Chapter 550: Leisurely Fun

The same matter.

When told by the person themselves versus being passed on by others, the persuasiveness is completely different.

Especially when the person relaying it has status and strength.

And since it is a relay, it is perfectly normal for details in the middle to have deviations or gaps; the listener will naturally fill in the blanks themselves.

That was Yang Dongxiong's plan.

"What about the Prince of Yue? How do you plan to handle it? With such a transformation, even though you are only a registered disciple, you should still inform him."

"Should this disciple write a letter later? And have the post station deliver it?"

Yang Dongxiong tapped the table with two fingers: "Write it right here; I'll watch over you."

Liang Qu couldn't ask for more; he ground the ink and picked up the brush.

The content was standard.

The first half discussed his own changes, conveying joy, and the second half was an invitation for his own disciple, Wen Wen Shi Yun, to come to Pingyang Prefecture to play and build their relationship.

"At the end of the eighth month, early ninth month, it's a good time to catch yellow eels and crayfish in the rice paddies. Master has..."

He wrote three full pages, with more than half discussing the fun of rural life.

"Master, how is it?"

"Passable..."

The next day.

Master Guan Congjian and the great Hunting Tiger martial artist Helian Nianci came to the Demon Suppression Division to check in, happening to run into the archivist Yang Dongxiong, and were just about to pay their respects.

"Brother Nianci! Just in time, there's a happy event I want to tell you about!"

"Isn't it a coincidence? I didn't expect it either. The Long-Jiao-Guo-Jiang fate, I suppose he was born that way. As his master, I haven't really managed him much."

"Who knew, the Holy Emperor took a fancy to him at a glance, saying this kid is suitable for working at the River-Lake Office! Sure enough, in less than two years, he's worked his way up to the From-Sixth Rank!"

"You've met the Dragon Girl, that very pretty girl from the tournament that day. Everyone has their own fate; we elders can't interfere too much."

"Bring Congjian to the house for a drink another day!"

"?"

Afternoon.

Helian Nianci sliced up a watermelon and squatted under the eaves, discussing this matter while cooling off.

"What?" Guan Congjian looked up in shock, "Such a big thing happened; can we go to the Master's house tonight to eat and celebrate?"

"?"

... xiuting. c

Early September.

A carriage pulled up in front of the door, facing the blazing sun.

A young boy rushed out from behind the curtain and jumped down to knock on the door.

"Master, Master, open the door quickly! It's Little Shitou!"

Creak.

"Steward Zhang? Little Shitou?"

Liang Qu was quite surprised; hadn't he only sent the letter a few days ago?

The bustle in Pingyang Prefecture hadn't even fully dissipated, yet the Prince of Yue's grandson had already arrived first.

"Master!"

Wen Wen Shi Yun bowed respectfully, then looked up, gazing eagerly.

Liang Qu laughed, patted his head: "Go on."

Wen Wen Shi Yun cheered and rushed toward the backyard in a flurry, with Wulong following beside him, tail wagging, jumping as he ran.

"Steward Zhang is truly swift and decisive."

Zhang Xu laughed: "The Ningjiang Prefecture city is to the north, and the Pingyang Prefecture city is to the south; they are already close, separated only by Chizhou, making travel convenient."

"Three days ago, after receiving the letter, Shitou kept clamoring to come. The Princess Consort couldn't refuse, so she had to let me pack things up and bring him to Pingyang Prefecture for a two-day long holiday. Zhang is here to congratulate Lord Liang on his martial arts success."

"Steward Zhang is too polite. I wonder if the Prince of Yue..."

The two strolled along the covered walkway, exchanging pleasantries.

Backyard.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

The fat catfish lay on its back in the pond, opening its mouth to spray a water column several meters high, performing the "Long Whale Spitting Water."

"Cannot Move" was disguised as an ancient tree that could not move.

The yellow-robed, scarred-faced one walked out of the kitchen carrying a steaming kettle and raised a claw in salute.

Wen Wen Shi Yun flipped off the dog and returned the salute properly, then hugged Wulong's head and looked around, only to find that for some reason, the giant river otter that had previously been doing backflips and cupping its hands was ignoring him.

The otter stood alone in the shadow of the covered walkway, arms crossed, head slightly raised, face full of arrogance, as if waiting for something.

Pondering for a moment.

Wen Wen Shi Yun had a flash of inspiration and pressed his palms together.

The otter's sharp tail trembled into an afterimage, feeling extremely comfortable. Before it could raise its hand, a hand-blade suddenly descended, fiercely chopping a chestnut onto its head.

Bang!

The river otter's fur bristled, and it crouched down in pain.

"What a hard skull."

Long Yao rubbed her wrist.

The otter covered its head, feeling extremely ashamed and angry. Its eyes widened in fury, it kicked off the ground and flew up, opening its claws that flashed with cold light in mid-air.

Suddenly.

A black shadow flashed by.

The otter's fur tightened, its limbs drooped, and it felt weak and powerless.

Liang Qu grabbed the otter by the back of its neck, put it back on the ground, and patted its head.

"Go, take out the fishing gear prepared a couple of days ago!"

The Dragon Girl rotated her wrist, smiling without a word.

The otter looked back every three steps, gnashing its teeth at the Dragon Girl who was hiding behind the Heavenly God, looking triumphant.

The fat catfish held its belly, its long whiskers rippling into waves.

Wen Wen Shi Yun heard that he was to take the fishing gear, and thinking of what was said in the letter, his eyes lit up: "Is Master going to catch yellow eels and crayfish?"

"Right! Master has a few acres of paddy fields. This year I planted rice, and there are black-spotted frogs. Let's go see how they are growing. Summer is the time when the water is deep; there are yellow eels and crayfish everywhere! I'll catch them and make you long-fish noodles and crayfish to eat!"

"Elder~" The Dragon Girl widened her eyes.

Liang Qu waved his hand: "Whoever wants to go, come along! I had the giant beaver make a lot of fishing rods! One for everyone!"

As soon as this was said, there were responses throughout the courtyard; the Dragon Girl and the Dragon People all wanted to go.

A moment later.

The otter carried several small fishing rods on its shoulders, its left and right arms passed through the handles, carrying two small buckets on its back, and another one upside down on its head, hooked under its chin, fully armed, clanking as it walked out of the beaver's wooden house.

The bucket-carrying otter arrived.

"Let's go!"

Liang Qu led the team, followed by the Dragon People, passing through the small door behind the pond, heading toward the sprawling fields.

The wind came from the vast river surface.

The seven people strolled along the ridge of the fields, accompanied by reeds, followed by a few river otters wearing wooden buckets, running and stopping to catch dragonflies.

To the right was the vast and misty Jianghuai Great Marsh, and to the left were green rice seedlings submerged in clear water.

The lush rice paddies were filled with rippling shadows, reflecting the sky.

The figures of people, otters, and the black dog flashed by one after another, and the small fish hiding among the rice seedlings floated to the surface to spit bubbles.

Pitter-patter!

Wen Wen Shi Yun came down from the ridge, grabbed a reed stalk, stepped onto the fat catfish's head, and traveled across the Great Marsh, riding the wind.

Wulong wagged its tail and followed along the riverbank.

"If the Elder wants to eat yellow eels, why not just send someone to buy them at the fishing stall? Why go to all this trouble? Even if it's treasure eels, we can catch them in the Great Marsh."

Long Pinghe walked with heavy and light steps, not understanding.

Long Binglin's ears twitched, and he turned his head to glare back.

"Why is Brother Binglin glaring at me? I'm a dab hand at catching yellow eels! Even treasure eels, I can catch dozens of jin a day without even panting!"

Long Pingjiang looked at the Dragon Girl beside Liang Qu, deep in thought, and pulled Long Pinghe, laughing.

"This is rural charm. Besides, it's the Master's business; we just need to accompany him."

"Charm?"

Long Pinghe didn't understand charm, but he listened to his big brother.

Walking several miles on the soft green grass, the large expanse of rice fields ahead was all enclosed by netting, completely different from the open-air rice fields before.

Two small wooden houses were built on the edge of the ridge, far apart from each other.

"Sorry to trouble Lord Liang to take time out of your busy schedule to care about this; I am truly ashamed." The manager ran out of the wooden house in small steps, bowing in greeting.

"No matter, how are the rice frogs and rice leeches growing?"

"This year the water vapor is sufficient, and everything is in order. The rice frogs need trenches dug, so a bit less rice is planted, but overall, it is still profitable.

Previously, when raising frogs, the water needed to be changed every three days, and feed needed to be added. Now that rice is planted, unless it is necessary to drain the water regularly to let the rice breathe, there is almost no need to change the water.

The fertilizer for the rice and the need for pest control have also dropped sharply, and even the investment in feed for raising frogs has been reduced a lot...

Lord, Lord?"

"Hmm?"

Liang Qu turned his head back.

The manager couldn't help but glance sideways, seeing several beautiful women fishing for frogs with bamboo poles by the rice paddies, and hurriedly straightened his expression.

Do not look at what is improper.

"The rice frogs are in the one hundred acres on the right. Lord, don't break the nets, feel free to do as you please. On the left are the rice leeches. I see you brought a child, so it's better to stay further away.

The hundreds of acres outside are ordinary rice paddies, also our land, just not planted this year. If you want to catch yellow eels, this piece of land is the best, but Lord, you must be careful; there are many yellow eels, and many water snakes too." ===== CHAPTER 551 =====