Water elemental became a god, ultimately becoming the master of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers

Chapter 156 Pisces' Treasure Hunt: An Amazing Discovery

In the Grand Canal.

The golden-scaled catfish and the silver scholar glided silently across the bottom of the water, one after the other.

The silver scholar held a 'Golden-Headed Tyrant' in his mouth, which, like a compass, hummed and vibrated from time to time, guiding the two fish to the location of the potential treasure.

Before the two fish were put into the water, Chen Shunan had given them careful instructions—

"Keep your distance from people," "Look for things that glow, fish you've never seen before, and hard things," "If you find a fish you want to eat, take only one bite; you must bring it to the gods," "Don't go to waters that look like ox horns," "Golden-scaled catfish, don't open your mouth; there's a father in your mouth, and if something happens to him, he'll hold you responsible," "If you encounter anything strange or incomprehensible, call upon my divine name"...

It serves as both a survival guide and important notes for underwater treasure hunting.

Of course, no matter how much Chen Shunan said, it was useless for Jin Lin Gui.

It can't remember.

The main reason is still the Silver Scholar, who acts as the strategist. He has strong self-management skills and keeps the two fish and one insect in check.

When the Silver Scholar learned that the God had actually allowed it to return to the waters, it was overjoyed and agreed without hesitation.

Despite the various unfair terms and conditions, despite moving from a small cage to a slightly larger one, and despite the need for regular performance reviews...

At least they don't have to feel stifled in a small fish tank anymore, where even gnawing on a fish head is met with discrimination from other fish.

The scholar's thoughts were complicated.

The golden-scaled catfish seemed quite happy, kicking up large patches of mud and sand at the bottom of the water, carefully nibbling at the algae and insects.

The sorrows of fish are not shared.

It has a very low IQ.

The bottom of the water was pitch black, and the two fish drifted with the current.

Gradually, more and more clam shells of various sizes appeared in the mud and sand.

Its shell is grayish-brown, blending seamlessly with its surroundings. Especially with the numerous ravines and black water, it is extremely difficult to distinguish with the naked eye unless you look closely.

But for the two fish, this was clearly not a problem.

But the faint sounds of oars hitting the water and boatmen swimming overhead could be heard.

The two fish did not stop, but gradually swam towards deeper water.

Many of the pearls here have already been harvested, leaving only empty shells.

Moreover, the quality is mostly poor; white beads are the only common type, and beige beads are extremely rare.

'Squeak squeak squeak~'

A muffled chirping sound, not particularly urgent, suddenly escaped from the mouth of the golden-scaled catfish.

The golden-scaled catfish's mouth and gills suddenly swelled up, and it quickly pressed them down with its fins.

"Okay, okay, stop yelling."

The Golden-Headed Overlord immediately fell silent.

The two fish followed the sound and soon found an old clam the size of a large bowl next to the wreckage of a sunken ship.

The silver-haired scholar circled the clam shell once, found a suitable opening, and rammed it hard with his head. With a cracking sound, a slit appeared in the clam shell, revealing a faint beige light.

The golden-scaled catfish immediately stepped in to help, using its round body to slam its two shells together, creating a formidable barrier that forced the shell open.

Then you see a round, lustrous pearl, about the size of a thumb, lying quietly inside the clam meat.

The silver-clad scholar swiftly slipped inside, his movements gentle yet precise as he parted the clam's flesh, leaving only a tiny incision, before pushing out the pearl.

It turned to the golden-scaled fish and said, "Open your mouth."

It immediately pushed the pearl into the mouth of the golden-scaled catfish, and then dug out an ordinary white pearl from the mouth of the catfish.

Golden-Headed Tyrant choked on his water and mumbled a few words of dissatisfaction.

The scholar then placed the white pearl back into the clam meat.

If all goes well, the clam shell will gradually recover from the damage, enclose the white pearl, and continue to produce pearls.

After doing all this, the two fish and the insect quickly left to search for the next treasure.

The shells of oysters that can produce beige pearls are at least thirty or forty years old.

For ordinary Tanka people, underwater pearl harvesting is extremely difficult; it is almost impossible to successfully extract pearls without killing the mussels.

It's like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

But these aquatic larks have their own way of achieving harmony between man and nature.

For some time afterward, the two fish and the insect continued to roam the waters near the Sancha River.

Not only did they collect seven or eight more beige pearls, but they also found a green pearl the size of a longan.

It stuffed the mouth of the golden-scaled catfish full, making it look like a big, bubbly steamed bun.

The golden-headed tyrant was squeezed so much that it complained incessantly, like a resentful woman in her boudoir.

Besides these, the two fish also discovered some shipwrecks, ebony, and antique-looking basins and covered bowls that they couldn't quite decipher...

But there was no spiritual light or radiance.

At this moment, the two fish swam to a bend in the water with a strange current.

The aquatic plants here are grotesque, resembling ghostly hands; the riverbed twists and turns abruptly; and the underwater world is filled with eerie atmosphere.

Several bodies, entangled in water plants and weighed down by large rocks, floated on the water, their faces blurred and terrifying.

River floaters are corpses floating in the water.

They may not have drowned. Wuqing County is a mixed bag, and Sancha River is an excellent place to cover up the crime.

Every year, in addition to those who drown, many people who die violent deaths are also thrown into the Sancha River.

In addition, the unique terrain of Huitouwan is conducive to gathering wind and energy, attracting many river drifters from upstream to gather here.

Even the dead are still people.

Although the two fish had no taboo against ghosts or corpses, they obeyed Chen Shunan's orders and bypassed the distant river drift, preparing to search for treasure in another place.

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the water.

A long pole with a hook, seven or eight feet long, plunged straight into the water like a poisonous dragon!

The silver scholar reacted quickly, whipping his tail and ramming the golden-scaled catfish to the side.

Then they heard a faint voice coming from the water's surface, "Huh? There seemed to be something at the bottom of the water just now, like a treasure fish?"

"It got away, it was too fast... Oh well, most of the fish that grow up in this godforsaken place are used to eating human flesh, it's bad luck, we need to retrieve the body quickly."

"Okay... By the way, has that body floated over yet? We've been trying to retrieve it for days, but we haven't found it."

"That's about enough, let's get to work."

The Sancha Corpse Retrieval Team?

The silver scholar and the golden-scaled fish stirred up the mud and sand at the bottom of the water and silently hid under the sand and stones.

Upon hearing this, the scholar's heart stirred.

Where there are people floating on the river, there is naturally a trade in retrieving them.

The Sancha Corpse Retrieval Team was a civilian corpse retrieval team jointly funded by merchants, fish market operators, and several large boat companies in Banno Tsutori.

They were all exceptional swimmers, skilled in martial arts, and incredibly resilient!

After all, to retrieve corpses from the bottom of the water, one needs to be afflicted by powerful and unlucky stars like Yang Blade, Lonely Star, and Widow Star, or have a life-clashing destiny.

The body retrieval team was seen rowing their boats and using long poles with hooks to paddle along the bottom of the water.

Upon encountering the bodies floating on the river, he poked them with a long pole with a hook, seemingly trying to get a feel for them, but instead of retrieving them, he moved on to the next target.

Seems to be looking for something.

Soon, a suppressed sound of surprise rang out.

"This feels off, it looks like they've just received a shipment!"

The scholar then used a long pole with a hook to pull out a body part that was almost unrecognizable as a human, resembling a blood clot, from among the drifting water plants.

The rest of the river drifters, having been soaked in the water for many days, were not only swollen and rotten, but also covered with long, fine moss, like hair.

It might even attract fish and shrimp to eat it.

But the body parts were as hard as iron, and the broken bones were like jade. Surprisingly, the residual power of the body did not dissipate, and it exuded a fierce aura that made the larks in the water tremble with fear.

Several rods were used simultaneously, but the body parts did not budge; they were frighteningly heavy.

thump!
One after another, the sound of water being poured could be heard.

Several body retrievers, wearing specially made hoods and tight-fitting fishsuits that didn't expose any skin, swam down.

Upon seeing the body parts, the men who retrieved the body were both delighted and apprehensive.

They bowed and kowtowed several times around the body parts, then used a cowhide rope to tie the body parts together and pulled them towards the water.

The scholar stared intently with his large, fish-like eyes.

The golden-scaled catfish was almost asleep.

Then, the scholar vaguely heard a group of corpse retrievers discussing and distinguishing something, and could vaguely hear the words 'Iron Buddha', 'Nie Zheng', 'mortuary', and 'corpse hiding'.

Nie Zheng?

Why does this name sound familiar?

I feel like I've heard of this somewhere before.

The scholar pondered deeply.

The golden-scaled catfish was drowsy.

The boats gradually moved towards the shore. The silver-haired scholar glanced at the golden-scaled catfish and shook his head helplessly.

Fishy teammates!
The silver scholar slapped the golden-scaled catfish hard across the face with his tail and cursed.
"You lazybones, hurry up and catch up!"

Jinlin, with a bruised and swollen face, followed behind Yinshusheng.

……

Half an incense stick later, the silver scholar quietly emerged from the water.

The night was dark.

A river breeze carrying the stench of water swept across the reeds, and a few fishing lights flickered like ghostly eyes in the mist on the shore.

The body retrievers rowed their boat into the thicket of reeds, lifted the blue cloth covering the boat, looked around, and then worked together to carry the body parts, which were packed in burlap sacks, ashore.

A whistle sounded from the reed marshes, and people came to meet them on the shore, driving a horse-drawn carriage containing several corpses.

After placing the body parts onto the carriage, the body retrievers removed their fishing clothes and hoods, pretending to have just retrieved a body from another location, and drove away.

The scholar glanced in the direction the group had gone.

There seems to be a mortuary over there.

The scholar looked thoughtful, as if he was pondering something.

Then I couldn't figure it out.

"Never mind, I'll report to the God!"

The scholar immediately made a decision, sank into the water, searched the riverbed and found some strangely shaped stones, some of which were still glowing. He then piled them into a small circle, resembling an altar.

Then they patted the golden-scaled catfish, causing it to spit out a beige pearl, which they placed in the center of the circle as an offering.

Then, it glanced at the still-stunned golden-scaled catfish, and felt a sense of smugness.

"Under the Supreme God, the number one general is none other than me, the Silver Scholar!"

……

After indulging in wine and women, Chen Shunan fiercely pushed away the almond-faced, peach-cheeked courtesan who was willing to offer her virginity.

They disembarked and headed towards their official residence.

If Zhao Guanghui hadn't died, Chen Shunan would have been terrified even when visiting brothels, fearing that another "Little Barbarian" would appear and leave him penniless and heartbroken.

It wasn't easy for Chen Shunan to painstakingly accumulate his wealth!
As night deepened, the moisture from the river seeped into the alley. Fishermen returning home late, shivering and soaking wet, came ashore and tied their sampans to the stakes.

When the fishermen saw Chen Shunan in his fine clothes, they couldn't help but show a hint of awe. They were afraid that the fishy smell on their clothes would offend Chen Shunan, so they all stood on the shore and made way for him.

Upon seeing this, Chen Shunan was momentarily dazed, vaguely feeling that the fishermen of today seemed to be the same as he had been before.

In this way, they were cautious and timid, giving way to the roadside, not daring to disturb the important people who were patrolling the streets.

"Power..."

(End of this chapter)