Reaching an Agreement

"Little thing, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to my two Golden Loaches?"

Seeing the Black Little Beast staring toward the kitchen, Lu Qing could not help covering his forehead.

There was no need to guess—it was definitely so.

Because those two Golden Loaches were kept in the kitchen.

He recalled how the Black Little Beast had circled around him earlier, sniffing at him. It must have caught the scent of the Golden Loaches on him.

After all, at dusk, he had just transferred the two Golden Loaches into the water vat and pressed a wooden board over it to keep them from jumping out and slipping away in the middle of the night.

Once the fishy smell got on someone, it was hard to get rid of in a short time.

He had not expected this little thing's nose to be so sharp. Amid the mingled fishy odors of so many fish, it could still distinguish the scent of the Golden Loaches.

The Black Little Beast did not answer. It merely looked quietly at Lu Qing.

But from their interactions over this period, Lu Qing understood what it meant.

It really did want to eat those two Golden Loaches.

Lu Qing could not help getting a headache.

"Little thing, let's discuss this. You can eat as many of these fish as you want. If they aren't enough, I'll get you more. I'll keep those two Golden Loaches, all right?"

Whether or not the Black Little Beast could understand such a long speech, Lu Qing began negotiating with it.

Yet the Black Little Beast did not know whether it was playing dumb or genuinely failed to understand.

In any case, it only blinked before continuing to stare fixedly toward the kitchen behind Lu Qing.

Fine, Lu Qing understood now. This little thing had its heart set on eating the Golden Loaches.

Knowing there was no room for negotiation, Lu Qing could only take a step back.

"One. I can only give you one. I have a use for the other one, so I can't give it to you."

Lu Qing raised one finger and spoke earnestly.

The Black Little Beast watched Lu Qing quietly for a while before finally nodding.

"You really can understand what I'm saying!"

Seeing the Black Little Beast's reaction, how could Lu Qing possibly remain clueless?

He had suspected it before, but he had never dared to be certain.

Now, seeing this fellow's behavior, he could finally confirm it.

This fellow had been able to understand him all along. For so long, it had just been playing dumb!

Hearing Lu Qing's words, the Black Little Beast resumed its somewhat adorably blank expression from before, looking as though it had no idea what he was talking about.

But Lu Qing would no longer be fooled by it.

Thinking that he had actually been toyed with by a little beast for so long, he felt both amused and exasperated.

He turned and returned to the kitchen, lifted the wooden board off the water vat, grabbed one Golden Loach, then went back out into the courtyard.

"I can only give you one. Do you want it?"

At the sight of the Golden Loach struggling and writhing in Lu Qing's hand, the Black Little Beast's eyes had already lit up.

The moment Lu Qing finished speaking, he saw a black blur flash before him. His hand loosened, and the Golden Loach vanished without a trace.

By the time he focused his eyes, the Black Little Beast was already holding the Golden Loach in its mouth and devouring it in great bites.

Watching it bite off the Golden Loach's head in one mouthful, Lu Qing's heart ached.

That was worth over a hundred taels of silver.

But as he watched the Black Little Beast eat, its eyes narrowing happily while its tail wagged back and forth in sheer delight,

he could only console himself.

Forget it. This little thing had given him such a precious Hundred-Year Ginseng last night. It was only right to give it something good to eat—consider it a return gift.

The Black Little Beast ate quickly. Before long, the plump Golden Loach, weighing nearly two jin, had entirely disappeared into its belly.

After finishing the Golden Loach, the Black Little Beast looked at Lu Qing again.

Lu Qing jumped in fright and hurriedly said, "That's it! I have a use for the remaining one, so I can't give it to you!"

The Black Little Beast cast Lu Qing a sidelong glance, seemingly disdainful of his stinginess, then strolled over to the basin of fish and began eating leisurely.

Lu Qing: ...

So it was not that you despised these little fish—you just wanted to eat the tasty stuff first.

Still, seeing that the Black Little Beast did not continue demanding the remaining Golden Loach, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Luckily, this little thing was still reasonable. Otherwise, if it truly wanted to snatch the other Golden Loach by force, Lu Qing had no way to stop it.

Watching the Black Little Beast eat with gusto, Lu Qing thought for a moment and squatted down.

"Little thing, do you really like eating Rare Fish like that one just now?"

After confirming that the Black Little Beast could understand him, Lu Qing's interest in communicating with it rose as well.

The little beast raised its head to look at Lu Qing, its eyes sparkling.

Lu Qing hurriedly said, "I'm not saying I'll give you the other Golden Loach, so don't misunderstand."

At those words, the Black Little Beast immediately lowered its head and continued eating fish, ignoring him.

Lu Qing did not mind. "But just because I can't give you the Golden Loach doesn't mean I can't give you other Rare Fish to eat if I catch them in the future."

The little beast raised its head again and looked at him with some confusion.

"Little thing, how about we make a deal?" Seeing that it was interested, Lu Qing seized the chance. "If I catch any more Rare Fish like the Golden Loach in the future, then as long as you bring back plant roots like the one from last night, I'll trade them with you. What do you think?"

The plant root from last night? The Black Little Beast tilted its head and thought for a moment before understanding that Lu Qing meant the grass it had given him last night.

It had only instinctively felt that the grass seemed somewhat special, so it had dug it up and brought it to this two-legged beast.

Now it seemed he liked it very much? It remembered that there were still some growing in the areas of the mountain where it usually roamed.

However, while digging up grass was no difficult task for the Black Little Beast,

it could not agree to him so easily.

Who told him he had been unwilling to give it even one extra fish to eat? Hmph!

The Black Little Beast pretended to hesitate for quite a while before reluctantly nodding in agreement.

Lu Qing had no idea that a little beast still in its infancy could have so many twists and turns in its thoughts.

Seeing the little beast agree, he was overjoyed.

If this little thing could really dig up more Hundred-Year Ginseng, then it would not matter if he gave it every Rare Fish he caught in the future.

After all, to him, ginseng was far more valuable than Rare Fish.

Thus, one man and one beast both felt they had gained a tremendous bargain, happily reaching an agreement.

Although it had eaten one Golden Loach, the Black Little Beast still finished all the fish in the basin. By the time it left, its belly was slightly round and bulging.

Watching the Black Little Beast clumsily make its way over the fence, Lu Qing shook his head with a smile.

It truly loved fish as dearly as life itself, preferring to stuff itself rather than leave behind even a single fish.

Once the little beast's figure disappeared, Lu Qing took the Wooden Basin back to the kitchen, washed it clean, and returned to his room to sleep.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Lu Qing got up and practiced the Body Nourishing Fist several times, immediately feeling refreshed and invigorated.

The Body Nourishing Fist truly deserved to be called the fist technique his master had painstakingly created.

True to its name, it was exceptionally effective at regulating and nourishing the body.

Lu Qing had practiced it for only two or three days, yet he could already feel that his physique had strengthened considerably and his vigor had increased greatly.

After eating a simple yet nutritious breakfast, Lu Qing took Xiao Yan and carried the Golden Loach in a bucket as they headed toward Half-Mountain Courtyard.

As he climbed the mountain, Lu Qing still felt somewhat expectant.

According to what his master had said before entering seclusion yesterday, the Qi and Blood Replenishing Pill would be finished today.

With the aid of the pill, stepping into the Qi Blood Realm would surely be just around the corner.