Fang Yuan in his previous life had never used a River-Swallowing Toad, but this Gu left a deep impression on him. It was all because of one person. An ordinary person, a family slave.
More than two hundred years later in his previous life, an extremely special Gu Master appeared—Jiang Fan. His existence made Gu Masters' jaws drop and became a tale spread among ordinary people. The moment he appeared, he became a legend. What nurtured him was a River-Swallowing Toad.
Jiang Fan was originally a family slave, managing a fishing ground for his master all on his own. One day, a River-Swallowing Toad stranded on the riverbank, belly up, head back, lying there fast asleep. Jiang Fan was both frightened and puzzled; gradually he wondered if the toad was dead—why didn't it move at all?
The "toad corpse" blocked the downstream river, causing considerable trouble for Jiang Fan, who managed the fishing ground.
Jiang Fan tried every way to get rid of this "toad corpse". But he was just an ordinary person—how could he possibly move such a heavy River-Swallowing Toad?
His master was harsh and cruel; failing to meet the monthly quota meant losing his head. Jiang Fan didn't dare report it. Not long before, another person had failed the quota, reported a reasonable explanation, and was killed on the spot by the master.
As the deadline approached, the "toad corpse" kept blocking the river, severely affecting his income. He couldn't help but become more and more panicked and irritable.
Even though he knew he couldn't move the "toad corpse", he went there every day, punching and kicking it, crying and screaming, venting his fear and anger in the face of death.
But one day, the River-Swallowing Toad suddenly woke up. It opened its bleary eyes and stared at Jiang Fan.
Jiang Fan's legs went weak with fright on the spot.
The River-Swallowing Toad was half asleep; it still lay there "playing dead". Jiang Fan needed a long time to calm down.
He was no longer afraid—a man about to die. What else was there to fear?
He climbed directly onto the toad's belly, lay down on his back, and looked at the stars: "Toad, toad. Are you too like me, barely holding on to life, about to die?"
How could he know the River-Swallowing Toad's habits? Seeing it half dead, he only thought it was also on the verge of collapse. As he spoke, tears streamed down his face.
The River-Swallowing Toad half-closed its eyes, listening to Jiang Fan, also looking at the stars.
Over the next few days, he lay on the toad's soft white belly every day, crying and talking, pouring out the pain and oppression of an ordinary person.
Finally, the deadline arrived. The overseer came down from the mountain village to his fishing ground to collect the fish.
How could Jiang Fan have any fish to hand over? Completely at a loss, he could only plead for some time to tidy up, and then he ran to the toad to say goodbye.
He patted the toad's belly. Said: "Old Toad, I didn't think I'd be the one to die first. Meeting you could be considered fate. I hope your last days will be good ones."
At that moment, the River-Swallowing Toad began to move.
Jiang Fan was startled. The toad's movements grew larger. He quickly jumped off.
Splash!
The toad turned over, belly down, back up—it was finally fully awake.
Jiang Fan was drenched. Seeing this, he stamped his foot in anger: "Old Toad, old Toad, so you could move! Aiya, you've ruined me! If you'd moved a few days earlier, I wouldn't have to die!"
The River-Swallowing Toad ignored him. Now awake, it was hungry.
It sank half its body into the water, then opened its huge mouth and began to swallow river water to feed.
The sight dumbfounded Jiang Fan. He watched in shock as the water level rapidly dropped before his eyes.
Huge amounts of river water were sucked into the toad's belly, but its belly didn't swell a bit, as if there was a bottomless pit inside.
After a while, the River-Swallowing Toad leisurely stopped feeding. The river had dropped very low, exposing most of the muddy riverbed. A person standing on the river bottom would only have water up to their knees.
Jiang Fan stood dumbfounded on the riverbank.
The toad glanced at him, suddenly belched. Then its belly bulged and contracted, and with its mouth wide open, it violently sprayed out a torrent of river food.
Fish, shrimp, turtles, snails, eels, big crabs—everything imaginable!
The River-Swallowing Toad only eats water—it doesn't eat these river delicacies, so it spat them all out.
At that moment, it was as if a torrential rain of river food fell from the sky.
In an instant, the river food piled up into a small hill. Seeing this, Jiang Fan jumped three feet high in joy. He shouted: "I'm saved, I'm saved! These fish and turtles are enough for my three months' quota. Old Toad, old Toad, thank you!"
He gathered up all the river food and handed it to the overseer.
The overseer was both amazed and suspicious—how could there be such a large amount? He hurried to report it. The Gu Masters in the mountain village also noticed the sudden change in the river.
After investigating, they quickly discovered the existence of the River-Swallowing Toad.
This was a fifth-turn Gu!
Panic erupted in the mountain village. They formed a large force to expel the River-Swallowing Toad.
Jiang Fan didn't want the River-Swallowing Toad to be harmed. In those days, he had come to regard it as his only friend.