Toad

Summer rains come suddenly.

One moment the sky was clear and blue, the next dark clouds pressed down, and large raindrops pounded on the muddy ground, splashing up a layer of earthy smell.

"Hurry up, verify their registration today!"

"The mountain gate will open at 5:00 AM tomorrow. Those who are late will regret it!"

The young disciple rode on horseback, his voice not particularly fierce, but carrying the confidence of a sect member.

The crowd was in a daze for a moment, then followed the Zhaoye Sect disciples toward the city gate.

The little demon lay prone in the mud, its clothes askew, revealing a bulging eye.

Shen Gui looked down at it.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome demon before?" The little demon immediately pulled his hood back up and scrambled to his feet.

Shen Gui picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

In the time it takes to drink a bowl of tea, the once bustling tea stall was almost empty.

Shen Gui put down the cup, got up and walked towards the city gate. He was going to watch the excitement and test the stone's reaction.

"clatter."

Before we had walked far, we heard the sound of branches hitting the mud behind us, and then it became more and more frequent.

"Da da..."

Shen Gui turned back.

It's that little demon.

It was covered with cloth again, and the broken tree branch was replaced from somewhere, tied to its leg, making it walk with an uneven gait.

It held a large lotus leaf in its hand, which was bigger than its head, and its edges were trembling from the rain.

"Here, let me give you a call."

Shen Gui looked at it.

"Hey buddy, no need to thank me." Xiao Yao turned her face away, pretending to be casual. "You're such a grown man, don't you ever carry an umbrella?"

Raindrops pattered on its hood and trickled down its nose.

It sniffed and added, "I don't need it. I'm a toad spirit, I'm not afraid of water."

Shen Gui glanced at it for a moment, then reached out and took the lotus leaf. The leaf was very new, and the stem was still covered in mud, so it must have just been picked from a roadside pond.

Seeing that Shen Gui did not refuse, Lai Ge Bao's eyes lit up.

It cleared its throat, adopting a seasoned, worldly air: "Hey, are you also going to find an apprentice? How about we team up?"

Shen Gui neither responded nor refused.

"I'll take your silence as agreement."

The toad followed behind.

It didn't want to travel with anyone, but it was too small and afraid it wouldn't be able to squeeze through the crowd, so it sought a companion for support.

As for why Shen Gui was chosen...

The man was dressed in rags and didn't even have an umbrella. He was probably a down-on-his-luck person who went to the prefectural city to try his luck, just like the dog.

Heavy rain drenched the gravel road, and a human and a demon walked through the puddles.

Along the way, Lai Ge Bao kept talking non-stop.

He said he eats locusts, as well as poisonous mosquitoes and field insects, and he specifically chooses those that gnaw on seedlings.

One year, the village was plagued by insects. It squatted on the edge of the field and ate for three days. Its belly swelled up like a small water jar. When the villagers saw it from afar, they threw stones at it, saying that a toad entering the field would ruin the harvest.

Lai Gebao changed his tone and spoke in a lighter, more cheerful manner.

"But I can't blame them. I'm really not good-looking. Before I was intelligent, I was hit by children. After I became intelligent, I was chased by Taoist priests. Once, I went to the mountains to find monsters, and they also thought I was ugly, saying that toads can only lie in mud."

It snorted, "They don't know anything. You can see the moon reflected in a mud puddle."

Shen Gui paused, holding the lotus leaf in his hand.

Raindrops pattered on the leaves.

Unaware of what was happening, Lai Ge Bao continued, "That's why I want to worship Zhao Ye Mountain. I don't want to become some great demon, nor do I want to scare anyone. I just want to get a certificate for being a good demon."

"Have you gotten the certificate?"

"Go into town."

The toad answered quickly; it had thought about that scene for a long time: "Go in through the front door."

"I won't crawl through dog holes, hide from patrolmen, or be afraid of being shouted at and killed. I'll just walk in through the main gate, go to the best restaurant, and ask the owner for a bowl of plain noodles with extra scallions."

"During my years working in the fields, I listened to the farm children talk. They said the best thing in the world was Yangchun noodles. I didn't know what it tasted like, but I guessed a bowl of it would cost a lot of money."

It swallowed hard. "But I'll pay you. I can earn money by catching bugs."

Shen Gui turned around and glanced at Lai Ge Bao.

"Quack?" the toad asked. "What? You've never had plain noodles before?"

"What's your name?"

"I don't have a name yet. The villagers used to call me Toad, the kids called me Toad Treasure, the Taoist priests called me Evil Beast, and the monsters called me even worse. I don't like to remember them."

It looked up and glanced in the direction of Zhaoye Mountain.

In the rain, the distant mountain shadows were just a bluish-black mass.

"Once I enter the sect, I'll find a highly skilled master to give me a proper name. Let's see who dares to laugh at a name given by such a great person."

"Yes, it's good to have a goal."

Shen Gui continued walking.

After leaving Shili Pavilion, the number of people on the official road gradually increased.

Most of them were going to the city gate to have their registration checked. They were mostly teenagers, some carrying swords, some carrying sticks, and some being dragged along by their parents, crying so hard that snot was coming out of their noses.

The rain made the road difficult to walk on.

The toad walked a bit, then slid a bit, but didn't stop talking much.

"I've heard that the Teruno sect looks for three things when accepting disciples: first, their physical constitution; second, their temperament; and third, whether they have ever caused any serious trouble."

"The concept of 'root bone' is troublesome; I can't feel my own bones."

"As for his temperament, I think he's alright."

"I've never caused any trouble. The biggest thing I ever did in my life was stealing fruit from an old monk's offering. The fruit was all spoiled, and he chased me for three miles."

As they approached the city gate, the crowd grew even larger.

A child was being led by a family elder; his clothes were made of fine material, and his boots were clean.

He was munching on candy when he turned around and saw Toad, his eyes lit up, and he broke free from his elder's hand and ran over.

"Dad, look at this thing! Isn't it a monster? It can even walk on stilts!"

The children pushed forward recklessly.

Lai Gebao immediately shrank behind Shen Gui.

The child reached out and tugged at its clothes, wanting to see what was under the hood.

The little rascal gripped his clothes tightly with his two short hands, took a half step back, and said with a fierce but restrained expression, "Don't pull! I'm warning you, little brat, if you tear it, I'll make your dad pay for it!"

The child ignored him and instead laughed, "Show me, and I'll ask my dad to give you money."

The elder finally came over, saying "Stop making a fuss," but didn't take the child's hand. He just looked down at the toad as if it were a strange thing.

The toad lowered its head, grabbed Shen Gui's clothes, and ran to the side. It ran fast, and the child couldn't keep up.

After running several meters, it finally let go and shook its hood as if nothing had happened.

"It's so nice to have a big family, unlike the two of us."

Looking at the group of people at the city gate, it couldn't hide its envy. "The big families have protectors following them wherever they go. They can get through anyone as soon as they show their badges. I only have a mud puddle of mosquitoes behind me."

Shen Gui asked, "Demons, once they gain intelligence, possess the strength of the early stages of Body Tempering. You've been bullied for so long, why didn't you fight back?"

"Quack? Why aren't you smart?"

Lai Gebao didn't understand:

"If I bite someone, won't I really become the evil monster they're talking about? And then the people who wrongly accuse me will also become a group."