ENG
By rocks, a living spring does flow,
Glistening clear, glitters with glow.
In its charm, a froglord does dwell,
Frogs' venom, both sweet and foul.
Continuing from the previous story, the Daoist was rescued from the cold pond by monks who carried him into the mountains. He initially expected them to take him to a temple for healing, but to his surprise, they threw him into a dungeon.
In the dungeon, he endured beguiling chants, suffered from red eyes, and narrowly escaped death multiple times. Despite the hardships, his martial skills improved significantly, which he considered a fortunate turn of events. When he finally returned to the original spot, the frog was nowhere to be found. He left the New West and continued his journey.
One sunny day, the Daoist arrived at a ridge covered in lush greenery, with a few thatched huts indicating habitation. Seeking a place to rest, he stepped into a large courtyard but accidentally fell into a hole.
Inside, he found layers of spider webs and insect guais everywhere. Fortunately, he was no longer as helpless as before and managed to navigate deeper into the cave. The tadpoles he had been nurturing in his gourd suddenly became lively.
He squeezed through a stone crevice and saw a large crimson-skinned frog occupying a natural spring, with insect guais keeping their distance. Drawing his sword, he attacked the frog. They fought fiercely in the water, one emitting crackling electricity, the other thrashing its limbs powerfully. As they reached a stalemate, the frog opened its mouth and extended a left hand from within, striking the Daoist's face and sending him aback. The frog then tilted its head back, and the Daoist, having learned his lesson, dared not approach. The frog spewed poisonous water, which spread and contaminated the entire pond.
The Daoist hadn't anticipated this ability and, lacking any antidote, hurriedly retreated through the stone crevice. As he did, he heard a female voice behind him, "Daoist, why aren't you practicing your swordsmanship at the temple? Are you here to seek death?"
Poisoned and unable to respond, he collapsed into the muddy pond. In his hazy state, he heard the woman call for help, "Quick, carry him back to the temple. We can't let him die here; it would be hard to explain."
This continues a story about a Daoist who was rescued from a cold pond by some monks. He expected to be taken to their temple for healing, but instead they threw him into a dungeon in the mountains. In that dungeon he suffered strange chanting, red eyes, and several near-death experiences. Despite the cruelty, his martial skills improved a lot, which he counted as a kind of luck. After he left the dungeon and returned to the place where he had first been in trouble, the frog he had seen there was gone, so he left the New West and kept traveling.
One day he reached a green ridge with a few thatched huts. Looking for a place to rest, he walked into a large courtyard and accidentally fell into a hole. The hole led down into a cave full of spider webs and insect guais, which were scattered everywhere. He was no longer as helpless as before, and he managed to push deeper into the cave. The tadpoles he had been carrying in his gourd suddenly became lively again while he was inside.
Squeezing through a narrow stone crevice, he came on a natural spring where a very large, crimson-skinned frog sat. The insect guais kept their distance from that frog. He drew his sword and attacked. The frog and the Daoist fought fiercely in the water: the frog gave off crackling electricity while the Daoist used powerful limb strikes. The fight reached a standstill without a clear winner.
Then the frog did something unexpected. It opened its mouth, and a left hand stretched out from inside and struck the Daoist in the face, knocking him back. The frog then tilted its head and spat poisonous water. The poison spread and contaminated the whole pond. The Daoist had not seen this ability before and had no antidote, so he retreated quickly back through the crevice.
As he stumbled away poisoned and weak, he heard a woman call to him from behind, asking why he was not practicing swordsmanship at the temple and if he was there to seek death. He collapsed into the muddy pond, and in a daze heard the woman call for help, saying to carry him back to the temple so they would not have to explain his death. The immediate implication is that he will be taken back to the temple for rescue or treatment, while the dangerous, poisonous frog remains at the spring.