The azure sky was as pure and clear as crystal.
A gentle breeze ruffled Fang Yuan's hair.
Looking into the distance, the nearby village seemed sparsely populated. Nearby, a mountain-like River-Swallowing Toad slept, wedged in the riverbed. Standing on the riverbank, Fang Yuan looked like a monkey beside an elephant compared to this rank five giant Gu.
Fang Yuan was calm, without a trace of tension. He mused to himself: "I've used the White Boar Gu and the Black Boar Gu to temper my body and increase my strength. With the strength of two boars added to my own, I'm more than a match for five or six grown men. But to push this River-Swallowing Toad awake, I'd probably need the strength of two oxen. My own strength alone is naturally not enough. However, if I can just borrow the power of the waves... here it comes."
Splish, splash, splash...
Fang Yuan turned to look. A surge of waves rolled in, disturbing the calm river.
The waves grew larger, continuously crashing against the River-Swallowing Toad, sending spray high into the air.
Fang Yuan had only stood there for a moment before he was soaked through.
He didn't mind. He began pushing the River-Swallowing Toad with all his might.
The River-Swallowing Toad remained in its deep sleep. Having lived in rivers, lakes, and seas, the battering of the waves was far too common to wake it.
Borrowing the momentum of the waves, Fang Yuan struggled for a while before finally slowly pushing the River-Swallowing Toad away from its original position.
The further downstream the river went, the wider the riverbed became. Combined with the lateral water flow, this allowed Fang Yuan to push it with increasing ease.
After pushing it for about three hundred meters, the River-Swallowing Toad opened its groggy eyes.
Its pair of deep green pupils, initially unfocused, gradually sharpened and locked onto Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan met its gaze without fear.
In its deep, bottomless pupils, Fang Yuan could clearly see his own reflection.
"Jiang'ang!" The River-Swallowing Toad lifted its head. It suddenly opened its huge mouth and let out a strange croak.
The croak echoed through the Qing Mao Mountain.
For a moment, Fang Yuan felt his ears ringing.
The River-Swallowing Toad lowered its head, aimed its huge mouth at the oncoming river, and took a powerful gulp.
Splish, splash, splash!
The river's current instantly accelerated more than tenfold, all pouring into the River-Swallowing Toad's belly. The river surface visibly dropped rapidly.
Standing beside the River-Swallowing Toad, Fang Yuan could clearly see countless fish, shrimp, eels, and turtles being sucked into its stomach along with the river.
Sensing the change in the river, Chi Shan's team hurried over. Everyone was visibly moved at the sight of the River-Swallowing Toad feeding.
"How spectacular!" Chi Cheng stared, unable to hide his shock.
"You succeeded?" Chi Shan looked at Fang Yuan.
"I suppose so," Fang Yuan nodded indifferently.
The river level dropped lower and lower until the flow was cut off. The River-Swallowing Toad raised its head high again. Its belly swelled and contracted, spitting out countless fish, shrimp, turtles, and tortoises.
Pat, pat, pat.
For a moment, a large amount of river delicacies fell to the ground with crisp sounds.
A fish flopped on the ground. Turtles and tortoises were completely dazed. Crabs scuttled sideways, then were hit by falling river produce.
Fang Yuan didn't pay it much mind at first, just looking casually, when he suddenly caught a whiff of a wine aroma.
"Strange, where is that wine smell coming from?" Chi Cheng sniffed, his face full of surprise.
"It must be the Century-Old Bitter Clam," the female Gu Master in the team pointed at a broken black shell, the size of a millstone.
The shell was pitch black like ink, with circles of white patterns on it, like the rings of a tree.
"Right. The Bitter Clam can turn sand and stone into bitter juice. The bitter juice in a Century-Old Bitter Clam undergoes a qualitative change over time, turning into wine. The current chief of Bai Family Village really likes to drink this kind of Bitter Clam wine," Chi Shan added.
Without needing his detailed explanation, Fang Yuan had already picked up the shell and started collecting the Bitter Clam wine.
Not long ago, he was troubled by how to obtain this Bitter Clam wine. He never expected it to appear before him in this way.
He had looked high and low for it, yet it had fallen right into his lap without any effort at all!
The River-Swallowing Toad had almost sucked the river dry. The Century-Old Bitter Clams, buried in the sand and mud deep in the river, were thus exposed.
Fang Yuan quickly collected six Century-Old Bitter Clams. Two of the shells were already damaged, but the remaining four were intact.
"I've finally collected the Bitter Wine. With this, I can begin the cultivation of the Four Flavors Wine Worm!" At this moment, the joy in Fang Yuan's heart was unspeakable.
"Jiang'ang!"
The River-Swallowing Toad spat out these river delicacies, called out again, and then deeply looked at Fang Yuan. It slowly turned its giant body and headed downstream along the river.
"It really worked!" Chi Shan muttered, the stone in his heart finally dropping. He kept watching the River-Swallowing Toad leave until its figure disappeared from sight.