Fishing

"I have the upper hand in this round!"

Zhang Xuezhou rarely ventured into the world of Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon.

In Zhang Xuezhou's mind, he was busy day and night like a dog, while the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon was paralyzed, paralyzed for twelve days on one side and then paralyzed for twelve days on the other side, and no one had ever seen him get out of bed.

He can only meet the other party when he encounters great risks or when he is traveling.

Zhang Xuezhou never expected that he would be able to take on a task that the other party had not completed.

He looked at the fishing rod in his hand. It was neither bamboo nor wood, but seemed to be made of some kind of metal, with golden spots shimmering on it from time to time.

The fishing rod was long and had no wires; the river flowed slowly, and there were no fish in sight.

When someone beside him spoke excitedly, Zhang Xuezhou saw a beam of light fly out of the river and transform into a red gemstone as it fell to the riverbank.

Before he could even grasp the gem, a wave swept it away, and it vanished.

"It seems to be..."

Just as Zhang Xuezhou was beginning to understand something, he heard the voices beside him continue.

"I've already caught seven, and I only need three more to reach the ten-fish mark. You're six fish short, so you can't renege on your bet if you lose!"

"Refusing to pay?"

Zhang Xuezhou turned his head and saw another fishing rod sinking into the water, but the person holding the rod was as if they were invisible.

He didn't care who the other person was, but Zhang Xuezhou felt that what the other person said made a lot of sense; the one who had refused to pay had already run away, leaving him with a mess.

"What kind of accounts are we talking about?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in a deep voice, "What happens if we win? What happens if we lose?"

You are very open-minded!

The angler's response was somewhat roundabout, but this was probably a communication problem that arose after switching roles.

The other party made a declaration, responded with a sound, and then extended the fishing rod again without saying another word, as if they were truly focused on fishing.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't think it was a good thing to be able to make the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon run away.

Just as he was trying to procrastinate, whenever the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon tried to delay, Zhang Xuezhou felt he could only wait, stuck on the tree chair.

His immediate concern isn't figuring out what he'll gain or lose by winning or losing, but rather trying to fish as much as possible to avoid getting nothing in return and incurring all the consequences.

"Take the bait quickly!"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the fishing rod, then couldn't help but stir the water haphazardly with it.

"This river winds through the void; as far as the heart can reach, so too can the fishing spot. Your stirring up of the river not only prevents you from catching anything but also disrupts the outcome of the game. This method of prolonging the situation..."

Zhang Xuezhou's behavior didn't seem like that of someone seriously fishing.

The person who spoke was disturbed, but still calmly offered their advice.

But before he could finish his persuasion, Zhang Xuezhou pulled on the fishing rod, which he had been stirring erratically, and a streak of light appeared on the tip of the rod.

With a strong pull, the light fell beside Zhang Xuezhou.

What kind of fishing method is this?

His voice was slightly surprised, clearly indicating some unexpectedness.

Zhang Xuezhou did not respond to the other party. He reached out and grabbed, only to find that he had touched a black gemstone.

As if encountering some kind of repulsive force, Zhang Xuezhou felt the black gem in his hand slip and then be swept away by the waves.

Since your cultivation is not related to darkness, forcibly seizing other people's fortuitous opportunity is completely useless!

Is this what immortality is?

When the voice spoke again, Zhang Xuezhou asked a question.

"You call it immortality, I call it the longevity fruit, and some fellow Daoists call it divine stone, Dao essence, or Principle— these names are not much different!"

"Did you get the fruit of immortality?"

"We're still missing four. If we add the one you have, I'll only be three short!"

"Then you're finished!"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced back at the direction in which the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon who had run away without paying his debt disappeared, and realized that the other party had truly shirked all responsibility.

He had no immortality fruit, and Zhang Xuezhou had never seen the immortality fruit of the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon.

Even if he had taken on the bet, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the other party would still not get what they wanted, even if they won against the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon.

"The odds are currently three to five, and the outcome is still uncertain. I have a high probability of winning by going first!"

Zhang Xuezhou's words clearly caused ambiguity. Influenced by his words, the other party was obviously unwilling to communicate anymore, and instead kept pulling the fishing rod to fish.

"What a mess this is!"

Zhang Xuezhou mentally scoffed and stood up. He craned his neck as far as he could, but could see nothing at all.

But after he stirred the river water with his fishing rod, a beam of light shot into the sky, and a blue gem fell toward the riverbank.

As usual, the gemstone generated a repulsive force in Zhang Xuezhou's hand, and after he grasped it, it was swept away by the waves.

"That's three or four!"

Zhang Xuezhou called out, but there was no response.

"That's three times three!"

Zhang Xuezhou is not good at normal fishing, let alone this special kind of fishing.

The reason for his repeated fishing successes is simple: it's not just because the water favors him. Zhang Xuezhou can sense that each successful fishing attempt seems to come at a price.

His opponent fished with his heart, while Zhang Xuezhou felt he fished with his life on his hands.

"The number three and two!"

With another successful fishing trip, Zhang Xuezhou noticed that his fishing time was increasing, and he could no longer simply stir the bait with his rod and succeed.

"Twenty-two!"

Only when a glimmer of light flew out from the side did the voice speak.

Compared to their initial elation, the other party's voice now sounded extremely serious, no longer as relaxed as before.

"The number of two and one!"

What kind of fishing method are you using?

From falling far behind to taking the lead, then to being even, and then heading towards the final showdown, even though Zhang Xuezhou felt that his success rate in catching fish had slowed down, this speed was still too fast for others.

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou stirring the river water with his fishing rod again, the other fishing rod beside him was not put into the water, but seemed to be counting the movement of the water.

"You used to observe the heavens and the earth, surveying all directions, and fishing with the understanding that all things are one. Now, this kind of fishing seems unreasonable to you?"

"Everything in the universe has its own laws; should there be no laws or unspeakable principles between us?"

Good luck, fellow Daoist!

Despite repeated inquiries, Zhang Xuezhou did not respond.

He held the fishing rod and shook it repeatedly, examining himself and searching for what he had lost.

Only when the last tail was pulled up did his opponent exclaim in admiration, and Zhang Xuezhou finally snapped out of his reverie regarding the effects of testing the three souls and seven spirits.

"Human effort cannot overcome the will of Heaven; fellow Daoist, you have won!"

An orange gem fell to the riverbank and was swept away by the current, marking the end of the battle between the ten tailed creatures.

For Zhang Xuezhou, this was a gamble that hadn't even begun.

For Zhang Xuezhou's opponents, this was a bet they lost in a way that was utterly unreasonable.

The winners are unaware of the outcome, while the losers are unaware of the reasons.

However, Zhang Xuezhou had not detected anything related at this time, so he could only cup his hands in acknowledgment.

See you next time!

A glimmer of golden light fell into Zhang Xuezhou's palm. As soon as he reached out and grasped it, he felt as if a great bell was being struck from a distant place, leaving his mind blank and devoid of any thoughts.

As the fishing rod, the riverbank, and the river itself faded into darkness, Zhang Xuezhou could still hear the booming sound in his mind, when suddenly his eyes lit up.

A commotion arose, Zhang Xuezhou glanced around to see Li Shaojun banging a gong haphazardly beside his bed.

Zhang Xuezhou was stunned for a moment, then shook his head vigorously.

"See? I told you that little wench couldn't possibly drain him dry. She can come to her senses if she quiets down her voice!"

Li Shaojun, carrying the gong, spoke proudly, indicating that his traditional method was very effective.

"Plum..."

Zhang Xuezhou was about to criticize Li Shaojun and tell him to stop messing around on his end.

He had barely uttered a single word when a shattered bead shot out of his mouth.