158: Steamed Dragon Carp

The Dragon Carp, in which Lin Yan had placed high hopes, did not disappoint him.

After cultivating the Spirit Lotus in the small pond at the foot of the North Mountain, the pond water became as clear as if filtered through a fine net, revealing the bottom.

Seventeen Dragon Carp swam back and forth among the Spirit Lotus, their mouths gently touching the edges of the leaves, sending ripples spreading outwards in circles.

One of the Dragon Carp had a slightly bulging abdomen.

According to the knowledge about breeding Spirit Fish that Lin Yan had learned over these days, this was a sign that it was about to spawn!

One morning, not long after, his conjecture was confirmed.

Near the shallows at the edge of the pond, several crescent-shaped nests had been dug out of the fine sand. Amongst the water plants, strings of transparent egg sacs appeared, like pearls and dew, trembling gently with the waves.

The Dragon Carp had finally spawned!

The Dragon Carp inherited the habits of common carp; they did not have the habit of protecting their eggs and would ignore them after spawning.

Lin Yan probed with his Spiritual Qi; the "pulsations" within the egg sacs were clear, with spiritual aura and vitality intertwined.

Looking closely, the faint shapes of small fish could be seen within; they were all viable eggs, showing signs of hatching.

To ensure the Dragon Carp eggs would successfully hatch, Lin Yan personally took on the role of parent for the Dragon Carp.

He channeled his Wood Spiritual Power, and the rich vitality followed strands of clear spring water, circling along the shallows, without stirring up silt, only brushing against the egg sacs and the fish bodies.

A "tide of vitality" rose slightly in the center of the pond, like the secret surge of a spring tide, pushing fine impurities towards the drainage outlet, making the water appear even clearer.

The Spirit Lotus were stirred by the spiritual aura, their leaf edges humming softly as if instruments were playing in harmony.

Within half a day, a layer of extremely fine golden thread patterns surfaced on the egg sacs, as if outlined by a golden brush; this was the mark of the Dragon Carp's True Dragon Bloodline.

After that, whenever Lin Yan had free time, he would squat by the pond, channeling the "Azure Emperor Longevity Art" to nourish the Dragon Carp eggs with rich vitality.

At dawn, about ten days later.

Under Lin Yan's watchful gaze, one egg sac gently split open with a "pop."

A tiny Dragon Carp, as thin as a thread, broke through the membrane. Its body was translucent, its golden scales not yet hardened, and its caudal fin swayed gently as it swam among the water plants.

Over the next two days, "pop, pop" sounds echoed throughout the shallows as new baby Dragon Carp kept appearing.

Hundreds of baby carp swam in schools, either hiding in the shade of the lotus leaves or playing along the flowing streams. Occasionally, one would leap out of the water, splashing up rings of golden ripples.

Although they had just hatched, their vitality was far superior to ordinary fish.

Three days later, the golden scales of the young fish gradually hardened, their swimming speed increased, and they began to swim in groups to forage.

Lin Yan stood by the pond, holding the qinggang sword in his hand.

The sword body was as translucent as green jade, and the cold light at the blade was restrained.

The qinggang sword had an excellent foundation, and with Lin Yan himself being sufficiently powerful, after more than a year of nourishment, this spiritual sword had advanced to the third tier, its power beginning to emerge.

In addition to its power, the qinggang sword's spirituality had further increased, and its connection with Lin Yan had deepened.

Using the qinggang sword to perform Flying Sword techniques was more powerful than with ordinary spiritual swords, and it could reach further distances.

He flipped his hand and took a piece of flood dragon meat from his Storage Pouch.

This was still from that Purple Mansion Realm flood dragon. Lin Yan took the tenderest parts from the loin and the back of the abdomen, washing them repeatedly in clear water to remove all traces of blood and fishiness.

Then, he tapped it gently with the back of his sword, grinding the meat into a fine paste.

The newborn Dragon Carp were too small, so their feed had to be made fine.

He mixed a little spirit dew and leaves of Spiritual Plant into the meat paste. After stirring it evenly and letting it sit for a moment, the froth and residual fishy smell dissipated with the water waves, leaving only a clear, moist spiritual fragrance.

Dragon Carp are omnivorous; flood dragon meat paired with Spiritual Plant is their favorite.

This Spiritual Plant was no ordinary spirit plant, but Lin Yan's exclusive Starlight Alfalfa.

Ever since he cultivated Starlight Alfalfa, the Alfalfa in the pasture had grown even more vigorously.

[spirit plant Name: Starlight Alfalfa]

[growth progress: 1000 / 1000]

[spirit plant Characteristics: Can promote the evolution of surrounding Alfalfa, has a strong attraction to Spirit Beast]

[Growth Status: None]

In the area near the Starlight Alfalfa, not only did the Alfalfa grow at an increased speed, but many ordinary Alfalfa also evolved into first-tier Alfalfa, becoming spirit plants.

Such spirit plant Alfalfa was very popular with Spirit Beast, including the Dragon Carp.

Along the edge of the pond, Lin Yan divided the meat paste into nine small portions, slowly pushing and scattering them into the water, forming a dense ring of bait.

The pond water rippled slightly, and the aroma of the meat drew the newly hatched Dragon Carp to gather by scent.

Over a hundred translucent young fish swam along the edges of the lotus leaves, their golden scales not yet hardened, their caudal fins swaying gently like scattered gold.

They opened their mouths to peck at the food, the water splashes fine and not dispersing. Lin Yan gently tapped the water surface with the back of his finger, creating a whirlpool to prevent the bait from sinking to the bottom and to avoid local hypoxia.

He did not overfeed; the food was consumed in less than three breaths, and he immediately used a fine net to scoop up the remaining bait scraps.

He controlled the source of the spiritual spring, replaced one-third of the water with fresh water, and simultaneously catalyzed the Spirit Lotus to release its water-purifying effect, maintaining the quality of the pond water.

After the young carp ate, their tiny scales trembled slightly, and the clear radiance beneath their bellies fluctuated with their breathing; they were stuffed full.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, most of the school of fish gathered to rest in the shade of the lotus leaves and willow shadows. Occasionally, one would leap from the water, the splashed water droplets each carrying a thread of gold, as if strung together by clear dew.

Nourished by the food, their vitality stabilized, and their energy improved even further.

For seven consecutive days, the young fish's golden scales gradually hardened, their swimming speed increased, and their dorsal lines became more upright.

During the day, the school of fish could be seen swimming along the same water current, like a small, silent army, moving back and forth endlessly between the lotus shadows and the shimmering water.

Lin Yan fed them at set times every day, and after just half a month, the first batch of young fish were over an inch long.

"They eat a lot and grow fast!" Lin Yan was quite satisfied.

The schools of young carp chased and played among the lotus leaves, their Dragon Carp forms beginning to show, occasionally displaying the momentum of leaping from the water to become dragons.

The Dragon Carp breeding plan was proceeding very smoothly, and their numbers had increased significantly.

He had more to be busy with next.

To avoid overcrowding the Dragon Carp school in the future, he continued to open up new ponds downstream, while setting up Formation and planting Spirit Lotus to improve water quality.

He opened up three new ponds in a row, one large and two small.

"These three ponds are enough to hold a thousand Spirit Fish."

Only then did Lin Yan stop.

By this time, the largest of the first batch of hatched Dragon Carp was already the size of half an adult's palm.

The True Dragon Bloodline within the Dragon Carp had also completely manifested.

The second batch of Dragon Carp fry had also hatched, with the largest ones just reaching an inch in length.

Lin Yan felt greatly reassured.

"After working so hard for so long, it's time to taste the Dragon Carp!"

He circulated his spiritual power, which gushed out from his fingertips like green threads, pouring into the pond.

With a gentle guidance, the spiritual threads lifted a slender Dragon Carp, bringing it into his hand.

Although the Dragon Carp was a first-tier Spirit Fish, it had no resistance at all in the face of Lin Yan's formidable spiritual power.

Dragon Carp can be braised or steamed.

Lin Yan decided to steam it.

He called over Little Fatty, Xu Shuangyuan, who was patrolling the fields:

"Shuangyuan, take this Spirit Fish and steam it. Remember, the cooking method doesn't need to be too complicated; don't ruin its freshness."

Xu Shuangyuan's eyes lit up as he looked at the Dragon Carp.

Although he couldn't recognize the Dragon Carp's identity with his current knowledge, it looked extraordinary.

"Senior Brother, is this the Spirit Fish you've been fussing over all this time?" the Little Fatty asked curiously.

"Yes, this Spirit Fish is called a Dragon Carp; it's extremely rare and took me a lot of effort!" Lin Yan said solemnly:

"You must be careful when steaming it!"

"Also, don't talk about this Dragon Carp to outsiders," Lin Yan instructed again.

Although it wouldn't be a big deal if a few Dragon Carp were known about, it was better to have less trouble.

The Little Fatty's expression shifted upon hearing this, and he hurriedly agreed, running towards the kitchen with the Dragon Carp in his hands, muttering to himself:

"Senior Brother, rest assured, I have a very tight mouth! Today, I guarantee I'll steam this Dragon Carp to perfection!"

"Haha, I believe you," Lin Yan laughed.

In less than half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a clear, moist lotus fragrance mixed with the freshness of fish wafted from the kitchen, and Xu Shuangyuan lifted the curtain and brought out a celadon plate.

The Dragon Carp lay on a lotus leaf on the plate, its scales standing up one by one, shimmering with a pale golden luster under the candlelight.

In the gaps between the scales, skin as thin as a cicada's wing wrapped around glistening fat, and even the scallion shreds were permeated with Spiritual Qi.

Lin Yan picked up a piece with his chopsticks. The fish meat first spread a clear sweetness in his mouth, which then turned into a sweet, moist, warm current that surged into his limbs and bones.