Dawn broke in the east.
Shen Xiuhan pushed open the door and stepped out of the room.
A thin layer of ice had formed over the water in the storage jar in the corner of the yard.
Shen Xiuhan grabbed a wooden stick to break the ice crust, scooped up a ladle of icy water, and splashed it straight onto his face.
The needle-like cold instantly banished the last remnants of sleepiness.
Inside the room, Shen Momo was still curled up in her blanket, sleeping soundly.
Madam Zheng was already up, busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen. The faint crackle of burning firewood could be heard in the yard.
Shen Xiuhan exhaled a puff of white mist and turned back into the house.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he gave a soft mental command.
【Today's intelligence has been refreshed!】
“Intelligence,” “Deduction,” “Resurrection,” “Prophecy”...
“Hmm?”
Shen Xiuhan frowned slightly.
He noticed that compared to yesterday, the system had four more golden options.
Shen Xiuhan tried them one by one, only to find to his helplessness that except for “Intelligence,” the other three options were like reflections in water, dispersing the moment he touched them.
A moment later, a vague prompt came from the system:
Deduction: Requires fifteen consecutive days of not using “Intelligence” to unlock.
Resurrection: Requires half a year.
Prophecy... Requires a full year.
Well, there was nothing more to say about that.
“Open today's intelligence!”
Whoosh!
The scene before his eyes shifted abruptly.
Several pale golden spots of light drifted into view out of thin air.
【Intelligence 1: Ma Xianyang, the third disciple of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall's inner court, has been stuck at the Blood Tempering stage for over two years. He wishes to rely on a Precious Fish to break through his bottleneck.】
【Yesterday, he happened to see the Silver-Striped Fish you caught, several of which had five or six stripes. He concluded that you must know where the Silverback Precious Fish is hiding!】
【His purchase of your fish at a high price and sending Chen An to escort you home yesterday were both to lull you into a false sense of security. In reality, he has already asked the Golden Dragon Gang to set up lookouts at the inner city gates, the fish market, and the fish stalls overnight.】
【Once you appear with a Precious Fish, in order to prevent the Bai family from laying their hands on it, he will lure you to a deserted area to ambush you, kill you, and steal the fish!】
Buzz!
Shen Xiuhan's head buzzed, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks!
Ma Xianyang...
...wants to kill me?!
That heroic and generous display of his yesterday was actually entirely an act?
Shen Xiuhan gasped, a sudden chill creeping up his spine.
The intelligence stated clearly that this man had been stuck at the Blood Tempering stage for a long time and wanted to rely on a Precious Fish to break through.
It was only natural that he had researched the details of various Precious Fish and knew the habits and characteristics of the Silverback Fish.
And since I am a tenant of the Bai family...
The Bai family is a top-tier noble clan in Changyun County, controlling numerous industries in both the inner and outer cities!
Alongside the county magistrate's office and the Zhendong Martial Arts Hall, they are one of the three dominant powers in Changyun County.
Although the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall is renowned, they would never dare to clash head-on with the Bai family!
Ma Xianyang is afraid that if I catch a Precious Fish, it will naturally be taken by the Bai family...
...which would cut off his chance at a breakthrough.
Therefore...
Yesterday at the fish market, when he saw those Silver-Striped Fish of mine, he had already developed murderous intent!
Shen Xiuhan closed his eyes slightly, slowly clenching his fists.
Ma Xianyang... What a Ma Xianyang. I'll remember this!
After a long while, Shen Xiuhan slowly opened his eyes, his expression already returned to calm.
【Intelligence 2: Mei Shuangfeng, the master of the inner city's Mei Family Martial Arts Hall, bears an infamous reputation but also possesses a righteous streak. Recently, he has been competing fiercely with the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall for disciples, with neither side willing to back down.】
【His personal disciple, Jiang Qinghong, was defeated in a sparring match by Zhao Honggang, the eldest senior brother of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall, due to a limitation in cultivation, leading to a significant loss of disciples.】
【Mei Shuangfeng is secretly looking to purchase a Precious Fish, hoping his disciple can break through to wash away the disgrace and restore the prestige of the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall!】
“Oh?”
Shen Xiuhan's eyes lit up, a plan instantly forming in his mind.
If I can catch a Silverback Fish today, I can start with this Mei Shuangfeng. Perhaps I can find a better opportunity to break this deadlock.
Suppressing this thought for the moment, Shen Xiuhan continued reading the other intelligence:
【Intelligence 3: After Auntie Li learned from Chen An that you made money selling fish, she immediately egged Uncle Chen on to demand the debt. However, Uncle Chen and his son both refused, saying that the Shen family is having a hard time and there is no need to press them.】
【Auntie Li made a scene, crying and pointing at Uncle Chen's nose, screaming, “You old bastard Chen, have you taken a liking to that pretty widow next door?!” Uncle Chen was so furious that steam practically blew from his ears. He trapped Auntie Li in the room and gave her a good “disciplining.”】
【After a whole hour of commotion, the two of them actually fell asleep in each other's arms, leaving Chen An next door almost completely sleepless all night...】
Shen Xiuhan's lips twitched slightly.
What in the world is this... You'd better mean actual “disciplining”!
Shaking his head, he scanned down, only to see that the remaining four pieces of intelligence were still the same as yesterday.
Presumably, because he hadn't obtained them yet, they remained suspended on the light screen.
【Intelligence 4: ...The Silverback Precious Fish is active in the shallows of Xiaojing Bay.】
【Intelligence 5: ...In the hollow of the largest dead tree in the withered forest, covered by dry grass, lies the winter food hoard of a Gold-Tailed Rat.】
【Intelligence 6: ...In the backyard of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall in the inner city of Changyun County, the original manuscript of the Huajin-level stance technique, the 『Tongbei Stance』, is kept.】
【Intelligence 7: ...Deep within Cloudwater Lake, there lie the relics and inheritance of a legacy disciple from the “Diaohai Pavilion”...】
Of all the intelligence, the sixth and seventh items seemed the most perilous at the moment.
The Tongbei Martial Arts Hall went without saying.
The secret manual was hidden in the backyard, which was bound to be teeming with experts—a literal dragon's den.
As for the relics and inheritance of the Diaohai Pavilion's legacy disciple...
Shen Xiuhan frowned as he tried to recall.
Within the borders of Changyun County, there was absolutely no organization called “Diaohai Pavilion.”
It had to be a power from another county, or even the prefectural capital!
Moreover, that pale golden spot of light was located deep within Cloudwater Lake.
The place where his father, Shen Sanhuai, had lost his life to a water monster was merely in the slightly deeper waters of the outer perimeter.
It was easy to imagine that the depths of Cloudwater Lake were extremely dangerous.
“My current strength is too low. I must absolutely not go there. I'll make plans for it later.”
Shen Xiuhan made up his mind in secret.
“Big bwother...”
As he was thinking, a cute, sleepy murmur came from beside him.
Shen Momo slowly woke up on the bed.
Before Shen Xiuhan could even stand up,
the little girl scrambled up, burrowed into his arms like a kitten, and muttered in a babyish voice,
“Big bwother, I want to eat roasted fish bones...”
Shen Xiuhan pulled her into his arms, smoothing down her messy, sleep-tousled hair, and chuckled.
“Greedy so early in the morning?”
“Mother is busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen. We have meat to eat today, you know. Do you really still want to eat roasted fish bones?”
Hearing this, a conflicted expression immediately appeared on Shen Momo's tiny face.
She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then shook her head like a rattle drum.
“Then never mind. Momo wants to eat meat-meat! I'll eat roasted fish bones at noon instead...”
Shen Xiuhan couldn't help but laugh.
He found a hair tie on the kang table and, following his memory, clumsily tied her hair into a sky-pointing ponytail.
The little girl rolled her eyes upward, trying her best to look, but she couldn't see what was on top of her head at all.
She reached up with her tiny hand to feel around. When she realized there was a tuft of “sprout hair” sticking straight up on her head, she was instantly tickled pink, collapsing onto the bed and giggling uncontrollably.
“What are you giggling about so early in the morning?”
Madam Zheng lifted the straw curtain, carrying a tray.
Instantly, a rich, savory aroma filled the entire thatched cottage.
On the tray sat several bowls of steaming millet porridge, along with a few palm-sized cornbread cakes.
The surface of the cornbread was toasted to a golden-brown crisp, glistening with oil. It was obvious at a glance that they had been fried in lard.
Even more eye-catching was a side bowl containing a few thin slices of cured meat, also stir-fried in lard, making it the perfect accompaniment to the porridge.
“Wow, what a feast!”
Shen Momo's large eyes went round, and she reached out her tiny hand toward the cornbread.
“Smack!”
Mid-air, her hand was lightly slapped on the back by the quick-handed Madam Zheng.
Madam Zheng stepped forward and took the little girl from Shen Xiuhan's arms.
Glimpsing the sky-pointing ponytail on her head, the corner of Madam Zheng's mouth twitched into a smile. Suppressing her laughter, she carried the little girl straight out of the room.
“Where are your manners? I'm taking you to rinse your mouth and wash your face first!”
“Nooo! Big bwother, save me...”
The little girl squirmed desperately in Madam Zheng's arms, letting out a series of wails.
“Mother rubs my face too hard! Momo's skin is gonna be rubbed off...”
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