Chapter 374: Chapter 237: Falling Into the Path of the Demon?

Translator: 549690339

Swish~

A silver-scaled fish leapt out of the water, its struggle against the icy grip of winter visible in its frantic movements. It tried to break free from the bond in its mouth, but there was no opportunity for it to return to the water. A slender, powerful hand had already gripped it. Only then could one see a string extending from the fish’s mouth, connected to a bamboo rod.

“The third one, today’s harvest is good!”

The fisherman chuckled as he tossed the silver-scaled fish into his basket. He deftly baited his hook and with a flick of his wrist, cast the line back into the thin layer of ice that had formed on the water surface. He was clad in a straw hat and a waterproof cape.

“You’ve sat on the bow for more than three hours to catch just three fishes. How can you be smiling?”

The cold breeze filled with snowflakes blew over the lake surface. In the midst of it, a flat-bottomed boat approached slowly. Dressed in white, a man stood at the head of the boat, mockery clear in his words as he gazed at the happy fisherman at the bow.

“The person who spent nine hours fishing only to catch a three-inch white stripe has no right to mock me!”

The laughed-at fisherman leisurely sat at the bow, responding in a calm rhythm to the haughty solitary man standing on the flat boat. His words instantly deflated the other’s arrogance.

“On the day I was fishing in the stream, a Water Ruler passed by, depriving all the water clan of their activity below the water. That’s why I caught only one three-inch white stripe in a day.”

“Where would a Water Ruler come from in a stream less than 30 feet wide?”

The fisherman couldn’t help but laugh.

“What do you know? The old books say that even a well can give birth to a water vein. Where there are water veins, there will naturally be Water Rulers. It wasn’t my fault …”

With a demeanor transcending the mortal realm, the man prattled on, making references and conclusions about things difficult to comprehend for the ordinary man. He was adamant about his belief that his unsuccessful fishing was a cosmological matter, not a personal fault.

Though he later used his divine power to empty the entire stream and captured nearly a thousand big fishes, he didn’t have the heart to pull through. He eventually released all of them back.

“I have an extra fishing rod here, want it?”

After tolerating the blubbering man complaining in the cold Twelfth Lunar Month wind, and a seemingly endless silence, the fisherman finally offered up a jade-like fishing rod beside him.

The scholar in white considered the fisherman before responding with a firm,

“Yes!”

“Help yourself.”

The scholar didn’t stand on ceremony, reaching out to take the jade-like rod, which floated into his hand. He then sat on the boat head to fish in the snow-covered lake.

Only a few could possess such a carefree disposition in this freezing period, demonstrating their extraordinary identities. Both were teachers at the academy, currently having free time to boat in the lake.

“Do you have wine?”

“Of course.”

The scholar in white glanced at the fisherman before carefully bringing out a small furnace and golden carbon. He then conjured a jug of wine and expertly warmed it on the flat boat. A faint fragrance of wine soon wafted around the lake.

Winter fishing, warming wine on the boat, and drinking amidst the snow, such leisurely enjoyment was indeed god-like.

Boom!

Just as the two academy teachers were engrossed in their conversation and on the verge of intoxication on the tranquil lake, a beam of golden light pierced the sky. It fell nearby, causing the earth to roar and the mountains to shake. The tranquil lake too stirred, creating ripples and tossing the boats.

“What monk has run here to cause a ruckus?”

The two teachers addressed the sudden, startling change while sobering up. They completely lost their earlier air of laziness and wore serious expressions while observing the place where the golden light had fallen.

“Yinghai!”

With furious power and the surging Demon Qi, an angry voice rung out that made both of the practitioners in the academy look at each other in surprise.

“This voice sounds familiar!”

“I think I’ve met this person.”

Boom, rumble —

Before the teachers could continue their exchange, the dense clouds in the sky suddenly started to collapse. An oppressive hand descended from the sky, which was large enough to oppress anyone.

It was a hand covered in a thick, dark armor. Golden spiritual patterns spread across the armor. Its sudden appearance stirred a gust of wind, blowing away the snowfall and clearing the sky.

“What the hell is this?”

The scholar in white jumped with fright at the sight of the giant hand that had emerged from the clouds. He instantly knew that the oppressive hand was not formed by divine power but was the literal part of a unique existence.

“Who knows?”

The fisherman, once engrossed in fishing, also put his rod to the side and stood up from his boat. He was staring gravely at the converging Buddha’s light and Demon Qi emanating from a place a few miles away.

“Now’s not the time to figure this out. Protect the students and keep the ordinary people out of this.”

“It’s already affected them.”

The scholar in white looked up at the sky. The majestic aura enveloping the academy was pulsating, appearing like a long ruler. A silhouette seemed to be slowly taking shape.

” Where did that monk and this other guy come from? They sure know how to pick a location for their battles!”

“Stop complaining! We need to start saving people!”

“Understood.”

A flash of divine light and then the two bodies of the Taoist teachers disappeared from the lake, heading straight to the scene of the battle. People were fleeing from the area due to the sudden event. Others were paralyzed with fear, trembling uncontrollably on the ground without knowing what to do.