“Oh, how do you say that?” Zhuang Buzhou secretly sighed, this Leaving Immortal Town is truly interesting, with quite a few legends left behind. From ancient times to the present, it seems there have always been events happening here. It makes one curious, is this place really some kind of geomantic treasure land? All sorts of things seem to rush here.
“It is said that beneath the White Sand River, there is an Immortal Cave.”
The old man said with respect and longing, “Every three years, you can see from afar an Immortal drinking wine by the moon at the bottom of the river, with Immortal light blooming. Flowers will bloom on both banks of the river, and you should know, at that time, it is autumn, with heavy frost, and the leaves have already withered, where would there be a hundred flowers blooming? What else could that be but an Immortal relic?”
“Then has anyone gone down to look for it?”
Zhuang Buzhou asked thoughtfully.
“Why not? Every year, people dive into the water, hoping to find the Immortal relic, but they find nothing. The bottom of this river is just white sand. There is no Immortal Cave. However, that is an Immortal relic, so it certainly isn't something Mortals can find.”
The old man said with a chuckle.
For these matters, he was already a man close to the grave, and had long lost that much curiosity. To live out his Yu Sheng peacefully and safely, that was the greatest blessing. He usually had no other hobbies, just liked to fish. He would fish by this river, and could fish for half a day. If he caught fish, he would take them home, and if there were extra, he would sell them for some money. Life was quite comfortable, and the people in the town called him Old Fisherman.
He liked to talk to people, and was well-versed in many things around him.
Zhuang Buzhou and he slowly became familiar, fishing and chatting quietly.
Before long, they saw the float on the river surface sink. Zhuang Buzhou felt his hand tighten, and a natural smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“A fish is on the hook.”
He didn't rush to reel in the line, but instead alternately loosened and tightened it, constantly playing the fish under the water. The fish was not light, and its strength was not small at all. It darted left and right, dived and surfaced, struggling back and forth, trying to break free from the hook.
“There's a golden light under the water, it's a Brocade Dragon Carp! Quick, sprinkle wine, pour the wine into the river! Brocade Dragon Carp love good wine the most, they flock to it. In the water, it has infinite strength, and normal methods won't be able to reel it in. Only after it's drunk can it be caught.”
Old Fisherman saw the golden light swimming under the water, his face lit up with joy, and he quickly shouted, “What a pity, there’s no good wine! If there was good wine, this Dragon Carp would surely be caught.”
“Dragon Carp, Brocade Dragon Carp! Someone really caught a Dragon Carp!”
“Golden light like a swimming Dragon, it really is a Brocade Dragon Carp.”
Many nearby fishermen heard the shouts and gathered, looking at the golden light under the water, their eyes all gleaming.
A Brocade Dragon Carp had not been caught in Leaving Immortal Town for over ten years.
“Good wine? I don't lack that.”
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Buzhou's eyes lit up slightly. He took out a gourd, which contained hundred-year-old fine wine. He poured it into the river. As soon as it was poured, the fragrance of the wine wafted out, and the Dragon Carp, which had been struggling fiercely, suddenly, like a wild cat smelling fish, rushed directly towards the scattered wine and drank it in big gulps. The taste of the hundred-year-old fine wine was simply too mellow and fragrant. The Dragon Carp had no way to resist such a delicacy.
Without waiting for the wine to dissipate in the water, the golden light quickly swam through the water, swallowing it all in its belly immediately.
Then, Zhuang Buzhou felt that the Dragon Carp's strength greatly diminished, as if it had suddenly passed out drunk. He was overjoyed, and with a flick of his wrist, he saw a golden Carp being pulled out of the water.
Its size was no less than two or three catties.
“What a big Brocade Dragon Carp, it’s actually two or three catties heavy!”
“You’ve struck it rich, little brother, you’re going to be rich! A single one like this is worth a thousand gold!”
The surrounding fishermen looked on with envy, and some even showed a hint of greed in their eyes. This was no ordinary Carp. If it were truly sold, it would be enough for an ordinary family to live a life of comfort and ease.
“This Dragon Carp is indeed different. Its body curves are more elongated. No wonder its speed in the water is so fast and the power it unleashes is so great.”
Zhuang Buzhou examined it carefully, secretly surprised.
Compared to ordinary Carp, its body was more slender, covered in golden-yellow scales. Those scales also looked different from ordinary fish scales. They were very beautiful, truly extraordinary. At this moment, having been caught and placed on the ground, it was still lively and jumping, and did not immediately lose its ability to resist just because it left the water.
“Little brother, you have good fortune to be able to catch this Brocade Dragon Carp. You will surely be rich and prosperous your entire life. What do you plan to do with this Dragon Carp?”
Old Fisherman's eyes glowed as he looked at Zhuang Buzhou and asked.
“A Brocade Dragon Carp that has grown this large is a rare species of heaven and earth. Zhuang does not lack money, so selling it is unnecessary. Fishing itself is a hobby; what I enjoy is the process of fishing. Whether it's small fish and shrimp or a Brocade Dragon Carp, these are not important. I will release it.”
Zhuang Buzhou smiled calmly, picked up the living Brocade Dragon Carp, and released it into the river, holding it with both hands and placing it into the water.
As soon as the Brocade Dragon Carp touched the water, it vanished.
It was as if it had returned to White Sand River.
He really released it.
“No!”
“It’s over, that was a Brocade Dragon Carp, worth a thousand gold! He just released it!”
“What a waste of natural resources!”
The surrounding fishermen exclaimed, raising their legs as if to stop him, but their speed was clearly a step too slow. The fish had already entered the water and disappeared. Seeing this scene, countless people sighed.
The chance to get rich overnight was right before their eyes, and it just vanished.
It was simply painful.
Their hearts were utterly cold.
Seeing that there was no more excitement, the surrounding fishermen sighed and dispersed. If there had been a Brocade Dragon Carp, these people would have had other intentions, but now that it was released, there was naturally no need to stay. However, many fishermen picked up their hooks and started fishing nearby, seemingly hoping to catch that Dragon Carp again. That way, they would get rich, and there were quite a few with this thought.
Zhuang Buzhou saw this, smiled, put away his fishing hook, and said to Old Fisherman, “Old man, my interest is exhausted for today. I should return. If there is a chance another day, let’s fish together again.”
“Then it depends on when little brother has time. I, this old man, am here most of the time.” Old Fisherman said with a chuckle.
Waving goodbye, he picked up his fishing rod and walked towards the inn.
Upon returning to the inn, he saw that Yun Qinghe had already returned, but his expression was very solemn. They exchanged glances. Then, they walked upstairs together and met in Zhuang Buzhou's room.
“Where is Xia Sangong?”
Yun Qinghe asked.
“He disappeared as soon as he left the inn. I don't know where he went to investigate. With Xia Sangong's strength, there's no need to worry. He will naturally appear when he's supposed to.” Zhuang Buzhou shook his head and said. Xia Sangong was clearly the kind of person who enjoyed playing in the Mortal World. Not only was he powerful, but he was also very experienced. There was no need to worry about him.
“Indeed, Tianming Gai's strength is renowned in the Endless Sea.”
Yun Qinghe nodded in agreement.
Clearly, he had already guessed Xia Sangong's identity.
“Brother Yun, you went to Bai Qianqian's burial ground earlier. Did you find anything there?”
Zhuang Buzhou asked.
“Yes.”
Yun Qinghe's expression immediately became solemn, and he said in a deep voice, “Bai Qianqian's tomb has been dug up.”
“Dug up?” Zhuang Buzhou frowned, surprised. “Someone robbed the tomb?”
“That’s right. I carefully inspected the tomb, and someone did excavate it. The excavator was highly skilled, definitely an expert proficient in such profound techniques. The golden coffin sealed in the tomb, Bai Qianqian's, has disappeared.”
Yun Qinghe said with a solemn expression.
In his opinion, such an act of tomb raiding was utterly despicable.
“Do you think it was done by a Spirit Master?”
Zhuang Buzhou said after some thought.
Among Spirit Masters, there were naturally professions specializing in tomb raiding.
In this world, whether it's bronze, silver, or gold, they are all very precious materials. And the wealthy people of the world, who possess most of the money, even after death, would pile gold and silver in their coffins and burial chambers. The extravagant ones would even make their mausoleums magnificent and as rich as a nation, with large amounts of gold and silver buried underground. They would sleep with them.
This is human nature.
They want to have it in life, and they want to have it in death.
To this day, there are still quite a few instances of live burials. This is merely to satisfy the deceased's wish to have a retinue of servants in life and also in death.
Most importantly, it was the gold and silver.
Gold and silver have the effect of sealing cursed relics and even resisting strange invasions. Their value is self-evident.
Where there is demand, there is trade.
When the deceased takes gold and silver underground, tomb raiders naturally emerge in an endless stream. Once a large tomb is found, they can instantly become rich overnight. Therefore, among Spirit Masters, there are countless people who act as tomb raiders. They are increasingly eager for large tombs.
Among the professionals, there are also true specialists, such as the Mountain-Moving Daoists, Tomb Raider Commandants, and Grave-Digging Generals. They all have extremely unique methods for finding large tombs, and their experience with various mechanisms and traps within tombs is exceptionally insightful, surpassing ordinary people.
“If nothing unexpected, it should be the work of a Tomb Raider Commandant. A Tomb Raider Commandant has come to Leaving Immortal Town.”
Yun Qinghe took a deep breath and said, “Tomb Raider Commandants have always been like dogs with keen noses, very sharp. Wherever they appear, there must be a large tomb. Their Heavenly Star Geomancy is extremely powerful. They can locate large tombs by means of geomancy. Their various methods are very troublesome and should not be underestimated.”
“Tomb Raider Commandants never raid tombs without gold. Why would they raid Bai Qianqian's tomb? There was only a small golden coffin inside, which shouldn't be worth their effort. And if they did raid it, why would they release Bai Qianqian?”
Zhuang Buzhou murmured after a slight frown.