Chapter 5: Fish Come!

At that moment, a thin layer of frost had mysteriously formed on the surface of the lake before him.

The next instant, the fishing rod began to tremble.

Zhou Qing, snapping out of his shock, had no time to savor his delight—he snatched up the rod, feet apart, crouching slightly.

His heart pounded with excitement, yet his expression remained utterly focused.

He gently lifted the rod; the tip bent into an exaggerated arc, taut from the line’s pull.

Then, slowly and rhythmically, he reeled in—and immediately felt a stronger chill and immense force emanating from the water.

Zhou Qing dared not grow careless, for the rod now bore tremendous tension, arched midair like a great bow.

“Fish come!”

Zhou Qing shouted inwardly.

With a sudden heave, water splashed as a snow-white fish violently thrashed its tail out of the lake, droplets falling and ruffling the surface in shallow circles.

Gazing at the fish writhing on the grass and the rapidly spreading frost, Zhou Qing could scarcely believe he had actually caught an Ice Soul Scaled Fish in this unremarkable spot.

While no one was watching, he quickly tossed the fish into his basket and hid it.

Then he cast his rod again, feigning leisure as he lay back—but his heart remained unquiet.

“I’ve hit the jackpot! Really hit it!”

Zhou Qing stole another glance, confirming he hadn’t imagined it.

The Ice Soul Scaled Fish in the basket was pure white as snow, as if carved from the purest ice crystal, its body sleek, scales tightly arrayed, shimmering with faint silver light.

Especially its broad, supple fins, delicate as gauze.

“Quite beautiful!”

Zhou Qing murmured to himself, his joy deepening.

At that moment, several core disciples in the distance seemed to sense something and turned toward him.

Seeing Zhou Qing’s lazy posture on the shore, they shook their heads in resignation and returned to fishing with renewed focus.

[Ignore Point +1]

[Ignore Point +1]

[Ignore Point +1]

…………

The melodious voice echoed in his ears, lifting his spirits further.

As dusk approached, his rod trembled again—and the lake’s surface froze once more.

Zhou Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Have I used up all my luck in this lifetime?”

After confirming no one was watching, he swiftly followed his earlier method and hauled the fish from the water.

As expected—it was another Ice Soul Scaled Fish.

“Could this spot be the perfect fishing place?”

He stunned the fish, secured it, and reeled in his rod to study the surroundings—but everything appeared utterly ordinary.

Was it his talent skill reducing his presence?

“Little Fourth, what are you staring at? I’ve been looking for you!” Yan Xiao Hu’s voice rang from afar, accompanied by two core disciples chatting merrily—clearly on good terms.

Zhou Qing straightened up at once, smiling: “Nothing much, just looking around. Third Brother, how’s your fishing going?”

Yan Xiao Hu lifted his empty basket with a sour expression. “These Ice Soul Scaled Fish are impossible to catch—pure luck. And this spot you picked? Terrible. Anyone can tell you’ve never fished before.”

One of the others sighed: “Even if we picked the best spot, we still end up empty-handed. Come on, they’ve started over there.”

“I heard Little Lu has prepared a little gift for us,” another grinned. “I’m actually looking forward to it—I’ve never had a girl give me anything before.”

Yan Xiao Hu rubbed his stomach—he’d been fishing all day and was hungry.

The four of them then headed toward the open ground.

A bonfire blazed fiercely, filling the air with the rich aroma of roasting meat.

Zhou Qing, like a thief, kept glancing around.

To be honest, he really wanted to leave—Lu Yaoyao had designs on him, and he was naive. What if he accidentally fell into her trap?

Looking at the long table set with fresh food and wine, he already began imagining scenarios.

What if Lu Yaoyao stumbled while toasting and fell into his arms?

With so many senior disciples, all with higher cultivation than him, wouldn’t they grow jealous?

Or what if she pretended to be drunk and pointed at him, babbling nonsense?

Like saying he was dashing and charming—the type she liked?

Wouldn’t that make him the target of everyone’s envy?

But he’d been invited to fish here—and he’d caught two Ice Soul Scaled Fish. To leave suddenly now—wouldn’t that be ungrateful?

And if he left alone, others would think him antisocial—or worse, guilty of something.

He turned to ask Third Brother for advice—only to find him even more tense, almost nervous.

“Third Brother, what’s wrong?” Zhou Qing asked, puzzled.

Yan Xiao Hu swallowed hard and shushed him: “You won’t believe this, but just now everything was fine. Now, the closer I get to this fire, the worse my gut feeling gets.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qing grew tense too.

“Third Brother, don’t scare me.”

Yan Xiao Hu thought for a moment, serious: “My sixth sense is sometimes right. Maybe we should slip away—after all, we didn’t catch anything anyway…”

But before he finished, the previously still lake suddenly rippled—then an invisible pressure descended abruptly.

The pressure crushed like a mountain, making everyone’s breath heavy, the air thickening, every breeze carrying a chilling dread.

As the disciples panicked, a figure slowly rose from the water.

It was an old woman, hunched, skin like withered bark, crisscrossed with deep wrinkles.

Her eyes were cloudy yet profound, her hair wild and tangled with waterweeds and mud, clad in a tattered black robe that flapped in the wind.

In her right hand, she held a massive fish, as if carved from ice—the Ice Soul Scaled Fish.

Seeing her face, Yan Xiao Hu turned pale, his throat convulsing as if he might vomit.

“We pay homage to the Supreme Elder!” The chief disciples of each peak immediately recognized her and bowed deeply.

Other disciples, snapping to awareness, hurried to follow suit.

“Bow low, bow low, quickly bow low—don’t let her notice us!” Yan Xiao Hu hissed through clenched teeth, pulling Zhou Qing into a deep bow.

Zhou Qing’s heart lurched—he instantly lowered his head.

This third brother’s…

In truth, he hadn’t seen anything that time—Yan Xiao Hu claimed he, as a senior, should set an example.

But the moment he peeked, he froze—Zhou Qing called and called, but he didn’t respond.

When Zhou Qing, curious, tried to climb up himself, Yan Xiao Hu screamed like he’d seen a ghost and tumbled down.

He swallowed dirt, shivering violently, dragging Zhou Qing away in a panic.

After that, everyone knew. Even their own Master sometimes joked about it.

“Third Brother, what do we do now?” Zhou Qing whispered.

Yan Xiao Hu bent even lower: “Don’t speak. Don’t draw her attention. We just hope she doesn’t notice us.”

Meanwhile, the old woman walked through the air—each step leaving ripples imbued with the Dao.

“I never expected that upon completing my divine art, even after suppressing it fiercely, I still wrecked the back mountain. But this lake that appeared by accident? Perfectly complements the scenery—excellent, excellent!”

Her voice echoed in everyone’s mind.

Only now did they understand why the lake had suddenly appeared.

“Little Cao said he recently took on a female disciple—I suppose that’s you!” The old woman lifted her foot—and in the next instant, stood directly before Lu Yaoyao.

Lu Yaoyao bowed again, respectfully: “Disciple Lu Yaoyao, pays homage to the Supreme Elder!”

The old woman studied Lu Yaoyao from head to toe, then nodded in satisfaction: “Your roots and talent are excellent, and you’re beautiful. Little Cao has indeed taken a fine disciple.”

Lu Yaoyao hurriedly replied: “Elder, you flatter me. To be fortunate enough to join Taiqingmen is the blessing of lifetimes.”

The old woman smiled, then lifted the Ice Soul Scaled Fish in her right hand.

“A humble, virtuous child. I left my seclusion in haste, and some gifts weren’t suitable for you. Seeing you fish, I assumed it was this. Pity—the lake originally held three. Two are gone. This one remains as a small token.”

Lu Yaoyao, gazing at the offered fish, felt profound gratitude.

Others cautiously raised their heads—so this was the Ice Soul Scaled Fish? Truly enormous.

But what did the Supreme Elder mean by that?

What did she mean, “originally three, now only one remains”?

Had someone already caught them?

Who?

How well hidden—no one had noticed until now.

Zhou Qing’s heart lurched—he subtly shifted behind Third Brother.

“Don’t move, don’t move!” Yan Xiao Hu hissed urgently.

Zhou Qing froze instantly.

Then the Supreme Elder glanced around, her gaze lingering—intentionally or not—on Yan Xiao Hu.

Yan Xiao Hu, sensing it, shuddered.

But the old woman said: “Enough. I won’t disturb your young ones’ amusement. Enjoy yourselves. When you reach my age, even if you want to play, you won’t have the energy left.”

The old woman’s words were filled with sighs and nostalgia, then she stepped into the air and departed.

Everyone bowed: “Honorably bid farewell to the Supreme Elder!”

(End of Chapter)