Chapter 200: Great Demon Red Scale
Chen Shun’an understood the intent behind the strings, his face lit up with joy. He took the clothes, shoes, and socks and said,
“Brother, rest assured, Chen will keep this matter strictly confidential. If anyone asks, just say Chen also passed the Monkey Demon assessment. I will never cause you trouble!”
“One day, Chen will welcome you to his humble abode. You must do me the honor.”
Warehouse Keeper Fang stood to the side, his eyes focused on the tip of his nose, seemingly oblivious to the scene.
One truly had to be an old veteran; they were so perceptive.
Seeing this, the Banner Officer gave Chen Shun’an a knowing glance.
The two exchanged a smile and clasped their hands in salute.
A person’s reputation precedes them, just as a tree casts a shadow.
Chen has toiled to this day; if he were still to be bound by some procedure or some rules,
wouldn’t all his efforts have been in vain!
…
The moonlight, like a white silk cloth, spread over the dark, deep river, casting shimmering silver scales.
In the distance, within the reeds by the water at Three Forked Road, a small boat was visible. On the boat sat a person, wearing a green bamboo hat and a green straw cloak, leaning against the boat, fishing alone facing away from the shore.
“Old sir, it’s late. You should pack up your fishing rod and go home!”
On the bank, soldiers were patrolling, holding torches, and shouting to the person on the boat.
Chen Shun’an wiped the mist from his face and replied loudly,
“This old man enjoys night fishing the most; I can catch big fish.”
“Oh, come on. I’ve been watching you for a long time, and you haven’t even caught a decent crucian carp… It’s not shameful to go home empty-handed, but your life is more important.”
The young soldier, lacking social grace, bluntly revealed Chen Shun’an’s empty catch.
Chen Shun’an’s mouth twitched, and he felt a flush of embarrassment.
“You rascal, you speak so crudely! Watch me show you a trick to broaden your horizons!”
At the same time, Chen Shun’an’s thought moved. The Silver Scholar, hidden at the bottom of the boat, finally swam out. He glanced at the sharp, bone-white fishhook, hesitated for a moment, and then bit down!
High God, I am risking disfigurement by acting this way with you.
You must not let my efforts go in vain!
But it is strange, how could the High God’s fishing skill be so poor? Has no fish truly taken the bait?
The Silver Scholar muttered a few words to himself.
On the water,
The fishing float bobbed, and Chen Shun’an’s spirits lifted. He quickly reeled in the rod and saw a large fish, as thick as a leaf and entirely silver, leap out of the water, splashing it everywhere.
“Silver fish? It’s a Jade Tree Silver Fish, what a big silver fish!”
“Is it really? Quick, get the net!”
“Big catch, this is a big one!”
Exclamations came from the soldiers on the bank.
“What a fine silver fish!”
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an’s face also lit up, as if he had truly caught a fish.
He channeled strength into his arm, intending to pull the silver fish onto the boat.
But the silver fish was extremely cunning. It slapped the water surface with its tail, creating a wave half a person’s height. At the same time, it twisted its body and managed to break more than half of the fishing line.
It quickly submerged into the riverbed.
The soldiers on the bank were dumbfounded.
“It got away even with that?!”
“My big catch!”
A group of soldiers stomped their feet in frustration.
Seeing the silver fish escape, Chen Shun’an was so angry he slapped his thighs, veins bulging on his forehead. He immediately grabbed the wooden oar at the stern of the boat and fiercely paddled towards the river’s heart,
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The river mist had gathered at some point, a vast expanse of white, quickly engulfing the sight of the covered boat.
All that remained were the soldiers and the boatman on the bank, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Was he chasing the fish in his anger?
…
Reaching the river’s heart, the prearranged spot with the Silver Scholar.
No one around, the river surface was desolate.
Occasionally, night birds flew by, leaving behind a few lonely cries.
Chen Shun’an put down the oar and began to fish on the river.
Then Chen Shun’an thought for a moment and, mimicking how he had used Scholar Ma as ‘human bait’ before, loudly recited the Yellow Court Scripture to lure mountain and river monsters.
He also pretended to hold a book of purple, “San Ming Tong Hui,” and read it aloud,
“All the talent in the world resides in the Three Rivers; the talent of the Three Rivers is in my village. The talent of my village belongs to my brother, and my brother learns from me… This year, Chen will surely pass the imperial examination!”
“The Geng and Gui elements are prosperous. If they are in harmony with the fire and earth of the month’s energy, and control the Geng and Gui, great nobility will ensue; if not, they will be fierce and ordinary…”
The sound of reading drifted, spreading with the river wind and waves.
Just as Chen Shun’an worried if that General Huang, being crude and unintelligent, wouldn’t understand the marvel of the scripture.
His ears twitched, and he vaguely sensed a massive creature rapidly swimming from the riverbed.
A foul, pungent odor followed.
It took the bait!
Chen Shun’an’s eyes lit up, and he continued to fish and chant.
Underwater.
General Huang heard the commotion from the boat and couldn’t help but his eyes lit up, and he rejoiced, saying,
“The sound of reading? Could this old man be a failed scholar or a xiucai? Wonderful, wonderful. Scholars’ hearts are the most tender and smooth, and their tongues are the most chewy. When he has polished his precious scales, I will shock his chest with cold water and flay his heart to eat!”
It turned out that this General Huang had also heard some storybooks.
He knew that the hearts of mortals were wrapped in hot blood. If this cold water were to scatter the hot blood and extract the heart and liver, they would be crisp and fresh, and extremely delicious!
He had tried it, and it was indeed so!
Therefore, he said to the Silver Scholar beside him,
“My good staff member, this fake scholar of yours has actually found a real scholar for me. Oh my, and he even has some basic martial arts skills? Even better! A martial artist’s muscles and bones are firm, and a scholar’s heart and liver are tender. After I consume this blood food and increase my cultivation by several decades, perhaps I can truly refine this unnatural bone and learn immortal methods of absorbing essence from the sun and moon… By then, I will surely make you Prime Minister, and that little goldfish a concubine. How delightful, how delightful…”
The Silver Scholar also chuckled and said,
“As General Huang wishes.”
*Chiiila~*
With an extremely faint splashing sound, a small opening appeared on the surface of the water at the stern of the boat. General Huang shot out like an arrow, his slippery body gliding halfway around the bottom of the boat.
The river surface was dark and shrouded in mist, the moonlight unable to penetrate.
He vaguely saw a human figure sitting at the bow of the boat, shaking his head and muttering something, his voice intermittent, as if he were about to fall asleep from drowsiness.
“What kind of rubbish scripture is this? It’s making me dizzy! He’s not a real scholar, is he?” General Huang muttered to himself.
The figure suddenly fell silent, then yawned.
“I’ve been reading for too long and made a mistake. Forget it, the silver fish is probably not going to be caught. Time to sleep…”
Saying this, the figure stood up, brushed off his straw cloak, and walked towards the boat’s canopy.
Seeing the distance between the human and the demon shorten, General Huang’s eyes lit up with joy.
Who cares if he’s a real scholar or a fake one? Anyone who can polish my precious scales is a good person!
“Huff… Huff…”
In a short while, continuous snores could be heard from under the boat’s canopy.
General Huang poked out his massive body, crawled into the canopy in the dark, and inwardly rejoiced,
“What a scholar, sleeping so soundly! I should have captured him and made him my ‘bandit chief scholar’!”
Just as he was thinking this, perhaps the moonlight pierced through the mist and shone in.
In the previously pitch-black boat canopy, a small point of light suddenly appeared.
“Huh? What’s glowing?” General Huang was stunned.
Immediately, a calm voice suddenly came from above General Huang’s head,
“Oh, I’ve chanced upon a mysterious item, the Heart-Piercing Nail. It’s smooth as a mirror, so it can emit light.”
General Huang: “…”
General Huang inwardly knew something was amiss. He made a move to escape, his massive body smashing against the boat wall, intending to use the water’s color for cover and return to the water first.
However, he was fast, but the Heart-Piercing Nail was faster.
With just a sharp *xiu* sound, its noise seemed to drift in the night.
The Heart-Piercing Nail instantly pierced through General Huang’s slippery membrane, embedding itself completely and driving straight into its flesh and blood.
General Huang was also a shrewd and determined character. Perhaps sensing something was wrong with the Heart-Piercing Nail, he bravely severed his own limb. With a tremor in the air, he actually left half of his body behind.
Flesh and blood gathered, and the flesh buds closed, stopping the bleeding.
The discarded half-body turned to dust in the blink of an eye, its essence blood completely absorbed by the Heart-Piercing Nail.
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an’s eyes showed surprise.
Wasn’t it a loach?
Why did it turn into a gecko?
Shedding its tail to escape?
General Huang, with its severed body, went mad, its mouth revealing rows of fine fangs, and bit fiercely at Chen Shun’an!
*Clang!*
General Huang’s fangs bit down on the fishing rod, producing sparks. It recoiled in pain, screaming,
“It pains me to death!”
As it looked again, it realized that it wasn’t a fishing rod at all, but clearly a precious sword wrapped with fishing line, emitting a faint glow, remarkably hard.
This fake scholar used this sword to fish?!
Would it take the bait?
No, the Silver Scholar tricked me?!
General Huang was somewhat dumbfounded and suddenly understood something.
Chen Shun’an gave it no chance to breathe. He swung the precious sword out of the boat and slashed at General Huang.
The blade light was like the cold moon, brilliant and dangerous.
Seeing this, General Huang quickly twisted its body, intending to dive back into the water. But for some reason, upon meeting Chen Shun’an’s gaze, it froze in place as if facing its natural enemy, and could only offer its neck for slaughter.
The precious sword, wrapped in a layer of energy, increased its speed dramatically. With a *poof*, it pierced into General Huang’s head.
Tremendous strength surged through the sword body, instantly shredding General Huang’s heart and veins.
General Huang let out a sharp shriek, its half-severed body thrashing wildly in the water, splashing water droplets that landed on Chen Shun’an’s straw cloak, carrying a strong fishy odor.
In just a moment, General Huang’s struggles weakened, and its body slumped limply against the side of the boat.
Dark yellow blood dripped from the wound into the river, staining a small patch of the water red.
Chen Shun’an raised his hand and flung General Huang’s corpse entirely onto the boat deck, retracted his precious sword, and rinsed the blood off in the river water.
His expression was calm, as if killing a chicken or a dog.
The Silver Scholar, somewhat timidly, emerged from the water, poking out its small head.
The High God is so fierce! That loach demon fought me for three hundred rounds, but in your hands, it didn’t last even one round?
Thankfully, thankfully, it’s one of our own!
So the Silver Scholar circled a few times on the water, creating ripples, signaling Chen Shun’an to follow it.
Chen Shun’an did not hesitate. He took off his straw cloak and inner robe, jumped into the water, and quickly followed.
This was already considered the deep water area of Sancha River.
The water temperature was bone-chilling, and the cold, fierce energy raged.
Especially with the unpredictable undercurrents and turbulent waves, even True Intent Masters would be in mortal danger if they stayed in the water for an extended period.
It was only Chen Shun’an who, after entering the water, could walk almost on flat ground. The water could not drown him, and relying on his Grass Head God divinity, he dared to explore with peace of mind.
As the Silver Scholar dived rapidly, various fish species Chen Shun’an had never seen before swam by, some even glowing on their own, with diverse appearances, including those with nascent intelligence like the ‘Grandson Fish.’
Chen Shun’an did not delay, swimming three to four li in one go, and continuously diving deeper, estimating he had already reached a depth of over a hundred zhang.
At this depth, ordinary fish were rarely seen.
Finally, a water cave vaguely appeared before Chen Shun’an’s eyes.
Even through the mud and sand and the simple cave entrance, Chen Shun’an could vaguely see a fiery red glow emanating from within the water cave.
It was the Great Demon, Red Scale!
