The night was like water, the sea breeze cool.
On the sea less than a hundred li from Five Dragon Island, a fifty-foot greenwood bird boat drifted with the waves.
The bird boat tapered at both ends, its slender bow resembling a bird in flight. A black awning covered its cabin, and a long fishing rod rested on the deck, its line dangling into the sea.
"Five years as his Dao companion weren't half as pleasurable as these two days with you, junior brother~"
A woman's alluring, slightly husky voice drifted from the cabin.
"Ah, Senior Brother Feng has treated me well. Doing this feels rather unfair to him."
A young man's languid voice sounded.
The woman said softly, "He bends over backward to please you only because your older sister is Zhu Elder's concubine."
"Besides, I was the one who started this between us. You needn't blame yourself. To be honest, I don't feel I've wronged him. His cultivation went awry and left him a eunuch, unable to have my body. That's his own inadequacy."
"Am I, a proper female cultivator of the Yin-Yang Sect, supposed to live like a widow while he's still alive?"
The man gave a roguish chuckle. "Did his cultivation really go awry?"
"Would I lie to you?" the woman murmured, her voice lilting.
"He ranks among the top three inner disciples. Who would have thought he had such an unmentionable affliction... After leaving you neglected for so long, senior sister, it seems I'll have to cherish you properly."
The man spoke with a glib tongue.
Then, seemingly remembering something, he continued, "Senior sister, I remember Senior Brother Feng once gave you a Rainbow Garment Feathered Robe. Why not put it on, so he can feel he's taking part too?"
"You're awful~" the woman protested coyly, feigning reluctance.
Just then, the fishing rod on the deck trembled gently, giving several light, clear chimes.
Before long, a man and woman emerged from the cabin, their clothes disheveled. Leading the way was a handsome youth with swordlike brows and star-bright eyes, though a trace of wickedness between his brows spoiled the favorable impression he otherwise gave.
Behind him was a seductive young married woman, all alluring curves, her snow-white skin striking in the moonlight.
"A bite."
Delighted, the youth grabbed the fishing rod. Magical light flickered in his hand as his divine sense and magical power extended down the line, controlling it from the other end to coil around the demonic fish that had bitten the hook on the seabed.
Watching him work, the young woman's almond-shaped eyes shone. "Your divine sense truly is extraordinary, junior brother. You'll easily enter the inner sect at this Fish-Dragon Assembly."
Holding the rod steadily in one hand, the youth wrapped his other arm around her supple, water-snake waist and smiled. "With you helping my cultivation, senior sister, entering the inner sect hardly matters."
As he spoke, he jerked the rod upward. The fishing line shook, and a five-foot spirit fish bound at its end came flying toward the greenwood bird boat.
The young woman looked at the spirit fish and saw how strange it was. A jade-green crest grew atop its head, while its body was transparent as glass, its organs clearly visible. Near its tail was a glittering crystalline pearl, plump and smooth, with a flawless sheen.
"An Azure-Snow Spirit Fish!"
The young woman covered her mouth and cried softly, brimming with excitement.
Azure-Snow Spirit Fish had the wondrous effects of strengthening blood and qi and refining the flesh. Extremely rare and precious, each was a treasure of the sea.
These fish were exceptionally difficult to catch. The youth had obtained special chumming bait from a Golden Core elder in the Yin-Yang Sect, and his extraordinary natural gifts gave him divine sense far stronger than cultivators of the same rank, allowing him to control his fishing line with it and reach deep into the sea to catch fish.
The two had lingered here for two days and caught quite a few fish. This time, they had finally encountered an Azure-Snow Spirit Fish.
Just as the youth was about to haul the Azure-Snow Spirit Fish aboard, a streak of azure light suddenly swooped down from the sky like lightning, snatched the fish with unerring precision, and flew into the distance.
The two focused their eyes and saw an azure-winged sea eagle over ten feet in size.
This eagle possessed astonishing eyesight, able to detect movement a thousand feet beneath the sea.
Perhaps it had noticed something earlier and had been circling high overhead, watching. The instant the Azure-Snow Spirit Fish was pulled from the water, it swooped in to steal the catch.
The two aboard the boat had been too busy flirting and laughing to notice the eagle circling high above.
"Help me, senior sister!"
The youth reacted quickly, slapping the greenwood bird boat's deck. Countless spiritual patterns immediately lit up across the vessel, and it rose into the air, chasing straight after the fish eagle.
The young woman also channeled her magical power into the bird boat, immediately tripling its speed.
Her cultivation was far from weak: her magical power was actually at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
In the night sky, two magnificent snow-furred lions rode clouds and mist, drawing an ornate carriage swiftly through the air.
Fang Hong sat upright inside, relaxed and at ease.
He had gained quite a lot on this voyage. Unfortunately, aside from that Flood Dragon Ape, he had encountered no other similarly powerful second-tier demonic beasts.
The Fish-Dragon Assembly was about to begin, and on his return journey, he planned to visit the marketplace on Five Dragon Island first.
The bright moon hung overhead, and the sea and sky lay empty and luminous.
Suddenly, he noticed two fluctuations of spiritual energy from the distant horizon. Turning to look, he saw two tiny points of spiritual light approaching at astonishing speed.
Soon, the two points gradually grew larger, allowing him to make out what was happening.
Within the leading mass of spiritual light was a sea eagle whose outstretched wings spanned several dozen feet. Its talons firmly gripped a spirit fish with a crystal-clear body.
Several li behind it, a flying spirit boat tapered at both ends was cutting through the air in relentless pursuit.
The sea eagle was fast; it seemed the spirit boat would not catch up anytime soon.
Fang Hong had killed quite a few sea eagles over the past few days. At the sight, his hands itched again, and he immediately adjusted the talisman-beast carriage's course slightly to meet the eagle head-on.
"Keee-aao-"
Seeing this, the sea eagle immediately let out a long, piercing cry that split the sky, carrying a note of menace as it echoed between sea and heaven.
It beat its wings and climbed higher, continuing toward the heights rather than confronting Fang Hong directly, seemingly wary of being attacked from both front and rear.
Fang Hong chuckled and swept his broad sleeve. A streak of golden sword light shot skyward, cleaving the heavens at an inconceivable speed before abruptly slicing through the sea eagle.
The sea eagle faltered, its body suddenly splitting in two as broken feathers scattered.
Fang Hong guided his carriage high into the sky, then reached out and drew the remarkable-looking spirit fish inside.
"What kind of fish looks so peculiar?"
Seeing that the spirit fish's body was transparent as glass, its organs clearly visible, Fang Hong could not help feeling curious.
The spirit fish was still thrashing its tail, trying to spring out of the carriage, but Fang Hong sent out a ray of Ice-Soul Mystic Light, freezing it into a block of ice.
He leisurely put away the spirit fish and looked up to see the greenwood bird boat flying over.
A man and woman stood at its bow. The man was young, dressed in sumptuous brocade, a handsome youth with swordlike brows and star-bright eyes.
The woman was mature and seductive, with a voluptuous figure. Standing together, they looked like mother and son.
Both wore strange expressions. The youth spoke first. "Are you a disciple of the Yin-Yang Sect?"
Fang Hong glanced at them and asked flatly, "Do you need something?"
The youth smiled. "Just passing through."
Fang Hong nodded and drove his carriage straight over their heads, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Sitting in the carriage, he looked somewhat thoughtful.
The youth's fate-chart divine balefuls were rather impressive: he actually had the paired auspicious deities of "ten-spirit day and moon virtue noble," without any inauspicious balefuls mixed in.
Ten-spirit day governed keen intelligence, subtle thought, and an innately lucid soul.
Moon virtue noble was the blessing of lunar virtue, governing the dispelling of inauspicious balefuls, deep affection between siblings, and frequent support from one's peers.
Of everyone Fang Hong had met since transmigrating, this person had the best fate chart apart from Su Yao's "heavenly yi noble."
The legendary blessed life could hardly be better than this.
Before you continue