Spirit Creature

Liang Qu was going to take his territory back. After consuming the treasure fish last time, his marsh spirit fusion had reached a full 11.7 percent. The strength of the water currents he could control had climbed to nearly seventy jin, and his underwater endurance had lengthened once more. Most importantly, his sensory range had changed. While his detailed perception remained the same, his rough perception had expanded by another meter to a full six meters, forming a remarkably large sphere. On top of that, having practiced martial arts for the better part of a month, he was no longer that frail, sickly little fisherman of before. With the assistance of the Sow Dragon and the Fat Catfish, he was practically unmatched among beasts in the shallows. He believed the monster that had seized the territory could not be overwhelmingly strong; otherwise, it would never have looked on as the Fat Catfish made off with the most precious sections of lotus root. The river wind blew rather hard today. Liang Qu lowered a rope-bound stone to keep the sampan from drifting away, then took his wooden spear and pig bladder float and slipped into the water. Guided by the two beasts, he returned to the riverbed where the lotus root had been found. The depths were peaceful and quiet. Sunlight pierced the water, scattering into fine, shimmering beams that provided decent visibility. Jagged rocks were scattered through the silt, with nameless aquatic plants growing between their crevices, their slender strands swaying gently with the current. Cannot Move crouched low against the riverbed, advancing with great caution. It still seemed deeply wary of that supposed giant, not even daring to brush away the few strands of pondweed tangled around its head. Beside it, the Fat Catfish also stayed low to the ground, waving its tail slowly to disturb the water as little as possible. Many sharp-sensed fish could detect subtle shifts in the current; making too large a move might well give them away. Liang Qu also slowed his advance, wading across the undulating mud. After skirting past a massive boulder, he spotted the trailing lotus roots spreading across the bed. Through their spiritual link, the two beasts sent him a warning. It was very close. Liang Qu lowered his body and crossed another stretch of uneven mud. An irregular shape entered his field of vision. It sat entirely motionless, jutting out like a protrusion of black rock, visually standing a little over a meter high. *What is that? A rock? That's the monster?* Liang Qu was certain this rock had never been here before. He glanced at Cannot Move and the Fat Catfish, receiving their affirmative nods. How bizarre. He could not tell what kind of creature it was either. It resembled a boulder, lacking the elongated build of a fish entirely and looking nothing like an aquatic animal. Much like Cannot Move at the very beginning, it seemed to have claimed this territory as its own. *A crustacean?* A possibility suddenly occurred to Liang Qu. Only crustaceans possessed such peculiar shapes, resembling a massive rock when hunkered down. *Gurgle, gurgle.* A stream of bubbles drifted up from a section of the "rock," confirming that it was indeed some kind of crustacean. What kind of crustacean could grow to such a size? Had it turned into a spirit creature? Liang Qu took a sharp breath in shock. Having lived in this world for so long, he knew demon beasts existed here. He had assumed that whatever the two beasts could not handle was perhaps a four-to-five-meter-long crocodile or something of the sort, never expecting a spirit creature. Yet as he looked at the large swath of lotus roots devoured on the riverbed, his brow furrowed tight. He had gone through so much trouble to find this treasure plant—how could he let a spirit creature reap the benefit? Just when everything had been progressing so smoothly, a spirit creature had barged in to seize his most valuable resource. Liang Qu gripped his spear tightly. If he ate a spirit creature, how much essence of the waters would it yield? Ten or twenty points? Or even dozens? The thought flared up in his mind, and he immediately startled himself. That was a spirit creature, not some ordinary water beast! *Then again, why shouldn't it be possible?* Liang Qu's thoughts raced and branched out. Crustaceans had plenty of weaknesses too—their lower underside, for example, could be killed with a single spear thrust. There were also its protruding eyes, which were equally easy targets. For a creature reliant on sight, blinding its eyes would render it helpless. Besides, it truly could not be that strong, or it would never have stood by while the Fat Catfish took the best lotus roots. The more he pondered, the more restless he grew, his hand repeatedly tightening and loosening around the shaft of his spear. He always remembered what his university advisor had once told him: *"For things that change your life, you have to take risks. Truly meaningful things mostly happen by chance; only trivial matters can be planned out completely."* Taking risks—a concept that ran through the entire course of human history. Dangerous, yet mesmerizing. He refused to accept this! He was going to take back what was his! Liang Qu clenched his fist. The surrounding water burst under the pressure, rushing through his fingers and dispersing into white froth. He had never been one to hand over what he had already claimed. Zhang Tieniu had stolen his boat, so Zhang Tieniu had died. Since he had a fair degree of certainty now, he would take the gamble—gambling on who had the greater skill, himself or the spirit creature! *** Inside the Yang Family Martial Hall, Li Libo and Chen Jiechang were sparring, trying out the fighting methods of the Three Fists Method. Unlike Liang Qu, who had learned all three styles, Li Libo had only studied Ape Fist and Tiger Fist, while Chen Jiechang had focused solely on Tiger Fist. Neither planned to dabble in the remaining styles, choosing instead to concentrate on cultivating the blood-qi in their chests. Partly it was because Lu Shaohui was indifferent in his instruction, and partly because Liang Qu's learning speed had given them a sense of urgency. In any case, learning the remaining styles would only serve to broaden their horizons; in the end, what they truly needed to master were the Ape Fist and Tiger Fist that suited them best. The two had simply decided to give up on the rest, intending to dedicate more time to improving themselves and see if they could break through within three months to remain in the hall. If they could break through, it would practically count as making a name for themselves. Perhaps in Pingyang Town, a martial practitioner who had breached only a single hurdle was nothing special and could not even get taxes waived. But in Yixing, it was more than enough, capable of bringing a leap in their quality of life. The simplest example was disputes over irrigating farmland—what happened when conflicts arose? Both sides would certainly want someone to step in and mediate. And who would they turn to? The farmers of Yixing would naturally think of a breakthrough martial practitioner from their hometown. But could anyone expect him to help for nothing? They would at least have to bring along a few dou of rice, wouldn't they? As time passed and one's prestige grew, would the village head really have the nerve to keep holding onto his post while doing nothing? Rises to prominence in small places did not need to be complicated. Right now they were just fishmongers, but no one could say what the future held. Cherishing their hopes for a brighter future, the two raced against time to train. "Hey, you two over there! You reek to high heaven! Can't you get the hell away?" Li Libo and Chen Jiechang froze in their tracks. After a moment, they resumed their movements, yet their actions visibly lost their vigor. "Can't you hear? Yes, you two! The fishmongers!" "Seems their ears don't work either." "Hahahahaha!" To one side of the training ground, three young men sat crouched, pointing and sneering. Others saw it, but not a single person spoke up. "Your words are too harsh, Lu Tingcai," another person remarked as he walked over. Hearing that voice, Li Libo and Chen Jiechang relaxed slightly, exchanging a glance and breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh?" The young man called Lu Tingcai tugged at his trouser leg, sitting on the bench with his legs spread wide. Slumping down, he tilted his head. "So you're telling me you can't smell it, Xue Dingyi?" "Fair point." The young man who had seemingly stepped in to dissuade him suddenly broke into a grin. "In that case, tell them to get the hell away!" Li Libo and Chen Jiechang were stunned. The muscles along their jaws bunched tight as shame, fury, and inadequacy surged into their hearts all at once. Every time they came to the training ground, they chose the furthest corner to carefully avoid everyone, yet when had they ever been subjected to such humiliation? They had no feud with them, so why... "How about this?" Lu Tingcai suddenly stood up and strolled toward them. Only then did Li Libo and Chen Jiechang realize how terrifyingly tall this man was—nearly six and a half chi. Standing close, they had to crane their necks to look up at him! Lu Tingcai looked down at them and grinned, revealing a row of sharp, gleaming teeth. "As a fee for tolerating your presence so you can stay here, how about two taels of silver each?" Beside them, Lu Shaohui acted as though the scene before him did not exist, lifting his stone lock without paying them the slightest mind.