Chapter 636: Made the Same Thing

Midnight.

A waning moon hung high; the air carried waves of smoky fragrance.

The great river beaver, rare in its leisure, had stopped gnawing on wood and instead sat opposite Otter Kai, savoring roasted waterweed and drinking orange juice.

Smoke and fire curled along the shore.

The pond rippled with emerald waves.

The young river beavers and young river otters swam with rounded bellies, among them mingled Scarface's family.

Shh!

The young river otter squealed wildly and plopped into the pond.

The fat catfish puffed its belly and flapped its fins in delight.

It flipped onto its back alongside the otters; whenever a young otter climbed out, it strained hard to launch the otter back into the water, over and over, endlessly amusing.

Strange.

Liang Qu scanned the scene.

Two months had passed.

Otter Kai had returned from school—yet hadn't fought Scarface?

Scarface's family had thrived, doubling Otter Kai's numbers, leaving Otter Kai unbeatable in one-on-one but helpless against multiple foes; whenever battles turned into group fights, he always ended up at a disadvantage, always leaving covered in wounds.

Yet now he sat cheerfully with Chief Da He Li, sipping juice…

Has Scarface left?

Glittering ripples danced on the water.

Liang Qu withdrew his gaze.

"Long Binglin, Long Eying, would you like to come with me to meet the Frog King?"

"Yes."

Long Long Binglin's eyes flickered as he asked, "Elder, are you leaving tonight?"

Liang Qu shook his head.

Long Long Binglin looked uneasy: "The Demon King's aura is too overwhelming…"

"No need to worry—it's not dangerous at all. I'm just asking if you want to go." He waved a hand; familiarity bred confidence. "Long Eying, let's go!"

Long Long Eying glanced back at Long Long Binglin.

Long Long Binglin lifted his gaze.

"Afai! Let's go!"

Plop!

The fat catfish flung the last otter into the air, then turned its body to carry the two, racing swiftly toward the whirlpool channel.

In October, the great river beaver had assembled a model boat, which the Dragon brothers gave to the frog, in exchange for two storage rights.

Liang Qu, far away in Huangzhou, hadn't used it yet; now that he was back, he'd go pick two fine treasure fish to replenish his "dried-up" Ze Ding.

Sand and gravel swirled.

The finely assembled model boat rested at the cave entrance.

Snore-snore.

The great marsh was growing colder.

The frog had removed its summer blue hide and replaced it with the downy fur of the Crimson Firebird; the entire cave now radiated warm water.

The Crimson Firebird, true to its status as a great demon, still radiated warmth long after its fur had been stripped.

Shh!

The fat catfish whipped its long tail forward, flapping its fins and unleashing a flurry of fish-punches, successfully waking the Frog King.

The frog scratched its belly and sat up, its two frog eyes shifting to focus.

"Hmm, little brother."

Its long whiskers left afterimages.

The fat catfish and the Frog King chattered rapidly.

The frog's eyes settled on Liang Qu.

"Great King," Liang Qu stepped forward respectfully, "the boat I sent in October has yet to be exchanged for treasure."

"Go pick then."

The frog paused briefly, then waved its webbed paw.

Liang Qu did not enter the cave; he asked respectfully, "Great King, do you have any treasure fish? I'd like to exchange for two."

"Treasure fish… let me see."

The frog rummaged through its carefully hoarded shell houses, selected several with stock, and placed them before Liang Qu.

Inside the shimmering shells, sparse treasure fish darted about—all small, and from their aura, clearly not of exceptional quality.

"Any good ones?"

Worried he might miss something, Liang Qu whispered to Long Long Eying.

Long Long Eying surveyed the shells and pointed to a long-whiskered fish glowing with emerald light: "The best is this Green Lionfish; at equal quality, it delivers roughly two-thirds the effect of a Crimson Mane Lionfish."

Two-thirds of a Crimson Mane Lionfish.

Mediocre stuff.

The Frog King grabbed the fat catfish's tail, comparing its new growth after days apart: "Since it got cold, I haven't gone out—I've eaten a lot, and there aren't any good fish left."

Pity.

According to Long Long Eying, the treasure fish in the shells, measured by marsh essence, totaled only a few thousand—none over ten thousand.

So then.

Liang Qu decided to abandon the treasure fish and enter the cave to pick something else.

"Oh, in two or three days, a sea merchant caravan will likely arrive—they'll probably have good treasure fish."

"Merchant caravan?"

Liang Qu turned back.

"Yes," the frog set down the catfish and counted the carvings on the wall. "Caravans come rarely now—once every two or three cold seasons. They didn't come at all last year or the year before; this year, they're due."

"Great King, are you sure it's two or three days? Do you count day and night as one?"

Liang Qu had little confidence in the frog's sense of time; its "days" usually meant ten times as long.

"Day and night… maybe ten or twenty?"

As expected.

The frog slept through entire seasons, oblivious to sun and moon, judging years only by water temperature.

Two or three days.

Roughly mid- to late December.

Not too late.

Liang Qu asked cautiously, "Great King, are you suggesting…"

The frog leaned back against the stone.

"If you truly want treasure fish, come back in a few days—I'll trade with the caravan for two."

The fat catfish, elder brother to the Frog King, was truly generous!

Kind-hearted!

Liang Qu's face brightened: "Thank you, Great King!"

They left the frog cave.

The fat catfish didn't hurry away, staying to bond with the frog.

Liang Qu and Long Long Eying, now without a mount, swam back on their own.

"I never asked before—what's this sea merchant caravan?"

He'd once heard the great frogs mention it, but hadn't pursued details.

"According to elders, they're ocean traders. When Lord Long was alive, they came twice a year—once in summer, once in winter. After the Jiaolong took over the Great Marsh, the entire Jianghuai region split into four, and contact dwindled; ties with upstream and midstream regions nearly vanished. Trade became difficult and profits fell, so the sea caravans came less often—once every two or three years, mostly in winter."

Oceanic traveling merchants…

"What kinds of creatures are in the caravan?"

Long Long Eying recalled: "The leaders are mostly Jiao people and octopuses; they ride salamanders and water spiders. Their kinds are quite varied."

"There are Jiao people?"

"Yes. Those Jiao people who live in the ocean are powerful—they come out to trade, often guarded by Grand Masters."

Hard to recruit.

Liang Qu felt regret.

"What's a water spider? A fish?"

Long Long Eying shook her head: "It's a spider, just like land spiders—but they can't breathe underwater. They weave air bubbles around themselves to breathe. Quite unusual."

Such a creature exists?

Liang Qu was deeply stunned.

Wait.

Air bubbles…

He suddenly thought of his waterway plan.

From now on, with the Monkey General granted a title, ordinary people and goods using the waterways will be truly inconvenient.

With the water spider...

He silently added it to his schedule.

What a vast world.

Splash.

The water rippled softly, the moonlight shattered.

The two surfaced.

Less than half an hour had passed, and Long Long Binglin was deeply disappointed.

The little river otter, having failed to spot the fat catfish, retracted its body and continued playing in the water.

He kicked away a little river otter that rolled up to hug his calf, crossed the courtyard, and was about to wash up and sleep when a strong aroma of meat drifted from the front yard.

Late-night snack!

"Uncle!"

Under the trellised walkway, vines hung down; Su Guishan pushed aside a chili from the boiled pork slices and grunted half-heartedly in response.

Long time no see.

Liang Qu quickly brought over a small stool and sat across from him.

"Where did Uncle go today?"

"I went to Huaiyin County to settle some old matters; I just got back."

"Did Uncle hear about Zhao Zhao Hongyuan's matter?"

Su Guishan looked up: "You want to know?"

Liang Qu rubbed his hands: "Can you tell me?"

"Won't you tell anyone else?"

"If Uncle doesn't want me to say, I won't say."

"I won't tell anyone either."

"..."

"Ha, I might as well tell you." Su Guishan wiped his hands on a damp towel. "Do you remember when you asked me about the Cloud Immortal Island before?"

"Yes!"

"Just as Fat Zhao said, the Ghost Mother Sect has created something nearly identical."