67: Deep-sea electric eel

The carnival brought by the whale fall lasted for a full five days before the excitement finally began to subside slightly.

The easily harvested fats, flesh, and shallow bones had already been divided up completely. What remained were the tough nuts to crack, or the remnants that required diving into the deep sea to obtain.

In the Han Clan Artifact Maintenance shop, Zhou Wannian had just sent off a Loose Cultivator whose blade had dulled from hacking at sharks. He was preparing to close up for the day and count the harvest from the past few days.

Suddenly, a large, rough hand pressed against the door panel.

"Old Man Han, don't be in such a hurry to close the door."

It was a familiar, loud voice, carrying an unquestionable air of dominance.

Zhou Wannian's movements paused, and he lifted his eyelids.

He saw Red Beard standing at the doorway with two of his trusted subordinates.

This time, he didn't have that obnoxious air of arrogance about him; instead, there was an added touch of gloom and solemnity. His robes were still stained with undried seawater and blood, clearly indicating he had just returned from the sea.

"So it's Vice Leader Red."

Zhou Wannian didn't get angry because the other party was blocking his way. He just slowly let go of the door, turned around, and walked behind the counter. "What's the matter? Did the blade I fixed last time break again? If it was broken by someone else's strike, I don't offer a warranty."

"The blade isn't broken; it's working perfectly."

Red Beard walked into the shop and waved his hand casually, signaling his two subordinates to stand guard at the door. They not only blocked the view of outsiders but also conveniently hung up the 'Closed' sign.

Zhou Wannian's heart skipped a beat, but his Face remained impassive. He even poured himself a cup of tea and blew away the floating foam.

"Then the Vice Leader is here for..."

Red Beard didn't waste words. He pulled a package wrapped in layers of oil paper directly from his Storage Pouch and slammed it heavily onto the counter.

"Old Man Han, I've heard you've traveled far and wide and are very knowledgeable. Take a look at this. How were the wounds on this thing made?"

Zhou Wannian set down his teacup and unwrapped the oil paper.

A strong, pungent stench of blood and decay wafted toward him.

Wrapped inside the oil paper was a palm-sized piece of charred, blackened flesh. The meat had carbonized, but at the break, one could faintly see traces of purple patterns, as if it had been instantly burnt through by high temperatures.

Zhou Wannian's pupils constricted slightly.

This wasn't just any piece of meat.

This was clearly a piece of skin and flesh tissue that had been blasted off when he used the 'Second-Tier Poison Thunder Drill' to open a hole in the whale's back to escape that night!

He hadn't expected that the people from the Blood Shark Group would actually find it.

"I found this near one of the blowholes on the whale's back."

Red Beard stared intently into Zhou Wannian's eyes, his tone cold and sinister. "Someone opened a hole in the whale and crawled inside before we could lock it down. And it seems they used a lightning technique."

"Old Man Han, there aren't many Loose Cultivators on this island who understand lightning techniques. Do you think it could be..."

He was suspicious.

He suspected a high-level expert had intercepted the prize, and he even suspected this seemingly destitute but highly skilled Old Man Han.

The air instantly froze.

Zhou Wannian, however, laughed.

He extended a finger, poked at the piece of meat with a look of disdain, and even leaned in to sniff it.

"Lightning technique? Vice Leader Red, you're joking too much."

Zhou Wannian shook his head, wearing a mocking expression that said 'you don't know the trade.' "If it were a wound caused by a Lightning Cultivator, there would definitely be residual 'fire poison' and traces of spiritual energy oscillation. But this piece of meat..."

He pointed at the purple patterns. "Look at these scorch marks; the edges are smooth and show a radial 'branching pattern.' Furthermore, there's a faint sour smell in this meat—it's not the stench of a corpse, but the smell of some creature's bodily fluids."

"What does that mean?" Red Beard frowned.

"It means this wasn't a man-made Spell at all."

Zhou Wannian spoke utter nonsense with a straight Face. "This is the work of a 'Deep Sea Purple Electric Eel.'"

"Purple Electric Eel?" Red Beard was stunned.

"Exactly."

Zhou Wannian began his performance, his speaking speed steady and certain.

"This kind of Yao Beast usually lives below three thousand feet in the deep sea. They like to parasitize near the blowholes on the backs of giant sea beasts, feeding on waste gases and parasites. When the host dies, they get startled and instantly release the high-voltage current accumulated in their bodies to blast through the host's flesh and escape."

"That kind of current has an instantaneous explosive power comparable to a second-tier lightning talisman, and it carries their unique acidic bodily fluids, which is why it leaves these special scorch marks."

As he spoke, he even fished out a tattered copy of 'Illustrated Guide to Sea Beasts' from under the counter, pointing to an ugly fish that looked like a loach.

"See, this is the Purple Electric Eel. Habits: Likes to burrow, discharges electricity, has an acidic stench."

Red Beard looked at the illustration, then at the scrap of meat on the table, and then at Zhou Wannian's confident 'old expert' demeanor.

He wavered.

"Really? It wasn't some Lightning Cultivator?"

"On this Bitter Leaf Island, besides your leader, who else is an expert capable of using second-tier lightning techniques?"

Zhou Wannian countered with a question. "Besides, what expert would be so bored as to crawl into a whale's belly full of stomach acid and excrement? Just to pick up a few rotten bones?"

This single sentence hit the mark.

Experts had dignity.

In the eyes of a normal person, such a thing was something only the lowest scavengers would do. And how could a bottom-tier scavenger possibly master a second-tier lightning technique?

The logic was airtight.

"Dammit! So it was just a beast!"

Red Beard cursed as he threw the piece of meat onto the floor. "I wasted half a day guarding that hole, thinking there was some treasure hidden inside. In the end, when I went in to look, there was nothing but a pile of sludge!"

He had clearly gone inside as well, but because the treasures in the 'shipwreck' had already been taken by Zhou Wannian—and because Zhou Wannian had deliberately made it look like it had long since rotted away—he had come up empty-handed.

"Fine, since it's a misunderstanding, let's forget it."

The weight in Red Beard's heart lifted.

He looked at Zhou Wannian, the suspicion in his eyes dissipating, replaced by a sense of appreciation.

"Old Man Han, I didn't realize you actually had some knowledge in that head of yours."

Red Beard rubbed his hands together, a welcoming smile appearing on his Face. "Not only is your craftsmanship good, but your eye is also sharp. Are you interested in joining our Blood Shark Group? We're currently lacking a 'Chief Appraiser' specifically for identifying sea goods."

"The pay is negotiable! Fifty Spirit Stones a month, and you get first pick of the hunted items! What do you say?"

This was a very tempting offer.

If Zhou Wannian were truly an ordinary Loose Cultivator, he would have certainly agreed. Leaning against a big tree made for good shade, and he'd get a high salary to boot.

But he was Zhou Wannian.

What he wanted was freedom, to keep a low profile, and to make a fortune in silence.

Joining the Blood Shark Group would make him a mere employee, and he'd have to get involved in Gang struggles—that would be seeking his own death.

"Thank you for your high regard, Vice Leader Red."

Zhou Wannian cupped his hands, his Face showing a perfectly timed expression of exhaustion and a bitter smile. "But these old bones of mine really can't handle any more turmoil. I just want to look after this little shop, earn some retirement money, listen to the sea breeze, and soak up the sun."

"That kind of life of licking blood from a blade... I'm afraid I'd have nightmares at night."

Red Beard stared at him for a moment, as if trying to confirm whether he was being ungrateful.

But all he saw was an old Face filled with the vicissitudes of life and a sense of decline.

"Fair enough, everyone has their own ambitions."

Red Beard shook his head with some regret. "Since Old Han wants peace and quiet, I won't force it. However..."

He changed the subject. "In the future, if we have any goods we're unsure about, we'll have to trouble Old Han to take a look. Don't worry, I know the rules; the appraisal fee won't be lacking."

"That's only natural. Why would I push away business that comes to my door?" Zhou Wannian agreed with a smile.

This status as an 'external expert' was perfect. It gave him Face without the responsibility, and it allowed him to get first-hand intelligence on the Blood Shark Group's spoils.

"I'm off!"

Red Beard was a straightforward man. Since the matter was cleared up, he didn't linger and left briskly with his men.

Watching their figures disappear at the end of the street.

Only then did Zhou Wannian slowly withdraw his smile, bend down, and pick up the charred piece of meat that had been thrown away.

"Deep Sea Purple Electric Eel?"

The corner of his mouth curled into a mocking arc.

"There's no such fish in this world; it was just something I made up."

"But sometimes, people only want to believe the 'truth' that they can understand."

With a rub of his fingers, the piece of meat turned into black ash and dissipated into the air.

Zhou Wannian closed the shop door.

"Besides, Red Beard did give me a reminder."

"Since even the Blood Shark Group found nothing in the whale's belly, it means nobody knows the secret of the 'water repelling token' yet. It's my exclusive."

He walked into the backyard and looked at Wangcai, who was still staring blankly at a piece of Ore.

"Next, it's time to find some suitable 'miners' for our 'Heavy Water Ore Plan.'"

Zhou Wannian pulled the 'Sea Swallow Chamber of Commerce Spiritual Material Map' from his bosom, his gaze falling on the Black Algae Forest on the northwest side of the island.

"The bait is ready; I'm just waiting for the fish to bite."