First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2722 – A Chance Encounter, I Am Not Alone

The wave churned, as if countless stars were flowing in reverse.

The toad-like creature stood on the waves, shouting as if its butt were on fire. “What bastard is stirring up waves in my territory?”

Its voice boomed far and wide.

Qin Suqing’s beautiful face paled. We’re finished!

Those who encountered strange lifeforms on the River of Destiny were typically doomed.

And she’d never heard of a white toad capable of standing on the waves of the River of Destiny. Worse, it could speak, and it was obviously intelligent. That made it far more terrifying than the Life-Stealing Water Ghosts and Wailing Soul Sirens!

Luan Yunzhong’s gaze was solemn, his smile embittered.

They’d only just escaped a narrow brush with death, only to face catastrophe on the River of Destiny. Disasters really did come in packs.

Pu Xuan’s eyes narrowed. He rested his hand on the sword on his back, his robes billowing around him as he circulated his cultivation base.

There was no running from this!

That snow-white toad was like the ruler of this stretch of river. Its aura enveloped the entire area. If they turned to flee, they’d die beyond a doubt.

The toad raised its forelimb, reaching for Pu Xuan from afar. “If you dare draw that sword, I’ll kill you first!”

Its blood-red eyes seethed with murderous intent. “Just now, some bastard stirred up waves in my territory. Whoever it was, come on out! Otherwise, all of you will become my dinner!”

Qin Suqing pursed her lips. The blood drained from her beautiful face. She was at a complete loss as to how to handle this.

Luan Yunzhong had seen his share of wind and waves, so he managed to stay calm. He clasped his fist and said gravely, “Senior, please, calm your fury. Might you explain what you mean by ‘stirring up waves’?”

The white toad roared, “You’re still playing dumb? I was sleeping just now when the ground shook beneath me. It didn’t just destroy my cave; it practically killed me!”

The river boiled around it, steam rising from the surface of the water. If even a droplet landed on an Eternal, it would feel like a divine mountain weighing down on them.

Everyone exchanged glances. If we were capable of stirring up waves beneath the surface of the River of Destiny, what need would we have to fear a toad?

It’s true what they say. If you want to find fault with someone, you can always find a pretext!

The snow-white toad roared, its voice booming like thunder. “Tell me! Who was it! Whoever it was, get over here. Otherwise, I’ll kill all of you!”

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “Why not try it?”

The toad wasn’t actually all that vicious or brutal. As angry and murderous as it looked, it was being extremely cautious, too cautious to attack directly.

“You’ve got quite the mouth on you, kid!” The snow-white toad glared and was just about to say something when it stiffened, jumped three feet into the air, then dove into the River of Destiny and vanished.

It had run away!

Everyone was stunned. What’s going on?

The group instinctively looked at Su Yi, who said with the utmost seriousness, “Perhaps it discovered its conscience and realized that it was falsely accusing the innocent?”

Qin Suqing couldn’t help but laugh. She looked at Su Yi with a hint of admiration. It’s in a moment of crisis that you can see someone’s character the most clearly. This might be Su Xuanjun’s first time on the River of Destiny, but there’s no denying his courage.

Even Uncle Luan and I were intimidated and overcome with despair earlier!

But Su Xuanjun is still capable of cracking jokes. That’s far too rare.

Luan Yunzhong exhaled, patted Su Yi on the shoulder, and laughed. “No matter what scared the toad off, your courage has won my admiration!”

Nothing in this world was cause for greater joy than surviving a brush with death.

Pu Xuan slowly removed his hand from his hilt and smiled without a word. He’d already guessed that both the toad’s arrival and its decision to flee were inextricably tied to Fellow Daoist Su. After all, this was the man who’d granted him a second chance at life!

Su Yi laughed dryly and shook his head. “The ignorant are without fear, that’s all. Looking back on it now, my heart is full of delayed terror.”

Luan Yunzhong burst into laughter, while Qin Suqing couldn’t help but chuckle. Fellow Daoist Su… sure has a sense of humor. He’s quite straightforward, too.

Before long, the group had set off once more.

Su Yi’s left hand held that yellowed seal. He’d already guessed that it was involved in the disturbance beneath the surface of the River of Destiny.

But he couldn’t quite figure out how. All it did was absorb some inscrutable wisps of power. How could it have caused such a commotion?

It even destroyed that white toad’s cave!

Against Su Yi and his companions’ expectations, they’d only just resumed their journey when the snow-white toad caught up to them.

It stood on its hind legs atop the coursing river water, glistening like a pearl. As its aura spread, the surrounding river water froze in place, unnaturally still.

Qin Suqing and Luan Yunzhong’s expressions shifted. Has it come back to settle the score after all?

Pu Xuan glanced at Su Yi, only to see him frown in surprise. He clearly hadn’t anticipated that the toad would give chase, either.

But then, the toad laughed and said, “Don’t worry, everyone. I… um… came here to apologize!”

It opened its hand, revealing a glistening jade plate. Four crystalline spirit fruits rested upon it, each the size of a longan and glowing with clear, resplendent light.

They looked like miniature full moons, flowing with misty moonlight.

The group’s gazes were instantly drawn to the fruit. All of them were bewildered. The toad came back to apologize, and now, it’s even offering us treasures? What’s it up to?

The toad cleared its throat and said, “These are Toad Palace Osmanthus Fruits, a rare delicacy of the River of Destiny. One grows only once every ten thousand years, and they’re full of incomparably pure chaos Yin energy!

“Or, as human cultivators might put it, Toad Palace Osmanthus Fruits are a supreme medicine for aiding breakthroughs. Take one, and even the greatest of bottlenecks will shift and loosen. A smooth breakthrough will soon follow.”

The snow-white toad said with pride, “Anyone beneath the Immeasurable Realm is sure to break through if they take one! Guaranteed!”

“Toad Palace Osmanthus Fruits! So, that’s what these are…” Luan Yunzhong was stricken. “Divine Reverence Pavilion evaluated them as a wondrous medicine for smoothing a breakthrough. Refine one, and you can break through bottlenecks in your cultivation and advance overnight, soaring to prominence like a student of the mundane world passing his imperial examination with flying colors!”

The snow-white toad nodded repeatedly. “Divine Reverence Pavilion knows their stuff! They aren’t exaggerating in the slightest!”

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “You brought four Toad Palace Osmanthus Fruits. Don’t tell me you’re planning to give one to each of us?”

When Su Yi spoke, the toad’s eyes shone with a nigh imperceptible hint of nervousness, but it nonetheless plastered a smile on its face and said, “Exactly!”

It sighed in apparent shame. “I behaved rashly earlier, and I misunderstood your intentions. I truly cannot bear the shame of it. I brought these gifts to make amends!”

Everyone was flabbergasted. Even if you’d hit them over the head, they would never have guessed that this mysterious, terrifying monster of the depths would chase them down… to offer them compensation and an apology!

Did yao of such conscience really live in the River of Destiny?

Luan Yunzhong took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He couldn’t help but suspect a trick. “Senior, we appreciate your good intentions, but the likes of us dare not covet Toad Palace Osmanthus Fruit.”

Qin Suqing nodded approvingly. Uncle Luan is handling this correctly. Good fortune might sometimes rain down from the heavens, but… even good fortune can kill if it lands on someone!

The toad was instantly frantic. “Refuse my gift, and I’ll take it as an expression of disdain. I’ll feel guilty for the rest of my life. No, I won’t accept that!”

Luan Yunzhong’s expression shifted, while Qin Suqing’s heart clenched. They were increasingly certain that something strange was afoot.

When Su Yi saw this, he broke his silence. “Fellow Daoist Toad, are you saying that if we refuse, we’ll destroy your Dao Heart?”

The white toad slapped its thigh. “Well put! Your words are right on the mark, Fellow Daoist!”

Su Yi chuckled, then looked at Pu Xuan. “Pu Xuan, it seems to me that we cannot refuse Fellow Daoist Toad’s good intentions. After all, if we let his Dao Heart shatter, we’ll have effectively killed him!”

Pu Xuan applauded. “You’re absolutely right, Fellow Daoist Su. I’m ashamed of myself by comparison; I didn’t think about this anywhere near so thoroughly. Wondrous! Truly wondrous!”

Pu Xuan’s white robes fluttered around him, every gesture as elegant as could be. Even when he flattered Su Yi, it seemed natural, without the slightest hint of artifice.

Luan Yunzhong and Qin Suqing exchanged glances, their minds blank. What are they thinking? How can they not be on guard at a time like this?

Surely they don’t think the toad has really suddenly discovered its conscience?

But against their expectations, the toad seemed afraid that Su Yi would change his mind. It snapped its fingers in rapid succession, and the four Toad Palace Osmanthus Fruits flew off the platter and hovered in front of Su Yi and his companions.

Then, the toad smiled and bowed. “Consider this a humble token of my good intentions. Please, accept it with a smile. Farewell!”

Suddenly, something seemed to occur to it, and it smiled at Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, your words were a wake-up call. You’ve brought me back to my senses! An unsettled conscience will lead to disturbances in the Dao Heart. You’re absolutely right! Should the opportunity arise, I’d love to learn more wondrous truths of the Grand Dao from you in the future.”

With that, it flashed Su Yi what it thought was a radiant smile.

But to Pu Xuan, its smile seemed… well, rather toadyish.

Splash!

The snow-white toad vanished into the river, scattering drops of water. It had already vanished from their lines of sight.

Silence descended over the area, the only remaining sound the gushing current.

Qin Suqing and Luan Yunzhong stared at the Toad Palace Osmanthus Fruit hovering in front of them in a daze. They still found it hard to believe. Did that toad seriously come back just to apologize?

Could a yao so compassionate really exist in the River of Destiny?

Meanwhile, Pu Xuan stroked his jaw and sighed. “I can finally say with certainty that that toad and I are like-minded individuals. I’m not alone!”

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh, but then, it was true. Pu Xuan really did delight in generosity, to the point that he didn’t concern himself with the virtue of its recipients.

Some time passed before Luan Yunzhong and Qin Suqing dared to believe that this was real.

They weren’t dreaming after all! They’d really received an enormous stroke of good fortune out of nowhere!

Luan Yunzhong couldn’t help but murmur, “Fate is indeed too wondrous for words!”