They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 201 Benboerba and Baboerben

In the market of Jisaguo, dust and noise mingled with the scent of incense. Chen Guangrui and his party had just sat down at a tea stall when, through a gap in the crowd not far away, an old Taoist priest in a faded robe was speaking anxiously to a young man of noble bearing, dressed in white brocade robes.

"Third Prince, I've predicted it all. Chen Guangrui is about to reach Lion Camel Ridge. Listen to this old Taoist's advice, let's lay low for a while. Getting involved with that guy will never end well. This place is not safe to stay any longer, let's go, let's leave as soon as possible!"

The old Taoist priest spoke while tugging at the white-robed young man's sleeve.

Huang Feng had sharp eyes and recognized the old Taoist priest as Yuan Shoucheng at a glance. Looking at the white-robed young man beside him, he had an extraordinary demeanor and seemed to look down on ordinary people.

Yellow Wind Monster raised a thick eyebrow, grinned silently, nudged Chen Guangrui lightly with his elbow, and muttered,

"Brother Chen, I'm truly impressed this time. When did you find such a helper? He seems quite extraordinary. But how did you manage to swindle him? You seem to have quite a few old friends."

His tone carried a hint of teasing and admiration for Chen Guangrui's methods.

Tang Sheng was chewing on a sweet cake unique to Jisaguo when his little ears keenly picked up the words "Chen Guangrui" and "nothing good" from Yuan Shoucheng. His little brows furrowed, his face full of displeasure, and he tugged at Chen Guangrui's sleeve.
"Dad, why did that white-haired old Taoist priest with the ox-nose curse at you? Who is he? He's really annoying!"

Red Boy, who had been idly kicking pebbles on the ground, suddenly stopped when he heard the words "Azure Wave Pool." His face instantly darkened, and his brows furrowed into a knot.

Bibo Pool was the place where the Bull Demon King often went to fool around. It was because of that wretched pool that the Bull Demon King never went home to see his mother and son. A nameless anger flared up in his heart, and his eyes turned somewhat hostile as he looked at the old Taoist priest and the young man in white.

Chen Guangrui glanced at Yuan Shoucheng and the white-robed young man, a knowing smile appearing on his face. He hadn't expected to see them here. As for the expert Huang Fengguai had mentioned, the Third Prince of Dragons certainly looked like one.

Yuan Shoucheng was clearly unaware of Chen Guangrui and his group's presence and was still trying to persuade them. The young man in white seemed to be getting impatient with Yuan Shoucheng's rambling, his brows furrowed slightly, and he gently brushed away Yuan Shoucheng's hand that was tugging at his sleeve.

In the end, he probably persuaded Yuan Shoucheng, or perhaps Yuan Shoucheng couldn't resist him. The two of them, one after the other, quickly squeezed out of the crowd and left the market of Jisaguo.

Chen Guangrui looked in the direction they disappeared, but did not get up to chase after them. Instead, he picked up his rough pottery teacup and slowly sipped his tea.

…………

Wanshi Mountain, Bibo Pool.

The emerald green pool reflects the surrounding rugged rocks, its surface calm and still, exuding an unfathomable chill.

Yuan Shoucheng stood on the slippery rocks by the bank, gazing at the deep pool before him, his face full of worry, still earnestly trying to persuade him.
"Third Prince, listen to me. Now that we're on their territory, we should plan ahead and probe their strengths. Rushing in recklessly like this might..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Third Prince of the West Sea impatiently flicked his sleeves and glanced sideways at the dark pool. "A mere Azure Pool. I used to be wary of it, but now I avoid its sharp edge?"

Before Yuan Shoucheng could finish speaking, a flash of white light appeared on his body, and he shot off like an arrow, transforming into a white shadow with a "plop" and instantly disappearing into the deep pool.

"Oh... my living ancestor!"

Yuan Shoucheng watched him disappear in desperation, slapping his thigh and pacing back and forth on the shore, his face contorted with wrinkles. "Reckless, so reckless! What should I do?"

He never expected that after going to such great lengths, he would find a living ancestor, which caused him a lot of worry. However, he was just a fortune teller and had no supernatural powers whatsoever, let alone any methods of underwater combat.

Just as I was feeling annoyed, suddenly there was a "splash" at the edge of the calm pool, water splashed everywhere, and two strangely shaped heads popped out.

On the left is a black fish spirit, its body covered in slimy black scales, with a pair of bulging, protruding eyeballs, and holding a rusty steel fork in its hand.

On the right was a catfish spirit with a flat head and two long, fleshy whiskers drooping from its mouth. It held a similarly not-so-sharp harpoon in its hand. The black fish spirit, Benbo'erba, scanned the shore warily with its bulging eyes and shouted gruffly,
"What are you doing? Sneaking around here! Did some pretty boy just go in? Tell me, what's your relationship with him? Are you in cahoots?" He said, pointing his steel fork warily at Yuan Shoucheng.

The catfish spirit Baboerben also shook his wet, fleshy whiskers and chimed in with a muffled voice.
"That's right, my brother and I weren't looking carefully when that pretty boy slipped in. We're definitely going to get a scolding. You must be his accomplice. We just happened to catch you, so it's good that we made amends."

He awkwardly brandished the harpoon, trying to look fierce, but his eyes revealed a simple-mindedness.

Looking at the two ferocious fish spirits in front of him, and then thinking of the Third Prince of the Dragon who had already gone into the water and was probably causing some trouble, Yuan Shoucheng felt extremely overwhelmed.

He quickly put on a smile and waved his hands repeatedly, "Oh dear, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I am Yuan Shoucheng, just a fortune teller passing by. As for that young master just now... I only met him by chance. He insisted on crossing the pool, and I couldn't stop him."

Benbo'erba bulged his fish eyes and said, "A chance encounter? Don't give me that nonsense. I saw you two tugging at each other on the shore. You're definitely in cahoots. Tell me, what's your name? Where are you from? What are you thinking coming to our Bibo Pool?"

He took a step forward, the steel fork almost touching Yuan Shoucheng's Taoist robe.

Baboerben also tried his best to open his almost closed little eyes wide.

"Tell me the truth, stop dawdling, or I'll beat you up." He awkwardly waved the harpoon to bolster his courage.

Yuan Shoucheng was sweating profusely, inwardly groaning. He possessed all the skills of divination, but had no magical powers whatsoever. Faced with these two stubborn and eager-to-make-merit headstrong bluefish spirits, he was utterly helpless.

He could only rack his brains for an explanation, "Your Majesties, please calm your anger, please calm your anger. I am Yuan Shoucheng, a native of Chang'an, merely passing by. That young master's surname is Ao, he is from a wealthy family, young and impetuous, and doesn't know the rules. I..."

"Are you looking for a beating? You call yourself a rich kid? What rich kid are you?"

Benboerba interrupted him, pushing the steel fork forward again, "I don't care what your surname is! I'll capture you, hand you over to the Dragon King, and everything will be settled!"

As he spoke, he and Baboerben exchanged a glance, and then he was about to step forward and grab Yuan Shoucheng.

As Yuan Shoucheng watched the cold steel fork and harpoon about to pierce him, the damp, cold, and fishy smell emanating from the two fish spirits wafted over him, scaring him so much that his face turned pale and he retreated repeatedly, almost tripping over the pebbles on the shore.

Only one thought remained in his mind: It's all over, all over. My lifelong reputation is going to be ruined by these two foolish fish spirits!

Just as Benboerba's black claws were about to seize Yuan Shoucheng's Taoist robe, and Baboerben's harpoon was about to pierce his waist,

"Certainly!"

A clear, childlike voice suddenly rang out, tinged with a hint of mockery and smugness.

As if bound by invisible ropes, Benboerba and Baboerben's forward lunge froze instantly, remaining in a bizarre posture of reaching out to grab and thrusting, their bulging eyes and small eyes wide open, like two wet, water monster statues, frozen on the bank of the Azure Pool. Only their two pairs of fish eyes were filled with extreme horror and bewilderment, their eyeballs darting around desperately, yet not a single sound could be uttered.

Still shaken, Yuan Shouchang stared at the bizarre scene before him, his heart pounding. He looked around blankly and saw several people standing not far behind him. The leader was a young man who looked like a scholar, with one hand gently resting on the shoulder of the bald monk who had shouted "Stay!" earlier, a faint smile on his face.

Beside the scholar stood a burly, imposing man in a yellow robe, arms crossed, watching the two frozen fish spirits with great interest. A small child, wearing a bright red bib and a gold ring around his neck, impatiently walked forward and kicked the frozen Benbo'erba in the rear.
"Pah, two worthless scoundrels, daring to bully people."

Yuan Shoucheng looked at the group of people who had suddenly appeared and saved him. His gaze finally settled on the smiling scholar's face. He let out a long, lingering sigh of relief and cupped his hands in a wry smile. "Scholar Chen, this old Taoist priest... truly thanks you for saving my life."

Chen Guangrui burst into laughter, "Old Yuan, why did I hear you were avoiding me in Jisaguo City?"

(End of this chapter)