Chapter 673 - 654: Master Fisherman

"That’s right, there’s no rush to become a disciple. Jade Forest Lake has a treasure, the Flame Dragon Carp. It’s an unparalleled delicacy, and I’m the only one who can catch it. Kid, you’re in for a real treat today!"

As long as he wasn’t in a combat state, Yuan Gang was also an old kid. Wang Meng really didn’t want to get involved with Ji Jin’Er, but she didn’t care about any of that. She grabbed Wang Meng’s large hand and pulled, "How can a grown man be so wishy-washy? Let’s go!"

And just like that, Master Wang was dragged away.

"This Flame Dragon Carp possesses the bloodline of a Divine Beast. Its entire body is as red and dazzling as fire. It has a fierce temperament and is the tyrant of Jade Forest Lake. Even an average Fifth Transformation True Essence Beast is no match for it. However, the creature is delicious. The fish meat, with a little wine, melts in your mouth. I remember there should be a few left."

Yuan Gang was practically drooling. Back in the day, he had scared the Flame Dragon Carp here so badly that they didn’t dare show their heads. So many years had passed, so a few more should have grown by now.

"Old Fire, don’t just talk about it, do it! We’re waiting to see this for ourselves."

Ji Jin’Er clapped her hands in approval, she could hardly wait.

Yuan Gang also intended to show off a bit in front of Wang Meng. His body rose into the air and flew toward the lake’s surface, where he hovered in the center.

A Divinity Transformation Realm master’s actions were effortless and without flair, a completely different state from when he was in the Taiyuan Bone Land.

A miraculous scene appeared. Yuan Gang clapped his hands in the empty air, and instantly, an immense pressure enveloped the entire Jade Forest Lake.

Wang Meng broke into a cold sweat. ’He’s not planning to evaporate the entire lake, is he?’

With Yuan Gang’s power, he could definitely do it, but that would be a terrible waste, completely ruining the scenery.

Fortunately, Yuan Gang wasn’t that kind of person. A red light blasted into the lake, and countless beams of light pierced through Jade Forest Lake. This was the Spiritual Power of a Divinity Transformation Realm master.

He was actually performing a carpet search, covering the entire Jade Forest Lake.

The Little Princess at the side was stunned, clapping her hands nonstop. At heart, she was also a little martial arts fanatic. When it came to an old man competing with a child, only Yuan Gang would indulge a child like this.

However... Yuan Gang’s actions were a bit of an overreaction.

In this regard, however, Wang Meng had his own methods. He found a spot not far away and cast his fishing rod.

Ji Jin’Er was watching happily when she noticed that Wang Meng was also fishing off to the side. ’...This guy is so strange.’

The fishhook sank into the water, and his Primordial Spirit slid down the fishing line and into the lake.

RIPPPLE...

RIPPPLE...

Ripples spread out one after another. At this moment, Yuan Gang was still making a commotion in the center of the lake. After all, Jade Forest Lake was vast, wrapping around a mountain. Yuan Gang would stir up one area and then have to run to another. In other words, he intended to turn the entire lake upside down to force the Dragon Carp out.

’Nothing but Barbaric Power.’

Seeing Yuan Gang disappear from sight, Ji Jin’Er didn’t chase after him. Instead, she came over to Wang Meng, tilting her head. "Hey, silly kid, do you even know how to fish?"

Wang Meng rubbed his nose. "Am I that silly?"

That one sentence opened Ji Jin’Er’s floodgates. "You even rejected Old Fire! Do you have any idea how many people in Haojing are lining up, begging him to take them as disciples? If you’re not silly, then no one in this world is."

This shut Master Wang right up, leaving him to fish in silence.

’A creature with a Spiritual Attribute like the Flame Dragon Carp can definitely sense the divine aura of a Primordial Spirit. It’s like a moth to a flame; if it doesn’t see it, that’s one thing, but once it does, it can’t resist.’

After a long while with no movement, only distant rumbles could be heard. Ji Jin’Er grew impatient. "Fishing like this won’t work! We’ll definitely go hungry for lunch. Let’s go find Old Fire. Even if we can’t catch a Flame Dragon Carp, we should at least get a few other fish!"

Wang Meng waved his hand, making a hushing gesture.

’Wang Meng sensed it. The target had appeared. He wasn’t sure if it was a Flame Dragon Carp, but it was definitely something good.’

Ripples spread across the water’s surface, and the bobber suddenly plunged down. The immense force nearly dragged Wang Meng in. Just as Yuan Gang had said, this Flame Dragon Carp was unusually powerful. Master Wang was always forgetting his current level of True Essence.

However, Ji Jin’Er, who was beside him, reacted extremely quickly. With a burst of True Essence, she instantly grabbed the rod. The two of them pulled with all their might. The water’s surface exploded, and a massive Dragon Carp nearly two meters long leaped into the air. Its entire body was a burning red, its thick, long whiskers curled, and its giant mouth was filled with teeth. It looked like it was trying to drag them both into the water.

BOOM! Rows of waves surged toward the two of them. They say that people fish for fish, but these days, fish also fish for people.

It was hard to tell who had caught whom.

Ji Jin’Er’s Long Sword left its sheath. She executed her Sword Formulas, and a Sword Screen appeared before them, blocking the waves.

An immense force struck them. Wang Meng and Ji Jin’Er desperately held onto the fishing rod. The Flame Dragon Carp was also pulling with all its might, trying to drag them into the water. It had turned into a tug-of-war.

"Pull! Pull! Pull harder!" Ji Jin’Er had thrown herself into the fight, even her eyes were straining with effort.

With their combined strength, the Dragon Carp was unable to drag them in for the moment. Just then, with a flash as fast as lightning, Yuan Gang returned. With a wave of his hand, the Flame Dragon Carp shot out of the water and landed obediently on the shore.

It lay flat.

Wang Meng and Ji Jin’Er, on the other hand, collapsed onto the ground. They were soaked to the bone. During the struggle, the Dragon Carp had splashed muddy water all over them, and now they both looked like they were wearing painted masks.

The two of them couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Yuan Gang, however, huffily kicked the Dragon Carp twice. "Damn it! This stupid fish has no respect! I wasted so much effort, and it just had to run over here!"

"Haha, Old Fire, you’re all talk! When it really matters, you’re not even as useful as someone’s fishing rod."

The Little Princess was beside herself with laughter. Best of all, half the credit for this was hers.

"Alright, alright, you two are amazing, okay? Ganging up on a poor old man like me."

Wang Meng couldn’t help but laugh too. This Fire Emperor really was a fun person, with no airs at all.

"We just got lucky and picked up what you missed."

A sharp glint flashed in the Fire Emperor’s eyes. "Kid, keep trying to fool me. You think the Flame Dragon Carp is some ordinary creature? To make it take the bait, you need some real skill. It seems your master is no simple character. Could he be one of the Seven Extremes?"

Wang Meng shrugged. "I wish I knew."

"Hey, hey, can you two stop? There’s a girl here, a beautiful girl! Can you not talk about such boring things? Old Fire, you get the cooking stuff ready. The silly kid and I will go get some firewood," Ji Jin’Er said.

"Fine, fine. Ah, it’s great to be young. Back in my day, I was also..."

Before the Fire Emperor could start rambling, Ji Jin’Er had already dragged Wang Meng away.

’In terms of personality, Wang Meng felt a sense of camaraderie with a girl like Ji Jin’Er. But the thought that his identity could be exposed at any moment made even the domineering Master Wang’s heart turn cold.’

’Life in the Middle Thousand Realm could have been wonderful. But because of his predecessor, he really didn’t know how to handle things.’

’Trouble found him when he hid at home, and creditors were everywhere when he went out. It seemed he could only resign himself to his fate.’

Unexpectedly, Lord Fire Emperor was also a great cook. In the blink of an eye, the domineering Dragon Carp was transformed into a series of delicious dishes.

This was called "Dragon Carp, Three Ways."

"Kid, you’re in for a treat. I got this from Old Wine."

As he spoke, he took out an exquisite little jade pot. "Twenty-year vintage. A pity, he’s hidden all the best stuff. Jin’Er, next time we’ll have to rely on you to swipe a few bottles."

"Old Fire, it’s all your fault! It’s one thing to drink it, but you just had to show off everywhere. Now I’m on his blacklist too."

The Little Princess pouted, making the Fire Emperor a little embarrassed.

Wang Meng just focused on eating. ’This is truly delicious,’ he thought. ’This is the life. Paired with fine wine, the taste is even better.’

The three of them ate happily. Wang Meng and Ji Jin’Er became the Fire Emperor’s audience. The Fire Emperor had actually long since achieved Fasting, so it didn’t matter to him whether he ate or not; he only took small bites. He spent more time talking about his experiences. He had been to many places over the years and gone through a lot. Ji Jin’Er also asked some questions about the Divine Space.

"You two still need to be careful in there. They say there are rules, but in reality, there are no rules at all. For a Fate Grid, people will stop at nothing. Especially you, Jin’Er, you are absolutely forbidden from being mischievous!"

When it came to serious matters, Yuan Gang was very stern.

Ji Jin’Er stuck out her tongue. "I’m always on my best behavior. I won’t run around causing trouble."

"You, on your best behavior? Whoever marries you in the future is in for a real headache."

"Old Fire, don’t you dare speak ill of me!"

The banter between the old man and the young girl was truly a great source of amusement.

When it was finally time to part ways, the Fire Emperor was very interested in Wang Meng, but Wang Meng still refused his offer. If it was fated, they would surely meet again.

’Deep down, Wang Meng knew they would definitely meet again.’

Gazing at the small bottle of wine in his hand, Wang Meng had a new idea. The age of the wine wasn’t sufficient. That used to be a problem, but not anymore. At the very least, he could now rely on his own hands to provide for himself.

Master Wang was, after all, a self-proclaimed Heaven-defying Brewmaster. He possessed an ability other Brewers lacked: time.

Without a doubt, time had a crucial impact on the richness and mellowness of wine.

On the way back, Wang Meng casually bought a few jars, poured out the wine, and kept the jars. Once he gathered the ingredients, he could put his skills to good use in the Divine Space.

The moment Wang Meng appeared, he caused a small commotion. The symbol of the Golden Wolf Mask was too conspicuous.

"It’s him! Golden Wolf!"

"He’s the one who killed the Cultivator from the White Bone Sect?"

"This kid should be laying low. He’s being so blatant."

"That’s called being bold because of superior skill."

Hearing the various discussions, Wang Meng simply smiled and ignored them, focusing on his own business. If the White Bone Sect came looking for him, it would be a good chance to practice.

There were many Cultivators in the Divine Hall, gathered in groups of three and five, all discussing their own affairs.

"Lord Golden Wolf?"

Wang Meng finished watching the final scene on the relief sculpture and turned around to see three men and two women, their faces filled with anticipation.

"It really is Lord Golden Wolf! My lord, please save our lives!"

As they spoke, the five of them knelt down in unison.

"We heard that Lord Golden Wolf killed Xu Tianda of the White Bone Sect a few days ago. We also share a blood feud with the White Bone Sect. Thank you... It’s just..."

Before the five could finish speaking, their eyes were already brimming with tears. The two Female Cultivators, in particular, were weeping like pear blossoms in the rain.

’The White Bone Sect again? Seems we’re truly fated to cross paths.’ Wang Meng gestured with his hand. "Whatever you have to say, stand up and say it."

"Lord Golden Wolf, my name is Yi Qinwen. These two are my clan sisters, Yi Jingyi and Yi Jingyue. These two are my clan school senior brothers, Luo Kai and Pan Yang... My Yi Clan was recently... by the White Bone Sect... We are the only ones left." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)