Willing Prey Takes the Hook: Explaining the Source Law, Five Qis Returning to Their Origin in Search of Balance

A woman stood beside the Fishing Old Man, dressed in an elegant plain blue-green robe with a long sword hanging from her waist.

Her features were delicate and beautiful, yet a heroic spirit naturally dwelled between her brows. At that moment, she was frowning slightly as she looked toward the cliff, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure:

"Master, look. They've frightened all the fish away. I'll go make them quiet!" As she spoke, her hand had already come to rest on the hilt of her sword.

"Hey, Xiao Yue, don't be so impatient." The Fishing Old Man gently raised his rod a little, signaling that she needn't interfere.

"Those with fate will stay of their own accord. Those without the inclination cannot be forced. The way of fishing appears tranquil on the surface, but the key lies in the word 'fate.' The willing take the hook, after all. There's no need to interfere.

"By the way, judging from the date, the Desire Flower should be nearing its blooming period. You can set out for it."

A flicker of surprise crossed the blue-robed woman's eyes. "Master, aren't you going with me?"

"Heh heh heh." The Old Timer chuckled and shook his head.

"With an opportunity of this level, old fellows like us shouldn't interfere. Whether you gain anything will depend entirely on your own fortune and blessings."

Xiao Yue's expression turned solemn. She clasped her fists and said, "This disciple will do everything in her power to pluck that Desire Flower and offer it to Master!"

Hearing this, the Old Timer laughed even more heartily. With a touch of detachment, he said mysteriously, "Don't go making a fuss over that Desire Flower. For one thing, you won't be able to seize it. For another, your master has no use for it. When the time truly comes that I need it, it will obediently come into my hand on its own."

Xiao Yue's brows drew together even more tightly, her red lips pursed slightly. Clearly, she found her master's words—"you won't be able to seize it"—rather unconvincing.

She had always been quite confident in her own strength.

The Fishing Old Man seemed able to see through her thoughts and continued:

"Don't underestimate the people of the world and end up throwing your own life away. It's better not to wade into those muddy waters. When you go, just pick some flowers and herbs from the sidelines.

"If you happen to encounter those young disciples of Medicine Valley and they run into trouble, lend them a hand if it's convenient. Their old ancestor has some ties of fate with your master.

"Of course, do what you can. Don't force the matter, and certainly don't put yourself in danger for it."

"Yes! This disciple will remember Master's teachings!" Xiao Yue bowed and replied.

Before her voice had even faded, she swept out her blue-green robe. Her figure rose like a startled swan, gliding gracefully into the air. She lightly tapped the tips of her toes against the river's surface several times, then departed far into the distance, skimming over the waves.

Watching his disciple's retreating figure, the Fishing Old Man gently stroked the long beard beneath his chin and shook his head slightly, letting out a soft sigh:

"That girl probably didn't take my words to heart. Oh well, it's simply her nature; it cannot be forced. What should be stopped cannot be stopped, and what should be heard cannot get through. In the darkness of fate, Heaven has its own decree and destined number~"

He stopped thinking about it, his gaze returning to the fishing rod.

Not far away, the slaughter on the cliff continued unabated. Stones kept falling into the river, stirring up wave after wave.

Suddenly, a downward tug came through the fishing line.

"Heh! What did I say? There'll always be willing prey taking the hook."

He made no obvious movement, merely flicking his wrist casually.

Splash!

A plump river fish, its scales flashing silver beneath the sunlight, burst from the water at the sound. Its tail thrashed powerfully as it traced an arc through the air.

Then, neither veering to one side nor the other, the fish landed precisely on a blue-and-white porcelain plate that had already been prepared on the small boat.

The plate was already laid with shredded scallions, minced ginger, sauces, and other seasonings.

The instant the river fish landed on the plate, it had already been completely filleted.

When it finally settled into the plate, its head and tail remained intact, while the fish skin in the middle still clung to the bones. The flesh beneath, however, had already been separated and sliced into translucent fillets as thin as cicada wings, neatly spread over the scallion, ginger, and sauce mixture.

The Fishing Old Man picked up the fish body, now reduced to its head, tail, bones, and skin, and casually placed it back into the river.

The moment the fish entered the water, it seemed completely unharmed. It flicked its tail, nimbly burrowed into the depths, and swam away at its leisure.

Only then did the Old Man pick up the pair of bamboo chopsticks beside him. He lifted a slice of raw fish, dipped it into the sauce on the plate, put it into his mouth, and savored it carefully.

A moment later, he nodded in satisfaction and said leisurely:

"Mmm~ The fish from this stretch of the Xi River truly has tender, delicious flesh and plenty of spring. That Bald Donkey really didn't lie to me."

Inside the Tomb Chamber.

Qi of every color drifted and spread like mist, weaving and circulating together.

Among them, the Fuhu Fist qi was the most vast and surging. Like the king of beasts, it crouched around Chen Duan, forming the core of the cycle.

The remaining qi resembled subdued tribes, prostrating themselves around it and supporting the main body as they jointly maintained a relatively balanced structure of circulating qi.

The structure appeared stable, but in truth, it was a tower built of fine sand, filled with restless uncertainty within.

At a certain moment, it was as though a gust of wind had blown in. The core of the structure trembled slightly, and the qi that had been circulating in an orderly fashion began to stir restlessly, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

Chen Duan appeared to have anticipated this. His thoughts stirred slightly.

Deep within his dantian, the pure-white Righteous Qi rose in response to his thought and spread gently, swiftly merging into and winding around his entire body.

Under the Righteous Qi's strange effect, all the qi was bound by invisible rules and gradually calmed.

Once the unrest subsided, the qi became obedient once more, honestly returning to its established paths of circulation and maintaining the structure's continued existence.

Yet it was not only the other qi. Even the Fuhu Fist qi, the absolute main body, was brought to heel by the Righteous Qi. Its edges were worn smooth, it sank beneath the power of edification, and it lost its subjective initiative.

This could truly be called peace within the seas and lands, with all beneath Heaven returning to one heart. Seeing this, the Great Sage's Righteous Qi felt rather pleased with itself.

But in the next moment, Chen Duan abruptly severed the Righteous Qi and reined in all the remaining qi.

The quiet room returned to utter silence, leaving only Chen Duan's long, steady breaths.

He sat cross-legged in stillness, sinking into deep thought.

After this period of repeated attempts and failures, the general approach had become clear.

He would use the inner force of the Fuhu Fist as the core and framework, and pure Killing Intent as the medium to radiate outward and integrate all the other inner forces.

Through this, he would establish a shared connection, turning many inner forces into one and forming a stable overall structure.

However, this structure could not do without the Fuhu Fist as its main body. After all, the character "kill" could be said to be the fundamental resonance of the martial path. It was related by blood to the inner forces of the vast majority of true arts, allowing connections to arise.

Yet that alone was still not enough.

People's hearts could still change, and so could inner force. It was like a great lineage: everyone within it shared blood ties, but the various branches of that great lineage would still quarrel and clash over resources or beliefs.

Such a structure appeared to be one body, but was actually fragile. Once it encountered an external impact or internal imbalance, it was in danger of toppling.

If it was not absolutely stable, then it was absolutely unstable.

Thus, Chen Duan introduced the Great Sage, the Righteous Qi. As expected, once the Righteous Qi appeared, it immediately suppressed all the unrest with its special properties, and the structure instantly became firm.

But a new shackle followed.

This Great Sage possessed too much authority, and the power of its edification was overly tyrannical. As a result, all the inner forces, including the core Fuhu Fist qi, became excessively docile, losing their former sharpness and vitality.

Though stable, all the inner forces now lived beneath edification. They had lost their vigorous life force, as well as their infinite possibilities for the future.

How could a stagnant pool nourish a flood dragon?

He had to find something capable of restraining the Great Sage's absolute authority without stealing the main role. It could not shake the Fuhu Fist's central position; instead, it had to complement it...

Suddenly, a flash of insight streaked through his mind.