Chapter 827: That’s Not Necessarily True

Chapter 827: Chapter 827: That’s Not Necessarily True

Yunmeng Marsh. The air was damp, and thick fog frequently rolled in.

When sunlight broke through, rainbows often appeared—swirling streams of every color.

When moonlight poured down, the scene turned austere and cold, the light flickering in and out through the drifting mist.

Now, a half moon hung high, its cold glow cutting through the haze.

This visit to Yunmeng Marsh wasn’t just Cui Hao and Zheng Zhaoling. Two Tribulation Transcendence Supreme Elders from Yunmeng Pavilion had come along as well—though the two elders had only met briefly before setting out, and since then Cui Hao hadn’t caught a glimpse of either one.

Cui Hao naturally wouldn’t be so rude as to ask where the two Tribulation Transcendence cultivators were.

After all, Yunmeng Pavilion had its own objectives. Knowing when to mind one’s business was important.

In the grand courtyard, beside the fish pond.

Yunze’s face clearly showed displeasure, though she was suppressing it—at least for the moment, she maintained a semblance of decorum, managing something that might generously be called a smile.

Whether it was because they’d arrived without notifying Yunze, or because the last time Cui Hao had caused such a scene in Yunmeng Marsh that she was still furious, it was hard to say.

But both parties were considerate enough not to bring up the past.

Cui Hao held fish feed in his hand, tossing it to spirit fish that looked like they hadn’t eaten in God knew how long.

What a waste. They were getting skinny.

If you grilled these, they wouldn’t taste good at all.

Come to think of it, Third Sister was actually a master at grilling fish too—as long as you ignored *how* she grilled it.

Whenever Cui Hao watched, she looked terrifying. But when he ate, it was absolutely delicious.

Yunze watched Cui Hao’s feeding motions, carefully appraising the Nascent Soul cultivator before her—expression flat, face utterly devoid of emotion, carrying an innate air of authority.

More than disgust or hatred, the dominant emotion in Yunze’s heart was vigilance.

Cui Hao.

A cultivator who, without revealing his face or displaying his cultivation, had used nothing but scheming and manipulation to overturn every unwritten rule of Yunmeng Marsh.

And his master was the now world-famous Chu Xingchen.

The man who had united the three great immortal sects, coordinated the major immortal sects into action, and once brought Great Thunder Temple to its knees.

If we’re talking backing, no one’s was harder than this young man’s.

Now one of his junior brothers was cultivating at the True Dragon’s blessing site, and he was even relying on that junior brother’s secret technique for his own cultivation.

Every single point struck exactly where Yunze was most vulnerable.

She couldn’t afford to fall out with him, yet she also had to be on guard against a shrewd operator like Cui Hao setting traps.

Especially since she had no idea what Cui Hao’s purpose in coming to Yunmeng Marsh actually was.

"You’ve been stingy with the fish feed." Cui Hao finished the bowl in his hand and spoke with a sigh of emotion.

Yunze’s smile stiffened slightly as her mind raced to figure out the true meaning behind those words.

Too little feed—was he saying she was too miserly?

Or was he implying that Yunmeng Pavilion was a backwater that couldn’t tell the fish from the food?

She couldn’t afford to offend him. She’d have to show weakness first.

"Yunmeng Marsh is tucked away in a remote corner." Yunze’s tone carried a note of helplessness. "We don’t have the means or the methods for anything grand."

Cui Hao frowned in puzzlement:

"A place as vast as Yunmeng Marsh, and you can’t even scrape together enough fish feed?"

Yunze’s eyes lit up. Was he treating Yunmeng Marsh as the fish food rather than the fish?

Of course. After all, she’d yielded her blessing, and by every reasonable measure, Chu Xingchen should repay that favor.

Yunze felt she’d grasped the real attitude behind Cui Hao’s visit, and her expression softened:

"Yun Li once said, when it comes to feeding fish, you’re the expert. He wanted to consult with you."

Cui Hao raised an eyebrow. This, he hadn’t expected.

Zheng Zhaoling had made it clear that Yunze wanted to set him on fire. He’d assumed this visit would be met with cold stares at best. He hadn’t anticipated such a warm reception.

Master must have put in a good word for him the last time he came.

After all, enemies were best reconciled with, not deepened.

Master was always thinking a hundred steps ahead. He must have laid the groundwork for this return to Northern Julu Continent long ago.

Truly worthy of being called Master.

"The most important thing about feeding fish is generosity."

Cui Hao’s expression turned confident. He’d been managing Third Sister’s fish pond for who knew how long.

He’d killed more spirit fish than he could count.

Those spirit fish couldn’t have died for nothing.

They had all, naturally, been converted into Cui Hao’s accumulated fish-rearing experience. When it came to feeding fish, he actually had some genuine insight.

Cui Hao pointed at the rather gaunt fish in front of him:

"When feeding fish, you must be generous, willing to sacrifice. Right now you’re feeding unimportant feed, but when these fish grow, they’ll repay you with their flesh."

"Especially fish you raise yourself—you can’t let them escape. You must be willing to feed them generously."

"If you feed them halfheartedly like this, starving the school, they may look like they’re swarming around you at feeding time. But given the chance to leave, they’ll bolt without a trace."

"Feed them full, and even wild fish will remember there’s food here. When they’re hungry, they’ll come running back on their own."

These were all lessons learned from experience.

Cui Hao’s early negligence in raising fish had resulted in many of them swimming away.

It was all because he’d been so eager to eat plump fish that he’d fed them diligently. Those fish that had vanished then somehow came back after starving for a while.

Yunze’s expression stiffened. She understood the metaphor.

Cui Hao was clearly accusing her of hoarding most of the resources that Yunmeng Pavilion allocated downward, refusing to share them with the demons under her command.

She hadn’t fed that pack of demons well enough, which was why they sometimes disobeyed orders and even harbored resentment behind her back.

Yunze wanted to explain, but when she saw Cui Hao’s confident, indifferent gaze, the words she’d been about to say died in her throat.

No amount of excuses would be anything more than a joke in the eyes of someone like Cui Hao.

"I am grateful for the instruction." Yunze lowered her head and replied quietly.

Zheng Zhaoling also held a bowl of fish feed, watching Yunze and Cui Hao with a slight frown.

For some reason, she had the nagging feeling the two of them weren’t talking about the same thing.

But listening through, there hadn’t been anything wrong, exactly.

And Yunze’s expression of resistance had faded considerably.

Having the same hobby really could bridge a lot of distance.

Cui Hao set the fish feed bowl aside, a warm smile on his face. Feeling the pleasantries had gone on long enough, he got straight to the point:

"No need for gratitude—just some observations from experience. If Fellow Daoist Yunze truly raises fish in earnest, you’ll come to understand these things yourself."

"This sudden visit without prior notice was presumptuous of me. But the matter was urgent, so I hope Fellow Daoist Yunze won’t take offense."

Yunze cupped her hands slightly: "A distinguished guest travels far to visit. How could I take offense? You’re most welcome."

"That’s good." Cui Hao swept his gaze across Yunze’s face, reading her expression, and gave a slight nod. "I’ve troubled Fellow Daoist Yunze today. The moon has grown late. Let’s leave it here for now."

Yunze was stunned.

There had been considerable groundwork laid. She’d thought they were about to get to the real topic. Why stop now?

Yunze certainly didn’t believe Cui Hao had come to Yunmeng Marsh for the scenery.

Cui Hao chuckled, then turned and left without hesitation.

Zheng Zhaoling gave Yunze a slight bow, then followed after Cui Hao.

Yunze watched their departing figures, especially Cui Hao’s calm, unhurried retreating form.

Could this be anything other than typical Cui Hao?

The way he controlled the rhythm of conversation—sometimes taking it slow with urgent matters was the real way to get things done.

Cui Hao and Zheng Zhaoling had walked a fair distance.

Zheng Zhaoling suddenly spoke into the moonlight:

"I think Yunze misunderstood something. She seems to have read too much into it."

"I think so too." Cui Hao nodded repeatedly. "But the misunderstanding seems to be working in my favor. She’s treating me much better now."

Cui Hao met Zheng Zhaoling’s gaze and raised his eyebrows smugly:

"Let her overthink it another night. By tomorrow she might even call me ’Brother Cui Hao.’"

Zheng Zhaoling looked straight at him:

"This is Yunmeng Marsh. I can report you anytime."

Hearing this, Cui Hao immediately replied:

"Sister Zhaoling, we’re partners in battle. You’d never do that, right?"

Zheng Zhaoling didn’t break stride, satisfied by Cui Hao’s quick adaptability:

"That’s not necessarily true."