A faint blood-red glow arose, turning the yellow-orange crab roe into a blood-orange hue.
The thin, translucent membrane did not affect the dominion effect of the Marsh Cauldron in the slightest.
The blood-red water easily seeped through the membrane, descending like the Five Mountains that subdued the Monkey King, streaked through the nourishing liquid, bringing up blood-colored mist, and landed on the young crab.
Unlike the dangerous control of the Immovable and Fatty Catfish, the moment the link was established felt like a gentle breeze on the face.
Liang Qu sensed a feeling as the last gap in the spirit link was completely filled, marking the current limit of his ability to command water beasts unless his spiritual strength increased.
[Successfully Dominated Stone-Claw Crab, Evolution Possible]
As the blood-red light faded, the crab roe returned to its orange color, and the eye stalks of the young Stone-Claw Crab suddenly twitched.
Was it about to awaken? Liang Qu was delighted and held the crab roe in his hands.
The development of the young crab inside was different from normal crabs.
It skipped the large eye stage and went straight to the young crab phase.
The chosen roe was the best developed among them, filling the entire space within, so its emergence was no surprise.
As for the rest of the selected roe, they could only be thrown into the pot, boiled, and transformed into another portion of the Water Essence.
Rearing them was out of the question, not a whimsical thought or something spoken without consideration.
The crab monster's displayed intelligence was too low to imagine they would have the concept of a "master" without command.
The translucent sphere membrane wobbled, and the young crab waved its large claw, attempting to break free.
However, being freshly born, its soft shell made the effort difficult, pressing the membrane into various distorted shapes.
By the side of the small fishing boat, the Immovable and Fatty floated side by side on the surface, motionless, both fixedly watching the impending birth of the young crab.
The young crab struggled more intensely, twisting and exerting itself from claw to body, until its entire form was in motion.
The membrane expanded, distorted, twisted, and then… Pop! With a sound like a bubble bursting, the translucent membrane finally tore open, collapsing in folds, and the transparent, sticky nutrient liquid flowed out, seeping between the wooden boards.
The newborn young crab then lay on the ground, using its pincers to nibble at its own roe membrane, while its white jade-like soft shell gained sheen and fullness before their eyes.
Apart from its white juvenile color, it was identical to the crab monster in every other way: an upper body that stood tall, tapering from broad to narrow, resembling a waist-belt crab fuzz, with six legs beneath—a tiny version of the giant.
Oh, its abdominal plate was different; a triangular shape on the male crab made it resemble a pair of muscular chest muscles, surprisingly dashing.
Once it devoured the membrane, Liang Qu ran a finger across its shell, feeling a certain firmness, somewhat akin to thin chocolate.
The young crab proudly stood, chest out, its pincers at its waist, clearly smug from its apparent approval.
Liang Qu chuckled and flicked its head with a finger, "Since you're about the size of a fist, I'll call you Fist."
He reached out his mind to the Marsh Cauldron again, curious to see how much Water Essence the little one would need to evolve. [Can consume 800 Water Essence to evolve the Stone-Claw Crab into Stone-Claw Crab King] Eight hundred!? Liang Qu was startled by the number of Water Essence points required for the crab monster's evolution.
Eight hundred points were far too many; a single crab monster yielded only a hundred points, and he would need over eight crabs to accumulate such an amount.
Just one crab monster had forced him and the two beasts into a sorry retreat, narrowly escaping danger.
Had it not been for its dumbness, they could have perished, and another encounter was unimaginable—let alone facing eight.
Perhaps when the Marsh Spirit turned green or his martial skills broke through three barriers, along with the beasts' evolution, they could confidently take down a single crab monster.
Otherwise, injuries were inevitable.
But this combat strength is now mine.
Liang Qu let the young crab leap onto his palm, hoping it would grow quickly.
Being a male crab, its combat power would surely be stronger, and he could traverse the shallow waters and lord over them.
No matter how large the crocodile, a single pinch could teach it a lesson.
Though he wondered when he could switch to a new method of dominion since slicing his finger was awfully painful.
Liang Qu's gaze passed through the young crab to his three-fingered wounds, slowly healing, the lotus roots he'd eaten earlier still working their magic.
Sadly, nearly a third of the lotus field had been devoured or destroyed in the battle with the crab monster, and he ached for his loss.
My roots, they're all mine!
Liang Qu had sentimental ties to his first haul.
The only remedy was smashing the unused crab shells and burying them beneath the lotus beds as fertilizer.
The back shell of the crab monster, massive and blue, could serve as a large shield, the giant claws as small ones, and the tips of its six limbs could be fashioned into fishing spears.
Everything else was useless, completing its final worthless utilization.
Inside the boat, the water was bubbling, and the crab roe previously placed in had cooked through.
Liang Qu retrieved one, let it cool, and downed it in one gulp, almost scorching his mouth.
[Water Essence +0.6] Just that much? Liang Qu was sorely disappointed.
Usually, this gain would thrill him, but now, with his belly full, the small returns were too unappealing to force down.
"They're all yours."
He tossed the remaining roe to the two beasts to reduce their evolution Water Essence requirements a bit more.
As for the young crab, it was too cruel for it to partake, especially given those were its kin.
After the meal, Liang Qu checked the time, roughly guessing it was around four-thirty.
He hadn't expected dealing with one crab monster took so much time.
He remembered that Senior Brother told him that Master Yang would be teaching at the Martial Hall either in the afternoon or evening, and he couldn't miss the session at the designated time.
With some time left, he sent Fat-Catfish and the Immovable to catch fish promptly.
The two vanished beneath the water, leaving behind only rising bubbles.
Watching the two beasts depart, Liang Qu turned his gaze to the young crab, suddenly recalling a pertinent fact.
If he recalled correctly, crabs needed to hibernate, too?
The fierce water-dwelling crab monster made him subconsciously overlook this fact.
With three new subordinates, two required hibernation… Liang Qu suddenly felt a pang of worry, hoping the spirit beasts might have greater cold tolerance.
However, even with high tolerance, the pint-sized young crab could hardly be of assistance.
Before spring thaw, all fish hauls would likely rest on Fatty Catfish's shoulders alone.
By a bit past five, Fatty Catfish slackened over the bow, spilling three more fish.
In an hour, the two beasts caught twelve fish in total, worth around thirty to forty coins.
"That's enough, any later, and we'll be late."
Liang Qu told the young crab, "Now you'll live in the water with Fatty and the Immovable."
The young crab tapped its huge claw, trotting along the boat's edge before crouching and leaping onto the Pig Dragon's head.
The trio floated on the water surface, with Fist proudly perched atop the Pig Dragon's head, seeing Liang Qu off as he rowed away.
Returning to the dock, Lin Songbao called a welcome and started weighing and counting money.
Glancing over the Jianghuai Marshlands, Liang Qu couldn't help but spread his arms wide, legs braced apart.
His still-drying long pants flapped dramatically in the crisp wind, a striking sight.
The sea is wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky's vastness allows birds to fly!
"You seem happy?" Lin Songbao chuckled and asked.
"Indeed."
"Care to share the delight?"
"Explaining it would ruin the joy."
"Huh?"
Smiling, Liang Qu tossed his coin pouch up, catching it as it descended.
Now, it's time for class! (End of Chapter)