C6 Fishing

Gu Xiaoxing trudged back to the firewood yard, his spirits sinking to an all-time low. He couldn't remember the last time he'd indulged in a hearty meal, and yet the tantalizing spiritual cuisine was just out of reach, untouchable.

"Why am I stuck in the firewood yard instead of the inner kitchen?" he fumed, jealousy simmering within him as he eyed the chefs. "They're all slick with grease, plump and robust from sneaking treats, no doubt." Gu Xiaoxing longed to be reassigned to the inner kitchen, convinced that he'd swiftly regain his once dashing and valiant form. The constant setbacks he faced in the firewood yard only added to his frustration.

All of them were outer sect disciples of the Devouring Spirit Sect, so why the stark disparity?

As Gu Xiaoxing passed the spiritual pond once more, he paused to admire the green lotus dancing on the water's surface. Suddenly, a fish leaped out, a good half a meter in length, with eyes that sparkled with a unique intelligence, unlike any ordinary fish. It seemed to notice Gu Xiaoxing, and with a flick of its eyes, it shot a stream of water over ten meters, splashing near his feet before diving back into the pond with a resounding splash.

His eyes bulging with indignation, Gu Xiaoxing was ready to give that fish a piece of his mind. But before he could act, a senior brother by the pond stepped in, leaving Gu Xiaoxing to walk away with a simmering grudge. "You'll pay for this, fish! One day, you'll end up in my belly!"

By the time Gu Xiaoxing made it back to the firewood yard, night had fallen. Du Siyu's stern reminder not to leave after dark echoed in his ears as he locked himself away.

Chopping wood all day had drained him; his cultivation might recover, but his spirit was weary. He longed for sleep, yet visions of those elusive spiritual dishes haunted him every time he closed his eyes. Back in Blessing Village, five meals a day was the norm, but here at the Devouring Spirit Sect, he faced the cruel punishment of being forbidden to eat—a true agony for him.

The more he dwelled on it, the more his indignation grew. Finally, with a jolt, he snapped his eyes open and sat bolt upright.

"No! Backing down only fuels my anger!"

"I can take chopping wood as punishment, but being denied food? That's unacceptable. To deprive a man of his meal is to rob him of his livelihood. To rob a man of his livelihood is akin to murdering his parents. How can I, Gu Xiaoxing, be complicit in such a sin, allowing others to metaphorically kill my parents?"

With this thought, Gu Xiaoxing found himself emboldened with the heart of a bear and the daring of a leopard. He approached the door with measured steps, opened it gently, and a sliver of moonlight caressed his face.

Before him, the entire lumberyard was shrouded in an eerie pink fog. The mist was so subtle, yet it pervaded every corner of the firewood yard. As he opened the door, wisps of fog followed his breath, seeping into his body through his pores.

In a flash, Gu Xiaoxing's body became unresponsive, his mind foggy, and his gaze empty. As if in a daze, he felt an irresistible pull, a primal craving that led him to step out like a zombie, drawn forward.

Soon, the origin of the pink mist revealed itself before Gu Xiaoxing. It was none other than Du Siyu.

There she sat, cross-legged on the ground, her hands forming an intricate seal spell, her eyes closed as she lifted her face to the moon. Moonbeams bathed Du Siyu, cloaking her in a sinister pink glow that she emitted in slow waves.

Gu Xiaoxing's vacant eyes sparkled with pink light. Gazing at Du Siyu, a torrent of desire welled up within him, urging him to leap forward and claim her.

Yet, as he was about to act, his body shuddered to a halt. A flicker of hesitation and a glimmer of struggle crossed his eyes. The internal battle intensified until a peculiar sensation emerged in Gu Xiaoxing's heart, like a tug-of-war.

On one side was the intense longing that screamed for him to cast aside all restraint and succumb to his desires. On the other, each time he contemplated succumbing, an inexplicable aversion and revulsion welled up at the sight of Du Siyu's graceful form, steadily eroding his fervent yearning.

In the midst of their relentless tug-of-war, Gu Xiaoxing's mind suddenly cleared with a buzz. Gasping for air, he quickly clapped his hands over his mouth and edged backward, his eyes wide with terror. It dawned on him that Senior Brother Du was practicing a cultivation technique with the power to bewitch the heart.

"Thank goodness... she's too gaunt, too hideous for me to even consider it! Otherwise, I might have been ensnared."

Amidst his shock, Gu Xiaoxing felt a wave of relief. Just yesterday, a minor complaint had landed him the punishment of chopping ten times the usual amount of firewood within a month. Had he succumbed to her, it would have been the end of him!

He shuddered at the thought of being chopped up like kindling.

Fortunately, Du Siyu was deeply engrossed in meditation during her cultivation, oblivious to her surroundings, allowing Gu Xiaoxing to narrowly escape.

Once he had put some distance between himself and Du Siyu's meditation spot, Gu Xiaoxing breathed a sigh of relief. Observing the delicate pink mist wafting about, he grew curious. The mist seemed pervasive, yet it didn't penetrate the house. Then it clicked.

Yellow talisman paper!

The yellow talisman paper on the door was sealing off the aura!

Driven by curiosity, Gu Xiaoxing peeled the talisman from the door and pressed it against himself. Sure enough, the surrounding mist was repelled by an unseen force.

Simultaneously, Gu Xiaoxing noticed his own Qi withdrawing, rendering him as inconspicuous as the grass and stones around him.

"This talisman paper may look unassuming, but it's surprisingly effective at concealing and isolating one's aura."

A cunning idea flickered in Gu Xiaoxing's eyes, and he grew more excited by the second, his breath quickening. But ultimately, he reined in the impulse.

He replaced the talisman paper on the door and made his way down the mountain. While there was an inner kitchen at the summit, there was, of course, an outer kitchen at the base.

The outer kitchen served as the dining area for the external disciples of Spirit Peak. Gu Xiaoxing hurried down the mountain, his mind filled with images of the exquisite spirit dishes from the inner kitchen. He was convinced that the outer kitchen's offerings couldn't be that inferior.

Yet, as Gu Xiaoxing daydreamed of feasting on lavish dishes, the reality of holding two dry steamed buns in his hands washed away the vibrant hues of life, leaving him with a taste of utter blandness.

Why was there such a stark disparity between the inner and outer kitchens when everyone was a disciple of the Devouring Spirit Sect?

A blaze of anger flickered in Gu Xiaoxing's eyes as he took a determined bite of the large steamed bun. A decision was made.

"It's now or never!"

Back at the firewood yard, Du Siyu was deep in meditation. Her hands formed a seal spell as she stood bathed in moonlight, oblivious to her surroundings. Gu Xiaoxing carefully peeled the yellow talisman from the door, adhered it to himself, and stealthily made his way up the mountain.

The night grew darker as Gu Xiaoxing navigated through the shadowy underbrush. Memories of his journey from Blessing Village in search of immortals, braving the mountain's many terrors, surfaced. Yet, there was no fear now, only a strange thrill and... exhilaration!

He crawled low to the ground, camouflaged by the weeds, inching forward. Soon, a faint glow hinted at something ahead. Parting the weeds, he discovered a spiritual pond where green lotuses danced in the water. Despite the deepening darkness, the lotus pods glowed, their seeds like jewels wrapped in celestial fabric, twinkling like stars. The taste of them remained a mystery.

Within the pond, spiritual light nurtured large fish that swam freely, blowing bubbles in contentment, unaware of the covetous gaze upon them.

Gu Xiaoxing licked his lips but quickly adopted a cautious demeanor, surveying his surroundings.

The spiritual pond spanned a hundred meters across, hardly small. A sect disciple sat in meditation at the pond's edge, keeping watch. Gu Xiaoxing, concealed by the lotuses and with his Qi masked by the talisman, remained unseen at the pond's opposite end. As long as he stayed silent and avoided drawing attention, discovery by anyone less than a Seventh Layer Qi Condensation cultivator was virtually impossible.

The disciple seated at the edge of the pond, legs crossed, clearly hadn't reached such an advanced level yet.

Gu Xiaoxing, after a lengthy wait and seeing no signs of trouble, was ecstatic. His excitement intensified as he retrieved his storage bag and placed it before him. He then cautiously extended his arm toward the edge of the spiritual pond, dipping a finger into the water. It wriggled and twisted, much like an insect floundering in the water, sending out faint ripples in its wake.

"Come to me, my little fish, right into my belly!" Gu Xiaoxing eagerly anticipated.

Nurtured by the spiritual pond, the fish had grown somewhat extraordinary, their vision sharpening. It wasn't long before one of them noticed the "struggling" lure and made its way toward the pond's edge.

Having lived in the spirit pond from a young age, these fish were well cared for and unfamiliar with the sense of danger, so their guard was down. Eyes brimming with curiosity, they watched the "struggling" object, resembling a worm, and gobbled it up without hesitation.

"Gotcha!"

Gu Xiaoxing's eyes gleamed as he hooked his finger around the fish's mouth and yanked it out of the water. The fish, in a splash of water, revealed a look of panic, bewildered by the turn of events. It was only when it caught sight of Gu Xiaoxing's greedy gaze that it was consumed by a deep, paralyzing fear before succumbing to the abyss.

Without a second thought, Gu Xiaoxing swiftly used the storage bag to secure the fish. He then sank down, slinking back into the underbrush, camouflaging himself and remaining utterly still.

Though the disturbance was minor, and despite being a distance away and obscured by a green lotus, the disciple at the pond's brink furrowed his brow. He opened his eyes to scan the area and, finding nothing amiss, closed them once more, dismissing the ruckus as playful splashing by the fish.

Moments later, the pond's surface was disturbed by the flick of a fish's tail, while the nearby weeds quivered ever so slightly. An unseen figure quietly slipped away...