Chapter 028: Little Chick Stewed with Black Potatoes

“I’ll have Hu’er ask how many Blue Belle Clams are left in the lake,” Qingzhen said excitedly.

“That’s something you can actually ask?” Zhou Ji asked in surprise.

“Yes. The little fish Hu’er raises are very obedient,” Qingzhen replied. Besides, Hu’er is quite skilled. Every day she gets her little fish to bring her food in different ways. Finding a group of river clams shouldn’t be much of a challenge.

“How many little fish has your sister raised anyway? The lake is so vast. If there aren’t enough fish and they search for Blue Belle Clams separately, they’d end up as food for other fierce beasts. If they search together, it’ll probably take quite a bit of time,” Zhou Ji said, frowning.

“My sister actually has quite a lot of little fish,” Qingzhen answered.

“Dozens?” Zhou Ji asked casually, not thinking much of it.

Qingzhen remained silent.

“More than dozens? Over a hundred?” Zhou Ji was surprised.

“Well, anyway, there are plenty, but since they’re all underwater, I can’t really count exactly how many,” Qingzhen said.

“If it’s over a hundred, then once they grow up, they’ll truly be a great help,” Zhou Ji said with a gentle smile. A school of a hundred fish would have considerable fighting strength in the water.

Qingzhen thought: A hundred? That’s nothing. Back when Hu’er raised them in the lotus pond at home, every feeding would send the water splashing, and it looked like there were thousands upon thousands. Now that they’re in the lake, who knows how many are left. After all, the lake has so many things that can eat them.

“When Hu’er wakes from her nap, I’ll ask her to handle this,” Qingzhen said.

“If that doesn’t work, we’ll think of something else. Big brother won’t let you suffer injustice,” Qingjin promised, his expression determined.

“Mm,” Qingzhen nodded vigorously.

“Let’s talk about your territory,” Ning Qi interjected.

“What issues are there with our territory?” Qingzhen asked, puzzled. Old Zhao also looked at Ning Qi with suspicion.

---

“Your sister’s arrival here was rather odd,” Zhou Ji spoke up. “We suspect the Ren family’s power far outweighs yours. If they wanted revenge on your sister, they have plenty of methods. Why send you to the Eastern Wilds as pioneer lords?”

“I fear there’s something strange about the Coiled Serpent Territory,” Zhou Ji said.

“What could be strange about this land? We’ve lived here for several days,” Qingzhen replied, confused.

“No, there’s something peculiar,” Old Zhao suddenly said.

“Uncle Zhao, what’s strange here?” Qingzhen asked, baffled.

“It’s much more peaceful than what your father and I expected,” Old Zhao coughed twice. “When someone comes to the Eastern Wilds to pioneer as a lord, everyone knows there will be difficulties. For example, on the first night, you can’t sleep well—wild beasts and fierce creatures circle your camp, howling and trying to scare or attack you. But since we set up camp here, we’ve never had such problems. At night, everyone sleeps soundly. The night watchers have never been attacked. It’s as if even the wild beasts and fierce creatures rest peacefully at night.

“And though we’re beside a large lake, is a big lake always calm? Not necessarily. It’s normal for aquatic beasts to crawl ashore and cause trouble.

“What’s odd is that, day or night, no aquatic beasts have ever come ashore to bother us. It’s as if there’s something here that they avoid at all costs.”

Qingzhen’s eyes widened in astonishment. He had indeed never seen aquatic beasts come ashore at night. As for those that came up during the day, weren’t those just food?

“So, if you think carefully, there’s definitely something strange,” Old Zhao said, coughing twice to sum up.

“That’s right. There are Crimson Essence Fruits and Blue Belle Clams. The resources here are so abundant. There’s no reason the previous lords all died untimely deaths. Even if they couldn’t claim these treasures, they could’ve brought others to help develop the land, or returned it to the Dao Court for greater benefits. We fear being silenced by the unscrupulous members of the Dao Court only because we’re too weak. But not every pioneer lord in the Eastern Wilds is weak or without backing,” Zhou Ji reasoned.

“Sadly, we haven’t been here long enough to know what else is peculiar besides the rich resources,” Old Zhao sighed.

“We’ll find out. Anyway, we’re not leaving,” Qingjin said.

“Yes, staying is good. Since everyone’s set their sights on this place, we might as well carefully investigate what’s odd here. Perhaps there’s a great opportunity hidden here,” Zhou Ji said.

Ning Qi remained silent, clearly intrigued by the place.

---

In the afternoon, as soon as Qinghu woke, she saw her fourth brother grinning at her, trying to curry favor.

“What are you up to?”

Qinghu asked, while Xiao Bai helped style her hair, looking at her brother in surprise.

“About those Blue Belle Clams…”

“Still craving them? I’ll have the little fish bring up some more,” Qinghu said.

“No, it’s just that Brother Zhou said if too many Blue Belle Clams are hunted, the rest will flee and leave their native waters,” Qingzhen blurted out, repeating Zhou Ji’s words. “Brother Zhou also said eating Blue Belle Clams can restore one’s foundation.

“Your fourth brother was poisoned, so his foundation is unstable, which might slow his cultivation in the future. So, please, please, can you have your little fish check how many Blue Belle Clams are left in the lake? If there aren’t enough, drive them ashore. We’ll dig a big pond and raise them. If we eat them for a while, I can restore my foundation.”

“Your poisoning actually affected your foundation?” Qinghu was startled.

“Yes, yes,” Qingzhen replied gloomily.

“Fourth brother, don’t worry. If eating solves the problem, one meal won’t do—let’s have two. If two don’t suffice, we’ll eat them every meal. As long as you aren’t afraid of getting sick from them, we can eat them for a year or two straight,” Qinghu said.

“No, I’ll definitely get sick. How about this: clam meat for breakfast, something else for lunch, and clam again for dinner?” Qingzhen bargained.

“Then your foundation’s recovery will slow by a third! Can’t you be more diligent? Why not endure it for a few months, eat clams for every meal until your foundation is fixed, and then switch up lunch?” Qinghu suggested.

“No, no.” Qingzhen shook his head like a rattle. “You can’t stick to it yourself, yet you expect your fourth brother to persist? This isn’t the place for such determination. I can eat more clam meat each meal, but three meals a day, every day? I can’t do that, I can’t stick to it.” For a foodie, eating the same thing every meal, no matter how delicious, is misery. “I just saw those little partridges the commoners raise are getting plump. How about partridge stew with black potatoes tonight?”