Xiaoyu pouted, as if she had seen through You Su’s pseudonym at a glance.
But she actually understood that he was just a passing fish buyer, and there was no need to be honest about his real na.
"Then I’ll call you Mr. Xu."
Xiaoyu smiled sweetly. The term ’Mr.’ made her feel like one of those elegant ladies from a bustling city.
You Su smiled in return, "Miss Xiaoyu, you can call whatever you like."
"Just calling Xiaoyu is fine, no need to add ’Miss’. Mr. Xu, having co from afar, my grandfather’s skills surely won’t disappoint you."
At that mont, the old man had already brought up a steaming pot of fresh white fish soup, garnished with tofu, thin bamboo shoots, and scallions, with tender noodles placed beneath the fish.
You Su had flown for four days to reach the edge of Jade Ring Pool, surviving only on dry rations and Immortal Fruit. The fragrant aroma of this fish soup imdiately whetted his appetite.
Xiaoyu busily set the tableware for him and was just about to serve the first spoonful of fish soup into You Su’s bowl when Mr. Yu sat down, tapping the table rather impolitely:
"Pay first."
"Grandpa!" Xiaoyu exclaid in a tone of reproach.
You Su took out three Spirit Stones from his sleeve and a fourth one from his chest, pushing them all towards Mr. Yu with a smile:
"It should be this way. I’ve taken your dinner, and I’m sincerely sorry. If it’s not enough, please let know."
Mr. Yu just used his tobacco pipe to pull the Spirit Stones toward himself and tucked them into his lapel, asking blandly:
"Can you drink?"
You Su shook his head. Although he could drink, he didn’t want to create more trouble, so he said:
"I do not hold my liquor well, so I’m afraid I cannot accompany you in that, sir."
Mr. Yu didn’t say anything more, simply taking out an earthen jug of wine from under his seat and pouring himself a cup of turbid wine.
Xiaoyu cheerfully filled You Su’s bowl with fish soup, inside of which floated large chunks of milky white fish belly.
You Su thanked her and took a small sip.
The seasoning of the fish soup was extrely simple, just a little fine salt and pepper, but it preserved the freshness of the Jade Ring Lake fish to the greatest extent, leaving one with an endless aftertaste. Taking a small bite of the fish that lted in his mouth, it seed he could feel the faint presence of Profound Qi within it, no wonder it was called a Spirit Fish. Regular consumption of such Spirit Fish would likely extend life and ward off illnesses even for ordinary people.
"The fish from Jade Ring Lake truly lives up to its reputation," You Su sincerely praised.
"This is nothing. Unfortunately, the tastier fish has already been sold, otherwise Mr. Xu would have enjoyed an even greater feast." Xiaoyu took another sip of the fish soup, her charming face falling, regretting not allowing You Su to taste the best delicacies.
"The bitterling is already an extraordinary delicacy I’ve tasted. Could there be sothing even more delicious than it in Jade Ring Lake?" You Su asked in surprise.
"Mr. Xu, you may not know, but the fish from Jade Ring Lake is not necessarily more delicious the rarer it is." Xiaoyu served another bowl of fish soup for her grandfather.
"Then wouldn’t catching a bitterling be less worthwhile than catching a common carp or grass carp?" You Su asked in puzzlent.
"Sotis it is indeed so, but not always," Xiaoyu took another sip of the fish soup and explained, "The quality of Jade Ring Lake fish doesn’t depend much on its species, but rather on how close it is caught to the center of the lake. If a fish is caught near the center, even a small carp would be a rare delicacy, whereas a fish caught near the shore, even if it’s a rare bitterling, wouldn’t attract attention."
No wonder such a rare fish was left until the end for the grandfather and granddaughter to have as dinner.
You Su pondered silently for a mont before saying, "Is this because of the lake within the lake—the Jade Ring Pool? The closer the fish is to the Jade Ring Pool, the more spiritually infused it is, thus naturally more valuable?"
"I didn’t expect Mr. Xu, an outsider, to have heard of the legend that Jade Ring Lake has a lake within a lake." Mr. Yu gently placed down his wine cup and suddenly said.
You Su paused, sensing that Mr. Yu was implying sothing, probably noticing his identity as a cultivator and suspecting that his purpose in coming here was for another reason, though he hadn’t intentionally concealed it.
"I won’t hide it from you, sir and Miss Xiaoyu, but I ca here precisely for the Jade Ring Pool," You Su stated earnestly.
Mr. Yu raised his murky eyes and glanced at You Su again, saying:
"Go back, the Immortal inside won’t let you in."
"I am willing to give it a try. I ask you, sir, to ferry there."
The green boat cannot fly near Jade Ring Lake, and on the vast lake, there’s only the Yu Family’s boat that can sail. Therefore, You Su sought out this grandfather and granddaughter, both to learn more about Jade Ring Lake and the Jade Ring Pool behind it, and to hope that Mr. Yu would ferry him to the lake’s center.
"You’re too stubborn. In these fifty years that I’ve been rowing boats here, not a single person who asked to take them in has succeeded. If it were really possible to go in, an Immortal would co to guide them in. Why would you need to ferry you? Don’t waste your effort."
You Su was silent for a while, but he decided to be honest, saying:
"I have so connection with Jade Ring Pool, perhaps I won’t be stopped outside the lake."
Upon hearing this, both Mr. Yu and Xiaoyu looked at You Su in astonishnt.
Mr. Yu, though a mortal, as the only one allowed to sail on the outer lake of Jade Ring Pool, had seen many Immortals return frustrated, so he knew so of the rules. In disbelief, he asked:
"If you know only those with connections to Jade Ring Pool can enter, then you should know that the latest of those Immortals to have a connection was fifty-four years ago. By now, it’s impossible for soone of your age."
User Comments
0 comments from readers