Chapter 069 Discovery

“Then why are you helping Sister Qingfu, big brother? I’ve never seen you speak much with her,” Qinghu asked again.

“A while back, when I was still working outside, I received a letter from Qingfu. She said the family was planning to marry her off to a house guard, and she begged me to think of a way to get her married out,” he replied. As long as he could help her marry out, she would be obedient for life.

Naturally, Qingjin didn’t intend to tell his younger sister the rest of the story.

Apart from her slightly lacking cultivation talent, Qingfu was clever and capable in every other respect—a person worth nurturing. Qingjin knew that no one could achieve great things alone; he needed helpers. Although Shen Qingfu was a woman, her ability and shrewdness were no less than a man’s. In his eyes, she was very suitable.

“Our clan really loves to torment people,” Qinghu grumbled. “A fine young lady of the Shen family—why are the elders so determined to marry them off to house guards?”

Because marrying a young lady off costs nothing and brings prestige, it was naturally the ideal choice for some clan leader. After all, there were plenty of girls in the Shen family. If they married into another family, wouldn’t a dowry be required?

Qingjin didn’t voice these thoughts to his sister. He simply didn’t want her to learn about the darkness in people’s hearts too soon.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful for his little brother and sister to grow up lively and carefree?

“Big brother, big brother, what would you like to eat? I’ll have the fish bring it up for you.” Qinghu pulled Qingjin to the lakeside, where a school of small fish swam over, flicking their tails. These fish had already grown to be larger than a palm.

Their streamlined, silvery bodies and rows of fine scales looked like exquisite gemstones, reflecting golden sunlight. But when they opened their mouths, those sharp, tiny teeth looked quite menacing.

“We’ve only just moved here for about a month, right? How big were your fish when you put them in the lake?” Qingjin asked.

“About the size of a thumb,” Qinghu replied listlessly.

Qingjin was shocked. “They grew so big in just a month? What have they been eating, ferocious beast meat every day?”

“There’s plenty of good food in the lake—vicious fish everywhere, plus high-grade shrimp, crabs, clams, and river mussels. It’s not strange they’ve grown so large,” Qinghu said, secretly thinking, I knew big brother would be surprised. These young swordfish really do eat well. Any seven, eight, or ninth-grade fish in the lake, once surrounded, become their meal.

Even the mighty Yingyu, who had developed intelligence and begun cultivating, wouldn’t dare provoke a group of sixth-grade swordfish—not even while they were still small.

So this brood of young fish ran rampant in the lake!

“Still, they seem to have grown too fast. Qinghu, do you feel like your fish are getting out of your control?” Qingjin asked seriously. If they lost control, such a horde of fierce fish would be trouble. It would be better for his little sister to keep her distance.

“No, not at all! They’re very obedient,” Qinghu replied at once. She had worked hard to hatch them and insisted they listen to her.

Qingjin was speechless.

“Really, truly!” Qinghu insisted, defending her little fish.

“If you really can’t control them, then let them live freely in the lake,” Qingjin advised.

“No, no, they’re really well-behaved,” Qinghu emphasized. “How about I have them bring up some blue beauty clams?”

Qingjin nodded helplessly. “Alright.”

Qinghu immediately communicated with the little fish, asking them to fetch some blue beauty clams.

This time, the little fish nodded and swam off, but a few remained. They reported to Qinghu that a new kind of golden, shiny clam had appeared in the lake. “Master, master, would you like to try some? They’re delicious.”

“Yes, please,” Qinghu answered right away.

The last few fish then left as well.

In less than a quarter of an hour, large numbers of blue beauty clams rose from the lake and tumbled into the grass on the shore. Some were as big as millstones, others the size of washbasins. They all fell with a clatter, soon piling up into several small mountains.

Then, plate-sized golden clams also leapt ashore, forming a great heap in no time. Qinghu picked one up, feeling the special life force of light energy inside. Clearly, the mutation was caused by the influence of the dojo at the bottom of the lake.

These clams were probably the weakest creatures, which was why they mutated first.

“What kind of clam is this? Why is it this color?” Qingjin also picked up a clam and immediately sensed the same special light energy as in the dojo. “Is this... is this a mutation caused by the dojo?”

“Big brother, quick, call someone over to collect the clams! We’ll try them at home,” Qinghu said, appetite whetted by the thought of the golden clams mutated by the dojo’s influence.

Qingjin rolled his eyes at his little sister and quickly had Jiuquan summon help.

It wasn’t long before Jiuquan arrived with many people—all from their own territory, already accustomed to gathering things by the lake every day.

As she left, Qinghu waved goodbye to the fish that had surfaced by the shore. Qingjin took a closer look and was stunned by the sheer number of fish—layer upon layer, densely packed. Just how many had this girl raised?

Even as they tried to keep a low profile, covering the carts loaded with clams in black cloth, the matter of them hauling away vast quantities of blue beauty clams and golden-shelled clams was still discovered by Qi Dongxuan and his attendant.

After Qingjin and the others departed, Dongguo was still in shock. “They actually produce ninth-grade rare blue beauty clams here? And those golden clams, they must be mutated, right? Is the underwater dojo really that powerful?”

“Besides what we saw just now, I’ve also heard they obtain large amounts of ferocious beast meat from the lake every day, and sometimes water-element treasures as well. But that’s no surprise—there’s such an ancient being here. The resources in this great lake would astonish anyone.”

The commoners he had bribed didn’t know exactly what the Shen siblings got from the lake, only that there were large amounts of beast meat and water-element treasures. But as for what those treasures actually were, they couldn’t say.

Qi Dongxuan guessed that the commoners simply didn’t recognize these things.

This great lake was truly Shen Qingjin’s land of fortune!

For the first time, Qi Dongxuan felt a pang of resentment toward the Ren family he’d never even met. They insisted on sending Shen Qinghu here as a lord, otherwise, how would such fortune have fallen into Shen Qingjin’s lap?

He forgot that in his previous life, Panshe Lake also held opportunities—but no human ever obtained them.

Regardless of how or why Shen Qingjin obtained the fortune of Panshe Lake, it proved he possessed great luck. Otherwise, how could Shen Qinghu have been born his little sister?