114: Chapter 114 The Fisherman Will Never Go Home Empty-Handed
At dawn the next day, the main force packed their gear and began the return journey.
When they arrived, they had moved cautiously due to searching for ruins and dealing with exotic beasts.
On the return trip, their goal was clear, and their speed was significantly faster. In just one day, they had exited the inner circle of the Emei Mountain Range and reached the relatively safe outer region.
The second day after leaving the inner circle.
Lin Mo asked Teacher An Nuolan to find Captain Gu Miaoyu and request that they be allowed to stay in the outer region for a few days to train.
Captain Gu Miaoyu assumed they wanted to use this environment to continue honing their strength, as they had already left the most dangerous inner circle.
Although there were exotic beasts in the outer region, most were low-level species, which they were now strong enough to handle.
After a moment of thought, she nodded in agreement, simply adding a brief, "Stay safe."
Lin Mos Squad then parted ways with the main force.
Watching the figures of the main group gradually shrink into the distance, Lu Mengmeng jumped with excitement:
"Great! Finally, we don't have to follow the main force and rush our pace!"
Lin Mo clapped his hands with a smile: "Everyone, I'll say it again: one Medicinal Pill for every Yi Jing medicinal herb. The more you work, the more you get!"
Teacher An Nuolan shook her head helplessly: "I knew you were up to no good. Calling it training—you're clearly just thinking about gathering herbs."
Despite what she said, her footsteps were faster than anyone else's.
Being able to trade for Medicinal Pills without spending money—how could they pass up such a good opportunity?
Teacher Shen Yao looked at the lush mountain forest around them and took a deep breath of fresh air: "Actually, this is not bad. Compared to rushing, exploring slowly is more interesting."
Everyone chatted and laughed as they moved through the mountain forest, gathering herbs.
Just after they parted ways with the main force, countless black shadows split into two groups, one large and one small, following them...
By evening, the golden glow of the setting sun washed over the mountain forest, gilding the layered leaves in a warm red.
Beside a pool of water.
Teacher An Nuolan and Teacher Shen Yao stood guard by the campfire, holding branches and turning two huge beast legs roasting over the fire.
Grease dripped down the crispy skin, sparking tiny embers in the fire, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of meat, whetting everyone's appetite.
Not far away, Su Xiaoxiao and Mu Liuli were working together to pitch a tent.
The evening breeze lifted the corners of the canvas, and the two chatted as they set up the frame, their movements coordinated and light.
Lin Mo, Niu Dachun, and Lu Mengmeng squatted side-by-side by the pool, each holding a homemade fishing rod.
The bamboo poles were tied with fishing line scavenged from their backpacks, and the hooks were polished from beast bones.
The three held their breath, staring at the bobbers on the water, their expressions as focused as if they were performing some important ritual.
"Boss, are there really fish in this pool? We've been fishing for ages and there's no movement."
Lu Mengmeng shook the bamboo rod in her hand, her little Face fallen, clearly having lost patience.
"What's the rush? The big fish are all resting at the bottom of the water."
Lin Mo didn't even blink, his fingertips gently twisting the fishing line to adjust the angle. "Look how clear the water is; there must be big guys hiding down there."
"Brother Mo, doesn't the book say 'clear water has no fish'?" Niu Dachun asked naively.
"What do you know?" Lin Mo didn't even raise his head. "Can you believe everything written in books? Talk less and wait patiently."
Ten slow minutes passed, and the bobber on the water remained motionless, like a small piece of wood nailed to the surface.
"Boss, let's just forget it. I suddenly don't want to eat fish today. I think the roast meat is fine." Lu Mengmeng couldn't sit still anymore.
"Wait a bit longer, we'll get a bite soon." Lin Mo was not giving up, his gaze fixed on the water becoming increasingly determined.
Another ten minutes slipped away, and the bobber still had no movement at all—not even a shrimp had taken the bait.
"Boss, I need to pee..." Lu Mengmeng said with a slumped Face, finding the most irrefutable excuse.
"Brother Mo, I, I'm also in a bit of a rush..." Niu Dachun also stood up, looking embarrassed.
"Get lost, get lost! You two impatient brats don't deserve to be fishermen!" Lin Mo waved his hand impatiently to shoo them away.
The two were as if granted amnesty; they dropped their fishing rods with a "whoosh" and bolted back to the camp.
No one wanted to provoke an obsessed fisherman.
Lin Mo stared at the water, muttering, "The water is so clear, how can there be no fish?"
He had previously patted his chest and promised to treat everyone to fish tonight. If he "returned empty-handed," wouldn't that be too embarrassing?
"Sigh, if only there was a seafood market right now..." He swallowed the words before finishing. "No, that's not right. Fishermen never become slaves... Ugh, wait, I mean they never return empty-handed!"
However, another ten minutes passed, and the bobber remained as steady as Mount Tai, not even a ripple to be seen.
"Damn it, screw this!"
Lin Mo finally snapped, slamming his fishing rod onto the ground.
He simply reached out, condensing his Soul Power into a small, palm-sized Pill Furnace, and casually tossed it into the depths of the pool.
"Thud!"
With a dull thud, the Pill Furnace smashed into the bottom of the pool and exploded. The entire pool shook violently, and the water surface instantly surged into waves.
Immediately after, a dozen large fish, each weighing seven or eight pounds, floated up with their white bellies exposed.
"Aha! I told you this pool must have big fish!" Lin Mo's eyes lit up, deliberately ignoring the pairs of contemptuous eyes behind him.
He directly controlled the Pill Furnace to enlarge, scooping it through the water like a giant net, instantly catching seven or eight large fish.
Meanwhile, in the shadows deep within the forest, seven pairs of eyes were coldly staring at them.
"Wait until later—beat that kid a few extra times before knocking him out and taking him away! I hate these classless fishermen the most in my life; they don't follow any rules!"
The person beside him chimed in: "Exactly! If you return empty-handed, just admit you're a loser; it's not shameful."
Lin Mo carried the seven or eight large fish toward the camp, a shameless look of triumph on his Face.
As soon as he approached the fire, he was mocked by Teacher An Nuolan: "Is this what you call fishing? This is clearly blast fishing!"
"Don't worry about the details. Isn't it enough that we have fish to eat?" Lin Mo threw the fish on a rock and picked up a dagger to start cleaning them.
"Tonight, I'll let you taste what 'Soul Grilled Fish' is."
Lu Mengmeng and Niu Dachun, who didn't deserve to be fishermen, shamelessly crowded over again.
"Boss, why are these fish scales glowing blue? Is it an exotic beast?"
"Good eye." Lin Mo scraped the fish scales. "This is called a Azure Spirit Fish. The meat is firm and crisp, and eating it can increase Soul Power."
"Oh, oh, I'll help..."
Soon, everyone witnessed Lin Mo's "secret to grilled fish."
He directly condensed an alchemy furnace, wrapped the cleaned fish in fresh banana leaves, threw them into the furnace, and slowly baked them using the temperature inherent to his Martial Soul.
"Lin Mo, you're really something! Using a Martial Soul as a grill—how did you even think of that?"
"However... this fish smells really good."
As soon as it got dark, a tempting aroma wafted from the camp, and the very air was filled with the charred scent of grilled fish.
The seven men in black in the shadows stared fixedly at the campfire, their Adam's apples bobbing uncontrollably.
After rushing around all day, smelling this aroma made their stomachs growl.
After dinner, Lin Mo didn't rush to the tent to rest, but instead strolled slowly around the camp.
Every two steps, he would crouch down and gently press his palm against the ground.
He only crawled into the tent after finishing all of this.
"What was that kid doing just now?" A man in black asked in a low voice from the shadows.
"I don't know, I can't tell." Another person frowned. "Could he be setting up traps to defend against exotic beasts?"
"Doesn't look like it... I didn't see him dig any holes or bury anything."
The third person had observed carefully and spoke with a puzzled tone.
The scarred man leading them snorted coldly: "Ignore it; he probably just sprinkled some powder to ward off exotic beasts. When we make our move later, disable their alarm system first."
The group acknowledged and continued to lie in wait in the shadows.