Chapter 22: Freedom
Chapter 22: Freedom
The Golden-Backed Red-Bellied Fish in the basket was released, and it was indeed a demon. As it leaped out of the basket, it soared into the air, transforming into a massive creature several dozen feet in size. Its scales were like a formation of knives, its fins like sharp banners, and it spoke in a pitiful woman's voice, pleading:
"Senior, I am willing to swear that I will never harm human lives again. Please spare me."
The enormous, fearsome fish head nodded up and down, as if bowing in the air.
Li Hao felt a strong fishy smell wafting towards him, and he pinched his nose, almost gagging.
This fish... really is stinky!
"Sparing you would make me the Air Force, wouldn't it?"
Old Master Li Muxiu's words left the fish demon in despair, trembling with anger but not daring to lash out.
"Into the pot!"
Li Muxiu pointed a finger.
Although the fish demon was pleading, it had already planned to escape the moment it transformed and took to the air. Seeing that the old master wouldn't let it go, it immediately wriggled its body, using the sky as a lake, and tried to fly away.
But before it could turn, it suddenly jolted as if electrocuted, and blood spurted from its mouth and gills. Its fearsome body split apart in mid-air, as if cut by countless invisible blades on an invisible chopping block.
Strangely, the blood that spurted out was carried away by the wind and vanished before it could hit the ground. The same happened to the fish demon's torn and separated flesh, leaving only a fist-sized, dark purple Fiend Core and a few pieces of snow-white fish meat in the air.
Li Muxiu waved his hand, and the Fiend Core fell into the boiling pot. The snow-white fish meat was sliced into paper-thin pieces by invisible blades in the air and slowly slid into the pot as the water boiled.
At this moment, the old master took out a salt shaker from somewhere, sprinkled two scoops into the pot, and then closed the lid to continue cooking.
Li Hao watched in amazement at this display, gaining a concrete understanding of the world's Martial Dao experts.
This is a demon, this is a powerful Martial Artist!
"Old Master, that purple ball is a Fiend Core, right? Isn't it supposed to be eaten raw?" Li Hao asked curiously.
"Where did you hear that?"
Li Muxiu glanced at him sideways and said coolly, "Are you not afraid of being overwhelmed by the stench? A Fiend Core needs to be refined with various herbs to be effective. Moreover, different types of demons have different properties, and this requires the expertise of alchemists to determine. Eating it raw... well, it's like how ordinary people hunt tigers and use tiger bones to make soup for health. Can you digest it raw?"
"Then what are you doing?"
"Using it as an ingredient. Although much of its potency will be wasted, eating it this way has little meaning for me. I'm just tasting it. You, on the other hand, can drink some of the broth and eat a few pieces of fish to fill your stomach. This level of Fiend Core is not something you can handle yet."
"I see."
Li Hao nodded, not feeling any regret or loss.
After all, the Divine General Manor was filled with countless elixirs and treasures. This Fiend Core was just raw material; the finished pills were far more valuable.
However, even with the abundance of spiritual medicines, the manor was very cautious when distributing them to the disciples of each courtyard.
After all, even ordinary medicines have their side effects. While relying on pills can lead to quick progress, reaching the pinnacle usually requires one's own strength to avoid being counteracted.
...
The water in the pot boiled again, and the steam made the lid rattle.
The old master used his Heartless Iron Hand to lift the clay lid, and the hot steam immediately dissipated, carried away by a gentle breeze without touching the beams of the pavilion.
The smell of fish meat wafted out, mixed with a bit of fishy odor.
Li Hao frowned slightly, instinctively thinking it wouldn't taste good.
"Come, try it."
Li Muxiu found a pair of chopsticks from somewhere, black and shiny, and wiped them on his clothes before plunging them into the pot. He took a big bite of the Fiend Core, which looked like a braised lion's head.
At the same time, he waved his hand, and a branch from outside the pavilion broke off and flew into his hand.
He handed it to Li Hao: "Peel off the bark and it's ready to use."
Li Hao couldn't help but laugh.
But he wasn't a stickler for formality. He sat down with the old master on the top floor of the Rain Listening Pavilion, a sacred place for martial artists. He casually peeled off the green bark from the branch, broke it, and used it to pick up a piece of crystal-clear fish meat from the pot.
To Li Hao's surprise, the fish meat, despite being boiled in hot water with the lid on, did not fall apart. When he picked it up, it was as tender and smooth as tapioca.
He lifted the lid carefully to avoid spilling any soup on himself and slurped it up with a satisfying sound.
"How does it taste?"
"Pretty good, really good, just a bit fishy."
"Fishy? I don't feel it."
"You're covered in fish smell yourself, of course you don't notice."
"Hey, you little brat, how dare you talk to me like that."
"It's the truth, I didn't say anything wrong."
"Hmph, you're just lucky you're dealing with me. You cheeky little devil, if anyone else caught you acting so disrespectful, they'd have beaten your bottom into pieces."
"I wouldn't even bother talking to anyone else."
"Wow, quite the attitude."
The old man and the young boy continued eating, the elder showing no airs of seniority and the younger not cowering in fear. After finishing the fish and the soup, they both leaned back, legs spread, and sighed in unison:
"Comfortable!"
Their postures were almost identical.
"You little rascal..." Li Muxiu glanced at Li Hao and suddenly burst into laughter.
Li Hao smiled slightly, propping his head up with his hands and looking out at the sky beyond the eaves. Night had fallen, and the faint stars were gradually appearing on the horizon.
A gentle breeze blew up from the floor and the surrounding hills, bringing a refreshing and relaxed feeling.
He suddenly realized that all the worldly splendor and the company of servants couldn't compare to this moment of freedom and ease.
Lying there quietly for a while, Li Hao suddenly thought of something and turned his head to ask, "Old man, you must have some special fishing techniques, right?"
"Want to learn now?"
Li Muxiu looked at him with interest.
"Tomorrow, I'll give it a try. We can see who catches more, okay?" Li Hao said with a grin.
Li Muxiu couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.
He never expected the Li Family, known for their wooden heads, to raise such a lively and interesting child.
"Very well, from now on, you'll learn fishing from me. Fishing is also a form of cultivation. Just like me, when I cast my line, even the Three Eternities Realm experts would have their mouths pulled into a crooked shape!"
Li Muxiu chuckled, his eyes gleaming with pride. This pride was not so much about his cultivation as it was about his fishing skills.
Li Hao couldn't help but laugh at the image that formed in his mind. The idea of a Three Eternities Realm expert, standing at the peak of countless martial artists, having his mouth pulled crooked by a fishing hook... It was just too vivid!
"What are you laughing at? Don't you believe me?" Li Muxiu raised an eyebrow, his face slightly stern.
Li Hao laughed, "Believe, believe, of course I do. It's just that the scene is too funny."
He burst into laughter again.
Li Muxiu thought about it and had to admit that the scene was indeed amusing. He chuckled lightly, "Tomorrow, when we get there, I'll teach you how to fish. For now, it's just talk. Go to bed early tonight. I'll get you a fishing rod."
With that, he sat up, patted his buttocks, and swept up the remaining embers and the iron pot, tucking them into his sleeves.
In one step, he disappeared into the night.
The next day.
Early in the morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Li Muxiu woke Li Hao up.
Fortunately, Li Hao had gone to bed early the night before and wasn't too sleepy. "So early already?"
"Of course. Morning fishing is best done early; that's when the fish are easiest to catch."
Li Muxiu's face was smiling. Usually, he went fishing alone with just a rod and a fish basket. Today, with a young companion, his enthusiasm for fishing was even greater.
"Here's your fishing rod, hold it well."
The old man pulled out a black fishing rod from somewhere and handed it to Li Hao.
Li Hao took it and found it quite heavy, but for his Force Mastery perfected strength, it was nothing. Besides, his strength was ten times greater than that of a typical Force Mastery perfected individual.
But Li Hao estimated that this fishing rod would require at least a Force Mastery fourth or fifth-stage practitioner to handle it effortlessly.
Seeing Li Hao take it with ease, Li Muxiu's eyes showed a hint of surprise. "It seems Li Fu wasn't wrong. You do have a talent for Body Cultivation. Which technique have you perfected?"
Li Hao now understood that the old man had chosen the fishing rod based on his cultivation, showing some consideration.
Mighty Ox Strength was a low-grade Body Cultivation technique. Perfecting it would give him the strength of a Force Mastery sixth-stage practitioner.
(End of Chapter)
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