Perfection

"Little Mouse's cooking just keeps getting better. I've spent half my life fishing, and I got sick of fish long ago. His fish is about the only kind I can still enjoy."

Feng Boping laughed heartily, flicked both sleeves, and took the lead in sitting on a large rock beside the pot. With a beckoning motion, a cup and jade chopsticks appeared in his palm as gracefully as a flower blossoming.

Though he and Li Muxiu were birds of a feather, they had their differences. Feng Boping was rather fastidious and loved fine jade. Even his bowls and chopsticks were luxurious, rivaling those of the Imperial Clan at court.

Smiling, he handed Li Hao a clean bowl and pair of chopsticks, ignored Li Muxiu, and quietly waited for the pot to be opened.

Judging that enough time had passed, Li Hao lifted the lid and set it upside down on some leaves nearby. A rich aroma surged out. He dispensed with all that fuss about respecting elders and letting others go first, reaching straight in with his chopsticks for some meat.

"Hey, you two! Wait for me."

Li Muxiu hurried over, grabbed a branch, rubbed it into a pair of chopsticks, and plunged them into the pot to stir around.

Despite his fastidiousness, Feng Boping said nothing about Li Muxiu's behavior. Li Hao supposed this was what friendship spanning half a lifetime looked like.

The three tucked in with gusto. Though their ages were worlds apart, neither elder put on airs in front of Li Hao. Sometimes they called him a little rascal, and he called them old men in return, all utterly at ease.

"To think you could find new ways to cook fish." Li Muxiu clicked his tongue in admiration after swallowing a mouthful of spicy broth.

Li Hao smiled. Of course he could. Over the past six months, both his self-taught painting and cooking had steadily improved, reaching the second stage.

The same went for his Fishing Dao.

Perhaps there really was such a thing as beginner's luck. During his first month, his bite rate had been exceptionally high. Now, catches had become rare. Sometimes he waited until midnight, only to reluctantly find some shallows and hook a Power Through Realm Fish Demon to avoid returning empty-handed.

As they chatted, Li Hao suddenly glanced at the fish float and saw it gently bobbing on the water.

A bite!

He quickly set down his bowl and chopsticks, crouched low, and dashed to his fishing rod. Just then, the fish float abruptly sank beneath the water.

Li Hao swiftly lifted the hook and pulled the line taut. An enormous force came from the other end, and a great disturbance erupted underwater.

"This kid..."

Both elders watched with a trace of envy in their eyes. The boy had landed the first catch again.

Soon, the disturbance underwater grew larger with every tug. A monstrous creature surfaced, but it was not a Fish Demon. It was a Shrimp Demon covered in armor!

Four or five meters long, its body bristled with spikes, and its fearsome pincers could snap boulders in half.

The Shrimp Demon was clamping the fishing line with its pincers, its bulging eyes glaring at Li Hao on the bank. Seeing that he was just a little child, it screeched in fury, yet was also terrified. Where had this wild child come from, with strength like that?

It struggled ever more fiercely, but Li Muxiu had found this fishing line for Li Hao. Impervious to fire and water, it could withstand a million jin of force. How could an ordinary Circulation Realm Shrimp Demon possibly break it?

Soon, as it was dragged along, the Shrimp Demon slowly approached the bank. Indecision flickered in its eyes as it considered whether to mutilate its own body to escape the hook and flee for its life.

Just then, Li Hao swayed on the bank, seemingly unable to hold the rod steady.

"Hm?"

Seeing this, the Shrimp Demon hesitated again.

After a bout of tugging, the Shrimp Demon felt that the child was only slightly stronger than itself. Had the hook not wounded it, it might well have been his match.

Its eyes rolled as it tried to drag Li Hao into the water, but each time, he narrowly steadied himself.

Finally, after all that tugging, the Shrimp Demon was aching all over. Unable to bear it any longer, its savage nature erupted. Screeching, it charged onto the fishing platform with the pull of the line, intending to crush this ignorant, wicked child between its pincers.

But as it reached the bank, the child who had been swaying moments before suddenly planted his feet firmly. A brilliant smile of relief appeared on his face.

This is bad!

The Shrimp Demon had only just realized something was wrong when an immense force surged through the hook, wrenching its unbalanced body through the air straight toward the boy.

With a sharp swish, a silver gleam seemed to flash past. What was that? So bright!

The next instant, the Shrimp Demon knew nothing more. Its world sank into darkness.

An enormous shrimp head tumbled to the ground. Li Hao casually planted his sword in the earth beside him, then dragged the body over and dumped it a short distance from the cooking fire. "Too bad it didn't bite sooner. I could've added some shrimp paste to your lunch."

Seeing Li Hao dispatch this Circulation Realm Shrimp Demon so effortlessly, both elders smiled. They had concealed their auras earlier, which was why the Shrimp Demon had failed to notice them and found the courage to attack.

Li Hao cast his bait out again, then picked up his bowl and chopsticks and resumed eating.

"You killed that ninth layer of Circulation Realm monster so easily. You must have reached minor mastery in your Li Family's Dragon River Divine Meridian, haven't you?" Feng Boping asked with a smile.

Li Hao did not deny it.

Minor mastery? I've already reached perfection.

Their daily fishing finished, Li Hao bade farewell to the Second Master and the Thief Saint as the sun sank toward the western hills. The Thief Saint said he was taking a long trip and would be away for half a month.

Clearly, some place was about to lose another treasure.

Long accustomed to this, Li Muxiu said goodbye with a smile and took Li Hao back to the Divine General Residence.

Now that Li Hao had developed an interest in fishing, Li Muxiu no longer made him follow those fishing "traditions." They went straight back to the Listening Rain Pavilion.

Outside the pavilion, Li Fu waited as usual. This time, however, a young maid stood beside him: Xue Jian from the Evergreen Courtyard.

Seeing the old man and the boy return, Xue Jian could not help studying Li Hao.

She had long heard of this Second Master's eccentric temperament. So many ladies from the various courtyards wanted to send their children to him for a little instruction, yet he had ignored them all. Who would have thought he would become so close to Li Hao, a boy with a Martial Dao Wasteland Physique?

Though these thoughts passed through her mind, nothing showed on Xue Jian's gentle face. She smiled, showing her teeth, and stepped forward to explain why she had come.

It turned out that First Madam He Jianlan, mindful that Li Hao had been studying the Body-Tempering Art for some time, wanted him to enter the Martial Arts Arena and cultivate alongside the other children of the lineage.

Naturally, Li Fu had already heard the news from Xue Jian. As she spoke, an eager smile spread across his face. He wished he could nod and accept on Li Hao's behalf.

But after hearing her out, Li Hao and Li Muxiu exchanged a glance and both laughed.

Knowing that Li Hao's words carried little weight and that a refusal would only invite more pestering, Li Muxiu waved a hand. "The little fellow can stay with me. My instruction is enough. Going to the Martial Arts Arena would be a waste of time."

The old man grumbled inwardly, Sending this boy to the Martial Arts Arena? Wouldn't that just be bullying people?

The lineage's children in the Martial Arts Arena were, at most, in the Circulation Realm. Those who progressed further and had greater talent went to study under masters on renowned mountains or joined the army.

Sending a little monster like Li Hao, who could casually slay demons at the ninth layer of Circulation Realm, to the Martial Arts Arena-how was that any different from punching the old and young and kicking women and children?

Hearing the old man refuse, both Li Fu and Xue Jian grew anxious.

But Xue Jian seemed to have anticipated his response. Immediately, she explained in a gentle, measured voice that he need only visit the Martial Arts Arena for a short practice session in the mornings. The main purpose was for Li Hao to spar with his peers and hone his practical combat experience, and so on.

Li Fu kept nodding beside her. Yes, exactly.

Though staying beside Second Uncle would give him the best instruction, Li Fu also worried that the old man would lead Li Hao astray. After all, strong as Second Uncle was, he seemed a little... neglectful of his proper duties.

He had never seen Li Hao discuss cultivation with Second Uncle. Instead, they enthusiastically talked about which fish to catch and how to pull the hook...

Besides, even the disciples of a renowned master like the Sword Saint needed to spar with others at their cultivation level. Otherwise, lessons that amounted to warfare on paper would always take longer to grasp.

Hearing Xue Jian's explanation, Li Muxiu rolled his eyes slightly. How could fighting those little fellows in the lineage compare to matching wits with Fish Demons while fishing?

After all, fishing for Circulation Realm demons was not merely a matter of strength. These Fish Demons had developed intelligence and understood danger. They would rather tear their own bodies apart than remain hooked. Demons at the Soul Succession Realm were even harder to catch.

Simply put, fishing demanded a full range of skills: battles of wits, concealment and disguise, feigning weakness, contests of strength, and more.

That was precisely why the old man had been engrossed in it for half his life and remained utterly spellbound even now.

He refused outright, then feigned anger and threatened to beat anyone who brought it up again. Only then did Xue Jian and Li Fu reluctantly accept it.

Li Hao left his fishing gear in the Listening Rain Pavilion and headed back to his courtyard with Li Fu. On the way, he learned that a letter had arrived from Northern Yan. Both their eyes lit up, and they hurried to the Evergreen Courtyard.

He Jianlan held the family letter in her hands as she sat in the main hall, her bearing elegant and dignified.

"The military funds on Tiangang's side are insufficient. I'll have to attend court tomorrow..." A thoughtful look appeared in He Jianlan's eyes.

Just then, Li Hao and Li Fu rushed inside. Li Fu still had his wits about him and knew the rules, but Li Hao had already barged in. He tried to catch the boy and failed, leaving him no choice but to stumble in after him.

Meeting He Jianlan's gaze, the man looked somewhat embarrassed and hurriedly bowed in apology.

"Did they send it?" Li Hao asked eagerly.

He Jianlan shifted her gaze to Li Hao. Catching the faint fishy scent of water, she knew he had just returned from another fishing trip with Second Uncle.

Seeing the anticipation in Li Hao's eyes, He Jianlan did not take issue with his rashness. She nodded slightly.

"Then... what did they say?" Expectation shone in Li Hao's eyes.

He Jianlan froze for a moment. A trace of pity rose in her eyes, only to vanish quickly. She said gently:

"It's a report on the fighting and military situation in Northern Yan. Your father said they had just killed a group of monsters. There are also matters concerning provisions."

She did not go into detail. It was military business, after all.

"Then were they in any danger? Did they mention me?" Li Hao asked.

He Jianlan's fingers tightened slightly around the letter. She nodded and smiled.

"Your parents asked me to make sure you eat more and not let you work too hard. They also asked what you've been eating lately, whether you've caught a chill, and whether you've been listening to your elders..."

Li Hao quietly listened to everything First Madam said, then asked, "Can I see the letter? I know how to read."

He Jianlan folded the letter and shook her head slightly. "No. There are military matters in here, and you're still young."

"All right."

Li Hao could only agree. Then he said, "Sorry for the trouble, First Madam, but please write back for me. Tell them I've been eating and drinking properly. I'm a great cook, and I can make delicious food myself. I'm also practicing body tempering, so I'm strong and won't catch a chill. I spend my days fishing with the Second Master, so I'm not working too hard. He treats me very well and even praises my cooking. When they come back, I'll let them taste it too."

"Oh, and tell them to take care of themselves and not worry about me. I'm very safe in the Divine General Residence. With the Second Master and First Madam backing me up, nobody bullies me."

(End of chapter)