Chen Qingjiang embraced the giant carp, grinning from ear to ear.
This carp was no different in appearance from an ordinary one, with two short whiskers by its mouth.
However, its back shimmered with a blue light, and under the sun, it revealed a dazzling array of colors.
Its size was astonishing, as big as half a grown man's body and weighed at least fifteen pounds!
"Azure-Back Dragon Carp!"
Liang Qu's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
This fish was even more valuable than the one-pound-two-ounce Horned Pomfret, with one pound fetching three taels of silver.
The fish they had here was worth at least forty-five taels!
The onlookers, hearing a term they'd never encountered before, turned their heads to see Liang Qu, hastily making way for him.
Liang Qu's unexpected appearance filled Chen Qingjiang with excitement.
He shouted out, "Brother Shui! What brings you here? Now that you're a Martial Master, help me confirm if this big carp is a Treasure Fish!"
Liang Qu removed his jacket, draping it over Chen Qingjiang's shoulders, and confirmed, "It is a Treasure Fish, an Azure-Back Dragon Carp. Quite rare indeed. A pound of its flesh is three taels of silver, and this one is easily worth forty to fifty taels!"
"What? Forty to fifty taels? Isn't that more than I could earn in a lifetime?"
"Is it more valuable than the Horned Pomfret Brother Shui caught last time?"
The townsfolk, overhearing the conversation, felt their spirits soar.
For them, a whole year without spending anything, not even paying taxes, might earn them just eleven or twelve taels.
Yet here, a single Treasure Fish was worth five to six years of hard work?
"Forty to fifty taels?"
Astounded, Chen Qingjiang's mouth hung open, his face flushed red with excitement or cold, even more pronounced than when drunk.
"Alright, alright, disperse, everyone!" Liang Qu waved his hand to shoo the crowd away.
"Everybody go home and change clothes. Don’t block the road!"
Hearing Liang Qu mention the chill, Chen Qingjiang finally seemed to realize, shivering all over.
The people around didn’t dare disobey Liang Qu, quickly clearing a path.
They watched as Liang Qu walked Chen Qingjiang away, envy in their eyes as they began excitedly chatting again.
"The Chen family is flying high!"
"Yeah, with Brother Shui becoming a Martial Master, the whole Chen Qingjiang family’s life has improved. I heard Brother Shui gave him some kind of bait that allows him to fish even in winter. He's making four or five pieces of silver a day—not copper coins! And now he's caught this massive Treasure Fish."
"What? That much money?"
"Yes, of course! I saw it with my own eyes last time. After he left, I cast my own net and caught nothing. It's all about that bait!"
"What kind of bait is that? Can we get some?"
"That bait is custom-made by Brother Shui's master. Even Chen Qingjiang doesn't have the recipe; he just uses it daily. Would you dare to ask for some? Be careful, Liang might just smack you!"
"What’s that saying? Something about chickens and dogs?"
"You fool, it’s 'when one person achieves the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!'"
"Oh yes, that reminds me, there's that Liang Guangtian, such a joke. He tried to collect a debt from Chen Li's house and got chased away with a stick."
"Hahaha, I saw that. He looked just like a beaten dog!"
"A dog! Dog, dog, you dog!"
Hiding in a nearby alley, Liang Guangtian was furious, swearing as he stormed off.
Liang Qu, helping Chen Qingjiang home, broke the ice on their courtyard's water vat and placed the Treasure Fish inside, calling for Ah Di’s sister-in-law.
Ah Di rushed over, shocked to see Chen Qingjiang all red-faced and shivering, and quickly asked what happened.
"Uncle Chen saw a Treasure Fish while out on the boat. He nearly risked his life jumping in after it. He caught the fish, but nearly lost his life. Sister-in-law Ah Di, quickly get Uncle a change of clothes and heat some water to warm him up. We don't want him catching a cold."
"Ok, ok."
Ah Di hurriedly took hold of Chen Qingjiang, guiding him inside in a flurry of motion.
When Liang Qu came back out, he found Shunzi and the little Qu, who had just learned to walk, leaning over the water vat, staring in a trance at the Azure-Back Dragon Carp.
Liang Qu smiled warmly.
Children have such patience, able to stare at anything for ages.
"Be careful, watch over it, and shout if there's any trouble."
Shunzi nodded earnestly.
Liang Qu patted his head and went to the village medical hall to get some medicine, bringing it back for Ah Di to brew.
Falling into the water during winter was no small matter.
Chen Qingjiang appeared lively, but it was only his sheer willpower keeping him going.
After the medicine was prepared and he had changed his clothes, Chen Qingjiang's complexion improved.
Animatedly, he said, "Brother Shui, let’s split this Treasure Fish between the two of us."
"How can that be? The fish wasn’t caught with my bait. It should rightfully be yours, Uncle Chen."
Chen Qingjiang had spotted the Azure-Back Dragon Carp on his way back and caught it himself, without any help from Liang Qu.
There was no reason for him to split it.
But Chen Qingjiang was insistent, arguing that the fish had been drawn there by the scent of the bait.
What bait? Just yellow mud.
Treasure Fish attracted by mud? It might as well go to the riverbed and munch on silt.
Liang Qu's lips twitched, unable to argue further, so he simply accepted it.
Seeing Liang Qu relent, Chen Qingjiang had Ah Di bring out a large scale to weigh the fish—sixteen pounds and eight ounces!
At three taels of silver per pound, that made it fifty taels and four silver coins!
Ah Di was so startled she almost dropped the scale.
Though Chen Qingjiang had indeed been bringing home quite a bit of money every day for over half a month, the impact of suddenly obtaining dozens of taels of silver was far more overwhelming.
Liang Qu rummaged through his pockets, pulling out thirty taels of silver and placing them on the table.
"Uncle Chen, the truth is, this Treasure Fish is very useful to me right now. Here’s the silver, and I’ll just take the fish."
"That's too much! This is thirty taels! We agreed on a fifty-fifty split."
"It's not too much. We agreed to split it evenly, but since you were the one who actually caught the fish and went through all that trouble, it’s only fair you get more. Alright, let's not argue. I’m in a hurry. I must go."
With that, Liang Qu grabbed the Azure-Back Dragon Carp and hurried off, leaving Chen Qingjiang slightly helpless.
"Brother Shui is really generous to you, why the sad face?" Ah Di said, putting the silver away with a pout.
"What do you know? Just wash Brother Shui’s jacket from earlier and hang it to dry, ready to give back. Clean it well, make sure it doesn't smell."
"As if I need you to remind me, it's already soaking. Now hurry and drink your medicine so I can clean up."
"Bitter, so bitter."
Liang Qu brought the big fish back to his boat, ignoring the astonished stares from onlookers.
In an undisturbed section of the water, he summoned three beasts and, while waiting, adeptly used the Azure Wolf Blade to gut the Azure-Back Dragon Carp, removing the innards, pulling out the fish bones, and cutting off the fins.
Blood pooled on the boat's deck, and the Heavenly Water Centipede slinked down from his wrist, greedy for a taste.
The sound of water resounded beside the Black Canopy Boat as the three beasts emerged one by one.
Drawn by the smell of blood, the Fat Catfish and Pig Dragon fixed their eyes on the carcass of the Azure-Back Dragon Carp.
The moment of evolution was upon them.
Liang Qu divided the innards into two portions, one large and one small, mixing them with the carp's scales, and fed them to the Fat Catfish and the Immovable.
Moments later, the Marsh Cauldron shone brightly.
[Grand Marsh Crocodile can evolve into Hornwood Crocodile.
Evolve?]
[Six-Whiskered Catfish can evolve into Tiger-Head Catfish.
Evolve?]
Liang Qu restrained his excitement.
Evolve them, evolve them all!