Wang Tong's face remained impassive, but he rejoiced inwardly. He knew another Alchemist had fallen into his trap.
He always acted as a benefactor, first investing some resources to cultivate Independent Cultivators with Alchemy Talent. Then, he would either provide them with High Tier Pill Formulas or set up fraudulent schemes to saddle them with enormous, unpayable debts. After employing these various methods, the Alchemists had no choice but to obediently become his tools, refining all sorts of Forbidden Pills for him.
"Brother Yang, don't be anxious. Although the Bone Marrow Transformation Pill is simple, it is still a Tier One Upper Grade elixir. Failure is natural. Just try a few more batches. As long as you succeed, you'll quickly earn back your initial investment."
He smiled kindly, looking as if he had Yang Jing's best interests at heart.
Yang Jing put on a hesitant look. Under Wang Tong's persuasive tongue, he gritted his teeth and bought twenty sets of Spirit Medicine for the Bone Marrow Transformation Pill at once. He used this opportunity to sell the Cyan Ant Pills he had to the Celestial Treasure Tower for a slightly higher price, making a small profit.
In the following period, Yang Jing saved up enough Spirit Stones and bought a second-hand Magical Fishing Rod from a small shop in the Huangyuan Marketplace.
The Chen Kingdom bordered the Demon Country. Even with the Six Passes Defense Line guarding the border, Demons still occasionally slipped into the kingdom. The Jishui River originated in the Demon Country and flowed through the entire Chen Kingdom. Despite being guarded by the Flying Crane Pass, it was inevitable that aquatic Demons would travel downriver and infiltrate the Chen Kingdom. Some migratory Demon Fish even swam upstream every few years, returning to the Demon Country to spawn.
Such abundant resources naturally attracted large numbers of Independent Cultivators and Innate Martial Artists who made a living by catching and fishing for them.
Demon Fish were incredibly strong in the water; an ordinary fishing rod would snap easily. Only a Magical Artifact refined from Spiritual Materials could withstand their immense pulling force and resist the corrosion of their Demon Power.
Yang Jing carried the fishing rod on his back to the Jishui Riverbank. He chose a solid spot on the bank as his fishing point and tied a silk ribbon from his waist to a sturdy tree trunk by the river. This was to prevent a Demon Fish from catching him off guard and dragging him into the river.
He took the rod from his back and held it in his hand. The body of this fishing rod was refined from a Tier One Upper Grade Spiritual Material, Azure Gold Bamboo, with Restrictions inscribed into it. It was exceptionally tough and wouldn't easily shatter.
The fishing line was made from the silk of a Demon-Catching Spider, which had a natural cloaking effect. Demon-Catching Spiders preyed on Demons; even Ox Demons and Ape Demons, known for their great strength, could not break free from their webs. With this silk as a fishing line, it would never snap unless he hooked a Demon Fish at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
There was a section on the rod's body covered in engraved Restrictions where a Talisman could be wrapped before fishing.
After hooking a fish, the biggest problem was how to drag the Demon Fish ashore. Although a Cultivator's body was tempered by Magical Power and much stronger than a mortal's, it was no match for the thousands of pounds of Power a Demon Fish could exert in the water. If the line on the reel ran out, one could only cut the line or abandon the rod; otherwise, they would be dragged into the water in an instant.
Innate Martial Artists would usually work together in a group to haul the Demon Fish in. Cultivators, on the other hand, would choose to use Magical Artifacts and Talismans to kill the Demon Fish while it was still in the water, and then drag its corpse ashore.
Yang Jing took out a Flying Lightning Talisman, a freebie from the shop, and wrapped it around the Restrictions. After securing the Flying Lightning Talisman, he took a Silver Moon Fish from his back basket. This was a common native Spirit Fish in the Jishui River and the most common prey for all types of Demon Fish in the river.
The Flying Lightning Talisman was only a Tier One Lower Grade Talisman. Its only advantage was its extremely fast activation speed, so it was mostly used against Innate Martial Artists with superb Body Techniques. If released directly, it would be no more than a tickle to a Demon Fish covered in Hard Scales.
But if the lightning could travel down the fishing line and strike the Demon Fish's internal organs directly, one cheap Flying Lightning Talisman could do the job in a single blow, severely injuring the Demon Fish.
Pinching the Silver Moon Fish, he took out a Bait Talisman, tied it to the line, and slapped it against the fish's body. The entire Talisman instantly dissolved into the Silver Moon Fish like water. When he placed the Silver Moon Fish into the river, the already-startled fish shot away like a silver flash. The reel spun rapidly as the fish dragged the gossamer-light line into the river's depths.
Yang Jing held the rod firmly, sensing the Silver Moon Fish's movements through the rod's body. He occasionally lifted the rod and turned the reel to retrieve some line, preventing the Silver Moon Fish from swimming too far away.
A Demon Fish's intelligence was comparable to that of a young child, so they couldn't be caught with dead bait. One could only fish for them using a Bait Talisman combined with a live fish.
By now, many Independent Cultivators and Innate Martial Artists had gathered by the Jishui River to fish. Some of the more extravagant Independent Cultivators would even scatter Broken Spirit Rice to chum the waters. On the river, large boats, dozens of yards long, sailed by. Onboard, Cultivators directed Innate Martial Artists who shouted in unison as they cast their nets into the water.
Only these Magical Boats, purchased by the great Cultivator Clans, dared to use nets for fishing, unafraid of being dragged into the river by the immensely powerful Demon Fish.
"Kid, I didn't expect you to be the one who bought Wang Fan's fishing rod. He didn't get a bite for three straight months, and he racked up a mountain of debt buying Spirit Fish for bait. He had no choice but to sell this rod he'd saved up five years of Spirit Stones for and go work as a Tenant Farmer."
An old fisherman, who looked to be in his sixties, recognized Yang Jing's rod. He walked over with his hands behind his back and said condescendingly:
"Demon Fish, you see, aren't that easy to catch."
He could tell Yang Jing was a novice with a single glance.
Yang Jing didn't get angry. Instead, he flattered the old man with a few words, making him flush with pleasure.
"I, Zhang Su, have been fishing for over fifty years. I've figured out the temperament of these Demon Fish completely. It's just bad luck today, otherwise I would've already caught one."
He rambled on and on. But when Yang Jing tried to ask for some tips on fishing for Demon Fish, he would either change the subject or give vague answers.
Seeing that he couldn't get any solid information out of him, Yang Jing focused his attention back on his fishing rod. He secretly activated his Bright Qi Talent, piercing through the water to perceive the movement of Demon Qi below the surface. Without a trace, he used the rod to guide the Silver Moon Fish toward a Demon Fish underwater.
A moment later, the Demon Qi underwater suddenly surged, and a powerful tug came from the other end of the fishing rod.
"A bite!"
Yang Jing quickly grabbed the rod with both hands and activated the Bait Talisman, causing it to adhere firmly inside the Demon Fish's body.
The extremely flexible rod was instantly bent into a bow shape. The thin line was pulled taut, cutting through the water's surface with a piercing ZING. The reel spun at high speed as the startled Demon Fish dove toward the depths of the Jishui River.
The huge commotion instantly attracted the other fishermen on the bank, who all gathered around to watch.
Zhang Su was dumbfounded, even accidentally pulling out a few strands of his beard. 'In his eyes, Yang Jing had almost no fishing experience. How could he have possibly hooked a fish so soon after casting his line? And from the look of the struggle, it was a huge one.'
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Use the talisman!"
An experienced fisherman shouted loudly.
Without hesitation, Yang Jing activated the Restrictions. A bolt of lightning shot down the rod and along the line, plunging into the river's depths.
Dozens of yards away, a bright light flashed underwater. After a muffled BANG, a dark black Demon Fish, about seven yards long, floated to the surface.
The Flying Lightning Talisman had exploded in its mouth, knocking it unconscious.
Yang Jing hurriedly pulled on the rod and spun the reel to bring the fish in.
The entire Demon Fish was covered in hard, dark black scales. Its belly was yellowish-white, and its fins were five-colored.
"It's a Middle Grade Colorful Fin Demon Carp!"
A fisherman identified the Demon Fish's species and cultivation, exclaiming in shock.
The deeper a Demon Fish's cultivation, the higher its intelligence, and the harder it was to catch. Among all the fishermen here, a Tier One Middle Grade Demon Fish was only caught once every two to three months.
The scales of a Colorful Fin Demon Carp had a Defense Power comparable to Iron Essence, yet they were very light, making it easier to inscribe Restrictions on them. They were an excellent material for refining Defensive Spiritual Artifacts and Armor, and the Six Great Sects had set a guide price to purchase them in unlimited quantities.
The scales alone could be sold for over twenty Spirit Stones.
The Demon Fish's bones could also be used to refine Magical Artifacts like Fishbone Swords and would sell for around ten Spirit Stones. As for the other parts, their prices were much lower.
There were brokers on the bank who would buy and process the fish, skinning it and deboning it on the spot. Yang Jing only kept the edible meat and earned a total of forty-two Spirit Stones.
This was the allure of fishing. As long as one was lucky enough to catch a high-value Demon Fish, the income could equal several months' earnings for an ordinary Independent Cultivator. It was also unlike hunting Demons in the Huangyuan Mountain Range, where if you hunted a Demon, you had to share the profits with the other Independent Cultivators on your team.
However, this required extremely high fishing skills. Demon Fish were cunning and lurked deep at the bottom of the river. Even highly skilled anglers often came away empty-handed.