Chương 105: A Wealth of Scales

One man, one fish. Neither spoke a word. Huaijin took a deep breath. No matter how terrifying this creature's origins might be, for now, it was under his control. This pine fish definitely had another identity. There was no way it was just an ordinary fish. Zhang Huaijin pulled a Tier 2 healing pill from his storage pouch. With a flick of his finger, the pill shot through the air like a beam of light, flying straight into the pine fish's mouth. The pine fish didn't stand on ceremony.

It swallowed the pill without hesitation.

"Dig a lake for me. I need water to live in." A Foundation Establishment Real spirit beast couldn't yet refine its hyoid bone to speak human language. But their souls were powerful enough to allow direct mental communication. This pine fish's intelligence was far beyond that of other Tier 2 spirit beasts. Huaijin found himself surprised by how familiar the creature acted.

"What is your origin?" Even though he didn't expect an answer, Zhang Huaijin asked anyway.

"I don't know either. But I do know that you are now my master! So… you don't want me to die right now, do you?" The pine fish rolled onto its back, showing its pale belly, its eyes glazed over as if it were half-dead. Zhang Huaijin was speechless. This guy was a complete rogue.

"You're at the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Don't tell me you don't even have the energy to dig your own nest?" Zhang Huaijin was beyond frustrated. But the pine fish just lay there, lazy and completely still.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" After all, this was a seventh level spirit beast with a mysterious background. Zhang Huaijin couldn't just leave it to fend for itself. Besides, the creature was already under his control. Pshht! The Blue Bamboo Serenity Sword materialized and immediately began digging another pit. In the blink of an eye, he had hollowed out a nine meters wide hole in the ground. He performed the Cloud Rain Art, and moments later, rain poured down from the sky, filling the pit to the brim. Plop!

The moment the water was full, the pine fish shot up like a spring and splashed straight into the pool.

"Ahhh… now that's comfortable!" The pine fish stretched its body lazily, utterly content.

"My dear master, don't you know what a pine fish is capable of? I've just opened up a stable source of wealth for you. You should get moving right away. I can barely contain myself already! Heh heh!" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. The pine fish's voice echoed directly inside Zhang Huaijin's mind, ending with a lecherous chuckle. Zhang Huaijin's expression twisted into something strange. Because the it wasn't wrong.

The most powerful ability of pine fish was their reproduction. In less than a year, they could multiply into a massive school. Even more importantly, they had delicious, tender flesh rich in spiritual energy. Turned into meals, they would become an endless stream of income. But the way this pine fish talked… something was off. It sounded like a lust crazed glutton who had been starving for centuries. Huaijin felt a headache coming on. He decided to ignore the fish for now. He began his secluded cultivation.

But as he sat down, ashes from a message talisman quietly fell from his hand to the ground. —— Half a month later. The Zhang family cultivators, after great difficulty, finally managed to find a few decent pine fish in Qingtai Prefecture. In the Eastern Region Great Wilderness, the environment wasn't suitable for fish to thrive. Their survival rates were extremely low. For major powers, that wasn't a problem. But for a remote backwater region like the Qingtai Prefecture, securing them was no small feat.

Though they didn't understand Zhang Huaijin's purpose, the Zhang clan members dared not disobey. He was now the strongest cultivator in the Zhang family. His word was law. They delivered the fish to Purple Cloud Peak immediately. ——"Oh ho! Just these few? This is hardly enough to get me started!" The pine fish stared at the five fish in the pit, deeply dissatisfied. Huaijin's expression darkened.

"This is the Eastern Region Great Wilderness, not the Southern Sea Islands. These few Tier 1 fish cost me nearly a hundred spirit stones. For that many spirit stones, I could have bought a spirit beast!" This pine fish was far too familiar. Zhang Huaijin saw no reason to be polite either.

"Heh! You know the saying, 'scarcity drives value' don't you? Wait a year, and you'll see the real worth. This is an endless river of income. I'm sure you'll thank me later. Just treat me better from now on." A flash of disdain swept across the pine fish's eyes.

"Have that dumb tiger and that little chicken dig a water channel for me. My living space can't stay this cramped forever, can it? And I need spirit beast flesh too. My body's a bit run down, if you haven't noticed." As it spoke, it began swimming toward the other pine fish. Zhang Huaijin stared at those black spines on the fish and felt a chill crawl up his spine.

'Aren't you afraid of poking yourself to death?' Haihu's violet eyes were filled with gloom. But the gap in their cultivation levels was simply too large. It stood no chance. It hadn't even broken through to the second level yet, while the other was already at the seventh. It wasn't like Zhang Huaijin, who possessed such heaven defying combat power. Even though Haihu was burning with resentment, there was nothing it could do. As for the Blazing Sun Chicken… it was even more pathetic.

Who knew when it might get its feathers plucked, its skin stripped, and get eaten clean?

"Can't you move yourself?" Zhang Huaijin was utterly exasperated.

"Can't you see I am moving? Doing this is already exhausting me. You expect me to do something else on top of it? Let me make this clear, I'm building a source of wealth for you. Like I said, just treat me better." As it spoke, it had already thrown itself into its reproductive mission with gusto. Zhang Huaijin's mouth twitched. He couldn't bear to watch.

"Assign ten Blazing Sun Chickens to dig a channel for it. And send it some meat from the daily hunt." Zhang Huaijin waved his hand impatiently, addressing the Blazing Sun Chicken and Haihu. He didn't like the fish's personality one bit. But the fish was right. After a year, they would see the fruits of this labor. The reproductive ability of pine fish truly was nothing to scoff at. The two spirit beasts nodded, their hearts full of grievance. Haihu, in particular, was very proud.

But now, with a new "big brother" suddenly above it… it was deeply uncomfortable. Zhang Huaijin didn't really care. This pine fish carried great secrets within it. He wasn't in a hurry. As time passed, his own power would grow stronger. Eventually, he would uncover the mysteries hidden inside this fish. Little did he know… he had already been marked. —— On a hidden peak several thousand meters from Purple Cloud Peak, the figure of Yen Tianyang slowly emerged from the shadows.

He gazed at the increasingly magnificent Purple Cloud Peak, his brow deeply furrowed.

"This guy definitely has secrets. Even that map fragment might just be a decoy. Even if he has a spirit body, his cultivation speed shouldn't be this fast!" Yen Tianyang had somehow returned to Langya County quietly, without anyone noticing. Over a decade had passed. Yen Tianyang's own breakthrough speed wasn't slow either. He had already reached the sixth level. Back at Blood Lion Mountain, the map fragment he had back then was indeed bait, carefully thrown out to lure prey.

Only Lu Anlan and Zhang Huaijin had taken the bait. Lu Anlan was a rogue cultivator. After meticulous planning, Yen Tianyang had eventually ambushed and killed him. But it turned out Lu Anlan had truly been willing to risk everything. No matter how much Yen Tianyang tortured him, the man had no information of the remaining map fragment.