I Have a Net

"The man who wouldn't let the fishermen sell us red spirit eels is Xi Shanhu. He's twenty-six and cultivates the Xi Household's upper sixth-grade Cultivation Method, the Mountain Stream Clear Spirit Art.

"He's already at the Qi Refining Second Layer and is a minor overseer at the Xi Household's spirit copper mine on Copper Spirit Island.

"His third younger brother opened a restaurant on Spirit Stream Island, the Xi Household's main island.

"Steamed red spirit eel is their restaurant's signature dish, so..." Kang Cang sighed softly.

"Red spirit eels are a benefit the Xi Household gives its members for free. How did they become a restaurant's signature dish?

"Besides, Xi Shanhu isn't from the direct line. His cultivation is indeed fairly high, but he's only a minor overseer at a mine. What gives him the power to decide who the fishermen sell their fish to?" Tang Yuan asked, puzzled.

"Because Xi Shanhu has a good grandfather," Kang Cang said with a wry smile. He went on to explain the whole story to Tang Yuan.

When Kang Cang finished, Tang Yuan gave a wry smile of his own. "We really can't kill Xi Shanhu right now, and we can't beat him either." ...

The Xi Household had three major industries: fishing on Emerald Creek Island, the spirit copper mine on Copper Spirit Island, and the cultivation of spirit rice, spirit fruit, and Spirit Plants on Spirit Stream Island.

Xi Shanhu's own grandfather was none other than Tang Yuan's immediate superior, Xi Youde.

Xi Youde had only one son, who had died young twenty years ago, but had left him four grandsons: Xi Shanlong, Xi Shanhu, Xi Shanbao, and Xi Shanying.

Xi Youde was the chief steward of the Xi Household's fishermen. Xi Shanlong was the deputy steward of the Xi Household's Spirit Plant industry on Spirit Stream Island. Xi Shanhu was a minor overseer in the Xi Household's mining industry. Xi Shanbao had not only opened a restaurant on Emerald Creek Island, but was also responsible for some of the Xi Household's foreign trade. Xi Shanying, meanwhile, was a squad leader in the Xi Household Shadow Guard Squad. The squad was responsible not only for protecting the Xi Household's direct line, but also for gathering intelligence and punishing spies.

The five hundred red spirit eels the fishermen caught each month all passed through Xi Youde's hands. Xi Youde did not embezzle them; he paid for them with his own Spirit Stones at market price or even more. At the same time, he bought spirit rice and distributed it to the Xi Household's members.

Red spirit eel was a luxury meat, after all, and the Xi Household's members were happy to exchange it for spirit rice.

And so, those five hundred red spirit eels went openly into the restaurant Xi Shanbao had opened.

Tang Yuan had intercepted two hundred red spirit eels, which naturally affected Xi Shanbao's business.

Over the past three months, Xi Shanbao had noticed the shortage of red spirit eels but had paid it little mind. When Xi Shanhu checked the accounts, however, he flew into a rage and outright forbade anyone from selling red spirit eels to Kang Cang or Liu Hanchuan.

"Well, well. Xi Youde has a hand in all three of the Xi Household's major industries, its foreign trade, and its intelligence department. Doesn't that leave the Xi Household head with no real power?

"Could it be that the Xi Household head hasn't noticed? Or does he not dare touch Xi Youde either?" Tang Yuan put up a soundproof barrier and lowered his voice.

Kang Cang put up another soundproof barrier and said quietly, "The household head, Xi Xinfeng, has naturally noticed, but he can't and doesn't dare touch Xi Youde.

"Xi Youde is a crafty old fox who gets along with everyone. He knows how to bide his time, never embezzles, and has good relations with every branch of the Xi Household. On top of that, Xi Youde's son died fighting for the Xi Household.

"Besides, Xi Youde and Xi Xingang, Xi Xinfeng's own elder brother, are as close as father and son. Xi Youde's power has now grown too large to curb, and the Xi Household head simply can't touch him.

"Xi Shanhu is the shrewdest of Xi Youde's four grandsons. His cultivation is fairly high, and he has a superior Spirit Root. Over the past few years, rumors have spread like wildfire through the Xi Household that Xi Shanhu will be adopted by Xi Xingang and will also receive the lower fifth-grade Spirit Mystic Jade Flow Scripture, a Cultivation Method only the Xi Household's direct line can cultivate.

"Xi Xingang has no sons or daughters. He is the eldest son and grandson of the Xi Household's direct line, and his cultivation is higher than that of his younger brother, the household head..."

"Could Xi Shanhu become the next head of the Xi Household?" Liu Hanchuan frowned.

"Seven or eight chances out of ten.

"The household head Xi Xinfeng's three sons are all good-for-nothings. They're all nearly thirty now, and they're still at Meridian Opening.

"Whose hands the prize falls into depends on whether that little girl Xi Yunshu can bring up her cultivation..." Old Kang Cang analyzed the situation with an air of experience.

"Damn, I'm not willing to offend Xi Shanhu, the future head of the Xi Household, over a few red spirit eels." Tang Yuan smiled wryly and thought, Xi Youde's power is so great now that Xi Yunshu definitely won't become the next Xi Household head. She's more likely to die young, struck down before her time. ...

After seeing Kang Cang and Liu Hanchuan off, Tang Yuan received another infuriating piece of news: Xi Youde had not only rejected his leave request, but had also forbidden him from taking leave to return to his mortal hometown for the next three years, on the grounds that war might soon break out between the Xi Household and other cultivation Lineages in the Western Spirit Ten Thousand Islands Region, and that the Xi Household's intelligence must be kept from leaking.

Apparently, Xi Shanhu had just come home today and told Xi Youde that Tang Yuan was the one buying the red spirit eels behind the scenes. So Xi Youde went back on his word and rejected Tang Yuan's leave request. And because Tang Yuan had affected their restaurant's income, he outright denied him any leave for the next three years.

Tang Yuan still couldn't refine pills, so he couldn't sell them for money. Nor had he mastered the Qi-forging method, so he couldn't forge Spiritual Qi to sell. If he couldn't go to the Demon Realm to sell red spirit eels either, his supply of Spirit Stones would only dwindle. Forget hoping to reach Foundation Establishment-even if he spent his whole life at it, he might not reach the Middle Stage of Qi Refinement.

For the sake of his grand cultivation undertaking, Tang Yuan bought gifts and went to visit Xi Shanhu to see if he could buy red spirit eels at a high price, but Xi Shanhu refused to see him at all.

If he couldn't sell red spirit eels, he wouldn't have Spirit Stones. Without Spirit Stones, he couldn't become an Alchemist at all, which would also be a loss for the Xi Household.

Tang Yuan told Xi Yunshu all this and went to her to pour out his troubles, but Xi Yunshu said she was willing to help but powerless to do so.

After seven or eight straight days of gloom, Tang Yuan put on his straw rain cape again early on the morning of the eleventh day of the eighth month, planning to go out to sea and fish for red spirit eels. If he was lucky enough to catch one or two, he would give them to the seafood merchants in Loulan City when he went to the Demon Realm, to put a full stop to that business.

Before Tang Yuan could leave his courtyard, Xi Yunshu came to visit, dressed in green and with dark circles under her eyes.

"Dressed like that, are you planning to go out to sea and fish for red spirit eels?" Xi Yunshu asked with concern.

"Yes. Even catching one would do. At least I could earn a few spirit sands.

"There's no helping it. Becoming an Alchemist costs far too much.

"Fairy Xi was the one who recommended me in the first place, after all, so I want to keep trying." Tang Yuan smiled helplessly.

"I can't control who the Xi Household's fishermen sell their red spirit eels to.

"But I looked through the Xi Household's Lineage history last night and found something that might help you a little." Xi Yunshu yawned.

"Please, Fairy Xi, show me the way." Tang Yuan cupped his hands in salute, then hurried to offer her a seat and serve her tea.

Xi Yunshu drank her tea, yawned again, and took out a map to tell Tang Yuan what she had discovered.

The Xi Household's fishing grounds lay within two thousand li to the west and east of Emerald Creek Island. Ten Thousand Snakes Island was about two hundred li northwest of Emerald Creek Island, and about five thousand li northwest of Ten Thousand Snakes Island was Golden Shell Island.

Golden Shell Island did not belong to any cultivation Lineage, but it was a place where red spirit eels migrated. From the eighth to the eleventh month each year, large numbers of red spirit eels migrated there.

A hundred years ago, members of the Xi Household had gone to the waters near Golden Shell Island several times to catch red spirit eels. But it was too far away, the winds and waves were fierce, and ordinary spirit fishing nets couldn't catch red spirit eels, which had to be hooked one at a time. Going there to catch them cost more than it was worth, so people gradually stopped fishing there.

"If you fish for red spirit eels in the Xi Household's ordinary fishing grounds, you'll catch only one or two in ten days or so, even with good luck. But if you go to Golden Shell Island and have good luck, you can catch one or two in a day.

"But the winds and waves are fierce there, and it's far away, so there's some danger. The place is also unusual: spirit boats can't be located there. In other words, if anything happens, no one can come to rescue you.

"Whether to go is up to you," Xi Yunshu said seriously.

"To thank Fairy Xi for recommending me, for the Xi Household, and to become an Alchemist, I, Tang Yuan, will go even if I must climb a mountain of blades and cross a sea of fire." Tang Yuan cupped his hands in an impassioned salute.

"Tsk. When you get right down to it, aren't you just doing it for Spirit Stones?

"Tang Yuan, I've realized you're a money grubber.

"I hope you return safely. I copied this map myself, and for your safety, I drew it in a little more detail.

"Quickly commit it to memory, then burn it. You must never pass it on to anyone else," Xi Yunshu cautioned.

Hearing this, Tang Yuan took a quick look at the map. Xi Yunshu had not only drawn the islands and reefs northwest of Ten Thousand Snakes Island in great detail, but had also mapped out most of the Western Spirit Ten Thousand Islands Region and the territories of the eighteen cultivation Lineages.

The map could be called a top-secret military map.

She really was young, after all, giving Tang Yuan a top-secret intelligence map so casually.

Of course, with his Meridian Opening cultivation, Tang Yuan couldn't attack any cultivation Lineage even with the map. But if things went wrong, it would definitely tell him where he could flee for safety.

After seeing Xi Yunshu off, Tang Yuan memorized the map and immediately burned it to ashes.

"If I go to Golden Shell Island and fish them up one at a time, how long will it take to catch two hundred red spirit eels? Until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse?

"Heh heh, good thing I have a net..." With a thought from Tang Yuan, a spirit net flew out of the mystic spoon in his sea of consciousness and landed on his right hand...