"Hurry up, hurry up! The family head gave orders. This batch of fry has to be released at specific spots, and the numbers in each area need to be just right. Be careful with them! These are Golden Dragon Carp! Once they mature, they're first-tier demonic beasts, and if they're raised well, they might even reach the second tier. If you damage even a single one, be ready to pay at least five hundred spirit stones! And don't argue with me about how the fry aren't worth that much; I'm counting their value once they're fully grown!"

Across the misty lake surface, small boats spread out from Lotus Picking Island. At fixed intervals of ten li, they released batches of fry. At the same time, they scattered large amounts of feed into the water. The feed was made from spirit herbs ground into powder and mixed together. It was one of the Golden Dragon Carp's favorite foods. With regular consumption, it could speed up their growth and help them mature sooner.

This feed was expensive. Zhang Jiadi had emptied his savings for this venture, yet it still covered less than a tenth of what was needed. Heavenjade even stepped in and contributed five hundred thousand spirit stones. Only then did they manage to secure the first batch of Golden Dragon Carp and enough feed. With such a heavy investment, there was no room for mistakes. The entire Zhang family from Lotus Picking Island mobilized for the task. Aside from Wen Xiu, who needed to remain at Azure Yang Shop in the city, everyone else took part. Cultivators and even mortal martial artists joined in.

Zhang Jiadi himself sat in a small boat and carefully released a batch of fry. When he straightened up, his expression was full of hope. Golden Dragon Carp had exceptionally tender and delicious meat and contained rich spirit energy. They were one of the most prized delicacies in the Northern Sea. If not for their demanding growth conditions, requiring spirit-energy-rich environments, they would have been just as widely consumed as spirit rice. He had not taken this up on a whim; what piqued his interest was a conversation with a customer at the Azure Yang Shop where he'd learned about the Coldlight Island battle.

Interestingly enough, it was not Azure Yang's battle prowess that drew his attention, but the fact that the battle had taken place at a major family's Golden Dragon Carp farm. The damage inflicted by the battle had wiped out the entire stock and devastated the market. Since then, Golden Dragon Carp became scarce, and their market price surged several times over. After learning this, he decided to act.

Surging Lake had excellent water quality, abundant spirit energy, and plenty of aquatic plants and algae beneath. It was an ideal environment for raising Golden Dragon Carp. No one had attempted it before because few knew the breeding methods, the initial investment was too high, and rogue cultivators rarely settled down long enough to build stable industries. As a result, Surging Lake had remained unused. For the Zhang family, however, these obstacles were manageable, especially since they intended to establish a lasting cultivation family. More importantly, Wen Xiu knew how to raise Golden Dragon Carp! Thus, after obtaining Heavenjade's approval, the project moved forward fully.

Although the main site and most of the funding come from Senior, our Zhang family contributes manpower, so we still get a ten percent cut. Once things scale up, that share alone could bring in well over a hundred thousand a year, he thought.

Zhang Jiadi smiled, as if he could already see the beautiful scene of casting nets and harvesting Golden Dragon Carps. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and looked around. "Where is Qingqing?"

A low-tier cultivator beside him replied, "She rode the white horse puppet you gave her and went out to play. She didn't board the boat earlier."

"She ran off again?" Zhang Jiadi frowned.

If he had known, he would not have given her that gift. The little white horse was a second-tier puppet. It could skim across water and fly through the air. It was simple to operate and commonly used by cultivators in the Northern Sea. Once equipped with spirit stones, even a mortal could control them with a simple device. Qingqing was not yet five, but she was already quick-witted and full of energy. Ever since she got the white horse, she had been out playing all day.

"Family head, should I go bring her back?"

"It's fine, let her be!" Zhang Jiadi shook his head. She was only playing within Surging Lake. With the protective measure granted by Heavenjade, nothing serious would happen as long as she did not disturb the master's cultivation on Surging Island. Once he finished his work, he would go find her himself.

Such was the way of fathers with their children. The lake was within the family's domain, and he had too much to handle. It was best to just let the little girl discover the world on her own.

***

On the calm lake surface, green lotus leaves stretched endlessly to the horizon. Some pink buds were just about to bloom. Suddenly, a breeze swept through, and a figure rushed in, disturbing the calm water.

"Go! Go! Go!"

A childish voice rang out cheerfully; its tone made it hard to tell whether it belonged to a boy or a girl. Then, the speaker came into view. A delicate little girl rode a white horse and skimmed across the waves at great speed. Once she left the stretch of lotus leaves behind, she flicked her hand backward.

Whooshhhh!

A kite rose into the wind. The girl's eyes shone with excitement. She held the reins with one hand and the kite's handle with the other. Even so, she felt it was not fast enough. She reached down and twisted the device on the white horse.

"Horsey, faster, faster! If Mom finds out, she won't let me play like this anymore."

As she adjusted the device, the white horse picked up speed. It grew faster and faster until the little girl began to struggle. Even though she had been nourished with spirit medicine since childhood and bathed in spirit energy that made her strong for her age, she was still only a child, not even five years of age. The kite suddenly rose, and the handle slipped from her grasp into the water. The girl froze for a moment and instinctively turned to grab it.

Splasshhhh!

She fell straight into the lake. She immediately struggled as water surged toward her. But the moment it touched her, it was repelled by a green light.

"Huh?"

The little girl froze for a moment, then reached into her robe and took something out. It was a feather, a gift from Aunt Heavenjade, who often visited her home. Under her awed gaze, green light spread from the feather and gently pushed the surrounding water away.

"This is fun!"

The girl grew even more excited, and she didn't even bother with the fallen white horse. Her big eyes shone with curiosity, and with the feather in hand, she dove straight toward the bottom of the lake.

"Mom never lets me go into the water. Hmph! I'm going to see what's down there."

With the feather, she moved like a small fish, diving deeper and deeper. The water pressure increased as she descended, but the green light shielded her from it; it took a while for her to even feel strained. Just as she was about to turn back, she suddenly stiffened.

"What..."

Deep beneath the lake, two lights flared to life. They glowed like lanterns in the darkness.