Chapter 33: Fishing for Sea Creatures in a Pond

Chen Xiyi was idly fishing in the landscape lake near his small courtyard, mainly because he did not have many ways to pass the time for leisure.

He could either fish, or take out his alloy pickaxe and demolish Prince Zhuang’s Mansion.

[Fishing…]

[You used a fishing rod and caught an oyster.]

Looking at the oyster hooked on the other end of the fishing rod, Chen Xiyi was already quite calm.

Although catching an oyster from this obviously freshwater landscape lake was ridiculous, it was not the first time. His fish bucket already contained jellyfish and ribbonfish, so a mere oyster was nothing.

“If I went sea fishing, would I catch a grass carp? No, it’s more likely I would catch a golden apple snail.” The fish Chen Xiyi caught were completely random; who knew what would appear next?

He did not really want to fish here either. He was worried that if he caught too many fish, he would turn into an old fisherman—the kind who, afterwards, every time he fished, would catch everything except fish.

What if he hooked a Water Monkey? Would he eat it or release it?

“Great Immortal, fishing in your spare time?” When Wang Li arrived, he saw Chen Xiyi’s situation and asked.

“I’d like to practice Immortal Arts, but I’m afraid you all couldn’t handle it,” Chen Xiyi replied in a rather teasing tone.

This made Wang Li force an awkward smile before he continued, “Regarding the Ma family, I have already negotiated with them. If the Great Immortal has any needs, they will certainly offer it with both hands.”

“Hmm, so are we going there now?” Chen Xiyi asked in return.

“Could the Great Immortal please come to identify the item you require?” Wang Li said respectfully, of course. How would he know what Chen Xiyi wanted? Even Chen Xiyi himself did not know what he wanted.

“You’ve done very well. I’ll give you this.” Chen Xiyi casually took out a Wooden Sword and tossed it over.

In this world, he would only give out Wooden Swords and Stone Swords at most. He would not give out anything higher like iron swords or alloy swords.

As the saying goes, rarity increases value. He planned to take the upper-class route, not spread them far and wide.

Even now, the number of Wooden Swords he had released could be counted on both hands.

Even his reputation only circulated in the Lingqu area.

As for becoming famous throughout the land directly?

That was simply impossible. Chen Xiyi had already realized that this world did not have that kind of communication capability. For him to become famous throughout the land, it would take at least a year for the news to spread.

Underdeveloped transportation made much information extremely limited. Apart from the relatively fast official government intelligence system in the Great Li Kingdom court, common folk had virtually no access to much news.

Moreover, Emperor Li and others would certainly do their best to suppress news about him. After all, he was an immortal who could teach Immortality and Immortal Arts. Of course they would want to keep it secret and be low-key. Causing a big stir would definitely harm Emperor Li and the other high-level beneficiaries.

Wang Li caught the Wooden Sword. He naturally knew what it was—a Magic Sword that allowed one to Nurture Spirit to Enter the Dao. To Attain the Dao, one must have this Magic Sword.

“Thank you, Great Immortal. Please, Great Immortal, this way.” Having received the benefit, Wang Li was naturally happy in his heart. This was equivalent to obtaining a ticket to Immortality.

And it was obtained for free. If he did not get this Wooden Sword in the coming days, the difficulty would multiply later.

After all, if one wanted it later, they would have to exchange it with resources. For Emperor Li, spending three hundred chests of gold, silver, and jewels to exchange for someone who would consume cultivation resources alongside him was not worthwhile.

So Wang Li could be sure that in the future, Emperor Li would pile ninety-nine percent of the resources onto himself and definitely not share too much with others.

It was normal for an emperor to be heartless.

Chen Xiyi followed Wang Li into the carriage. Along the way, the two briefly discussed the situation of Duke Rui’s Mansion. Chen Xiyi did not really want to get involved in the affairs of this large family.

In such a large, wealthy household, even the stone lions at the gate were probably dirty.

If it were just after the founding of the kingdom, perhaps there was something to salvage, but now, after three hundred years of sharing the kingdom’s fate, the inside had long since decayed.

The main branch, side branches, the primary family, collateral lines, and so on—the Ma family occupied an entire street. The internal scheming and underhanded dealings were countless.

Over the years, in this vast family estate, not a single person had been able to enter the court as an official. It was not that there were no scholars, but they either died of illness or had their reputations tarnished; none could shoulder the responsibility.

If there wasn’t something behind all this, Chen Xiyi would not believe it.

The carriage was not fast, but even dragging their feet, they eventually arrived at Duke Rui’s Mansion.

“Greetings, Prince Zhuang.” At the entrance of Duke Rui’s Mansion, the head of the Ma family, Ma Ku, had been waiting for a long time.

Although the Ma family of Duke Rui’s Mansion was once prosperous, they had now lost much of their power, relying solely on their ancestors’ legacy and marriage connections.

One must know that even the head of the Ma family did not have the qualification to attend court and see the emperor. This kind of family was a Noble House that shared the kingdom’s fate. If it were any other type of family, they would have been gone long ago.

Wang Li got out of the carriage, and Chen Xiyi naturally followed.

“Rise. This time, I am merely a middleman. This gentleman is the main guest.” Wang Li did not introduce who Chen Xiyi was.

When Ma Ku saw Chen Xiyi, he found it strange. This person was fully covered in iron armor, not an inch visible. How could he see what was in front of him?

But he did not say much, instead speaking up, “It is an honor for my Duke Rui’s Mansion to have caught sir’s attention.”

Chen Xiyi was very aloof. “Let’s go.”

For Chen Xiyi, Duke Rui’s Mansion did not hold much value. If it were not for an item with Historical Connotation hidden in the house, he would not have any interaction with them.

This made Ma Ku frown. This person was too arrogant. At least he could be more amiable.

But seeing that Wang Li showed no reaction, Ma Ku could only suppress his displeasure and lead the way.

“I wonder which item in my Duke Rui’s Mansion has caught sir’s eye? I…” Ma Ku spoke at length, also subtly trying to get closer to Wang Li.

For Ma Ku, Prince Zhuang, Wang Li, a prince with real power, was a strong connection—especially since this connection was a close confidant of the current emperor. If he could latch onto this opportunity, perhaps he could advance further from his titular third-rank General Fenwei.

Usually, Prince Zhuang was not so easy to meet.

Chen Xiyi was not interested in this, and Wang Li naturally saw the other’s intention, responding in a tactful yet polite manner.

In Wang Li’s eyes, this Ma Ku was not worth cultivating; he was only suitable for some powerless, idle positions.

“Wrong, it’s not this way.” Chen Xiyi suddenly interrupted Ma Ku.

Because when Ma Ku was leading the way, he turned in the opposite direction. If they followed him, they would definitely not find the item with Historical Connotation, so he had to speak up and correct him.