Chapter 20: Fishstone Pendant (Please bookmark and follow)

Lu Qing did not remove the Black-Armored Fish Stone in front of Wang Da'an.

Instead, he kept it inside the fish.

It wasn't that he was stingy and unwilling to show others, but rather that it was difficult to explain what this thing was.

Now that no one was disturbing him, it was the perfect time to retrieve the fish stone.

Entering the kitchen, the large fish head of the Black-Armored Fish lay in a wooden basin.

Lu Qing split the fish head open and found the fish stone located at the throat.

However, when he saw the appearance of the stone, Lu Qing was greatly surprised.

In his past life, Lu Qing had once caught a large Black Carp weighing over twenty pounds and had obtained a very fine fish stone as well.

But when he had extracted that stone back then, it had been somewhat gelatinous in texture.

After extraction, it required cleaning, air-drying, and a series of other treatments before one could obtain a high-quality fish stone.

Now, as he touched the stone in the throat of the Black-Armored Fish, he found that it wasn't soft at all; it had already hardened.

Lu Qing found a small wooden spoon and carefully excavated the fish stone.

After washing it clean with water and drying it, he was even more astonished upon closer inspection.

This fish stone was about two centimeters in size and over half a centimeter thick, shaped like a scallop.

Its overall texture was like stone yet like jade; it felt warm, smooth, and exceptionally pleasant to the touch.

Its quality was far superior to the carefully nurtured fish stone from his past life.

As he lightly toyed with the jade-like stone in his hand, Lu Qing seemed to feel a sense of peace in his mind.

He knew this was no illusion.

Because in his vision, the fish stone in his hand was currently emitting a layer of dense white light.

【Black-Armored Fish Stone: A complete fish stone nurtured by an adult Black-Armored Fish, jade-ified.】

【Legend has it that a jade-ified Black-Armored Fish Stone, when worn close to the body, has the effect of calming the soul and steadying the spirit.】

After playing with it for a while, Lu Qing found that the quality of this fish stone could be considered perfect.

It required no additional polishing and could be worn immediately.

He found some tools and carefully drilled a hole in the narrow end of the stone.

Fortunately, although this Black-Armored Fish Stone had jade-ified, it was not as hard as true jade.

With little effort, he ground out a perfect hole.

Once the hole was finished, he took out the remaining hemp thread from before, twisted it into a tough cord, and threaded the stone.

After finishing these tasks, a simple fish stone pendant had been created.

After admiring his work for a moment, Lu Qing called Xiaoyan, who was playing in the courtyard, inside.

"Brother, why are you calling Xiaoyan?"

The little girl trotted into the room.

"Brother made something good and wants to give it to you." Lu Qing held the pendant in his hand.

"What kind of good thing is it?" Xiaoyan's eyes lit up.

"This is it."

Lu Qing pinched the hemp cord and let go, letting the fish stone hang in mid-air, swaying back and forth.

"Wow! What is this? It's so pretty!"

The little girl's eyes widened instantly as she stared at the pendant.

"This is a pendant. I made it using the stone from the big fish. From now on, you should wear it close to you. With this, you won't kick your blankets off while sleeping at night anymore."

Lu Qing untied the cord, hung the pendant around Xiaoyan's neck, and then tied the cord tight.

He tied the loop quite small so that the little girl wouldn't be able to pull the pendant off over her head, preventing her from accidentally losing it due to carelessness.

"Thank you, Brother! Xiaoyan likes this gift very much!"

The little girl looked down at the pendant on her neck, feeling incredibly happy.

It was her first time having her own piece of jewelry, and it was such a beautiful stone.

Children generally have no resistance to pretty, beautiful stones.

The more Xiaoyan looked at the pendant around her neck, the more she liked it.

"As long as you like it. Just remember not to lose it, otherwise, Brother won't be able to catch another big fish to make one for you."

Seeing how Xiaoyan couldn't bear to let go of the pendant, Lu Qing gave her a reminder.

"Xiaoyan knows! Xiaoyan will protect it well!" Xiaoyan said with a serious face.

Seeing that the little girl had taken his words to heart, Lu Qing stopped bothering her and let her continue playing.

He returned to the kitchen to prepare to cook the large fish head.

For dinner, the siblings had a fish head feast.

Lu Qing roasted half of the large fish head and made soup with the other half.

The two of them ate with great satisfaction.

"Brother, the big fish is really delicious."

At bedtime, Xiaoyan lay in her small bed, rubbing her slightly full little belly as she spoke to Lu Qing.

"As long as Xiaoyan is good, Brother will make even more delicious food for you in the future."

Lu Qing tucked the corners of her quilt.

Previously, Xiaoyan had slept in the same room as her parents, but after they passed away, she would cry every night while sleeping. The original owner of the body had moved the small bed into his room, which allowed Xiaoyan to sleep more peacefully.

"Mhm, Xiaoyan will be very good!"

The little girl touched the pendant on her neck and nodded very seriously.

"Then go to sleep early. We have to go to Grandpa Chen's place tomorrow."

"Mhm, Xiaoyan misses Grandpa Chen too."

As the little girl spoke, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and in a short while, she fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Qing tenderly covered her with a thin quilt.

The little girl had been quite exhausted today.

Between going fishing with him and helping to carry the fishing rods, she had also played in the courtyard for most of the afternoon.

It was already quite good that she was only feeling sleepy now.

After confirming the little girl was asleep, Lu Qing finally lay down on his own bed nearby.

Listening to Xiaoyan's faint breathing, Lu Qing could not fall asleep immediately.

He was thinking about tomorrow's matters.

Tomorrow was the day he was to visit Old Physician Chen for acupuncture.

According to the old physician's previous promise, starting from tomorrow, after every acupuncture session, he would have half an hour to follow the old physician to learn how to identify medicinal herbs.

Identifying herbs was secondary; with the help of his special ability, Lu Qing was not worried about whether he could learn.

What he needed to consider was how to use this opportunity to gain the old physician's favor and recognition.

Also, he needed to carefully ponder the matter regarding the large market that Brother Da'an had mentioned today.

After the consumption of the past few days, a significant amount of the borrowed grain had been eaten by him and Xiaoyan.

More importantly, there wasn't much salt and oil left.

In a few days, they would be used up completely.

Therefore, he had to find a way to make money as soon as possible.

It was not currently the planting season, so he couldn't rely on field produce for the time being.

Moreover, he didn't even have the money to buy seeds right now.

He could only look for ways elsewhere.

The large market might be a good choice.

He just didn't know what the situation at the market was actually like. Based on Brother Da'an's instructions at noon, it seemed there were some special rules that needed to be followed...

Various thoughts swirled in Lu Qing's mind. As he thought, his eyelids also grew heavier.

Finally, unable to hold out, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

The room was silent, and both siblings were fast asleep.

Outside, the night wind was slightly cool, and the stars filled the sky.

Suddenly, a black figure leaped lightly into the courtyard, gazing toward the fish meat hanging under the eaves.

(End of Chapter)