Shen Xiuhan was overjoyed. His muscles trembled as he forcefully yanked the rod upward!
This time, there was barely any decent resistance.
Splash!
Amidst the splashing water, a massive fish with its white belly flipped upward was dragged out of the water.
The fish was as long as an adult's arm and as wide as two fists put together.
Its appearance was vastly different from a Silver-Striped Fish.
Instead of stripes on its back, it was a solid sheet of pure silver that shimmered with a cold metallic luster, like spilled quicksilver.
And what was most terrifying was the extremely sharp bone spike, about the length of a palm, growing from the front of its snout!
“I finally caught it...”
Shen Xiuhan let out a long sigh of relief and was about to drag this Precious Fish onto the ice.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
The seemingly exhausted Silverback Fish suddenly launched itself from the water at an unbelievable angle!
The sharp spike on its snout shot toward Shen Xiuhan's face like an arrow released from a bowstring!
“Holy crap!”
Shen Xiuhan's scalp tingled, and cold sweat broke out all over his body in an instant!
It was too close!
He had no time to dodge. Relying entirely on instinct, he reflexively held the bamboo rod horizontally in front of him to block!
Crack!
With a crisp snap, the bamboo rod was broken in half by the bone spike!
A surge of immense force slammed into his chest through the broken rod. Shen Xiuhan's feet slipped, and he fell backward heavily onto the ice.
Scrape!
A crisp sound of ice splitting rang out right by his ear.
The palm-length spike brushed past Shen Xiuhan's cheek, embedding itself all the way to its base in the ice less than two inches from his ear!
Had the bamboo rod not blocked it and thrown off its aim, the Silverback Fish's final deathbed struggle would have pierced right through his skull!
Shen Xiuhan broke out in a cold sweat, his heart pounding like a drum.
Before he could catch his breath from the terror of his narrow escape, the Silverback Fish, with half its body pinned to the ice, began to struggle frantically, its thick and powerful tail thrashing wildly in the air.
Smack! Smack!
In the end, poor Shen Xiuhan could not escape the beast's retaliation. He was slapped hard twice across the face, leaving a burning pain.
“You beast!”
Shen Xiuhan was furious!
Scrambling on all fours, he rushed to the ice hole. Ignoring the cold, he scooped up a handful of icy lake water mixed with ice shards and splashed it over the thrashing Silverback Fish.
The biting cold showed its power at this moment.
In an instant, the icy water froze solid.
This cunning and fierce Silverback Fish was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture!
...
Having done this, Shen Xiuhan panted heavily and collapsed onto the ice.
As the adrenaline faded, a bone-chilling cold rushed over him like a tide.
Having been completely oblivious during his brush with death, he only now realized that his hands and feet were numb with cold, and his entire body was shaking uncontrollably.
Shen Xiuhan did not dare to linger. After catching his breath slightly, he struggled to his feet.
He forcefully pulled the Silverback Fish, which was deeply embedded in the ice, and set it aside.
Then, he looked down at the bamboo rod broken into two pieces and let out a helpless, bitter laugh.
In his mind, the honest and dull figure of Shen Sanhuai involuntarily appeared.
This bamboo rod was something he had personally carved and polished bit by bit when he was alive.
If his soul knew in the afterlife that the rod he made with his own hands had saved his son's life, he would surely be deeply comforted.
“But... it is also time to get a new rod,” Shen Xiuhan calculated to himself.
The broken rod in his hand was fine for catching ordinary river fish in a pinch.
But if he encountered a fierce Precious Fish like the Silverback Fish again, there was absolutely no way he could handle it.
Wait!
Shen Xiuhan suddenly realized.
With the Silverback Fish caught, the Silver-Striped Fish below would surely be startled. If he did not seize the time to catch a few, they would probably disperse soon, making them hard to find again.
He quickly baited the hook with millet and cast it down the ice hole again.
Unfortunately, he was still a step too late.
Shen Xiuhan's reaction was fast enough, but the school of Silver-Striped Fish no longer had any interest in feeding.
After casting his hook several times, he only managed to catch three four-striped Silver-Striped Fish before the water went completely silent, with no more bites.
As for the five-striped fish he had thrown back earlier, it had long since darted off to who knew where.
“Forget it. I shouldn't be too greedy. This Precious Fish is already my greatest harvest.”
Shen Xiuhan sighed and decisively reeled in his line.
Turning to look at the Silverback Fish on the ground, he thought for a moment and did not put it into his creel.
An ordinary man is guiltless, but possessing a treasure makes him a target.
Since Ma Xianyang had already set up lookouts, if he paraded through the streets with the Precious Fish so openly, he would likely have no chance of survival.
Therefore, the Precious Fish could not be brought into the city!
With a shift in his thoughts, a plan came to Shen Xiuhan's mind.
He gathered the loose floating ice from around the ice hole and piled it on the surface, wrapping the Silverback Fish tightly within the crushed ice.
Then, he scooped up several more handfuls of bone-chilling lake water and splashed it over the ice repeatedly.
The lake water quickly froze.
Within moments, the Silverback Fish was frozen into a giant block of ice.
Next, Shen Xiuhan carefully hid it deep within the dense reed marshes.
Covering it with snow, it blended perfectly into the wintry landscape, making it impossible for anyone to tell what was hidden inside.
Having done this, his eyes flickered.
On his retina, the pale golden light representing the Precious Fish was still flashing quietly.
“The coordinates are still there, so I don't have to worry about losing it.” Shen Xiuhan relaxed.
He stuffed the three newly caught Silver-Striped Fish into his battered creel, grabbed the broken rod, and strode off through the wind and snow toward Changyun County.
...
Changyun County, Inner City.
The city walls were towering, their blue bricks covered in a thick layer of snow.
The city gates stood wide open, with people bustling back and forth.
There were street vendors carrying shoulder poles, women with baskets on their arms, and martial artists with sabers and swords hanging from their waists walking in a hurry.
“Candied hawthorns! Get your candied hawthorns here...”
“Fragrant tea! Come and have some fragrant tea! Only two copper coins a pot...”
“Steamed buns! Fresh out of the steamer! Piping hot buns...”
Shen Xiuhan stepped through the inner city gate, walking at an unhurried pace. After just a few steps, he suddenly glanced at the teahouse on his left.
Near the window, two men wearing the brown robes of the Golden Dragon Gang sat facing each other.
One was rather thin, with high cheekbones.
The other was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with his collar thrown open despite the freezing weather.
The two seemed to be casually chatting and drinking tea, but Shen Xiuhan keenly sensed that their gazes were constantly drifting toward him.
Ma Xianyang's men!
‘Fortunately, I thought a step ahead and didn't bring the Silverback Fish into the city. Otherwise...’
Shen Xiuhan kept his eyes straight, his expression completely normal, and he continued walking into the city without stopping.
Seeing him walk away, the thinner man set down his teacup, wiped his mouth, and said,
“No scent of a Precious Fish.”
“Yeah, just some ordinary river fish.”
“I'll go tail him. You stay here and watch to see if that kid had someone else bring the thing in.”
“Got it.”
Shen Xiuhan walked unhurriedly to the side of the street, cupped his hands to a vendor selling frozen pears, and asked for directions to the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall.
Then, carrying his creel on his back, he headed straight toward the South Market alley, seemingly entirely unaware of the person tailing him from a distance.
Before long, an imposing gatehouse appeared before him.
The gates were painted with red lacquer, and the bronze studs were polished bright.
Hanging above the lintel was a plaque with gold characters on a black background, which read:
“Tongbei Martial Arts Hall.”
The calligraphy was powerful and vigorous, exuding a sharp, fierce aura.
And after he stepped onto the stone steps, the prickling sensation of being watched from behind vanished without a trace before long.
Shen Xiuhan quickly stole a glance back, only catching a glimpse of a thin silhouette as it ducked into a side street.
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