Fish Are Biting!

At some point, a thin layer of frost had formed over the lake before him.

The next moment, the fishing rod began to tremble.

Coming to his senses, Zhou Qing had no time to dwell on his surprise. He hurriedly grabbed the rod, spread his feet apart, and bent his knees slightly.

His heart pounded with excitement, but his expression remained utterly focused.

He gently lifted the rod. Its tip was tugged by the fishing line, bending into an exaggerated arc.

Then, he slowly reeled in with steady rhythm, immediately feeling an even stronger chill and immense force coming from beneath the water.

Zhou Qing did not dare let his guard down. The fishing rod was under enormous tension, curved in midair like a great bow.

"Fish, come!"

Zhou Qing shouted inwardly.

He suddenly exerted force. Amid the splash of water, a snow-white fish thrashed its tail fiercely as it was hauled from the lake. Droplets scattered from its body and struck the surface, creating shallow ripples.

Looking at the fish struggling endlessly on the grass, along with the frost rapidly spreading around it, Zhou Qing could hardly believe that he had truly caught an Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish in such an inconspicuous place.

While no one was paying attention, he quickly tossed the fish into the Fish Basket and hid it away.

Then he cast his rod again and lay down as if at ease, though his heart remained restless for a long while.

"I've struck it rich, I've struck it rich! This time, I've really struck it rich!"

Zhou Qing secretly glanced over again, confirming that his eyes had not deceived him.

The Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish in the Fish Basket was white as snow from head to tail, as though carved from the purest ice crystals. Its body possessed smooth, flowing lines, its scales tightly arranged and gleaming with a faint silver light.

Its broad, soft fins in particular were as light as gauze.

"It's pretty, too!"

Zhou Qing muttered to himself, delight blooming even further in his heart.

At this moment, several Core Disciples in the distance seemed to have noticed something and looked over.

When they saw Zhou Qing's lazy appearance by the shore, they shook their heads helplessly before returning to their fishing with even greater concentration.

Ignorance Points +1

Ignorance Points +1

Ignorance Points +1

...

The pleasant sound echoed by his ears, making Zhou Qing feel even more delighted.

Not until dusk approached did his fishing rod move again, accompanied by the lake surface freezing over.

Zhou Qing's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Could it be that I've used up all the luck of my life here?"

After confirming that no one had noticed him, he hurriedly followed the same method as before and pulled the fish from the water.

As expected, it was another Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish.

"Could this be an exceptional fishing spot?"

He knocked the fish unconscious and put it away, then stowed his rod and began studying the surroundings. Yet everything around him appeared utterly ordinary.

Could it be the innate skill Reduce Presence?

"Fourth Child, what are you looking at? I've been searching for you forever!" Third Senior Brother Yan Xiaohu's voice came from afar. Two Core Disciples chatting and laughing followed beside him, and they seemed quite close.

Zhou Qing immediately stood up straight and said with a smile, "Nothing, just looking around. Third Senior Brother, how was your fishing?"

Yan Xiaohu raised his empty Fish Basket with a gloomy expression. "These Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish are too hard to catch. It's purely down to luck. The place you picked isn't much either. One look tells me you have no fishing experience."

One of them smiled bitterly. "Even if we picked a good spot, what would it change? We still came up empty-handed. Let's go, things have already started over there."

"I heard that Junior Sister Lu prepared little gifts for us," the other said with a grin. "I'm rather looking forward to it. After all these years, no girl has ever given me a gift."

Yan Xiaohu rubbed his stomach. After fishing all day, he was hungry as well.

The four of them then headed toward the open clearing.

The bonfire was already blazing, and the rich aroma of roasted meat filled the air.

Like a thief with a guilty conscience, Zhou Qing constantly swept his gaze around.

Honestly, he really wanted to leave. Lu Yaoyao clearly harbored ill intentions toward him, and he was so innocent. What if he accidentally fell into her trap?

Looking at the long tables that had been set up, along with the delicious food and brewed wine upon them, he had already begun imagining things.

What if Lu Yaoyao used a toast as an excuse, suddenly stumbled, and fell into his arms?

So many senior brothers had cultivation almost higher than his. Would they not become green with envy?

Or what if she pretended to be drunk later and pointed at him while spouting nonsense?

For example, praising me as suave and dashing, saying I'm her type?

Wouldn't that make me the target of every arrow?

But he had been invited here to fish, and he had even caught two Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish. Would it not be too ungrateful to suddenly leave just like that?

Besides, if he alone left, others would think him unsociable, perhaps even accuse him of having a guilty conscience.

When he turned to ask Third Senior Brother for advice, he discovered that Yan Xiaohu seemed even more nervous than he was, even somewhat uneasy.

"Third Senior Brother, what's wrong?" Zhou Qing asked in confusion.

Yan Xiaohu swallowed and quickly made a shushing gesture. "You might not believe this, but I was perfectly fine just now. Yet for some reason, the closer I get to this bonfire, the more I feel an ominous premonition."

Hearing this, Zhou Qing could not help growing tense as well.

"Third Senior Brother, don't scare me."

Yan Xiaohu thought for a moment and said seriously, "My sixth sense is sometimes pretty accurate. How about we slip away first? We didn't get anything from coming here anyway—"

But before Yan Xiaohu could finish, the once tranquil lake beside them inexplicably rippled in layers. Then an invisible pressure abruptly descended.

The pressure was like Mount Tai bearing down from above, making everyone's breathing grow heavy. The air seemed frozen solid, and even the faintest breeze carried a bone-chilling cold that made hearts tremble.

Just as everyone was gripped by terror, a figure slowly rose from the water.

It was an old woman. Her body was hunched, her skin like withered tree bark, crossed by countless wrinkles.

Her eyes were murky yet profound, and her hair hung in disarray, tangled with water weeds and mud. She wore a tattered black robe that snapped loudly in the wind.

Beyond that, she was actually carrying a huge fish in her right hand, as if it were an ice sculpture. It was an Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish.

The instant Yan Xiaohu saw the old woman clearly, his face turned deathly pale. His throat rolled as though he were about to retch.

"Greetings, Grand Elder!" The Chief Eldest Brothers of each peak immediately recognized the old woman's identity and hurriedly bowed with clasped hands.

The other disciples who had recovered their wits also hastily followed suit.

"Lower your heads, lower your heads, hurry and lower your heads! Don't let her notice us!" Yan Xiaohu squeezed the words out through clenched teeth, pulling Zhou Qing down into a hurried bow.

Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lowered his head.

Third Senior Brother's sixth sense was absurdly accurate.

In truth, back then, Zhou Qing had not seen a thing. Yan Xiaohu had said that, as the senior brother, he would set an example first.

Yet the moment he poked his head out, he froze in a daze, ignoring Zhou Qing no matter how Zhou Qing called from below.

Just as Zhou Qing became curious and wanted to climb up himself, Yan Xiaohu fell straight down as if he had seen a ghost.

His mouth full of dirt, he trembled all over as he grabbed Zhou Qing and ran.

There was no need to mention what happened afterward. Nearly everyone knew about it, and even their own master occasionally brought it up as a joke.

"Senior Brother, what do we do now?" Zhou Qing asked quietly.

Yan Xiaohu bent even lower and said, "Don't talk. Be careful she notices you. All we can hope for now is that she doesn't pay attention to us."

At the same time, the old woman walked through the air. With every step, a ripple containing the Great Dao appeared beneath her feet.

"I did not expect that after this old woman achieved great success in her divine art, even though I did my utmost to suppress it, I would still destroy the back mountain like this. But by a twist of fate, this extra lake complements the surrounding scenery beautifully. Not bad, not bad!"

The old woman spoke slowly, her voice echoing in everyone's minds.

Only then did everyone understand why this lake had suddenly appeared.

"I heard Xiao Cao recently accepted a new female disciple. That must be you!" The old woman lightly raised her foot, and in the next instant, she appeared directly before Lu Yaoyao.

Lu Yaoyao clasped her hands and bowed again with respect. "Junior Lu Yaoyao greets the Grand Elder!"

The old woman examined Lu Yaoyao from head to toe, then nodded in satisfaction. "Your foundations and talent are both good, and you are a pretty girl too. Xiao Cao has truly accepted a fine disciple this time."

Lu Yaoyao hurriedly said, "Elder, you flatter me. Being fortunate enough to enter our Taiqing Sect is the blessing I cultivated over several lifetimes."

The old woman smiled and brought over the Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish in her right hand.

"You are a humble, good child. This old woman emerged from seclusion in a hurry, and some of my gifts are unsuitable for you. Seeing that you were fishing, it should be this. Unfortunately, there were originally three in the lake. Two are gone now, so this remaining one shall serve as a small meeting gift."

Lu Yaoyao was deeply grateful as she looked at the Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish being offered to her.

The others carefully raised their heads as well. So this was an Ice Soul Dark Scale Fish. It was so big.

But what had the Grand Elder meant by those words just now?

What did she mean when she said there had originally been three, and now only one remained?

Could someone have already caught the other two?

Who was it?

They had hidden themselves deeply enough. Even now, not a single person knew.

But Zhou Qing's heart jolted upon hearing this, and he even subtly shifted behind Third Senior Brother.

"Don't move, don't move!" Yan Xiaohu hurriedly warned.

Zhou Qing immediately stayed perfectly still.

Then the Grand Elder looked around, her gaze lingering on Yan Xiaohu, whether intentionally or not.

Yan Xiaohu, sensing something, instantly shuddered.

Yet the old woman said, "All right, this old woman will not disturb you young people's enjoyment. Have fun to your heart's content. When you reach an age like mine, even if you want to play, you will no longer have the energy."

Her words brimmed with sighs and nostalgia. Then she walked away through the air.

Everyone clasped their hands and bowed. "We respectfully see off the Grand Elder!"