The next day, before dawn had broken, Chen Qing arrived at Bibo Pond carrying his fishing gear.
Morning mist hung like gauze over the deep, secluded surface of the pond, while all around lay utter silence.
He chose his usual spot, cast his line into the water, and let his mind settle with it.
In less than an hour, his fish basket held two Moonlight Silver Shuttles, their scales gleaming with moonlike radiance, along with an Ice Crystal Silver Cod, blue as ice from head to tail.
Chen Qing then packed away his fishing gear, carried the heavy basket, and made his way with practiced familiarity to a secluded courtyard on the Back Mountain of Wanfa Peak.
This was Luo Zhixian's usual residence for quiet cultivation. It was far less precipitous and aloof than Thundercliff, carrying instead a little more of the warmth of everyday life.
A stream of mountain spring water had been diverted into the courtyard, babbling over several bluestones. A few stalks of emerald bamboo grew beside it, making the surroundings serene and secluded.
Luo Zhixian sat on a stone stool in the courtyard. A set of rough clay teaware rested on the stone table before him, but he was not drinking tea. He merely watched the spring water flow, as though his mind had wandered beyond the clouds.
"Master." Chen Qing called respectfully from the courtyard gate.
"Come in," Luo Zhixian said.
Chen Qing entered the courtyard and set the fish basket on a stone slab nearby.
"My luck was decent today. I caught these few fish and thought Master might like them, so I brought them over."
Luo Zhixian's gaze swept across the Treasure Fish in the basket, and he nodded slightly. "Thoughtful. The waters of Bibo Pond are unfathomably deep and contain spiritual vitality.