Subduing the Zhu Po Long

Subduing the Zhu Po Long

That's it?

Eighty wen just like that? A fisherman's full day of work? Liang Qu was thrilled. Earning eighty wen so easily was downright addictive.

But it really was exhausting. After controlling thirty jin worth of water, he felt as though he had run a thousand meters, and his stomach began growling again.

After merging with the Marsh Spirit, his physical condition had improved somewhat, but his foundation was simply too weak. He was still frail.

While the night was still deep, Liang Qu decided to rest for a while before trying again.

Uncle Chen lived tightly on eighty wen because he had children and elders at home to support. Liang Qu had no ties or burdens; this income was absolutely substantial. He would see whether he could make the plum blossom twice tonight.

Half an hour later, Liang Qu entered the water again.

Relying on the Water Monkey's talent, he expended very little stamina underwater. Swimming a hundred meters consumed about as much strength as walking two or three hundred meters. His breath-holding time had also extended to a full seven minutes—not seven minutes staying still, but seven minutes while moving. It was truly astonishing.

Unfortunately, catching that Yellow Croaker seemed to have used up all his luck. After surfacing for air four or five times and wandering for nearly half an hour, Liang Qu only spotted a Spotted Fish worth around a hundred wen.

The Spotted Fish was not as valuable as the Yellow Croaker. It was worth a hundred wen only because it was large enough, weighing a full ten jin.

One jin of fish meant ten jin of strength. A Big Fish weighing ten jin could erupt with nearly a hundred jin of force.

With Liang Qu's current condition, along with only thirty jin of Water Control ability, dealing with it would truly have been difficult. He could only watch helplessly as it swam away.

"Looks like I can bring a spear next time. That way, I can deal with larger fish. But dead fish aren't worth as much as live ones, and I don't have a fishing net either."

As Liang Qu pondered underwater, he drifted farther and farther away without noticing, eventually arriving at a relatively shallow riverbed shoal. Yet even this so-called shallow place was more than ten meters deep.

"Huh? There are lotus roots here?"

As he set foot on the riverbed, plant tubers suddenly appeared within Liang Qu's senses. Drawing closer and identifying them carefully, he discovered that they were actually lotus roots.

Lotus roots could grow in water more than ten meters deep?

Liang Qu was greatly astonished.

Whether floating, emergent, or submerged, plants could not grow without photosynthesis and respiration. The deeper the water, the less favorable it was for both processes.

Lotus roots were plants with fairly high requirements for sunlight and respiration. As far as Liang Qu knew, they generally could not survive in water deeper than two meters.

Yet once Liang Qu realized how abnormal the lotus roots' growing environment was, he grew excited.

Plants could not survive without photosynthesis and respiration, but that applied only to ordinary plants. Some Treasure Plants naturally did not fall under that rule.

This world possessed supernatural powers! Since these lotus roots could grow so deep, they had to be extraordinary. He had heard that Master Zhao in the neighboring town had a Cold Pond dozens of meters deep, with Horned Water Caltrops growing at the bottom. Eating them could prolong one's life, and he had used them to win over two Martial Artists. He did not know whether it was true.

Had he actually encountered something like that too?

Liang Qu immediately swam along the lotus roots' growth trail. Upon inspection, he found that these lotus roots were indeed enormous. After more than ten meters, he still had not found the end. Just as he was about to continue onward, a huge, indistinct thing suddenly appeared in his senses.

What is that? It's huge! Liang Qu quickly stopped and pulled away.

It did not react, as though it had not noticed him.

Faced with lotus roots that might be a Treasure Plant, Liang Qu hesitated briefly. Instead of leaving, he cautiously circled around it and sensed the waters.

The creature was lying in ambush beneath the silt. It was very long, a full two meters, but it was not a fish. It had four limbs and a long tail. Its body shape was slender; from three meters away, the outline he could sense was very blurry, but the image was too distinctive. Liang Qu's brows rose slightly.

It was a Zhu Po Long!

Zhu Po Long was a common name. In plain terms, it meant crocodile. But Zhu Po Long was the fishermen's collective term for all crocodiles. There was more than one kind of crocodile in the Jiang Huai River, and Liang Qu did not know what species lay beneath the silt.

The most common one around here should be the Taihua Crocodile, right?

The original Liang Qu had seen Taihua Crocodiles before. Liang Qu felt they were similar to the Chinese Alligators of his previous life. They were not large, reaching only two meters as adults and weighing just over thirty kilograms.

That body shape was not really much to an adult. Their weight was their fatal weakness. But that was on land. This was underwater, and Liang Qu was only an undernourished youth. Even if he weighed more, it would not be by much.

Besides, "This Taihua Crocodile is lying right beside the lotus roots. Could it know that these lotus roots are beneficial to it?"

Liang Qu sensed carefully and found that the silt had indeed been disturbed in places, exposing several gnawed sections of lotus root.

Troublesome.

If he took the lotus roots, the Zhu Po Long blocking his path definitely would not agree. It had clearly made its nest here.

Perhaps it was not impossible to try?

After thinking it over, Liang Qu felt that the matter was not beyond hope.

It was not that greed had blinded him. In his previous life, he had enjoyed watching a wilderness survival streamer named Bi Fang. He knew a fair amount about many creatures and knew that crocodiles had one fatal weakness: their bite force was incredibly strong, but their jaw-opening strength was extremely weak.

If an adult held a crocodile's snout shut with one hand, it could not open its mouth, rendering more than half of its violent combat power useless.

However, only humans in the animal kingdom could precisely grasp objects. Even apes could not achieve precise grips because their thumbs were too short. That was why crocodiles seemed invincible in nature.

For this "small" crocodile before him, Liang Qu's Water Control ability alone was enough to suppress it. Add in the advantage of body weight, and it would not even be able to perform a death roll.

It was late October now, and the water was rather cold. As a cold-blooded animal, it would move far more slowly than in summer. Perhaps this crocodile had been too sluggish to notice a creature approaching.

He had heaven's timing, favorable terrain, and the support of the people. To remain unmoved now would be truly wrong.

"If only I could control it. It's such a big fellow—it could help me catch fish in the future, and I could sit back and reap the rewards. Going underwater to fish all the time is too troublesome. It's not like I really want to be a fisherman."

People always wanted more after gaining an inch. Feeling that he could handle the Zhu Po Long, an even bolder thought flashed through Liang Qu's mind.

As though responding to his idea, the Ze Cauldron in Liang Qu's mind trembled. A strange rune suddenly lit up on the cauldron's body, resembling the oracle bone script character for water.

More information flooded in.

Blood Seal. Use blood to draw the water character upon an aquatic creature. There is a chance it will become the master of aquatic creatures?

Amazing, the Ze Cauldron had this ability too? Liang Qu's eyes lit up after receiving the information. The Ze Cauldron truly has an incredible origin. If it were out in the open, people might fight until their heads were broken over it! Now he had even less reason to let the Zhu Po Long go. A subordinate would be of enormous help, and with four limbs, a crocodile would be far more agile as a subordinate than other fish.

Having made up his mind, Liang Qu found an angular stone on the riverbed, roughly the size of a human head. He then tried bringing it close to the Zhu Po Long in the silt. After determining the position of its snout, he smashed down with all his strength.

The river water was controlled and forced aside, propelling the stone while reducing resistance. The stone broke through the surging current and struck the resting Zhu Po Long.

As the weather grew colder, the crocodile's blood flowed slowly and sluggishly. It was already dull-witted, to say nothing of being ambushed. The crocodile stiffened for an instant before feeling pain as though its body had split apart.

Opportunity!

Liang Qu pounced. He rushed behind the Zhu Po Long, staying in its blind spot as he pressed down on the stone. Veins bulged along his Right Hand arm, while his Left Hand Finger scraped across an edge, releasing several streaks of blood into the water.

The scent of blood drifted through the water. Smelling the stench, the Zhu Po Long's ferocity erupted. It desperately straightened and twisted its body, trying to open its mouth and tear into him, but before it could open its jaws, another current of water wrapped around its upper and lower jaws.

Pinned by the stone and restrained by the current—one press, one control—the Zhu Po Long could not open its mouth at all. It could only thrash its body in a frenzy, its cast-iron-hard tail lashing desperately against the rocks.

Every inch of Liang Qu's body tightened like a longbow drawn to its limit. All his muscles twisted together like ropes, his blood vessels bulging as he firmly suppressed the Zhu Po Long.

Cold Sweat was swept away by the current. Manipulating twenty jin of water twice in succession had drained an enormous amount of Liang Qu's stamina, but he did not dare rest. With blood flowing from three fingers, he swiftly Cut Across the Zhu Po Long's back.

Strands of blood gathered without dispersing under the effect of some strange force, imprinting themselves onto the scales along the patterns of his fingers! Bloodlight blossomed in the darkness. In an instant, the Zhu Po Long's vertical pupils dilated, and a savage mental force slammed into Liang Qu's mind.

If controlling water was physical exhaustion, then controlling the Zhu Po Long now was mental exhaustion. It was like staying awake for several nights in a row before being forced to complete several math papers. Liang Qu's head throbbed with agony, and he nearly fainted.

Fortunately, a beast was still a beast. How could it contend with a human whose strength lay in intelligence?

After only a few breaths, a wondrous Mental Link appeared in his mind.

The Zhu Po Long's blank eyes became lively again, but its ferocity was gone, replaced by a trace of intelligence.

The Ze Cauldron shone once more.

Taihua Crocodile Water Beast has been subdued. May evolve.

Liang Qu was overjoyed—he had succeeded! Zhu Po Long? Take it in as a dog!