Starting with the frog, he has ruled for eternity.

Chapter 46 Croak! Don't go in!

Chen Tieshan stood stiffly on the empty street.

Cold sweat slid down his forehead and dripped onto the ground down his cheeks.

What about people?

The dozen or so disciples who were just behind him, along with Lu Feng, Nan Nan... all disappeared!

It's as if it never existed!

"Da Niu! Lao Li!" Chen Tieshan whirled around and shouted in the direction he had come from, "Where are the others!?"

Pedestrians on the street turned their heads and looked at the burly man shouting in the middle of the street as if he were a madman.

But no one responded to him.

Chen Tieshan's breathing quickened as he stared intently at his surroundings, trying to find any familiar figure.

But no.

There was nothing there.

"Impossible...impossible..." Chen Tieshan muttered to himself. He suddenly rushed to a peddler who was setting up a stall on the street. "Old Zhang! Did you see that? A group of people were following me just now, did you see them?!"

The peddler was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, "Master Chen, what's wrong? I've been setting up my stall here the whole time and haven't seen anyone. You...you came all by yourself."

"Nonsense!" Chen Tieshan grabbed the peddler by the collar. "There were clearly more than a dozen people! And the second young master and young lady of the Lu family too! How could you not have seen them?!"

"Master Chen! Master Chen, please calm down!" The peddler was terrified, his face pale. "I really didn't see anything! You were definitely alone just now! I... why would I lie to you!"

Pedestrians around stopped and gathered to watch.

"What's wrong with Master Chen?"

"Could it be that he's developed a problem from practicing martial arts?"

"It looks like it's possessed..."

Hearing the whispers, Chen Tieshan abruptly released his grip and staggered back two steps.

Looking at the doubtful, sympathetic, or wary gazes around him, his unease grew stronger.

wrong.

This isn't because he's crazy.

Something has happened.

event!

Chen Tieshan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear in his heart. He turned and walked away quickly, seeing two city defense soldiers patrolling at the street corner.

"Halt!" Chen Tieshan rushed over and blocked the two men's path. "Quick! Go and inform Lord Shouzheng and Lord Zhang immediately! Tell them that strange things have happened in the city! The second young master and young lady of the Lu family have gone missing! And more than a dozen of my martial arts school's disciples have also disappeared!"

The two soldiers exchanged a glance, and the older one frowned, saying, "Master Chen, are you telling the truth?"

"Absolutely true!" Chen Tieshan gritted his teeth. "They vanished right before my eyes! Gone in the blink of an eye! Go and inform them! This can't be delayed!"

Looking at Chen Tieshan's face, which was covered in cold sweat and filled with terror, the older soldier finally nodded: "Okay, I'll go report right away! You...you be careful."

After saying that, the soldier turned and quickly left.

Another, younger soldier hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Master Chen, what did those people say last? Which direction did they go?"

"East of the city!" Chen Tieshan suddenly remembered. "Wang Daniu said he was going to the east of the city! He said a new restaurant opened there!"

"The east side of the city?" The young soldier paused, "But the east side of the city is all old houses, where are there any newly opened restaurants?"

"That's what I said too!" Chen Tieshan slapped his thigh. "But they insist there is! It's the only clue!"

The young soldier nodded: "Then...Master Chen, are you going to the east of the city?"

"I have to go!" Chen Tieshan gritted his teeth and said, "I'll go take a look!"

If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, but in this city, besides Lord Zhang, he's the tallest! If he doesn't go, who will?!

When Lord Zhang arrives, surely he won't risk his life!

In the end, won't it still be up to Chen Tieshan?

After saying that, he turned around and ran wildly towards the east of the city.

A young soldier called out from behind, "Master Chen! Wait! I'll go with you—"

But Chen Tieshan had already run far away.

……

Above the eaves.

A dark green figure leaped between the rooftops like a ghost.

Fang Yuan crouched on a high eave, his large eyes fixed on the burly man running wildly below.

Quack?

What's going on with Chen Tieshan?

When Fang Yuan arrived near the martial arts school, he saw Chen Tieshan leading a group of people out of the school.

He was initially quite happy—it seemed Nan Nan was alright, and Chen Tieshan was going to take her somewhere fun.

But in the next second, Fang Yuan saw a scene that made his scalp tingle.

That group of people... disappeared.

It's not that we've gone far, nor that we've turned into an alley.

It simply vanished into thin air.

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen people were gone, leaving only Chen Tieshan standing on the street, looking around like a fool.

quack!

This...this isn't right!

Fang Yuan wanted to jump right then and there, but reason told him he couldn't act rashly.

Although he now possesses the "Moon Palace Step," allowing him to walk on snow without leaving a trace, he is still, after all, a giant frog half a meter tall. Jumping into a crowd in broad daylight, it's no wonder he's mistaken for a monster.

So he could only follow from a distance.

Fortunately, the "Moon Palace Step" not only allowed him to land silently, but also granted him the ability to move between rooftops. Combined with the frog's natural jumping ability, he could traverse these rooftops as if walking on flat ground.

Chen Tieshan ran below, while Fang Yuan followed above.

The person and the frog maintained a relatively safe distance.

Chen Tieshan seemed to sense something and subconsciously looked up at the eaves.

Fang Yuan immediately lowered his body, trying to make himself less conspicuous.

quack...

Discovered?

……

A little frog...

A tiny frog, no bigger than the palm of your hand...? Is it really that big?

It doesn't seem so...

Chen Tieshan withdrew his gaze, his thoughts somewhat sluggish, but he continued running. For him, finding the person and rescuing them was the most important thing right now!

...However, something seems off.

But... this frog was perched on a rooftop so far away, and I was so far away, yet I could still clearly see that it was a frog?

Logically speaking, at such a distance, a frog the size of a palm should have been too small to see clearly by now.

The fact that you can see the outline means that this thing must at least have...

Chen Tieshan paused slightly, his brows furrowing.

He had a vague feeling that something was wrong!

It's impossible for a frog to...

A sense of crisis flashed through his mind, and his instinctive alertness made him want to stop and observe carefully.

But in that instant, a strange, perfectly natural thought, like flowing water, slid through his mind, instantly filling the logical gap:

"Oh, those are the frogs that little girl from the Lu family keeps."

"Since that girl disappeared around here, it's perfectly reasonable for her pet to come looking for her."

"Well, since it's just that frog, let's ignore it. Saving lives is the priority."

The idea made so much sense, so perfectly natural.

Chen Tieshan didn't even glance at it a second time, turning his gaze away and continuing to speed towards the east of the city.

……

quack...

……

The old city area in the east of the city.

This is the old territory of Yinyang City that has not yet been renovated. Broken walls, withered wells, and old trees—a place rarely visited except by beggars and stray dogs.

Chen Tieshan stopped in his tracks.

He stood before a ruin overgrown with weeds, his chest rising and falling slightly.

The scene before me was one of utter desolation; there wasn't a single newly opened restaurant in sight. There wasn't even a proper roof.

"Wang Daniu..."

Chen Tieshan gritted his teeth, a hint of anger at being mocked flashing in his eyes, but more than that, a deep sense of powerlessness.

The trail has gone cold?

Or have they been taken to another place they can't see?

He looked around. The ruins were eerily quiet, without even the chirping of insects, only the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the broken windows.

Just as he was about to draw his sword and try to disrupt the surrounding environment to see if he could break through any illusion,

"Master, you've arrived?"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out in front of him.

Chen Tieshan was startled and suddenly looked up.

Just a dozen steps ahead, in front of the ruins that had been deserted, a group of people were now standing there.

It was Wang Daniu, Lao Li, Lu Feng, and Nan Nan, whom he had been searching for!

They stood with their backs to Chen Tieshan, facing the broken wall that was only half intact, and lined up neatly in a row.

Everyone was very relaxed, as if they were having a casual chat.

"Wang Daniu! Young Master Lu!"

Overjoyed, Chen Tieshan instinctively rushed over, shouting, "What are you doing here?! There's no restaurant around here! Come back with me!"

He rushed to the back of the group and reached out to pull Wang Daniu, who was at the back of the line.

However, just as his hand was about to touch Wang Daniu's shoulder—

hum.

The air rippled as if on water.

Chen Tieshan felt a blur before his eyes, as if his mind had been stuffed with a lump of paste. The anxiety, anger, and vigilance he felt suddenly dried up, like a stream whose source had been cut off.

"……go back?"

Chen Tieshan's hand froze in mid-air, a moment of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Why should I let them go back?

"What am I here for?"

"Oh... I'm here to take them out for dinner."

The next moment, the scene before my eyes changed.

The broken wall is gone, the ruins are gone, and the weeds are gone too.

A brand-new, magnificent three-story restaurant appeared out of nowhere before his eyes.

Red lacquered doorposts, carved window frames, upturned eaves, and two large red lanterns hanging at the entrance, swaying gently in the wind.

The restaurant's signboard bears three large, gilded characters:

【Zuixianlou】

The three large characters shone brightly in the night.

The rich aroma of wine and meat, accompanied by the sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments, wafted towards us.

Chen Tieshan was stunned.

He blinked, then rubbed his eyes.

The restaurant is still there.

And the more you look at it, the more realistic it becomes.

You can even smell the aroma of food wafting out and hear the commotion coming from inside.

"Master? What's wrong?" Wang Daniu looked at Chen Tieshan in confusion. "What are you spacing out for? Come on in, I'm starving."

"Yes, yes, Master, didn't you say you were going to treat us to a meal?"

"Let's go, let's go!"

The disciples started making a fuss, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively.

Chen Tieshan opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't say a word.

That intense sense of unease, that unsettling intuition, had become blurred at that moment.

just like……

It was as if he had come here specifically to eat.

"It smells so good..."

Chen Tieshan sniffed, and the tense expression on his face instantly crumbled, melting into a smile that was both simple and expectant.

He very naturally changed his hand from grabbing someone to patting Wang Daniu on the shoulder.

"Good lad, you've found a great spot! It's certainly impressive!"

Wang Daniu turned around, a familiar,憨笑 on his face: "Right, Master! I told you long ago, the braised pork knuckle here is amazing! But you have to queue."

"What's wrong with queuing? Good food is worth the wait!"

Chen Tieshan stood at the very back of the line with his hands behind his back, grinning from ear to ear, and even peeked ahead:

"Young Master Lu, Miss Lu, this meal is on me today! Order whatever you like, don't try to save me any money!"

Ahead, Lu Feng, holding Nan Nan's hand, turned around, his face beaming with joy: "Then we'll have to trouble Master Chen to pay!"

Nan Nan sweetly called out, "Thank you, Uncle Chen!"

Chen Tieshan was about to take a step, but the next moment he struggled to retreat...

but……

Pupils dilated...eyes unfocused.

"Yeah...yes..." Chen Tieshan muttered to himself, "I...I was going to treat you to dinner..."

He gave up struggling once again, forcing a faint smile onto his face.

It felt like a bitter smile, or a mixture of fear and tears.

"Let's go then!" Wang Daniu laughed and gave Chen Tieshan a push. "Master, you've been very generous today, we have to make a good profit off you!"

"Haha, right, right, right..." Chen Tieshan chuckled twice, his steps moving uncontrollably toward the restaurant. He turned his head to look outside one last time.

Outside, there were dilapidated buildings, just like the abandoned urban areas he remembered.

In the distance, there was only a small black dot—a frog…

quack...

frog……

Chen Tieshan was stunned for a moment... Why are there frogs here?

This...this is an abandoned city! There shouldn't be frogs here, and there shouldn't be restaurants here...

A fleeting moment of clarity crossed his eyes!

"Oh my! Who is this! A rare guest indeed! Please come in!" Suddenly, a waiter ran out, his face beaming with smiles. "Isn't this Director Chen?! Our humble establishment is so fortunate to have a guest like you..."

what……

Chen Tieshan turned around.

Frog...frog...

What's so strange about frogs!

The memories that were just moments ago so clear in Chen Tieshan's mind quickly became blurry, as if they were seen through a layer of fog.

Instead, a sense of entitlement naturally arose.

I'm here to eat.

I want to treat my disciples to a meal.

It's normal to have frogs here; frogs look delicious.

Eating frogs is perfectly normal.

This is normal.

Everything is normal.

"By the way, do you have any frogs here?" Chen Tieshan asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Frog...?" The waiter paused for a moment, then laughed, "You mean frogs? We not only have them here, but we also have many ways to cook them!"

"Roasted frog legs, fried frog legs, boiled frog legs, and hot pot frog legs! Come on in and have a taste!"

Chen Tieshan was immediately relieved.

"It's good to have frogs, it's good to have frogs..."

It's quite normal to find frogs in a restaurant... right?

Chen Tieshan laughed, and everyone laughed too. Together, they walked towards the magnificent restaurant.

Pushing open the door, the room was brightly lit and filled with guests.

"Welcome to Zuixianlou!"

A shopkeeper dressed in a red robe and with a smile on his face came forward, his voice warm and high-pitched.

"Gentlemen, please come in—room number 2 (甲字二) still has seats available. We wish you a pleasant meal!"

only……

Caw~~~~~~!

Faintly, Chen Tieshan could still hear a muffled croaking sound, like the beating of a drum...

Why?

Will there be frog croaking?