Upon seeing Shen Xiuhan, the man sized him up and said in a stiff tone, “Lu Zhaoyuan of Kaiyang Academy. This is my wife, Song Rou, a disciple of Feixuan Academy.”
Lu Zhaoyuan spoke incredibly fast, his voice laced with impatience. Skipping any pleasantries, he went straight to the point: “I was ordered by the manager to explain the island's rules to you and assign your designated waters.
“There are only two rules. First, when there are no fish-catching tasks assigned, you are responsible for patrolling the waters. Keep your eyes peeled. If any thieves sneak in and steal even one or two Precious Fish, you will be held solely responsible!
“Second, if the sect issues a task, regardless of whether you are in seclusion or cultivating, you must immediately drop everything and gather the required number of Precious Fish as quickly as possible. If the deadline passes and the catch does not match the ledger, you will be severely punished!”
With that, Lu Zhaoyuan casually pointed to the north. “Walk north from here to the shore, and you will find a row of bamboo huts. Inside are six outer sect disciples responsible for chores. That twenty-mile area of marshland will be under your charge from now on. Farewell!”
He rattled off the instructions like beans spilling from a bamboo tube. Once he finished speaking, Lu Zhaoyuan did not want to stay for even another second. He turned and walked back toward the bamboo forest.
Seeing this, the woman named Song Rou wore a helpless expression. She looked at Shen Xiuhan apologetically and explained, “Please do not take offense, Junior Brother. My husband... sigh, the Precious Fish he was responsible for catching have been falling short of the quota, and he was just scolded by the manager. He is in a bad mood, but he did not mean to neglect you...”
Shen Xiuhan gave a carefree smile upon hearing this and cupped his fists. “You worry too much, Senior Sister. Catching Precious Fish is no easy task to begin with. I naturally understand Senior Brother Lu's difficulties.”
“Thank you for your understanding, Junior Brother,” Song Rou nodded quietly.
She paused, a trace of hesitation flickering in her beautiful eyes as her pearly teeth bit her lower lip. After a brief struggle, she finally took a few gentle steps forward, pulled a thin booklet from her robes, and said in a low voice:
“You have just arrived, Junior Brother, so you do not know how difficult it is to catch Precious Fish. If you have no direction, you will likely suffer quite a bit. This booklet... is something I compiled in my spare time. It contains the habits of various Precious Fish, their preferred baits, and the times and places they appear most often.”
She handed the thin booklet over and continued, “However... I rarely visit the northern waters, so the information inside is not very detailed. I hope you will not look down on it.”
Shen Xiuhan's expression shifted slightly. He took the booklet, which still carried her warmth, with both hands and said solemnly, “How could I? This is an immense help to me. I am truly unworthy of such kindness!”
Song Rou did not say anything more. She nodded gently and turned, her shapely waist swaying as she hurried after Lu Zhaoyuan's retreating figure.
Deep within the bamboo forest.
A gentle breeze swept through the thousands of bamboo stalks, making a soft rustling sound.
Lu Zhaoyuan stood waiting there with his arms crossed, his face expressionless. Seeing Song Rou walking over with her head lowered, a cold sneer curled his lips. “What? Did you take a liking to that fresh-faced little brat who just entered the sect?”
“Husband... do not talk nonsense!”
Song Rou's face turned pale before instantly flushing crimson.
With anger in her beautiful eyes, she glared at him fiercely and stamped her foot in frustration. “I heard from the manager that Junior Brother Shen has just entered the sect and was worried he wouldn't be able to meet his quota. I was merely lending a helping hand...”
At this point, the anger in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by disappointment and sorrow. Her voice softened. “Senior Brother... Husband! How did you become like this? When you first entered the inner sect, full of high spirits, weren't you also eager to help others and make close friends? Why are you now...”
“Friends? Hmph!”
Before she could finish, Lu Zhaoyuan snorted coldly. A surge of intense, twisted hatred erupted in his eyes, and the muscles on his face twitched. “Are you talking about Pang Lide, or Lai An?!”
“That Zhang Jiuyang humiliated me so, exiling me to this Precious Fish Pond. Yet my two so-called 'good brothers' not only refused to lend a hand, but they even plotted in the shadows, helping that thief Zhang find ways to... Hmph!”
Lu Zhaoyuan's eyes flickered with intense malice as his nails dug deep into the flesh of his palms. Gritting his teeth, he said word by word, “I've finally seen through this world! Close friends, family, background, connections—they are all completely meaningless!”
“In this Star-Plucking Sect, only one's own cultivation is the only blade that can be held in one's hand!”
“Does Zhang Jiuyang think that by keeping me suppressed on Thousand Pools Island, I will kowtow to him, admit my mistakes, and offer up my wife to surrender? Hmph! Wishful thinking!”
“Just you wait... I will make you regret this!”
With that, Lu Zhaoyuan strode out of the forest, exuding a chilling killing intent.
Behind him, a crystal-clear tear finally slid down Song Rou's gentle cheek. With her head lowered, she silently wiped away her tears and quietly followed that familiar yet foreign back.
...
By the threshold of the bamboo hut.
Shen Xiuhan watched the emerald-green figure disappear deep into the lush foliage before slowly lowering his head to open the thin booklet in his hand.
The booklet was densely packed with delicate handwriting, and a faint, subtle feminine fragrance lingered between the pages.
“Grass Spirit Fish: Tier One Precious Fish. Small and fast. Prefers to appear under water weeds when the sun is blazing at the hour of Wu. One must conceal their presence and wait patiently; only one or two can be caught out of ten net casts...”
“Ink-Tail Fish: Tier One Precious Fish. Black-bodied. Prefers to swallow mineral sand. Highly alert; will spit corrosive toxic mist upon detecting anything unusual. Best caught with three people surrounding it...”
“Cold Shuttle Sturgeon: Tier Three Precious Fish. Shaped like a shuttle. Appears unpredictably. Prefers to hunt during heavy morning mists. Can spit ice spikes. Relatively dangerous and difficult to catch.”
...
Shen Xiuhan flipped through a few pages and found that most of the entries were about Tier One and Tier Two Precious Fish. As for Tier Three Precious Fish, there were only two or three, and the descriptions were vague.
It made sense. Even the veteran fishermen on Cloudwater Lake, who had spent their entire lives catching fish, would struggle to even catch a glimpse of a few Precious Fish in their lifetimes.
Although the disciples of the Star-Plucking Sect were martial artists and possessed much greater capabilities, they were equally plagued by headaches when dealing with these spiritual creatures of the water.
However... this was not a difficult matter for him.
Returning to his room, he stored the booklet away, sat on the bamboo bed, and thought, Intelligence!
【Today's Intelligence has been unlocked!】
In an instant, seven or eight pale gold lines of text cascaded before his eyes like a waterfall!
【Intelligence 1: Beneath the waterfall eight miles directly north, a Lightning-Patterned Mandarin Fish lies in wait. A Tier Three Precious Fish, it will patrol to the edge of the waterfall pool daily during the hour of Chen, at which point it can be lured and captured.】
【Intelligence 2: Beneath the reed marshes five miles to the northeast, a school of "Jade Fat Carp" is swimming. Tier One Precious Fish, their flesh is as white as jade, making them an excellent choice for medicinal cuisine. This fish prefers shade and fears light, hiding in the mud at noon and emerging in schools to forage only at sunset during the hour of You.】
【Intelligence 3: Beneath the shallow reef rocks one mile to the south, "Silverback Fish" can be found. This is a Tier Two Precious Fish with a back like flowing silver, and it loves to chase the reflection of moonlight on the water.】
【Intelligence 4: Three miles to the west, a Tier Four Precious Fish, the "Red-Maned Catfish," is hidden deep within a submerged pool. Having swallowed mineral vein residue in recent years, an "Iron Sand Elixir" has formed in its belly. If obtained, it can be used as an auxiliary material for weapon forging.】
【Intelligence 5: ...】
【Intelligence 6: ...】
A total of six pieces of intelligence related to Precious Fish unfolded densely before Shen Xiuhan's eyes. Among them were a Tier One school of fish, and two Tier Two Precious Fish. There was even one that was the Silverback Fish he had first caught back in Cloudwater Lake!
In addition, it also included a Tier Four Precious Fish!
Shen Xiuhan's gaze swept out through the bamboo window. On the distant water surface within his field of vision, faint golden spots of light that only he could see were flickering, looking like the heavenly river of stars falling into a great river.
“Tsk...”
“Everyone in the sect views this Precious Fish Pond as a fiery pit, saying that catching fish is as difficult as ascending to heaven. That might not necessarily be the case...”
Old Shen thought to himself, rather shamelessly.
Rate on N.U.
