The wind along Golden Lake carried heavy moisture, leaving faces sticky as it blew past.
The villagers beneath the great banyan tree had already dispersed in twos and threes.
Lin He carried the rough fishing net he had just received in one hand, tossing and catching it as he walked as though it were a weightless, tattered cloth bag.
"Young fellow from the Lin household, this business on the water is something this old man really knows nothing about." Old Man Sun followed beside him, his aged face drawn into a grimace.
"I've spent half my life roaming the mountains, holding a bow and watching game trails. Now you're asking me to look at this endless stretch of water..."
The old man shook his head, his eyes full of bewilderment at this unfamiliar territory.
"Don't panic, Elder Sun." Lin He chuckled and patted his shoulder. "There's a first time for everything. Let's get out on the water and practice. If nothing else, we can call it a cold bath."
That was all well and good, but not having a boat was a major problem too.
Golden Lake was too vast. Casting from the shore would net them little more than a few handfuls of weeds and tiny shrimp.
The two strolled along the reed-covered embankment. Before they had gone half a li, they spotted a shirtless, dark-skinned, burly man crouching by the water ahead, repairing an old black-canopied boat.
Lin He's eyes shifted, and he strode over to greet him. "Busy, big brother?"
The man looked up, wiped the sweat off his face, and gave an honest smile. "Oh, you're the neighbors who just moved in, right? I'm Shuigen. I live up ahead. Got yourselves nets and ready to try your luck on the water?"
"That's right." Lin He gave him an easy, familiar smile and took ten copper coins from inside his robe.
"Brother Shuigen, we've only just arrived and don't know the first thing about this place. If your boat's sitting idle, could you rent it to us for half an hour? We'll just make a circuit close to shore."
Shuigen glanced at the ten copper coins and hurriedly waved his hands. "Ten coins is too much! This old wooden boat's just sitting here anyway. We're fellow villagers-five coins toward some tung oil will do."
"But take it easy out there. The middle of the lake is deep, and there are undercurrents."
Lin He silently praised the honest folk of Golden Lake Village, briskly counted out five coins, and handed them over.
Once they boarded, the boat rocked unsteadily.
The moment Old Man Sun stepped aboard, his aged legs began trembling uncontrollably. The hunter who normally walked precipitous cliffs as though they were level ground now resembled a plucked quail.
"Elder Sun, want to try first?" Lin He sat cross-legged at the bow, steady as Mount Tai. Even the rocking beneath him seemed perfectly canceled out by his freakish muscle control.
"I... I'll try." Gritting his teeth, Old Man Sun stood up and recalled the movements Old Man Wang had taught them earlier. He gripped the edges of the net tightly with both hands, twisted his waist hard, and hurled it with a shout.
Splash-
The net did not spread in midair in the slightest.
It slammed into the water like a giant sack, throwing up a splash more than two meters high and soaking Lin He at the bow right through.
"Ahem..." Old Man Sun frantically hauled the net back up. When he inspected his catch, there was nothing but a large clump of mud and half a broken straw sandal-not even a single fish scale.
"This... this is downright uncanny." Old Man Sun's aged face flushed red with embarrassment.
"All right, Elder Sun. Sit tight and watch me."
Lin He wiped the water off his face, stood up, and took up his own net.
Lin He narrowed his eyes, studying the ripples and the wind direction. The muscles in his right arm bulged slightly, his waist twisted like a bow drawn into a full moon, and his wrist flicked deftly.
"Off you go!"
The heavy fishing net traced a perfect arc through the air. The lead sinkers along its edge instantly pulled the mesh wide, turning it into an absolutely perfect, enormous circle.
With a swish, it settled lightly into the water, barely raising any unnecessary spray.
Old Man Sun stared from the side, his eyes fixed on it. "Good heavens... young fellow, were you in charge of the fishponds in your lineage?"
"It's called being gifted." Lin He raised his eyebrows smugly. After waiting a dozen breaths or so, he abruptly lowered his wrist and began hauling in the net.
The instant the net left the water, its contents erupted into a clattering frenzy.
Three or four plump black carp, each a full arm's length, and a dozen palm-sized crucian carp struggled wildly inside the net, their silvery scales flashing dazzlingly in the sun.
"Holy shit, there really are fish!" Lin He was delighted too. Golden Lake truly was rich in aquatic resources.
The next half hour practically became Lin He's solo performance.
He cast one net after another without ever coming up empty, specifically targeting pools where currents met.
Old Man Sun, by contrast, tried twice more, but still caught nothing except several jin of weeds. In the end, he simply sat in the stern and helped Lin He untangle the fish.
By the time they rowed ashore, the little wooden boat's live well was crammed with lively, leaping fish.
Shuigen was smoking a pipe on the bank. He leaned over to look inside the boat, and his eyes nearly popped out. "Good heavens! Did you take the Dragon King's law treasure and scoop the bottom clean?"
"I've fished this lake for half my life, and I've never seen anyone haul up this much good stuff in half an hour!"
Shuigen rubbed his hands and spoke somewhat sheepishly. "Young fellow, I happen to be going into town this afternoon to deliver fish to a few big restaurants. My own catch is still a few jin short."
"Your fish are in excellent condition. How about I take the whole lot at market price? A hundred and twenty copper coins!"
Lin He had been worrying about what to do with all these fish. He immediately nodded. "Deal! But leave me the two biggest bighead carp. I'm taking them home to make soup for my wife."
With a weighty hundred and twenty copper coins tucked away and two big bighead carp still thrashing their tails in his hand, Lin He said goodbye to the somewhat dejected Old Man Sun and strolled back to the wooden house in the west of the village.
Inside the house, Su Qiuran sat in the battered wheelchair, leafing through an old local gazetteer.
Goudan was in the courtyard, trying to bite his own short tail.
"Oh, you really did catch some?" Su Qiuran's delicate peach-blossom eyes brightened at the large fish in Lin He's hand. "Looks like your body cultivation path hasn't been a waste. Being strong does have its advantages."
"Of course! We're adding a dish for lunch-fish head stewed with tofu!" Lin He chuckled and went to the well, where he swiftly killed and cleaned the fish.
After a delicious lunch, Lin He wiped his mouth.
"Qiuran, I'm planning to head into town." Lin He's expression grew serious. "Counting every last spirit stone we have, we can afford a liang and a half of low-grade Green Jade Spirit Rice seeds."
"We can't put this off anymore. We need to plant the spirit plants quickly so we'll have a steady source of spiritual Qi for your cultivation."
Su Qiuran set down her bowl and chopsticks and cautioned him, "Dragons and fish mingle in town. Keep your wits about you when you buy the seeds."
"When mortals buy spirit seeds, the clerks in cultivation shops usually size up the customer before deciding what to dish out. Don't let them short you on the weight."
"Don't worry. You haven't seen your husband's bargaining skills yet. I'm off!"
Lin He waved and strode out the door.
The town market was still bustling that afternoon. Mortal stalls mingled with the occasional general store run by low-level cultivators.
Knowing the way well, Lin He skirted the busy market district and arrived at "Cultivation Street," which specialized in spirit herbs and basic materials.
The spiritual Qi here was a little denser than outside, and a faint medicinal fragrance drifted through the air.
Lin He was about to head toward the largest shop at the end of the street, the Spirit Plant Pavilion, when an exceptionally penetrating cry suddenly came from the mouth of a nearby alley:
"Don't miss out as you pass by! Clearance sale! Old low-grade Green Jade spirit seeds, most of their spiritual vitality gone! Come take a look if you're willing to doctor a dead horse as though it were alive!"
"Just two low-grade spirit stones per liang! Two spirit stones won't buy you a loss, and they won't buy you a swindle!"
Lin He stopped and turned to look.
A thin cultivator in a dusty gray Daoist robe, sporting a drooping mustache, was crouched at the alley entrance.
A tattered cloth lay before him, piled with a packet of shriveled, yellowing grains. They looked no different from ordinary brown rice on the verge of going moldy.
Several passing low-level rogue cultivators glanced over and showed expressions of distaste.
"How many years have these been sitting around? There can't even be a tenth of their spiritual vitality left, can there?" a fat rogue cultivator sneered. "If one seed out of ten sprouted, you could call it Heaven opening its eyes. Even if you gave them to me for free, I'd begrudge the space they took up."
"Hey, hey, fellow Daoist, you can't put it that way. They're cheap!" the mustached cultivator argued shamelessly.
Lin He stood a short distance away, his eyes thoughtful.
Normal low-grade Green Jade spirit seeds cost five spirit stones per liang at market price.
This man was selling them for two spirit stones per liang, well under half the price, but the loss of spiritual vitality also made them practically worthless.
But...
Lin He's heart suddenly began pounding uncontrollably.
The essence of the moon could cleanse the essence and scour the marrow!
It could even forcibly stir a little life into Qiuran's useless spirit root, which had completely withered and dried up!
What if he bought these inferior seeds and soaked them in the essence of the moon from the Jade Gourd to nourish them?
Could it restore their spiritual vitality, or even improve their quality?!
"Holy shit..." Lin He sucked in a cold breath.
If this really worked, why would he need to pay high prices for proper spirit seeds?
Buy worthless goods cheap, refurbish them, and plant them as top-grade seeds-this was a fucking refurbishment and resale chain that could turn a tiny investment into enormous profits!
Lin He forcibly suppressed his excitement, put on an honest and slightly curious expression, rubbed his hands, and slowly approached the mustached cultivator's stall.