Chapter 43: Great Demon (Part 1)

At the dock, over a hundred fishing boats were moored tightly together, resembling fish scales spreading out from the shore.

It was midnight, and no one was venturing out in their boats.

Looking up, there was no moon and no stars.

The sky today was darker than usual; it was an overcast day, the air heavy with humidity and abnormally cold.

Liang Qu could only pray that it would not rain before he returned.

Wind and rain, wind and rain; when it rains, the wind is often strong, and when the wind is strong, the waves grow large, making boats easy to capsize. If no one is watching while launching, a boat could easily drift away.

The sampan had no anchor; it relied on a large stone tied with a rope to hold the hull in place. It served a purpose, but not much of one.

There was no other way; even if it rained, Liang Qu had to go. The treasure fish was right there; he had no choice but to go.

Of all the treasure fish encountered so far, the vast majority possessed strength far surpassing ordinary fish. They swam swiftly; if left to struggle freely, they could even tear through fishing nets. Relying solely on Bu Neng Dong and the Fat Catfish made them difficult to catch.

The wind was not yet very strong, but the water pushed ripples forward, causing the boats at the dock to collide with dull thuds.

Stepping from one boat prow to the next, Liang Qu leaped onto his own small sampan. The entire vessel sank sharply, kicking up a large spray of waves.

"Liang Ashui, why go fishing now?" Lin Lin Songbao's voice came from the shore, but the sky was too dark to see any figure.

"Not fishing; the pot at home is about to be uncovered."

"About to be uncovered? Then come to my house for dinner? It looks like it will rain tonight; it's best not to launch the boat."

"No need; the bigger the wind and waves, the more valuable the fish!"

"Then be careful."

"Alright!"

Liang Qu untied the hemp rope, picked up the setting pole, and pushed the boat through the cluster of surrounding fishing vessels until he reached the open lake surface, where he quickly switched to oars and rowed toward his destination.

The treasure fish discovered this time was not near the lotus root waters but in a stretch of water he had never visited before.

Liang Qu rowed for more than half an hour before arriving. As the oars struck the water, Bu Neng Dong floated to the surface; atop its head, "Fist" clashed its own pincers together, making a clicking sound.

Fist showed no change, but Bu Neng Dong had transformed rapidly. Even with psychological preparation, Liang Qu was startled upon seeing Bu Neng Dong's size.

In just one day, Bu Neng Dong had grown from its original length of two meters to nearly two point seven meters, gaining half a meter!

Initially, Bu Neng Dong was slightly under two meters long and weighed only about thirty kilograms, lighter than Liang Qu himself; riding on its back, it couldn't even perform a death roll.

Now it weighed at least sixty kilograms, nearly double. Liang Qu suspected that the physical energy left behind by the Crab Monster had not been fully digested and was still taking effect; Bu Neng Dong could continue to grow.

If Bu Neng Dong had been this size during their first encounter, Liang Qu definitely would not have been able to subdue it and likely would have died on the spot.

Everything was due to fate and chance.

Without being dominated, as a Taihua Crocodile, it would be difficult for Bu Neng Dong to break through the two-meter barrier; two point two or three meters was the species' limit. It would require either consuming special treasure elixirs or encountering another opportunity to evolve into a spirit creature.

He did not know how the Fat Catfish had grown, but catching the treasure fish came first.

Liang Qu sank the stone to secure the boat, took off his clothes, grabbed the landing net, and jumped into the water bare-chested.

Late December is mid-winter; even though Liang Qu had refined the Water Monkey Ze Ling and possessed an affinity for water, he still felt the cold. For an ordinary person, entering the water would cause shivering, and staying too long could lead to freezing to death.

Fortunately, with his fusion rate improved, Liang Qu could still adapt. Due to its growth, Bu Neng Dong had also developed some resistance to the cold; its mobility had neither increased nor significantly decreased, maintaining a slightly declined state of balance.

Soon, the one human and two beasts located the Fat Catfish lying in ambush beneath the silt...

The Fat Catfish had grown even more rapidly, its length breaking the three-meter barrier to reach three point one or two meters. It was several sizes larger, and its weight had definitely exceeded one hundred kilograms.

However, it seemed it had not yet adapted to its increased size; it burrowed into the mud and sand to the same depth as usual, leaving its entire green back exposed, rendering its camouflage useless.

Not to mention that Liang Qu could easily detect it through their spiritual link; even any random fish could spot it!

It had become smarter, but not that smart.

Liang Qu patted the Fat Catfish's back; it didn't even realize anything was amiss and cheerfully indicated the direction of the treasure fish.

This child... he would teach it slowly later.

Swimming silently forward a few meters, Liang Qu sensed the treasure fish Ah Fei had mentioned: a Red Blood Perch, exceptionally large, weighing around seven or eight jin.

Were the Red Blood Perch and the Tiger-Head Grouper the most common species of treasure fish in the shallow waters near the Shangrao dock?

Liang Qu rubbed his hands; he didn't even need the help of the Fat Catfish or Bu Neng Dong. He approached the treasure fish alone, extended five fingers toward the Red Blood Perch, and suddenly clenched his fist.

The Red Blood Perch, lying prone in the silt, instantly felt its surroundings become incredibly viscous, like hardening swamp mud. It tried to struggle, but its movements were exceedingly slow. It could only watch helplessly as it was hooked by the gill cavity, lifted out of the silt, and stuffed into the landing net.

Liang Qu twisted the net mouth shut, hugged the Red Blood Perch, and swam to the surface. Back on the sampan, he tossed it into the fish basket and covered the lid.

Everything went smoothly.

Rain began to fall from the sky; raindrops shattered upon the water's surface, splashing up a layer of misty gray fog.

Compared to the cold water, Liang Qu feared the wind chill more due to his water affinity talent. Decisively, he remained unclothed, stuffing his cotton jacket into the compartment.

The rain was heavy; the wave crests were over a chi high, crashing down with enough force to nearly splash into the sampan, causing the entire boat to shake violently.

Liang Qu pulled out his stone knife and quickly gutted the fish, feeding the bones and scraps to the three beasts.

Bu Neng Dong and the Fat Catfish opened their mouths wide to devour their shares, leaving only "Fist," which used its pincers to hold a fish intestine, slurping it up bit by bit like wide noodles. It stood steadily atop Bu Neng Dong's head, completely unaffected by the wind and waves.

The rain grew even heavier.

Looking out, everywhere was filled with colliding, shattered water foam; every breath drew in a thick cloud of water vapor, as if Liang Qu had never surfaced and was still remaining at the bottom of the water.

Even the stone used to sink the boat could barely hold; the sampan drifted little by little in another direction.

Liang Qu had originally intended to practice the abilities enhanced by his drastically increased fusion rate underwater, but now it seemed completely ruined.

"Bu Neng Dong and Fist, go back first and watch over my lotus field; don't let any fish steal food again. Ah Fei, you lead the way in front."

Upon receiving the order, the two beasts quickly vanished without a trace, leaving only the Fat Catfish swimming toward the dock, with Liang Qu following behind, rowing desperately.

The heavy rain enveloped everything in a vast blur; Liang Qu could no longer distinguish the direction of the dock.

In his past life, he had watched many wilderness survival livestreams by the great god Bi Fang, but Liang Qu hadn't learned every skill; he could only rely on the Fat Catfish to guide the way.

Rainwater flowed down Liang Qu's spine; his hair was completely soaked, with droplets streaming down to form a continuous string on his chin.

Lightning flickered within the clouds, accompanied by muffled thunder.

Liang Qu rowed with all his might when a sudden, inexplicable throb enveloped his heart. He wiped the water from his face and looked around blankly, discovering nothing.

He asked Ah Fei through their spiritual link, but Ah Fei gave no reaction, as if the previous throb had been an illusion.

The sky was pitch black as ink; raindrops were so dense they seemed to shatter against each other in mid-air. Occasionally, bolts of lightning struck straight down to the ground, briefly illuminating the sky.

Liang Qu grew increasingly uneasy and dared not move again.

A forked lightning flash ignited within the clouds, followed by a booming explosion beside his ears.

Liang Qu covered his ears; his pupils were bisected by the flash of lightning.

An unimaginably huge black shadow suddenly flashed into view, blocking the blue-white lightning, before the silver-bright pupils dimmed once more.

For an instant, Liang Qu suspected he had seen a hallucination.