Linyuan Contends for Fish, Paper Figures as Maidservants

Great Zhou, Jiangcheng Prefecture, Linyuan County Town.

The sky was as clear and pure as flawless jade, the clouds floating like white dogs.

Beneath the vast blue sky and white clouds, fishing boats and small skiffs were either docked at the Linyuan City Xue Men River pier, hawking their catch, or sailing out to fish.

Many Linyuan City residents were fishermen who made their living from the Xue Men River. The Xue Men River was long and winding, and occasionally yielded Spirit Fish, thus frequently attracting anglers and fishermen from outside the city who came by reputation.

An elegantly decorated carriage sped along the riverbank. In contrast to the bustling scene of a hundred boats racing on the river, a young man inside the carriage, with a face like jade and a dignified demeanor, was engrossed in reading a book, appearing leisurely.

"Great Yun Kingdom, three hundred years. Emperor Yun passed away, Crown Prince Yun Qi succeeded the throne, renaming the era to Jianxin.

The new dynasty lasted barely three years before Malevolent Spirits emerged from the foreign land of Yunze, devouring thousands of households, leaving the land devastated."

"Great Yun, twenty-fourth year of the new dynasty. Ruler Yun Qi was tyrannical, colluding with Demons and Devils from foreign lands to prey on the populace and poison all living beings. Noble families could no longer bear it and declared independence one after another.

Three years later, the noble houses and the Zhou royal family overthrew Great Yun. King Wu of Zhou ascended the throne as the new Emperor, establishing the Great Zhou. He promulgated various methods for cultivating Exotic Power, established the Demon Suppressing Division, and widely recruited those with Spirituality and aptitude."

"Great Zhou, thirtieth year. The Divine Marvel Building appeared out of nowhere, recruiting geniuses with excellent Martial Arts and Spirituality aptitude with immense resources. Unexpectedly, many geniuses were sacrificed to divine weapons, their blood staining the Jianghu.

The Great Zhou Demon Suppressing Division dispatched powerful experts to forcefully suppress it, and the Divine Marvel Building subsequently vanished from the Jianghu. For the next fifty years, geniuses in the Jianghu were intimidated by the fearsome might of the Divine Marvel Building and hid their talents. It was only in the last decade or so that those with excellent Spirituality aptitude dared to emerge."

"Spirituality, what is Spirituality? It is rumored that the four realms of Martial Arts are merely struggling in the mud. Only those who possess Spirituality can enter the extraordinary realm.

Three years have passed since I transmigrated. I have cultivated diligently, and my Martial Arts have achieved some success, yet I still don't know if I truly possess Spirituality aptitude."

The handsome young man's name was Chu Ge. At this moment, he looked at the lines of information in the book in his hand, his long eyebrows, which slanted towards his temples, furrowed as he fell into thought.

He was a soul transmigration, having possessed the body of a wealthy young master named Chu Ge in this world. Coincidentally, they shared the same name and appearance, but their personalities differed, as if they were each other from different parallel universes.

According to the memories of the fused original body, the original host had disliked martial arts since childhood.

His eldest sister, Chu Feixue, had once intended for him to learn martial arts, but it ultimately came to nothing, and thus he had not built a solid foundation in Martial Arts.

After his transmigration, to avoid making his eldest sister suspicious, he had not immediately asked her, who was in a martial arts sect, for martial arts scriptures.

Moreover, even if he had secret manuals, unless his eldest sister returned from the sect, there would be no one to guide and teach him, making it easy to make mistakes. Therefore, he went to a martial arts school in the city to learn martial arts on his own.

Later, during normal letter exchanges, he gradually revealed his changed interest in Martial Arts, laying the groundwork for their future meeting.

Suddenly, a clamor erupted from the direction of the fishing stalls, and many people rushed over, vaguely hearing someone exclaim, "Spirit Fish."

"Hmm?"

Hearing the commotion in the distance, Chu Ge's spirits lifted, and he put down his book.

"Spirit Fish appeared today? Let's go take a look."

There was no response. The young maid in charge of driving the carriage was pretty and delicate, about sixteen or seventeen years old. She had her hair in twin buns, her eyes were lively, and she wore a light green silk long jacket with a dark green satin vest over it. She appeared to be mute.

The carriage suddenly turned around and drove onto the pier. Perhaps sensing the biting winter wind, it headed straight for the fishing stalls.

Seeing the carriage, the many fishermen watching the excitement immediately made way, discussing with smiles.

"It's the Chu family young master's carriage! It seems this Spirit Fish will be his."

"Young Master Chu inherited the vast fortune of the Chu family, and his eldest sister was taken in by the Hidden Water Sect long ago. No one can compete with him for what he wants!"

"This Young Master Chu has many hobbies, and he loves collecting rare and strange items, not hesitating to spend a fortune! I heard he's also learning martial arts from Master Hu at the Hu Guan in the east of the city. I wonder what progress he's made!"

"Heh! If I were that rich, I'd play with anything too, and play even more extravagantly than him."

The green-clad maidservant was the first to get out of the carriage, lifting the curtain to help Chu Ge alight.

He was tall and robust, wearing a silver hairpin to tie up his hair, a white python-patterned arrow-sleeve robe, and a jade and red sash around his waist. He was clearly a wealthy young master, exuding an imposing aura that caused the fishermen, whose surroundings reeked of fish, to involuntarily step aside. Some smiled and flattered him.

"Young Master Chu, this one is a Red Scale Claw Fish. Officer Qin from the city yamen caught it. You must take it!"

"Oh? Little Qin, another Spirit Fish caught by you? Not bad."

Chu Ge walked through the crowd, looking with surprise at the young man in the crowd who had a saber at his waist and was barefoot, holding the Spirit Fish. He smiled.

"With your fishing skills, you could make a living even if you weren't working for the yamen."

Little Qin was a young man with tanned skin. Seeing Chu Ge approach, his eyes brightened. Everyone knew that the Chu family young master was a patron, so he smiled and raised the Spirit Fish in his hand.

"Young Master Chu flatters me. The people of our Linyuan City can all swim at seven and float at ten; most of us can fish. I was just lucky. Are you interested in this Spirit Fish?"

Chu Ge nodded with a smile, glancing at the condition of the Spirit Fish, and praised, "Not bad, this is a Red Scale Claw Fish, right? I've heard of it but never seen it. I'll offer twenty taels! I'll take this Spirit Fish."

The surrounding crowd heard the price, which was double the usual, and a ripple of astonishment went through them. Several people who had intended to bid were stunned.

Their absolute limit was fifteen taels. Twenty taels might have been bid in a moment of competitive spirit, but feeling the young master Chu's nonchalant demeanor, who dared to bid further?

"Xiao Qing!"

Chu Ge glanced at the maidservant beside him.

Xiao Qing just smiled and stepped forward to pay without a word.

"Xiao Qin, next time you catch a Spirit Fish, you can send it directly to my manor!"

Chu Ge said with a faint smile and got into the carriage, departing.

The surrounding fishermen were accustomed to this. Some outsiders who had not managed to bid for the Spirit Fish were annoyed.

However, upon inquiring and learning that the Chu family even had a disciple in a major sect like the Hidden Water Sect, they could only give up with a wry smile.

After getting into the carriage, Xiao Qing finally put down the lively Spirit Fish in her hands.

With a slight raise of Chu Ge's hand, Xiao Qing's delicate body seemed to lose all strength, sliding down as if losing its support. The cloud belt tightly cinching her slender waist slipped, and her eyes rapidly dimmed.

Her entire body was like soft, boneless porcelain, with only a layer of skin stretched over bamboo strips. Now, as the bamboo strips collapsed section by section, she fell to the ground like a pile of clothes. Her raven-black, lustrous hair drooped over the clothes and the skin sac. Her fair, pretty face became even paler, bloodless, like a sheet of paper.

"Maintaining this Shadow Puppet for just half a day actually consumed a wisp of Exotic Power. Not worth it, not worth it at all. It would be cheaper to hire a few maids with some silver!"

Inside the carriage, Chu Ge looked at his fallen masterpiece and sighed, shaking his head. He reached out and grabbed a beautiful face drawn on a piece of paper. It had a jade-like face, eyebrows like distant mountains, a delicate nose, and cherry lips. Though it appeared charming, it lacked any hint of seductive or wicked allure.

Chu Ge was extremely satisfied with his drawing skills. If he couldn't find a wife in the future, he could draw a few paper wives to keep him company; it would be a form of solace, though it would consume quite a bit of paper.

He put away the paper face, and with a flick of his fingers hidden in his sleeve, nearly invisible threads were instantly retracted from the paper sac and clothes on the ground.

Saying it wasn't worth it was just a joke.

Although these Shadow Puppets seemed like a "chicken rib" (a metaphor for something with little value but a shame to discard), if used correctly, they could be a great asset, often creating illusions that were indistinguishable from reality, especially in actual combat.

However, he had only been in this world for three years since his transmigration. He hadn't yet cultivated this skill to a profound level, so it could only serve as an auxiliary technique in his Martial Arts cultivation. For those unfamiliar with this art, it could produce astonishing effects.

After pulling the carriage to the side, Chu Ge's gaze fell upon the Spirit Fish inside.

This fish had red scales and claws. It had been out of water for a while yet was still leaping about, truly a rare breed of Spirit Fish.

If a martial artist regularly consumed this fish, their Martial Arts cultivation would undoubtedly advance rapidly.

However, Chu Ge had not bought this Spirit Fish to eat directly, but to offer it as a sacrifice, maximizing its value.

He suddenly reached for the Spirit Fish. The next moment, on his wrist beneath his clothes, a tattoo of a dragon-entwined bronze bell seemed to come alive, lifelike.

The Spirit Fish instantly disappeared. On the dragon-patterned bronze bell tattoo on his right wrist, a groove faintly glowed.

This glow was only visible to him.

Within the groove, a Spirit Fish had appeared.

The Spirit Fish quickly fell into a circle of golden light in the center of the groove.

This golden light, like a golden sphere, quickly displayed a line of text on its surface after the Spirit Fish landed within it.

"[Red Scale Claw Fish (Rare Breed): Description: (A strange fish mutated by Exotic Power. Ordinary people can eat it to strengthen their bodies and increase their power. Martial artists in the four realms of Martial Arts can eat it to enhance their vitality and strength. Force Condensation Realm martial masters can extract its Exotic Power for refinement.)

Current Status: Extracting optimal ability..."]

Seeing the information displayed on the Dragon Bell tattoo, Chu Ge was not surprised.

Before his transmigration, he had taken a photo of a double-knobbed dragon-patterned bell at the National Museum. When the flash went off, he inexplicably transmigrated.

After transmigrating, this Dragon Bell tattoo appeared on his wrist.

Anything of value could be devoured by the bell's core within the groove.

Then, the bell's core would refine the most valuable part of the item over a period of time.

Over the past two years, Chu Ge had sacrificed gold, silver, jewels, food, wine, tree bark, stones, and even corpses to this bell, costing him a considerable amount.

For instance, he had once sacrificed a winged Spirit Fish and obtained a talent called 'Fish Wings'.

However, that ability was too impractical. After mastering and inheriting it, a pair of foot-long fish wings would form on his back.

The wings couldn't help him fly, only increase his swimming speed in the water.

This talent was mostly for comedic effect, as he didn't need to be a fisherman.

After he abandoned the ability, it would transform into a mass of pure Exotic Power for him to absorb.

It should be known that Exotic Power is a force that only martial artists in the Force Condensation Realm, the fourth realm of Martial Arts, can come into contact with. It is a mysterious power that roams freely between heaven and earth.

Martial artists in the first three realms of Martial Arts could not come into contact with it at all.

Chu Ge, however, could use the Dragon Bell to come into contact with and absorb Exotic Power early, naturally making his martial arts journey smooth sailing. He was now a martial master in the third realm of the four Martial Arts realms, the Bone Training Realm.

However, having just arrived and fearing the rumors surrounding the Divine Marvel Building, he preferred to conceal his strength in public, never revealing his true abilities. Thus, even the master of the Hu martial arts school in the east of the city, who taught him martial arts, believed he was merely a Muscle Refining Warrior in the second realm.

At this moment, seeing that the Red Scale Claw Fish was still being refined and might take four or five days to complete, Chu Ge stopped paying attention to it and turned to look at the other information within the Dragon Bell.

"[Five Mao Mountain Marvelous Skill (Incomplete)]: Level: [Supernatural Skill above Exotic Power]

Description: (One skin, two paper, three embroidery. Four casting, five poisons, six clay sculptures. The Five Mao Mountain Marvelous Skill is considered a heterodox path, yet even heterodox paths have their essence. Among them, the six paths are profound and vast. Unfortunately, this miraculous book only records four of them: skin, paper, embroidery, and five poisons.)

Current Status: Mastered and inherited skills: Shadow Puppetry, Paper Cutting, Embroidery, Five Poisons."

This incomplete fragment of the Five Mao Mountain Marvelous Skill was taught to him by a Taoist priest from his previous world before his transmigration. It later became a craft he relied on for a living.

However, he had always thought the skills he mastered were merely folk crafts. He never expected that during his transmigration, the manual taught by the Taoist priest would also be absorbed into the Dragon Bell and identified as a supernatural skill of Exotic Power level or above.

It should be known that in this world, supernatural skills of Exotic Power level or above, apart from those secret techniques that damage potential, mostly require Condensation Realm experts who have mastered Exotic Power to study.

And in the past two years, when Chu Ge attempted to use this craft to create various small items, many of them would undergo strange transformations after being infused with Exotic Power, exhibiting peculiar changes similar to the Shadow Puppets.

However, he had not mastered Exotic Power himself and could only rely on the Dragon Bell to extract Exotic Power from spiritual items, allowing him to practice and perform these techniques through the Dragon Bell. Consequently, his cultivation speed had always been slow.

"Exotic Power. Exotic Power. The four realms of Martial Arts: skin, flesh, bone, blood.

It is rumored that after exchanging blood, when the three flowers gather at the crown, those with Spirituality can sense the Exotic Power in the heavens and earth. Those without Spirituality will completely halt at the fourth realm of Martial Arts."

Chu Ge stood up and walked out of the carriage, his gaze falling on the East Flow River not far away, his expression contemplative. "Do I possess Spirituality? If not, can I stand firm in this secular torrent?"

He had already experienced the wondrous nature of Exotic Power, how it could combine with wondrous arts to turn the rotten into the miraculous, making Shadow Puppets seem to come alive, lifelike and indistinguishable from the real thing.

It could also be transformed into a surge of vital energy, strengthening the body and prolonging life.

It was precisely because he knew this that he yearned to possess such power even more...

"Kind sir, please help!"

Just then, a small beggar passed by in the cold wind.

Chu Ge suddenly flicked a finger, and a copper coin flew out with a plop, hitting the horse's backside.

It then bounced and landed in the beggar's broken bowl with a "ding-dang" sound.

The horse, in pain, neighed and immediately broke into a trot, its hooves clattering as it galloped away towards the martial arts school in the east of the city.