Chapter 140: The Underground River with Fish (Part 3)

Chapter 140: Chapter 140: The Underground River with Fish (Part 3)

"Yeah, it’s not far. But it’s not exactly close, either. It’ll take over ten minutes to walk there from here." Gu Nuan Nuan recalled that the descent, in particular, was quite time-consuming.

"Then let’s not bring these branches. Aren’t they everywhere? Why bother with the extra effort of carrying them?" Hearing that, Zhang Minzhen didn’t want to waste her energy.

"Listen to Nuannuan." Zhang Dazhuang, who had been listening to the mother and daughter’s conversation, chimed in. "If she’s saying that, I’m guessing there probably aren’t any branches to gather there."

"Exactly." Gu Nuan Nuan nodded emphatically. ’Grandpa is so sharp; he guessed it right away.’ In the end, after packing up their things, the three of them did indeed go gather another back-basket full of branches. Fearing it wouldn’t be enough, they each carried an extra bundle in their hands.

Gu Nuan Nuan led the way, while Zhang Minzhen asked Zhang Dazhuang from behind, "Dad, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fish like the one from before. Do you know what it is?"

"I don’t know. I’ve never seen a fish that looks like that."

"Is it edible?"

"It should be fine to eat. In all my years, I’ve only heard of people choking to death on fish bones. I’ve never actually seen anyone get sick or die from eating a fish."

"That’s good. I was just worried we shouldn’t eat something we don’t recognize." Zhang Minzhen’s fears were assuaged.

Hearing their conversation, Gu Nuan Nuan diverted half of her consciousness into Cao Cao’s Companion Space to speak with it. "Cao Cao, can you tell if there’s anything wrong with those fish?"

"Don’t worry, Master. Those fish are definitely fine. The purity of the energy in their bodies is much higher than the fish outside," Cao Cao stated with conviction.

"You can sense the purity of the energy in those fish?" A thought sparked in Gu Nuan Nuan’s mind. ’Have I just discovered another one of Cao Cao’s abilities?’

"Yep, yep, that’s the most basic thing. How else would I know which things have the energy I need?" Cao Cao’s main stalk bobbed up and down frantically. It swayed its leaves gently, causing the drops of Plant Essence to quiver. It couldn’t help but ask fretfully, "Master, when can we go find a jade container to store all of this?"

’It’s so uncomfortable not being able to sway around freely.’

"Probably not anytime soon." Hearing Cao Cao’s sullen voice, Gu Nuan Nuan let out an unsympathetic laugh. "You’ve made your bed, now you have to lie in it."

"Waaaah... Master, you’re so mean, gloating over my misery! Hmph, Cao Cao is angry now..." Cao Cao’s extremely dejected voice transmitted over.

"Alright, alright. There isn’t that much, really. Don’t you use up one drop every day? Just don’t make any new Plant Essence until this is all gone, okay?" One had to coax a Plant Pet when it got angry, just like a child. After hearing Gu Nuan Nuan’s words, Cao Cao was instantly happy again.

’It must be because it’s had no contact with the outside world. How else could it be hundreds of years old and still act like a child?’

Sensing Cao Cao’s mood, Gu Nuan Nuan smiled helplessly. At the same time, she felt a little envious that it could remain so simple and pure, without all the complexities of being human. After a moment of envy, Gu Nuan Nuan returned to her earlier point. "You can sense the purity of energy within other things, so that means you can also judge the energy in things like jade, right?"

"Mhm," Cao Cao bobbed its main stalk, asking in confusion, "What are you getting at, Master?"

"I’ve just discovered another one of your great uses." Gu Nuan Nuan smiled. ’Looks like trying my hand at stone gambling in the future wouldn’t be a bad idea. That’s a fantastic way to make money, and I’ll never have to worry about getting scammed when buying jade jewelry again.’

"What is it?" Cao Cao asked excitedly.

"It’s exactly what we were talking about. You’ll find out its use later—no more talking, we’re here." Seeing they had reached the entrance to the underground river, Gu Nuan Nuan quickly withdrew from the space and said to her grandfather and mother, "We’ve arrived. This is the spot."

"Here?" Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen looked around in confusion, seeing nothing but the mountain face in front of them. They exchanged a glance and turned to Gu Nuan Nuan. They watched as she reached out and fiddled with a spot on the rock face, revealing a narrow crevice.

"We go in here, and then it’s straight down." After speaking, Gu Nuan Nuan squeezed through first. Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen didn’t dare hesitate and quickly followed, shuffling sideways through the gap. Once they were both fully inside and standing in a more open area, staring at the downward slope before them, they felt like they were dreaming and couldn’t believe their eyes.

"You managed to find a place like this?" Zhang Minzhen was dumbfounded.

"No wonder I’ve been walking around this area for so many years and never knew it existed. It’s incredibly well-hidden," Zhang Dazhuang added with a nod.

’And they’re already this surprised? We’ve barely gotten started.’

Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but laugh. "This is nothing. In a little while, your jaws are really going to drop."

"Dad, I’m starting to think I believe what Nuannuan said earlier," Zhang Minzhen said, recalling how her daughter never exaggerated. She couldn’t help her anticipation. "How many fish would there have to be in a place where you can just scoop them up with a back-basket?"

Zhang Dazhuang shook his head. "No point overthinking it. We’ll know once we get down there and see for ourselves."

The pair followed Nuannuan all the way down. Even though they had mentally prepared themselves, they nearly lost their composure when they finally laid eyes on the scene. They were rendered utterly speechless, their mouths agape, especially when they saw the underground river’s fish packed so densely together they could hardly turn around.

"Our Nuannuan is a real little lucky star." After a long pause, Zhang Dazhuang finally regained some semblance of composure and sighed emotionally. "Think about it. On this trip, first she runs into a rabbit so scared it forgot how to run, and then by some twist of fate, she stumbles upon this pool teeming with fish that no one’s ever found before. If that’s not a sign of incredible luck, what is?"

"That’s right, my Nuannuan is a little lucky star. Dad, have you forgotten? If it weren’t for her, I would have been in huge trouble before." Zhang Minzhen turned, wrapped Gu Nuan Nuan in a hug, and covered her face with kisses.

"Mom, you’re getting drool all over my face..." Gu Nuan Nuan, blushing and uncomfortable in her mother’s embrace, squirmed and cried out.

"Getting bold, are we? You dare to complain about your own mother now?" Overjoyed, Zhang Minzhen was suddenly "rejected" by her daughter and wasn’t having it. In a burst of childlike playfulness, she pinched her daughter’s cheeks and hugged her even tighter, refusing to stop kissing her. Gu Nuan Nuan gave up struggling, a series of bubbles rising in her heart—a mix of three-parts embarrassment and seven-parts bliss...

Seeing her daughter had stopped struggling, Zhang Minzhen suddenly felt a bit awkward about her own behavior. She let go, her eyes turning back to the Fish Spring with a look of longing. "So many big, fat fish... If we could take all of them to town and sell them, can you imagine how much money that would be?"