Dark Night Lake

He knew quite a lot about the stories of the Dragon Blood Carp, thanks to the memories he had inherited from his predecessor.

It could even be said that his father, Shen Ning, was able to break through to the Ninth Grade of the Tendon-Changing Realm back in the day precisely because of a Dragon Blood Carp.

Over a hundred miles outside of Cloud Dragon County lay the Dark Night Beast Forest, a forest that wound for over a thousand miles and bordered the towering Snow Dragon Mountain Range to the west.

After the snow on the Snow Dragon Mountain Range melted in the summer, it converged into a river that ran through the entire Dark Night Beast Forest, eventually pooling into a lake at the outer edge of the forest near Cloud Dragon County. Because the lake was bottomless and its surface appeared pitch-black, it was named Dark Night Lake.

Living within the depths of Dark Night Lake was a type of treasure fish known as the Dragon Blood Carp.

Legend had it that over ten thousand years ago, the Snow Dragon Mountain Range was formed from the remains of a black flood dragon that had failed to overcome its heavenly tribulation and perished.

The carp in the river had accidentally consumed the dragon's blood, and after thousands of years of evolution, they had transformed into the Dragon Blood Carp of today.

The Dragon Blood Carp was a treasure from head to tail; its blood could help martial artists of the graded realms refine their cultivation, and its flesh was firm, succulent, and effective at strengthening a martial artist's blood and qi.

To this day, the price of a Dragon Blood Carp had been driven up to the exorbitant rate of ten gold per catty.

Even so, the Dragon Blood Carp remained a rare commodity; the moment anyone caught one, it would be purchased at a high price by one of the major factions in the city.

His predecessor's grandfather, Shen Yuan, was an expert angler who had always loved fishing at Dark Night Lake. By a stroke of luck, he once caught a Dragon Blood Carp weighing three catties, which sold for the sky-high price of three hundred taels.

It was precisely with this money that Shen Ning and Shen Hong were able to afford the fees to enroll in a martial arts school...

"Tsk tsk, I really didn't expect it to be a Dragon Blood Carp. No wonder so many people are gathered here to watch the excitement."

Shen Mu couldn't help but sigh.

He had heard the legends of the Dragon Blood Carp long ago, but this was the first time he had seen someone actually catch one.

It was said that the Dragon Blood Carp lived at the very bottom of Dark Night Lake and rarely surfaced to feed. Furthermore, they possessed immense strength; even after taking the bait, they were extremely difficult to pull ashore. If one were even slightly careless, the angler on the bank could be dragged right into the lake.

The lake water was formed from the melted snow of the Snow Dragon Mountains and was bone-chillingly cold. If an ordinary person fell in, they would likely develop a chronic illness if they weren't careful, and if they didn't receive prompt treatment, they could very well lose their lives.

Therefore, although many knew that Dragon Blood Carp lived in Dark Night Lake, those who dared to fish for them and actually succeeded were few and far between.

The Dragon Blood Carp was certainly worth a fortune, but it wasn't worth losing one's life over.

However, given the price of the fish, there was no shortage of people fishing at Dark Night Lake year-round, hoping to strike it rich overnight.

Just then, a young man dressed in brocade robes arrived at the city gate, surrounded by several servants.

"I'll buy this Dragon Blood Carp!"

The brocade-clad youth stood outside the crowd and shouted loudly.

The onlookers immediately scattered, clearing a path for him.

Watching the youth surrounded by his entourage, Shen Mu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Old man, what is this young master's background?"

"Young man, you don't even recognize him?"

The old man looked at Shen Mu in surprise and continued, "This is Wan Shunkang, the third young master of the Money Gang's second-in-command."

Wan Shunkang?

Shen Mu frowned slightly. Although he had never met the man, his reputation was notorious. It was said that he had a penchant for married women and often wandered the streets; if he saw a young, beautiful woman, he would arrange for his lackeys to investigate her background and then use money to force her into his bed...

As for the Money Gang behind him, it was one of the three major factions among the nine powers of Cloud Dragon County, with a foundation even deeper than that of the Firewood Gang. Their businesses practically monopolized the city's pawnshops, banks, gambling dens, and brothels.

He probably just got bored of the girls in his own brothels and preferred something more stimulating; the hobbies of the wealthy were often just that eccentric.

The old man beside him glanced at Shen Mu and sighed, "When I was your age, I used to go fishing at Dark Night Lake. Once, I had a Dragon Blood Carp take the bait—tsk tsk, that strength, it must have been at least a ten-catty fish..."

Shen Mu pulled back his thoughts and couldn't help but ask, "And then?"

The old man: "And then it got away."

Shen Mu: "..."

His expression was strange; this old man was surely bragging again.

Of course, Shen Mu wasn't surprised. Anglers in his past life were all like this, desperate to shove their phones right up against the fish, making a one-finger-sized catch look like three catties in photos...

If they really caught a fish weighing over ten catties, they'd probably get lost on the way home from sheer excitement.

At this moment, as Wan Shunkang paid for the Dragon Blood Carp, the crowd began to disperse, and Shen Mu, standing in the distance, finally had the chance to see what the fish looked like.

It was a carp about the thickness of five fingers, with a body that was entirely scarlet. There were even several well-spaced bumps on its head, making it look exceptionally ferocious at first glance.

Under the sunlight, the blood-red scales of the Dragon Blood Carp shimmered, making it impossible for anyone to look away.

"So this is a Dragon Blood Carp?"

Shen Mu couldn't help but marvel; the appearance of the Dragon Blood Carp was indeed astonishing.

At the same time, the seller who had caught the fish also surprised Shen Mu.

Judging by his appearance, he was about the same age as Shen Mu, dressed in a washed-out, faded robe, and was currently clutching a bag of silver with a look of wild ecstasy.

"In the future, if you catch any more Dragon Blood Carp, you can come find me at the Money Gang. I'll buy them from you at a price of one hundred and twenty taels of silver each."

Before leaving, Wan Shunkang smiled and greeted the seller.

"Alright, thank you, Young Master Wan."

The seller said with a grin.

As Wan Shunkang led his men away, the city gate returned to its usual order.

"It seems that if I'm ever short on money in the future, I could try my luck at Dark Night Lake to see if there's a chance to catch a Dragon Blood Carp..."

Shen Mu withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself.

He currently had one hundred and ten taels of silver on hand, which, combined with his monthly salary of nearly ten taels, would roughly sustain him until he reached the fifth level of Boiling Blood.

If he wanted to maintain a daily intake of beast meat to boost his blood energy thereafter, he could not rely solely on his monthly salary and would have to find other ways to make money.

Fishing for Dragon Blood Carp was undoubtedly an opportunity to strike it rich.

If he were lucky enough to catch one, it would likely be enough to fuel his progress through several levels of Boiling Blood.

Of course, fishing for Dragon Blood Carp was just one way to earn money; perhaps once his cultivation improved, he would discover other methods.

Arriving at the Firewood Gang, Shen Mu presented his token and stated his purpose, after which a gang member led him toward the Incense Hall.

During a previous chat with Zhang Bohan, Shen Mu had already learned how the Firewood Gang tested the Boiling Blood levels of its members.

After advancing to the second level of Boiling Blood, one was required to re-register at the Incense Hall.

The Incense Hall would test the registrant, and the method was quite simple: a bronze bell was placed inside the hall, and this bell served as the tool to verify a member's cultivation.

A person at the first level of Boiling Blood, striking the bronze bell with all their might, would cause it to emit a single muffled sound.

A person at the second level of Boiling Blood, striking the bronze bell with all their might, would cause it to emit two consecutive muffled sounds.

It was precisely because of the wonder of this bronze bell that Shen Mu had deliberately refrained from pushing toward the third level of Boiling Blood while his blood energy was abundant.

Otherwise, if he struck the bell and it emitted three sounds, wouldn't that expose the fact that he possessed the cultivation of the third level of Boiling Blood?

An incense stick's time later, Shen Mu walked out of the Incense Hall, and two markings had appeared on his Firewood Gang member token.

This meant that when he collected his salary in the future, it would be in accordance with a second-level Boiling Blood member, entitling him to two taels of silver and five taels of unranked beast meat per month.

At the same time, guarding Origin Mulberry Field and Yuan Mulberry Hall provided a monthly stipend of five taels of silver; adding these together, Shen Mu could now receive a monthly salary equivalent to twelve taels of silver.