Things in the pond

Chapter 28

The dragon suddenly couldn't answer. It looked at the chi and gave a soft reply, "Oh..."

The dragon held its claws, feeling very happy.

Suddenly, there was movement on the pond. The dragon swam up, and dark clouds and rumbling thunder appeared, followed by a torrential downpour. Ripples spread in layers, and even the bottom of the pond showed subtle disturbances.

Chiyou returned and said, "It's raining."

The dragon paused for a moment, then said, "Go back."

"Why?"

The dragon's voice held a hint of amusement, "With such heavy rain, aren't you worried about your pond? You're the water official; remember your mission..."

The dragon looked at it, its eyes gleaming.

“Go back,” the dragon said. “...Come again next time.”

The dragon had never heard it say "come again next time." It was very happy, nodding vigorously with delight, and leaped out of the water.

The rain was heavy, the wind was strong, and the thunder was terrifying, but suddenly, it didn't care about anything anymore...

...

...

The blackfish and the carp huddled together, trembling, as they listened to the rumbling thunder outside the well.

"Oh my god... September thunder... the world is going to be destroyed..." the two fish cried out in terror.

The fox hugged the photo album, "Wow...how scary..."

The frog frowned slightly as it looked at the sky above the well.

"Could it be that someone has been wronged?" the crab asked, scratching its head.

"Crab, it's like snow falling in June when you've been wronged," the blackfish and the carp replied in unison.

"That's that devoted girl..." the fox said wistfully, "Thunder in winter, snow in summer, I will never part from you... Wow... How romantic..."

"Tch. It's not winter yet, is it?" Tingcong retorted without hesitation.

The fox shrank back to one side, sniffing sadly. "Waaaaah... Can't I even be romantic for a second..."

"Hmm. It seems this year's warm winter is even more severe. The so-called greenhouse effect really needs our attention. This is a matter of great importance concerning the survival of all living things! Cherish nature and protect the environment!" the carp said solemnly.

"Carp, you are so knowledgeable!" the blackfish exclaimed admiringly.

"That's right! Who do you think I am!" the carp said smugly.

"Carp!"

"Heizi!"

"Carp!"

...

Amidst the noise, the frog slowly opened its mouth.

"There's a battle of magic between them..."

"A battle of magic?" The crowd/demons were puzzled.

Ting Cong suddenly realized something, "That was the Nine Heavens Thunder Control Spell!"

"Nine Heavens Thunder Control Spell!" The demons huddled together.

"Yes. My master said it's used by heavenly soldiers and generals," Tingcong replied earnestly.

"Wow, that sounds amazing..." the carp exclaimed.

"Oh dear, I'm so scared..." Blackfish exclaimed in surprise.

"Waaah, what do I do, what do I do?" the crab cried out, clutching its head.

"..." The fox thought for a moment, "I'm human, what do I have to be afraid of?"

= =|||

The frog sighed softly, "Why bother..."

"Frog, what did you say?" The carp with the sharp ears leaned closer and asked.

The frog looked at it and said, "It's nothing."

"Oh, right, I saw a fairy by the pond yesterday. He looked like a villain. Could it be that this Nine Heavens Thunder Control Spell is related to him?" The fox exclaimed, suddenly realizing something.

"Huh?" The demons exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes. I was there too. Judging from the fairy’s appearance, it seemed like she was looking for someone in the pond,” Ting Cong chimed in.

"Huh?" The demons were even more surprised.

“We’re all in the well, who is he looking for?” the crab asked.

"Could it be..." The demons and humans suddenly realized, "Old Catfish!!!"

"Oh. A relative~" the crab said happily.

= =|||

The demons and humans discussed the matter animatedly, with differing opinions.

Seeing this, the frog plucked the strings of his sanxian and chuckled, "No, he's here to see me."

The demons and humans immediately stopped talking and looked at the frog.

"All that fuss was just to force me out of this well..." the frog said dismissively.

"Why!" all the demons and humans exclaimed in unison.

The frog was still laughing. "Remember Qiji? It was a celestial horse. Protecting it from escaping is a serious crime. I'm afraid the higher-ups are investigating, and they've sent people to punish it."

"Huh?!" the demons exclaimed in surprise, "What do we do now?"

"It's nothing." The frog smoothed the hibiscus at its sideburns. "Who do heavenly soldiers and generals care? I'm not afraid at all... Wahahaha..."

= =|||

"You'll be safe here, don't worry." The frog picked up the sanxian and paced around.

"By the way, is the old catfish alright outside?" the crab asked innocently.

"Ah!!! We'd all forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it!!!" the carp cried out, "What about the old catfish?!"

The frog spoke calmly, "It brought you here because it had already decided on some things. Since it made its choice, it will naturally bear the consequences..."

"Let's go save it!" The demons and humans completely ignored the frog's argument and shouted with high morale.

"Are you even listening to me?!" the frog roared.

"I listened, but I didn't understand," the crab nodded.

"..." The frog was speechless.

"Alright, let's go! Unity is strength! Heavenly soldiers and generals are not to be feared!" The carp transformed into human form, filled with righteous indignation.

“That’s right! Carp, I’m willing to go through fire and water with you!” Blackfish retorted, not to be outdone.

The two fish struck a pose reminiscent of a red flag pointing towards the sun, and sang, "Love and righteousness are worth a thousand pieces of gold..."

The crab picked up a book and exclaimed, "Knowledge is power! I, Crab, will use this book to crush those heavenly soldiers and generals!"

The fox exclaimed excitedly, "Crab! That's ambitious!"

"Thanks!"

The frog looked at the monster/human in front of it, unable to express its feelings.

"Let's go!" With a command from the carp, the demons/humans, full of vigor, prepared to leave the well.

"Halt!" the frog roared. "You overestimate yourselves! Your skills are less than half of Yue Jun's. Going out will only lead to your deaths! I won't allow it!"

"Who is Yue Jun?" the crab asked, puzzled.

However, this issue is not important right now.

“Our skills are not enough, but frog, you will never leave this well, will you?” the carp said, turning around. “I’m telling you, frog, you have your well, and we have our pond. We won’t force you, and you can’t stop us either.”

Blackfish listened, deeply moved. "Carp, you truly are my good brother! That's so well said!!!"

"That's right, I've been practicing for a long time!!!" the carp said proudly.

"Carp!"

"Heizi!"

"Carp!"

...

"Hurry up, you guys!" The fox's voice echoed from the wellhead.

...

Only frogs remained in the well.

Long ago, it could only stare blankly at the sky, barely the size of a well's opening. Occasionally, the wind would bring in something—a leaf, a petal… It used these things to imagine what the world looked like. Finally, it grew dissatisfied; it cultivated itself relentlessly, and finally, it gained the vast, boundless sky…

At the same time, it also gained something else. The world was too vast, and it gradually understood that not everything it saw was beautiful. It began to wonder if, had it never left that well in the first place, it wouldn't have suffered such heart-wrenching pain later. If it had known nothing and remained just a frog, would it have been happy forever? It could have embraced beauty, creating a world for itself—a well, a universe. It had already obtained everything it wanted…

Really, did you get them all?

...

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The sound of wind and thunder gradually approached, and the catfish swam out of the water plants and came ashore.

On the shore stood a man dressed in black. The overcast sky only accentuated his cold and aloof demeanor.

Behind the dark clouds, a faint golden light shone, giving the sky an eerie appearance.

"The three-day period has ended, Le Jun, what do you intend to do?" Black Snake asked.

The catfish, hands behind its back, smiled and said, "What do you think?"

The black snake gently closed its eyes. "I told you, today I will raze this place to the ground."