Chapter 86: Live Storage and Complete Retrieval

Da Wang jumped down to see Wei Shen already surfacing; the two exchanged glances, but their meanings were completely different.

Da Wang was signaling his cousin to come up quickly, while Wei Shen was telling him to hurry up and play, then they would go up together.

Da Wang saw several people jump off the ship with splashes, and immediately sank below the water surface; they had all promised the cousin a huge sum, and the plan must not fail.

Although it was winter, it was still noon, and the lighting was fine.

Da Wang sank three or four meters and could still see things; his courage was extraordinary, and he felt no fear at all.

He carefully sensed it, as if he didn't feel the pressure the Grand Tutor had mentioned?

Da Wang waved the Shark Pearl Bracelet underwater, unsure whether it was the bead or the side effect of the City Lord's Heart—being invulnerable to all poisons, blades, and spears—that he wasn't certain about; Da Wang wasn't so foolish as to take off the bracelet to test it, though in fact it didn't matter to him; all he wanted was to play in the water and closely examine the mysterious sea full of contradictions.

That Ocean Biology Manual says the ocean nurtures millions of marine species, maintaining the human ecosystem. He still doesn't grasp the big principle, but it says the sea is also an important pasture for humanity, raising the food, minerals, and medicine humans need. Guarding the sea gives the Secluded Prefecture a glimmer of hope.

At the same time, the sea is described differently among the people of the Secluded Prefecture.

It devours countless human lives, its mood is unpredictable, it is sacred and inviolable. Whenever there is a choice, the people readily avoid dealing with the sea.

Da Wang had sunk four or five meters and could still see things; he noticed many fish active near the surface. The constantly splashing Da Wang calmed down, feeling as if he had become a small fish, just drifting in the water—a novel sensation.

Da Wang felt no cold from the seawater at all; his earlier frantic splashing of his limbs was just his instinct upon sudden immersion to feel like he was doing something.

Now drifting together with these fish, mimicking their head‑wiggling and leg‑kicking motion, sound vanished from his world; Da Wang not only felt no fear, but actually gained a sense of safety.

He sank a bit further, silently pondering: 'Could it be that I was really a fish in my past life?!'

No, no, no—at the very least I'm a Pulao, certainly not a little fish for the table!

He barehanded chased a sea dart swimming past him; Da Wang thought, given its size, maybe he had a chance?

Wei Shen above had no intention of climbing up himself from the start; he couldn't feel at ease tossing Da Wang into the sea, so as Da Wang descended he too hurried over—who would have thought this reckless fool would sink without a hint of hesitation? Wei Shen followed, holding his breath and diving down, but after going just over two meters he couldn't take it anymore; this exceeded his capacity and began to feel unbearable, so he had to surface again for air.

The swimming guards who jumped in after him were also limited in how far they could follow underwater, and they soon lost track of Da Wang.

At that moment Chen Cang finally lowered a small boat; he stepped forward to stop this dangerous behavior of amateurs recklessly deep‑diving, having everyone standby on the boat to respond, while he and Huang Zhong went into the water to search.

Da Wang had no idea the people above were already about to faint from fright; after his failed chase of the sea dart, he quickly discovered a new continent.

Not far from him lay a large reef area, its highest point only about three meters above sea level.

A rugged stone forest stood in the sea; Bai Li Dan Jing had no guard at all, excitedly paddling a few strokes with the intention of getting close to have a look—what grandeur, oh, a mountain in the sea!

Before he could get close, a wrinkle‑lipped shark lurking in the reef area lunged at him, trying to drive away the intruder.

Although Da Wang didn't recognize the exact species of the shark, he still had a basic awareness of the sea's few big players—this shape, those teeth… this is a shark!

He instinctively wanted to turn and flee; just as he twisted his body and moved his limbs, he realized that while he felt no discomfort in the water, he wasn't actually a fish—could he outrun a shark?

Da Wang turned back again; 'This shark isn't that big, can we negotiate? Don't bite me—you're about my length, you couldn't possibly finish me! You simply can't eat it all!'

He opened his mouth and let out a stream of bubbles, then choked on a mouthful of salty, astringent seawater…

Da Wang immediately closed his mouth, while the little shark over a meter long was about to lunge right in front of him; Da Wang finally realized he couldn't just surrender.

Stay calm, stay calm—I, the king, must stay calm! I, the king, am invulnerable to blades and spears!

But…… I, the king, also feel pain!

When encountering assassins or Hu people on land, what should I, the king, do?

That is, of course… not to surrender helplessly; if you can't beat them, drawing a knife and slashing the opponent once is no loss.

Da Wang thought of this, then while retreating and running, he skillfully opened the storehouse, drew his sample curved blade, and as soon as he gripped it he placed it before him; when the wrinkle‑lipped shark opened its huge mouth at him, he exerted all his strength and swung the blade.

The curved blade sliced through the fish skin without a hint of resistance, cutting off the shark's head; instantly the gushing blood flooded and surrounded him, leaving Da Wang dumbfounded.

Having only seen Hu people kill, Da Wang himself had never even slaughtered a chicken, yet with one strike he chopped off a shark's head; although in these shallows only small sharks exist, it was still a shark about his own length…

Da Wang stared blankly, then instinctively ran out of the blood‑filled area.

When he saw the half‑body of a large fish floating motionless in the sea, the impoverished Da Wang's frugal nature awakened, forgetting fear—'Is shark tasty? This fish body is huge!'

He put it away and asked Brother Bai whether he would eat it.

Wait…… can a dead fish be stored in the warehouse, but what about a live one?

The fish basket he touched can be stored in the warehouse, but what about the fish he touched that is still swimming?

Da Wang stored the shark's hind half, then approached the reef area, discovering many fish moving about there.

This time Da Wang was on guard, placing the curved blade before him; fortunately there were no troublemakers this round. He spotted a large school of fish, pre‑opened the storehouse and lunged forward, intending to touch and store them, but before he could get close they scattered in a panic.

Da Wang gazed at school after school of fish, drooling—'Why, I the king, am I so slow?!'

But discouragement is not Da Wang's style; he soon realized those fish weren't very smart either—they dodged him and then continued to play in groups beside him, completely ignoring him, which was infuriating!

Da Wang turned his big eyes in the water; this guy swam over to lean against a large reef and stood there, after opening the storehouse he calmly pretended to be just another reef. When a school of foolishly flashing yellow‑yellow yellow flower fish swam past him, Da Wang, quick‑eyed and quick‑handed, flicked one hand to touch a fish while the other prepared to store it—and lo and behold, it actually worked!

He clearly felt his left hand strike a fish, while his right hand simultaneously clicked to store it, and then a pop‑up appeared:

【Store live Yellow Flower Fish x26, Yes/No】

Wow oh oh~ Is it this little group before me, giving me an entire category?!

Da Wang immediately clicked yes; he saw the group of yellow fish before him, as if hit by a paralysis spell, pause for a moment and vanish—next instant his storehouse showed a new slot: 【Yellow Flower Fish x26】

Unbelievable!

Three days, not five days—I stopped complaining about Mengmeng.

Da Wang eagerly placed this new category under 【Catch】 and put it beside that half‑shark from earlier. Curious how that half‑shark Mengmeng had been classified, he put his finger on it and a pop‑up appeared: 【Wrinkle‑lipped Shark x0·6】

Da Wang: ……

He had discovered a new continent! Before, everything was stored box by box; now it turns out that storing items individually without a box automatically identifies their name and quantity!

Da Wang thought this was a quick way to look up a dictionary; overjoyed beyond measure, this little delay of his was no problem—the people above hadn't been scared crazy.

Several minutes had passed, and Da Wang still hadn't surfaced for air!

Moreover, Chen Cang and Huang Zhong hadn't surfaced either!

These two NPCs do have special attributes, true, but they can't pinpoint Da Wang's exact location; entering the water they also have to search honestly.

The only one still composed was the pallid Wei Shen; his cousin had fortunately seen Da Wang 'diving' in the washbasin and could hold out, while the others had already begun thinking about their aftermath.

Zhang Tu, a landlubber from Chang'an, was spinning in circles on the boat at this point, no longer heeding Chen Cang's instructions, and began directing the fishermen to go down and search.

At that moment, Zhao Bao, who had been staring at the water surface, pointed into the distance and said, "Look over there—has the sea's color gotten darker?"

He was just one step away from grabbing Da Wang's Tong Chen, craning his neck to look, when he saw clearly and with a clang knelt by the ship's rail, "Blood… red…!"

Suddenly, chaos erupted on the ship; it was the shark's blood drifting up, but those above didn't know, and Zhang Tu had already begun to think his unit might never return to be buried in Chang'an's ancestral graves…

"Bai Li Jing!"

Wei Shen's loud shout carried on the wind, and those on the big ship heard it, everyone quickly seeking Wei Shen's position.

Turning toward the bow of the big ship, they saw not far away a small black head bobbing up from the sea where Wei Shen's small boat was.

It was truly pitch‑black.

Wei Shen went over to meet Da Wang, who was still wailing as he scrambled aboard with hands and feet, too frightened and wronged.

Just now Da Wang saw a many‑legged creature, and he was delighted—could this be the octopus he saw yesterday? The book says grilled on an iron plate with chili it's delicious~

As Da Wang drew near, the creature first spat a mouthful of ink at him, hitting his little face squarely.

The ink got on Da Wang's eyes, mouth, and nose; his eyes burned and reeked of fishiness, and when he wiped his face his little hand turned black—yuck! How disgusting!

Da Wang quickly turned and fled—though he hadn't been scared off by the wrinkle‑lipped shark, he was defeated by a blob of ink…

Wei Shen pulled him up, and the fellow kept howling, "Ink got into my eyes, Your Highness—won't this eye go blind?"

Wei Shen: "…Being blind would be fine too." Saves the trouble of his mischief.

Da Wang: "…Think about it, it's not impossible—anyway I definitely won't have to study." Who could force a poor, one‑eyed king to study?

Wei Shen: ……

With half his face pitch black, this guy just had his hands shaking from fright. His mind held only one voice: "How old are you to still believe a child's ghost story!"

Wei Shen swore that when he found him, he'd risk breaking his legs to give him a good spanking. Now seeing this pitch‑black‑faced kid squinting, unwilling to open his eyes and wailing, Wei Shen wondered again—just this guy, would beating him alone help?!

Thick‑skinned and flesh‑heavy, with that huge pool of blood floating up, this guy besides getting his face dirty did nothing.

"I ask you, what's the deal with that blood floating over there just now?"

"I killed a shark, Your Highness—it even tried to eat me, how bold! Could it possibly finish me?"

Wei Shen: ……

Only then did he notice that Da Wang had also thrown up a knife as he climbed aboard.

"When did you bring a knife?"

Da Wang's eyes flashed; with one eye squinted he innocently retorted, "Wow, Cousin, you went into the sea empty‑handed? You're silly—there are three‑ to four‑meter‑big fish in the sea!"

Wei Shen: ……

"Just wait—someone will take care of you. When we get back I'll write to Changzhou, two letters! No, three!" He dared say that even his father wouldn't grasp Da Wang's strength; usually he just bears the troublemaker label in vain, for they don't understand Bai Li Jing! Compared to Bai Li Jing, he's nothing but an honest simpleton.

Da Wang narrowed his eyes and asked firmly, "Who's the third one?"

"Wei Ke. He's more troublesome than my grandfather and father combined—just you wait."

Da Wang pouted, and unbeknownst to him he touched the ink on his lips—"Ugh… ow, so fishy!"

Wei Shen: "Serves you right~"

……

Waiting for Chen Cang and Huang Zhong to return, the small boat only then headed back; as soon as they boarded, Zhao Bao practically rolled and crawled his way aboard.

"Your Highness, Your Highness! Where are you hurt? Ah?"

Da Wang narrowed his eyes: "It's my heart that's hurt! I said I could dive, yet no one believed me—why did all those people jump in the water…? Hurry up and splash water on my face, ah ah ah my eyes hurt!"

Grand Tutor: ……

With that spirit, he could still bounce around for another hundred years.

Zhao Bao personally served Da Wang to wash his face; Da Wang plunged his whole head into the basin and scrubbed hard, the gritty feeling of his eyeballs moving faded, and then he seriously began washing his little black face.

On the treasure ship, everyone who could speak gathered to watch—Wei Shen, the Grand Tutor, Zhang Tu, plus Chen Cang and Huang Zhong.

After Da Wang washed his face and saw his cousin still there, he said, "Hurry back and take a hot bath! And Tong Chen, bring the ginger soup I ordered for my cousin—quick, serve it to him to ward off the chill!"

Wei Shen snarled, "Hmph! My clothes are already dry."

Da Wang felt guilty and repeatedly shouted for Wei Shen's attendant to take him back for a hot bath.

When the ginger soup appeared, everyone finally realized Da Wang's plan went back to this morning—he had risen early and told the kitchen to keep the ginger soup warm, wondering when he'd want it, and indeed he'd been waiting here.

Waiting for Tong Chen to bring him a bowl, Da Wang wore a look of disdain: "I'm not cold nor hungry, I won't drink it."

Seeing everyone's bright, watchful eyes fixed on him, Da Wang also felt a little guilty. But the water still had to be gone into.

Next time going into the water will be this much of a hassle…… it's too troublesome. Or should we just drop it?

"Everyone here today is someone I trust; I'll only say this once. From now on, when I go in the water to play, don't interfere—because I seem especially adapted to the underwater feeling, not afraid at all, particularly skilled at diving, able to hold my breath underwater for half an hour, and just now I even used a knife to kill a shark! When I have free time I'll definitely go again, so don't make a fuss—let me enjoy myself privately, for spreading this secret would be bad~"

Everyone in the room turned their gaze to Chen Cang and Huang Zhong, and Wei Shen, unable to hold back, asked first: "You two are sea experts—what do you think?"

Chen Cang: ……How could we see it? Of course we're just helping to make sense of it.

Chen Cang bowed slightly and said, "As a humble citizen I know, some people are born with unusually developed lungs, able to hold their breath underwater for more than an hour; Your Highness being able to stay underwater for half an hour is not exactly outstanding."

Da Wang burst into laughter upon hearing that—"The person Meng Meng gave me is reliable!"

He extended his finally restored white chubby hand and patted himself, "Exactly, my lungs are great~"

Chen Cang: ……You patted your stomach.