He handed forward his wooden identity plaque. Once the deacon disciple finished verifying it, the disciple cleared his throat and read aloud:
“Shen Xiuhan of Tingquan Academy, assigned to the Precious Fish Pond on Thousand Pools Island. Position: patrol guard and fish catcher. The assignment is for half a year, with a monthly salary of forty taels of silver, plus one Precious Fish from the pond!”
The moment those words fell, the previously noisy front of the hall fell dead silent. Dozens of gazes from the surroundings swept over in unison.
There was shock, there was surprise, but most of all, there was pity.
“The Precious Fish Pond? Why are they pushing a newly admitted disciple into that fiery pit?”
“Hey, what are you saying? Does that mean us veteran disciples should be the ones sent to that awful place instead?”
“Exactly... Over the past few years, which of our fellow disciples sent to catch Precious Fish hasn't complained endlessly? No one wants to go year after year, so they probably have to trick the newcomers into going.”
Outside the crowd.
Liu Chong, who had been overjoyed about being assigned to the prefecture capital, suddenly froze, the smile stiffening on his face.
As soon as Shen Xiuhan calmly walked out holding his assignment token, Liu Chong took a quick step forward, grabbed him, and said anxiously:
“Junior Brother Shen, how could they assign you to the Precious Fish Pond? That place has always been a duty only veteran disciples can handle... Come, come, come with me to ask. Maybe they got your name mixed up on the register!”
Seeing Liu Chong's frantic look, Shen Xiuhan's expression remained inscrutable. He caught Liu Chong's hand and interrupted:
“Don't worry, Senior Brother. Could you tell me what kind of place this Precious Fish Pond is?”
“Oh, you really don't know how bad it is!”
Liu Chong slapped his thigh in anxiety, dragging him under the shade of a tree as he sighed repeatedly.
“The Precious Fish Pond is located on Thousand Pools Island to the east, close to the Huai River system of the prefecture capital. It's called a fish pond in name, but it's actually a body of water spanning dozens of miles!
“Inside those waters are Precious Fish that our Star-Plucking Sect has raised for hundreds of years!
“Among them, Tier One and Tier Two fish are countless, and there's no shortage of Tier Three and Tier Four big catches!”
He paused, lowering his voice a bit more.
“But Precious Fish are spiritual creatures. Not only are they incredibly alert, but some even possess techniques to spit water arrows and injure people. How could they be easy to catch?
“The most terrible part is... whenever the sect's elixir pavilion or medicine hall orders fish for alchemy, the deadlines are extremely tight, and the requested quantities are massive. To make up the numbers, the fish catchers have to soak in the water all day long, leaving them with no time at all to cultivate!”
Liu Chong shook his head slightly, his tone growing heavier.
“Our Tingquan Academy had a senior sister who was assigned to the Precious Fish Pond. She ended up working as a mere fisherwoman for half a year, with absolutely no time to practice martial arts!
“In the end, because she didn't catch enough Precious Fish, her salary for the half-year was docked by a full half...
“Because of this, everyone in the sect regards the Precious Fish Pond as a path of dread, and absolutely no one wants to go. If you don't hurry to the Logistics Hall to change this assignment token, this half-year will be completely wasted!”
With that, Liu Chong pulled Shen Xiuhan, intending to barge back inside.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Senior Brother Liu, don't rush, don't rush.”
Shen Xiuhan chuckled and held him back, rubbing his nose with a subtle smile.
“Senior Brother might not know, but I actually come from a family of fishermen. When it comes to catching fish, I can be considered... slightly skilled!”
How could Liu Chong agree to that? He tried to persuade him a few more times.
But seeing Shen Xiuhan's resolute attitude, he could only fling his sleeve and let out a long sigh.
“Sigh, you! Have you really thought this through? You're not going to change the assignment?”
Shen Xiuhan smiled. “Don't worry, Senior Brother. I know what I'm doing.”
After much persuasion, Shen Xiuhan finally put an end to Liu Chong's thoughts of changing the assignment. Together, they boarded a boat and headed back toward Tingquan Island.
On the way, Liu Chong informed him of some rules.
New disciples who received their assignment tokens had to report to their duty stations on the very same day to familiarize themselves with the environment.
Veteran disciples, on the other hand, could rest and prepare for a few more days.
Thus, after sending Liu Chong back to Tingquan Island, Shen Xiuhan did not even disembark. He rowed the scull straight toward Thousand Pools Island.
...
Thousand Pools Island.
The island lived up to its name.
Ancient trees towered into the sky, and the winding coastline was dotted with countless pools of all sizes, nestled between jagged, bizarrely shaped rocks and lush, green forests.
The moment he stepped onto the island, he could see a hundred-foot-tall watchtower made of ironwood standing on a high, open clearing in the center of the island.
Shen Xiuhan climbed the steps up the tower. Standing on the high platform, leaning against the railing and looking out into the distance, was Duan Hongling, the manager of the Precious Fish Pond.
The woman was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall and slender. She wore the goose-yellow martial robes of Chiming Academy, which perfectly outlined her full and shapely figure, yet she naturally exuded an aura of cold dignity that brooked no offense.
She took his assignment token, and as her gaze swept over it, her willow-leaf brows instantly furrowed. She said coldly:
“A new disciple from Tingquan Academy? The Logistics Hall is really getting more and more outrageous! Right now, the elixir pavilion is pressing hard for fish. A new disciple won't even understand the habits of Precious Fish. What use is sending you here?”
With that, she waved her hand irritably, giving Shen Xiuhan no room to speak:
“Lately, it is the mating season for the Precious Fish, and I must personally guard the watchtower without distraction.
“Walk two miles north along the path, and you will find several bamboo huts. Pick one to live in. Someone will come later to explain the island's rules to you. You may leave now.”
“Thank you for informing me, Senior Sister.”
Shen Xiuhan's expression remained calm. He cupped his fists in salute, turned, and went down the tower, heading toward the south of the island.
Before he had walked far, he saw several bamboo huts nestled deep within the shade of the forest.
Moss grew all over the base of the huts, but fortunately, they were still relatively dry.
He casually chose an uninhabited one, pushed open the door, and swept it clean.
Then, parting his robes, he sat down on the slightly cool bamboo bed, his eyes filled with contemplation.
Duan Hongling's earlier irritation was not hard to understand.
As Liu Chong had said, Precious Fish possessed spiritual intelligence and were extremely difficult to catch, yet the sect's elixir pavilion and medicine hall were constantly pressing for them.
As the manager, Duan Hongling naturally hoped for experienced veterans.
Otherwise, if the deficit was too large and the sect placed the blame, she, as the manager, would be the first to suffer.
'However...'
Shen Xiuhan rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing slightly.
'The Precious Fish Pond is highly unpopular among disciples, and the fact that I entered the sect with Zuo Muxian's letter of recommendation shouldn't be a secret to those who pay attention.'
'Even knowing that Zuo Muxian stands behind me, they still stuffed me into the Precious Fish Pond... Could someone be intentionally targeting me?'
'Or... am I overthinking? Is the Logistics Hall truly distributing assignments fairly, and my coming to the Precious Fish Pond is just a coincidence?'
The petty schemes and power struggles within a sect were never any less than those in the secular world.
This sliver of doubt lingered in Shen Xiuhan's mind for only an instant before being replaced by resolve.
'Whether it's intentional or not, I'll know once I use my intelligence system to investigate!'
At this thought, he composed his mind and was just about to open the box...
Suddenly!
Outside the bamboo forest, the rustling sound of two sets of footsteps stepping on dry branches and fallen leaves echoed.
Immediately after, a slightly muffled male voice rang out:
“Is the newcomer, Shen Xiuhan, inside?”
Shen Xiuhan stood up, pushed open the bamboo door, and looked outside.
On the bamboo path outside stood a man and a woman side by side.
The man was about twenty years old. His clothes were casually rolled up, his front collar and cuffs stained with mud. He clutched a large, black net in his hand, and his brow carried an unmistakable look of irritability.
The woman was much cleaner, wearing an emerald-green silk dress. Her dark hair was loosely tied behind her head. She had gentle eyes and a pretty face, though a trace of fatigue on her cheeks lent her a delicate, fragile air.
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