Chapter 26: A Giant Squid Fished from the Freshwater Lake

“I didn’t expect this Immortal Fuyao to live in such a remote place. Why not invite him into the city and offer him tribute?”

Wang Li looked around curiously as he asked.

“Perhaps the great immortal doesn’t want to be tainted by worldly matters,” Cai Hai replied with a smile.

This time, not only Wang Li and Cai Hai had come, but also Old Taoist Xuan Li and the heads of the three great noble families, Wu, Song, and Li. The group basically included all the top figures from Lingqu, accompanying Prince Zhuang.

They hadn’t walked far when everyone froze in surprise. The place where Immortal Fuyao lived had changed.

It used to be just wild countryside, but for some reason, it had turned into a small courtyard surrounded by clear lake water and lush green trees.

The sparkling water and the gentle breeze made it seem like a fairyland on earth.

“This…” Cai Hai was also stunned. What was going on? Before, it was just a small stone house. How did it turn into this in just a few days? And where did this lake come from?

Also, how did the trees grow so fast?

Thump~

Wang Li, who was leading the group, tried to approach but suddenly bumped into an invisible barrier. His nose hurt from the impact.

Everyone quickly rushed to support him. Then Cai Hai stepped forward and felt the invisible presence in front of him. This made him even more surprised, but upon second thought, it made sense for a great immortal to have such abilities.

Cai Hai gave Old Taoist Xuan Li a look, signaling him to call out to the resident.

Among their group, Old Taoist Xuan Li was the only one who had some connection with Immortal Fuyao. The others had almost no relationship with him.

Seeing this, Old Taoist Xuan Li had no choice but to go and call out. He couldn’t afford to offend the prefect and the prince.

“Your humble servant…”

“What do you want?”

Before Old Taoist Xuan Li could finish, Chen Xiyi appeared on the other side of the lake, holding a fishing rod and a bucket.

Hearing the voice, everyone turned and saw a fearsome armored figure in steel. After speaking, he simply sat by the lake, cast his fishing line, and began to fish.

Seeing this, Wang Li knew he had to seize the moment and speak first.

“Your humble servant Wang Li greets Immortal Fuyao. I have come here under the emperor’s orders…”

Chen Xiyi listened to him talk at length, glanced at the name above his head, and thought to himself that he had finally waited for this imperial envoy.

[Wang Li the Prince, Health Points: 100%, Status: Shocked, Fearful, Excited]

“After all that, you just want to invite me to the Capital, right?” Chen Xiyi said slowly.

Wang Li replied, “Exactly. If the great immortal is willing to come with me to the Capital…”

“Going there would just mean changing locations,” Chen Xiyi interrupted him.

He knew Wang Li was about to make offers, but he felt he should keep some control.

Before Wang Li could say more, Chen Xiyi suddenly tugged on his fishing rod and pulled out a giant squid measuring thirteen meters long.

[You used a fishing rod and caught a giant squid]

“…”

Chen Xiyi looked at the giant squid flopping on the grass and felt utterly speechless.

Things were getting more and more bizarre. It was one thing when he caught ribbonfish before, but fishing a giant squid out of a lake only two units deep was challenging his sense of reality.

After all, his lake couldn’t possibly hold a giant squid. It seemed like the catches were random.

He worried that one day he might catch a blue whale. It wasn’t impossible—if a giant squid could appear, a blue whale couldn’t be far behind.

Chen Xiyi’s feat completely stunned the onlookers outside.

He casually took out a firearm and shot the giant squid, then proceeded to collect it.

[You used an alloy firearm on the caught giant squid, dealing 100% Health Points damage. You killed the giant squid]

[You collected the corpse of the caught giant squid. You obtained:…]

‘I’ll check if there are any related recipes later. I’ll try the taste of giant squid today,’ Chen Xiyi thought to himself.

“By the way, what were you going to say?” Chen Xiyi stepped onto the water’s surface and walked over slowly as he asked.

For Wang Li, this scene was no less shocking than watching Chen Xiyi catch the giant squid.

“Your humble servant… I…”

Wang Li saw a terrifying water spirit giant appear behind Chen Xiyi. Under this pressure, sweat beaded on Wang Li’s forehead, and he struggled to speak clearly.

Chen Xiyi glanced at Jianghu, who had used the lake water to form a giant and boost his presence, but said nothing. Instead, he answered his own question: “Going to the Capital is no big deal, but what can you or your people offer me? I can give you the methods to attain the Dao, the chance for longevity, and powerful immortal arts. What about you?”

“To refine the Divine Soil Xirang, I need various materials like soil, stone, gold, silver, and more. Can you provide them?”

Chen Xiyi spoke bluntly.

“Yes, as long as the great immortal is willing to teach our Great Li Kingdom the path to longevity and immortal arts, I will promise anything you need on behalf of the emperor,” Wang Li said, gritting his teeth under the pressure.

As soon as he finished speaking, Jianghu collapsed back into the water, merging with the water veins.

This reduced the pressure on Wang Li significantly, but it still lingered. Especially with Chen Xiyi’s fearsome armored form so close, he felt particularly nervous.

“Heh, but let me make this clear—I’ll give you the opportunity, but whether you attain the Dao or not has nothing to do with me,” Chen Xiyi said with a smile.

Hearing this, the three noble family heads panicked. They felt as if their chance had been snatched away.

But they didn’t dare say much. Compared to the Great Li Kingdom, they were nothing.

“Your humble servant understands. Seeking the Dao and immortality depends on fate,” Wang Li said.

“Good that you understand. Come in,” Chen Xiyi really liked that response. It would make it easier to persuade them later.

If you couldn’t cultivate successfully, it was your problem, not his. After all, Old Taoist Xuan Li managed to develop sharpness and wield sword qi with a wave of his hand. If you couldn’t do it, it must be your own fault.

Later, Chen Xiyi could enchant a small number of people, creating divisions and making them blame themselves for any failures.

Chen Xiyi granted temporary access to the group and had Jianghu part the lake water, revealing a stone path.

Thanks to the water manipulation ability, the stone path was completely dry.

This time, no one was shocked anymore—they had probably become numb from all the earlier surprises.

Seeing this, everyone rushed in together and followed behind Chen Xiyi.

Since they were here, he might as well reinforce his persona. Kicking them out wouldn’t be appropriate, especially since he still wanted the materials the three noble families were supposed to give him in the coming days. If he left now, all that would go to waste.