Infinite Professions-Chapter 149 - 66: Spirit Stream

And so, half a month later.

In the Red Maple Valley, at its edge, a stream flows gently.

It is precisely the Red Maple Spirit Stream.

Within Red Maple Valley runs an earth vein, which converges with an underground dark river, flowing to the surface to form this stream that is neither deep nor shallow, neither big nor small—the Red Maple Spirit Stream.

Shen Hex carried a bamboo pole and a fish basket, arriving at the bamboo forest by the stream.

"Younger Brother Zhong!"

Unexpectedly, sitting within the bamboo forest was a man dressed like an old farmer, none other than Yang Qii.

He was holding a cyan bamboo pole, sitting by the spirit stream fishing. Seeing Shen Hex come with a fishing rod and basket, he was a bit surprised: "Younger Brother Zhong, you also enjoy the pleasure of fishing?"

Shen Hex looked at him as well: "Brother Yang is also a fellow enthusiast?"

With that, he approached and looked at the fish basket beside Yang Qii: "How’s the catch?"

"Well..."

Yang Qii seemed a bit embarrassed, discreetly moving his basket behind his foot: "I’ve just arrived too, haven’t caught anything yet. But I’ve been baiting here for three days, throwing in ten pounds of spirit rice husks. There must be quite a few treasure fish in the nest now. Come, let’s fish together."

"Thank you, Brother Yang, for your kind offer, but how can a fisherman occupy someone else’s spot?"

Shen Hex shook his head and politely declined, then leapt across to the opposite bank of the stream, setting himself dozens of meters downstream from Yang Qii.

"Younger Brother Zhong, why be so polite?"

Though separated by dozens of meters, this distance was nothing to the two Gang Qi Martial Artists. Yang Qii baited his hook while conversing with Shen Hex through condensed Qi transmission.

"Younger Brother Zhong, you’ve managed your spirit field quite well. It’s surprising that someone as young as you has such skills, better than some old farmers in Red Maple Valley."

Shen Hex replied, "Brother Yang overpraises me. I come from a farming family, one could say I grew up rolling in the rice paddies, so I’m quite adept at farming."

Yang Qii suddenly understood: "So that’s it, no wonder, no wonder. But younger brother, pay attention: farming in the cultivation realm is much like the mundane world, vulnerable to wind and rain, locusts and insect plagues."

He sighed, "Those cultivators can use magic to protect their spirit fields. We martial artists don’t have such capabilities, so if we encounter storms, we can only hire cultivators to cast spells for protection, which costs quite a few spirit stones and might swallow up a year’s harvest."

"Being a Martial Cultivator isn’t easy!"

Shen Hex also let out a sigh.

"Lift!!!"

Just as they finished lamenting, Yang Qii let out a shout, raising his bamboo pole, pulling something out of the water—a black and white osmanthus fish with faint golden patterns.

"Haha!"

Yang Qii laughed, grabbing the fish and transmitting to Shen Hex: "Brother, I’ve hit the jackpot!"

"Oh?"

Shen Hex’s voice came back: "What kind of spirit fish did you catch?"

"A golden spot osmanthus, not yet matured into a spirit fish, but it can sell for a spirit stone at the marketplace. The Drunken Immortal Tower buys them."

Yang Qii’s voice carried a hint of pride: "The source of this spirit stream is an underground river beneath Red Maple Valley, merging with the valley’s spirit vein, so it nurtures many exotic spirit fish and rare spiritual objects, including the golden spot osmanthus."

He shook his head, "Unfortunately, the rich resources stay within our own field, as Red Maple Valley has long sealed the underground river to prevent the fish and objects from leaking out. They even established a Spirit Fisherman position, letting cultivators skilled in nurturing spirit fish take care of it."

"Oh?"

Shen Hex raised an eyebrow: "Does this mean there’s a place for a Spirit Fisherman in Red Maple Valley?"

"Of course."

Yang Qii shook his head: "But it’s highly competitive. The underground river intertwines with Red Maple Valley’s spirit veins, its spiritual qi is extremely abundant, comparable to the market’s cave mansion, so the Spirit Fisherman position is highly sought after, requiring both fishing skills and a bribe for the steward."

Shen Hex furrowed his brow: "Isn’t that paying to work?"

"Exactly!"

Yang Qii said with a bitter smile: "Even so, many vie for it, among them are even Qi Refining Realm practitioners. Most cultivators in Red Maple Valley can’t secure a Spirit Fisherman position, let alone us Martial Cultivators."

"Is that so?"

Shen Hex murmured: "Then, the spirit fish in this stream..."

"The underground river is extensive, always yielding some fish that escape the net!"

Yang Qii chuckled lightly: "Additionally, Red Maple Valley needs to maintain this spirit stream, ensuring Martial Cultivators like us can farm spirit fields. Therefore, there will always be some spirit fish or objects in the stream waiting for fated individuals like us."

"This is one of Red Maple Valley’s attractions for cultivators, offering free fishing in the spirit stream."

"Of course, you can only fish, not net, and certainly can’t use magic or martial arts to capture directly. If caught or reported, you’ll be heavily fined in spirit stones and expelled from the valley."

"Fishing is challenging, requiring bait investment, making profitless trades impossible. One might even end up supplementing spirit stones to feed the spirit fish in the stream with time and bait."

As he spoke, Yang Qii placed the golden spot osmanthus fish into the basket, continuing to converse with Shen Hex.

"Younger Brother Zhong, to catch spirit fish, you can’t rely solely on spirit rice as bait, since this spirit stream contains not only spirit fish but also many common species and lower-tier treasure fish."

"If you only use spirit rice as bait, no amount would be enough for the ordinary fish. You must add some specially formulated bait that repels common fish and attracts spirit and treasure fish."

"I just happen to have such a bait recipe, that can drive away ordinary fish and entice spirit and treasure fish. Younger Brother Zhong, if you’re interested, for just five spirit stones, I’ll sell the recipe..."

"Splash, splash, splash!"

Before he finished speaking, there was a loud splash.

Yang Qii’s eyes narrowed, rising to look. He saw in the distance, Shen Hex lifting his rod, pulling a foot-long carp from the water, its body crimson with golden lines on its back.

"Red Blooded Carp?"

Yang Qii’s eyes shrunk, his expression one of utter shock.

"How is it possible, how did he catch a Red Blooded Carp?"

"This is a dragon species spirit fish, even at Tier One, it’s worth fifty spirit stones."

"Did he just catch my year’s farming earnings with a single pull?"

"Could it be he also baited a big nest here?"

"No, no, no, he’s been busy planting seedlings these days, when would he have time to bait here?"

"Was it dumb luck, or did he use some special bait?"

Yang Qii’s eye flickered with changing expressions but quickly steadied, cupping his hands to congratulate Shen Hex: "Congratulations, Younger Brother Zhong, this is a Red Blooded Carp, the most valuable spirit fish in the Red Maple Spirit Stream. I’ve waited for decades and it’s the first time I’ve seen someone catch one."

"Just luck!"

Shen Hex replied with a light smile, quickly subduing the lively Red Blooded Carp and placing it in the basket, then resumed fishing.

"Hmm!?"

"Having caught a Red Blooded Carp, yet not leaving!"

"Does he trust the valley’s safety, or is it sheer confidence in his skills?"

Yang Qii’s eyes flickered, showing a hint of struggle, but in the end, he sat back down, quietly continuing to fish.

"Splash, splash, splash!"

Yet just as he settled, water splashed again. Yang Qii looked over in amazement, seeing Shen Hex lift his bamboo pole, drawing another golden spot osmanthus fish from the water.

"..."

In an instant, the bamboo forest was silent, save for the osmanthus fish’s jumping sounds.