Chapter 041: A Taste Before All Others

“How on earth did she do it?” Qingjin asked.

Jiuquan had just arrived at Serpent Coil Territory, exactly as Qingjin had arranged. He immediately took over the matters at Qingjin’s side. Like Qingquan, who served Qingzhen, and Little White, who attended Qinghu, Jiuquan was among the finest of their personal attendants.

“I knew it must be the young lady’s doing, but when I asked her how, she wouldn’t tell me,” Jiuquan replied, putting on a look of exaggerated suffering.

Qingjin couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I’ll ask her myself later.”

Qingjin had just finished freshening up when Qingzhen burst into his room, his clothes half on, half off. This rascal!

“Big brother, have you tried the bath yet? Isn’t it fascinating? How in the world did Little Hu do it? Did she tell you?” Qingzhen asked with a grin.

“No, she hasn’t told me either. Now hurry and put your clothes on. You’re not a child anymore, running around half-dressed,” Qingjin said, amused.

“I’m just excited—it’s too interesting!” Qingzhen replied, quickly dressing himself.

As they spoke, Zhou Ji and Ning Qi, having finished washing up, walked in as well. “What’s got you two so animated?” Zhou Ji asked, smiling.

“Oh, my little sister changed the bath for us. It’s quite something now—controls for the water temperature and automatic water changes,” Qingjin explained.

“That means she installed a magic device,” Zhou Ji said at once, “but adding something like that to a bath is a luxury—quite expensive, you know.”

“How much could it possibly cost?” Qingzhen immediately asked.

“Probably tens of thousands of Red Gold coins,” Zhou Ji replied with a chuckle.

“Uncle Zhao, Uncle Zhao!” Qingzhen called, remembering he’d seen Uncle Zhao outside before coming in. Uncle Zhao lived on the same floor as Qingjin.

Hearing his name, Old Zhao stepped in. “What is it?”

“Uncle Zhao, did Little Hu ask you for money to buy some magic device for the bath? Is there still money in our accounts?” Qingzhen asked, anxious.

“There is. The fifty thousand Red Gold coins you brought back last time are still there,” Old Zhao replied.

“So Little Hu didn’t buy a magic device to renovate the bath?” Qingzhen asked, surprised.

“No,” Old Zhao replied with complete certainty. “She changed mine, too. It’s really quite interesting.”

“Instead of guessing, why don’t you just ask Little Qinghu?” Ning Qi suggested.

It wasn’t long before Little Qinghu was brought in.

“How did you change the bath?” Qingjin asked.

“I found a fish pearl today,” Qinghu replied. “This pearl can control the water’s temperature and even change the water itself. It’s incredibly handy.”

“There’s spiritual energy infused into the water, too!” Qingzhen added.

Qinghu nodded. “That’s right.” In fact, the water in the pool was originally saturated with spiritual energy, but that was only suitable for her when she was alone. It wouldn’t do for others to notice—especially with outsiders Zhou Ji and Ning Qi still staying in the house. So Qinghu only let a trace of spiritual energy into the water.

“Isn’t it said that bathing in water with spiritual energy helps you sleep better?”

“Yes, bathing in such water not only improves sleep but has other benefits as well,” Qingjin replied. “But what kind of fish pearl is it? A hundred-year one?”

“I don’t know. I just picked it up and used it,” Qinghu said indifferently.

“But do you remember where you found it?” Qingjin asked, exasperated.

“By the big lake at the village entrance,” she answered truthfully. Actually, the pearl had been given to her as tribute by a winning fish; she simply picked it up and brought it home.

“We went to Meishan County today. According to Lord Meishan, our Serpent Coil Territory is plagued by either some great calamity or a strange force that keeps appearing. That’s why there have been so many murders—six successive lords have already died. So from now on, we must be extra careful, especially at night. Little Hu, you must never go anywhere without someone with you.”

“There are definitely big things in that lake,” Qinghu nodded. “This afternoon, a group of us saw two enormous creatures fighting in the water. One was a sixth-stage Armored Ancient Crocodile, the other a seventh-stage Great Winning Fish. When the crocodile was killed, the winning fish dragged it into the depths. The others left, but I stayed awhile longer.”

In truth, she’d been intercepted by the winning fish alone.

“That’s when I found the fish pearl.”

“How big was this winning fish?” Qingjin’s face changed.

“Around ten meters long—enormous,” Qinghu replied.

“A seventh-stage winning fish… It seems this Serpent Coil Lake on our land is far from ordinary,” Qingjin muttered grimly. This was human territory, yet a seventh-stage winning fish openly resided here, unafraid of even the most powerful human cultivators. No one would believe there wasn’t some secret at play.

“What could be here, exactly?”

“Fierce beasts, demon beasts, and the like,” Qinghu answered at once.

Qingjin was left both amused and helpless.

“In any case, if you ever see those huge creatures again, keep your distance. Staying alive is more important than anything,” he said.

“I know, I know. You’re such a nag, big brother,” Little Qinghu replied impatiently.

Qingjin could only sigh. Did this troublesome child think his constant worrying was for his own amusement?

“Could that winning fish be the one behind the deaths of the last six lords?” Ning Qi suddenly asked.

“It’s possible…” Qingjin said, uncertain.

“Then won’t our plan to go fishing at Meishan backfire? What if the winning fish shows up—or the villain who’s been hunting you?” Ning Qi went on.

“What must come will come. Sooner or later, the truth will be revealed,” Qingjin said.

“I think we should set some traps in and around the village,” Qingzhen suggested.

“It would be best to place some at the mountain pass, and along the hills and woods by the lake,” Old Zhao added.

“We should also organize a proper night patrol in the village. A few men on watch aren’t enough,” Zhou Ji agreed.

Qingjin nodded repeatedly as they spoke.

“By the way, what’s for dinner?” Qingzhen suddenly changed the subject.

“Crab meat stewed with tofu,” Qinghu replied. “I saw the kitchen using Red Shell Crab meat to simmer tofu. There’s also green-ear egg soup, and spicy blue clam with black potatoes.”

“Little Hu, what am I supposed to do if I’m hungry now?” Qingzhen’s stomach rumbled audibly.

“It’s not ready yet—you’ll have to wait a bit. Or do you want me to check with the kitchen?” Qinghu offered.

“I’ll go with you. Maybe I can get a bowl of soup early,” Qingzhen said, jumping at the idea.

Qingjin and the others could only watch them in silence.