Others did not recognize Wang Xiaoqiang as Lord Marquis, but Dai Yu naturally did. Fearing that the people might be disrespectful, she reminded them, "Everyone, he is the newly appointed Lord Marquis."

"The newly appointed... Lord Marquis... No, really?!"

"Lord Marquis is so young? Ah, and quite handsome too."

"I only heard that the newly appointed Lord Marquis has a high Immortal Dao cultivation base, but I never imagined he is also a talented scholar, truly gifted in both letters and martial arts! Tsk tsk!"

This group of literati were quite straightforward and outspoken, and at this moment, they did not pay their respects to Wang Xiaoqiang, but just looked at him with a burst of praise. Among them, two female scholars displayed fervent admiration for Wang Xiaoqiang, just like female fans seeing a celebrity.

Wang Xiaoqiang pretended to have just seen Dai Yu and said, "Ah, isn't this Dai Yu? What a coincidence to meet here, haha!"

"May Lord Marquis be safe!" Dai Yu bowed slightly, paying her respects.

Although she was disguised as a man, she was still psychologically a woman. Overcome with nervousness, she forgot her disguise and performed a courtesy like a woman, which looked rather comical.

Watching her slightly flustered and shy demeanor, Wang Xiaoqiang smiled amiably and politely said, "Uh, Dai Yu, there's no need for such formalities between us!"

Dai Yu did not extend an invitation to Wang Xiaoqiang.

As clever as she was, how could she not know that Wang Xiaoqiang had come for her?!

At this moment, her feelings towards Wang Xiaoqiang were complex; she wanted to get closer, yet she also felt fearful, afraid that Wang Xiaoqiang would be like the depraved Jiang Kun.

Wang Xiaoqiang, knowing the principle of capturing by letting go, saw that Dai Yu did not extend an invitation and understood she still felt some repulsion towards him. Hence, he waved his hand and said, "Have fun, everyone. Boatman, keep rowing forward…"

After saying that, Wang Xiaoqiang no longer glanced at Dai Yu.

Dai Yu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt a slight sense of loss in her heart.

Just as Wang Xiaoqiang's boat was pulling away,

suddenly

the water boomed loudly, the dark green surface split with waves, and with a whoosh, a figure sprang from the water right beside the large painter's barge.

After launching from the water, the figure landed again on the surface, able to stand on the waves. He stood there like a large frog.

In his hands, he held two shiny knives.

The scholars with Dai Yu, having never seen such a spectacle, immediately screamed in terror, but the scene that followed stunned them into silence.

The figure crouching on the water emitted a crackling sound. The skin and flesh on his body split open, revealing another body beneath. This underbody was pitch-black, with both arms covered in spikes, and instead of hands, there were sharp claws at the tips of the arms.

Instead of a human head, there was a frog-shaped head on the shoulders with a big mouth that spat out a two-meter-long tongue, which was also covered in spikes.

It was a Frog Demon.

"Ah..."

Dai Yu and the literati, having no cultivation base and accustomed only to composing poetry in the safety of their greenhouse-like environment, were terrified by this eerie scene. They screamed and fled into the painter's barge.

The Frog Demon leapt towards Dai Yu and the scholars.

Before even reaching them, its long tongue stretched out, and instantly, it wrapped around one of the scholars. The spikes on the tongue pierced the man's body, making it a bloody mess.

Then the Frog Demon retracted its tongue, and amid the pitiful screams of the man, it swallowed him into its gaping mouth.

After killing one scholar, the Frog Demon leapt directly onto the large barge and, as if with a specific target in mind, lunged towards Dai Yu.

Dai Yu, terrified, turned pale and screamed, "Lord Marquis, save me!"

Wang Xiaoqiang had already noticed what was happening, but the Frog Demon was too close to the large barge and acted too quickly for him to intervene. When he heard Dai Yu's cry for help, he drew the Sun-Shooting Bow and aimed an arrow at the Frog Demon.

Whoosh!

The Gang Qi Arrow pierced through the Frog Demon's chest, pinning it dead on the barge. Blood pooled underneath.

Dai Yu narrowly escaped death and now, her shock barely settled, she looked towards Wang Xiaoqiang.

At that moment…

Swish, swish, swish, swish...

A roaring sound of water rose, waves splitting and surging, as dozens of Frog Demons emerged from the water, completely surrounding the massive painted boat.

Upon seeing this, Dai Yu, terrified, opened his mouth to scream but couldn't make a sound, much like a person in a nightmare.

Wang Xiaoqiang saw that these Frog Demons possessed weak demonic power, but their advantage lay in their numbers. To prevent Dai Yu from getting hurt, Wang Xiaoqiang leaped forward, jumped onto the massive painted boat, and embraced the panic-stricken Dai Yu in his arms.

At that moment, he was one hundred percent certain that Dai Yu was a woman.

The curvaceous and graceful body, that unique fragrance only women possess, felt like warm, fragrant, soft jade, causing Wang Xiaoqiang a tumult of emotions.

The moment Wang Xiaoqiang held her in his arms, Dai Yu's delicate body trembled.

Just then, dozens of Frog Demons surrounded them from all directions. Their long tongues covered with barbs kept rolling and lashing out, filling the air with a pungent smell.

Wang Xiaoqiang saved Dai Yu, but he couldn't ensure the safety of the others on the boat. With a thought, he released Little Qing.

After coming out, Little Qing found itself on a massive painted boat with its master embracing a "man" while dozens of Frog Demons converged around them. A flash of confusion crossed its face.

"Little Qing, kill them for me!" Wang Xiaoqiang commanded harshly.

"Yes, Master." Little Qing quickly understood, transformed into a giant snake, and bit one of the Frog Demons lunging toward them.

With just one bite, it swallowed a Frog Demon, then with a sweep of its tail, knocked several Frog Demons rushing from the front into the water.

Wang Xiaoqiang's willpower moved again, and the Patterned Beast flew off his back, roaring furiously. It opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of fire at the Frog Demons approaching from behind Wang Xiaoqiang.

The flames, solid as if tangible, immediately roasted two of the oncoming Frog Demons into charred meat.

"Wah... wah..." The two Frog Demons struck by the flames let out painful screams and disappeared back into the water.

The strength of these Frog Demons was only comparable to Demon Beasts, so upon facing Little Qing and the Patterned Beast, some died, some were injured, and some fled; they soon vanished without a trace.

The surrounding painted boats, having seen the arrival of the Demon Creatures, had fled in fear, leaving only the massive painted boat and Wang Xiaoqiang's boat. The remaining eight scholars had hidden inside the boat, losing all interest in reciting poetry and feeling nothing but terror.

With Dai Yu held in Wang Xiaoqiang's arms, she felt considerably more at ease, but the scene of slaughter unfolding before her eyes still dizzied her. She momentarily forgot to push Wang Xiaoqiang away and continued to be held by him.

With warm fragrant soft jade in his arms, Wang Xiaoqiang felt very content and did not let go of her.

Suddenly...

Boom!

A tremendous roar erupted, and a waterspout shot up, lifting waves that rose ten feet high. When the waves fell, they revealed hundreds of Frog Demons and Child Demons gathered together, carrying an even larger Demon Species, which stood as tall as three men, its body black as ink and surrounded by a swirling layer of black demon qi.

Despite its rough and fearsome body, this Great Demon had a human face, which looked incredibly fierce and malevolent.

Upon the appearance of this Great Demon, a tremendous wave of demonic power spread out, covering a hundred-meter radius of the water surface. The scholars in the painted boat, including Dai Yu, were overwhelmed by this demonic power and fainted.

Wang Xiaoqiang handed Dai Yu over to Little Qing for protection.

Little Qing, flickering back to a humanoid snake form, held Dai Yu in its arms and, with a flick of its tail, swam into the water. It was then that Little Qing realized that the person Wang Xiaoqiang had been holding was not a man but a woman.

"Boy, do you recognize me!?" the Great Demon stared at Wang Xiaoqiang and spoke in a deep, booming voice. His voice sounded like grating wood and was very unpleasant to hear.

"You, you're not human!" Wang Xiaoqiang twitched his lips into a cold smile, indirectly insulting the other.

"Hmph! Little bastard, do you remember the Yin-Yang Immortal Lord?" When the Great Demon asked this, a surge of anger appeared on his face, as if he harbored an irreconcilable hatred towards Wang Xiaoqiang.

"Uh, you mean that genderless freak, right? Seems like I've seen him once,"

"Then let me ask you, was he killed by you?"

"Of course not, it was the people from the Chiba Clan who killed him."

"The Chiba Clan has been exterminated by me, but I heard it was you who manipulated others to do your dirty work, you are the real mastermind behind my grandson's murder..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoqiang's heart skipped a beat. This Great Demon, claiming to be the grandfather of the Yin-Yang Demon Lord, could it be the legendary North Sea Demon King? (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.