Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 42: Fourth-rank East Lake Pearl.

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Fourth-rank East Lake Pearl.

"Hmm?" Zhao Xing pricked up his ears to listen to the direction of the wind.

"What’s wrong, Young Master?" Xu the Eighth climbed aboard the boat, shaking the water from his ears after a vigorous dive.

"Shh, no noise."

Xu the Eighth froze, his face stiffening. Could there be something unclean lurking? Surely not, right? He had offered his sincere prayers to Duke Donghu during the day; his heart had been true! He hadn’t thought of Lady Wang at all during the prayers.

"Row that way." Zhao Xing pointed in a direction. At the same time, his bright eyes began to work the spell, expanding his field of vision.

Even with the obstruction of the lake water, Zhao Xing could see clearly for a dozen meters down, provided the water wasn’t too turbid.

"Oh, oh!" Xu the Eighth put his back into rowing. He dared not ask more questions now. It was evident that this was not the young master’s first time doing this, and he felt that Zhao Xing had an even keener eye than the river salvagers.

"What exactly is it that wandering souls instinctively avoid? Cold, luminous—these qualitites do fit the East Lake Pearl, but to affect a ghost, it must be at least a Third-tier one, right?"

With focused intent, Zhao Xing kept casting his spell, his eyes never resting. The current time was approaching the Ding Mao Hour, when the windfall for supernatural treasures was at its strongest.

If he couldn’t find it within 15 minutes, it would become far more difficult to locate afterward.

The so-called moments of fortune’s rise and fall—when fortune is strong, one might find treasures just by walking, but when it is weak, one can’t recognize a treasure even when it’s in their hands.

"If the second Ding Mao Hour passes without yield, I fear the third will likely be just as fruitless," Zhao Xing picked up a bamboo pole and together with Xu the Eighth, put forth their strength, following the direction of the wind’s call.

After rowing vigorously for half a quarter, Zhao Xing’s eyes suddenly brightened: "Stop!"

Deep at the bottom of the lake, there lay a dark reef. Below the rocks lay a dead turtle, its mouth clutching a light blue pearl.

Because the reefs were crisscrossed, it wasn’t visible from the other three directions on the surface; only from Zhao Xing’s position could one see this pearl.

"A turtle? So that’s what it meant. I thought it was just some nonsense ghost story... Xu the Eighth, how deep can you dive?"

Xu the Eighth proudly slapped his chest and declared, "Within thirty meters, all falls easily into the hands of Xu the Eighth."

Zhao Xing nodded and said, "Good, dive from here then, fifteen meters down, and you should find a dark reef area, ten meters square. Head to the southern side of the reef, into a crossing, and three feet and seven inches down, you’ll touch the treasure!"

"Alright! Watch me, Young Master!" Seeing Zhao Xing’s confidence, Xu the Eighth rubbed his hands together with excitement and dived into the water.

Zhao Xing quietly observed from the boat.

True to his word, Xu the Eighth easily dived down, and following Zhao Xing’s directions, he quickly found the blue pearl in the mouth of the turtle.

Then Xu the Eighth slowly resurfaced, a faint blue light rippling through the water.

"Young Master, Young Master! There really is a treasure!" Xu the Eighth was excited too.

"Come up quick," Zhao Xing promptly pulled him onto the boat.

"Hisss, ah, hiss~" Xu the Eighth dropped the pearl onto the boat; once aboard, he kept gasping for air. Despite the heat, he felt somewhat cold—all because of the pearl.

"A Fourth-rank East Lake Pearl, and it’s the extremely rare Cold Ice Pearl at that, this quality... should be considered Fourth-rank Middle Grade?" Zhao Xing picked up the pearl and examined it closely in his hand.

A chill emanated from the pearl, as if he was holding a block of ice.

Xu the Eighth couldn’t endure it, but Zhao Xing, at Gathering Essence Third Rank, had no issues.

"Congratulations, Young Master! You’ve obtained a Third-tier East Lake Pearl," Xu the Eighth hurried to congratulate him, mistaking it for a third rank since he had never seen a fourth rank in his life.

"This is thanks to you," Zhao Xing said with a slight smile, tucking the pearl away, "Your reward will not be lacking once we return."

"Thank you, Young Master," Xu the Eighth’s face lit up with joy. According to their agreement, he had no share in the profits. But the boss’s gratuity was a pleasant surprise.

As a river salvager, they seldom received rewards, for if the profits were guaranteed, the salvagers would have done the work themselves; such ventures carried a significant risk of loss.

"Just this one alone is enough to be considered a windfall," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

A Fourth-rank East Lake Pearl is a treasure born from ’awaiting changes’ that might appear only once every ten years. And as for the Cold Ice Pearl, that’s even rarer, worth at least five hundred taels!

"A fourth-rank Cold Ice Pearl has the greatest benefit for martial artists, it can significantly reduce the strain on the body from practicing Fire Element Skills or martial techniques, and it can also assist in the cultivation of Water Element Techniques. If you find the right buyer, doubling the price wouldn’t be strange at all."

Having found the treasure, Zhao Xing’s mood improved greatly.

Originally, having found the Cold Ice Pearl, he could have gone back, but since he was already there and there was still one Ding Mao Hour left, why miss the opportunity? Who would complain about having too much money?

In the subsequent half an hour, his ghostly luck seemed to decline.

However, thanks to his sharp eyes, Zhao Xing found over a dozen first-tier East Lake Pearls.

Xu the Eighth was utterly awestruck by Zhao Xing’s skill.

He never came back empty-handed from a dive; how could anyone not be convinced?

If he went back and talked about it, even the boss might not believe it!

......

Time passed, and in Zhao Xing’s next hour, he couldn’t find anything good—only a single earring inlaid with an emerald, which he guessed must have fallen from some noble lady while on a boat.

"Without its pair, it’s probably only worth seven or eight taels."

"But it’s time to go back anyway," Zhao Xing said as he checked the Calendar.

It was already 9:30 PM, and there wouldn’t be anything to gain now, especially after midnight, seeking ghostly fortunes would only bring bad luck.

"Xu the Eighth, let’s head back," Zhao Xing decided it was time to call it a day.

"Alright!" Xu the Eighth was also thoroughly satisfied, as today’s achievements would allow him to boast to his companions for a long time.

"Ah—"

"Someone fell into the water!"

"Quick, steer the big boat over there, to the rescue!"

Suddenly, a voice carried over with the wind. Xu the Eighth paused for a moment, then turned to ask Zhao Xing, "Young Master, it seems someone has fallen into the water over there."

"I see it, but someone has already dived in to save them. There’s no need for us to worry."

"Right, in East Lake, nine out of ten people can swim," Xu the Eighth began to paddle toward the shore.

After passing through a patch of reeds, they came across floating river lanterns that lit up the area.

There in the reed bay was a small boat with a young girl standing on it—it was Lin Baiwei, whom they had seen before.

Seeing the big boat and lotus lanterns drift closer, she couldn’t hide her embarrassment.

Especially the appearance of Zhao Xing and Xu the Eighth made her even more flustered. Soaked through, her graceful figure was faintly visible under the light of the lanterns, and what worried her more was that her aunt was still in the water.

If the big boat were to come closer and people gathered around to watch, it would be like a public execution.

"This..." Xu the Eighth quickly averted his gaze, prepared to take a detour.

"There’s no need for such trouble," Zhao Xing stopped him and then covered the entire reed bay with the Cloud Movement Skill, concealing both Lin Baiwei and Lin San.

"Thank you," a voice as fine as a mosquito’s came through the wind.

Zhao Xing and Xu the Eighth reached the shore.