Chapter 877: A Lifetime of Fishing

Waves crashed against the shore, the cold wind howling.

A massive shadow glided beneath the water, silent and terrifying, making the fishermen grab the edge of their sampans and press down hard, daring not to stir even a ripple, until they saw the dark form swimming toward shore.

Trouble!

Splash!

The water bulged upward, white foam reversed, flocks of birds took flight in panic!

Fins broke the surface first, a mottled brown-green slash tearing through the water membrane, fully rising—like a lake island appearing out of thin air!

Jagged teeth interlocked, taller than a man; dense scales reflected the sky's light, radiating chilling cold; hollow fish eyes still held traces of ferocity, grotesque and horrifying!

Demon!

The demon's on land!

Clatter!

Benches toppled over, the tavern's banners blown down by the wind, no one bothered to pick them up.

The teahouse attendant fell hard onto his rear, his legs trembling, overwhelming fear pressing down on him—he felt a desperate urge to urinate, yet he stared dazedly, certain the scene before him felt familiar, as if he'd seen it somewhere before.

A sudden insight struck him, and he blurted it out.

"Master Liang?"

Master Liang?

Everyone froze.

"Oh! Bold fellow, indeed!"

A young, familiar voice emerged from within the fish's head, offering an unusual sense of calm and reassurance—the attendant's leaking urine dripped out a few drops, then forcibly retracted.

The fish is speaking?

Of course not.

"Really Master Liang?"

No one could believe it.

The enormous dogfish head slowly emerged, from fin to lip.

Only then did they realize the fish's head was only half—cleanly split down the middle, faint red blood seeping from the smooth cut; below it stood an unmistakably heroic man!

His body shimmered with silver scales, outlining a powerful frame; slanted scales along his flanks resembled gills, rising and falling with his breath; transparent water droplets trickled from his hair, bouncing off his armor, streaming down until fully drained.

The giant beast's youth stood barely higher than the fish's teeth.

Extreme contrast.

The shock and awe in their hearts was like standing face-to-face with a storm.

Many elderly villagers of Yixing Town recalled, finally remembering why this scene felt familiar.

They had seen it!

Several years ago, when Yixing Town first offered a spirit as sacrifice to the River God, Master Liang had carried ashore a crimson aquatic beast just like this!

Shouldering a colossal burden, stepping on stone slabs without cracking a single piece.

For a moment—

Seasons turned.

From ordinary fish catches to red-scaled bass, bullhorn mackerel, to grotesque, coiled crimson spirits, now to this island-sized demon beast.

Master Liang's fishing skills had truly grown even more formidable!

"Master Liang! It's really Master Liang!" The teahouse attendant, having seen the man with his own eyes, snatched up his towel, scrambled to his feet, and shouted back, "Don't panic! Master Liang's back from fishing!"

"Fishing?" Liang Qu blinked, then burst out laughing, "Yes! I'm back from fishing!"

"Wuhu!"

"Master Liang is mighty!"

"Master Liang's catches get better each time—next time he'll probably hook the Dragon King himself!"

The dock erupted in cheers.

Master Liang had always been generous—to his sect brothers, colleagues, and fellow villagers—when had he ever been stingy?

Truly, "whoever sees it gets a share."

Thanks to Liang Qu, the villagers of Yixing Town ate foods they could never have dreamed of in a lifetime!

Half a fish head and a tattered fragment of body, paraded through town—given the demon's immense vitality, its body wasn't even fully dead; exposed flesh still slowly writhed, twitched, and repaired itself.

At the dockside stalls.

Tan Teka watched the fish head pass by, set down his chopsticks used for scooping meat, sat on a bench, and rested his chin in thought.

What pot could possibly hold such a massive fish head for stewing?

"Truly a great demon!"

Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi, Xiang Fang Su, and others saw Liang Qu walking step by step toward the River Office, and sucked in sharp breaths.

Liang Qu had been promoted less than half a year—how could he possibly contend with a great aquatic demon, let alone kill it?

A fisherman by birth—could his skills really be so perfectly suited?

Or had the Dragon People intervened?

Damn it!

Thinking of this, everyone clenched their fists, suddenly feeling it was better that Liang Qu had done it alone.

"Done?"

Xu Xu Yue and Wei Lin knew more.

Liang Qu had been personally appointed by the Holy Emperor to respond to the sea merchant attacks—yet who could have imagined he'd accomplish it so swiftly? Returning to Pingyang County on the first of November, he'd hauled this fish ashore in barely half a month?

Wei Lin frowned tightly.

"Less than half a year since promotion—how could he advance so rapidly?"

"Huh?"

All around, some were shocked, some delighted—except Su Guishan on the top floor, who furrowed his brow, turned, opened a drawer, and took out a jade talisman.

There had been two tokens of the attackers' qi signatures—he had given one to Liang Qu, kept one as proof.

The qi signature on the jade talisman did not match the half-dogfish head!

"Killed the wrong one?"

Su Guishan shook his head in denial.

Liang Qu always handled affairs with care; having received the token, he wouldn't commit such a blunder as misidentifying the target.

His gaze shifted.

"Something went wrong?"

Thud!

Liang Qu extended both hands.

The entire government office trembled slightly, raising a fine dust.

The dogfish head slammed onto the training ground behind the River Office, drawing countless stares.

Ke Ko Wenbin and others didn't use the stairs—they leapt straight out the windows, circling the half-fish head and Liang Qu, murmuring in awe.

"Great demon! Truly a great demon!"

"Didn't show up for roll call for two days—thought you were slacking off again."

"Ahem, this dogfish demon—is it the same one that attacked the sea merchants last autumn?"

Everyone wasn't foolish—they didn't know Liang Qu had been ordered, but they remembered the sea merchant attack months ago.

In the span of a warrior's time, months were nothing—such swift action must have a reason.

"Found it!"

Facing everyone's probing gazes, Liang Qu stressed the word "found."

Everyone understood.

Political considerations.

Could not be spoken aloud—but could be understood silently.

"No problem," Xiang Fang Su gripped Liang Qu's shoulder, winking, "Those who know, know!"

"You've really come into your own, Liang Ashui! The Emperor's appointed General of the Huai River truly is extraordinary." Ke Ko Wenbin rolled up his sleeves, pried open the fish's fins, marveling at the meat, "When will Tan Teka cook the fish? Pick a date—don't worry, I'll bring my own chopsticks!"

"In two days, the Dock Tower will host a banquet—I planned to let you taste the demon's flesh anyway—but…" Liang Qu changed tone, "I've got something even better to eat."

Something even better?

Before anyone could ask further, Liang Qu leapt forward and plunged back into the water from the small harbor before the government office.

Plop.

His figure vanished; ripples spread—everyone stared at the half-fish head and the vanished tail, guessing and speculating.

As the saying goes: bighead carp head, grass carp tail, silver carp belly, carp mouth.

"Is there a saying about eating dogfish tail?" Ke Ko Wenbin asked.

"Not that I know of…" Xiang Fang Su rubbed his chin.

Coming and going, all in haste.

A short while later.

Liang Qu surfaced, flipped onto the dock, grabbed a bundle of waterweed with one hand, and heaved upward, dragging a massive net woven entirely of waterweed ashore.

Splash!

Water poured through the net's holes like a white waterfall.

Countless fine bubbles rose in the Great Marsh, the net filled with shredded, unrecognizable fish flesh—large and small pieces, spines and fins, with predatory fish clinging stubbornly to the meat chunks, trying to tear off strands.

The fish flesh was shattered beyond any recognition of its original form.

Everyone present had cultivation; they would not judge something solely by its appearance.

A slight sensing.

Everyone's pupils shrank sharply, their breaths halted.

Ran Seeing Ran Zhongshi's gaze flickered rapidly—from the dog-headed fish to the net, from the net to Liang Qu, then back from Liang Qu to the half-fish head.

Ke Ko Wenbin stepped back two paces.

"You, you..."

"This, this..."

"Two of them!?"

Complete silence.

The officials of the Wei Lin faction at the periphery were utterly stunned upon hearing it.

Did Liang Lang go out and kill two great demons!?

"How did you kill them?"

"I found them."

Liang Qu emphasized.

The top floor of the River Office.

Su Guishan set down the jade token and closed the drawer.

"So that's where it was."

(End of Chapter)