Chapter 31: Full Completion

“Little Rat’s cooking has gotten better and better. I’ve been fishing for half my life and grew tired of fish meat long ago—only Little Rat’s fish I can still enjoy.”

Feng Bo Ping burst into laughter, swept his sleeves aside, and sat first on the large stone beside the pot; with a wave of his hand, a cup, chopsticks, and jade utensils appeared in his palm like a flower blooming.

Though he and Li Muxiu shared similar tastes, there were differences between them: Feng Bo Ping had a strong aversion to dirt and loved jade, even his eating utensils extravagantly luxurious, rivaling even imperial royalty.

He smiled as he handed Li Hao a clean set of bowl and chopsticks, but ignored Li Muxiu entirely, quietly waiting for the pot to boil.

Li Hao judged the time was right, lifted the lid, flipped it onto a nearby leaf, and the rich aroma burst forth; he paid no mind to the old custom of yielding to elders, and immediately reached for the meat with his chopsticks.

“Damn, wait up for me!”

Li Muxiu hurried over, snatched a branch, rubbed it into makeshift chopsticks, and plunged them into the pot to stir.

Though Feng Bo Ping was fastidious, he said nothing about Li Muxiu’s actions; Li Hao guessed this must be the feeling of a lifelong friend.

The three feasted heartily; though their ages differed greatly, neither elder imposed their seniority on Li Hao—sometimes one called the other “brat,” the other called him “old man,” radiating pure ease.

“Didn’t expect you’d turn fish into art,” Li Muxiu said after sipping spicy broth, clucking in admiration.

Li Hao smiled; indeed, over the past half-year, his self-taught painting and cooking had steadily improved, reaching Stage Two.

The same went for fishing.

Apparently, there really was a beginner’s protection period: his first month saw an extremely high catch rate, but now it was rare to catch anything—even staying up till midnight, he’d have to settle for shallow water and hook a Qi Circulation-level fish demon just to avoid returning empty-handed.

As they spoke, Li Hao’s gaze suddenly flickered to the float—and saw it gently bobbing.

Movement! He swiftly set down his bowl and chopsticks, crouched low, and dashed toward the fishing rod; just then, the float plunged deep into the water.

Li Hao yanked the line sharply—the other end tightened instantly, a tremendous force surging through, and violent ripples erupted beneath the surface.

“This kid…”

The two elders saw it, their eyes gleaming with envy—again, this kid got the first catch.

Soon, the disturbance beneath grew fiercer, and a demonic creature surfaced—not a fish demon, but a shrimp demon, its entire body armored in chitin.

Four to five meters long, bristling with spines, its claws grotesque enough to snap boulders in half.

At this moment, the shrimp demon clamped the fishing line with its pincers, its bulging eyes glaring at Li Hao on shore; seeing a child, it shrieked in rage, yet trembled with fear—where did this wild brat get such strength?

It struggled harder, but the line was the one Li Muxiu had found for Li Hao—impervious to fire and water, capable of bearing a million jin of force; no ordinary Qi Circulation shrimp demon could break it.

Soon, under the tug, the shrimp demon slowly neared shore; its eyes showed desperation, weighing whether to mutilate its own body to break free.

Just then, Li Hao on shore swayed, as if losing his grip on the rod.

“Hmm?”

The shrimp demon hesitated again.

After the tug-of-war, it decided the child was only slightly stronger—if not for the hook piercing it, it might have stood a chance.

It shifted its gaze, trying to drag Li Hao into the water—but each time, Li Hao barely managed to steady himself.

Finally, the shrimp demon, pained beyond endurance, erupted in fury, shrieking as it lunged onto the fishing platform, determined to crush and snap this ignorant, wicked child.

But as it stepped ashore, the previously unsteady child suddenly stood firm, his face breaking into a bright, relieved smile.

No!

The shrimp demon barely realized something was wrong when a tremendous force from the hook yanked its off-balance body straight toward Li Hao.

A flash of silver—what was that? So bright?

The next instant, the shrimp demon knew nothing more—the world plunged into darkness.

A massive shrimp head rolled away; Li Hao casually stuck his sword into the ground beside him, then dragged the body and tossed it near the stove, saying to the two elders: “Pity it didn’t bite sooner—could’ve added shrimp dumplings to lunch.”

Seeing Li Hao dispatch the Qi Circulation-level shrimp demon so easily, the two elders smiled; they had concealed their aura, so the shrimp demon hadn’t sensed them and dared to attack.

Li Hao rebaited his hook and resumed eating with his bowl and chopsticks.

“This Qi Circulation Ninth Layer demon, slain so effortlessly—you must have already achieved Minor Completion in your Li family’s Dragon River Divine Vein,” Feng Bo Ping said with a smile.

Li Hao did not deny it.

Minor Completion? It’s already Full Completion.

…

…

The daily fishing ended as the sun dipped below the horizon; Li Hao bade farewell to Second Uncle and the Thief Saint, who said he’d be traveling far away for half a month—clearly, another treasure had been stolen.

Li Muxiu, long accustomed to this, smiled his farewell and took Li Hao back to the Divine General’s Mansion.

Now that Li Hao had developed an interest in fishing, Li Muxiu no longer dragged him through the “traditional rituals”—they returned directly to Tingyu Tower.

Outside the tower, Li Fu waited as usual, but beside him stood a young maid—Xue Jian from Changchun Courtyard.

Seeing the old man and boy return, Xue Jian couldn’t help but study Li Hao.

She’d long heard Second Uncle was eccentric; countless ladies from various courtyards had tried to send their children to him for guidance, yet he ignored them all—yet here he was, unusually close to Li Hao, a martial waste.

Though she thought this, her gentle face showed no expression; she smiled sweetly and stepped forward to explain her purpose.

Lady He Jianlan wanted Li Hao to enter the Training Grounds, to train alongside the family’s young heirs, since he’d studied body refinement for some time.

Li Fu had already learned this from Xue Jian; as she spoke, his face lit up with eager hope, wishing he could nod for Li Hao.

But Li Hao and Li Muxiu exchanged glances and both laughed.

Li Muxiu knew Li Hao was too lowly to refuse without being pestered, so he waved his hand: “The boy stays with me—I teach him fine. Going to the Training Grounds is a waste of time.”

The old man grumbled inwardly: You send this kid to the Training Grounds? That’s bullying. The family youths there are at most Qi Circulation level; the more talented ones have already taken masters from famous mountains or joined the army.

Sending Li Hao—a monster who casually slays Qi Circulation Ninth Layer demons—to the Training Grounds is like punching the elderly and kicking women. Hearing the refusal, Li Fu and Xue Jian grew anxious.

But Xue Jian, as if expecting this reply, gently continued: “Just a brief morning session—mainly to let Li Hao spar with peers, hone practical combat experience, and so on.”

Li Fu nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes!”

Though staying with Second Uncle offered the best guidance, he worried the old man would corrupt Li Hao—after all, Second Uncle was powerful, but seemed… unorthodox.

He’d never seen Li Hao discuss cultivation with Second Uncle; instead, they chatted excitedly about which fish to catch, how to set the hook…

Even a master like the Sword Saint required disciples to spar with peers of equal level—otherwise, theoretical instruction led to slow understanding.

Li Muxiu rolled his eyes at Xue Jian’s words: Can sparring with those brats compare to the mental chess of fishing with fish demons? Fishing Qi Circulation demons isn’t just about strength—these demons are intelligent, know danger, and would rather tear their own bodies apart than let go; by the time you reach Soul Transcendence-level demons, it’s even harder.

Simply put, fishing is a full-spectrum skill: strategy, stealth, deception, weakness display, power clashes—all of it.

That’s why the old man has been obsessed for half his life, still utterly enchanted.

He flatly refused, feigned anger, threatened to hit them if they mentioned it again—Xue Jian and Li Fu reluctantly accepted.

Li Hao placed his fishing gear in Tingyu Tower and returned with Li Fu to the courtyard; along the way, he learned a letter had arrived from Yanbei—both their eyes lit up, and they hurried to Changchun Courtyard.

A letter lay in He Jianlan’s hands; she sat upright in the main hall, dignified and elegant.

“The Tian Gang garrison’s pay is insufficient—I must attend court tomorrow…” He Jianlan’s eyes grew thoughtful.

Just then, Li Hao and Li Fu rushed in; Li Fu still had sense enough to know propriety, but Li Hao had already barged in—he tried to pull him back, failed, and followed awkwardly inside.

Seeing He Jianlan’s gaze, the man flushed with embarrassment and bowed quickly in apology.

“Is it from them?” Li Hao asked urgently.

He Jianlan turned to Li Hao; smelling the faint fishy scent, she knew he’d just returned from fishing with Second Uncle.

Seeing Li Hao’s hopeful eyes, she didn’t scold his rudeness, merely nodded slightly.

“Then… what did it say?” Li Hao’s eyes shone with anticipation.

He Jianlan paused, a flicker of pity crossing her eyes, then vanished; she spoke gently: “It’s a battle report from Yanbei—your father says they just slew a group of demons, and there are grain supply issues.”

She didn’t elaborate—it was military business.

“Did they face danger? Did they mention me?” Li Hao asked.

He Jianlan’s fingers tightened slightly on the letter; she nodded, smiling: “Your parents told me to make sure you eat well, don’t overwork yourself, and asked how you’ve been eating, whether you caught a cold, whether you’ve listened to your elders…”

Li Hao listened silently, then said: “Can I see the letter? I can read.”

He Jianlan closed the letter and shook her head slightly: “No—it contains military matters. You’re still young.”

“Alright.”

Li Hao could only agree, then added: “Please write back for me and tell them I’m eating well—I’ve gotten good at cooking, I make my own meals, and my body refinement has strengthened me—I won’t catch a cold. I spend every day fishing with Second Uncle, it’s not tiring, he treats me well and even praises my cooking. When they return, I’ll let them taste it.”

“And tell them to take care of themselves—don’t worry about me. I’m safe in the Divine General’s Mansion; Second Uncle and Lady He protect me—no one bullies me.”

(End of Chapter)