Deer Antlers

【Swift Swan, Swimming Dragon】!

Shen Xiuhan landed on the reef as lightly as a weightless fallen leaf.

Holding his breath and concentrating, he followed the guidance of the thread and looked down into the water.

At the algae-covered base of the reef, there was a crevice. A strange fish with red scales and a pair of translucent, coral-like little horns on its head was resting inside.

A Precious Fish!

Without a doubt, it was a Precious Fish of the waters!

It resembled a chub, but it had a pair of small deer antlers.

Forget Shen Xiuhan; even an ordinary fisherman could tell at a glance that this was no ordinary creature.

In a flash, a memory surfaced in Shen Xiuhan's mind.

In the study of the Mei Courtyard, there was an ancient book titled 《Chronicles of Miraculous Creation》, written by the imperial court of the former Dayang Dynasty.

It recorded many Precious Beasts, spiritual herbs, and wondrous aquatic creatures found deep within mountains and great marshes.

During his breaks from cultivation, Shen Xiuhan had flipped through it a few times.

The fish before him was an exact match for one of the Precious Fish recorded in the book.

The Antler Chub!

It was a Tier Two Precious Fish!

Rumor had it that the pair of exquisite horns on its head contained an astonishing amount of water and wood essence.

If ground into powder and tossed into a cauldron as a medicinal catalyst, it could not only significantly boost the efficacy of the pills but also slightly increase the success rate of the refinement.

It was an excellent auxiliary ingredient for alchemy.

Staring at the Antler Chub hidden at the bottom of the water, Shen Xiuhan's eyes lit up, and a surge of excitement welled up in his heart.

Ever since he caught the Silverback Fish last time, he hadn't seen a Precious Fish for a long time.

Who would have thought that on his way to harvest the Jade Heart Lotus Root, he would stumble upon such an unexpected windfall!

“What wonderful luck...”

Though he was delighted, Shen Xiuhan did not rush to cast his line.

Instead, he carefully crouched on the reef, closely observing the surrounding water currents and environment to ensure that once he made his move, the Antler Chub would have absolutely no way to escape.

After watching for a moment, Shen Xiuhan's expression suddenly flickered.

Looking down from his high vantage point, he could see that the direction the Antler Chub was facing while resting was, without a single inch of deviation, exactly where the intelligence had marked the Jade Heart Lotus Root to be.

“This...”

A strange expression appeared on Shen Xiuhan's face, and a realization dawned on him.

‘Could this spiritually aware Precious Fish have sensed the presence of a Precious Herb here, which is why it specifically nested beneath this hidden reef to guard it?’

‘What a pity. Since you've crossed paths with me today, I'll definitely be taking both the fish and the lotus root.’

On the reef, Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath and lightly flicked his wrist.

The crude green reed rod and the black thread were cast silently into the lake, sinking gently into the water without causing a single splash.

【Thousand Lakes Fishing】!

An aura with a fatal attraction to Precious Fish quietly rippled outward.

Beneath the reef, the resting Antler Chub seemed to scent some peerless spiritual item. With a loud splash, it flicked its tail and instantly shot out from the bottom of the reef.

In an instant, it locked onto the source of the strange aura.

Though it was clearly just an ordinary, rough black thread, in the eyes of the Antler Chub, it had become the most irresistible, supreme delicacy in the world.

Without the slightest hesitation or testing, it opened its mouth and bit down.

It was hooked!

Shen Xiuhan's expression turned grim. Drawing a breath into his chest, the blue veins on his arms bulged as he pulled the rod with all his might!

Under the empowerment of Thousand Lakes Fishing, that thin black thread instantly transformed into the most resilient fishing line in the world.

The water's surface erupted!

An Antler Chub, its entire body covered in crimson scales and as thick as an adult's forearm, was yanked directly out of the deep water by Shen Xiuhan.

Water splashed everywhere as it soared into the air!

The Antler Chub instantly realized something was wrong. Its tail thrashed wildly in midair, packing enough force to shatter stones and snap wood.

Shen Xiuhan's eyes turned sharp. His fingers, like the sharp talons of a mystic eagle, thrust out with a sharp whistling sound. With a loud smack, he precisely clamped onto the Antler Chub's slippery body!

Under those steel-like claws, all of the Antler Chub's resistance was as futile as an ant trying to shake a giant tree; it could no longer budge in the slightest.

“Phew... Successfully captured!”

Shen Xiuhan breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the Precious Fish in his hand, his mind raced with calculations.

His master had once said that once a Precious Fish nurtured by heaven and earth left the water, its blood qi would rapidly drain away.

The Silverback Fish he caught last time had only lasted longer because it was the dead of winter and he had coincidentally wrapped it in ice.

He didn't have those conditions right now.

Moreover, Yunyi Island was extremely far from Changyun County. Even if he took the Ji family's fast boat, it would take at least a full shichen of travel.

If he carried it back like this, its medicinal efficacy would be reduced by more than half, which would be a terrible waste of a heavenly resource.

“Forget it, I might as well go all the way and just eat it. As for the Jade Heart Lotus Root, I can keep it safe and take it back during my time off to see if I can get Master to refine it into a pill.”

Having made up his mind, a ruthless gleam flashed in Shen Xiuhan's eyes.

His right hand shot out like lightning, thrusting two fingers deep into the Antler Chub's gills.

Unleashing his finger strength, he ripped outward with a violent tear!

With a dull snap, the Antler Chub's main nerve was violently severed.

The Precious Fish, which had been thrashing and splashing just moments ago, went stiff. Instantly losing all signs of life, it went limp and hung loosely in his grip.

Holding the fish, Shen Xiuhan tapped his toes lightly against the reef, using the momentum to glide toward a secluded spot on the shore.

He gathered a pile of dry branches and fallen leaves, started a bonfire with a flint, and skewered the roughly cleaned Antler Chub with a sharpened wooden branch, propping it over the fire to roast.

After confirming that no one was spying on him and that the bonfire would not easily go out, he wasted no time, turning around and plunging back into the lake with a loud splash.

Following the guidance of the pale golden light in his vision, he swam straight downward.

Although this was a shallow reef area, the location of the Precious Herb marked by the golden light was hidden deep within the silt of a rocky crevice over ten meters underwater.

With the blood qi circulating through his body, Shen Xiuhan held his breath and glided underwater.

The deeper he dove, the dimmer the light filtering through the lake surface became, and the colder the water grew.

He stroked his arms, parting thickets of dark green water grass that swayed with the currents.

After a brief moment, a soft, gentle glow suddenly lit up the dark lake bed.

Shen Xiuhan focused his gaze.

At the boundary of the sand and silt, a three-section spiritual lotus root, gleaming with a lustrous jade-like sheen and looking as if it were carved from the finest mutton-fat white jade, was quietly rooted.

The swirling rings of spiritual qi around it were exceptionally eye-catching in the dark underwater depths.

【Precious Herb: Jade Heart Lotus Root】!

Shen Xiuhan was overjoyed. Swimming forward, he carefully kept close to the edge of the silt and pulled it out entirely, rootlets and all.

Then, with a powerful kick of his legs, he shot upward like an arrow leaving a bow, parting the layers of water.

Water splashed as he broke through the surface, greedily inhaling the cool lake breeze.

Wiping the water droplets from his face, he carefully examined the flawless jade lotus root in his hand, which radiated an astonishing amount of spiritual qi. A smile naturally spread across his face.

“The Precious Herb is mine!”

Shen Xiuhan carefully wrapped the Jade Heart Lotus Root along with the pair of translucent, coral-like antlers into his clothes and tied them securely.

With a rare Precious Herb like this, he absolutely could not let even a trace of its aura leak out.

Having done this, he strode over to the bonfire.

After about fifteen minutes, the Antler Chub was roasted to a sizzle, its skin golden and crispy. A mouthwatering aroma wafted directly into his nose.