with curved sides, looking like a piece of roof tile with a shallow arc.

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong squeezed it hard; it was incomparably tough, and his fingertips turned white without leaving a single mark.

Zhuo Zhuo Shaoqin slapped his claw away: "Be careful not to break it. What will you do if you can't exchange it for Profound Yellow Long Qi?"

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong: "..."

He wanted to say something but stopped, eventually giving up.

Zhuo Zhuo Shaoqin was his senior sister; there was no refuting her.

Cao Rang asked: "Third Cao Shixiong, what material is the Profound Yellow Tablet made of?"

Lu Gang picked it up to take a look, observed its luster, tapped it twice, and held it to his ear to listen to the tone.

"It's likely Carefree Gold. It's light and hard, often used to make axles for the carriages of nobles. This single piece alone is worth nearly a thousand silver taels. It's quite valuable."

"Extravagant."

The most upright and balanced Qi in the world, the key to ascending to Jiang Zongshi and gaining three hundred years of life, was lying nakedly before their eyes.

A priceless treasure!

"The Profound Yellow Tablet plus ten Great Merits... Does Master have ten Great Merits?" Xu Xu Zishuai poked his head out and asked.

"I'll spare you the concern," Yang Yang Dongxiong said, annoyed. "After I returned from the army, I had a few left over. When I resisted the Ghost Mother Sect the year before last, the imperial court credited me with one merit, and last year, when I participated in dealing with a Ghost Mother Sect Jiang Zongshi, I took four."

Xu Xu Zishuai chuckled twice: "I forgot Master is a veteran of the battlefield."

Yu Dun said: "In that case, ten Great Merits is a small matter; a wisp of Profound Yellow Long Qi is a certainty."

"When will Master go to exchange for the Profound Xuan Huang Qi? Teach us disciples to broaden our horizons!"

"Indeed, I've never seen what Long Qi looks like."

"On the day the Dragon People collected the Heavenly Water Morning Dew in May, I was busy digesting spiritual energy and really didn't see clearly what Long Qi looked like."

"Was it Long Qi that the Dragon People collected that day?" Xiang Xiang Zhangsong asked in shock.

"..."

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong scratched his head: "I just assumed they were collecting some kind of rare treasure..."

"No rush." Yang Yang Dongxiong shook his head, "I still need to open the Profound Light and melt a hundred scriptures. Before that is finished, obtaining Long Qi is useless and carries the risk of inviting disaster."

"However..."

"Master is prudent."

No one would steal or rob the Profound Yellow Tablet.

The purpose of the Imperial Court in establishing the Profound Yellow Tablet was originally to strictly control the circulation channels of Profound Yellow Long Qi.

The flow of every Profound Yellow Tablet was marked, and Great Merits could not be gifted.

If it didn't match the recorded flow, one couldn't exchange a tablet and Great Merits for Long Qi; if robbed, it was just a piece of Carefree Gold worth nearly a thousand taels.

Turning it into Profound Xuan Huang Qi was not guaranteed.

If the value was high enough, there would always be the daring.

There is no telling if Northern Court secret agents, Southern Border wicked masters, or overseas thieves might make a move.

"The Prince of Xu Yue has a grand demeanor, sending such a heavy gift upon taking on a disciple."

"Junior Brother's cultivation is already swift; with the Soul Golden Lotus, wouldn't it be like adding wings to a tiger?"

"Won't he reach the Earth Bridge Realm within this year?"

"Wait, I thought of something." Xu Xu Zishuai straightened his back, "Liang Qu took the Prince's grandson as a disciple. Isn't Master the same generation as the Prince of Xu Yue?"

"Pah!" Yang Yang Dongxiong immediately cut him off, "Don't go out and spout nonsense."

"Haha, this disciple knows his place; I was just playing around."

"Come, come, eat the frozen milk, eat the frozen milk, it's about to melt!"

Back courtyard.

A cool breeze blew, and the courtyard was shaded.

The Old Toad sat by the pond, a lotus leaf inverted on its head to block the sun, its webbed claws supporting its head, sighing with a throaty sound.

A breeze brushed past, and the edges of the leaves swayed gently.

The Fatty Catfish pulled two dandelions from the cracks in the pond stones and held them up.

The Old Toad puffed its cheeks and blew them away; countless little white umbrellas flew down onto the water's surface.

The sorrow was faint.

Drifting away with the wind.

Wen Wen Shi Yun rode the Black Dragon everywhere, finding the pond scenery quite novel.

The pond at home, the courtyard was much larger than Master's house, and he had been to many other people's courtyards during festivals; the landscaping and mountains and water all had their own characteristics, but there had never been so many fun things.

He turned his head.

The Black Dragon felt a sting of pain.

The large River Otter with a fierce scar on its face stood behind him, startling Wen Wen Shi Yun, who subconsciously grabbed the Black Dragon's head fur.

The yellow-robed scarred face realized he had been presumptuous, took two steps back, put down the broom, and pressed his claws together.

Wen Wen Shi Yun was at a loss, flipped down from the Black Dragon's back, wiped his hands, and was about to press his palms together to return the greeting.

The shadow on the ground expanded rapidly.

Bang!

A loud noise, and the pheasant flew away.

The scarred face flew backward, rolled along the ground, and hit a large pillar.

Tatta Kai flew over, kicked the scarred face away, did three backflips and two front flips in place, knelt on one knee, and cupped his fists toward Wen Wen Shi Yun.

Young Master!

Wen Wen Shi Yun didn't understand, looked at the blue-nosed River Otter's claws twice, and hurriedly changed his pressed palms to cupped fists.

The scarred face propped himself up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and tore off half of his yellow robe.

Even Buddha has a temper; I am no clay Bodhisattva!

Sensing the murderous intent, Tatta Kai leaped and shielded Wen Wen Shi Yun behind him, spread his five claws, and struck an Ape Fist stance.

He kicked off the ground and charged!

Swish, swish, swish.

Sharp claws flashed, and fur flew.

Bang!

Bang!

Two violent knocks on the head.

Long Yao grabbed the River Otter by the scruff of the neck and threw them into the pond one by one.

The little River Otter bared its teeth and laughed, but being careless, it rolled off the eaves and fell, landing in a disarray.

The Fatty Catfish held its belly and flicked its whiskers.

Wen Wen Shi Yun hugged the Black Dragon's dog head, a smile appearing under the bright sun.

Afternoon.

A short, light rain fell from the sky, and the scorching heat turned into muggy heat.

The Princess Consort took Wen Wen Shi Yun's hand to leave, unexpectedly finding that her son was actually reluctant to part.

Strange.

A four or five-year-old child at a stranger's house, and he wasn't afraid at all?

"What treasures does Master's house have that make Little Xiao Shitou reluctant to leave?" The Princess Consort picked up Wen Wen Shi Yun, "Don't be sad, when Mother gets to Ningjiang Prefecture, I'll have Father set one up for you! A large garden of a hundred acres! A large pond!"

Wen Wen Shi Yun's spirits lifted, and he counted on his little fingers.

"A big black dog I can ride!"

"A big black dog you can ride? We'll raise one!"

"A blue-nosed River Otter that can fight! A yellow-robed River Otter that can chant scriptures!"

"We'll... hmm?"

"A big toad as tall as a person that can sigh! A big fish several fathoms long that can blow dandelions! A green dragon with a tree stump on its head! A beaver that can build big boats! River porpoises that can swim! So many, so many!"

Wen Wen Shi Yun listed seven or eight kinds of water beasts in one breath without stopping.

The Princess Consort: "?"

Is Liang the Water Envoy's house a zoo?

After a long while.

"Little Xiao Shitou will come back to Pingyang Prefecture to see Master during festivals from now on!"

"Oh."

Wen Wen Shi Yun's beautiful dream was shattered; he rested his head on the Princess Consort's shoulder, feeling unhappy, but having played for most of the day, he was quite exhausted and fell asleep in a Jianghuai Daze.

Zhang Xu laughed: "It has long been said that Liang the Water Envoy has an extraordinary skill in taming beasts; it is well-deserved."

The Princess Consort asked: "Is there a way to make a similar garden? Find some experts in beast taming?"

Zhang Xu thought for a moment: "It's difficult. The water beasts Liang the Water Envoy trains are full of spiritual intelligence. Even those naturally ferocious and fierce River Otters often go to the street to buy things and chant Buddha's name.

Ordinary beast tamers mostly specialize in one type of beast and find it hard to handle a wide variety. If they were replaced by spirit monsters, they would need to be cultivated to the level of Great Spirit Monsters to have sufficient intelligence; the cost would be too great.

Moreover, one knows a person's face but not their heart, let alone a beast? If they can't speak, who knows if they are faking it? It's quite dangerous to use them as playmates for children."

The Princess Consort sighed: "Mr. Liang is truly a remarkable person..."

Zhang Xu said respectfully: "If he weren't a remarkable person, how could he catch the Prince's eye?"

The Princess Consort nodded silently.

The Prince of Xu Yue was a Martial Saint; his judgment was always better than ordinary people's. Whatever he ordered, just do it.

Pond.

The Old Toad hugged the crystal basin, fiercely devouring the frozen milk; the pleasure brought by the dessert dispelled the regret of failing to climb the pillar.

The Fatty Catfish, unable to move, opened its round mouth wide, waiting to be fed.

The Da He Li family held their wooden bowls well, tasting with small spoons.

Liang Qu specifically asked Long Yao and Long Li to give the water beasts frozen milk as a reward.

Little Little Shunzi from Uncle Chen's house often came to the garden to play through the back door and occasionally helped the Beavers; the water beasts under his command were first-class at coaxing children.

Reward those who have merit.

By the way, he gave the water beasts a lesson, popularizing the meaning of master and disciple.

The Fatty Catfish was greatly depressed after hearing this; the frozen milk in its mouth didn't have a hint of sweetness.

In this way, from now on, below the Heavenly God is the Young Master, and then it's me?

"Of course, the master-disciple relationship certainly can't compare to the relationship between you and me.

A-Fei, no, A-Yuan, A-Wei, A-Ta, A-Li, A-Shen, and A-Brother Quan, who is digging for mines in Blood Stone County and didn't come today.

You are all my confidants, connected by the same roots, far beyond what a master-disciple relationship can compare to!"

Liang Qu spoke with certainty.

The Fatty Catfish's eyes brightened, its whiskers danced, and it swallowed the frozen milk in large mouthfuls.

Tatta Kai held the wooden bowl in his hands, rubbing his chin.

So, it should be the Young Master cupping his fists to me! ===== CHAPTER 518 =====