Chapter 9: The Formidable Six-Whisker Catfish_1

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Ze Cauldron glowed with a spiritual light, and the blood dispersed in the water, under the gathering of some magical force, coalesced without dispersing, slowly being etched onto the smooth back of the Six-Whisker Catfish.

The Water Talisman of the river character emitted a bloody light in the dark waters, and the desperately struggling Six-Whisker Catfish went limp in an instant.

A powerful spiritual power stormed into his brain, and Liang Qu felt as if the back of his head had been struck by a heavy hammer, dizzy and vision blurring.

His nose warmed, and he realised blood was flowing out. This time, asserting dominion over the Six-Whisker Catfish was even more perilous than with the Zhupo Dragon!

Although their sizes were not too different, the Zhupo Dragon's will to resist in its semi-hibernation state was far weaker than that of the Six-Whisker Catfish!

Finally, after a stalemate over a dozen breaths, the spiritual will in his mind rapidly declined.

The river character Water Talisman faded into the skin layers of the catfish and disappeared, and a distinct spiritual link appeared in Liang Qu's mind.

Success!

Liang Qu, exhausted and yet exhilarated, showed a look of surprise mixed with a hint of fear.

The resistance of the Six-Whisker Catfish was so strong; it was pure luck that he had succeeded with the Zhupo Dragon last time.

Fortunate as it was, once the spiritual link was established, life and death were under his control, with no possibility of betrayal.

Luck was indeed a part of strength.

Ze Cauldron radiated brilliance.

[You have asserted dominion over the Six-Whisker Catfish; evolution possible.]

[You can consume eighty points of Water Ze Essence to evolve the Six-Whisker Catfish into a Tigerhead Catfish.]

The same evolution prompt appeared, but unfortunately, Liang Qu still didn't have enough Water Ze Essence, so he could only think about it later.

After a struggle, his strength exhausted, he quickly summoned the two beasts, grabbing one tail each, and let them bring him to the surface for air.

Splash.

"Huff!"

Liang Qu wiped the water droplets off his face, taking deep breaths. The throbbing and dizziness in his brain quickly subsided, as refreshing as drinking a sip of ice-cold soda on a hot summer day.

It was still early, and with the sunlight, an invigorated Liang Qu admired the enormous, awe-inspiring size of the two beasts, feeling a sense of pride and security welling up within him.

With the help of the two beasts, even someone as tall and strong as Scabby Zhang, if unharmed, would be at his mercy once in the water.

However...

Liang Qu, looking at the torn wound on the tail of the Six-Whisker Catfish, couldn't help but feel heartache—it was his own pet now!

During the previous struggle between Unable to Move and the Six-Whisker Catfish, Unable to Move was tough and unharmed, but the Six-Whisker Catfish had been bitten badly. This was one of the advantages of Unable to Move; although the Zhupo Dragon was less flexible and had less stamina than most fish, it was hard to beat in attack strength and thickness!

"Since you're so fat, I'll call you Fat Catfish, Fatty!"

Liang Qu casually named the Six-Whisker Catfish. Feeling the transmission of joyous emotion, he then brought the two beasts back to the Lotus Root Waters and broke off a piece of lotus root to feed the Six-Whisker Catfish.

This piece of lotus root did not contain Water Ze Essence, but still had healing effects, albeit much weaker.

After the Fat Catfish ate it, the wound on its tail healed at a visibly slower rate.

Fatty rolled in the water and started circling around Liang Qu.

Guessing that one piece was enough, Liang Qu went back to the boat to feed Unable to Move a few fish, let it continue guarding the home, and after the Fat Catfish's wounds healed, used the Lotus Root Waters as a center to help him catch fish.

The Six-Whisker Catfish had a formidable ability to catch fish; a big gulp could capture many small fish, and it didn't leave noticeable wounds that would cause suspicion about the fish's origins. This was why Liang Qu wanted to dominate the Six-Whisker Catfish.

"When you've caught some fish, spit them out in here; be careful not to let anyone see," Liang Qu said as he lifted the board at the stern, pointing to the cavity inside.

The sampan of Scabby Zhang was simple but had all the necessary parts. Being over three meters in length, its structure was like a normal fishing boat, with waterproof compartments at the bow and stern for storing fish.

Fat Catfish bobbed on the water's surface, nodding its head.

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The mental link isn't completely devoid of benefits for water beasts; at least from what Liang Qu had observed, the water beasts that established a link clearly became smarter, possessing a certain level of thinking ability, no longer mere wild beasts.

Having received confirmation from Fatty, Liang Qu didn't bother to close the stern cover board but simply lay down, covered himself with a straw raincoat, and fell into a deep sleep.

The exhaustion from establishing a mental link was indeed too great; he desperately needed rest, and he would see what kind of harvest awaited him when he woke up.

As dusk approached, the river breeze blew gently, and a glimmering red light danced across the water surface.

Liang Qu groggily opened his eyes and stared at the fire-like setting sun in the west, only to find that he had slept until dusk, and it wasn't the natural end of his sleep that awakened him, but rather being slapped in the face by a fish that leapt from the water.

Touching the slimy mucus on his face with a bewildered expression, he sat up and gazed at several large fish hopping around inside the boat, utterly astonished.

The waterproof compartment at the stern was actually stuffed full of fish!

Occasionally, some fish would leap out from the narrow gaps, either escaping back into the water or landing in the boat—this was how the fish that woke Liang Qu had landed next to his head.

Liang Qu was hit by a huge surprise; even if all these fish were common ones, they were probably worth a hundred wen!

Were these all Fatty's catch for half a day?

Just then, Fatty surfaced, opened its big mouth, and spat out three more large fish, along with water and foam.

Liang Qu asked, "Did you catch all of these?"

Fatty shook its body and bobbed its head out of the water.

"I cooperated with 'Unable to Move,' and these aren't even all of the catch. A few more fish have leaped out, right?"

Liang Qu, realizing the information through the mental link, suddenly understood.

'Unable to Move' had poor agility and slow speed, yet it could block paths effectively, complementing the Fat Catfish's effort. They caught nearly fifty large fish just near the Lotus Root Waters, including a speckled-head fish worth thirty wen!

The entire boat's catch was worth one hundred and thirty wen!

Although 'Unable to Move' was somewhat neglecting its duties by joining in the fish hunt, that was negligible in the face of the enormous catch.

"Well done, you guys did great!"

Liang Qu sang their praises several times in a row, then quickly picked up the fish in the boat, crammed them into the compartments, and covered them with the boards. He also went into the water and broke off two lotus roots to reward the two beasts, without fretting over the lotus roots, which were in the hundreds even without the Water Ze Essence.

He also checked Fatty's injuries, which were mostly healed, leaving only a scar.

The two beasts rewarded, frolicked and rolled in the water, causing massive amounts of white foam to rise and it took a while before they dove and left, settling close to the Lotus Root Waters together, guarding the Treasure Plant.

Liang Qu, paddle in hand, steered towards the wharf. By then, it was already dark; lanterns hung on the wharf, and many fishermen were returning to their boats in twos and threes, ready to go back for dinner and set out again in the early morning.

The catch was too heavy, easily over a hundred jin, too much to carry all at once. Liang Qu called out to the wharf assistants to bring fish baskets to help.

Assistant Songbao laughed, "Is Ashui here to sell fish again today?"

Songbao, the younger son of Lin Di, who managed the wharf, also worked part-time as an assistant.

"Otherwise why would I dare to use your baskets? Wouldn't I be skinned clean?"

"What Ashui says... Who doesn't know that our stuff is one of a kind..." Songbao began his usual sales pitch, but Liang Qu wasn't having it and urged him to get the fish faster.

"It seems you've had quite a catch today; you'll need three baskets." As Songbao approached the boat with the baskets, he opened the cover and was surprised by the crowded fish, "Did you catch all these?"

"Mm-hmm."

Songbao glanced and estimated that the fish were worth more than a hundred wen, thinking only a few skilled fishermen at the wharf could consistently bring in such numbers; even more remarkable was Liang Qu's youth. Even if it was just good luck encountering a school of fish, it was still extraordinary.

"Looks like our wharf is about to gain another skilled fisherman."

Songbao put away his joking demeanor and offered that bit of flattery.

Not long ago, Liang Qu's father, Liang Dajiang, had passed away, and the family's Wupeng Boat was sold. It seemed a lone orphan could only await death quietly, but unexpectedly, Liang Qu managed to survive with just a sampán, and today he had reaped a rich harvest.

In Yixing City, there were many orphans, sold into servitude or begging on the streets; Liang Qu was the first to make something of himself.

When Songbao appeared on the wharf with three brimming fish baskets, many fishermen stopped in their tracks.