Bullhorn Pomfret

Bullhorn Pomfret

The riverbed was utterly silent, sunlight scattering into fine, bright lines.

Fat Catfish lay motionless in the silt, its bluish-brown skin nearly blending completely into its surroundings.

If Liang Qu had not been able to sense it, he would scarcely have noticed that a ferocious carnivorous beast was lying there.

Seeing Liang Qu arrive, Fat Catfish wagged its tail, stirring up a small cloud of sediment, then opened its mouth and blew a bubble. Following its indication, Liang Qu looked in that direction.

Beneath an algae-covered rock, one large and one small pomfret nestled together. Yet strangely, each fish had a pair of little horns growing from its head! Treasure Fish—without a doubt, they were Treasure Fish!

Pomfrets in shape yet bearing two horns on their heads—even an ordinary person could tell at a glance that these two fish were extraordinary.

As a lowly fisherman in his former life, Liang Qu had often heard of people catching Treasure Fish, but had rarely seen any himself. Not only him; most fishermen in Yi Xing City were the same.

Yet fishermen had their own unique way of identifying Treasure Fish: a Treasure Fish was bound to possess some unusual feature!

Much like the seventy-two black moles on Han Gaozu's thigh, or Xiang Yu's Double Pupils. That Tiger Head Grouper at neighboring Lian Shui Wharf had possessed divine patterns resembling tiger stripes. The fisherman who caught it declared it a Treasure Fish, and it had ultimately proven to be true.

Looking at the two fish, one large and one small, Liang Qu was beside himself with excitement. He had never imagined that after failing to find any Treasure Fish for days, he would encounter two at once today! A Fei truly was a lucky star.

The two Bullhorn Pomfrets had no idea they had already been targeted and continued playing beneath the rock.

Behind the rock, one man and two beasts waited silently, not daring to make a rash move.

After watching for a long while, Liang Qu discovered a hole beneath the rock where the two fish played. It might well have been their nest.

To prevent there from being another exit inside the nest, he had to wait until they came out before making the catch.

Liang Qu had Fat Catfish circle around and lie in ambush on the other side. He tied one end of the fishing net to Zhu Po Long's tail, then man and beast separated and slowly spread open the net.

Fishing nets were actually precious resources. Liang Qu had not owned one to begin with; he had only borrowed this net after treating Li LiBo to a meal.

All that remained was to wait quietly. Whenever he was about to run out of breath, Liang Qu took out a pig bladder filled with air and held it over his mouth to breathe.

The air inside reeked of mutton, but for Treasure Fish, everything was worth it.

Only after waiting nearly half a shichen, when even the pig bladder had gone limp, did the Bullhorn Pomfrets beneath the boulder finally move. The two fish gradually swam away from the hole, seemingly heading out to forage.

Once they had moved several meters from the entrance, Liang Qu knew the opportunity had come and immediately signaled Fat Catfish to attack! Receiving the command, Fat Catfish, hidden beneath the silt, shuddered its body, bent itself into a curve, and suddenly shot forward. Great clouds of mud burst up through the water, and the momentum was truly tremendous.

The two-meter-long Six-Whiskered Catfish charged with shocking force, frightening the Bullhorn Pomfrets. But they were too far from their nest, and Fat Catfish had rushed out from behind the rock. It was already too late to turn back. In their panic, they could only flee in the opposite direction—straight into Liang Qu's trap!

Now!

Liang Qu sprang upward. Zhu Po Long swayed its body and tail, and man and beast pulled the fishing net upward as they swam. The net rose like a great curtain, perfectly enveloping the fleeing Bullhorn Pomfrets!

A tremendous force came through the rope pulling the net.

Hiss, what strength! A one-jin fish had ten jin of force—this fish's strength was probably triple that! Liang Qu immediately used Water Control to check their momentum. With horns on their heads, and with the fishing net made of coarse cloth and hemp, far less sturdy than the nylon fibers of later generations, it would be terrible if they tore the net apart. Paying compensation was a small matter; letting the fish escape was the real disaster.

Once he had restrained the Bullhorn Pomfrets' charging force, Liang Qu quickly sank down and drew the net closed. Man and beast circled around each other, wrapping the Treasure Fish tightly and reducing the space in which they could move. If they could not move, their struggling force would not be so great.

Once the fish were fully netted, Liang Qu grabbed the ball of netting and rapidly swam upward. He climbed onto the fishing boat, found the opening of the net, and poured both Bullhorn Pomfrets into the fish basket.

These horned fish were truly fierce. Even in the waterless basket, they rammed about wildly, knocking it from side to side until he had no choice but to reach out and steady it.

Liang Qu braced both hands against the mouth of the basket and stared at the two pomfrets with little horns on their heads, unable to contain his excitement.

"A Fei, you did well! You did well!"

With this, the time needed for his plan could be cut by more than half. He just did not know how much these two Treasure Fish were worth. At the very least, several taels of silver. Even if it was not enough to study martial arts, he would no longer need to worry about the Autumn Tax.

"What a pity. They look delicious."

Liang Qu had not felt it when he was underwater, but now that the fish were caught in the basket, he immediately sensed their powerful allure, like a starving man seeing a fragrant bowl of white rice.

He clearly was not that hungry. Such an abnormality was undoubtedly further proof that they were Treasure Fish.

Should he eat one? The allure of the Treasure Fish was astonishing, and a bold thought arose in Liang Qu's mind.

He asked Cannot Move and A Fei, only to find that the fish did not hold much attraction for them. That made sense. If these fish naturally attracted other Water Beasts, how could they have survived? Liang Qu immediately thought of the Ze Cauldron. Perhaps this thing was useful to the Ze Cauldron; perhaps Treasure Fish also contained Marsh Essence? Once his thoughts began to wander, he could barely restrain them. After pondering for a long time, he decided to try the slightly smaller Bullhorn Pomfret first.

The Cauldron of the Water Marsh that ruled all waters under heaven—no matter how he looked at it, it was worth trying.

Liang Qu carefully took out the smaller Bullhorn Pomfret. This fish was as large as a person's face and weighed about one jin, while the larger fish weighed around three jin, several times bigger.

The horns on the fish's head were exceptionally hard, like refined steel, and incredibly sharp. His decision to pull in the net quickly had indeed been correct. Otherwise, after a few tears and tugs, they might really have escaped.

There was no knife on the boat, so Liang Qu used a shard of stone to gut the fish. As the scent of fresh blood spread, the two beasts circling protectively around the skiff immediately became excited. Only now did they sense that powerful attraction.

Both Zhu Po Long and Fat Catfish had contributed greatly to catching the Treasure Fish, so Liang Qu was not stingy. He tossed the removed fish intestines and scraps straight into the mouths of the two beasts.

Neither beast minded in the slightest and swallowed them whole.

He wondered whether eating Treasure Fish would bring any changes to the two beasts.

Liang Qu withdrew his gaze, lit a fire with some kindling, and set a clay pot over it. Once the water boiled, he added the fish slices.

LaiTou Zhang really had come out intending to recover from his injuries. There was a small stove on the skiff, ready for use as soon as it was taken out.

Previously, worried that his murder might be exposed, Liang Qu had also prepared some supplies on the boat in advance, including a fire striker, so he could flee at any time.

Unsure whether stewing would diminish the Treasure Fish's effects, Liang Qu merely blanched it briefly. Once he felt there were no parasites, he took a bite.

Fresh and sweet!

An unprecedented freshness and sweetness flooded his mouth, the flesh springy and crisp.

There was no scallion, ginger, or garlic, yet it was not fishy in the slightest. It was utterly unlike ordinary river fish—and there were no bones!

It was too delicious. Liang Qu wolfed down the fish and broth in a frantic rush. In the end, he even crushed and ate most of the skull. Only the spine was truly too thick and hard, so after sucking the marrow clean, he tossed it to Cannot Move and Fat Catfish.

The only evidence that the fish had ever existed was that pair of hard little horns, each as long as a finger joint.

Marsh Essence +1.8

The Ze Cauldron in his mind bloomed once more with blue-green light. Seeing the message, Liang Qu nearly ate the three-jin fish as well.

1.8 Marsh Essence! The gain was equivalent to eighteen pieces of Essence Lotus Root!

If the small fish was like this, would the large fish not be triple that—perhaps 5.4 Marsh Essence? His fusion rate was already 6.5. Adding the large and small fish together would let him break through to 10 directly!

But Liang Qu restrained himself. Knowing that Treasure Fish could increase Marsh Essence was enough. His most pressing concerns remained the path of martial arts and the Zhao Residence looming close at hand.

Become a Martial Master, earn great money, live in a grand house, keep beautiful maids! Silently reciting this three-part mantra once, Liang Qu used all the Marsh Essence to raise his Marsh Spirit fusion rate.

As the fish flesh digested, its own effects began to emerge.

Warmth spread from his stomach through his entire body. Liang Qu leaned over the side of the boat, and his complexion visibly grew rosy in the water's reflection. His whole body became slightly hot, his blood surging through his Blood Vessels like an icy great river, every cell cheering, breathing wildly and with all its strength.