Command the Water Marsh!

Cauldron of the Water Marsh!

A cauldron that commanded all the water marshes beneath heaven!

Unfathomable information flooded in, leaving Liang Qu utterly shocked—had his Golden Finger appeared?

The great cauldron had an ancient, simple design, blue-black in color, square and solid.

Since the Ze Cauldron resided within his mind, there was nothing to compare it against. He could not tell how large it was, but its sheer presence felt immensely imposing.

Many patterns were carved across its surface. Most eye-catching were a giant ape and a coiled celestial dragon, followed by numerous strange figures: birds with human faces, humans with dragon heads, and more.

On the other side stood a Black Robed Emperor, even more exaggerated, taking up nearly half the cauldron's surface. Next came a spear-wielding Divine General of no lesser size, with many more patterns beside it, most of them humanoid.

Beasts on one side, people on the other?

Just as Liang Qu was about to think it over, his attention was drawn elsewhere.

Cauldron Master: Liang Qu

Marsh Spirit available for acquisition: Water Monkey (White)

Acquiring...

Acquired. Refine into body?

Marsh Spirit: a spirit of the water marshes. Refining a Marsh Spirit grants its Fate Standard, bloodline, and talents.

It really was a fucking Golden Finger!

But why a Water Monkey? Because he had drowned?

A popular meme surfaced in Liang Qu's mind: old man, subway, phone.

No, it definitely had nothing to do with that. Liang Qu fiercely shook his head and refocused.

Should he refine the Marsh Spirit into himself or not? He looked at the walls around him, then touched his newly filled stomach. Did he really have a choice? Having come to this world, how could he be content to remain an ordinary person?

They all had two eyes and one mouth, yet some possessed noble blood while others had lowly blood; some drank meat broth while berating others, while some went hungry and were berated by others.

He could not forget that Martial Master who had punched straight through a boulder as tall as a man.

What exactly was a Martial Master!?

Refine it!!

With Liang Qu's decision, a white spirit ape, half-illusory and half-real, seemed to fly out from the Ze Cauldron and merge into his body as though swimming through the air.

A current of heat spread from Liang Qu's spine and flowed into his Four Limbs and Hundred Skeletons.

If his life had initially been like a guttering candle in the wind, then this heat was like adding over half a candle's worth of wax. He was no longer on the verge of flickering out.

Yet before he could truly savor the sensation, the heat vanished without a trace, leaving him wanting more.

Refinement successful!

Cauldron Master: Liang Qu

Refined Marsh Spirit: Water Monkey (White) (Fusion: 5%)

Marsh Essence: None

River's Favor: None

Evaluation: The Water Monkey Marsh Spirit originated from the great Lord of the Huai River Waters. Though insufficiently awakened, it may still stir a little person of meager fate and weak life.

"Marsh Essence can raise the fusion level of a water marsh spirit and improve its quality. But who is the Lord of the Huai River Waters? That sounds awfully familiar. And where am I supposed to get Marsh Essence?"

Liang Qu still had many unanswered questions, but he was in no hurry. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. First, he needed to see what exactly this Water Monkey was.

Water Monkey (White): An aquatic spirit ape beloved by rivers, capable of Water Control.

Current fusion is low. Reduces exertion in water. By consuming stamina, can control the force of thirty jin of water. Can clearly sense water within three meters and vaguely sense water within five meters. Reduces one's presence in water.

Consuming Marsh Essence may allow it to evolve into the Marsh Ape Marsh Spirit (Green), Soaring Water Riding Waves, and the Water King Ape (Purple), Overturning Rivers and Seas.

Liang Qu was overjoyed. The Marsh Spirit's name might be lousy, but its abilities were anything but! It was practically a born waterman! The Jianghuai river system stretched for thousands of miles, nourishing countless living things across its fertile waters. The Jianghuai Marshlands in particular were a vast lake spanning multiple prefectures, filled with innumerable spirit plants, Treasure Fish, and minerals.

Yet treasures beneath the water were exceptionally difficult to obtain. First, the deep waters held Great Demons that human Martial Artists found difficult to contend with. Second, the riverbed was murky, its spiritual aura obscure, making treasure hard to find. Only occasionally could fishermen luck into one or two items in shallow water.

Someone at the neighboring wharf had caught a Tiger Head Grouper last month and sold it for the astronomical price of three taels and five qian of silver!

If he truly possessed such an ability, would that not mean he alone could claim an undeveloped Treasure Vault?

Furthermore, five percent fusion allowed him to control thirty jin of water. At one hundred percent fusion, would that not be at least six hundred jin?

To an ordinary person, he would practically be a water god walking the earth.

There were even other Marsh Spirits he could acquire! And upgrade!

A white Marsh Spirit was already this formidable. What would green and purple Marsh Spirits be like? The thought of truly Overturning Rivers and Seas was intoxicating.

White, green, purple. What came after that? Was there anything beyond?

For a time, Liang Qu's eyes burned with desire for that so-called Marsh Essence. Unfortunately, he had no way to obtain it right now and could only leave it for later.

As for why this divine artifact had chosen him, Liang Qu believed it was surely Heaven's reward for his righteous act.

What else could it be? Was it because he was malnourished? Because he could not afford food? Because he had no father or mother? With only that bit of pathetic ability, why think so much? Now that he had a Golden Finger, Liang Qu could no longer peacefully sleep the day away.

The original Liang Qu did not know how to fish and had even struggled to survive, avoided by everyone around him. But now, relying only on the Water Monkey's five percent ability, there were not many fishermen in all of Yi Xing City who could surpass him.

Good days were coming! To the wharf! Under a dark moon and high winds, buildings lined the streets in neat rows.

Liang Qu looked around, taking in this unfamiliar world.

Yi Xing City had only one street that could truly be called a street. It ran from the town center straight to the only Shang Rao Wharf, paved with neat bluestone slabs. Everywhere else had only yellow dirt paths trampled out by feet. Most homes had been built stretching out along this street.

It was a genuine little backwater.

As far as Liang Qu knew, Yi Xing City had a prosperous large town nearby, and above that were counties, prefectures, and provinces.

He found it unsurprising. This world was clearly ancient. A city was not larger than a county here; rather, it was a residential area that had gradually gathered around a marketplace, like Zeng Tou City from Water Margin—called a city, but in truth merely a small riverside village that lived off the river.

Once he had the ability, he absolutely had to go out and see this world!

Upon reaching the wharf, the panting Liang Qu scanned the water along the riverbank. When he reached a certain shoal, a flash of inspiration Suddenly Appeared in his mind, and his gaze locked onto a certain spot.

A Small Fish the size of a thumb suddenly surfaced to breathe.

As though blessed by inspiration, Liang Qu actually reached out, trying to catch this tiny fish with guts no bigger than a pea.

The Small Fish reacted swiftly and turned to flee in fright, but in an instant, bizarre water pressure pressed in upon it from every direction. By the time the pressure vanished, the fish was already in Liang Qu's Palm.

It really was powerful!

Liang Qu cupped a pool of clear water in his hands. The Small Fish swam in his Palm, while his eyes shone brightly.

He licked his Lips and dipped his hand into the water. The instant the little pool in his Palm connected with the river, the Small Fish flicked its tail and fled. Yet water pressure soon descended, and it was caught in his hand once more.

Only after repeating this four or five times and gaining some insight did Liang Qu rise.

The Small Fish was only thumb-sized, requiring very little water to control, and the drain on his stamina was manageable. But using a great deal of water in a short time was hard to bear.

"Unfortunately, the Marsh Spirit's fusion level is too low, and my way of controlling water is still crude. I can only squeeze it—I can't turn it into water blades, much less control blood. I should be able to do that in the future."

He removed his clothes amid the Reed Marsh and slowly waded into the water.

The moment he entered, he sensed the difference—it was not cold! The waters of the marshlands in the middle of a late-autumn night were bitterly cold. His "father" had died after catching a chill from entering the water.

Was this the benefit of affinity with water? Liang Qu tied up his hair and dove headfirst into the river.

Water waves spread outward, shattering the moonlight.

As his entire body submerged in the water, an indescribable sense of familiarity spread through him, giving him the illusion that he had returned to his original world.

Thinking of the happiness of taking a one-yuan bus to a city park to watch the sunset, then returning home to curl up on the sofa and eat noodles, Liang Qu took a long while to regain his senses.

For a better life!

He gathered his thoughts and focused on finding fish.

The riverbed was dark and deep. With his sensing ability, he could tell whether there were living creatures five meters away, while fish needed to come within one and a half meters to detect him.

After swimming around, Liang Qu "saw" many fish, but none would fetch a high price, so he did not catch them.

A steamed bun cost two or three wen, while an eight-wen meat flatbread was not small and could stave off hunger well. His bodily weakness had accumulated day after day; he could not turn fat with a single bite.

After making several rounds, Liang Qu finally found a suitable target as he surfaced for air.

A large Yellow Croaker, roughly the length of an adult's forearm and weighing around three jin.

Yellow Croaker was also a fish unique to Jianghuai. Its nourishing effects were ordinary, but its flesh was delicious, and many gourmands would pay high prices for it. This one before him could probably fetch seventy to ninety wen.

As the saying went, one jin of fish took ten jin of strength to catch. This was precisely the limit of Liang Qu's Water Control ability.

Moreover, Yellow Croaker had fine scales, unlike ordinary fish that were too slippery to grasp.

With that in mind, Liang Qu carefully approached. Once he had swum to around one and a half meters away, at the limit of his concealment range, he suddenly Rushed Out.

The Yellow Croaker was startled and tried to flee, but Liang Qu curled his five fingers in the air. Water pressure from all directions instantly confined it in place, rendering it unable to move.

He paddled forward, his five fingers hooked like claws, seized the scaleless Yellow Croaker, and carried it out of the water. He threaded a reed leaf through its gills.

Eighty wen in hand!