"Hey, good brother, come and see this!"
Back at the Martial Hall, Liang Qu eagerly beckoned Chen Jiechang and led him to his room.
Chen Jiechang followed, puzzled.
"What are we looking at? Something in that long box?"
"That's right, let me show you my great treasure."
Liang Qu opened his long wooden box, revealing a magnificent long spear.
The shaft was a deep purple like rosewood, adorned with a dark gold spearhead, each part was exquisitely crafted and emanated an intimidating aura.
"What a beautiful spear!" Chen Jiechang was visibly amazed, involuntarily exclaiming in admiration.
"Impressive, right? My Third Senior Brother gave it to me!"
"Incredible!" Chen Jiechang couldn't help but reach out and touch it, only to be surprised.
"Whoa, this is heavy! How much does it weigh?"
"96 jin!" (Approximately 48 kg)
"That heavy? Won't it injure someone with just a touch, possibly even kill? Can you even wield it?"
"With all my strength, I can manage."
"Amazing, truly amazing," Chen Jiechang praised, turning to admire the spear, finding it more appealing the longer he looked.
"Does it have a name?"
Liang Qu paused, he hadn't thought about naming it, and Senior Brother Lu didn't mention anything, so it was entirely up to him.
"How about calling it the Tiger Head Gilded Spear? Look at that dragon tiger design, it's impressive and eye-catching."
"Too common! Generals' weapons in novels always have such names; choose something else."
Liang Qu pondered.
Naming was not his strong suit, as evident from the names he gave his four little ones.
He racked his brain, searching for historical anecdotes for inspiration.
"How about the Subduing Waves Spear?" he suggested.
Chen Jiechang considered, though not overtly imposing at first glance, the name bore distinct elegance.
Fishermen feared large waves and storms, making this name auspicious.
"Subduing Waves Spear, excellent name! You truly are a scholar, Ah Shui."
"Haha, then Subduing Waves Spear it is!"
With the name set, Liang Qu felt an even deeper connection with the Subduing Waves Spear, an inexplicable sensation.
The two of them admired it for quite a while until Liang Qu was called away by Hu Qi for special training, reluctantly closing the wooden box before leaving.
Chen Jiechang chuckled, "It's not going to run away, the way you're behaving makes it seem like the spirit weapon might fly off."
"Haha, I can't help it!"
"Oh, by the way, I went to the academy this morning to excuse you. A young teacher named Si Hengyi mentioned you should visit as soon as you are free; he'd be there even on his off days."
"Got it," Liang Qu nodded, realizing his "method" might be spreading, but he hadn't had the time to visit the academy recently.
"I'm planning to head back to Righteous Prosperity City by boat this afternoon to deliver the Blood Qi Pill to Li Libo and return before nightfall. Is there anything you'd like me to bring?"
"Actually, there is," Liang Qu took out a small porcelain bottle containing Flesh-Replenishing Pills and split one in half.
"It's for healing. Just put it in the bottle with the Blood Qi Pill for Li Libo. Half a pill is enough to heal the hand in a day or two."
In such urgent circumstances previously, he hadn't had the chance to grind some Treasure Lotus Root powder.
"Alright, I'll thank you on his behalf."
"It's a small matter, and please also check on Uncle Chen's family. Advise them to stay indoors as much as possible in the coming days."
Liang Qu had thought about bringing Uncle Chen's family to the Martial Hall for safety but realized it might be just as vulnerable as the city, so he gave up on the idea.
"Okay, I'll remember everything."
"That's it, I'm off to train."
Chen Jiechang nodded and packed his belongings.
In the Martial Training Grounds, Liang Qu stood with a staff.
Under Hu Qi's guidance, his mastery of the Force Manipulation Technique improved daily, already managing up to three moves in a sparring match without losing focus; now he was attempting to use weapons.
For the fourth time, Hu Qi struck him down, completely draining Liang Qu's energy.
The onlookers around them jeered teasingly.
Hu Qi furrowed his brows and scolded, "Why were you absentminded during a fight? It’s dangerous!"
Liang Qu accepted the rebuke, knowing he was at fault, and stood silently.
"Go, lift thirty stone weights! After that, continue practicing!"
"Yes."
Liang Qu went glumly to the corner of the Martial Training Grounds to lift the stones.
Senior Brother Hu wasn’t always the gentle shepherd; when Liang Qu made big mistakes, he was met with harsh scolding and a few cane strikes.
Sigh.
Unexpectedly, while he was practicing, Fatty Catfish sent a message that they’d spotted a Treasure Fish with horns—an unusually large one.
Horns? That must be the Horned Pomfret!
A Horned Pomfret's meat alone possessed a Water Essence of 1.8, better quality than even the Red Blood Perch or Tigerhead Grouper, on a completely different level of Treasure Fish.
The pair of horns had a unique function, for Liang Qu even kept one pair buried beneath the rice vat at home.
Such a thought led to scattered energy.
But he was tied up and couldn’t leave.
He didn’t know when Senior Brothers Xu and Xiang would return.
Even if it was tomorrow, leaving now would be peculiar.
After much inner struggle, Liang Qu decided to abandon this Horned Pomfret.
Not skip catching it—just leaving it to the three beasts to figure out how to catch and split it among themselves.
Whether they could do it, he wasn't sure.
The current situation was different; while a Horned Pomfret was precious, it wasn't an irreplaceable resource.
If the three beasts could feast on it, Fatty Catfish and the Immovable would be one step closer to evolving—this was advantageous.
In the Jianghuai Marshlands, Fatty Catfish relayed Liang Qu's will to capture the horned treasure, twining its two thickest whiskers in what seemed like a "worried face."
Odd-looking fish were tricky to catch—they were exceptionally strong, swam much faster than regular fish, and were so small yet agile.
But the thought of indulging in delicious fish meat, rather than fish bones and guts, motivated Fatty Catfish to resolve hardening its scales for action.
The Immovable and Fist gathered, "discussing" their strategy.
In a shallow corner, whiskers swayed, crocodile claws scratched, and crab pincers clamped, a series of bubbles rose, popping as they breached the surface.
The three beasts formed a triangle, encircling the Horned Pomfret.
Once within five meters, the Immovable took the initial strike; it was the slowest, unsuitable for catching but crucial in driving the Horned Pomfret towards Fatty Catfish and Fist.
Using tricks learned from the gods, it effectively frightened the Horned Pomfret, sending it fleeing towards Fist.
Just as it was about to overtake him, Fist leaped, clutching the Horned Pomfret's tail with massive pincers.
But this Horned Pomfret was enormous, weighing eight jin at least.
Fist floated helplessly, dragged along by the fish.
Fortunately, shocked by Fist’s assault, the Horned Pomfret changed course, straight into Fatty Catfish’s embrace.
It leapt from the mud, smacking the Horned Pomfret to the ground with its tail, turned swiftly, and bit the Treasure Fish’s skull, crushing it.
A hunting success!
The Immovable quickly swam over.
The three beasts gathered, eager to feast.
Fatty Catfish flicked the Treasure Fish over to itself with a tail, swayed its whiskers, gestured at the fish's head, pointed to the Immovable, swept the tail, indicating Fist, lastly slid over the fish's belly, appropriating it for itself.
The Immovable shook its head vigorously, bringing the Treasure Fish beneath its belly, protruding its sharp claws, indicating the fish's head belonged to Fatty Catfish, gesturing the tail for Fist, lastly laying claim on the belly.
Fist snapped its pincers at the Immovable's claw, making it recoil painfully.
Fatty Catfish huffed bubbles, and Fist seized its whiskers with a pincer.
In their fury, it gripped the Treasure Fish, dragging it before itself, gestured the fish's head towards Fatty Catfish, slid the tail for the Immovable, and received the belly for itself.
Silently, the three beasts peered at one another.
All at once, the water stirred with muddy sand.
(End of Chapter)