Chapter Fourteen: Tranquility

Liao Chen was in a sorry state, utterly humiliated. For someone who had spent years rolling about the mountains, to suffer from seasickness was bad enough—but to faint and tumble into the river, that was worse; and to think that, as a Golden Core master, he couldn’t even swim! If not for the two sisters rescuing him again, he would have become the first “Golden Core expert” to drown in a river. It was a disgrace to the reputation of the Golden Core.

He had swallowed several mouthfuls of water before finally recuperating, wobbling as he stood up on the small boat. There was no need for calculations; his spiritual sense swept over the water, revealing everything beneath the surface.

“There are no fish here. Go twenty yards forward, then five yards to the right. That’s where the fish are,” Liao Chen said, seeing the second Zhang sister preparing to cast the net, and hurriedly stopped her.

“You can spot fish?” The second Zhang sister turned back, incredulous. It was possible to read the water, but generally only experienced fishermen could do so, relying on knowledge of currents and geography. Liao Chen had gotten seasick as soon as he boarded—a veritable landlubber—how could he possibly know where the fish were? He probably hadn’t even touched a fishing net before.

“Really?” The third sister blinked her large eyes, staring at Liao Chen.

“Uh…” Liao Chen was at a loss, finally squeezing out, “I have a good intuition. Why not give it a try?”

“Pfft.” The second and third sisters scoffed at him together, but changing the location was no big deal. They decided to humor him for now, planning to mock him again later.

The third Zhang sister was skilled at rowing; with a few strokes, they reached the spot Liao Chen had mentioned. “Left front!” Liao Chen called out, and the second sister, almost reflexively, cast the net toward the left front. Only after the net hit the water did she realize what she had done and shot Liao Chen a fierce glare. After waiting a moment, she prepared to pull in the net.

“Huh,” the second sister hadn’t expected much, as the man sitting in the boat looked entirely untrustworthy, but as soon as she began to pull in the net, she noticed something was off—it was distinctly heavier. Using more force, she pulled up part of it, and the water surface began to boil with the struggle of a school of fish. Clearly, she didn’t have the strength to haul it in alone; it was a genuine catch. “Come help!” The second sister’s face was flushed; it was obvious she couldn’t manage by herself.

Liao Chen immediately stood up, ready to assist.

“Not you—let the third sister help. You’ll lose your balance and tumble into the river again,” the second sister said hurriedly. Standing at the bow to haul in the net was a real test of skill.

Liao Chen touched his nose—was he being dismissed?

“Alright, coming!” The third sister, steady on her feet despite the rocking boat, quickly moved from the stern to the bow. The two sisters pulled together.

“My goodness, we’ve really landed on a fish nest!” The third sister exclaimed. It took considerable effort, but they managed to haul a net full of fresh fish into the boat’s hold. Cheering, they admired their abundant catch.

Liao Chen looked at the boat filled with live fish. “Let’s release some of the smaller ones,” he said.

“You really are kind. You weren’t a monk, were you?” The third sister no longer saw Liao Chen as a burden, though she still teased him. Nevertheless, together they released some of the smaller fish.

“To leave an opening is the way of nature,” Liao Chen said solemnly.

“You really have read books, unlike us,” the third sister muttered. After sorting the fish, she asked, “Let’s see if you’re just guessing—where should we cast the net next?”

Liao Chen paused. “Go forward less than fifty yards, left aft—cast the net there!”

Again, the net came up full of lively river fish, and among them seemed to be a giant turtle, as large as a washbasin and likely over a thousand years old—a rare find. Together, Liao Chen and the sisters carefully examined the turtle.

“Hey, there are markings on it!” the third sister cried out in surprise.

“‘Tang Dynasty, eighth year of Kaiyuan, released by Puji Temple, Wang Yusheng,’” Liao Chen read aloud the inscription on the turtle’s shell. Goodness, it truly was a millennium-old turtle.

“Wow, you really are a scholar—you can read!” The third sister was amazed at her discovery. Liao Chen shot her a glance, thinking, “Are all literate people scholars? What about Taoists and monks?”

“The Tang Dynasty was ages ago; this turtle really is a thousand years old. And it was released by a temple. We should let it go,” the third sister said, reluctant to part with such a valuable specimen, especially a thousand-year-old turtle with an inscription from the Tang Dynasty. Many would pay dearly to buy it, release it, or keep it as a curiosity.

“Let it go. It’s not easy for a creature to live so long,” Liao Chen said, turning to the second sister, who had the final say.

“Alright, this turtle must have become a spirit after so many years; best not to harm it.” With that, she heaved the turtle far into the water with a splash. Old Lord Eight was finally free to return to his watery palace. Liao Chen smiled inwardly, thinking, “This turtle is no ordinary creature; today it was caught by my calculations and now owes its life to these two fisher girls. I must keep an eye on the Zhang family’s fishing boats from now on.”

“Let’s head back; nothing exceeds three,” Liao Chen felt they’d caught enough fish for the day and looked at the two still eager sisters.

“Alright, one shouldn’t be too greedy,” the second sister agreed after a moment’s thought. Only the third sister seemed a little reluctant.

The small boat docked, and the buckets of live fish quickly attracted attention.

“Oh my, the Zhang girls are lucky today—so many fish so quickly, and all big ones!” The early-rising women who came to buy river fish exclaimed in astonishment. It was rare to catch so many fish in such a short time.

The Zhang sisters were no fools; they responded with smiles and said little. After selling most of the fish, keeping only a couple, they sold the rest to the fish vendor. Then, with their pockets full of copper coins, they happily went home with Liao Chen.

Life in the little village was tranquil and peaceful. Liao Chen was finally able to forget all his troubles for a time and began to busy himself with the routine of an ordinary person. In the mornings, he joined in casting nets at the lake; by noon, he worked in the fields; at dusk, he listened to the elders telling ancient tales under the big tree at the village’s edge; and at night, weary from a day’s toil, he would meditate to the sound of the wind, moon, and waves. Gradually, Liao Chen came to regard the village as home, and the village accepted him as one of their own. If not for the emptiness in his core every time he meditated, reminding him of the path he still had to climb, he might have forgotten his journey altogether.

“If I truly cannot cultivate anymore, to live out my days peacefully here in the village wouldn’t be so bad,” Liao Chen comforted himself, once again failing to awaken his Golden Core in meditation, gazing at the bright moon in the courtyard, full of disappointment.

“Brother Liao, what did you say?” A clear voice suddenly called out from behind—it was the third sister.

“Ah, nothing,” Liao Chen replied hastily, then quickly changed the subject, “Why are you still awake so late?”

“I saw someone in the yard and thought it was a thief—I was ready to whack them!” The third sister stuck out her tongue and pulled out a wooden club as thick as her arm. Liao Chen rolled his eyes. That wasn’t a whack; that was enough to kill someone!

He chuckled and said nothing, heading straight inside to continue his cultivation. Nearly half a year had passed, yet his core remained empty. It was easy to pick up the path, but so hard to let go. On the road of cultivation, bones pile up into mountains. How could one expect an untroubled, hazard-free ascent?