Chapter 579: The Frog Clan Wants to Help the Frog Clan

"Is it here?"

"Exactly." Long Pinghe cupped his hands. "Pass through this whirlpool waterway, and you will arrive directly at Ba Water in Huangzhou."

The whirlpool channel rotated incessantly, churning up silt and sand.

The Old Toad paced in circles. Without much hesitation, he kicked off the water with a single leap and dove into the channel.

The Old Giant Clam scraped through the silt, following closely behind.

The Treasure Toad felt there was nothing to worry about; following along was the right choice.

Huangzhou was located in the middle reaches of the Jianghuai River. Having lived for a thousand years, he had truly never been there. He might as well go and see what the scenery was like.

One frog and one clam vanished from sight.

"Pinghe, go to the River Patrol Office and ask for two days of leave for me. Just say there is a matter in the clan, and I will be back the day after tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Big Brother!"

Ba Water.

*Pulu-lu. *

Bubbles were spat out.

Two frog eyes slowly poked out of the water, looking around in all directions.

"Frog Duke, please follow me."

……

The sunlight was scorching.

Finding a random excuse to send Zheng Rusheng and Liu Liu Shouping away, Liang Qu found a quiet, secluded spot and waited silently.

*Splash. *

*Pitter-patter. *

The Old Toad jumped out of the river, kicked his webbed feet, and shook off the water droplets.

"Frog Duke!" Liang Qu's eyes lit up. Before the Old Toad could speak, he began, "Firm in Qi, proud of one's own integrity. If the Middle Way is skewed, the stubborn and cowardly die in shame. True principles are hard to reconcile; the straight path is not tolerated. An illustrious minister of a generation, who can judge you!"

"We haven't met in a long time. Frog Duke, your lifespan matches the universe, and your brilliance matches the sun and moon; your demeanor remains unchanged! Liang has studied hard for a long time, but I still don't even measure up to one ten-thousandth of you, Frog Duke!"

"Croak, *ahem*." The Old Toad stopped shaking his webbed feet, lifted his head slightly, and feigned annoyance. "Liang Qing, your words are too much..."

"Sincerity brings trust, and trust brings sincerity! I cannot speak false words in front of a true frog. If Liang does not know, what fault is there in that?"

*Hiss~*

That's the flavor!

This is exactly the feeling of having one's world-shaking wisdom unearthed by someone.

In the vast Frog Clan, not a single frog could understand it.

Only Liang Qing!

A frog living in this world finds a soulmate hard to come by.

His dull and boring life was once again filled with passion.

The Old Toad put his webbed feet behind his back, puffed out his round belly, and revealed a hint of concern.

"Liang Qing, why have you come to Huangzhou? Have you encountered some hardship in Pingyang Prefecture?"

"Leaving my hometown to wander the world, struggling for a few taels of silver. Thanks to your care, Frog Duke, I naturally haven't had any major difficulties. It's just that Liang is not as carefree as you, Frog Duke; I am tethered by worldly affairs and have no choice but to do so."

Liang Qu looked up at the sky, revealing a hint of helplessness and a hint of sorrow. "However, since I am here, I shall settle here. Since I have come to Huangzhou, I also wish to open up new territory for the Frog Clan in this place and achieve something great!"

Open up new territory!

The Old Toad scratched his belly.

"What do you mean?"

Here it comes!

Liang Qu said solemnly, "Recently, there is a grand event in Huangzhou called the Great Hunting Meet. If one wins first place at the Hunting Meet, one can obtain a hundred acres of fertile land!"

"A hundred acres of fertile land?"

The Old Toad was slightly surprised.

After working so hard in Pingyang Prefecture for so long, he only had a few acres of pond.

Is Huangzhou so generous?

Liang Qu explained, "Although Huangzhou is large, it is not as prosperous as Huainan, so the land price is naturally much cheaper. Moreover, my master's wife is from a local great clan, and her connections are extensive, so there is no need to spend too much on greasing the wheels."

"How does one compete in the Great Hunting Meet?"

"Three hundred spirit deer, three hundred..." Liang Qu briefly explained the rules, then immediately revealed a look of sorrow. "Spirit sparrows and spirit deer are easy to catch, but these spirit fish are the exception. The water system within Red Ridge is complex, and the fish swim in the vast sea; they are truly hard to find. So far, I have only found a hundred or so, and the other half have yet to be caught."

"To tell you the truth, I sent the Dragon People to bring you here, Frog Duke, because I have some selfish motives! Whether the Frog Clan can open up new territory or not now depends entirely on you, Frog Duke!"

The Old Toad suddenly felt his shoulders sink.

It was heavy.

It was a mission!

"Liang Qing, don't be anxious, tell me slowly..."

The daylight gradually shifted.

Liang Qu racked his brains, exhausting everything he had learned in his life.

Two quarters of an hour later.

The Old Toad finally shouldered the heavy responsibility of opening up new territory, took the two empty leather bags, and jumped into the river.

*Whew! *

Done!

Liang Qu wiped the hot sweat from his forehead.

Even though he usually read quite a few books and specifically memorized them, when he met the Old Toad, he still almost ran out of words.

It's stable!

Completely stable.

With the Old Toad making a move, could three hundred Green-Backed Dragon Carp escape?

Although first place was stable, it wasn't the limit!

Who knows, he might be able to dig up some unexpected surprises.

"My lord."

Long Pinghe came ashore to greet him.

Liang Qu looked up and didn't see the familiar big blue shell.

"Where is the Old Clam? Didn't you say it was coming too?"

"Clam Lord walks too slowly and was left behind outside Red Mountain Ridge; it is still in the process of moving."

Hmm.

Reasonable.

Liang Qu found a rock and sat down.

"Has anything happened in Pingyang Prefecture recently?"

"Nothing major, but plenty of minor things. In the middle of the tenth month, two large spirit monsters were caught in the Jiangling County embankment. Later, a water demon was fished out. Master Su made a move personally to capture it alive, and it is currently being interrogated."

"Coming to look for the White Ape?"

"That should be the case."

Liang Qu nodded, but he wasn't worried.

Let them look.

Even if they broke their heads looking, they wouldn't find it.

"Continue."

"When the ships went out to fish in September, a tail of another branch of the Ghost Mother Sect was caught. It is not yet clear how it will be handled; perhaps it will be sent back to the Imperial Capital."

"Oh, there is one major event, but it has nothing to do with Pingyang Prefecture."

"What is it?"

"There is unrest in the Southern Frontier. They are blood-sacrificing the common people, wanting to create a false god, which has caused a huge uproar. Among those sacrificed, nearly three hundred were citizens of our Great Shun. The situation is quite tense right now, and I hear the Northern Court is also very concerned."

"The news came just these past two days. Since you were participating in the grand event, my lord, you wouldn't know, but many people outside know. The Imperial Court has sent several Grandmasters there. Nominally, it is because of the blood sacrifice of Great Shun citizens, but I think they must be very concerned about that false god."

"What false god?"

Long Pinghe lowered his head in shame.

"That is how the news is being spread; I don't know the specific situation. Some say it is a thousand-year-old white snake, others say it is a naturally born sacred insect. If you return to Pingyang Prefecture, my lord, perhaps you can ask Master Su; Master Su should know more."

"Alright."

Liang Qu didn't find it strange.

Major events happen in the world every year.

The territory is too vast; thousands of miles of barren land here, an earthquake there, and water disasters in the middle are the norm.

As for the Northern Court and Southern Frontier.

They are always causing trouble every few days. Occasionally, when things get big and a few Grandmasters die, it's not considered a rare event. Pingyang Prefecture has the Ghost Mother Sect and the Flood Dragon to deal with; for now, he just needs to live his own life well.

Underwater.

The Green-Backed Dragon Carp flashed with green light, flicking their tails as they fled.

The Old Toad flashed and leaped, grabbing the fish tails, confirming they had wooden tags, and stuffing them into the leather bag.

In less than half an hour, the leather bag was half-bulging.

Beside the Old Toad, the Fat Catfish followed along happily. It had bumped into them halfway and hadn't left since, constantly waving its fins.

Things like "The Frog Clan wants to help the Frog Clan."

A frog without feet is still a frog.

But the Old Toad remained unmoved, not letting go of even half a treasure fish.

Seeing that it couldn't persuade the old miser, and with the daylight gradually tilting, the fish hardened its heart.

"I'll give you nine treasure fish, how about thirteen?"

The Old Toad stopped swimming.

The Fat Catfish nodded solemnly.

……

"Round Head, six alive."

"Can't move, one alive."

"Fat Catfish, eighteen alive, hmm?"

Midnight.

Less than three hours until the end of the Great Hunting Meet.

Liang Qu picked up his pen to make the final count. After checking the numbers, he looked at the Fat Catfish suspiciously.

"Did you catch these?"

All the water beasts cast their gazes over.

The Fat Catfish's eyes drifted. ===== CHAPTER 580 =====