31. Perfection
Chapter 31: Perfection
"Little Mouse's cooking is getting better and better. I've fished all my life and grown tired of eating fish, but the fish cooked by Little Mouse is something I can enjoy," Feng Boping laughed heartily. With a flick of his sleeves, he was the first to sit on a large rock next to the pot. With a flourish of his hand, a cup and jade chopsticks appeared as if by magic.
Although he and Li Muxiu were kindred spirits, there were some differences between them. Feng Boping had a bit of a cleanliness obsession and loved fine jade; even the bowls and chopsticks he used were luxurious, rivaling those of the royal family.
He smiled as he handed Li Hao a clean pair of chopsticks, ignoring Li Muxiu, and quietly waited for the pot to be ready.
Li Hao, estimating that it was almost time, lifted the lid and set it on a leaf beside him. The rich aroma wafted out. Without paying any mind to respecting elders and letting them go first, he went straight for the meat with his chopsticks.
"Hey, wait for me!" Li Muxiu hurried over, grabbed a branch, and twisted it into a pair of chopsticks before plunging them into the pot.
Despite his obsessive cleanliness, Feng Boping said nothing about Li Muxiu's actions. Li Hao guessed this was what half a lifetime of friendship felt like.
The three of them enjoyed their meal heartily. Though there was a large age gap between them, the two elders never put on airs around Li Hao. Sometimes they would jokingly call each other "little rascal" or "old man," embracing a carefree attitude.
"Didn't expect you to make something fancy out of fish," Li Muxiu praised after sipping some spicy broth.
Li Hao chuckled. Over the past six months, his self-taught painting and cooking skills had steadily improved to the second stage. His fishing skills had similarly advanced.
There truly seemed to be a beginner's grace period. During the first month, his catch rate was exceptionally high. Now, it was rare to catch anything. Sometimes, he would fish until midnight, only able to catch a mid-level demon fish in shallow water to avoid returning empty-handed.
As they talked, Li Hao's eyes glanced toward the fishing float, which was now bobbing gently on the water.
There was movement!
He quickly set down his chopsticks, dashed toward the fishing rod, and just as he arrived, the float suddenly sank underwater.
Li Hao swiftly reeled in the line, and it immediately went taut, signaling a tremendous force. The water erupted with activity.
"This kid..." The two elders, seeing this, were slightly envious. The boy had struck first again.
Quickly, the commotion in the water grew, and a demon beast surfaced. But it wasn't a fish demon—it was a shrimp demon, its body covered in shells!
It was four or five meters long, covered in spikes, and had pincers powerful enough to crush rocks.
At this moment, the shrimp demon was gripping the fishing line with its pincers, glaring at Li Hao on the shore. Seeing only a child, it let out angry, weird cries, yet it was also filled with dread. Where had this wild child come from, possessing such strength?
The more it struggled, the more intense it became. However, the fishing line Li Muxiu had given Li Hao was impervious to water and fire, capable of withstanding a million pounds of force—far beyond what this ordinary mid-level shrimp demon could break.
Soon, as it was dragged closer to the shore, the shrimp demon's eyes showed signs of struggle as it considered whether to mutilate itself to escape.
Just then, Li Hao, standing on the shore, wobbled as if he couldn't keep hold of the fishing rod.
"Hmm?" The shrimp demon hesitated, seeing this.
Amid the tugging, the shrimp demon felt it was only slightly outmatched. If not for being caught on the hook, it might not have been at a disadvantage.
Its eyes rolled as it attempted to drag Li Hao into the water, but each time, the boy managed to stabilize himself just in time.
Finally, after much pulling, the shrimp demon was dragged so painfully that its ferocity erupted. It screamed and lunged at the fishing platform, intent on crushing the ignorant child to death.
But as it landed on the shore, the child who had previously appeared unsteady suddenly stood firm, a bright, relieved smile on his face.
Oh no!
The shrimp demon realized too late that something was amiss. Suddenly, a massive force from the fishing hook pulled its unbalanced body sharply toward its opponent.
With a swish, it saw a flash of silver—something incredibly bright.
The next moment, the shrimp demon knew nothing as the world turned dark.
A large shrimp head rolled off, and Li Hao casually inserted his sword into the ground beside him. Then, dragging the body, he tossed it next to the pot and said to the two elders, "Too bad it didn't bite sooner. Otherwise, I'd have added shrimp balls for your lunch."
Seeing Li Hao handle the mid-level shrimp demon so easily, both elders smiled. Earlier, they had concealed their presence, so the shrimp demon hadn't sensed them, emboldening its actions.
Li Hao cast the bait again and resumed eating and drinking with his chopsticks.
"You dispatched this mid-level ninth-rank demon with such ease. I suspect you've already mastered your family's Dragon River Divine Meridians, haven't you?" Feng Boping said with a smile.
Li Hao didn't deny it.
Mastered? No, it was perfected.
...
...
After their usual fishing session ended at dusk, Li Hao bid farewell to the Second Grandfather and the Thief Saint. The Thief Saint mentioned he would be taking a trip, meaning he'd be gone for half a month.
It seemed another treasure would soon go missing somewhere.
Having grown accustomed to this, Li Muxiu smiled and said his goodbyes before taking Li Hao back to the Divine General's residence.
Since Li Hao had developed a keen interest in fishing, Li Muxiu no longer made him follow the "traditional rules" of fishing, heading straight back to Tingyu Tower.
Outside the tower, Li Fu was, as usual, waiting there. This time, however, a young maid from the Changchunyuan named Xuejian stood beside him.
Seeing the old and young return, Xuejian couldn't help but scrutinize Li Hao.
She had long heard of the Second Grandfather's eccentric personality. Many ladies in various courtyards had hoped to send their children to him for guidance, but he had ignored them all. She was surprised to see him so close to Li Hao, who was known as a martial arts wastrel.
Thinking about this, Xuejian kept a gentle smile on her face as she stepped forward to explain her visit.
It turned out that the eldest lady, He Jianlan, was thinking that Li Hao had learned body cultivation techniques for some time now and wanted him to enter the training grounds to practice with the family's disciples.
Li Fu had already heard about this from Xuejian and was eagerly smiling even as she spoke, wishing he could nod in agreement for Li Hao.
But after listening to her, Li Hao and Li Muxiu exchanged a glance and then laughed.
Li Muxiu knew that Li Hao's words would carry little weight, and refusing would lead to nagging, so he waved a hand dismissively. "The little guy is with me. My teaching is enough; going to the training grounds would be a waste of time."
The old man thought to himself that sending this kid to the training grounds would be unfair to others, wouldn't it?
The family disciples in the training grounds were mostly at the mid-level stage. More talented ones were taken as apprentices to famous teachers or joined the army.
Sending Li Hao, who could casually slay a ninth-rank demon, to the training grounds would be like beating up the elderly or kicking toddlers.
When the old man refused, Li Fu and Xuejian were both anxious.
However, it seemed Xuejian had anticipated this response. She immediately, softly, and eloquently explained that it would only require Li Hao to practice for a short time in the morning, mainly to let him spar with his peers and hone his combat experience.
Li Fu nodded repeatedly in agreement, yes, yes.
While being with Second Uncle offered the best guidance, he worried the old man might lead Li Hao astray. After all, though the Second Uncle was indeed powerful, he seemed somewhat... unfocused.
He had never seen Li Hao and the Second Uncle talk about training. Instead, they chatted enthusiastically about which fish to catch and how to reel it in.
Besides, even disciples of masters like the Sword Saint needed to spar with those of similar rank. Otherwise, simply learning from books would lead to slow comprehension.
Hearing Xuejian's reasoning, Li Muxiu rolled his eyes slightly. Sparring with the family's youngsters couldn't compare to the strategic mind games with demon fish while fishing.
After all, fishing for mid-level demon beasts was not just about strength. These fish demons were intelligent enough to sense danger and would rather tear their bodies apart to escape than be caught. Advanced demons were even harder to catch.
Simply put, fishing was an all-encompassing skill involving strategic deception, concealment, feigning weakness, and strength testing.
For this reason, the old man was addicted to it, as if in a trance.
He flatly refused and pretended to be angry, threatening to beat them if they insisted. Only then did Xuejian and Li Fu reluctantly accept.
After storing the fishing gear at Tingyu Tower, Li Hao and Li Fu returned to the courtyard, learning along the way that a letter from Yanbei had arrived. Both their eyes lit up, and they hurried to Changchunyuan.
He Jianlan, the eldest lady, sat in the main hall with a family letter in her hand. Her demeanor was noble and dignified.
"They are short on military pay at Tiangang. I'll need to go to court tomorrow..." He Jianlan mused aloud, her eyes showing signs of thought.
Just then, Li Hao and Li Fu rushed in, with Li Fu maintaining some decorum, aware of the rules. However, Li Hao charged in boldly. When Li Fu tried to hold him back, he failed and could only follow in a rush.
When they saw He Jianlan's gaze, the man looked slightly embarrassed and quickly bowed in apology.
"Is it from them?" Li Hao quickly asked.
He Jianlan's gaze fell on Li Hao. Smelling the faint scent of water on him, she knew he had been fishing with Second Uncle again.
Seeing the eager look in his eyes, He Jianlan did not mind the child's impetuousness and nodded slightly.
"So... what does it say?" Li Hao asked, full of expectation.
He Jianlan was slightly taken aback, with a trace of pity flashing in her eyes before quickly vanishing. In a gentle voice, she said:
"It's a war report and military situation from Yanbei. Your father wrote about defeating a group of monsters and mentioned issues with the food supply."
She didn't elaborate, as it was military business.
"Did they encounter any danger? Did they mention me?" Li Hao asked.
He Jianlan's fingers tightened slightly on the letter, and she nodded, smiling:
"Your parents asked me to make sure you eat well and not to overwork yourself. They also wanted to know what you've been eating recently, whether you've caught a cold, and if you've been listening to the elders..."
Li Hao listened silently, then said, "Can I see the letter? I know how to read."
He Jianlan folded the letter and shook her head gently. "No, it contains military matters, and you're still too young."
"Alright."
Li Hao could only nod in agreement and then said, "Then please trouble Auntie to write back to them for me. Tell them I'm eating well. My cooking skills are excellent, and I can make delicious food for myself. I'm also strong from training and won't catch a cold. I spend my days fishing with Second Uncle, so I'm not overworked. Second Uncle treats me well and even compliments my cooking. When they return, I'll cook for them too."
"Also, please tell them to take care of themselves and not to worry about me. I am very safe in the Divine General's mansion. With Second Uncle and Auntie to support me, no one will bully me."