Red-Horned Pomfret

Heroes of the world were as plentiful as carp crossing the river.

Hong Ming had yet to hear of the former, but he had witnessed the latter with his own eyes.

As night gave way to dawn, before the roosters had even crowed, the vast Chuan River slowly raised its grand curtain.

The fish tide had yet to begin, but the overture was already rippling across the many tributaries, each sharply divided from the next in the distance.

All the tributaries, large and small, seemed to have reached an unspoken accord, their surfaces rippling in fine waves all at once.

The ripples spread at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At the same time came the crisp sound of splashing water, growing louder as it drew near.

The opening movements followed the autumn wind, carrying the scent of a bountiful harvest as they swept toward them.

"They're here!"

Someone with sharp eyes suddenly shouted.

His cry stirred every Water Soldier on the shore and aboard the boats.

Their gazes stretched out in an instant, all the way to where the river met the brightening sky.

There, countless fish of every color swam in vast schools toward them, surging forward like a rolling tide.

A dark mass raced for the lead, completely covering the water.

Like a curtain drawn across the heavens, it seemed poised to blot out the faint dawn and plunge the land back into night.

From afar, it looked like a moving black wave sweeping across the entire Chuan River.

Wherever it passed, the waves surged, fish leaped above the river, and spray flew everywhere, forming an unstoppable torrent!

It was a magnificent sight!

No words could truly capture the spectacle.

Nor was there any need to describe it. The moment the fish tide arrived, every emotion turned into action.

At the Third Tributary, Li Mo gave the order, and everyone sprang into motion, spreading out sturdy fishing nets with gaps no wider than a fist.

At the outlet, they quickly stretched out one unbreakable line of defense after another.

Behind them and along both banks, Hong Ming and the others, who carried bamboo baskets and hauled away the miscellaneous fish, stood ready, poised to act.

In the meantime, Hong Ming relied on his extraordinary eyesight to search every inch of the water for Treasure Fish.

But it was all in vain. He couldn't make out a single Treasure Fish amid the densely packed tide.

After searching for a while, he could only withdraw his gaze in disappointment.

Just then, the first wave of fish arrived, its numbers beyond description.

Even though they were only catching the big fish, they were nearly caught off guard by the densely packed torrent before them.

Fortunately, everyone worked together with decent coordination and easily weathered the sudden onslaught.

In less than a hundred breaths, their haul was already impressive. The fish baskets they had brought were filling at a visible rate.

Often, before one full basket could be carried away, the next was already overflowing. There was scarcely time to keep up.

Hong Ming and the others were caught between pain and pleasure.

Hong Ming worked methodically, never forgetting to look for Treasure Fish.

He kept casting his gaze around, sometimes glancing sideways, sometimes looking into the distance, sometimes sweeping the area.

He also pricked up his ears, listening to the sounds coming from every direction and paying particular attention to Li Mo and the other members of the Treasure Fish Team.

They weren't taking part in the regular fishing. Instead, they were aboard boats in the main channel of the Chuan River, keeping close watch on the Treasure Fish.

At the slightest sign of trouble, with so many eyes and ears among them, they would surely notice at once.

"A Treasure Fish has appeared!"

"That's a Red-Horned Pomfret!"

"Over by the Second Tributary!"

"..."

Hong Ming had been sitting tight, waiting for his chance, but nothing was happening on his side. Instead, a commotion rose from the neighboring Second Team's fishing grounds.

The cries rang out one after another and carried far, drawing glances from both the First Team and the Third Team.

When they saw that a Treasure Fish had indeed appeared, both teams openly revealed their envy.

They wished they could take the Second Team's place!

"A Red-Horned Pomfret!"

Hong Ming's eyes flickered as relevant information quickly surfaced in his mind.

The Red-Horned Pomfret was a beauty among Treasure Fish. Long and slender as a whip, with a streamlined body, it was so handsome that it seemed like nobility among its kind.

The red, hornlike growth on its head only confirmed that impression.

But its true "nobility" lay in its price.

The Red-Horned Pomfret fetched a far higher market price than the Azure Dragon Fish and the Black Bass.

All three had much the same uses: they could aid martial artists in their cultivation and help ordinary people strengthen their bodies.

The only difference was that the first was a fine remedy for enhancing beauty and maintaining a youthful complexion.

That special quality sent the Red-Horned Pomfret's market price soaring, leaving the other Treasure Fish far behind.

Hong Ming didn't care much about such medicinal effects. He was more interested in whether a Treasure Fish could help his cultivation.

There was no need to ask. Of course it could. The problem was, he could only watch this Treasure Fish, not catch it.

Distance was a secondary concern. The main issue was that it hadn't appeared within the Third Team's territory, but the Second Team's.

By the rules, until it left the Second Team's territory, only they were allowed to try to catch it.

Only if they failed and the Red-Horned Pomfret broke through their defenses and entered the Chuan River could the teams compete on equal footing.

As Hong Ming watched the Red-Horned Pomfret, he also kept an eye on what was happening in his own territory.

He hadn't seen a Treasure Fish appear in his own waters when he realized that the Second Team had failed!

Hong Ming hadn't seen exactly how their defenses had been breached. By the time he learned what had happened, the Red-Horned Pomfret had already leapt into the broad river.

"Move!"

Seeing this, Li Mo and the others, who had been waiting for a long time, were overjoyed and sprang into action.

They each nocked arrows and let them fly.

The arrows came in a dense volley, carrying the hopes of both teams as they shot forward like lightning. But the Red-Horned Pomfret nimbly dodged every one.

No one paid any mind to the failure of their first volley. They all mustered their strength and fired arrow after arrow, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Every member of the Treasure Fish Team was on edge, worried both that the Treasure Fish might escape and that the neighboring team might get to it first.

The two teams competed fiercely, neither willing to fall behind.

Yet their fierce contest did the Treasure Fish no harm. Instead, it only drove it farther away.

Just as it was about to disappear into the fish tide and return to Jianghuai, never to be seen again, a sharp arrow came hurtling through the air.

No—not one arrow, but two!

They came from opposite directions.

The first arrow had been fired by the Second Team, giving them the advantage.

The one that followed came from the Third Team. It was half a beat late, but flew at tremendous speed, hot on the first arrow's heels.

The two arrows raced like the wind and lightning, both locked tightly onto the Red-Horned Pomfret.

As if sensing the nearly tangible threat, the Red-Horned Pomfret seemed to feel danger and slapped its tail fin hard, trying to dodge as it had before.

But it was too late. The first arrow had already crossed obstacle after obstacle and was less than half a zhang away.

Just as everyone thought the arrow was sure to hit, the arrow that had been fired later caught up with it head-on.

It not only deflected the first arrow's tip but also struck the Red-Horned Pomfret first, pinning it fiercely to the churning river's surface.

The Red-Horned Pomfret struggled, but couldn't break free. Blood streamed from it, spreading across the river's surface.

The moment the Treasure Fish's blood spread, it drove the fish around it into a frenzy, surging toward it and completely cutting off its last escape route.

"Who hit it?"

Aboard the fishing boat, the same question rose in the hearts of every member of the Treasure Fish Team.

They were puzzled, but they didn't waste time.

Li Mo and the others soon drove away the other fish and retrieved the Treasure Fish.

They immediately checked its injuries. Seeing that they posed no threat to its life, they then looked at the gleaming arrowhead.

When Li Mo saw the number engraved on it, he was overjoyed. "It's from our team!"