The Azure Flood Dragon Caught

Splash!

The heavens were not in a good mood.

This torrential rain had been falling for three days straight, throwing Hong Ming's plans into disarray.

Hong Ming had no choice but to be patient, practicing his martial arts while he waited.

The rain showed no signs of stopping, but Qin Hao arrived with an invitation: "The rougher the waves, the more expensive the fish. Hong Ming, are you sure you don't want to come with me to check the nearby waters?"

In his eyes, the storm was not just an obstacle, but an opportunity.

It wasn't just the fishermen who were affected by the harsh weather; the treasure fish were, too.

They might be forced to reveal their tracks, making this the perfect chance for him to scavenge for a windfall.

Furthermore, even if he didn't catch any treasure fish, there might be other gains.

Ordinary catches could also be sold at high prices, allowing him to make a killing.

He had called on Hong Ming because he knew the latter had a steady temperament, providing both a safety net and a gesture of looking out for a friend.

Hong Ming lacked Qin Hao's adventurous spirit and had no desire to invite unnecessary trouble, so he politely declined: "No thanks, Brother Hao. I'd rather take advantage of the rainy days to practice my martial arts."

"Martial arts... alright then." Qin Hao knew Hong Ming didn't have much time left, so he didn't press the matter and left alone.

After holding his stance for two rounds, Hong Ming rested briefly and took the opportunity to head to the Medicine Hall to collect his medicine.

"Hong Ming? Wasn't your medicine already collected by Instructor Huang?" the Medicine Hall clerk asked in surprise after checking the records.

Hong Ming was stunned: "Collected?"

"Yes." The clerk nodded slightly. "That's right, I have it recorded here. He collected your blood-energy medicine for the next half-month."

As he spoke, he specifically pointed out the ledger for Hong Ming to see.

Hong Ming cast his gaze over it and quickly confirmed that the record indeed existed.

At this point, he understood perfectly: his blood-energy medicine had been impersonated and taken by Huang Chun.

And the timing of the theft coincided exactly with when he had last seen Huang Chun.

Huang Chun hadn't just come to visit Hong Ming; he had come to make his stance clear and show off his methods.

The methods weren't overtly aggressive, but rather subtle and pervasive, aimed at forcing Hong Ming into total submission!

Hong Ming sensed the other man's intent and actually felt a sense of relief.

The calm before the storm was more daunting; he didn't fear the other party's pressure, only that they were bottling it up.

This current move, while certainly causing him trouble, also showed that Huang Chun didn't dare to act recklessly in broad daylight.

With his traits to rely on, Hong Ming didn't panic and instead spent his money to purchase more blood-energy medicine.

This purchase basically emptied his savings; if the rain continued for another two days, he figured he would have to prioritize making money.

Fortunately, Hong Ming had good luck, and by noon that day, the sky finally cleared for a brief moment.

Without wasting time, Hong Ming packed his prepared gear and made a detour to the Chen Family Fish Market to purchase various supplies.

Only after he had prepared everything he could think of did he rent a boat and head toward the inner waters.

This time, he didn't rent an ordinary boat, but a Black-Awning Boat; he was heading out to harvest clams with the firm intention of securing a treasure fish.

After the storm, Clam Lake appeared even calmer, but Hong Ming knew this was just a facade; there were surely turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface.

He loosened his muscles and joints, and once he finished warming up, he dove headfirst into the water.

Just as he had expected, the water was filled with surging undercurrents, wave after wave battering his body, attempting to drown him.

His Water Proficiency trait showed its power; no matter how the water currents struck from all directions, Hong Ming remained at ease, moving as he pleased, completely unaffected.

Hong Ming didn't rush to activate his trait, instead using his own senses to explore the surrounding waters first.

Alas, the water was murky, severely hindering his vision and causing his plan to fall apart.

He had no choice but to spend a great deal of time and energy clearing the area, marking the suspicious spots as he went.

After recording intermittently for nearly two hours, he finally finished, having managed to locate five areas that might harbor treasure fish.

After a short rest, Hong Ming headed toward the first area.

Visibility in these waters was low, making it impossible to spot treasure fish on his own; he had to rely on his trait.

The trait took effect, and the countdown for the half-quarter-hour duration began; Hong Ming dared not delay, pushing his speed to the limit.

Though the time was short, he didn't swim aimlessly, but covered as much ground as he possibly could.

He quickly finished exploring this area with no results and headed straight for the second, but the outcome was the same.

By the third area, time ran out and the trait's effect ended. Hong Ming climbed onto the boat to replenish his energy, rested for a quarter of an hour, and then acted again.

The trait took effect, radiating a signal specifically targeting treasure fish from Hong Ming as the center.

This area wasn't large, and within a hundred breaths, Hong Ming finished his exploration and headed to the fourth area.

This area was relatively large, and with visibility extremely low—less than half a meter—it was the place Hong Ming suspected was most likely to harbor a treasure fish.

However, reality dealt Hong Ming a painful blow; there was still no sign of the treasure fish.

With little time remaining, he had no leisure to feel dejected and quickly hurried toward the final body of water.

The fifth location was very close to him, and he arrived before long.

By this point, he had actually lost hope, yet less than ten breaths into his search, he suddenly saw a flash of azure light darting toward him.

"It's an Azure Dragon Fish!"

Hong Ming was instantly ecstatic, not daring to even breathe deeply for fear of startling the treasure fish away.

But he soon realized that this Azure Dragon Fish was following him as if it had lost its soul, completely unaffected by the outside world.

The power of the Willingly Take the Bait entry was even stronger than he had imagined!

Glancing at his panel, Hong Ming dared not delay and hurriedly swam back to the boat.

A bizarre scene unfolded: he swam with all his might in front, while the Azure Dragon Fish followed leisurely behind, looking impossibly docile.

With a splash, Hong Ming climbed onto the boat, grabbed the landing net pole, and kept his eyes fixed on both the time and the figure of the Azure Dragon Fish.

Three breaths left!

Fast! Fast! Fast!

Hong Ming was burning with anxiety.

As if hearing his urgency, at the very last breath, the Azure Dragon Fish finally surfaced.

Hong Ming's hands moved with his eyes, casting the pole, dropping the net, wrapping it, scooping it up, and pulling it back with lightning speed!

The movements were fluid and seamless, and by the time it was over, the Azure Dragon Fish seemed to snap out of its trance, jumping and struggling frantically on the deck.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, it was effortlessly suppressed by Hong Ming's Five-Finger Mountain!

The moment his palm touched the treasure fish, entries gushed forth like a fountain:

[Entry: Breathing and Exhalation (Level 1 · Gold)]

[Status: Can be solidified]

[Required Luck: 5 points]

[Solidification Effect: Adjusts one's breathing to harmonize with the rhythm of all things.]

--

[Entry: Clam-Seeking Spiritual Sense]

[Status: Can be solidified]

[Required Luck: 4 points]

[Solidification Effect: Greatly enhances perception of pearl-bearing aquatic life, allowing for easy location of deep-water clam colonies.]

--

[Entry: Super Bite Force]

[Status: Can be solidified]

[Required Luck: 3 points]

[Solidification Effect: Enhances bite force, allowing one to easily crush the hard shells of ordinary pearl clams and consume the meat without obstruction.]

--

[Entry: Water Proficiency]

[Status: Can be solidified]

[Required Luck: 2 points]

[Solidification Effect: Become like a fish in water, moving with ease and grace.]

A full four entries nearly blinded Hong Ming.

He blinked, wanting to confirm he hadn't misread them.

A moment later, he took a soft breath; it was indeed four entries!

"This treasure fish, I've hit the jackpot!"