The face of Xiaogang Daqiang, who has entered his thirties, is stained with the frost of time. Because his skin has been exposed to the sun all year round, it looks dark and rough.
However, at this time, their faces looked a little more leisurely and contented than before, without the dullness that life weighed on them.
The reason is that fishing has become simpler and there is no pressure of assessment.
They dragged the fishing net to the boat and saw a piece of snow-white and silver flashing, sparkling in the sunlight. It was a white sand fish that is rarely seen in ordinary times.
They quickly packed up the salvaged white sand fish, washed their hands briefly, skillfully took out a package from the cabin, and stood respectfully on the bow of the ship.
Then they opened the package and revealed the gadgets inside.
It's probably snacks like candied haws, noodles, shortcakes, and desserts.
But the two of them had solemn expressions and were mumbling something.
"Here's the Bubble Fairy. I'm here to bring you an offering."
Then the water surface rippled, and a red shadow emerged from the water, nearly two meters long, revealing a huge fish lip, opening and closing up and down, uttering a cute little girl's voice.
"Is there any apricot blossom cake that I want this time?"
"Some, some."
Xiaogang and Daqiang quickly picked out an oil paper bag from the package and opened it to reveal the snow-white pastries inside.
"ah……"
Bubbles opened his mouth wide.
Daqiang jumped into the water and swam to Bubble.
Xiaogang handed out the cake, and after Daqiang caught it, he carefully fed it to Bubbles.
"Bubble Fairy, do you like the taste?"
"Aww."
Bubbles swallowed the apricot blossom cake in one gulp, and the sweet taste immediately gave it a huge sense of happiness.
"tasty."
Although I don’t know how a fish tastes, it is obvious that it is very happy.
The tail flapped continuously under the water, causing waves of undercurrents in the water, making Daqiang's body sway.
When Daqiang heard this, his face also showed joy, and he quickly fed the rest of the apricot blossom cake.
"Bubble Fairy, there are more here."
"Feed me quickly."
I ate the whole packet of apricot blossom cake with a whimper, and even the hiccups smelled of apricot blossom.
Then, Paopao enjoyed the daily afternoon tea comfortably under the service of the two of them.
He slurped a bunch of candied haws, one by one, and smashed them into his mouth from time to time. When he got excited, he even performed a fish-style flower dance around Daqiang, splashing a large puddle of water on Daqiang's face.
Both Xiao Gang and Da Qiang, who have been fishing for more than ten years, were affected by the lively appearance, and their faces showed a kind smile like an elder.
Ever since he changed from a wild fish to a domestic fish, Pao Pao has lived the dream life of a house fish.
After all, if Fang Chang casually slipped something out between his fingers, it would be enough for this little guy.
So when Paopao was full and had nothing to do, he began to pursue his spiritual needs.
First of all, he accepted two younger brothers, Xiaogang and Daqiang, and strongly asked them to call him Bubble Fairy.
Of course, as the big brother, the fish must take responsibility. With its help, the white sand fish in Xiaohudao Fishing Ground are like a flock of sheep with a shepherd dog, and are managed obediently.
Xiaogang and Daqiang spread the fishing net every day, and there are white sand fish swimming into the net by themselves. It is not too easy.
In this way, they naturally don't mind coaxing Bubble and going to the city every now and then to buy some gadgets to honor him.
Not to mention, Bubble is also a pet fish for adults, and it's very cute.
Even if it doesn't help with anything, they still have to provide it.
Just as the two of them were enjoying afternoon tea, a joking voice suddenly came from a distance.
"I asked why the small lake island has been full of fish recently. It turns out that it secretly raised fish monsters."
"who?!"
Xiao Gang and Da Qiang no longer looked as relaxed as before, and Xiao Gang on the boat even unconsciously touched the harpoon on the boat.
Although they work hard on the small lake island, but in the territory of Cailian Lake, no fisherman can't do anything.
The harpoon in his hand is even a low-level magic weapon.
I saw a awning boat coming against the wind in the distance. Standing on the bow was a young man in rich clothes and a middle-aged man with a slight bow.
Xiaogang and Daqiang recognized the middle-aged man as Manager Zhang who often went to the island to collect fish, and the young man who could be served respectfully by him was naturally a member of the Li family.
And they are not just ordinary tribesmen, they are direct descendants.
After all, Manager Zhang's status is not low, and ordinary Li family members have to be polite when they see him.
"Xiao Gang, don't mess around."
Da Qiang quickly climbed onto the boat and held down his companion's hand.
Bubbles even shrank his head and tried to run away.
But the young man waved his hand and saw a sparkling silver-white net quickly descending from the sky, covering the water area of dozens of meters in radius.
"A little fish demon in the Qi refining stage still wants to run away in front of me?"
A sneer appeared at the corner of the young man's mouth, and he kneaded his fingers.
There were more silver threads passing through the surrounding water, and a big red carp was dodging left and right in it, but the range of movement was getting narrower and narrower. Finally, when the silver thread was retracted, a large net was woven and the big red carp was caught.
.
"Bad guy, let me go!" Paopao's aggrieved voice came from the network. "Or I'll ask the master to beat you."
"Um?"
When he heard that Bubble could actually talk, the young man's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I can't let you go now."
Fish monsters are not unusual.
In the vast waters of Cailian Lake, many monsters are born by chance every year, but this is the first time he has seen a fish monster that can speak human words during the Qi refining period.
After all, it is only during the Qi-refining stage that a monster first develops its spiritual intelligence, and it is only during the Foundation-building stage that it refines the bones in its mouth and gains the ability to communicate with others.
But Pao Pao can have such intelligence at such a low level of cultivation, and he looks like a different species at first glance.
Even though the purpose of coming here this time was not achieved, he also gained a lot from having this alien monster fish.
When Xiaogang and Daqiang saw that Paopao was caught, they stepped forward and said:
"Manager Zhang, that's the fish raised by Liu Gong, isn't that bad?"
They didn't know the young man and didn't know his temperament, so they didn't dare to come forward, so they had to persuade him in front of Manager Zhang, who they were still familiar with.
Manager Zhang smiled bitterly and said:
"This is Mr. Li Qi, the son of the second elder of the Li family. What a servant like me can say is of no use unless Liu Gongfeng comes here in person."
The words just fell.
The young man's expression suddenly changed. Before the fishing net magic weapon could enter his hand, it was broken open by invisible force, and a big hole appeared.
Bubbles fall from the hole into the water.
Bubbles, whose eyes were filled with tears and was about to burst into tears, sensed the familiar scent and suddenly became courageous. Half of his body was submerged in the water, and he stretched out a big fish head and started spitting bubbles at the young man.
"Slightly, slightly..."
Colorful bubbles exploded in the air, catching the young man who had lost his mind by surprise. He sprayed water on his face and turned into a drowned rat in the blink of an eye.
"you wanna die!"
The young man's face darkened, and another cone-shaped magic weapon flew out of his cuffs.
But Bubbles was very alert this time.
Before the magic weapon could release its power, it flicked its tail vigorously and disappeared in a whoosh.
"Damn it!"
The cone-shaped magic weapon fell into the water, suddenly exploding into a half-meter-long puddle, and water splashed down.
"who is it?"
The young man glanced at the surrounding air and saw an old man in his fifties with frosty white temples appearing.
As soon as Fang Chang raised his finger, the magic weapon countered the trend and fell in front of the young man, his voice was neither urgent nor slow.
"Master Li, why should you get angry with a little demon? How about you give me some face and let it go once?"
When the young man saw Fang Chang, his anger subsided and he cupped his hands and said:
"Since it is Senior Liu who speaks, this junior should obey."
"I'm guarding Xiaohu Island. I asked myself if I have done anything wrong. How come Mr. Li has the leisure to come to Xiaohu Island today?"
Fang Chang said slowly and in an old-fashioned manner.
The young man's name is Li Qi, the third son of the second elder of the Li family. He is already in his forties, but with proper care, he is still the same as a young man in his twenties.
He is mainly responsible for the business of three fisheries including Xiaohudao fishery.
Of course, Li Qi doesn't do anything on weekdays, and leaves the specific business to Manager Zhang, who is only responsible for collecting money.
In the seven years since Mr. Fang came to Xiaohu Island, Mr. Li only visited him once during the first year of the New Year as a junior.
Because I saw that he was out of luck and very old, and it seemed that he had only a few years to live, my interest in him gradually disappeared.
Li Qi smiled and said: "No, no, it's the good harvest of Xiaohudao Fishing Ground in the past six months. After seeing it, the junior thought that Xiaohudao Fishing Ground had discovered some good fish farming tips and came here to learn from it."
Fang Chang said lukewarmly: "Now Mr. Li has seen it, it's just a big fish catching a small fish."
However, Li Qi still did not change his attitude and continued to laugh:
"But since this junior is here, I would like to pay a visit to my senior. Could you please allow me to come ashore for a chat?"
Fang Chang glanced at Li Qi, but Li Qi's expression remained unchanged.
He nodded and said: "The small lake island is simple and simple, as long as Mr. Li doesn't mind."
…
Two hours later.
Li Qi fluttered his sleeves and walked away, only to see that his face turned blue, but he still endured it until he was ten miles away from the small lake island.
He just surged with mana like crazy, and the cone-shaped magic weapon turned into a stream of light, shuttled towards the water, and instantly exploded several large puddles.
More than a dozen water jets spurted into the sky, and Li Qi did not dodge, letting the lake water hit him in the face.
"The old thief is really hateful!"
"If it were two years ago, how could I, the young master, have noticed such an old thing!"
Manager Zhang watched Li Qi vent silently, not daring to offend him.
When Li Qi gradually calmed down, he asked:
"Young master, he is just a long-lived old man. He has been guarding Xiaohu Island for seven years and has never applied for transfer to a small island with more lucrative opportunities. He has obviously accepted his fate.
Even if such a person is willing to follow the young master, he may not be willing to risk his life. Instead, he has to pay a lot of spiritual stones to win him over.
He doesn’t want it to be his loss.”
Li Qi didn't want to explain, but Manager Zhang was his confidant. He thought about it and snorted: "What do you know?"
"It's true that this old guy has lost his ambition, but don't forget that he will soon come to my Li family to work for ten years."
"When ten years are up, as a foundation-builder of the Li family, he will also have the right to vote."
This is the benefit of seniority.
Even though Fang Chang didn't do anything, he just stayed in the small lake island and received a pitiful dividend.
But time is capital.
Back then, in order to bring back the high-level monks who had surrendered to them, the Li family had made an agreement that once the foundation-building monks had served the Li family for ten years, they would have the right to vote on major affairs of the Li family.
For example, the change of the head of the family.
Although it is only a small vote and only has the right to vote, it also gives the worshipers a sense of participation and ownership.
Back when the Li family was at its peak, these poor voting rights were just whitewash.
After all, the ancestor is still here, no one dares to disobey his decision.
But what if the ancestor is no longer here?
Li Qi learned from his elder father that his death was not far away.
And the lineage of the head of the Li family has lasted for nearly two hundred years, so it's time to change to another house.
At this time, Fang Chang's vote will be valuable.
Moreover, he himself is a foundation-building monk with many years of experience. Although he is old, his strength as a foundation-building monk cannot be faked.
Li Qi originally thought that he paid a sincere visit and promised various benefits, including continuing the Liu family's legacy for him, and even finding a descendant of the Liu family for him, which was enough to impress an old man.
The result is still the same as before, and all the hard work turned into running water.
How could he not be angry?
"This old thing can't be used by me, and no one else can use him either!"
Manager Zhang took a breath: "Does the young master want to..."
He wiped his neck.
Li Qi rolled his eyes and said: "Are you stupid or do you think I am stupid? After all, he is a foundation-building monk. I have no life-or-death feud with him, so why waste a lot of money trying to take the life of a foundation-building monk."
"That?"
"If I don't need him, can't I force him away? From now on, the catch at Xiaohudao Fishing Ground will double.
In addition, the Li family’s finances are tight now, and our senior Liu will not mind the extension of his annual salary.”
"What if Liu Gongfeng comes to trouble Young Master for this?"
"I am a direct descendant of the Li family. Even if he goes to the head of the family, the most I can do is return his extended annual salary to him.
By then, his reputation will be almost gone, so let’s see if he still has the nerve to stay in the Li family.
If he really dares to take action against me, my Li family, although already in decline, will not be bullied by a foundation-building monk with no roots."
"Young Master is brilliant!"
"It's a pity. That red carp is a strange species in the water. If it is cultivated properly, it may not be able to become the trump card of my second family lineage in the future. It is really a waste in the hands of an old guy.
Let's go back."
…
Fang Chang silently withdrew his consciousness, feeling very speechless.
The deadline for the ancestor of the Li family's golden elixir is approaching, and the inheritance of the golden elixir has been delayed, so that the situation in the entire Cailian Lake has become treacherous.
Everyone in the house was plotting secretly for the position of the head of the family, and even he, an honest little transparent person, was troubled.
Fortunately, he showed his foundation-building skills, and he was considered a backbone in a Jindan family that was about to decline.
Even a direct descendant like Li Qi only dared to use small and painless means.
But such a small trick is really disgusting.
He didn't want to pay attention, but if he didn't, it would make people think that something was wrong with him.
The annual dividends were originally small enough, but now they don't even want spiritual stones, and are willing to live on a small lake island.
So is there a problem with Xiaohudao or with him?
There can't be good people in this world who don't want anything and can only contribute silently.
At that time, this behavior will be more noticeable.
But if you ignore him, you can't kill Li Qi.
After all, if he didn't get along well with him on the front foot, and someone killed him on the back foot, even a fool would think there was something suspicious about him.
Fang Chang touched his chin and sighed:
"I just want to find a quiet place to practice well, why are you all forcing me?"
He waved his sleeves, and a humanoid puppet appeared in front of him.
If there were senior members of the Li family present at this moment, they would find that this puppet looks exactly like the ancestor of the Li family who has not been seen for a long time.
"Then in order not to be disturbed, the best way is to make the ancestor of the Li family mine."
