After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

I pulled myself back to reality.

Lin Chu chuckled, flicked the fish's head with his finger, and then put the fish back into the water.

After the carp entered the water, it didn't swim away immediately. It flicked its tail, spun around in the water, and then stopped in the shallows, poking half its head out and staring at him with its dark, shiny eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Lin Chu squatted by the stream. "I almost stewed you, you know?"

The fish swished its tail.

The Book of Myriad Realms' voice rang out again, very briefly: "Mission objective reached. The 'Fish Leaps Over the Dragon Gate' mission officially begins."

Current progress: Under development.

After saying that, he fell silent.

Lin Chu waited for a while, and only after confirming that there were no further hints did she stand up and clap her hands.

Alright, this counts as a start.

He packed up his fishing rod and started walking back. Halfway there, he looked back and saw that the carp was still in the same spot, a small red blob shimmering in the stream.

Lin Chu smiled and continued walking back.

It was already dark when he got home, and Mr. Chen was lighting an oil lamp at the door.

When he returned, the old man asked if he had caught any fish that day.

"They caught it, then released it."

"Release them?"

"Too small, let it rest a bit before feeding it."

Mr. Chen didn't ask any more questions. He hung the oil lamp on the door frame and picked up his well-worn copy of "The Great Learning" to start reading.

Lin Chu sat down next to him and read along for a while, but her mind was on the fish.

Help the carp leap over the dragon gate.

Just from the name, you know it's not an easy job.

Although the Book of Myriad Realms did not give him a specific deadline, Lin Chu had a vague feeling that this matter would probably span most of his life in this world.

Right now, I can only focus on my studies.

The first task might actually be worthwhile.

The next morning, Lin Chu got up as usual to fetch water, wash up, and read.

Mr. Chen taught Lin Chu the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic. Lin Chu already knew these by heart in real life, but he did not show any abnormality. He would repeat after Mr. Chen, one sentence at a time, and recite them properly.

He wouldn't dare skip a grade so easily.

A ten-year-old orphan from the countryside suddenly speaks eloquently; even a ghost would know something is wrong.

Who knows if, in such a feudal society, they would be regarded as some kind of evil spirit and killed.

Two or three days later, Lin Chu went to the stream again.

He didn't bring his fishing rod this time.

He found a flat rock by the stream, sat down, took off his shoes, and soaked his feet in the water.

The stream water was cool and felt very comfortable as it flowed over my feet.

Not long after, the red carp appeared.

It swam down from upstream at a slow pace, its tail swaying gently, like a red leaf floating in the water.

It stopped when it reached his feet and circled around them twice.

"Do you still recognize me?" Lin Chu looked down at it.

The fish, of course, couldn't speak, but it didn't swim away either; it just stayed by his feet, occasionally wiggling its fins to maintain its balance.

"Okay, I'll come here often from now on."

From that day on, Lin Chu would go to the stream every few days.

Sometimes I bring a book to read, sit on a rock and read it aloud, and the fish in the water listen.

He was reciting the Book of Songs, and when he got to the line "Guan guan cry the ospreys, on the islet in the river," the fish poked their heads out of the water and opened and closed their mouths, as if they were reciting along.

"You want to study too?" Lin Chu laughed. "You're a fish, what's the point of studying?"

The fish splashed water all over his face.

Days passed by like this.

Lin Chu's daily routine was simple: he would study with Mr. Chen in the morning, review his lessons on his own in the afternoon, and sit by the stream for a while in the evening.

Occasionally, villagers would come to Mr. Chen to write or read letters, and Lin Chu would help grind the ink.

The villagers knew that Mr. Chen had adopted Lin Chu, so they all took good care of him. One neighbor would give him some rice, another would give him an old piece of clothing. They weren't rich, but they weren't hungry.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

That evening, Lin Chu went to the stream again.

He sat there for an hour, and it was almost dark, but the red carp still hadn't appeared.

This is the first time in six months.

After waiting a while longer, there was still no movement in the stream.

Lin Chu frowned, somewhat worried, but there was nothing she could do.

I had no choice but to put on my shoes and stand up. Just as I was about to turn back, I suddenly heard the sound of water behind me.

Lin Chu turned around.

There was nothing on the stream.

"Did you hear me wrong?"

Just as he was about to continue walking, someone behind him suddenly spoke: "Hey."

Lin Chu suddenly turned around.

A delicate girl stood by the stream.

He looked about the same age as him, around ten years old, and was wearing a red dress made of a very thin and light material, like some kind of silk.

Her hair was wet and draped over her shoulders, and her skin was excessively white, as if she had never been in the sun.

What's most special about her is her eyes.

It was very large and bright, with eyes as black as two obsidian stones, staring at him without blinking.

Lin Chu was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening.

But who is he? He is an adult who has traveled from the real world.

Knowing how to play dumb is an essential skill for adults.

"Who are you?"

The girl tilted her head, seemingly organizing her thoughts: "I'm just passing by. Are you from around here?"

She spoke with a slight stutter, as if she had only recently learned to speak and had to think carefully about each word.

Lin Chu almost burst out laughing.

You were just passing by, passing by the stream, weren't you?

But he didn't call him out; he simply nodded and said, "I'm from this village. What's your name?"

She looked down at her clothes, then at the water, then looked up and chuckled.

"My name is Cang Yao."

"Cang Yao?"

"Yes. Hello."

Lin Chu found it both funny and cute to see her trying so hard to pretend that "I am a human being".

But he held back and nodded very seriously: "My name is Lin Chu."

"Lin Chu." She repeated it, as if savoring the name, then nodded solemnly. "I'll remember."

It was getting dark. Lin Chu glanced at the sky, then at her wet hair, and asked, "Where do you live?"

Cang Yao paused for a moment, then pointed in the direction of the stream: "Over there."

"In the mountains?"

"Yes. In the mountains."

"It's not safe to walk on mountain paths after dark."

"It's alright." Cang Yao shook her head. "I walk very fast."

After saying that, she glanced at Lin Chu again, then took a step back: "Will you come again tomorrow?"

Lin Chu thought for a moment and said, "Come on."

Cang Yao's lips curved slightly, not in a big laugh, but in a small, restrained arc, and her eyes brightened: "Then I'll be there tomorrow too."

After saying that, she turned and left. After a few steps, she looked back at him again, then quickened her pace and disappeared into the depths of the woods.

Lin Chu stood there, watching the direction where her figure disappeared, and shook her head with a smile.

Back home, Mr. Chen was reading under an oil lamp.

Seeing him return, she looked up at him and said, "Why are you so late today?"

"I sat by the stream for a while longer."

"Going fishing again?"

"I didn't fish." Lin Chu sat down next to him. "I was just looking at the scenery."

Mr. Chen snorted and continued reading.

Lin Chu also picked up the book, but after reading for a long time, she couldn't understand a single word.

According to the information provided by the system, it seems that the little koi fish has already been able to transform into human form.

……

The next evening, Lin Chu went to the stream again.

Cang Yao is already there.

This time her hair was dry and braided into a plait that draped over her shoulder.

Sitting on a rock, her two fair little feet dangled in the water.

Seeing him approach, her eyes lit up and she immediately jumped off the rock.

"You've arrived."

"You're here quite early." Lin Chu walked over.

"I just arrived too," she said earnestly, but Lin Chu could tell she was lying at a glance.

Lin Chu didn't expose him. He sat down on the rock, and Yao sat down next to him.

"What do you usually do?" Yao asked.

"study."

"What is studying?"

Lin Chu thought for a moment, then took out a copy of the Analects from her pocket and showed it to her: "These are the words."

Cang Yao leaned closer to look, her eyes wide open and her brows furrowed tightly: "I don't understand."

"Would you like to learn?"

"think."

So Lin Chu taught her to read.

He used a twig to write characters on the muddy ground by the stream: "sky," "earth," "man," and "water."

Cang Yao learned very quickly; she could basically memorize it after writing it once, and her handwriting was surprisingly neat.

"You're very smart," Lin Chu said.

Cang Yao looked up, her eyes sparkling: "Really?"

"real."

She gave that small, restrained smile again.

And so, Cang Yao officially entered his life.

She comes to the stream almost every evening, sometimes even earlier than Lin Chu.

Lin Chu taught her to read and told her about things outside—of course, things from this world. He was too lazy to talk about things from reality, as it was too troublesome to explain.

Cang Yao listened attentively, asking questions from time to time.

"Is the capital city far away?"

"It's very far."

Have you been there?

"No, I'll go later."

"Then I'll go too."

Lin Chu glanced at her: "What are you going to the capital for?"

Cang Yao opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She lowered her head, drew circles on the ground with a twig, and whispered, "Can't I go take a look?"

Lin Chu did not press further.