Ye Qiu’s heart instantly went on high alert, his eyes scanning the surroundings, trying to pinpoint the source of his unease.
However, he found nothing.
“Old thing, be careful. I have a feeling this place isn’t simple,” Ye Qiu warned.
Master Longbrow dismissed it, “Little brat, you’re overthinking. There’s no danger here.”
Ye Qiu asked, “How are you so sure?”
“Master Cave Mystic came here and never mentioned any danger,” Master Longbrow said, squatting by Tianchi to feel the water’s temperature, then turning to Ye Qiu, “Little brat, you’re right, this place would make a great tourist spot, but sadly, it’s a forbidden zone…”
Suddenly, Ye Qiu saw a white shadow burst out of Tianchi, shooting toward Master Longbrow.
“Watch out!”
As Ye Qiu shouted the warning, a sword qi shot from his fingertip.
“Swoosh!”
The white shadow was incredibly fast, dodging the sword qi and instantly retreating back into Tianchi.
Master Longbrow quickly stepped back a few paces and asked Ye Qiu, “What was that?”
Ye Qiu shook his head, “Didn’t see it clearly.”
“No way, even your eyesight couldn’t catch it? That’s impossible!” Master Longbrow said in disbelief.
Unbeknownst to him, Ye Qiu was even more shocked.
Having cultivated three streams of true qi, with his current strength, even a master with nine streams of true qi couldn’t escape his sight within a hundred metres.
Yet, he hadn’t seen what that white shadow was.
Ye Qiu said, “I didn’t get a clear look at what it was, but its speed was fast enough to evade my eyes. We can’t underestimate it.”
Master Longbrow asked, “Could it be a water monster?”
Ye Qiu shook his head, “Definitely not a water monster. That white shadow was only a foot long, how could it be a water monster?”
“But I felt killing intent just now.”
“If I hadn’t shot out the sword qi in time, you might’ve been in trouble.”
Master Longbrow frowned, “This is bad.”
“There’s danger in the water, how do we go down?”
“What if that thing attacks us when we’re down there?”
Ye Qiu said, “Didn’t you say we’d turn danger into safety? How about this, you go into the water and test it?”
“You want me to die?” Master Longbrow snorted, “This Taoist won’t fall for your trick.”
Ye Qiu grinned, “Then how about you do another divination?”
Master Longbrow seemed tempted, but then shook his head like a rattle, saying righteously, “Divination reveals heaven’s secrets. If I do it too much, I’ll face divine punishment.”
Divine punishment my foot!
You’re clearly just making excuses for your inaccurate divinations!
Ye Qiu gave Master Longbrow a disdainful look, then quietly activated his Heavenly Eye, peering into the water.
Instantly, his vision penetrated thirty metres below the surface.
The water was clear.
Apart from some weeds, there was nothing.
Ye Qiu observed while saying, “Old thing, even if there’s no danger in the water, it’d be hard for us to reach the bottom of Tianchi.”
Master Longbrow asked, “Why?”
Ye Qiu said, “This Tianchi is unfathomably deep, and we didn’t bring diving gear. How do we get in?”
Master Longbrow said, “No need to worry about that, this Taoist has a way.”
“What way? Don’t tell me…”
Ye Qiu’s voice cut off, his body tensing, his right hand behind his back, inner energy surging in his palm.
Seeing Ye Qiu’s actions, Master Longbrow asked, “Did you spot something?”
“Quiet.”
Ye Qiu whispered, his eyes fixed on Tianchi, where a white shadow shot out from the depths at an incredible speed.
Like a streak of aurora.
Even with his Heavenly Eye activated, Ye Qiu still couldn’t make out what the white shadow was, only catching its trajectory.
Twenty metres.
Ten metres.
Five metres.
“Swoosh!”
The white shadow burst out of the water like lightning, heading straight for Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu was prepared, his hand swiftly reaching out, grabbing the shadow.
A sharp pain shot through his palm.
Blood flowed.
Ye Qiu gripped tightly, refusing to let go, and only then did he see that the white shadow in his hand was a white fish.
The fish was about thirty centimetres long, with a pointed mouth and conical head, its body flat like a sword.
Its dorsal and ventral fins were like sword blades, with three sharp spines, incredibly sharp, which had cut Ye Qiu’s palm.
Ye Qiu was shocked.
Having cultivated the Nine-Turn Dragon Art, his body was as tough as iron and bronze, immune to ordinary blades and spears, yet today, he was injured by a fish.
“Old thing, take a look, what kind of fish is this?” Ye Qiu called.
Master Longbrow came closer, looked closely, and his face showed shock, “Swordfish!”
Swordfish?
Ye Qiu looked puzzled.
Master Longbrow explained, “The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* records: ‘In the mountains and rivers, there is a fish, shaped like a sword, called swordfish.’ Not only that, I read in an ancient text that the spines on a swordfish’s fins are as sharp as divine swords.”
Hiss!
The swordfish, gripped in Ye Qiu’s palm, struggled fiercely, baring its teeth at Ye Qiu, revealing two long, thin fangs.
“Damn it, a mere beast dares to threaten me? Courting death!”
Ye Qiu was about to crush the swordfish.
“Little brat, stop.”
Master Longbrow quickly stopped Ye Qiu, chuckling, “Swordfish are valuable.”
“Their teeth and the spines on their fins are perfect materials for hidden weapons.”
“Plus, I once read in a gourmet cookbook that swordfish meat is tender, tastier than pufferfish.”
“Most importantly, swordfish are extremely rare, living up to a thousand years, growing slowly. One this big must be centuries old, and eating it can boost your cultivation.”
Ye Qiu was surprised, “Really?”
“Don’t believe me? Try it and find out,” Master Longbrow said, grabbing the swordfish’s mouth.
Moments later.
The swordfish suffocated and died.
Master Longbrow swiftly gutted it, gathered some dry branches, started a fire, and began roasting the swordfish.
Soon, the aroma of fish filled the air.
Ye Qiu took a whiff, his spirit lifting, as if he’d consumed a century-old ginseng, feeling light and invigorated, indescribably wonderful.
“It seems the old thing wasn’t lying, swordfish really is something special,” Ye Qiu thought.
“Little brat, go grab some more dry branches,” Master Longbrow said.
Ye Qiu didn’t think much of it and went to collect branches. When he returned, he found only fish bones left.
Master Longbrow sat cross-legged, eyes closed, circulating his energy.
“You dog, tricking me to eat it all yourself? Shameless!”
Ye Qiu cursed, and at that moment, a powerful aura emanated from Master Longbrow.
Then, four streams of true qi appeared behind him!
