11: Zhu Family
At the Green Wave Sect Sect Master's hundredth birthday banquet, spirit fruits and immortal brews flowed, and both guests and host enjoyed themselves.
The Lin Family Old Ancestor wore a polite smile while exchanging pleasantries with fellow Cultivators, but in his heart, he remained preoccupied with the trace of unease he felt when leaving the island.
As soon as the birthday banquet ended, he declined the subsequent discussions on the Dao and rushed back to Lin Family Island at the first Opportunity.
Upon landing, the current Family head, who had been waiting for a long time with a fearful expression, hurried forward and knelt on the ground with a thud. With a trembling voice, he reported the bad news that the farm had been robbed, specifically the disappearance of the precious "Pseudo-Flood Dragon" Golden Scale Carp.
"Useless! A bunch of useless fools!" After hearing the detailed account, the Lin Family Old Ancestor trembled with rage. His Late Stage Foundation Establishment pressure uncontrollably radiated outward, forcing the surrounding disciples to bow their heads in silence, as quiet as cicadas in winter.
His face was ashen, and his chest heaved violently.
That "Pseudo-Flood Dragon" was an unexpected product of his countless efforts to breed a Golden Flood Dragon. Although its evolution had been thwarted, its Bloodline had regressed to its ancestors. The flood dragon charm it contained would have been a great help to his grandson—the Lin Family's most promising direct-line Genius for Foundation Establishment—when he attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm in the future. It could be called a "Foundation Establishment Medicine" prepared just for him!
Now, in his own nest, it had been stolen by something suspected to be a fish demon whose appearance wasn't even clearly seen! This was simply a humiliating disgrace!
"Did you see the appearance of that Prodigy?" The Lin Family Old Ancestor suppressed his anger, his voice icy.
"In... in response to the Old Ancestor, that monster was extremely fast and had a very high concealment ability. We only caught a glimpse when the alarm was triggered. It seemed... it seemed to be a strange fish, entirely black with golden patterns. Its specific species... could not be identified," the Family head replied, drenched in cold sweat.
"Black... golden patterns..." Cold light flickered in the Lin Family Old Ancestor's eyes. The first thing he thought of wasn't some wild Essence Spirit, but his old rival—the Pig Dragon Zhu Family!
His ancestor and the Zhu Family ancestor were originally sworn brothers when they were Loose Cultivators. They explored an ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave together and discovered a Foundation Establishment Opportunity, a Spirit Fish farming method, and a pair of precious Pig Dragon eggs. Ultimately, his ancestor obtained the former, successfully established his Foundation Establishment and founded the Lin Family. The Zhu Family ancestor obtained the dragon eggs; although he had no hope of Foundation Establishment himself, he established the Zhu Family's foundation with that pair of Pig Dragons, which possessed a trace of the Green Water Flood Dragon Bloodline.
Those two Second-rank Pig Dragons were still alive today due to the long Lifespan of the Yao Race and were the Zhu Family's guardian Spirit Beasts. Because of this, the two families had become enemies, with constant friction over hundreds of years.
The Zhu Family excelled at raising Pig Dragons. Although breeding was difficult, the hides and bones they produced were excellent Materials for Artifact Refining and talisman making. Furthermore, backed by a certain Yao King deep in Dongting Lake, they had always stood as equals against the Lin Family.
"It must be that Old Ghost Zhu's doing!" The more the Lin Family Old Ancestor thought about it, the more likely it seemed. "Who else but him would know the secret of my Lin Family's Golden Scale Carp and be able to drive such a strange water demon? To deliberately choose to strike while I was at the banquet—what a poisonous scheme!"
He didn't dare mention such a "small matter" as his Family's theft at the Green Wave Sect's birthday banquet to avoid becoming a laughingstock, and he was even more afraid of alerting the enemy.
Now back on his own territory, with anger and suspicion intertwined, he immediately issued two orders:
First, a secret bounty: discreetly spread word among the Loose Cultivators and various powers in the Dongting Lake waters, offering a heavy reward for clues about an "entirely black, golden-patterned fish monster that is good at concealment and extremely fast." I want it alive or dead! On the surface, however, claim it's just a hunt for a Yao Beast that stole ordinary Spirit Fish.
Second, keep a close eye on the Zhu Family: dispatch capable personnel to strictly monitor all movements of the Pig Dragon Zhu Family, especially their connections with the water Yao Race and whether there have been any unusual actions recently. He was certain that "fish monster" was likely related to the Zhu Family, perhaps even some special aquatic creature they had tamed!
For a time, the atmosphere in the waters within the Lin Family's sphere of influence grew quietly tense.
Beneath the undercurrents, the search for the "Black-Gold Strange Fish" and the surveillance of the Zhu Family were launched simultaneously.
At this moment, Gao De, who had triggered all this turmoil, was curled up deep in his cave, fully digesting the gains from his Bloodline reaching 30% and familiarizing himself with the clever uses of [Size As Desired]. He was still completely unaware of the search network about to envelop him or the conflict between the Lin and Zhu families that had intensified because of him.
He only instinctively felt that the waters of Dongting Lake seemed to have become "muddier." And for a fish intending to transform into a Dragon, these muddy waters might represent both a greater danger and hidden, unexpected opportunities.
He needed more speed and greater strength to navigate these increasingly turbulent undercurrents with ease.
Deep in the cave, Gao De slowly opened his cold vertical pupils. The Demonic Power surging within him had gradually calmed, and the new sense of power brought by the Bloodline Breakthrough to 30% filled every scale.
With a slight thought, his thirty-foot-long massive body rapidly shrank amidst flowing black light, turning into a black-gold small fish less than a foot long. He nimbly turned a circle in the water, barely stirring any current.
This [Size As Desired] talent was truly an excellent aid for concealment and stealth.
However, before he could savor this joy, a strange sense of "turbidity" was transmitted through the water.
It wasn't silt, but an invisible ripple carrying the intent of scrutiny and searching, spreading from Lin Family Island toward the surrounding waters.
"The search has begun..." Gao De immediately realized.
As expected, the Lin Family would not let this go. He shrank his body, slipping out of the cave as silently as the most ordinary lake fish, blending into the dense aquatic plants and cautiously extending his Divine Sense.
Soon, he "saw" some unusual sights: the frequency of Cultivator light streaks, which were rare in the past, had significantly increased in the waters surrounding the Lin Family. Some people, clearly dressed as Loose Cultivators, controlled crude Magical Artifacts or spirit boats, patrolling the surface and sharply scanning beneath the water. He even sensed several Divine Senses belonging to Lin Family disciples, filled with obvious anger and anxiety, sweeping over the nearby waters again and again.
"Entirely black, with golden patterns... bounty for fish monster clues..." Through fragments of information from overheard conversations and Divine Sense ripples, Gao De pieced together the contents of the Lin Family's bounty.
They indeed hadn't seen his specific appearance, but the characteristic of black with golden patterns undoubtedly pointed to him.
"I can no longer move about outside in my original form," Gao De thought, his heart tightening.
He tried to activate [Size As Desired] while slightly adjusting the luster reflected by his scales, making the conspicuous golden patterns dim and blurry, almost merging with the black scales.
Although he couldn't completely change his form, he could at least weaken the most obvious features.
Combined with the blue-quality [Breath Concealment], as long as he wasn't locked onto by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Divine Sense at close range, ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators and Loose Cultivators would find it difficult to discover his abnormality.
He became even more cautious, further shrinking his range of activity, moving almost exclusively in the most hidden, complex waters and deep zones. He relied on devouring some ordinary aquatic creatures to maintain his basic needs while fully consolidating his Realm and familiarizing himself with his new abilities.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere between the Lin and Zhu families also suddenly grew tense due to the Lin Family Old Ancestor's suspicions.
The scouts sent by the Lin Family found that the Zhu Family's recent activities were indeed somewhat unusual.
Their tamed Pig Dragons seemed more restless than usual, frequently patrolling the edge of the waters near the Lin Family, and the Zhu Family's Cultivators were also increasing their contact with some Aquatic Yao Cultivators of ill repute.
"See! The Zhu Family is indeed acting out of a guilty conscience! They must be afraid of the truth coming out and are strengthening their defenses, perhaps even looking for a chance to silence witnesses!" Upon receiving the report, the Lin Family Old Ancestor became even more convinced of his judgment.
On one hand, he pushed for the bounty; on the other, he began mobilizing the Family's forces to guard against a possible surprise attack from the Zhu Family.
Meanwhile, the Zhu Family was completely bewildered and, at the same time, extremely resentful.
The Zhu Family Old Ancestor listened to his clansmen's reports, his brow furrowed. "What is that old dog of the Lin Family going crazy about? Suddenly sending more people to watch us and secretly offering a bounty for some fish monster? If something was lost from his pathetic fish pond, what does that have to do with our Zhu Family?"
He instinctively felt this was the Lin Family's provocation or conspiracy. "Could it be that something went wrong with the Lin Family's attempt to breed that 'Golden Flood Dragon,' and they want to find an excuse to move against us?" Thinking of this, the Zhu Family Old Ancestor dared not be negligent and similarly ordered increased vigilance, restricting his disciples from approaching Lin Family waters while strengthening ties with the Yao King forces they relied on, just in case.
The already fragile balance between the two families became precarious because of Gao De's successful theft and the Lin Family Old Ancestor's preconceived suspicions.
In the waters of Dongting Lake, undercurrents surged, and swords were drawn.
Although Gao De, lurking in the shadows, didn't know the full picture, he could clearly feel the oppressive atmosphere of an impending storm.
He realized that he had unintentionally pried into the conflict between two great Foundation Establishment families.
"Muddy waters make for good fishing..." A thought sprouted in his mind.
The mutual suspicion between the Lin and Zhu families and their attention being drawn to each other might not be a bad thing for him. This might buy him more time and space.
But the prerequisite was that he must never be exposed.
Once his true identity and tracks were discovered by either side, whether it was the enraged Lin Family or the wronged Zhu Family, neither would let him go.
He shrank his body again, burying himself deeper into a shipwreck's ruins at the bottom of the water. Like a true ghost, he coldly watched the turmoil he had caused, waiting for his next Opportunity.