I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

Even if Zhou Fu hadn't met with this incident, Xie An still planned to go to the inner cave to see the water monster.

Firstly, Ah Shui and Wei Dian both caught treasure fish in the inner cave. There's no chance that a treasure fish nest is hidden there.

Xie An has been in this world for over half a year and has now made a name for himself. He has no shortage of common medicines and money. But the only thing he lacks is a rare item like the precious fish.

If one could catch a few treasure fish in the inner cave, one could undoubtedly improve one's martial arts level rapidly.

Secondly, Xie An had once received the talent of dragon's breath during the river god sacrifice in Yingyuan Village, which showed that there really was a dragon king in the Huai River. Xie An would definitely go and investigate.

Although Xie An has only just entered the Ming Jin stage, his strength, speed, and mental attributes are already incredibly powerful. With these two attributes alone, he might not lose to a master who has reached the minor stage of Ming Jin.

If dragon breath is added, the chances of winning against a master who has reached the Great Perfection or even the Perfection of Ming Jin are extremely high.

This decision was made after careful consideration.

A bright glint suddenly appeared in Zhou Fu's dark eyes, but he said politely, "I know that Fifth Master is always loyal and righteous, but this water monster is at least a minor master of Ming Jin. You have only just entered the Ming Jin realm. If something happens to you, I will not be able to explain it to Master Chen."

Everyone here is an adult, and Xie An naturally sensed a hint of politeness in Zhou Fu's words. He still hoped Xie An would give it a try.

Xie An said confidently, "I have my own plans for this matter."

Zhou Fu nodded: "Let me discuss this with Xiao Wu. Please wait outside for a moment, Fifth Master."

After Xie An left the room, Zhou Fu asked Zhou Wu, "Xiao Wu, what do you think about this?"

While pondering, Zhou Wu said, "Fifth Master is so young that Chen Lutang made an exception and accepted him as a disciple on his behalf. He must have some extraordinary abilities. In addition, Fifth Master is always steady in his actions, so he must be quite confident in speaking up this time. We might as well give it a try."

Zhou Fu sighed, "Fifth Master's qi and blood are restrained and unfathomable. I naturally know he has extraordinary abilities. But that water monster is far too ferocious. It's not that Shi Hong isn't greedy for the Zhou family's financial assistance, but rather that he's not confident in dealing with the water monster. If something were to happen to Fifth Master, how could I explain it to Master Chen..."

"Father!" Zhou Wu said, "The Zhou family is already at its wit's end. Could things get any worse? Besides, it was precisely because Fifth Master is Master Chen's junior brother that he was able to completely eradicate the water monster. As long as the matter of the water monster is settled, Father can continue to serve as the inspector, and our Zhou family won't collapse instantly."

Zhou Fu pondered for a long time before nodding: "Xiao Wu is right. I've been overthinking things. Go and treat Fifth Master well. As long as he asks, the Zhou family will give him everything it can. Whether the Zhou family can survive this calamity depends entirely on Fifth Master."

Furthermore, you should write a letter and send it to the county's river management office, and also give the magistrate three hundred taels of silver as a token of respect. Please ask the magistrate to give us another chance to subdue the water monster.

……

"This is six hundred taels of silver, and this is a twenty-year-old tiger catfish. Fifth Master, please keep it safe."

In the backyard of the Zhou residence near the riverbank, Zhou Wu took out six silver notes with a face value of one hundred taels each, and opened a water vat containing a precious fish weighing about three jin (approximately 1.5 kg).

Xie An stared at the tiger-headed catfish, secretly marveling at it.

Although Xie An was an amateur, he had now reached the Ming Jin level and possessed extraordinary senses. He could clearly sense that this tiger-headed catfish was much stronger than the ox-horned catfish that Ah Shui had caught last time.

Its black scales were extremely thick and tough, radiating a chilling light. Its head resembled a tiger's head, complete with several "tiger whiskers," and its bloodshot eyes were particularly striking.

They seemed to want to glare Xie An to death.

"Brother Zhou, I previously found a horned catfish in the Huai River. What's the difference between it and this tiger-headed catfish?"

The listless Zhou Wu perked up at the mention of the treasure fish: "Ordinary people don't easily come into contact with treasure fish, but we at the River and Lake Management Office are responsible for patrolling the waterways year-round, so we've seen quite a few. The most precious part of the horned catfish is its horn. It would naturally be very beneficial for a martial artist at the basic level five to consume it, but the horn is far less rare than the tiger head. The tiger head catfish is extremely rare, requiring more than fifteen years of development to even begin to take shape. This tiger head catfish in front of us was a reward from the magistrate of the county's river management office five years ago for my father's meritorious service. It wasn't particularly rare originally, but my father raised it for another five years, making it twenty years old, which makes it even more precious."

Xie An secretly noted down the important information.

The county town's river management office was rewarded with a precious fish by the magistrate.

It seems that the yamen (government office) of the River and Lake Management Bureau has always been close to Baoyu...

Zhou Wu took a wire, threaded the tiger-head catfish through it, wrapped it in a cloth bag, and handed it to Xie An. "Twenty-year-old tiger-head catfish has a great enhancement effect on martial artists with Ming Jin strength. Fifth Master, please take it back and take it. Remember, the tiger-head catfish has a strong medicinal effect, so it must be taken in three to five doses. Otherwise, it may easily damage your tendons and bones."

Xie An accepted the gift: "Thank you, Brother Zhou. I will go home and seclude myself for two days. During this time, you don't need to send anyone to patrol the inner cave; just send someone to keep watch from a distance. If you discover any trace of the water monster, remember it and deal with it yourself after I emerge from seclusion."

"Alright. Then congratulations to Fifth Master on your successful breakthrough."

……

"Uncle-Master, are you really planning to deal with that water monster yourself?"

On the way back to the martial arts school, Li Shengnan kept talking about it with concern. Liu Wei also followed beside her, reminding Xie An to be careful.

After Chen Lutang suppressed the incident at the River God Festival, the Dragon King Gang didn't bother Liu Wei. Liu Wei ultimately stayed at the Lei Family Martial Arts School, but he now followed Xie An's lead in everything.

Xie An replied, "The water monster in that cave is harming the villagers, not only killing my river soldiers, but also injuring Lord Zhou. It is our duty as warriors to exterminate the monster and bring benefits to the villagers."

Liu Wei was thrilled upon hearing this and slapped his thigh hard, exclaiming, "Fifth Master is a true hero!"

Liu Shengnan also felt a surge of passion upon hearing this, "If the headmaster knew, he would surely praise my uncle's righteous act."

Xie An: "..."

Back at the martial arts school, Xie An went straight to the central courtyard.

As soon as I entered, I heard my sister-in-law Lin Xiulan's enthusiastic voice, "Mingxi, you've come at the perfect time! I just made a few dishes. Go wash your hands and sit down to eat with us."

Besides Lin Xiulan, Chen Ling and Wei Xiang were also in the living room.

In this world, masters and disciples are essentially one family, and eating together is a common occurrence.

After spending half a month together, Xie An had already integrated into the circle of his sister-in-law and several junior disciples, and there was no awkwardness between them.

"No rush to eat. I've found a treasure fish. Sister-in-law, you're very knowledgeable, could you take a look?" Xie An walked in carrying a cloth bag. Wei Xiang and Chen Ling, who were in the living room, immediately stood up straight upon hearing this, their faces filled with disbelief.

Lin Xiulan, dressed in a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), stood up in surprise. She was astonished to see the tiger-headed catfish in Xie An's bag. "A twenty-year-old tiger-headed catfish is truly rare. It's extremely beneficial to Ming Jin (a type of martial arts skill). Ming Xi is indeed a person of great fortune. Our martial arts school has produced two such fortunate individuals in succession."

Xie An was taken aback: "There's one more?"

Lin Xiulan said, "This morning, Wei Dian also found a 20-year-old treasure fish. I was worried that Wei Dian would become completely depressed and his Dao heart would be damaged after you worshipped him. I didn't expect that a treasure fish would give him hope again. He has already started his seclusion to break through to the Ming Jin realm."

It's Wei Dian again...

Xie An composed himself and asked, "Sister-in-law, what precautions should we take when consuming tiger catfish?"

Lin Qiulan said, "Just cook it directly. It's best to boil or steam it without adding any seasonings, as this will maximize its medicinal effect. Also, the tiger catfish has a strong and potent medicinal effect, so you can take it in three doses, with each dose spaced more than eight hours apart."

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

"We're family, so let's not stand on ceremony. Sit down and eat."

……

Five days later.

The first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the courtyard of the ink-scented study.

The snow had not yet melted, the air was bitterly cold, and strings of icicles still hung from the roof tiles.

Xie An, shirtless, practiced the Vajra Force in the courtyard.

His wheat-colored skin was tough and thick, and his punches and kicks were incredibly powerful. Every move he made was earth-shattering; the wind from his punches cracked the blue bricks.

call!

After finishing his practice, Xie An let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes revealing a sharp and capable glint.

"Finally, I've broken through..."