Chương 2: A Treasure by Blackwater Pond

Blackwater Pond? Looking at the divination flashing in his sea of consciousness, Jiang Huanyu felt somewhat excited inside. This Blackwater Pond was also known as Black Dragon Pond. It was located about 10 kilometers outside Golden Willow Village and covered several dozen hectares. One had to pass by it when traveling from Golden Willow Village to Cloudwater Town. Rumor had it that at the bottom of Blackwater Pond, there were spring openings connected to the mountain springs within Hidden Dragon Mountain.

The pond had many hidden currents and whirlpools. Alligator-dragons and giant pythons appeared there, and there was even a terrifying black dragon lying dormant within. In the early years, when Willow County suffered a great drought, even the Lai River that ran through the entire county had dried up, yet Blackwater Pond's water level showed no sign of dropping at all.

At that time, villagers from the surrounding villages and towns all went to Blackwater Pond to draw water, and quite a few people were swallowed by the alligator-dragons and giant pythons in the pond. Jiang Huanyu did not know what a hundred-year-old Blood Toad was, but the skin this thing shed could actually be sold for two hundred taels of silver. That truly exceeded his expectations somewhat. Two hundred taels of silver was equal to more than ten years of his family's income.

It seemed that tomorrow, he had to go to Blackwater Pond and take a look. Carrying this excited feeling, he sank into deep sleep. Early the next morning, just as the sky had brightened, when Jiang Huanyu woke up, Hu Yufen beside him had already gotten out of bed. Through the window, he could see cooking smoke rising from the chimney of the kitchen house. Jiang Huanyu put on his clothes, came to the courtyard, drew a basin of well water, brushed his teeth with a willow branch, and went to the kitchen house.

Hu Yufen took out the reheated flatbread and eggs from the stove and brought them before him, asking, "Not sleeping a little longer?"

"I have to go out for a while later." Taking the flatbread and eggs, Jiang Huanyu sat down before the table and began eating. Hu Yufen ladled two bowls of porridge, carried them over, sat beside him, and asked, "Are you going to town?" Jiang Huanyu placed the peeled egg into Hu Yufen's bowl, then picked up another one and peeled it.

"It rained heavily yesterday. I'll go to the riverbank and see if I can catch some fish to nourish Stone and the other one." In these years, for ordinary commoners, being able to eat three meals a day and fill their stomachs was already an extravagant hope. Eating meat was even something they did not dare think about. It was only because Golden Willow Village was next to the Lai River that, in summer, they could go into the river and catch some fish and shrimp to satisfy their cravings and get a taste of meat.

Hu Yufen nodded slightly and did not speak. The two silently finished breakfast.

"When Stone and his brother get up, have them cut some grass to feed the pigs. Later, teach him some characters. He can't run around blindly every day." Jiang Huanyu spoke while sorting out the fishing net in the courtyard. Children from farming families did not have that much of a childhood. At seven or eight years old, cutting grass, gathering firewood, and such things all had to be helped with at home. Before Hu Yufen fled to Golden Willow Village, she could also be considered a young lady from a wealthy family.

She was educated and reasonable, so teaching the two brothers to recognize characters was no problem.

"All right. Then be careful." Watching him leave the house, Hu Yufen then busied herself going to wake the two little fellows up to eat. The Lai River was south of Golden Willow Village. After Jiang Huanyu left Golden Willow Village, he walked west the whole way. That was the direction of Blackwater Pond. The reason he had not told Hu Yufen that he was going to Blackwater Pond was also because he feared she would worry.

"Brother Huanyu!"

"Brother Huanyu!" Walking along the small path between the fields, Jiang Huanyu heard someone shouting from behind, so he stopped. A rather thin young man jogged over to him. Seeing the fishing net on Jiang Huanyu's shoulder, he asked curiously, "Brother Huanyu, are you going fishing?" Jiang Huanyu grinned and said, "Stone has been craving food these past two days, making a fuss about wanting to eat meat."

The young man looked at the direction and asked suspiciously, "Brother Huanyu, are you planning to go to Blackwater Pond?" Jiang Huanyu nodded.

"It just rained heavily. The current of the Lai River is too fast. If I fail to catch fish and the net gets washed away, that wouldn't be worth it."

"I'll go try my luck at Blackwater Pond." Stolen novel; please report. Hearing this, the young man's face showed a trace of disappointment.

"I thought you were going to the Lai River. I was thinking of following you and helping out, then getting one or two fish later to satisfy my craving."

"I'm not going to Blackwater Pond. I heard the alligator-dragons there have been very fierce recently. In just a dozen days, three people from neighboring Blackstone Village have already lost their lives at Blackwater Pond."

"You must be careful. Don't go deep in." Jiang Huanyu smiled slightly.

"I'll just try my luck around the outer edge. If I can't catch anything, I can buy two fish in town later." After parting from the young man, Jiang Huanyu continued on his way. About an hour later, he arrived at the location of Blackwater Pond. Although Golden Willow Village was about 100 kilometers away from Hidden Dragon Mountain, it was located on one of the branch ranges extending out from Hidden Dragon Mountain. Blackwater Pond was situated between two branch ranges of Hidden Dragon Mountain.

The trees were unusually lush. In the scorching summer, once one stepped here, one could clearly feel a sense of coolness. If not for threats such as alligator-dragons and giant pythons here, it would indeed be a good place to escape the heat and enjoy the cool air. The Divination System panel had the approximate location of the hundred-year-old Blood Toad, but it was not very precise. Jiang Huanyu circled back and forth along the bank of Blackwater Pond a few times.

He roughly confirmed that the hundred-year-old Blood Toad was somewhere near him. But the surrounding water grass was flourishing, and shrubs grew thickly along the bank. For the moment, he did not see any trace of the hundred-year-old Blood Toad. After thinking for a moment, he took down the fishing net from his shoulder. Since he temporarily could not find the hundred-year-old Blood Toad's trace, he might as well cast the net first.

Even if he did not find the hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin later, being able to catch a few fish to take back would not count as a loss. After all, the fish of Blackwater Pond were famous for being plump, delicious, and fresh. After arranging the fishing net in his hand, Jiang Huanyu gripped the net rope with his left hand. His right hand suddenly swung out, and the large casting net spread into a huge circle before falling into the water.

The loud sound of the fishing net entering the water echoed through the mountain forest. Jiang Huanyu suddenly caught sight of a flash of red disappearing in the distant shrubs! That was… Staring at the shaking shrubs, Jiang Huanyu narrowed his eyes. Blood Toad, Blood Toad… it should be red, right? Thinking of this, he tied the net rope in his hand to a tree, carefully picked up a thick branch, and walked toward that shrub. Jiang Huanyu's footsteps were very light and very cautious.

Many alligator-dragons and giant pythons lived in Blackwater Pond. If he encountered either one, he would have to leave his life here. Holding his breath and gripping the wooden stick in his hand tightly, Jiang Huanyu soon arrived before the shrub. He carefully used the wooden stick to poke the outer branches of the shrub, his body ready to retreat at any moment. Rustle! The shrub branches were shaken, but there was no other movement inside.

Seeing this, Jiang Huanyu became slightly bolder and struck a few more times with the wooden stick. Whoosh— There was no movement from the shrub before him, but several wild ducks hiding in the shrubs farther away were startled and fled in panic. Jiang Huanyu, who had been startled into a cold sweat, took a deep breath. After confirming that there was nothing unusual about the shrub before him, he finally moved another step closer and used the wooden stick in his hand to push the shrub aside.

A smear of bright red faintly appeared from within! He hurriedly used the wooden stick to lift away the shrubs blocking his view, and finally saw the full appearance of that thing. It was a piece of toad skin, the size of a palm, entirely bright red, and lifelike. The Blood Toad's shed skin! Staring at that thing, Jiang Huanyu could not help but breathe somewhat rapidly. He knew that this thing was most likely the hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin mentioned by the system.

A thing worth two hundred taels of silver was right before his eyes. Jiang Huanyu did not lose his head and immediately rush forward. Instead, he gently shifted his body and tried to lift that thing with the wooden stick in his hand. Carefully avoiding the surrounding shrubs, he picked the Blood Toad's shed skin out from the shrub. Jiang Huanyu hurriedly pinched it in his hand. Its touch was moist, slippery, and soft. It did not have the fishy stench of an ordinary toad. Instead, it carried a faint fragrance.

When sunlight shone on it, it was clear and translucent. Good stuff! Just this appearance alone was not simple. After repeatedly examining the Blood Toad's shed skin, Jiang Huanyu hurriedly took out a piece of cloth from his shoulder bag and carefully wrapped it up. The hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin was in his hands. The purpose of this trip could be considered achieved.

After tucking the thing away, he returned to where he had cast the net, untied the net rope, and slowly pulled the fishing net out of the water. Splash! Splash! Crash! When the fishing net was about to be pulled out, several splashes rose from the water surface. Faintly, there were fish struggling. Seeing this, Jiang Huanyu's face revealed a smile.

"The movement isn't small. It's a big fellow." He hurriedly steadied his body and sped up, dragging the fishing net onto the shore. At the bottom of the fishing net, three fish with bluish-gray backs and white bellies were unwilling to be caught. They were struggling desperately, making the weighted fishing net rattle noisily. Jiang Huanyu lifted the fishing net and came to a place far from the shore. Looking at the three plump black carp, he slightly grinned.

These three black carp were each roughly two kilograms in weight. If bought with money, they would cost at least half a tael of silver. But that would only be for ordinary black carp. The fish of Blackwater Pond were worth more than that. The elders in the village often said that the reason Hidden Dragon Mountain and Black Dragon Pond both carried the word "dragon" was because a divine dragon truly lay buried in the mountain.