A powerful tug came, drawing the line further out. The reel spun furiously. Sheng Xuan yanked and gripped the reel handle. The line tensed. His fingers hurt.
"I caught something!" he said, preventing the reel handle from turning. The fish zipped left and right, the line cutting the water. Sheng Xuan felt like it wanted to drag him into the water. The fish was strong.
"Keep pulling and releasing. Tire it out," Sheng Feng said.
Sheng Xuan's arms tensed. The fish was stronger than he had expected. He gritted his teeth and slowly spun the reel. Sometimes he released a little, letting the fish drift out, then he pulled back, redirecting it. This back and forth lasted till his arms burned, his breathing heavy. Catching a spirit fish as a martial artist was not easy.
Sheng Feng guided him here and there. She held out her silvery-grey sword with a blue hilt, ready to strike down the fish. At the same time, she watched over the surroundings, her heart tense. If someone saw them, that would be bad.
Sweat covered his forehead. By now, the fish was sluggish. He pulled hard and slowly stepped back. His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Woosh!
A white-bellied, light-brown, arm-sized carp broke out of the water. It flapped fiercely, hanging on the greyish line. Sheng Xuan's eyes scoured for the expected marking. He did not notice anything distinct, his eagerness cooling.
Sheng Feng stepped forward, bringing the black net under, and caught the fish.
Sheng Xuan did not rush to examine. He took deep breaths while observing from afar as it flapped nonstop. Sheng Feng did the same. She was not sure if this was the right fish.
Sheng Xuan burnt a defense talisman, wrapping himself in a transparent white cocoon.
Sheng Feng said, "Be careful."
"Mm."
Sheng Xuan held his silvery sword with a red hilt. He slapped another talisman on the sword, making spirit qi ripple around the blade, amplifying the sharpness. When it came to dealing with spirit creatures, Sheng Xuan was always careful.
He slowly approached. The fish flapped randomly. He stabbed with his sword, piercing through its gill. Dark red gushed out. The fish flapped ferociously, using all its life force.
Sheng Xuan was about to strike again when a white jet shot out.
Bang!
A crack appeared on his defense screen. Sheng Xuan was alarmed. He decisively stabbed again, through its head this time. He did not do it at first to preserve the Sun Essence Stone if it had any.
Another white jet shot out, hitting hard against the screen, albeit it was weaker. There were no cracks. Sheng Xuan stabbed again. It did not move anymore. Finally, it died.
"Are you okay?" Sheng Feng asked.
"I am not paying for the pole anymore," he said dryly.
Sheng Feng regretted asking. She should have just stayed silent.
"Is this the fish you saw?" he asked.
"I am not sure. It could be. Also, since it could shoot out water jets, the chances are high," she said.
Sheng Xuan waited for a while, then he wore black gloves and took out the battered fish. He cut up the head, sliced it apart following her guidance. The likelihood this was just an ordinary spirit fish kept increasing.
Although disappointed, Sheng Xuan kept searching, cutting apart the head, then the body. He was not cutting methodically, so the meat was a mess. Sheng Feng butted in to prevent him from mixing up good meat with organ sacs. She could not stand to see spirit stones being wasted.
Sheng Xuan went through the meat and innards again. Since it was a spirit fish, the smell was not so bad. He noticed a small piece of innard. He cut it. Unexpectedly, a nail-sized, uneven golden stone was nestled inside. Sheng Xuan's eyes lit up. He slowly cut it out, holding it between his fingers.
"You found it!" Sheng Feng said in surprise, hiding the bitterness. She was about to look over at the fish parts too. If she had found it, she could have had an edge over him. She did not expect him to be so thorough.
Sheng Xuan inspected the essence stone. All that effort for this small thing. If he could not use it as a reference, it would be a total waste. He stored it alongside the fish parts.
"Help me wash my hands." He handed her a water bag.
Surprisingly, she listened, pouring water on his bloodied hands. She was worried he would leave now. He had what he wanted.
Sheng Xuan wiped his hands with a towel and looked over, curious.
"Why are you not paying attention to your pole?"
Sheng Feng scrutinized his face. "Are you going to leave?"
"Why would I?"
"You already have what you wanted."
"Yes, but we made a deal."
Sheng Feng furrowed her eyebrows. This did not seem like him. It had a texture of wanting to win over her favor? But the way he acted made it hard to tell. With men so far, she could easily tell when someone wanted more. Sheng Xuan was rather unreadable.
"Thank you," she whispered, and walked back to her pole, planted on the ground.
Since she had helped him, he did not mind helping back. Plus, he wanted to build a strong relationship. If he left, it would break and make it terrible, all his effort would be for nothing. Still, a part of him wanted to leave and return to his chamber.
Unlike before, Sheng Feng found his presence much more bearable.
Soon, she also caught a fish but it happened to be an ordinary spirit fish. Her heart sank. She did not give up. She tried again.
Even the second time, she gutted the fish, went through all the parts and found nothing. Her heart sank further.
Third time was worse. A fish bone poked her, causing her finger to bleed.
Fourth time was a failure too, making her feel miserable.
"Keep trying. It's only a matter of time," Sheng Xuan encouraged.
She did not reply and cast the line.
Sheng Xuan continued to study his Sun Sea Art.
Even the Moon was veiled behind clouds now. The world was pitch dark. Sheng Feng was starting to accept defeat. She had hoped she could finish her initiation early on, so she could have a headstart compared to others. Having Sheng Xuan nearby made her feel reassured in this chilly, insect-filled ornamental forest.
"How is it? Any more progress?" he gently asked, sitting beside her.
Sheng Feng was not in the mood to jump away, feeling tired.
"What progress? My luck is terrible compared to yours," she flatly said.
"Try these." He stretched his hand toward her. Pale Petal Sweets on his palm.
Sheng Feng was tempted but what if he had mixed something into them? She did not want to gamble. But she was tempted. She sighed.
"I am taking them but I will eat later." She grabbed the four pieces.
"Hey. You were supposed to take only one," he complained.
"Ah, sorry."
Sheng Feng blushed. She had done it without much thought.
Sheng Xuan raised an eyebrow. He could not tell if her face was red.
Sheng Feng tried to give three back. He did not take them.
"I was joking. They were meant for you," he chuckled. "Did you like them last time?"
"Mm. They are very sweet."
A breeze swept over, carrying Sheng Xuan's scent toward her. She smelled it. Refreshing. She rubbed her nose, embarrassed.
"You are sitting too close," she said.
"What do you mean? There is still a gap for another person."
Sheng Feng fell silent.
"Look. It's moving!" He pointed at the pole.
"Ah."
Sheng Feng quickly grabbed it, standing up.
Compared to Sheng Xuan, she was better at tiring the spirit fish. Soon, it was out of the water. A white-bellied blue-scaled fish. She had already caught a similar one before. Still, she hoped.
After killing and cutting, she thoroughly inspected every part. As she cut open an uneven organ, she saw a bright blue, uneven stone lodged inside.
"You found it!" Sheng Xuan chimed in.
Sheng Feng held her breath, carefully cutting around and taking out the knuckle-sized piece. She examined it for a while, joy welling up in her heart.
"I did it!" She smiled.
Sheng Xuan was holding a glow stone, so he clearly saw her face. Her smile was really pretty.
"Good job," he said. "It's time to leave."
"Mm."
She nodded at him, then packed everything and cleaned up. Sheng Xuan helped her wash her hands.
Sheng Feng cast one last glance at the pond and followed behind him. Her eyes landed on his broad and straight back. His figure was tall and surprisingly reassuring.
"Keep up." Sheng Xuan looked back.
She walked faster. Never mind reassuring.
They came out of the ornamental forest, looking at the tall buildings ahead.
They had taken a few steps when a loud voice rolled over.
"Who is there?"
Sheng Feng tensed up, clenching her fists.
Sheng Xuan did not care much. He pulled down his mask.
The guard walked over, holding a lantern. He examined the two of them.
"What are you two doing here?" he asked seriously.
"Just strolling around, getting some air."
"What about her?" The guard narrowed his eyes.
"She is with me. Same thing."
Sheng Feng's heart raced. She was afraid of being asked to take her mask off.
The guard's gaze shifted between them. Man and woman, alone at night, near the woods. He was suspicious. He wanted to question further.
Before the guard could inquire about Sheng Feng's mask, Sheng Xuan asked, "Do you know Master Bo?"
"Yes, how are you related to him?"
"I am his son."
The guard's expression changed, softening. He smiled. "You should have said that sooner, Young Master. Don't mind me. I was just patrolling here."
"No problem. Do you have any other question?"
"No, no. You can keep doing your thing."
"Alright."
He looked at Sheng Feng. "Let's go."
This time, she stayed a step ahead or on pace.
The guard observed their backs, rubbing his chin. "Ah, the joy of youth."
Sheng Xuan and Sheng Feng headed straight for the Eastern Pagoda. They did not talk much. Halfway, she removed her mask. Occasionally, she wanted to break the silence, only to purse her lips.
Soon, they saw the Eastern Pagoda in the distance.
Sheng Feng looked at him. "Let's separate here."
"Mm."
"Thank you," she softly said.
"You are welcome." He smiled.
Nodding, she turned and walked toward the pagoda.
Sheng Xuan watched her back. 'I wonder what she thinks of me now. Perhaps more normal than before.'
He headed toward another entrance, hurrying. He was tired.
He had just walked a few steps inside the hall when a voice drifted over.
"Brother Xuan."
Sheng Xuan blinked, recognizing that voice as Sheng Kuo's.