Chapter 33: 30 chapters Not knowing
That night, Lu Qing finally had a good sleep.
The next morning, after breakfast, he took Little Yan to fish by the river.
This time, he noticed there were far fewer people at the riverside; the earlier bustling scene where seven or eight people jostled for a fishing spot was gone.
It made sense—lately, it was the busy farming season. There was still much work to be done in the fields, and not everyone truly had the leisure to fish every day.
After all, fishing was just a pastime—it might occasionally improve the diet, but it was the crops from the fields that were vital, the lifeline of the farmers.
This time, Lu Qing did not go to the Miracle Fish Fishing Spot.
With Strange Fish, it’s fine if you catch them once in a while.
It would raise suspicions if you caught several every few days—any fool would realize something was amiss.
Moreover, even if he caught any Strange Fish now, he had nowhere to sell them.
He couldn’t always expect Old Doctor Chen to help sell them.
As for eating them, he was too reluctant.
Ever since learning of the Strange Fish’s value, Lu Qing had planned to treat them as an important source of income.
So he decided to fish for Strange Fish either periodically or when he was more capable of protecting himself.
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Lu Qing chose another bright fishing spot he discovered the first time he came to the riverside.
After repairing the fishing spot a bit, Lu Qing started casting his line.
This fishing session was uneventful compared to the previous two.
Within an hour, he had nearly half a bucket of fish.
The fish varied in size—the biggest being a grass carp weighing two or three pounds, and the smallest still being those little white ones.
After catching nearly half a bucket full of fish, Lu Qing began to pack up.
These fish should be enough to feed the Black Night Spirit Fox for several nights.
After returning home with the fish, Lu Qing waited for Little Yan to fall asleep that evening, and sure enough, he heard the familiar scratching at the door.
This time he was not panicked; he took out the fish he had prepared earlier from the kitchen and calmly opened the door of the house.
As the door opened, there stood the little black beast in the middle of the courtyard.
However, its mood was visibly much more stable than before.
Although still wary in its eyes, it did not bristle all over like it did the previous night.
“I’ve been expecting you,” Lu Qing said with a smile, making his aura as calm and friendly as possible.
Then he brought out a wooden basin filled with fish from behind him, slowly walking towards the courtyard.
The little black beast saw him coming and quickly backed away a few steps, letting out a slight warning sound.
Lu Qing immediately stopped, “Don’t be nervous, I mean no harm.”
He gently placed the wooden basin on the ground and slowly retreated.
Only after he went back into the house did the little beast calm down. Sniffing a few times, it swiftly darted to the basin.
In the next moment, it had already disappeared with the biggest fish, vanishing to some place to eat.
Lu Qing wasn’t surprised; he quietly waited inside the doorway.
As expected, after a while, the little beast reappeared in the courtyard, took another fish, and disappeared once again.
The little thing was quite cautious.
Lu Qing laughed to himself, with no interest in watching a wild animal eat.
There were plenty of little fish in the bucket, and with the little beast running to and fro to feed, there was no telling how long it would take; he didn’t want to wait around.
Lu Qing closed the door and returned to his room, his heart completely at ease.
This matter was now perfectly concluded.
Although it cost some fish, it wasn’t much for him, who loved to fish.
Every time he went fishing, he caught more than he could eat in one sitting.
Having the Black Night Spirit Fox help consume the surplus was not a bad thing.
It was like the old rural life, when leftover scraps at home were eaten by cats and dogs.
With a relaxed mindset, Lu Qing slept quite well that night.
The next morning, he went out to the courtyard and saw the wooden basin was completely empty.
The little beast had eaten all the fish, even the ones over two pounds—it had quite the appetite.
After cleaning and putting away the basin, Lu Qing started to prepare breakfast.
After finishing a meal with Little Yan, Lu Qing decided to visit Old Doctor Chen.
He took more than a pound of freshly slaughtered small fish with him, and set out with Little Yan.
Last time, the elder doctor had mentioned he liked eating small fish, and since Lu Qing had caught quite a few yesterday, he brought some along.
Walking up the mountain path, Lu Qing’s face showed a hint of anticipation.
Elder Chen had gone into town yesterday to help him sell the Red Moon Carp, and Lu Qing was uncertain about the outcome.
Although Master Chen had said that the Red Moon Carp was a priceless and precious Strange Fish that was easy to sell,
Lu Qing felt somewhat uneasy until he actually saw the silver taels.
Upon arriving at Half Mountain Small Courtyard, Lu Qing saw that Old Doctor Chen had just finished his morning exercises.
“Grandpa Chen!” Little Yan ran up to him.
“Little Yan, it’s been a day, did you miss Grandpa?”
The elder doctor picked up the little girl.
“I did~” Little Yan sweetly replied.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
“Hello, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing also stepped forward to greet him.
“Mmm, you look well today. So, that beast hasn’t been bothering you again, has it?”
In the elder doctor’s view, his herbal powder was always effective; no matter what kind of wild beast it was, it should keep its distance upon smelling it.
He gave Lu Qing such a big bag that even tigers and leopards would think twice before coming near.
He assumed a mere unknown beast wouldn’t be an exception.
However, at this moment, Lu Qing seemed a bit embarrassed.
“Grandpa Chen, the powder doesn’t seem very effective. That beast has come to our house on the last two nights.”
“Oh, how can that be?” Old Doctor Chen was taken aback.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems like that creature isn’t afraid of the powder,” Lu Qing answered honestly.
“How did you manage to drive it away, then?”
Old Doctor Chen looked over Lu Qing’s complexion again, confident he hadn’t misjudged and that Lu Qing didn’t look like someone who had been up all night.
“I didn’t do anything special. I found out that the creature seemed to be coming for the fish, so I threw some fish to it, and after eating, it left.”
“Likes eating fish?” The elder doctor pondered for a moment. “What does the beast look like? Did you get a good look?”
“It’s a black little beast, about two feet in length, with a pitch-black body, but its paws and the area around its neck are white. Grandpa Chen, do you know what kind of beast this is?”
“A two-foot-long black little beast?” The elder doctor thought for a while and shook his head. “I’ve traveled far and wide for many years but have never seen a beast with this appearance.”
“Even you, Grandpa Chen, don’t recognize it?” Lu Qing was somewhat surprised.
“What are you talking about?” The elder doctor laughed. “This world is vast and boundless, and there are countless living creatures. I may have wandered for decades, but the places I’ve seen are but a fraction of this expansive world. Isn’t it normal that there are creatures I don’t recognize?”
“Grandpa Chen has a point,” Lu Qing nodded.
He had hoped to get more information about the Black Night Spirit Fox from the elder doctor, but it seemed that was not going to happen.
“However, based on what you said, that little beast seems to have a spiritual nature. Since it has no intention of attacking people and only comes seeking a meal, there’s no need to think about driving it away, at least for now.”
The elder doctor, with his wide experience, knew that there were very special living creatures in this world.
Listening to Lu Qing’s description, the black little beast could very well be one of them.
“I had the same thought. Since we can’t finish all the fish at home, it doesn’t hurt to share some with it,” Lu Qing said with a smile.
Even if he had to drive it away, he wouldn’t dare.
That creature was formidable!
Little Yan, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, finally understood some of what was being talked about.
Her eyes immediately lit up, “Brother, can you let Little Yan watch the next time you feed that little beast fish?”
“I’m afraid that might be difficult,” Lu Qing said. “It seems to only come over after you’ve fallen asleep.”
“Why is that?” The little one felt somewhat aggrieved. “Does it dislike Little Yan?”
“I don’t know about that. Maybe the little beast is timid. Once it gets more familiar with us, it should be willing to meet you.”
“Then you should quickly make friends with it, Brother. Little Yan also wants to see what the little beast looks like,” Little Yan said expectantly.
“I’ll try my best,” was all Lu Qing could say, nodding in agreement.
“By the way, Grandpa Chen, this is for you. I caught some small fish yesterday. Didn’t you say last time you wanted some? I don’t know if this will be enough?”
Lu Qing handed over the prepared fresh small fish to the elder doctor.
The elder doctor looked at them and was quite satisfied, “Put them inside. Also, I’ve brought back the items you asked me to buy; they’re in the house.”