Treasure Fish, First Practice

Just from reading a few books, he wanted to catch Treasure Fish. If anyone else had such an idea, Steward Li would have laughed at them for three years.

But Wei Luo was his benefactor, so he tried his utmost to dissuade him.

Yet Wei Luo did not give up and asked again.

"I once heard Sun Family sailors say that whenever they put out to sea, they could catch dozens or even hundreds of Treasure Fish, couldn't they?"

Hearing this, Steward Li immediately lowered his voice.

"Worthy nephew, you do not know this. The Sun Family's treasure ships all go to those treacherous waters. An ordinary little boat would capsize the moment it reached them.

"Moreover... the Sun Family has a secret method that can attract Treasure Fish."

A method that could attract Treasure Fish?

Wei Luo was immediately curious. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

But this was clearly a Sun Family secret, so Steward Li did not elaborate. After trying to persuade him a few more times, he asked again.

"Worthy nephew, do you still have your heart set on those impractical Treasure Fish?"

"Please help me borrow the books, Steward Li."

Hearing Wei Luo's answer, Steward Li's eye twitched.

This kid was impervious to reason. So everything he had said had been for nothing.

Seeing Wei Luo persist so stubbornly, he could only sigh, rise to his feet, and go borrow books from the Sun Family library.

In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Steward Li returned carrying more than ten thread-bound books.

These books did not touch upon the Sun Family's secrets of catching Treasure Fish, so borrowing them was easy enough.

Compendium of Treasure Fish Categories Uses of Treasure Fish Habits and Distribution of Treasure Fish Summary of Treasure Fish Sightings...

Wei Luo was greatly excited upon seeing these books. They were exactly what he needed.

"Though these books seem useful, if you truly rely on them to catch Treasure Fish, they can hardly provide even the slightest help."

Steward Li reminded him once more, but Wei Luo did not care. He merely said, "Thank you," then immediately began leafing through them.

It was not until dusk had fallen that Wei Luo left the Sun Family.

Watching Wei Luo's retreating figure, Steward Li helplessly shook his head.

He did not believe Wei Luo could catch Treasure Fish with these books, much less achieve entry into the fist art.

Two nights later, Wei Luo rented a boat and rode under cover of night onto the river.

[Treasure Fish Deduction Within Ten Li of Pingjiang Town]

[Time Required: 2 days]

[Nine li downstream on the Hun River, there is a pool containing Treasure Fish. Around the hour of the Ox is the best time to catch them.]

Rowing the boat, Wei Luo quickly found the pool.

The water here was not deep, only around three to five meters. Wei Luo carefully rowed into the pool.

He did not dare make any large movements. He had painstakingly deduced the location of the Treasure Fish; if he frightened it away, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Wei Luo did not hurry to cast his net. Instead, he sat in the boat with his eyes closed and waited.

The surroundings were so quiet that not a single sound could be heard. After an unknown amount of time had passed, he heard something break the water's surface and quickly turned to look.

Under the moonlight, a strange black shadow over a meter long seemed to be tearing at something in one part of the pool. Its eyes appeared to glow red, sending a chill down his spine.

In the blink of an eye, the strange black shadow vanished, as though it had never appeared at all.

Wei Luo stared at the rippling water, his expression startled.

"Was that a Treasure Fish?"

With this question in his heart, Wei Luo rowed the boat closer to that spot.

The boat lantern gave off a faint glow. Only when a dull thud came from the hull did Wei Luo catch sight of something being struck by the boat before it drifted to the side.

He immediately grabbed the fish basket and scooped it up. The instant he saw it clearly, Wei Luo's gaze sharpened.

"A Treasure Fish?"

This fish was exactly the Treasure Fish Wei Luo had been searching for. Its body was flat and as large as a pot lid, yet only a finger thick.

Its body was covered in patterns like copper coins, and Wei Luo immediately recognized it as a Money Fish.

But at this moment, there was a savage wound on the Money Fish's belly. Its pale flesh was exposed, and a foul, fishy stench wafted from the wound.

Something had torn a huge chunk of flesh from this Treasure Fish!

Wei Luo immediately thought of the strange black shadow from earlier. It must have been what killed this Money Fish.

Just then, something seemed to slam violently into the bottom of the boat. Fortunately, Wei Luo had practiced stance training and quickly steadied himself.

Then came the sound of wood cracking, and water immediately began seeping in through the bottom of the boat.

Wei Luo's expression changed. Something in the water was attacking him!

A series of impacts followed, and the small boat was nearly overturned at once.

Though the water here was not deep and he could easily swim back to shore, as Wei Luo looked at the pitch-black water, he had no intention whatsoever of entering it.

He stuffed half the Money Fish into his clothes and quickly rowed toward shore.

Water soon flooded the cabin. If Wei Luo had not practiced martial arts and possessed astonishing arm strength, the boat would have stopped moving long ago.

Just as there were still around ten meters between him and the shore—

Crack!

The oar could no longer withstand Wei Luo's strength and snapped in two.

Wei Luo looked at the forearm-length wooden spike in his hand and thought that tomorrow, he definitely had to demand an explanation from the owner of the fishery.

Seeing that the boat was about to sink completely, Wei Luo could only leap forward with all his might before plunging into the water.

That leap carried him four or five meters. In the water, Wei Luo moved as nimbly as a fish.

In only two seconds, he reached the shore.

After climbing ashore, Wei Luo immediately looked toward the dark water, wary of something rushing out from beneath the surface.

But after waiting several seconds, the water gradually calmed, as though everything that had just happened had merely been an illusion.

"What exactly was that thing? It was so vicious just now—why did it suddenly let me go?"

Just as Wei Luo was thinking this—

The water exploded.

A black shadow shot out from the water at his side, opening its foul-smelling maw and biting at Wei Luo.

Wei Luo had no time to think. He fiercely stabbed the broken oar in his hand at the creature.

The jagged broken end was like a sharp spike. Even if it were a person, Wei Luo was confident he could pierce straight through them.

But to his surprise, the spike felt as though it had struck hard rubber. It only sank in a few inches before it could go no deeper.

At the same time, the savage black shadow was knocked straight onto the ground by the blow.

It let out a strange cry, twisted its body quickly, and returned to the water.

Everything had happened too fast. Only after the creature disappeared did Wei Luo finally let out a breath.

He had lived by the Hun River since childhood and had heard countless tales of demons devouring people and evil river dragons.

Wei Luo had once dismissed them all as rumors, but now it seemed that not every tale was baseless.

If an ordinary person had been fishing tonight, they might have been dragged into the water and buried in a fish's belly!

It seemed that in the future, he would also have to consider the risks of catching Treasure Fish.

This pool was too dangerous, so Wei Luo quickly changed locations and lit a fire to roast the fish.

Soon, the Money Fish began to give off bursts of fragrance beneath the flames.

Once the fish was golden and crisp on both sides and fat began to seep out, Wei Luo immediately dug in with gusto.

Treasure Fish truly were different from ordinary fish. Though he had added no seasoning at all, it was fresher and more tender than any fish Wei Luo had ever eaten.

Wei Luo did not even spare the scales, treating them as something crisp to chew on.

As the fish digested, he soon felt heat spread throughout his body. His qi and blood began surging of their own accord, as though a bronze furnace within him were burning without end.

"Treasure Fish truly are extraordinary."

Wei Luo clenched his fist, excitement appearing on his face, then immediately began practicing the Folding Waves Fist where he stood.

He practiced the fist art again and again, throwing punch after punch as though he knew no fatigue.

At last, at a certain moment, Wei Luo threw a punch and felt something entirely different from before, as though he had crossed some threshold. The flow of his punches suddenly became far smoother.

Only after a long while did the surging qi and blood within him gradually settle.

Wei Luo exhaled a long breath of stale air. At this moment, the strength of his qi and blood had more than doubled.

He had finally broken through the first qi-and-blood barrier and achieved entry into the fist art!