At the docks, over a hundred fishing boats huddled closely together, like a spread of fish scales reaching out from the shore.
It was midnight, and no one was out to sea.
Looking up, there was no moon, no stars.
The night sky was darker than usual, heavy with clouds, and the air was wetter than ever, chilling to the bone.
Liang Qu could only pray that it wouldn't rain before he returned.
Wind and rain together often meant big waves that could easily capsize a boat, and if one wasn't keeping an eye, the boats could drift away.
On his small fishing boat, there was no anchor.
The boat was fixed by tying it to a big stone, which worked, but not too well.
Even so, he had no choice.
Rain or not, Liang Qu had to go.
The Treasure Fish was right in front of him; he couldn't let it slip away.
He had found that most of the Treasure Fish he'd seen possessed far greater strength than ordinary fish.
They swam swiftly, and if left to struggle, they could tear through fishing nets.
It was nearly impossible to catch them relying on The Immovable and Fat Catfish alone.
Though the wind wasn't strong yet, the water waves caused ripples, and the fishing boats at the docks collided with each other, making dull noises.
Stepping over from the bow of one boat to another, Liang Qu leapt onto his small fishing boat, and the entire boat sank sharply, raising a spray of waves.
“Ah Shui, why go fishing now?” came Lin Songbao's voice from the shore.
But it was too dark to see his face. “If I don’t fish, we'll have nothing to eat at home.” “Nothing to eat? Then come eat at my place. It seems it'll rain tonight, better not go out.” “No need, the bigger the storm, the pricier the fish!” “Just be careful then.” “Okay!”
Liang Qu untied the hemp rope, took up the pole, and pushed the boat away from the cluster of fishing boats to the open lake, quickly switching to the oars and rowing towards the destination.
The Treasure Fish he discovered this time wasn't near the Lotus Root Waters.
Instead, it was in a water area he had never been to before.
It took him over half an hour to reach it.
The oars struck the water and Pig Dragon The Immovable surfaced.
On its head, "Fist" clapped its pincers together with clattering sounds.
Fist hadn't changed much, but The Immovable had grown rapidly.
Despite being mentally prepared, Liang Qu was shocked to see The Immovable's size.
In just one day, it had grown from the original two meters to nearly two point seven meters, a half-meter growth!
The Immovable was originally slightly less than two meters long, weighing only about thirty kilograms, lighter than Liang Qu.
Even if he rode on it, it couldn't perform a death roll.
Now it was at least sixty kilograms, almost doubled.
Liang Qu suspected that the energy from the Crab Monster's leftover body hadn't been fully absorbed and was still at play, allowing The Immovable to continue growing.
If The Immovable had been this size the first time they met, Liang Qu certainly wouldn't have been able to subdue it, fearing he might have met his end on the spot.
All things come with chance meetings.
Without being commanded, a Grand Marsh Crocodile like The Immovable typically wouldn't break the two-meter limit, two point two or three being the species' pinnacle.
If it doesn't consume special treasures or have another opportunity, it wouldn't grow into a Spirit Beast.
He didn't know what Fat Catfish had grown into, but he'd deal with capturing the Treasure Fish first.
Liang Qu anchored the boat with a stone, took off his clothes, picked up the net, and dove into the water bare-chested.
With it being mid-December and winter, even though Liang Qu had refined the Spirit of Waters from Water Monkeys, with natural affinity to water, he still felt the cold.
Ordinary people hopping in would've trembled, with even a lengthy stay possibly leading to death by freezing.
Luckily, with increased Fusion Rate, Liang Qu could adapt.
The Immovable also became somewhat resistant to the cold due to its growth, with its activity not greatly hindered, maintaining slight balance.
In no time, the two found the Fat Catfish hidden under the mud.
The Fat Catfish had grown even more rapidly, breaking past the three-meter mark, reaching a length of three point twelve meters, much bigger in diameter and weighing well over a hundred kilograms.
However, it didn't seem to adjust to its increased size as it still burrowed the same depth in the mud, with its entire green back exposed and no longer serving as effective camouflage.
Even if Liang Qu didn't rely on his Spirit Link to spot it easily, any random fish could do the trick!
It had grown smarter, but not too wise yet.
Liang Qu patted Fat Catfish's back, and it didn’t sense anything wrong, excitedly pointing the way to the Treasure Fish.
This child... he’ll need more teaching later.
Swimming silently a few meters ahead, Liang Qu sensed the Treasure Fish that Fat Catfish mentioned, a Red Blood Perch, especially large, about seven to eight jin in weight.
Red Blood Perch and Tigerhead Grouper were likely the most common Treasure Fish types near Shangrao Dock's shallow area.
Rubbing his hands together, without the need for Fat Catfish or The Immovable's help, Liang Qu approached the Treasure Fish alone.
Aimed at the Red Blood Perch, he extended five fingers and suddenly clenched them tight.
The Red Blood Perch, lying buried in the mud, instantly felt the surroundings thicken like solidified swamp.
It tried to struggle, its movements sluggish, forced to watch as its gill chamber got hooked and drawn from the mud, stuffed into the net.
Liang Qu tightly twisted the net's mouth, grabbed the Red Blood Perch, and swam to the surface.
Returning to the fishing boat, he tossed it into a fish basket and covered it with a lid.
All went smoothly.
Rain started pouring from the sky, shattering on the water surface into a misty gray fog.
Compared to the water's cold, his natural affinity made Liang Qu dread the cold wind more.
As a result, he went without clothes, stuffing his cotton garments into the compartment.
The rain was heavy, with waves over a foot high beating against the boat, nearly splashing inside, causing it to wobble fiercely.
Liang Qu fetched a stone knife and quickly gutted the fish, preparing bones and scraps to feed the three beasts.
The Immovable and Fat Catfish opened their mouths wide to devour their shares, leaving Fist to nibble on a fish gut, its pincers acting like chopsticks, unaffected by the storm while standing steadily on The Immovable's head.
The rain intensified.
Looking around, everywhere was shrouded in splintered water foam, clouds of water vapor in every breath, as if Liang Qu had never even left the water.
Even the ballast stone barely held, the boat slowly drifting sideways.
Liang Qu had initially planned to practice growth-enhanced abilities underwater, but now that idea was washed away.
“The Immovable and Fist, head back and guard my Lotus Field, don’t let any fish steal from it again. Fat Catfish, you lead the way!” The two beasts quickly disappeared, leaving only Fat Catfish heading toward the dock with Liang Qu desperately rowing behind.
The downpour blurred everything around into one indistinguishable mass.
Liang Qu couldn’t discern the direction of the dock.
He had watched plenty of the Great God Flamebird’s wilderness survival broadcasts in past lives.
Yet, not all skills had been learned, forcing him to rely on Fat Catfish for guidance.
Raindrops ran down Liang Qu’s back, drenching his hair.
Droplets trickled from his chin, forming a necklace of water.
Lightning flickered in the clouds, with muffled thunder rolling.
Liang Qu rowed with all his strength, when suddenly an unexplainable dread washed over his heart.
He wiped water off his face, looking around in bafflement but seeing nothing.
He asked Fat Catfish through Spirit Link, yet Fat Catfish didn’t respond, as though the earlier dread had been a mere illusion.
The sky was black as ink, rain hammering down as if shattering mid-air.
Occasionally, a bolt of lightning would strike the earth, briefly lighting the sky.
Growing uneasy, Liang Qu stopped moving.
A forked lightning bolt flashed within the clouds, roaring thunder in his ears.
Liang Qu covered his ears, his eyes split by the flash.
A gigantic, impossible shadow appeared suddenly, blocking the blue-white lightning, and with a blink, the silver-bright pupils vanished into darkness.
For a moment, Liang Qu thought he had seen a hallucination.
(The chapter ends here)