Chapter 151 - 146: Silver Thread Flying Fish

Chapter 151: Chapter 146: Silver Thread Flying Fish

Huh?

A Longsword?!

The moment Li Heng drew his Empty Cicada Longsword, the nearby waiter from Qingfeng Tower froze in place, completely stunned.

It wasn’t just the waiter. The man with the knife, who had just finished butchering a deer, also wore a look of astonishment. He stared at Li Heng with a hint of confusion.

"Hmm? What’s wrong?"

Sensing the strange reactions from those around him, Li Heng asked.

The waiter closest to Li Heng was the first to snap out of it. He collected himself and said, "Well... it’s nothing, really. It’s just that Butchers who use a Longsword on soul beasts are rare enough as it is. Using a Longsword on fish is..."

"Friend, not to overstep. The scales on a soul beast fish are far slicker than a normal fish’s. Longsword techniques are usually light and agile. To put it plainly, it’s just not the right tool for cleaning fish! Especially not for a place like Qingfeng Tower, which demands the highest level of butchering skill!"

"What’s more, the silver line on the Silver Thread Flying Fish’s back is incredibly tough; you can’t break it with ordinary force. But if you try to cut it open anywhere else, you’ll not only ruin the fish’s fresh flavor, but it’ll also get a foul, fishy smell! So, friend, if you can, you should really switch to a more suitable tool."

The knife-wielding man’s warning was well-intentioned. His tone was polite, with no hint of looking down on Li Heng—it was purely a suggestion.

The waiter clearly thought the same. Though he said nothing, he nodded, his expression showing his tacit agreement.

"My thanks to you both!"

They had meant well, so Li Heng offered a polite reply before immediately thrusting his right hand, the one holding the Empty Cicada Longsword, into the water.

With a surge of strength in his right arm, he flicked the Longsword lightly upward, launching the Silver Thread Flying Fish out of the tank in a spray of water.

He focused his gaze, drew the Empty Cicada Longsword from the tank, and took a deep breath. Then, he unleashed the Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword, a flurry of strikes weaving through the air without pause.

"This is..."

"Such exquisite Swordsmanship!"

The moment Li Heng unleashed his Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword, both the Qingfeng Tower waiter and the deer Butcher froze, their eyes widening in shock.

His movements were clean and efficient, with no wasted motion. The sword strikes were a dazzling blur. The Silver Thread Flying Fish, launched from the tank, seemed to hang suspended in midair, never once beginning to fall.

And all the while, Li Heng’s Longsword never stopped moving!

The crowd was already surprised by Li Heng’s clean and precise Swordsmanship. After all, many people used a sword, but few could wield one so masterfully.

But Li Heng’s Swordsmanship was on another level. With every thrust, swing, and change of technique, shimmering silver butterflies would materialize and flutter around the Silver Thread Flying Fish.

"Wait! I’ll go get a Jade Porcelain Plate!"

Seeing the fluttering silver butterflies, the Qingfeng Tower waiter—though he’d been the first to be stunned—was also the quickest to react. He immediately turned and trotted off, returning with a Jade Porcelain Plate piled with crushed ice.

Li Heng paid the waiter no mind, continuing to execute and transition between his sword techniques on pure instinct.

Just as the waiter came within two meters of the fish tank, the illusory butterflies surrounding the Silver Thread Flying Fish vanished completely. The fish, perfectly intact, fell onto the Jade Porcelain Round Plate in the waiter’s hands.

"That control over his sword technique..."

The knife-wielding deer Butcher had remained silent ever since Li Heng had made his move. Only after the perfectly whole Silver Thread Flying Fish landed on the plate did he finally murmur in awe.

Everything was just as he had said before. Using a Longsword to clean a fish was difficult. To do so with a soul beast fish was even harder. And of all the soul beast fish, the Silver Thread Flying Fish was the most difficult of all.

And yet, Li Heng had done it. He had been not just incredibly fast, but also clean and efficient, with the entire process showing not a single trace of blood!

The waiter, for his part, had a keen eye. As soon as the fish landed on the Jade Porcelain Round Plate, he gave the plate a slight turn.

With that small movement, the Silver Thread Flying Fish, which had appeared whole just a second before, instantly separated into two perfect halves. It had been split precisely down the silver line on its back. Only then did the uniquely fresh aroma of the fish begin to waft into the air.

As the Silver Thread Flying Fish separated, the pristine white crushed ice beneath it was slowly stained a deep crimson.

"I don’t know if the fish blood has any use; it’s my first time butchering a fish with a Longsword. I hope my work was at least acceptable?"

Li Heng put away his Empty Cicada Longsword as the ice turned crimson, speaking to the waiter in a slightly sheepish tone.

The waiter stared at the perfectly separated Silver Thread Flying Fish in his hands. The translucent flesh gave off waves of fresh fragrance. ’Acceptable? How could this be just "acceptable"?!’

’It’s more than acceptable!’

’It’s comparable to the skill of some of the old masters!’

"Sir Soul Warrior! If you’re interested in a position in the fourth-floor kitchen here at Qingfeng Tower, then I must entrust the job of Butcher for the Silver Thread Flying Fish to you. The pay is the same as for our other Soul Warriors: fifty Soul Crystal Coins per soul beast, lodging not included. What do you... say, sir?"

The waiter composed himself before speaking politely to Li Heng, simultaneously placing the Jade Porcelain Round Plate onto a nearby counter.

In truth, the money was irrelevant to Li Heng. His sole purpose for coming to Qingfeng Tower was for the soul qi points contained within the soul beasts, so there was no hesitation. He was about to agree on the spot.

However, a thought occurred to him. Looking at the other tanks in the kitchen, Li Heng asked, "I was wondering if there are any other soul beast fish in these tanks that need my attention. Forgive me for being forward, but I’m a bit short on cash."

Li Heng offered his excuse, asking the Qingfeng Tower waiter tentatively.

The waiter glanced at the other tanks and replied just as naturally, "The Silver Thread Flying Fish dish is quite popular. We’d be grateful for your trouble, sir."

"So, shall I start now?" Li Heng asked.

Hearing Li Heng’s response, the waiter paused for a second, then smiled. "Of course. But please wait just a moment, sir. I need to go to the front hall and update the menu."

And just like that, Li Heng’s job as a Butcher at Qingfeng Tower was settled. Throughout the entire process, not a single person asked for his name.

Even after Li Heng’s dazzling display of Swordsmanship, neither the waiter nor the knife-wielding man had much of a reaction beyond thinking his technique was good. There was nothing more to it.

After all, a massive establishment like Qingfeng Tower extended far beyond its fourth floor. A Soul Warrior like Li Heng was simply too ordinary. No matter how brilliant his performance, to a place like Qingfeng Tower, he was merely a drop of rain in a vast river—causing a few small ripples upon entry before disappearing into the current.

While Li Heng was securing his job within the Dungeon, a controversy surrounding him was brewing far away, in the Xisha Area of Meteor University.