Splash!
The heavens were against him.
The rainstorm lasted three whole days, throwing Hong Ming's plans into disarray.
Hong Ming had no choice but to hold his patience and wait while he trained.
Qin Hao's invitation came before the storm let up. "The bigger the waves, the pricier the fish. Hong Ming, are you sure you won't come check out the nearby waters with me?"
In his view, the rainstorm was both an obstacle and an opportunity.
The foul weather affected not only the fishermen, but also the Treasure Fish.
They might be driven to reveal their whereabouts, giving him the perfect chance to find a bargain.
Besides, even if he didn't catch a Treasure Fish, he might still come away with something else.
Ordinary catches could fetch a high price too, earning him a hefty profit.
He'd invited Hong Ming because he knew how cautious and steady he was. It would be an extra safeguard, and Qin Hao also wanted to look out for him.
Hong Ming didn't share Qin Hao's adventurous spirit and didn't want to invite trouble, so he politely declined. "No, Brother Hao. I'd rather make the most of the rainy weather and practice my martial arts."
"Martial arts... All right, then." Qin Hao knew Hong Ming didn't have much time left, so he didn't press him and went off alone.
After practicing his stance twice, Hong Ming rested briefly, then took the opportunity to go to the Medicine Hall and collect his medicine.
"Hong Ming? Didn't Instructor Huang already collect your medicine?" the Medicine Hall attendant asked in surprise after checking the records.
Hong Ming froze. "He collected it?"
"Mm." The attendant nodded. "That's right. I have it recorded here. He collected all your Blood-Qi Medicine for the past half month."
As he spoke, he even showed Hong Ming the ledger.
Hong Ming glanced over it and quickly saw that the record was indeed there.
Now he understood. Huang Chun had claimed his Blood-Qi Medicine under false pretenses.
And the time he'd done it matched exactly when Hong Ming had seen him.
Huang Chun hadn't merely come to visit Hong Ming. He'd been making his position clear and showing what he could do in the process.
It wasn't an especially heavy-handed move. It was subtle, like a gentle rain seeping into the soil, meant to force Hong Ming into complete submission!
Hong Ming understood what Huang Chun was after, and instead felt somewhat relieved.
The calm before the storm was more unsettling. He wasn't afraid of being pressured; he was afraid Huang Chun was biding his time.
Though Huang Chun's latest move had indeed caused him trouble, it also showed that he didn't dare act brazenly.
With his Traits, Hong Ming wasn't worried. He simply spent money to buy Blood-Qi Medicine instead.
This purchase nearly drained his savings. If the rain continued for another couple of days, he figured he'd have to focus on earning money first.
Fortunately, Hong Ming had some luck on his side. By noon that day, the skies finally cleared for a little while.
He didn't waste time. He took the gear he'd prepared and stopped by the Chen Family Fish Market on the way to buy all sorts of supplies.
Only after making sure he had everything he could think of did he rent a boat and head toward the inner waters.
This time, he hadn't rented an ordinary boat, but a Black-Awning Boat. He was going out to harvest clams, and he was determined to catch a Treasure Fish.
The Clam Lake seemed even calmer after the storm, but Hong Ming knew it was only a façade. The currents beneath the surface were surely surging.
He loosened up his muscles first, then dove into the water once he'd finished warming up.
Just as he'd expected, hidden currents surged underwater, one wave after another crashing against him as if trying to drown him.
Water Proficiency came into its own. No matter how the currents battered him from every direction, Hong Ming swam with ease, moving as he pleased without being affected.
Hong Ming didn't rush to activate a Trait. Instead, he first explored the surrounding waters himself.
Unfortunately, the water was murky, severely limiting visibility and throwing his plan into disarray.
He had no choice but to spend a great deal of time and effort checking for hazards and marking any suspicious areas.
He kept at it on and off for nearly two hours before finally finishing. In total, he'd found five areas that might be hiding a Treasure Fish.
After a brief rest, Hong Ming headed for the first area.
Visibility was poor in all of them, so he couldn't search for a Treasure Fish on his own. He had to rely on a Trait.
The Trait took effect, and the countdown began: half a quarter-hour. Hong Ming didn't dare dawdle and pushed his speed to the limit.
Though he had little time, he didn't swim around at random. Instead, he did everything he could to cover the entire area.
He quickly finished searching the first spot without finding anything and headed straight for the second. The result was the same.
When he reached the third spot, time ran out and the Trait's effect ended. Hong Ming climbed into the boat to replenish his strength. After resting for a quarter-hour, he set out again.
The Trait took effect. A signal aimed solely at Treasure Fish radiated out in every direction from Hong Ming.
This area wasn't very large. He finished searching it in about a hundred breaths and headed for the fourth spot.
The fourth area was relatively large, with visibility under half a meter. Hong Ming had suspected it was the most likely place for a Treasure Fish to dwell.
But reality dealt him a heavy blow. There was still no sign of one.
There was hardly any time left. He didn't have time to feel disappointed, and hurried to the final spot.
The fifth area was very close, and he reached it before long.
By this point, he'd nearly given up hope. But before ten breaths had passed, he suddenly saw a flash of blue light darting toward him.
"It's an Azure Dragon Fish!"
Hong Ming was overjoyed. He didn't even dare breathe too loudly, afraid he might scare the Treasure Fish away.
Then he noticed that the Azure Dragon Fish seemed to have lost its soul. It followed him without being affected by anything around it.
The power of the Willingly Take the Bait Trait was even stronger than he'd imagined!
He glanced at the panel and didn't dare delay. He hurriedly swam back to the boat.
A bizarre scene unfolded. Hong Ming swam ahead as fast as he could, while the Azure Dragon Fish followed behind at a leisurely pace, so obedient it hardly seemed real.
With a splash, Hong Ming climbed aboard and snatched up the landing net's pole. He kept an eye on the time while watching for the Azure Dragon Fish.
Three breaths left!
Faster! Faster! Faster!
Hong Ming was frantic with worry.
As if it had heard his urging, the Azure Dragon Fish finally surfaced at the very last breath.
Hong Ming's hand followed his eyes. As fast as lightning, he cast the pole, dropped the net, wrapped it around the fish, hauled it up, and pulled it in!
His movements flowed together in one smooth sequence. By the time he was done, the Azure Dragon Fish seemed to come back to its senses and thrashed wildly on the deck.
But in the blink of an eye, Hong Ming's Five-Finger Mountain lightly pressed it into submission!
The instant his palm touched the Treasure Fish, Traits gushed forth like a spring:
[Trait: Breathing and Exhalation (Level 1 · Gold)] [Status: Can be solidified] [Required Fortune: 5 points] [Solidification Effect: Adjusts one's breathing to match the rhythms of all things.] -- [Trait: Clam-Seeking Spiritual Sense] [Status: Can be solidified] [Required Fortune: 4 points] [Solidification Effect: Greatly enhances perception of pearl clams and other aquatic creatures of the clam family, making it easy to locate clam beds in deep water.] -- [Trait: Super Bite Force] [Status: Can be solidified] [Required Fortune: 3 points] [Solidification Effect: Increases biting strength, making it easy to crush ordinary pearl clams' hard shells and eat the clam meat without hindrance.] -- [Trait: Water Proficiency] [Status: Can be solidified] [Required Fortune: 2 points] [Solidification Effect: In water, one will be like a fish in water, moving with ease.]
There were four Traits in all—almost enough to blind Hong Ming.
He blinked, trying to make sure he hadn't seen wrong.
A moment later, he drew a light breath. There really were four Traits!
"This Treasure Fish was an incredible catch!"
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