Meeting Zhao Ziyue, Appointment at Black Dragon Pool

Seeing the fish they had caught growing more and more numerous, Xu Changqing was astonished.

He had never expected Spirit Rice Wine to have such an effect.

It truly was an unexpected discovery.

"Ha ha... I can brag about this for a whole year when we get back." Hu Bugui grinned broadly.

Though he had not come back empty-handed before, his catches had always been few.

This time, however, the catch exploded.

In just a short while, they had reeled in nearly a hundred bighead carp.

Xu Changqing glanced across the river and suddenly froze.

The person on the opposite bank seemed to have given up on fishing.

He held a fishing rod in one hand.

And dragged a fishing net with the other.

Step by step, he walked across the water toward them.

Before long, he was right in front of them.

Just like that, the three men stared wide-eyed at one another.

You looked at me.

I looked at you.

For a time, no one spoke.

The atmosphere grew increasingly awkward.

"Um..." After quite a while, Zhao Ziyue was the first to lose patience.

"Something wrong?" Hu Bugui studied him with a wary expression.

Zhao Ziyue gave an awkward smile. "May I ask what bait you two are using?"

"No." Hu Bugui refused without hesitation.

While the other man was not paying attention, Xu Changqing secretly slipped the Spirit Rice Wine into his small storage pouch.

At once, only a faint scent of alcohol remained in the air.

Other than that, there was only a half-ripe watermelon.

Seeing that the two were somewhat on guard, Zhao Ziyue knew his question had been a little excessive. He waved his hand. "Don't misunderstand, you two. I'm not trying to snatch your bait. I'm simply curious."

Xu Changqing said, "We don't know you. Why should we tell you?"

Zhao Ziyue suddenly understood, then introduced himself. "My surname is Zhao, given name Ziyue. I awakened a Water Spirit Root and am a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Water-Control Pavilion."

The moment those words came out, Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui were both startled.

Good heavens, he was actually a Foundation Establishment Realm fishing enthusiast.

No wonder he could walk on water.

"And you two are?" Zhao Ziyue blinked.

Hu Bugui was somewhat muddled. Seeing this, he grinned and introduced them. "So you're Senior Brother Zhao of the Foundation Establishment Realm. I'm Hu Bugui, a formal disciple of Beast Spirit Valley, and this is Xu Changqing, a formal disciple of the spirit fields."

Xu Changqing frowned slightly. Why had this guy revealed their real information?

What if the other man harbored ill intentions?

Sure enough, alcohol harmed people.

It seemed he could not bring Spirit Rice Wine out with him next time.

Zhao Ziyue nodded lightly. "Greetings, junior brothers. If you don't mind, could you let me join you?"

"Huh?" Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui were both quite surprised.

Zhao Ziyue shrugged helplessly. "There are no fish left on my side."

"Sure, of course." Hu Bugui did not refuse this time.

Xu Changqing watched him, unable to figure out what this guy was thinking.

The other man was a stranger, after all.

Fortunately, he had already put away the Spirit Rice Wine beforehand.

After that, Zhao Ziyue really did choose a spot beside them.

Then they fished together.

But without any more Spirit Rice Wine as bait,

the three of them only caught a few fish for the rest of the day.

As the afternoon wore on, Zhao Ziyue held the half-ripe watermelon in his hands and asked, "Do you two junior brothers know of Black Dragon Pool?"

"Black Dragon Pool?" Xu Changqing looked utterly baffled.

Hu Bugui's eyes widened. "The Black Dragon Pool at the border between the spirit fields and Beast Spirit Valley, where an demon dragon is said to have emerged?"

"Correct." Zhao Ziyue confirmed it.

Why had he suddenly brought this up? Xu Changqing became alert.

Zhao Ziyue swept his gaze over the two of them. Seeing their differing reactions, he continued, "Your bait really is impressive, junior brothers, but fishing here is meaningless.

Why don't we set a time to visit Black Dragon Pool and try our luck with the Dragonfish inside?"

The moment he heard the words "Dragonfish," Hu Bugui sobered up by more than half.

His gaze shifted back and forth between Xu Changqing and Zhao Ziyue.

He seemed to be weighing something.

"Don't rush, junior brothers. Take your time thinking it over.

It's getting late. I'll be leaving first." Zhao Ziyue tossed all of this trip's harvest into his storage pouch, then suddenly took out a Communication Talisman before leaving.

But he did not hand it to Xu Changqing.

Instead, he held it out before Hu Bugui.

Nor did he urge him.

He simply watched with a smiling expression.

Hu Bugui, however, did not hesitate and immediately accepted it.

Zhao Ziyue revealed a satisfied expression. "Junior Brother, contact me once you've made up your mind."

Afterward, he stepped across the river, leaving one step at a time.

Before long, he was already more than a hundred meters away.

Soon, he vanished from the two men's sight.

"What exactly is going on with you?" Xu Changqing stood up and demanded sternly.

"Sigh." Hu Bugui sighed, then replied, "I was a little muddleheaded just now. I thought he was a Foundation Establishment Realm disciple, so I wanted to make his acquaintance."

Xu Changqing's face darkened. "I'm talking about going to Black Dragon Pool."

Hu Bugui froze for a moment, then explained, "There is a type of Dragonfish in Black Dragon Pool. It is said to contain a thin trace of demon dragon bloodline, so every one of them is extremely valuable."

"And then?" Xu Changqing raised an eyebrow noncommittally.

Hu Bugui gritted his teeth and simply told the truth. "There's a Golden Core Realm fishing enthusiast in Beast Spirit Valley. His requirements for taking disciples are extremely strict, and one of them is rare fish.

So I want to catch a Dragonfish and see whether I can become his disciple!"

Learning that this was what Hu Bugui had in mind, Xu Changqing was actually left speechless.

Not just in the Dongting Immortal Sect.

Even anywhere else.

Everyone wanted to advance and thereby change their identity and status.

Hu Bugui looked around. Only after seeing no one nearby did he speak seriously. "I don't want to keep selling filthy, foul-smelling manure forever, and I don't want to have to beg people everywhere to cooperate with me.

As a friend, you should understand, right?"

"But..." Xu Changqing hesitated before continuing, "This Spirit Rice Wine might not work."

Hu Bugui took a deep breath. "Let's give it a try. What if it does work?"

"What do you plan to do?" Xu Changqing's tone softened.

Hu Bugui immediately smiled. "You don't need to get involved. Zhao Ziyue and I will go."

"Fine." Xu Changqing took out the remaining half jin of Spirit Rice Wine.

Taking it, Hu Bugui said, "Even if I fail, at least I'll have gotten to know a Foundation Establishment Realm Water Spirit Root cultivator. That won't be a loss for me."

As his friend, Xu Changqing naturally hoped Hu Bugui could catch a Dragonfish and even successfully take a master.

Since Hu Bugui had already considered the consequences, there was no need for Xu Changqing to interfere.

At the end of the day, they were not family.

Nor were they related by blood.

There was no reason for him to stick his hand into it.

Night arrived.

Xu Changqing finally returned home.

This fishing trip had been quite fruitful.

His small storage pouch held dozens of bighead carp.

If he ate one each day, they would last him two months.

"Woof woof!" The little yellow dog wagged its tail excitedly.

"Cluck cluck!" The Pearl Chicken's eyes darted around restlessly.

Seeing this, Xu Changqing completely relaxed in body and mind. "Sure enough, nowhere compares to home. From now on, I should just honestly farm the land."

He immediately went into the kitchen and began cooking with practiced ease.

Food for himself.

Food for the dog.

Food for the Pearl Chicken.

In the end, everyone had a fragrant chunk of braised fish in their bowl!!!