Chapter 462 Inside the Secret Realm 6
In that instant of confusion, Zhong Cai smelled a wonderfully fragrant aroma of roasting, and subconsciously sniffed.
Zhong Cai put away the meteor hammer and looked up.
The octopus had been shot dead by his old man's arrows, leaving it riddled with holes. The yang energy emanating from those holes turned the entire octopus a crimson color.
Moreover, when the octopus died, the arrow condensed from yang energy dissipated, but the remaining energy continued to flow back and forth along the octopus's skin—with each flow, the aroma of caramelization became even stronger.
The octopus itself was also suspended by the fishing hook, floating in mid-air—yes, Zhong Cai never let go of the fishing line.
Zhong Cai swallowed unconsciously, and wrapped her legs even tighter around Wu Shaogan's waist.
Wu Shaogan had already put away his bow and arrows, and supported Zhong Cai again, smiling as he asked, "Ah Cai, are you craving something?"
Zhong Cai said matter-of-factly, "It was clearly you, Lao Wu, who deliberately baked it like this to make me drool!"
That's exactly right!
Otherwise, which hunter could maintain such even firepower when killing a monster, perfectly roasting and baking it?
Old Wu definitely did it on purpose!
As Zhong Cai spoke, she pulled on the fishing line, dragging the roasted octopus to her face.
Wu Shaogan laughed out loud and then told the truth.
"Doesn't Acai like to eat this stuff? I just saw you fished this out, so I decided to grill it for you as an extra treat."
“I roasted these tentacles especially carefully, Ah Cai, would you like to try some?”
Zhong Cai was in a great mood looking at the huge, roasted octopus and couldn't help but lick her lips.
In a flash, he took out a dagger and swiftly sliced all the tentacles into small pieces, then put them in a clean mustard bag to serve as a snack.
Zhong Cai couldn't wait to take a bite first.
Although no seasoning was added, this thing seemed to be a divinely chosen delicacy. The meat was very tender, and it naturally had a slightly salty taste, making it extremely delicious.
Zhong Cai quickly exclaimed, "Delicious!"
Of course, he would never let his old man Wu down, so he quickly used his dagger to poke out the food and fed it to Wu Shaogan's mouth.
Wu Shaogan opened his mouth and ate it, his eyes brightening slightly, and praised, "It tastes good."
And so, the two of them ate quite a bit, taking turns eating, and even felt a warm feeling in their stomachs, as if a gentle energy was sweeping through their bodies, slightly strengthening their physiques.
The more you eat, the clearer your senses become.
Zhong Cai suddenly thought of a question.
"By the way, Lao Wu, I remember when we encountered star beasts before, they all turned into starlight and disappeared. This time, the octopus can actually be grilled and eaten?"
Wu Shaogan replied, "When the octopus appeared, I found that it felt very different from the star beasts. Instead, it was similar to the beasts I had hunted before. Since A-Cai loves to eat it, I grilled it and gave it a try."
Zhong Cai thought about it and agreed: "Besides, this octopus was caught from the lake, so who's to say it's not a 'treasure'?"
Wu Shao chuckled dryly, "A-Cai is right."
Zhong Cai happily fed Wu Shaogan another bite of octopus tentacles.
Wu Shaogan also happily enjoyed being fed.
Afterwards, the couple continued fishing.
·
Perhaps because Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan both gave the octopus high praise, when they continued fishing, they caught another giant short-haired goat—which, like the others, was shot dead by Wu Shaogan before it even came out of the water.
This time, the goat was not cooked thoroughly.
But Wu Shaogan said...
"Let's find some time later and have a whole roasted lamb."
Zhong Cai immediately cheered, "Great!"
Wu Shaogan put the giant goat away.
Zhong Cai unhooked another smelt from the hook, nuzzled Wu Shaogan's shoulder and exclaimed, "Old Wu, your ingredients are here again!"
Wu Shaogan turned his head, kissed Zhong Cai on the cheek, and said gently with a smile, "Thank you, Cai."
Zhong Cai returned the greeting, then chuckled and carefully put the Yin Fish away.
Over the next few hours, the catches were different each time.
Every two casts, at least one person's hook would catch a live creature, such as a giant black ox, a giant python, a giant multicolored chicken, a giant white pig, a giant gray goose, a giant shrimp, crab, turtle, or shellfish... The exact species of each creature was unknown, so they were temporarily named after the poultry or livestock that resembled them.
Zhong Cai said sincerely, "These all taste pretty good."
Wu Shaogan laughed and said, "I'll make them for you one by one when we get back."
Zhong Cai raised her eyebrows: "Old Wu, your skills are just so-so. Let me do it with you."
Wu Shaogan sighed: "A-Cai's cooking skills aren't that great either."
The two paused, then, with perfect understanding, one tilted their head back and the other leaned forward, barely managing to make eye contact.
Then they both laughed again.
·
The two did not rush to leave.
The resources from Starlight Wanbao Lake are much rarer than what the two of them had obtained before; it is a truly great opportunity.
The couple would not give up on this place as long as they could still catch something relatively valuable.
However, after condensing bait many times, the two of them had to hurry up and take pills to recover their profound energy before repeating the previous process.
Two days later.
Zhong Cai finally caught another golden longevity pill.
Just as he was carefully closing and putting away the box, a voice suddenly came from a short distance away: "Wait!"
Zhong Cai put the box away immediately before looking towards the source of the sound.
A burly young man appeared, moving with incredible speed using a special technique. He was full of explosive power and his muscles were quite solid; in short, he looked like a formidable fighter.
Zhong Cai frowned slightly.
Are they up to no good?
The burly young man was also a Spirit Transformation cultivator, a person they had never seen before. The greed in his eyes made the couple instantly realize that there was no need to let this person live any longer.
Holding the bow, Wu Shaogan moved swiftly towards the direction, the bow slashing down instantly, creating a terrifying energy wave.
The burly young man was taken aback, not expecting anyone to be faster than him. He felt a chill run down his spine, wondering if he had targeted the wrong person.
·
The Land of All Beings has a large number of disciples, including quite a few at the eighth and ninth levels. Cultivators at lower levels do not attract much attention from the disciples.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan both performed quite well in the Star Arena, especially Wu Shaogan, whose fighting power was extremely strong. However, their achievements were hidden. Wu Shaogan himself often fought too fast, leaving no record at all. Therefore, they did not become famous among the disciples in this aspect.
However, the two have held many auctions and have gained considerable fame... but the intervals between them are not short, so unless it happens right before or after the auction, they are often not remembered by people.
But if you actually meet a spirit and don't recognize it... then it's probably one that has only recently arrived in the Land of All Beings.
Most human disciples at the Spirit Transformation Realm should have attended the auction and seen the couple's disguised appearances. Not only did they not recognize the burly young man before them, but they also showed a hint of astonishment.
That alone is enough to prove that his luck was both good and bad.
Fortunately, this guy will encounter this Starlight Realm soon after becoming a disciple.
If he's unlucky... then he won't know Zhong and Wu at all, so he won't be able to assess their strength, nor will he be able to figure out their abilities or be unwilling to easily become their enemy just because the auctions are always high-profile.
·
Zhong Cai guessed that there were probably two reasons why this guy came to attack.
Firstly, he probably recognized the golden life essence, and his cry of "Wait!" indicated that he coveted it and wanted to seize it.
Secondly, it's probably because he saw his husband carrying someone on his back and thought that having a burden like that would make him easier to deal with.
A cold glint unconsciously appeared on Zhong Cai's lips.
Unfortunately, this man underestimated his old man, and he underestimated him as well.
His aura was always intertwined with Lao Wu's, and the two had been together for many years. Even when he was lying on Lao Wu's back, it was impossible for him to affect Lao Wu's movements.
As for Lao Wu himself... let alone carrying him on his back, even if he carried a mountain on his back, he could easily kill the enemy!
·
The burly young man had indeed underestimated the couple, and after only two or three rounds of fighting with Wu Shaogan, he immediately found himself at a disadvantage.
As he quickly dodged, a look of urgency crossed his face. He hurriedly said, "Brother, please don't misunderstand. I was merely eager to spar with you. Now I am ashamed of my inferiority. Please stop and don't damage the harmony between us fellow disciples..."
Zhong Cai's lips twitched slightly, and she secretly transmitted a message.
[You're so shameless!]
The burly young man knew he was shameless, but when it came to survival, he wasn't going to be embarrassed!
So he immediately begged for forgiveness, saying, "Of course, I offended you both before, and I can't just let it go with a few apologies. I'm willing to give you my most valuable resources as compensation. Please forgive my recklessness this time, is that alright?"
Zhong Cai ignored him.
They've already committed murder, and now they're saying things like that? Who would believe that?
Besides, no matter what valuable resources this guy has, once he's killed, they'll all go to him and Old Wu, right?
Seeing Wu Shaogan's expressionless face and calm eyes, the burly young man knew that he couldn't get anywhere with him, so he quickly looked at Zhong Cai, preparing to find an opening through him.
But he happened to see Zhong Cai's pouting expression and was immediately speechless.
We really ran into a brick wall!
The burly young man racked his brains, trying to figure out if he still had any value to beg for mercy.
Only now did he realize that he had been so captivated by the golden life essence that he had acted too rashly.
These two are probably very senior disciples; he can't handle them at all!
The burly young man racked his brains but couldn't think of any other way to beg for mercy. Meanwhile, even though he used all his strength, wounds kept appearing on his body.
He even had a premonition that the guy he was fighting was only slightly worried that their fierce battle would affect the condition of the "lake"... Yes, he suddenly realized that somehow, as the fight went on, he was now quite far from the lake.
The burly young man's pupils contracted sharply.
Oh no!
Sure enough, the next attack from the hard bow carried an energy that seemed capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart, making it at least several times stronger than before!
Could this be the person's true strength?
What kind of top genius did he offend?
The burly young man smiled bitterly to himself. At this moment, even his arm had been broken, and there were seven or eight bloody holes all over his body, all caused by his narrowly avoiding vital points.
However, there weren't many intact places on his body where he could transfer the wound.
The burly young man felt heavy-hearted and could only reveal his final value—
“I can serve you both; I have a secret slave contract—”
But it was too late.
It was too late to make that decision.
The moment those words were spoken, Wu Shaogan managed to create some distance, drew his bow, and shot an arrow through his heart!
Wow.
The burly young man died.
He died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
Even at the very last moment, he must have still been regretting it.
Why couldn't I have declared my allegiance to slavery sooner? My chances of survival would have been much greater then...
In the fleeting moment before his consciousness faded, the burly young man seemed to hear a faint, indistinct voice.
"Ah, Old Wu acted too quickly. I wanted to see what kind of slave or contract it was..."
The burly young man was completely dead.
He himself was unaware that when his physical body was killed, the accompanying treasure should have appeared along with his primordial soul, but a strange energy seemed to have appeared in this "universe" and quickly covered him.
Then, his physical body turned into nothingness, and his primordial soul dissipated.
The accompanying treasure... also seemed to vanish in an instant.
It should have been taken back to the underworld.
·
Zhong Cai quickly reached out and grabbed—
Several mustard seed pouches were exposed in mid-air, and two mustard seed rings appeared in his hands.
This information was leaked from the opposing Dao Palace.
Zhong Cai curiously examined these storage items.
"Wow! There are 50,000 high-grade Xuan stones here! This guy actually has some savings!"
"No, we're still poor. Even though we've reached the Spirit Transformation stage, we only have two level eight resources, and we don't have any level nine resources at all."
"Old Wu, look! He has a very tattered booklet here!"
Zhong Cai quickly gathered some miscellaneous resources into the ancient city, then wrapped her arms around Wu Shaogan's neck and flipped through the booklet in front of him, looking through it with him.
"This contains many ancient and lost artifacts, including several that I didn't even know about!"
"It seems to be a collection of miscellaneous secret conversations, mostly recorded notes, and some ancient legends..."
"Is this the slave contract he was talking about? There's nothing particularly noteworthy about it. It's similar to many death guard contracts, except that it can't be transferred to other people and the control over the slaves is more stringent."
Wu Shaogan smiled slightly: "Perhaps he's desperate and grasping at straws since he's about to die."
Zhong Cai thought that was quite possible.
Never mind, it doesn't matter.
Anyway, that guy looks like a petty scoundrel. He attacked us first, so we definitely can't let him live.
Zhong Cai quickly flipped through the booklet again and found that some of the information had to be compared with many ancient books he had obtained before. It was quite interesting, but not suitable for reading now.
So, I put the booklet away as well.
·
After dealing with the uninvited guest, the couple continued fishing.
Now, the catches you get aren't always "delicious" ones.
There are all sorts of things, a wide variety.
Interestingly, all the subsequent yin and yang fish were hooked from Zhong Cai's side, and the number of times they were hooked was quite high.
However, the yin fish appears more often than the yang fish, so the final result might be... Zhong Cai collects many pairs of yin and yang fish for Wu Shaogan, and the extra yin fish will be put in the shop for sale.
Zhong Cai was still in high spirits.
The couple stayed at Wanbao Lake for a full three days!
Zhong Cai, resting his chin on his hand, fished while muttering to himself, "Old Wu, how long do you think this Starlight Secret Realm will remain open?"
Wu Shaogan said, "No matter how long it takes, as long as the time comes, you and I will be sent out naturally, so there's no need to rush."
Zhong Cai felt very at ease.
·
On the fourth day, a small group of fire tigers arrived.
These fire tigers lay on the "shore" of the lake, each holding a fishing rod.
Zhong Cai silently turned her head away.
"puff."
It was almost just a breathy sound.
A group of tigers, fishing with rods... *splat*
Zhong Cai recognized the group of fire tigers, but still refrained from laughing in front of them.
The group of fire tigers also recognized Zhong Wufu.
Since the fire tigers were considered veteran disciples of the Land of All Living Beings, they came to make amends shortly after the couple arrived. Although they weren't particularly close to the couple, they were at least nodding acquaintances.
The leading fire tiger revealed its right claw and, using some unknown method, "gripped" the fishing rod.
The posture was very strange.
Some of the other fire tigers did the same as the leader, while others simply bit the pole.
After casting his fishing hook into the lake, the leader, Fire Tiger, looked towards Zhong Wu and his wife, raised his head, and let out a tiger's roar to greet them.
[Master Qiu, Young Master Qin!]
Long time no see!
Oh, so you guys fish here too!
Zhong Cai couldn't help but laugh when she heard the meaning coming from the tiger's roar.
At first glance, who would guess that it was a tiger politely exchanging pleasantries?
Zhong Cai hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand in greeting: "Brother Huo Ling, it's been a long time!"
The leader, Fire Tiger—Fire Ling—nodded to them again, continuing to roar as he fished, chatting with the two from a distance.
They did not get close.
This is mainly to maintain a polite distance and avoid disturbing each other's fishing.
·
Huo Ling: "You two have been fishing here for quite some time. Do you know the specific situation here?"
Zhong Cai: "We didn't encounter any danger. Every time we got hooked, we just pulled on the hook. Brother Huo Ling, there's no need to worry!"
Huo Ling: "I wonder what kinds of creatures you two caught earlier?"
Zhong Cai: "They have all kinds of fish. Changning even grilled an octopus for me! It tasted amazing! If you catch one, don't ruin the meat."
Huo Ling: "Thank you for your guidance, Alchemist Qiu..."
That's how it is—fishing while chatting.
The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
However……
What happened next made Huo Ling's tiger eyes widen in astonishment.
In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Mr. and Mrs. Zhong actually lifted their fishing rods at the same time!
Hanging on Zhong Cai's fishing hook is a dazzling treasure box!
On Wu Shaogan's fishing hook hung a top-grade level seven mystic artifact, its entire body radiating precious light.
--etc.
In such a short time, you managed to catch such a treasure?
The other fire tigers beside Huo Ling were still peering out, waiting for Zhong Cai to open the box.
Zhong Cai opened the dazzling box without a care in the world.
A burst of flame erupted from inside the box!
However, the flame was very gentle. Although the temperature was very high when it appeared, it did not spread wildly at all, and it did not cause Zhong Cai any harm.
It's wood and fire!
It is a wood-fire combination that is very suitable for alchemists!
Moreover, its grade is also very high.
For a short while, the fire tigers couldn't tell what quality it had reached, but it was at least level eight. Judging from how carefully Master Qiu collected it, they knew that he probably wouldn't sell it and would keep it in his own hands.
The fire tigers all hissed.
But what does that even mean?
Then, something even more astonishing happened.
After about half a cup of tea's time, the Zhong and Wu couple caught another treasure with their fishing rod.
Fire Tiger's fishing hook is still not moving.
Another "half a cup of tea" incident brings further gains for the Zhong-Wu couple.
Fire Tiger still hasn't shipped any goods.
Another half cup of tea...
Zhong and Wu still managed to fish up the treasure.
Finally, one of the Fire Tigers' fishing hooks caught fire!
In an instant, several fire tigers rushed over to help, mainly to check on the situation.
As a result, when the fishing rod was raised high, what appeared in front of the Fire Tigers was a giant fish covered with sharp spines!
Fire Tigers: "..."
So here's the question.
With so many thorns, they can't bring themselves to eat it, and they can't find a way to attack it.
Fortunately, the Fire Tiger was no ordinary tiger, and they quickly surrounded it.
The fire tigers unleashed their inner energy, each claw striking through the void, and soon they found a way to deal with the giant fish.
They breathed a sigh of relief.
Now there's another problem... peeling off the skin is a bit troublesome.
Left with no other choice, the fire tigers had to put the giant fish into their mustard seed rings.
At that moment, Huo Hu saw Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan open the box they had fished out and take out a mild, level-seven rare herb, which tasted quite sour.
When the couple fished out another resource, which turned out to be a brightly shining fire stone, it became even more envious.
Flame Stone!
This thing is a treasure that enhances the bloodline of the Fire Tigers!
Everyone was fishing, and the human actually caught them!
Huo Ling immediately raised his voice and asked, "Alchemist Qiu, Young Master Qin, is it possible to exchange this Flame Stone?"
Zhong Cai replied with a smile, "This item is useless to the two of us. It will naturally be put on the shelves once we return to the Land of All Living Beings."
Huo Ling originally wanted to exchange it in advance, but after hearing this, considering that now was not the time to discuss business, he decided not to say anything more for the time being.
Moreover... the main reason is that their Fire Tiger clan hasn't yet fished out a treasure with enough appeal, so they don't know how to conduct the transaction properly if they're rushing into it...
As a result, the fire tigers became even more enthusiastic about fishing.
Unfortunately, they often only get caught once every hour or two, or even longer.
Every time they see their "neighbors" reeling in their fishing rods, they can't help but question the meaning of life...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
