The silence inside and outside the Spirit Fish Pond lasted for a long time.
It wasn't until Lu Ming leaped out of the Spirit Fish Pond with his fish basket on his back that everyone gradually came to their senses, turning their incredulous gazes toward him, and then bursting into a noisy commotion.
"Holy crap, fifteen Golden Pupil Spirit Fish?!"
"No one has ever achieved such a quantity before!"
How did he do that?
What kind of supernatural power could achieve this?
"..."
Not only were the young people from these major families incredulous, but even the heads of those families present were astonished and looked at each other in disbelief.
"The outside help that Li Clan has found this time seems to have some unique skills." Yan Jing, the head of the Yan Clan family, squinted at Lu Ming's figure, then smiled at Li Yan beside him.
Li Yan was inwardly taken aback by Lu Ming's acquisition of fifteen Golden Pupil Spirit Fish, but she showed no outward sign, simply smiling and saying, "He does have some skill."
Yan Jing pondered for a moment and said, "However, it's a bit excessive for him to catch fifteen Golden Pupil Spirit Fish in one go. Perhaps Li Clan could ask him to take five, and that would be enough."
"Five Golden Pupil Spirit Fish is quite a good harvest for a disciple of the Divine Ability Hall."
Upon hearing this, the other family heads' eyes flickered, and they nodded with smiles. After all, this " Spirit Fish Pond " was built by their joint efforts, and none of them wanted an outsider to take such a big advantage.
Upon hearing this, Li Yan's expression darkened, and she said calmly, "In the past, various families have sought outside help in fishing, but their skills were insufficient to achieve the desired results. Why should the rules be changed now that my Li Clan has found the right person?"
Hearing that Li Yan's tone was off, the other heads of the minor families fell silent. After all, the strength and foundation of the Li Clan were far beyond what they could compare to.
Only Yan Jing smiled and said, " Li Clan, there's no need to be angry. I was just making a suggestion. If you really think it's inappropriate, then let it go this time, but..."
He paused, seemingly somewhat helpless, and said, "Let's not invite him to the ' Spirit Fish Banquet ' next time. After all, it's not easy for each of us to chip in to raise fish. If he comes too often, aren't we just doing all the work for him? That's not the way to maintain a long-term partnership."
Li Yan remained silent for a moment. She knew this was Yan Jing's final concession. If she still refused to back down, the " Spirit Fish Banquet " might not be able to continue next year. So, she finally nodded.
After Lu Ming withdrew from fishing, the others continued, but his amazing catch made them all seem much less impressive, which made the fishing atmosphere quite depressing.
Yan Qing looked even more ashen-faced, like a wilted eggplant.
As time passed, the Spirit Fish Banquet gradually drew to a close.
In the end, Zhou Fuling obtained six Golden Pupil Spirit Fish, while Yan Qing, affected by her emotions, ended up with the same harvest as Li Shuang, with only four Golden Pupil Spirit Fish. The rest, and most of them, only had one or two pitiful fish.
Zhou Fuling walked up to Lu Ming, put her hands behind her back, circled him twice, and asked curiously, "How did you do that?"
Lu Ming said earnestly, "I can speak fish language. After communicating with them, they are willing to sacrifice their bodies for me."
Zhou Fuling rolled her eyes, clenched her fist, and punched his arm. "You're a liar and a smooth talker."
Lu Ming said somewhat aggrievedly, "Senior sister, I didn't want to make such a big deal out of it, but they insisted on targeting me. I had no choice but to fight them."
"Vulgar."
Zhou Fuling said irritably, then lowered her voice and chuckled softly, "But it was indeed very satisfying."
"Don't play the victim with me, brat. Don't worry, if they dare to bully you or find excuses to withhold your spirit fish, your senior sister will protect you."
Lu Ming's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up. "Senior Sister is so righteous!"
He was genuinely worried that these families with extraordinary abilities wouldn't acknowledge their claims.
While the two were whispering, Yan Qing, who was not far away, watched this scene with a livid expression. He never expected that his call for so many helpers would not only fail to stop Lu Ming, but would instead allow Lu Ming to reap unprecedented gains.
Looking back at his harsh words now, he seems like a clown.
Li Yan also stepped down from the platform. Looking at the close relationship between Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling, she couldn't help but frown. At the same time, she was very puzzled. Why was this niece of the shop owner so familiar with Lu Ming?
Filled with doubt, she walked over and first scolded Lu Ming, "You brat, I sent you here to gain some opportunity, and you almost ruined everything."
Lu Ming chuckled and handed over the fish basket behind him, " Auntie Li, these Golden Pupil Spirit Fish are all yours to handle. You can even dump them all back into the pond, I won't complain at all!"
Li Yan reached out and took it, glancing inside before laughing, "You slippery boy, don't try to talk your way out of this. What kind of situation hasn't your Auntie Li seen?"
With a flick of her finger, she used her Primordial Qi to gather three of the Golden Pupil Spirit Fish and toss them into Li Shuang's fish basket, saying, "These are the conditions we agreed upon. No objections, right?"
Lu Ming shook his head repeatedly.
Li Yan returned the fish basket, still containing twelve Golden Pupil Spirit Fish, to Lu Ming, saying, "It's a good thing you knew when to stop and didn't catch more, otherwise things would have been really difficult to handle."
Judging from Lu Ming's previous methods, he clearly held back; otherwise, he might have obtained more Golden Pupil Spirit Fish. However, in that case, the heads of various families might have lost their composure and might resort to some unseemly methods, making the situation awkward.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming was overjoyed, knowing that Li Yan had already helped him resolve these troubles.
"However, they probably won't allow you to participate in future ' Spirit Fish Banquet '," Li Yan reminded her.
Lu Ming didn't care about this. When the Spirit Fish Banquet resumed a year later, the " Golden Pupil Spirit Fish " might not hold any appeal for him anymore.
"Come with me later, and I'll take you back to the Thunderfire Hall so you don't attract unwanted attention while carrying these ' Golden Pupil Spirit Fish '," Li Yan said.
"Thank you, Auntie Li." Lu Ming naturally wouldn't refuse her kindness.
Li Yan waved her hand, then looked at Zhou Fuling beside her and asked casually, "Are you and Fuling very familiar with each other?"
Lu Ming didn't hide anything, saying, "I've recently been studying Dao of Alchemy under Master Zhou Xuan, and much of my Dao of Alchemy has been taught to me by my senior sister."
Li Yan was stunned for a moment, and said in astonishment, "You studied Dao of Alchemy under Master Zhou Xuan?! You have this talent?"
Before Lu Ming could speak, Zhou Fuling interrupted with a smile, "I'm just learning casually, I haven't learned anything yet."
Li Yan didn't ask any further questions. After all, Lu Ming had probably only been studying Dao of Alchemy for a few days, so he couldn't possibly have learned anything. What puzzled her more was why Zhou Xuan would choose Lu Ming.
Given the resources of the Thunderfire Hall, it's unlikely they could afford Zhou Xuan's apprenticeship ceremony.
"Could it be because of Zhou Fuling?"
Li Yan's eyes suddenly flashed, and her heart skipped a beat.
Otherwise, it's really hard to explain why Zhou Xuan would treat Lu Ming so well.
This guess made Li Yan feel both worried and relieved. The complex feeling made her feel as if she had a lump in her throat that she couldn't express.
In the end, she could only shake her head. "Let's go."
After saying that, Li Yan turned around and walked ahead, while Lu Ming, Zhou Fuling, and Li Shuang followed.
After the group left the mountain, Zhou Fuling took her leave. Before leaving, she reminded Lu Ming in front of Li Yan to remember to continue studying Dao of Alchemy at the local government office the next day.
Then Lu Ming rode in Li Yan's carriage, passing through the city and arriving at the Thunderfire Hall.
As soon as Lu Ming, carrying a fish basket, jumped off the carriage, before he could even say thank you, Li Yan waved and ordered the carriage to quickly drive away.
Lu Ming stood at the entrance of the Thunderfire Hall, watching the departing carriage, scratching his head in confusion. Why did Auntie Li suddenly seem a bit cold?