Starting with the frog, he has ruled for eternity.

Chapter 8, Caw? "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound"!

Fang Yuan forced himself to calm down.

Nan Nan was still talking to herself, skipping and hopping as she led him into the mansion.

The sun was still warm, a gentle breeze rustled through the flowers and plants in the courtyard, and footsteps made a crisp sound on the bluestone slabs.

Everything seemed so normal.

"Little frog, my yard is really far, it'll be quite a walk for us." Nan Nan hummed a tuneless little tune, completely oblivious to Fang Yuan's unusual behavior. "By the way, do you know what kind of clothes Father needs to wear to the auction? What kind of clothes do you like?"

"Are you a male or female frog? Should I prepare a skirt or a formal suit for you?"

Fang Yuan lay on top of her head, without making a sound.

His heartbeat had not yet completely calmed down.

The scenes in the pond lingered like a nightmare—the eerie gray-white expanse, the koi carp that appeared to be still even though they were swimming, and the suffocating feeling as if he were trapped in amber.

The scariest thing is...

Nan Nan said there were no fish in the pond at all.

What were those hundreds of colorful koi fish he saw? And what were those conversations he heard?

"Little Frog, look, those flowers over there smell so good!" Nan Nan pointed to an osmanthus tree by the roadside. "When we come back later, I'll pick a few blossoms for you to smell."

Fang Yuan did not respond, nor did he dare to respond.

He wasn't some powerful figure from the Ancient Moon Clan with a five-hundred-year-long rebirth experience; he was just an ordinary college student who transmigrated into the body of a frog.

Moreover, that big shot was so badly slashed that he became more humble and less arrogant.

He is far inferior to his opponent.

Therefore, he was afraid.

— Absolutely not.

Never go back to that pond!

He must live!

Live on! Live a decent life! He absolutely refused to die so mysteriously and without explanation!

He was just a frog, and after he died, no one might even care!

Therefore, he must live!

……

Nothing else happened after that.

The pet auction is scheduled for the evening of three days from now.

Over the next three days, Fang Yuan continued to explore his cheat code.

That strange appearance gave him a sense of urgency.

It was as if a death knell was hanging over his head.

First, there's that [unknown technique]. Fang Yuan already knows that this thing isn't called Tiger Roar Blade, but rather Tiger Howl Blade Technique.

Therefore, the name in the cheat system also became "Tiger Roar Blade Technique".

To break through to the fifth level of the Tiger Roar Blade Technique, the cheat code requires another fifth-level technique.

Fang Yuan searched through his messy cultivation techniques, but apart from Chinese, there wasn't a single one at the fourth level, let alone the fifth.

Among that whole bunch of skills and techniques, such as [Chinese Language], [Mathematics], [Foreign Language], [Writing], [Storytelling], [Breathing], [Sleeping], [Jumping], [Frog Croaking], and [Tongue Clicking], only the Mathematics skill is slightly better.

But it only has three floors in the primary school.

What's the use of elementary school math? It's just like language arts—it's completely unreliable.

Even if he adds points to reach level 100 and can solve Goldbach's Conjecture, what help can that give him? —Can he deal with the supernatural?

However, Fang Yuan also found another piece of good news.

The Chinese language skills taught in the sixth grade of elementary school did not disappear despite the breakthrough.

It's probably a breakthrough in the Tiger Roar Blade Technique, which only borrows from the memory of language, rather than being used as a one-time material like in some games.

However, after briefly reviewing his cheat abilities, Fang Yuan did not attempt to break through his cultivation techniques at will.

After all, the amount of Daoist essence one can gain through a breakthrough is limited. Fang Yuan didn't believe that those messy cultivation techniques, such as trash skills like language, mathematics, and foreign languages, would help him deal with strange phenomena after a breakthrough...

Weird...

Fang Yuan was extremely wary of this, and he still couldn't understand what exactly happened to him at the pond!

From the perspective of a college student, it didn't conform to any of the physical laws he knew. There was no doubt that it was something that the science and technology he remembered couldn't handle.

Therefore, he must use his precious Daoist essence to achieve breakthroughs that can counteract strange cultivation techniques and skills...

As for Chinese, Mathematics, and English?

Recklessly.

Perhaps one day, after he understands the origin of the [Daoist Rhyme], he will add points to those skills.

For this reason, Fang Yuan didn't say anything more, nor did he think about it anymore.

Daydreaming is useless.

It will only be a waste of time.

It would be better to spend that time on eating and drinking.

Speaking of food and drink... Fang Yuan clearly felt that his body had become even stronger in the past three days.

Compared to other frogs of the same species, he was noticeably larger, and it was unclear whether this was due to the addition of martial arts techniques.

During the three days he spent with Nan Nan, he visited the pond again. The conversation between Nan Nan and the servants, as well as the steward's arrangements, all proved that there had never been any koi in the pond.

Fang Yuan was fairly certain that the koi fish and the sounds he had heard at the beginning were illusions.

It's the effect caused by some strange thing...

Then, thinking back to the blood jade that activated his cheat ability, and the rumors the butler mentioned when Nan Nan and Master Lu first arrived home...

He clearly understood that this was not a safe or ordinary martial arts world... This world was perhaps much more dangerous than he had imagined.

Time passed quickly.

The pet auction then began.

It was around 7 or 8 pm, which is when people are about to go to sleep.

The butler brought in a whole bunch of strange and unusual animals.

There were quite a few animals at the auction, totaling more than a dozen.

The butler also came over and explained to each animal, as well as the servants behind them, how to make the animals look like they could participate in the auction.

Fang Yuan lay on a soft cushion, feeling uncomfortable in the blue robe he was wearing.

That Taoist crown was even more absurd—it was like putting a pot lid on a frog.

quack...

He twisted his neck, trying to shake the thing off, but Nan Nan had tied it tightly with some kind of rope.

The frog doesn't have a thumb, and its arms can only hold its head, so it's impossible to get it off.

"Little Frog, don't move!" Nan Nan clapped her hands beside her. "You look so handsome in your Taoist robe! Like a little Taoist priest!"

quack...

What's the use of being a little Taoist priest? He still can't deal with the supernatural.

Fang Yuan's gaze swept across the surroundings.

On the wooden platform at the very front, there was a blurry black shadow—that must be the butler walking around.

From the left came a "caw caw" sound; it was a white parrot, also wearing a little coat, hopping around on a branch, seemingly equally unhappy with its attire.

To the right, there was the heavy panting and barking of the big yellow dog.

It would wander around aimlessly from time to time, then stick out its tongue to lick other animals, only to be pulled back by the servant behind it.

Caw...

Fang Yuan subconsciously shifted his position, trying to get as far away from the big yellow dog as possible.

That guy was huge, like a moving mountain in his field of vision, and he was always drooling and staring at him.

"Alright, alright, quiet down!" the butler's voice rang out. "Listen up, gentlemen. The young ladies' pets are about to be 'auctioned'. What you need to do is—"

He paused, his tone somewhat helpless, and lowered considerably: "Pretend to be very interested."

"Do you understand? It's about acting like you're really at an auction, raising your paddle, shouting bids, and scrambling for the items..."

"But remember this," the butler emphasized, "no matter how high the bid, in the end it's always the ladies' own pets that get their things! You're just playing along!"

"Yes!" the servants replied in unison.

quack...

It was just a game of pretend after all.

"Come on, let's do a rehearsal first." The butler picked up a wooden plaque. "Let's say this is the first item up for auction—for example, a box of fine dried insects."

"You guys do this: first, poke the animal's rear end twice, and it will squeal. Then you can raise your hands like this," he demonstrated, raising your hands. "'I'll bet one ounce!' 'I'll bet two ounces!' 'I'll bet five ounces!' Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Let's begin!"

The butler cleared his throat and announced in a pretentious manner, "The first item for auction is a box of top-quality dried insects! Starting bid is one tael of silver!"

"One tael!" A servant immediately poked the yellow dog's butt twice. The yellow dog glared at him unhappily, barked twice, and then the servant cleverly raised his hand.

Another servant followed suit, stroking the parrot's feathers to make it happy. The parrot squawked twice, and the servant shouted, "Two ounces!"

The third servant poked a cat's rear end. The cat bared its teeth in displeasure, and the servant, understanding the game's mechanics, shouted loudly and even stood up: "Five taels!"

The butler nodded in satisfaction: "Good, that's the spirit! Remember, you need to act very excited, like you really want it!"

"But—" he changed the subject, "Don't actually try to snatch it! I'll signal who gets the picture, understand?"

"clear!"

Fang Yuan lay on the soft cushion, listening to these conversations, feeling speechless.

Wait, so playing house has a script after all...

Quack... Boring.

Since it's just playing house, he can just be a background character. Anyway, he doesn't expect to get anything out of this childish game.

As long as you don't let him perform any special talents or reveal that he knows martial arts, everything will be fine.

"Alright, let's begin!" The butler clapped his hands. "Ladies, please be seated!"

Footsteps sounded.

Nan Nan skipped over and sat down next to Fang Yuan, and several other young ladies also took their places one after another.

"First item for auction—" the butler held up a small wooden box, "Three select crickets! Starting bid..."

"Woof~ woof woof!" "One ounce!" "Meow~" "Two ounces!" "Squeak squeak!" "Five ounces!"

The servants worked very hard, and the shouts of prices rose and fell.

Fang Yuan lay face down on the soft cushion, his eyelids almost drooping.

Caw... How boring.

He began to drift off into his own thoughts, contemplating his cultivation plan—his Tiger Roar Saber Technique was stuck at the fifth level, and he needed another fifth-level technique to break through.

But right now, besides Chinese, he has no other advanced skills.

Are we really going to add things like [jumping] and [frog croaking] to five levels?

What's the point? To jump higher? To shout louder?

Quack... Just thinking about it feels like a waste of Daoist essence.

"The third item for auction—" the butler's voice continued, "top-quality dried fish..."

"Ten taels!"

"Fifteen taels!"

Fang Yuan yawned.

Quack... Shouldn't this be over soon?

He was already looking forward to his first meal later.

Just then—

"Wait!" Nan Nan exclaimed, suddenly standing up with puffed-out cheeks. "All you've prepared is food! Daddy's auction won't just be about food!"

Ok?

Fang Yuan looked up and saw Nan Nan's figure moving in his field of vision.

The little girl pulled something out of her bosom—

That was a book.

"An auction should have what an auction should have!" she said, handing the book to the butler. "You can include this as an auction item and let them bid on it!"

The book was thin and looked somewhat worn. There seemed to be some large characters written on the cover, but Fang Yuan's eyesight was not good enough to see them.

"What's this?" The butler came over and took the book.

Then he froze.

"Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound!?"

?

"Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound"?

What is that? An internal martial arts technique? Fang Yuan's eyes widened immediately, and he looked up!