Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 3 Blood Toad Remains

Blackwater Pool?
Looking at the divination symbols flashing in his mind, Shen Yuan felt a surge of excitement.

This black pool, also known as the Black Dragon Pool, is located about 20 miles outside Jinliu Village, covering an area of ​​several hundred acres. It is the passageway from Jinliu Village to Yunshui Town.

Legend has it that at the bottom of Blackwater Pool, there is a spring that connects to the mountain spring in Hidden Dragon Mountain. The pool is full of dark currents and whirlpools, and is said to be haunted by alligators and giant pythons, as well as a terrifying black dragon lurking within.

In the past, when Anyang County suffered a severe drought, the Laishui River, which runs through the entire county, dried up, but the water level of Heishuitan (Black Water Pool) did not drop at all.

At that time, villagers from surrounding villages and towns went to Blackwater Pool to draw water, and many of them were swallowed by the alligator dragon and giant python in the pool.

He didn't know what a hundred-year-old blood toad was, but the fact that its shed skin could sell for two hundred taels of silver was truly unexpected.

Two hundred taels of silver is equivalent to their family's income for more than ten years. It seems we have to go to Blackwater Pool tomorrow.

I fell into a deep sleep, filled with excitement.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Shen Yuan woke up to find that Hu Yufen beside him had already gotten up.

Through the window, you can see smoke rising from the kitchen chimney.

Shen Yuan dressed, went to the courtyard, drew a basin of well water, brushed his teeth with a willow twig, and went to the kitchen.

Hu Yufen took out some steamed pancakes and eggs from the stove, brought them to her, and asked, "Aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"

"I need to go out for a bit later."

After taking the pancake and egg, Shen Yuan sat down at his desk and began to eat.

Hu Yufen ladled out two bowls of porridge, sat down beside her, and asked, "Are we going to town?"

Shen Yuan placed the peeled egg into Hu Yufen's bowl, then picked up another egg and peeled it, saying, "It rained heavily yesterday. Let's go to the river and see if we can catch some fish to nourish Shi Tou and the other two."

These days, it's a luxury for ordinary people to have enough to eat three meals a day, let alone the luxury of eating meat.

In other words, Jinliu Village is adjacent to the Laishui River, and in the summer, people can catch some fish and shrimp in the river to enjoy a feast and satisfy their craving for meat.

Hu Yufen nodded slightly without saying anything.

The two of them finished their breakfast in silence.

"When Shi Tou and the other two get up, let them cut some grass to feed the pigs. You should teach them to read later, so they can't just run around aimlessly every day."

Shen Yuan began tidying up the fishing nets in the yard.

Farm children don't have much of a childhood. By the age of seven or eight, they have to help with chores like cutting grass and gathering firewood.

Before fleeing to Jinliu Village, Hu Yufen was a wealthy young lady who was well-educated and could easily teach her two brothers to read.

"Okay, then be careful."

After watching him leave the house, Hu Yufen busied herself calling the two little ones to get up and eat.

The Laishui River is south of Jinliu Village. After leaving Jinliu Village, Shen Yuan headed west.

That's the direction of Blackwater Pool.

The reason I didn't tell Hu Yufen that I was going to Blackwater Pool was because I was afraid she would worry.

"Brother Yuan!"

"Brother Yuan!"

Walking along the country path, Shen Yuan heard someone shouting behind him and stopped in his tracks.

A thin young man jogged up to him, noticed the fishing net on his shoulder, and asked curiously, "Brother Yuan, are you going fishing?"

Shen Yuan grinned and said, "Shi Tou has been craving meat these past few days."

The young man looked in the direction and asked suspiciously, "Brother Yuan, are you planning to go to Blackwater Pool?"

Shen Yuan nodded: "There was a heavy rain just now, and the current in the Laishui River is too fast. If we don't catch any fish and the net gets washed away, it won't be worth it."

"I'll try my luck at Blackwater Pool."

Upon hearing this, the young man's face showed a hint of disappointment.

"I thought you were going to the Laishui River, so I thought I'd go along and help you out. You can give me a fish or two later to satisfy my craving."

“I’m not going to Blackwater Pool. I heard that the alligator dragons there have been very fierce lately. In just over ten days, three people from the neighboring Blackstone Village have already perished at Blackwater Pool.”

"You'd better be careful, don't go too deep."

Shen Yuan smiled slightly: "Let's try our luck on the outskirts. If we can't catch any, we can buy two more in town."

After bidding farewell to the young man, Shen Yuan continued on his journey.

About half an hour later, he arrived at the location of the Blackwater Pool.

Although Jinliu Village is two hundred li away from Yinlong Mountain, it is located on a branch of Yinlong Mountain. Blackwater Pool is situated between two branches of Yinlong Mountain, with exceptionally lush forests. On hot summer days, stepping into this place, one can clearly feel a sense of coolness.

If it weren't for the threats posed by crocodiles, giant pythons, and other creatures, this place would be a great place to escape the summer heat.

The divination system panel shows the approximate location of the Hundred-Year Blood Toad, but it's not very precise.

After circling the shore of the Blackwater Pool a few times, Shen Yuan roughly determined that the Hundred-Year Blood Toad was nearby.

However, the surrounding area was covered with lush aquatic plants and dense shrubs, and he did not see any trace of the Hundred-Year Blood Toad for a while.

After thinking for a moment, he took the fishing net off his shoulder.

Since we can't find any trace of the Hundred-Year Blood Toad for the time being, we might as well cast a net first. Even if we don't find the remains of the Hundred-Year Blood Toad, it won't be a loss if we can catch a few fish.

After all, the fish in Blackwater Pool are famous for being plump and delicious.

After tidying up the fishing net in his hands, Shen Yuan gripped the net rope with his left hand and swung it out with his right hand, casting the huge net into a large circle as it fell into the water.

The loud splash of the fishing net hitting the water echoed through the mountains and forests.

Shen Yuan suddenly caught a glimpse of a red flash in the bushes in the distance!
That is……

Shen Yuan squinted as he stared at the swaying bushes.

Blood toad, blood toad... it should be red, right?

Thinking of this, he tied the net rope in his hand to the tree, carefully picked up a thick branch, and walked towards the bushes.

Shen Yuan's steps were light and cautious.

The Blackwater Pool is inhabited by many alligator dragons and giant pythons; if he encounters any of them, he will perish here.

Holding his breath and gripping the wooden stick tightly, Shen Yuan quickly reached the bushes.

He carefully poked at the outer bushes with a stick, his body ready to retreat at any moment.

Wow!

The shrub branches rustled, but there was no other movement inside.

Seeing this, Shen Yuan became a little bolder and tapped it a few more times with the wooden stick.

call--

The bushes in front of them remained still, but they startled several wild ducks hiding in the bushes further away, causing them to scatter in panic.

Startled and breaking out in a cold sweat, Shen Yuan took a deep breath and, after confirming that there was nothing unusual about the bushes in front of him, took another step closer and used the wooden stick in his hand to push the bushes aside.

A hint of bright red peeks out from within!
He quickly used a stick to push aside the bushes blocking his way, and finally saw the thing clearly.

It was a piece of toad skin, about the size of a palm, bright red all over, and lifelike.

Blood toad remains!
Staring at that thing, Shen Yuan's breathing became somewhat rapid.

He knew that this thing was most likely the remains of the hundred-year-old blood toad that the system had mentioned.

With something worth two hundred taels of silver right in front of him, Shen Yuan didn't rush over blindly. Instead, he gently shifted his body and tried to lift the object with the wooden stick in his hand.

Carefully avoiding the surrounding bushes, Shen Yuan picked out the blood toad's remains from the bushes and quickly held it in his hand.

It has a moist and soft texture, and instead of the fishy smell of ordinary toads, it has a faint fragrance. When the sunlight shines on it, it becomes crystal clear.

What a good thing!

Just looking at it makes it look impressive.

After examining the blood toad's remains repeatedly, Shen Yuan quickly took out a piece of cloth from his satchel and carefully wrapped it up.

With the remains of the century-old blood toad in hand, the purpose of this trip can be considered achieved.

After putting his things away, he returned to where he had cast the net, untied the ropes, and slowly pulled the net out of the water.

Pfft!
Pfft!
Whoops!

As the fishing net was about to be pulled out, a few splashes of water rose on the surface, and fish could be seen struggling.

Upon seeing this, a smile appeared on Shen Yuan's face.

"It made quite a commotion; it's a big one."

He quickly steadied himself and sped up to drag the fishing net ashore.

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(End of this chapter)