Having the Six-Whiskered Catfish under command truly proved to be a great investment.
It had only been less than five days since the last discovery of the Horned Pomfret, and today brought another surprise.
If they could catch a Treasure Fish every five days, even the whole Yang Clan Martial Hall could not be so extravagant, could they? With this thought, Liang Qu quickened his pace, making it back to Righteous Prosperity City in half an hour.
Though the area near Peaceful Sun Town was also marshland, he could have gone straight into the water; however, to avoid attracting attention, he chose to return to the dock instead.
Once there, using the position sense from his Spirit Link, Liang Qu boarded a small fishing boat to head out.
The oars slapped the water, and soon enough, the Pig Dragon responded to his call, surfacing to greet him.
The Jianghuai Marshlands weren't as calm as they seemed.
Apart from the deep-water monsters, even the shallows had some Pig Dragons measuring four or five meters, capable of flipping small boats with ease.
Thankfully, with The Immovable as a guard, there was an added layer of safety.
Liang Qu grabbed a net and dived into the water.
After eating the Horned Pomfret, he had sold the fish to learn martial arts.
With his fusion rate having increased, this was his first time entering the water since then, feeling relaxed and at ease.
[Cauldron Master: Liang Qu]
[Refined Marsh Spirit: Water Monkey (White) (Fusion Rate: 8.3%)]
[Water Essence: None]
[River Affinity: None]
[Commanded Water Beasts: Grand Marsh Crocodile, Six-Whiskered Catfish]
[Evaluation: The Water Monkey Marsh Spirit originates from the great Huai Whirlpool Lord, potentially powerful, yet merely a small figure with faint destiny and weakness]
The fusion rate had already reached 8.3%, allowing him to control water weighing up to fifty pounds, with slight improvements in control, validating Liang Qu’s initial thoughts.
As the Marsh Spirit fusion rate increased, not only did the water flow strength rise, but his control also grew stronger, turning water into a Water Blade.
Controlling blood flow seemed not far off, appearing a promising endeavor.
Seeing the evaluation at the bottom, Liang Qu pondered further.
After acquiring the Marsh Cauldron, he'd often observe its runes.
If his guess was correct, the so-called Huai Whirlpool Lord should indeed be the renowned Wu Zhiqi.
Wu Zhiqi’s true form was that of a giant ape, with a green body, white head, golden eyes, and snow-white teeth, matching the most prominent rune on the cauldron.
Legend had it that even Emperor Yu, with Yinglong's help, couldn’t kill him, only imprisoning him under the water.
Yinglong, who was he?
He was a mythical god from ancient legends, a creator deity, the true dragon and progenitor of the dragon clan.
It was said that creatures could become true dragons just by drinking a sip of his urine! By comparison, the status of Wu Zhiqi was clear.
As for the other runes, they likely depicted other Water Gods.
The human-headed, serpent-bodied figure resembled Gong Gong.
The other side, the Black Emperor, his identity was uncertain, but Liang Qu felt intuitively he was impressive, especially since the spear carried by the divine general looked like the three-pointed, double-edged spear, possibly belonging to Erlang Shen.
Was Erlang Shen a Water God?
In such a manner, the Marsh Cauldron was undoubtedly an extraordinary artifact.
Rumor said a Flood Dragon lay dormant in the deepest part of the Jianghuai Marshlands, sleeping for sixty years, awakening to stir storms.
However, compared to Wu Zhiqi, it would be nothing more than a piece of spicy snack.
It's a pity that he was merely a Water Monkey, far from being the Huai Whirlpool Lord.
The road ahead was long, and much effort was needed!
Under the Pig Dragon’s escort, Liang Qu found the Fat Catfish and discovered that the Treasure Fish in question was a large-headed fish covered in orange tiger stripes!
It was indeed the Tigerhead Grouper, caught by neighbors at the dock the previous month! Only this one was huge, arm-length, weighing about six or seven pounds.
If sold, it might be even more expensive than the previous Horned Pomfret!
"Fatty, you're truly my lucky star!"
Liang Qu patted the Fat Catfish's head happily and had the two beasts circle around to trap the fish.
Thanks to the Water Monkey's skills, Liang Qu wasn’t easily discovered by the fish, allowing the Fat Catfish and the Pig Dragon to initiate the attack.
Startled, the Tigerhead Grouper attempted to escape, but upon reaching Liang Qu's vicinity, it found itself ambushed.
Its size and momentum prevented it from turning quickly.
Dozens of pounds of water pressured the Tigerhead Grouper, pinning it.
Liang Qu twisted his body and swung the net, scooping up the Tigerhead Grouper in one swift, graceful move!
"Beautiful!"
He quickly twisted the net to trap the Tigerhead Grouper, then grabbed it along with the net, swimming back to the surface, tossing it into the boat's hold.
Jumping into the boat, Liang Qu expertly took out a stone knife, skillfully gutting and cleaning the fish.
The innards, gills, and scraps were all thrown to the two beasts.
The beasts chomped eagerly, wagging their tails in excitement, causing splashes on the water's surface.
“Wait a minute, have you two gotten bigger?”
While Liang Qu was boiling water to cook fish slices, he suddenly noticed both water beasts seemed to have grown.
He hadn’t paid much attention before, too focused on catching the Treasure Fish, but now he saw clearly.
The Immovable had originally been close to two meters but had now easily surpassed that length.
The Fat Catfish, initially just over two meters, seemed almost half a meter larger now, nearly two meters and three or four.
He'd commanded them for less than a month; this was definitely not normal growth rates.
Liang Qu suddenly recalled the Marsh Cauldron's previous evolution prompts.
Could it be that the water essence from the scraps of Treasure Fish had been absorbed by the two beasts?
Communicating with the Marsh Cauldron, he asked:
[77.9 units of Water Essence can be used to evolve the Grand Marsh Crocodile into a Hornwood Crocodile]
[77.8 units of Water Essence can be used to evolve the Six-Whiskered Catfish into a Tiger-Head Catfish]
Sure enough, the values had decreased!
Liang Qu rejoiced, never expecting Treasure Fish scraps to serve such a purpose, effectively an effortless recycling without cost!
"Great, bigger is stronger, bigger is better. Come on, eat more, the fish head is yours too."
Liang Qu sucked the marrow from the fish bones and tossed them to the two beasts.
Though he seemed like a stingy boss, allowing them only scraps despite their lucrative catch of Treasure Fish, everything was relative.
Under his command, they gained intelligence, significantly wiser than their former selves, with a clear understanding of targeting Treasure Fish.
Before, they wandered aimlessly, unable to recognize Treasure Fish let alone catch them, not distinguishing from common fish.
With greater strength and speed, Treasure Fish were harder to catch compared to ordinary fish.
In conclusion, they were the ones at an advantage.
A seven-pound Tigerhead Grouper lost its non-edible parts, still yielding four pounds of meat.
Despite the fish's inherently tender sweetness, by the end, even that was forceful stuffing.
Thankfully, the hidden Water Essence lived up to its name.
[Water Essence +3.4]
Finishing the bone marrow, the fish bones were tossed to the two beasts.
Liang Qu, thoroughly stuffed, still endured the fatigue to practice the techniques in the Ape Fist manual.
The best time to practice was right after consuming a Treasure Fish, not wasting the opportunity.
The Tigerhead Grouper didn’t match the Horned Pomfret in quality, but its quantity compensated, boosting overall blood and qi.
Performing punches, Liang Qu immediately felt the heat surge through him, soon sensing his chest’s qi reawakening.
Previously, he had sensed the qi midway, but now it appeared after just three stances, proving Treasure Fish to be extraordinary.
His qi continued to grow robustly during the drill, soon leading to profuse sweating and the release of oil from his body.
Completing a full set, he was drenched as if fished out of water.
He drank the fish broth for hydration, feeling the undigested fish meat still in his belly, forcing himself through another routine.
Practicing thrice until dusk, he fully digested the fish meat in his stomach.
By then, the qi in his chest had thickened from a mere wisp to something akin to a lock of hair.
Afterward, it didn’t dissipate immediately but lingered for a little longer.
Liang Qu lay exhausted on the boat, paralyzed and unable to move, drifting into a deep slumber.
The Pig Dragon and Catfish circled around, keeping watch quietly.
The next morning, Liang Qu awoke sticky and jumped into the water to clean.
Coming ashore again, he saw clear muscle lines emerging on his body, and he had grown taller, appearing more martial.
According to Hu Qi, once the chest’s qi was as thick as a pinky finger, he could start breaking through the Skin Barrier.
At this pace, he might achieve it in less than three months!
Breaking the Skin Barrier was soon within reach!
Elated, Liang Qu watched the rising sun.
It seemed like a new life awaited him.
"Fatty, catch some fish. The Immovable, go watch over the Treasure Lotus Root."
(End of Chapter)