Chapter 3 Four Worms_1

Starfall Lake is located in the eastern part of the Hundred Peaks Sect, one of the important water sources at the sea inlet a thousand miles away.

Li Ke, wearing a bamboo hat and clad in coarse peasant clothing, got off the rented Immortal Cloud Carriage and walked toward an old man and a young boy who had already been fishing by the lake.

The elder had been sitting by the lake, unmoving, fishing for fifty years.

The younger man was none other than Cao Zhen, the Peak Master of Four Treasures Peak, which ranked last among the Hundred Peaks of the Sect.

This man had inherited the position of Peak Master from his deceased master a few years ago and had suddenly appeared here two months prior.

When Li Ke first encountered Cao Zhen by the lake, she thought he was trying to get close to her by using fishing as a pretext.

This wasn't because she was aloof, but as one of the "Four Great Talents" and the top prodigy of Vermilion Bird Peak, an immortal in the eyes of others, she had often encountered similar situations over the years. In the entire Hundred Peaks Sect, there had been no fewer than eighty people who had tried this approach.

Therefore, Li Ke initially outright ignored the existence of Cao Zhen.

It was not until Cao Zhen responded to a question from the disciple named Bei Yan, who followed him, that she truly took notice of this unfamiliar cultivator from the Sect.

That day, the question raised by the ten-plus-year-old Bei Yan concerned the fishing manners of the nearby old man.

'Master, that old gentleman uses a straight hook, should I tell him that only curved hooks can catch fish?'

Bored, Cao Zhen casually answered, 'The old gentleman is fishing for dragons, don't disturb him.'

Li Ke knew about the old man who had been sitting by Starfall Lake for fifty years, motionless as a stone sculpture "fishing for dragons", from what her master had told her.

According to the Peak Master of Vermilion Bird Peak, one of the five major peaks of the Hundred Peaks Sect, there were no more than ten people in the entire Sect who knew the old man was fishing for dragons.

Li Ke knew she was acquainted with all ten people her master mentioned, and the man before her was definitely not one of them, so she made a point of inquiring further.

The result of her inquiries was quite a shock.

Cao Zhen, the Peak Master of Four Treasures Peak, was known as the least proficient among the Hundred Peaks Sect's Peak Masters, with mediocre talent, poor strength, and a stubborn character, relying only on the monthly stipend from the Sect and barely making do with his disciples.

Two months ago, due to a dispute, he had a quarrel with Starshine Peak, which ranked ninety-fifth, and they agreed to a contest of spells in three months' time. For this, Starshine Peak wagered a third-grade Lava Lingzhi, and the Four Treasures Peak Master staked the treasure of the peak, a third-grade Spirit Field.

Even a fool could see that Starshine Peak, bound by the rules of the Sect, was deliberately picking a quarrel to win the third-grade Spirit Field so that they could plant the newly-acquired Lava Lingzhi that they lacked a corresponding Spirit Field for.

Yet, Cao Zhen was oblivious and instead went into seclusion to cultivate. After half a month, he fell into a state of cultivation deviation and was unconscious for two days. When he woke up, it was as if he had seen through the mortal world and was no longer fixated on winning or losing—perhaps he had resigned himself—and started fishing every day at Starfall Lake.

Li Ke had even considered that Cao Zhen was intentionally approaching the ascetic by the lake, as immovable and statue-like as he was in his fifty-year fishing pose.

However, living together proved that Cao Zhen had no such intention; he simply enjoyed fishing.

After more than two months of silent companionship, knowing full well that Cao Zhen lacked the strength to win the bet, Li Ke still went to the market's gambling house within the Sect and bet 500 taels of spirit stones on his victory.

Now, seeing Cao Zhen still so unhurried, his rhythm of life resembling that of a retired official in the mortal world, she doubted if her 500 taels of spirit stones were as good as thrown away.

Li Ke arrived at her usual fishing spot by the lake, took a small fishing stool from her bracelet, and prepared to cast her fishing rod.

"Don't cast your line yet, wait for me a bit."

Cao Zhen, draped in a raincoat and wearing a bamboo hat, holding a fishing rod, lazily yawned, his eyes slightly unfocused as he stared at the bobber on the water's surface, raising his hand to gesture stop.

Li Ke had not expected that after two months of a silent understanding with Cao Zhen, the first thing he would say to her would be this.

According to their usual routine, when Li Ke began fishing, Cao Zhen would tacitly reel in his line in advance.

Today, this understanding was unexpectedly broken...

"Beautiful lady, wait a bit, just a moment," Cao Zhen's spirits lifted as he stared at the bobber, casually explaining to Li Ke beside him, "The fish I'm trying to catch is about to bite. If there's a second hook in the same area, the Seven-Colored Phoenix Tail won't bite. So please wait for me. If the fish gets scared off now, I'll have to wait another two months..."

Before Cao Zhen finished speaking, the bobber gently dipped several times, then suddenly plunged vertically into the depths!

Cao Zhen, whose eyes had been lackluster, suddenly lit up. He quickly lifted his fishing rod, and a fish about a foot long with golden scales all over its body, except for its tail which flickered with a seven-colored radiance, was pulled out of the water.

'Seven-Colored Phoenix Tail?'

Li Ke watched Cao Zhen busy with joy and grew more doubtful if she had been mistaken. Could this person really have been fishing for the Seven-Colored Phoenix Tail? It seemed like the five hundred spirit stones were indeed lost...

The Seven-Colored Phoenix Tail was indeed rare! But its only use was to enhance flavor and remove fishiness when cooked with other fish.

Li Ke was certain that Cao Zhen's fishing efforts over the past two months were for this Seven-Colored Phoenix Tail.

But the more she was sure of Cao Zhen's intent, the less she could understand why he, on the critical moment of an upcoming magical duel, would do this just to satisfy his palate?

As the Seven-Colored Phoenix Tail emerged from the water, the elderly angler sitting by the lake, statue-like, caused a ripple in the water with his fishing line that few could detect.

Cao Zhen, completely disregarding the puzzled looks from Li Ke, had been baiting this spot every day for two months, all for this very moment!

Cao Zhen happily packed up his fishing gear, ready to return and consume elixirs to greatly enhance his cultivation base, but found his way blocked by a large black cat in front of him.

"I forgot about you." In high spirits, Cao Zhen took a fish from his basket for the pet cat Li Ke always brought with her when she came fishing, then glanced again at Li Ke, who was methodically starting to fish.

"Leopard's Head Carp, try using four pieces of earthworm as bait," Cao Zhen mentioned the record about Leopard's Head Carp from the Great Hollow Scripture.

Li Ke, who had been patiently fishing, was surprised to hear him suddenly speak and became curious about the four-headed earthworm. She had never heard of earthworms with four heads. Was it a special type of magical creature? Why wasn't it recorded in the Ten Thousand Demon Catalog?

Cao Zhen saw the confusion in Li Ke's eyes and gestured with his hand as if cutting something in air, dropped the phrase 'cut it in half,' and quickened his pace to catch the Immortal Cloud Carriage on route 7 of the Hundred Peaks Sect. To get back to Four Treasures Peak, he had to take the Immortal Cloud Carriage on route 7 then transfer to route 3, which would take a full hour to reach home.

If he missed this Immortal Cloud Carriage, he would have to wait another two hours for the next one.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Ke understood that the so-called four-headed earthworm meant cutting a worm in half, and once the wounds healed, it would effectively have four heads. So that was the four-headed earthworm.