Command Water

Old Song stepped on the bow of the boat, creating waves that caused the Small Sampan to sway left and right, making the young men behind him lose their footing.

Li LiBo crossed his arms. "That's an exaggeration! We have Treasure Fish in Ping Yang County too. Just in Shang Rao Wharf alone, there are always one or two every half month!"

"Hey, young man, you can tell good fish from bad Treasure Fish."

Old Song didn't want to argue with the ignorant Li LiBo, but what could he do when the man was from the same hometown as Liang Qu? "In my experience, the best price for a pound of meat for Treasure Fish in your town is one tael of silver, maybe two taels at most. But the Red Dragon Fish is different; one fish can fetch at least several thousand taels!"

"A fish? Old man, are you kidding me?"

Li LiBo was startled.

According to the "Fish Appearance Record" posted in the Fishing Wharf, Treasure Fish costs at most a few dozen taels of silver per catty of meat, which means a single fish would only cost a few hundred taels. Unless it is a really large fish that can cost over a thousand taels, it would not cost several thousand.

Liang Qu was also surprised. "Really several thousand taels?"

"It's true!" Old Song said confidently. "The last time the Red Dragon Fish appeared, I remember it was when the Lord Qiu's Dyke was built. It was all very legendary. The fishermen who caught the fish presented them to Lord Qiu and received a huge reward! I was young at the time, so I don't remember the exact amount of silver. Vice Prefect should know, but I guarantee it was at least two or three thousand taels!"

"Well, enough of that. Adults, go check on this quickly. We've trapped the Red Dragon Fish in the Rice Paddy paddy, but nobody dares to catch it, afraid of damaging its scales and whiskers, or wasting such a good thing."

"Let's go take a look."

Liang Qu was very curious about the Da Bao fish weighing several thousand taels, so he turned the boat around and followed Old Song to a Rice Paddy on the outskirts of Sweet Spring Town.

On the way Old Song kept rambling on. "The Red Dragon Fish was found by two strong young men who were irrigating the Rice Paddy."

At that time, the Red Dragon Fish was sitting motionless in the field, as red as a ball of fire. The two men found it strange and immediately told our gang members the news.

The gang members came to tell me again, and I immediately guessed it was Da Bao bream. I didn't expect it to be so big, so I immediately sent people to surround the half-acre paddy field.

A dozen or so people were pumping water and building embankments to trap it inside. I guess it was a flood that had rushed from the Black Water River all the way to Sweet Spring Town.

In my opinion, it's a stroke of Heavenly Gift. The adult is here, the Red Dragon Fish is here, and the strong young men arranged by the adult to release the fish discovered it—what else could it be but fate?

Li LiBo felt disdain.

"That old geezer is really good at flattery..."

A moment later, Liang Qu, aboard a boat on the surging waves, came upon a high-lying field ridge.

The area around the paddy field ridges was surrounded by sampans, with all the able-bodied men on board craning their necks to look into the Rice Paddy.

Old Song shouted loudly.

"Lord Liang is here! Lord Liang is here! Make way, everyone make way!"

The sampans blocking the way moved aside to make way.

As the Liang Qu drove through it, one could hear the chatter of people nearby.

"Lord Liang, come and take a look. Is this the Red Dragon Fish that Master Song mentioned? I think it looks very similar."

"It is absolutely true. If Lord Liang is not a wise man, then who is? Hua Zhu County is often flooded, and when there is a flood, there is bound to be a major epidemic. But this year, when Lord Liang came, I did not hear of any epidemic!"

"Yes, that makes sense!"

"This is all hearsay!" Liang Qu cupped his hands to the crowd. "There is no such sage. Since I arrived in Hua Zhu County the day before yesterday, I have personally saved no more people than any of you. It is all thanks to you all!"

After saying that, Liang Qu climbed up the ridge that was as tall as a person.

The rice in the field is about to head, planted so densely and lushly that it's hard to see clearly; you can only catch a glimpse of its dazzling crimson color.

Liang Qu rolled up his trousers, climbed over the ridge, and entered the paddy field.

The cold, damp mud covered his feet and calves as Liang Qu trudged through the soft mud, slowly making his way toward the center of the paddy field.

The able-bodied onlookers dared not utter a sound, holding their breath as they awaited the outcome.

The Liang Qu gathered the rice seedlings, spreading them to both sides. The rice leaves rustled, and a bright red dragonfish suddenly appeared! The deep red color flowed on the scales, and its shape was quite similar to that of Red Mountain, only thinner and semi-transparent.

The two Long Whiskers on its lips are curved, strong, smooth, upright and powerful, revealing a faint sense of majesty, and are by no means ordinary fish whiskers.

Its overall appearance lives up to its name as Red Dragon Fish, and it is almost identical to the Golden Dragon Fish.

When a stranger approaches, the Red Dragon Fish's muscles ripple, its pupils move, and it leaps and bounds, trying to burrow into the mud.

With quick eyes and hands, Liang Qu grabbed the fish by the tail, pulled the whole Red Dragon Fish out of the mud, pressed it on his knee, and used his Azure Wolf to cut a small incision across the fish's belly. Then, he squeezed it with his index finger and thumb, and the fish flesh oozed out a deep red color.

Watching the young and strong men swallow their saliva, they felt an intense attraction to the Red Dragon Fish, no less than seeing white rice and braised meat after starving for three days!

After careful comparison, Liang Qu discovered that the Red Dragon Fish was even more attractive than the Golden Gong Fish that the Toad had given him! So powerful? Liang Qu didn't know if the legend Old Song told him was true, but it was definitely a top-quality Da Bao fish! "Hey, caught it! It looks so tempting!"

"I heard that the Treasure Fish is stronger than ordinary fish. It looks small, but it's stronger than an ox. Master Liang caught it in one go!"

"Hey, Galloping Horse Martial Master can pull dozens of horses without a problem. What good is it if you're stronger than an ox?"

"Why is it only a little over a foot long? I think the water monsters are all ten feet long."

"The Treasure Fish is medicine, not Spirit Monster!" Old Song shouted. "Can medicine and Spirit Monster be the same? A tree can grow to ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), but have you ever seen a ginseng that grows to ten zhang? A five-hundred-year-old ginseng isn't even as big as your forearm!"

The crimson color gradually filled out, swelling into a drop that slid off the fish scales, crawled along the fish whiskers, and dripped into the paddy field.

A faint red hue appeared in the muddy puddle, and the leeches hidden in the mud became restless, emerging one after another from the soil and stretching their bodies to crawl towards the puddle where blood was dripping.

Liang Qu grabbed the fish by the tail, scooped up water to wash the mud off the Red Dragon Fish, and turned it over onto the paddy field ridge.

The surrounding young men swarmed forward, giving Liang Qu a happy surprise.

Liang Qu naturally understood what everyone meant, and looked around. "Who were the first two people to discover the Red Dragon Fish?"

"Sir, it's us!"

"It's me, sir!"

Two young men stepped out from the crowd, their faces filled with anticipation.

Liang Qu took out a stack of Silver Note from his pocket, counted out five notes for each of them according to their denominations, and handed them to the two men. "Take these."

Then he pointed out eight small denomination bills and handed them to Old Song: "Take two for yourself, and exchange the rest at the money exchange to share with everyone as a reward for your hard work."

The young men, seeing the face value on the Silver Note, burst into cheers.

Five bills, a full 1,000 taels!

That's enough to ensure they'll live comfortably for the rest of their lives!

Old Song was all smiles.

"Put it away, lest two bandits suddenly jump out when you're walking down the street."

"Yes, yes, yes."

"Rest assured, everyone, as long as the fleet passes by a money exchange that allows us to make money, I will definitely share the profits with you!"

"Okay, okay!"

"You two have to treat us to drinks!"

Eat, eat, eat! Eat as much as you want!

Leaving the crowd to enjoy the festivities, Liang Qu hurriedly returned to his boat.

The Golden Gong Fish contributes nearly 5,000 points of Marsh Essence, but the Red Dragon Fish is currently more attractive than the Golden Gong Fish, and the contribution will only increase! It's expected that the Marsh Ape will account for more than half of the total!

Liang Qu took the Treasure Fish back to the cabin and sent someone to bring a large pot, where he immediately stewed the Red Dragon Fish in the pot.

Sprinkle with a little salt, and a rich, unique aroma will fill the air.

"Let me give it a try."

After removing the bones and internal organs, and eating all the fish meat, the boiling heat surges into every part of your body, a wonderful sensation, no less than soaking in a 42-degree Hot Spring on the Snow Mountain Summit.

[Marsh Essence +7384]

It was empty except for a Ze Cauldron of Red Qi mist that gathered into the cauldron, giving rise to a surging blue light.

Without hesitation, Liang Qu devoted himself entirely to integration.

Half an hour later.

[The Marsh Ape and Marsh Spirit have merged to form a five-fold power, gaining the Innate Skills — Command Water.]

[The Marsh Ape Marsh Spirit have fused to a 50% degree, increasing the strength of their Innate Skills and raising their affinity with water.]

[The Marsh Ape and Marsh Spirit have fused to a 50% degree, increasing their perception range.]