sinovels Chapter 80 Lodging
Chapter 80 Lodging
Squeak, squeak...
Several thick ropes were tied tightly to the dead toad, causing the wooden planks to creak under the weight.
On the deck, the boatmen worked together, shouting "Heave-ho!" as they pulled the demonic corpse out of the cabin—the poisonous mist of the River-Turning Toad came and went quickly.
After Wang Daniu and the others regained consciousness, the rest of the people who had been drugged also quickly woke up one by one. They were shocked to learn that Fanjiangchan had died in their own cabin, and a group of people came over to visit.
Yang Silang explained to Wang Daniu and the others that he was probably better at martial arts and breath control, so he was not poisoned and simply fooled them.
Anyway, no one can bring this River-Turning Toad back to life. Let's test its authenticity by spewing out another puff of poisonous mist, shall we?
When the demon corpse was dragged up from below and laid out in a starfish shape on the deck, everyone gasped in shock.
The enormous creature had its once pointed head flattened, as if trampled by an elephant's thick leg. Its scales remained intact, but its eyes, nose, mouth, and teeth were now a tangled mess of red and white flesh, indistinguishable from each other.
Its massive body remains intact, with its glossy black scales, thick hind limbs, ugly webbed feet, and stomach acid dripping from its mouth, corroding the ship's deck with numerous pits—all testament to the terror it possessed in life.
"Quickly, I'm going to bleed this River-Turning Toad..." Ma Qianli said excitedly, rolling up his sleeves and stepping forward. He looked at Yang Silang with great enthusiasm.
"Brother Silang, I'm not as good as you at fighting monsters, but when it comes to skinning and dismembering, you're not as good as me..."
"After I joined the army, I followed the lieutenant general and killed several monsters, so I know how to dissect this thing!"
"Brother, you're going to strike it rich! This huge monster is full of treasures; it'll definitely fetch a good price when we get to the provincial capital!"
Yang Silang laughed heartily.
"Wrong, wrong! It's not that I'm going to get rich, it's that the four of us are going to get rich!"
Ma Qianli waved his hand.
"Brother, you're being too polite. It's no problem for us to drink some soup while you eat the meat. It's just a small favor. Without you, we would all be stuck in this beast's stomach today."
He took a large cleaver from the kitchen and asked Zhu Tong and Wang Daniu to help him. The three of them carried several large wooden buckets and first drained the blood from the Toad.
Then, cutting into its mouth, they actually managed to break through the scales along its abdomen, disemboweling the monster, removing its internal organs and poison sacs, scraping away its flesh and bones, and peeling off its long, flat tongue, as well as the outer scales and skin.
Yang Silang raised his black iron waist knife and chopped down hard, but could only leave a white mark on the armor plate.
He clicked his tongue in amazement. This River-Turning Toad was incredibly strong and venomous, with exceptional defense and a flexible, long tongue. It was a perfect combination of offense and defense, and its methods were bizarre. If it were to enter the water, it would probably be even more formidable.
It was fortunate that he was killed on the ship; if it weren't for their supernatural protection, this group would likely be in grave danger today.
Everyone has different preferences.
Yang Silang and his men were filled with joy at their harvest, and most of the boatmen on the boat were relieved to have survived the ordeal. Only the boat captain looked distressed.
His ship was badly damaged. After being ravaged by the wrecked boat, it was severely damaged, and a batch of cargo in the lower hold was also ruined. This trip was definitely a loss, but when he thought about how he had survived, he could only comfort himself by saying that money is just an external thing, and you can earn it back if you lose it, but if you lose your life, you lose everything.
Fortunately, no further accidents occurred during the journey. After repairs, the ship was able to sail again. A few days later, the ship finally docked at the pier of Yidu Prefecture, the provincial capital.
Looking into the distance, Yang Silang realized that Yidu Prefecture was different from Gongzhou Prefecture. It was not a mountain city, but a flat area like a mirror, surrounded by plains.
The river flows around the city, and the city walls are tall and majestic, like a giant blue beast lying on the earth, with the "Shun" flag flying high.
Just by looking at the scale of the city walls, you can tell that this is a magnificent city far larger than Gongzhou Prefecture, the center of the entire Jiangdong Province, where the essence of the whole province is gathered.
In the distance, the city gates were wide open, and people and vehicles were coming and going, creating a lively scene.
The dock in front of us was bustling with activity, with many boats docking and porters unloading cargo in groups.
The boatman had traveled all over the country and had been to Yidu Prefecture countless times. He was practically a local bigwig. He contacted a porters' guild he knew well, and a few skilled porters came up to serve Yang Silang and his men.
The four people could carry their own luggage, but the toad that turned the river over, after being skinned, dismembered, and bled, still weighed over two thousand pounds of flesh and skin, making it extremely heavy.
The boat captain helped him inquire with the porters' guild manager and learned that the largest merchant house in the provincial capital was the Wujiang Merchant House, backed by the prestigious Huang family, which had a business of recycling monster materials.
Yang Silang thanked the boatman, but instead of going to the Wujiang Trading Company immediately, he first went to find a place to stay.
Zhu Tong took on all the responsibility, mentioning on the boat that he had a senior martial arts master who also ran a martial arts school in the provincial capital, called Hanshan Martial Arts School.
His master, Jin Zhenshan, had some conflicts with this senior master when he was young and they hadn't been in touch for many years. Now that he was older, he thought it was just some trivial matter from when he was young and impetuous, so he sent him to pay his respects at the mountain gate. He also brought a letter with him, which was a sign of reconciliation.
As long as the other party is polite and courteous, they should be able to stay there.
If you are turned away, you can simply find another hotel to stay in.
So the four of them, along with the porters, headed straight for the Hanshan Martial Arts School.
The streets of the provincial capital were naturally bustling with activity, densely packed with pedestrians and flowing with vehicles. Shops on both sides displayed their signs high, creating a lively atmosphere.
The group wandered through the streets and alleys, turning left and right, before finally arriving at the Hanshan Martial Arts School.
This martial arts school was very grand, occupying half of the alley. Two stone beasts stood on either side of the black gate, and large iron rings were nailed to the gate. Two disciples dressed in short clothes stood guard at the gate.
Looking from outside the gate, the first thing you see is a screen wall, with a majestic mountain carved in brick. Behind it, you can only see towering roof ridges, and the powerful shouts of martial artists can be heard coming from inside the courtyard.
"Who goes there?" the gatekeeper asked immediately as he saw the group approaching.
Zhu Tong hurriedly stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.
"My two fellow disciples..."
He introduced himself, explaining that he was the curator's junior apprentice, and therefore considered a fellow student, and made his purpose clear.
The gatekeeper dared not delay, and said, "Please wait a moment," before hurrying inside to inform the gatekeeper.
After a while.
A burly man strode out of the gate. He was about thirty years old, with a ruddy complexion. He smiled before speaking, gestured to the crowd outside the gate, and then took Zhu Tong's arm and led him into the courtyard in a very affectionate manner.
"So it's my junior brother visiting. Please come in, please come in... My father is waiting inside."
Zhu Tong hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
"May I ask your honorable name, senior brother...?"
The burly, red-faced man laughed and said that his name was Tong Baisui, and that his father was Tong Renyuan, the headmaster of the Hanshan Martial Arts School. Because he was in poor health when he was young, his father hoped that he would live to be a hundred years old, hence the name Baisui.
Zhu Tong hurriedly introduced himself and introduced Yang Silang and others to him.
The group walked together into the courtyard.
Yang Silang noticed that there was a courtyard within a courtyard, with dozens of disciples practicing martial arts in each courtyard. The disciples in each courtyard wore black, gray, white, and yellow clothing.
The outer courtyard is paved with yellow earth, the second courtyard with red bricks, the third with blue bricks, and the fourth with stone slabs, clearly corresponding to disciples at different levels.