"Luckily, we ran fast. The night patrol of the fishery made quite a commotion; we almost ran into them."

Bai Qi steered the sampan into the reed marsh, quietly making his way to the abandoned straw shed where he had previously placed the Ghost Pattern Fish.

To avoid drawing attention, he didn’t light a fire for warmth, instead sitting cross-legged and regulating his breath.

The Golden Core Great Strength Skill nurtures both inside and outside, inhaling and exhaling, driving the blood to flow throughout the body, dispersing the slight chill on him.

The night wind was bleak and cold, howling, and for ordinary people, it would be unbearable; they wouldn’t last more than a moment.

Phew!

Bai Qi slowed his breath, exhaling a warm breath.

This night was thrilling but not dangerous, and he gained a lot, thanks to the Evil-Breaking Spirit Eye and the protection of the water patterns, which allowed him to stumble upon such a fortuitous encounter.

[Skill: Fishing (Proficient)]

[Progress: (124/800)]

"I finally caught a break! Even without a catch, my progress skyrocketed. Does this mean a fisherman can haul anything from the riverbed?"

Bai Qi suppressed his excitement and took out the pink fist-sized mass of flesh.

Strangely, after being pulled off, it had started to blacken like a rotting fruit.

Clenching his five fingers tightly, it crumbled like a scorched mud shell, revealing the hard object inside.

Weighing it a little, it was not light, approximately the same as a two or three catty carp.

Looking down, he saw a big, round, and full pearl reflecting a lustrous glow, clearly no ordinary item.

There were a few wavy water patterns on it, as if naturally nurtured over the years, incredibly delicate.

"What is this?"

Being a fisherman with limited insight, Bai Qi rubbed this underwater rare treasure that resembled a clam pearl, clueless about its origin and use, and he felt a bit of a headache.

"I can’t just swallow it... I’m only at the entry level of Muscle Training, not having mastered Qi Cultivation. My innards aren’t like iron panels that can digest anything.

This thing is not small, and it’s hard. Eating it is no different from committing suicide by swallowing gold."

Bai Qi furrowed his brows tightly; it felt like he was guarding a treasure mountain with no way in, feeling an itch he couldn’t scratch.

"Fortunately, I’ve already joined Tongwen Hall. With Master Ning’s level, he should be able to recognize it."

After some contemplation, he decided to ask the instructor for his opinion. There’s no need to hide everything.

Things like the cryptic scrolls, which have an inexplicable origin and are crucial personal secrets, must not be spoken of to outsiders.

But as for a Demon Fish dealt with by Steward Lei of the fishery, it may not even catch the Dharma Eye of Ninghai Zen, so there’s no need to hide it, which would seem petty.

"All the big fish raised by the Black Water River, what’s the difference between a treasure fish and a demon fish? Just because a treasure fish can’t produce such a ’pearl’ inside?"

Bai Qi wondered, calculating that once he achieved Minor Achievement in Muscle Training and learned combat techniques, he should brush up, reading various miscellaneous books to improve his cultural level.

As a fisherman trapped in the Black Water River for over a decade, it’s tough to paint a clear picture of this world.

After all, in his life, he hadn’t traveled more than a hundred miles!

"And there are two sheets of yellow paper. How strange, soaked for so long, yet they haven’t rotted, are they treasures too? Could it be God blessed me with a big find to enjoy?"

Bai Qi shook the flint and steel in one hand, and in the other, he unfolded the yellow paper that hadn’t absorbed a drop of water.

In the dim light glimmering in the pitch-black straw shed, he looked carefully and saw tiny tadpole-like characters, wobbly and akin to ghostly glyphs.

"What? I can’t recognize a single one?"

Bai Qi’s eyes widened, a bit like a struggling student confronted with a math textbook, feeling a sense of estrangement as if viewing a celestial script.

He was known for his literacy skills among the many fishermen of the Black Water River, once famously dubbed a "Child Prodigy."

Yet now, he couldn’t decipher the tadpole script on the two sheets of yellow paper.

It truly was a considerable sense of defeat.

"I can’t blame myself; my humble origins are lowly, and Black River County is rural. It makes sense for my knowledge to be lacking. Never mind, I’ll bring it to Master Ning for a review tomorrow."

Bai Qi silently comforted himself, secretly determined to blossom both in study and martial arts, ideally developing a powerful reading skill.

...

...

At early 9 p.m., the beat of the watch sounded twice.

Bai Qi raised his hand to knock on the door knocker, producing a crisp sound.

He leaned the sampan against the pier at East Market Shop; after all, Brother Shui waived his commission and docking fees, and there were helpers to watch over it, preventing any idle rascals from taking advantage, killing two birds with one stone.

"Having backing in business really is comforting; all sorts of trivial matters are worry-free and effortless, saving oneself from labor."

Thought Bai Qi, his ears twitching as he heard hurried footsteps approaching.

Seeing Ah Di Bai Ming pulling the door latch, he first opened a thin slit, then fully opened it after confirming his identity.

"Brother, you’re back? Why are your fish baskets and cages empty?"

Facing Ah Di’s puzzled expression, Bai Qi’s smile suddenly froze.

He had been preoccupied with his find and forgot to catch a few big fish.

As the top fisherman of East Market Pier, he unexpectedly returned empty-handed this time!

What a failure!

"...The weather’s bad, too cold, the big fish are hiding deep, and the small ones I couldn’t care less about. I released them all."

Bai Qi muddled through a couple of sentences, and Bai Ming understandingly didn’t press further.

"I’ve boiled some water and heated ginger soup; brother, quickly drink a bowl to ward off the chill."

He ran into the kitchen, serving hot ginger soup and placing it in front of Bai Qi.

"Still, Ah Di is considerate. With each passing day colder, a fisherman’s life becomes tougher."

He laid the two sheets of yellow paper and the fist-sized round pearl on the table, then took the coarse ceramic bowl and drank it all down in one go.

"What’s this?"

Bai Ming’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Brother doesn’t know either, picked it up from the river. Planning to show it to Master Ning tomorrow.

Could be the ’pearl’ mentioned in books; they say it’s transformed from the tears of merfolk overseas, this size and fullness should be quite valuable."

Bai Qi didn’t deliberately hide his findings from Ah Di, casually making up some stories.

"Brother has great skill; every time you go to the river, you find something good."

Bai Ming’s face was full of admiration, as if he truly believed it.

"Perhaps the Dragon King shows us mercy, seeing our brothers having a hard time."

Bai Qi put down the coarse ceramic bowl and exhaled warm breath.

He removed his wet clothes, thinking about taking a hot bath with the good herbs gifted by Liang Sanshui soon.

Although the medicinal baths at Tongwen Hall were effective, they were like being boiled alive, each attempt felt like enduring punishment.

"Brother, what are those two sheets of paper?"

Bai Ming noticed in the corner of his eye, a peculiar yellow paper that appeared as smooth as silk.

A buzzing, humming sound pulled his attention, echoing softly by his ears.

"Found them along with the pearl, covered in tadpole writing that I don’t recognize."

Bai Qi, holding a bundle of dry herbs, was preparing to grind some into a juice, answering casually.

"Though brother doesn’t recognize them... I seem to understand a bit."

Bai Ming clasped his aching head, gazing intently at the tiny characters as fine as a mosquito, seemingly written with cinnabar, slowly reading out loud:

"Wandering souls adrift, where do they rest; three souls descend early, seven apertures unfilled; riverbanks and wilds, deserted temples and villages; courts and prisons, graves and forests; false alarms and lawsuits, the lost true soul... Brother, this is a method of controlling souls, a summoning technique."