PDLP Chapter 44 Reunion
Chapter 44 Reunion
Song Quyou carried his fish basket and ran for several miles in the night until he could no longer see the lights of the pond, then he stopped.
With a flash of sword light, the fish basket was instantly cleaved into pieces, and the fish inside, which could blink, had their bellies ripped open.
In a short while, the fish's belly slowly swelled up, and two fishermen emerged.
The two fishermen touched their legs and cheeks, and were surprised to find that they had turned back into humans.
He then bowed deeply to Song Quyou and said, "Thank you so much, Daoist Master, for saving my life."
"Did you two know about the child named Minami when you were trapped?"
The two fishermen looked at each other and shook their heads, saying, "Master, it's not that we're saying anything unlucky, but the child you were looking for has probably been killed by a monster."
In the past, there were many others like us who were turned into fish and locked up together, and two of them would be sent to the demon's lair every day. But today, we are the last ones left.
After hearing this, Song Quyou remained silent for a moment.
The night wind swept over me, carrying the damp chill of the water town, hard to resist and defend against.
Song Quyou sheathed his longsword, took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket, and stuffed them into the hands of the two fishermen.
"Go, go as far away as possible, and never come back to Tangfang."
The two fishermen thanked him profusely and, supporting each other, disappeared into the night. Song Quyou watched their retreating figures until they were completely out of sight before turning his gaze away.
……
Since leaving Shenxiao Temple and returning to Jiangnan, Su Tang has been burdened with a mountain of household chores by her elders, leaving her no time to rest. This makes her yearn for the leisurely days in the mountains. After all, her elder brother is an official in the court, and the family's dubious business has fallen on her shoulders as the eldest daughter, who is neither learned nor capable.
Recently, some business problems arose in Qiantang County, and wanting to slack off, she fled her home overnight.
After traveling by carriage and boat all night, we arrived outside Qiantang County in the early morning.
Upon arriving at her destination, Su Tang idly lifted the curtains and looked at the scenery on both sides of Qiantang Road. As she passed the city gate, she happened to see a wanted poster for Song Quyou.
Her almond-shaped eyes lit up slightly, but she shook her head and said, "This junior brother came to Jiangnan without even looking for me first. Now that he's caused trouble, I, as his senior sister, can't just ignore it. Oh well, oh well, what can I do when I'm the senior sister?"
Upon entering the city, Su Tang went to her family's residence in Qiantang and instructed the steward to inquire about what Song Quyou had done wrong.
She sat leisurely in the main hall, took a sip of fragrant tea with her red lips, and relaxed comfortably in her chair.
At this moment, a golden-eyed black cat crossed the threshold, tiptoed, and wiggled its fat belly as it jumped onto Su Tang.
"I found that kid. He's living in a house near Lingfo Temple in the north of the city."
Upon hearing that Song Quyou had been found, Su Tang instantly perked up. She put down Xiao Heitan, stepped lightly out of the house, and headed towards the north of the city, showing no signs of fatigue from traveling all night.
Su Tang followed the shiny black charcoal-covered boy along the bluestone path to the foot of Lingfo Temple, where she looked at the quiet courtyard.
The courtyard gate was ajar. Su Tang pushed it open and entered. Inside, there was only a woman in a blue dress sitting on the steps, resting her chin on her hand, staring blankly into space.
Upon seeing someone enter, they were initially delighted, but upon realizing that the visitor was a gentle and beautiful woman, they instantly became wary.
"Young lady, what brings you to my home?"
Su Tang sized up the girl from the well and asked, "Isn't this Song Quyou's house?"
……
Song Quyou wandered around outside all night until the sky began to lighten, then he slowly headed north of the city.
By the time he reached the courtyard, the sun was nearly at noon, and the bells of Lingfo Temple struck heavily on his steps.
Song Quyou pressed down his straw hat, walked to the foot of the mountain, saw the courtyard gate wide open, paused, and placed his hand on the long sword at his waist.
As they drew closer, they heard a woman's voice coming from inside the courtyard.
"Junior brother, stop hiding. You've come all the way to Jiangnan and you haven't even come to find your senior sister."
As Song Quyou stepped into the courtyard, he saw the familiar, gentle woman sitting on the stone steps, looking at him with displeasure.
Suddenly, a scratching sound came from below. Looking down, it turned out that Little Black Charcoal was stretching and scratching his trouser leg.
Song Quyou bent down and picked up Little Black Charcoal, weighing it in his arms. Looking at its chubby belly and trembling fat, he knew that the little glutton had eaten plenty of good food.
"Senior sister, you've raised Heitan too well. He's gotten so fat, it's much heavier to carry him now."
The little black cat, who was licking Song Quyou's fur while holding his head, suddenly stopped, its golden eyes looking at Song Quyou with displeasure, and said:
"I'm strong, not fat. Besides, I'm the Great General of the Cats. Wherever I go, all the cats have to be under my command."
Hearing the baby's voice, Song Quyou looked at the little black charcoal in surprise, "You can talk?"
Little Black Charcoal, looking smug, lightly jumped off Song Quyou's back, and walked out of the house without looking back.
"Never mind it. Ever since he came down the mountain with me, he's been either eating or going out to fight every day."
After Su Tang finished speaking, she crossed her arms and squinted her eyes, making Song Quyou feel a little uncomfortable.
"Confess! Why didn't you visit your senior sister in Jiangnan? Is it because you have a beautiful woman at home and have forgotten our years of sect friendship?"
Song Quyou smiled bitterly, "Junior brother has only been in Qiantang for three or five days. He originally planned to visit senior sister after things settled down, but who knew that he would be caught up in a demonic calamity, so he hasn't had time to visit senior sister."
Su Tang looked at her junior brother's muddy feet and his clothes covered in dust and straw, and thought that her junior brother must have suffered a lot of grievances in his disheveled appearance.
She stopped teasing him and patted the stone steps beside her, saying, "Sit down. Tell your senior sister what trouble you've gotten yourself into."
Song Quyou sat next to Su Tang and explained the recent demonic calamity.
"In order to break the seal, the Lord of the Alligator Dragon is currently sending his subordinates to collude with some corrupt officials to secretly abduct and kidnap people, and then cover it up as accidental deaths and disappearances."
Su Tang listened quietly as Song Quyou finished speaking, her brows furrowing more and more deeply.
This Dragon Lord is a legendary monster from folklore, known for its bloodthirstiness and love of eating people. It's unexpected that my junior brother, who has only been here a short time, would encounter such a thing.
Su Tang pondered for a moment, tapped her fingertips lightly on her knee, and asked, "Have you found out where the seal of the Alligator Dragon Lord is located?"
Song Quyou shook his head, his expression grave:
"We only know that there is one of their hideouts in Tangfang, but we have no clue as to the exact location of the Tuolong Lord. Those who were captured either disappeared at night when they were near the canal, or they were poor people who had nowhere else to turn."
Su Tang sighed softly, lay down on the stone steps, and waved her hand, saying:
"Let's not think about it for now. It's been sealed for hundreds of years, and the Dragon Lord won't be able to break free anytime soon. Let's rest first, and then find someone to remove your wanted poster."
After a few days' rest, someone will go to that pond area to investigate the corruption of those officials. Finally, they'll find a few victimized villagers to sue the pond owner in court, using the pretext of confiscating his property to completely eradicate that den of evil. The time to exert our strength will be during the confiscation of his property.