Chapter 30: Unfamiliar

That night, Lu Qing finally had a good night's sleep.

Early the next morning, after eating breakfast, he took Xiao Yan to the river to fish.

This time, he noticed far fewer people by the river; the bustling scene of seven or eight people crowding a single fishing spot was gone.

It made sense. It was currently the busy farming season, and there was plenty of work to be done in the fields; no one could truly go fishing every single day.

Fishing was, after all, merely a pastime. At most, it could occasionally improve one's meals, but it could never be as important as the grain in the fields—that was the lifeblood of a farmer.

This time, Lu Qing did not go to that "Strange Fish" fishing spot.

It was fine to catch a Strange Fish once in a while.

But if he caught a few every few days, even a fool would realize something was wrong.

Furthermore, even if he caught a Strange Fish now, he had nowhere to deal with it. He couldn't exactly ask Old Doctor Chen to help sell them every single time.

As for eating them, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Since learning the value of the Strange Fish, Lu Qing intended to treat them as a significant source of income.

Therefore, he planned to return to fishing for Strange Fish only after a period of time had passed, or once he had acquired a certain level of self-protection.

Lu Qing chose another white-light fishing spot he had discovered during his first trip to the river.

After repairing the spot, Lu Qing began to fish.

Compared to his previous two fishing trips, this session was calm and uneventful.

In an hour, he had caught nearly half a bucket of fish.

There were large and small fish; the largest was a grass carp weighing two or three catties, while the smallest was still that tiny white fish.

Once he had the half-bucket of fish, Lu Qing began to pack up his gear.

These fish should be enough to feed the Night Spirit Lynx for several nights.

He brought the fish back home with the siblings. That night, once Xiao Yan had fallen asleep, Lu Qing indeed heard that familiar scratching sound at the door.

This time, he did not panic. He took the fish he had prepared from the kitchen and calmly opened the front door.

When the door opened, he saw the small black beast standing in the middle of the courtyard.

However, its emotions were noticeably more stable this time. Although its eyes still held a sense of vigilance, it did not have its fur standing on end like it had the previous night.

"I've been waiting for you to come."

Lu Qing revealed a smile, making his aura as peaceful and friendly as possible. Then, he brought out a wooden basin filled with fish from behind his back and slowly walked toward the courtyard.

Seeing him come out, the small black beast hurriedly retreated a few steps, letting out a low, warning sound from its throat.

Lu Qing stopped immediately. "Don't be nervous, I mean no harm."

He placed the wooden basin gently on the ground and slowly backed away.

Only after he had retreated into the house did the small black beast calm down. Its nose twitched a few times, and with a *whoosh*, it darted toward the basin.

In the next moment, it snatched up the largest fish and vanished, presumably to find a place to eat.

Lu Qing was not surprised; he waited quietly inside the door.

Sure enough, after a while, the beast reappeared in the courtyard, snatched another fish, and disappeared again.

The little thing was quite cautious.

Lu Qing chuckled; he had no interest in staring at a wild beast while it ate. There were plenty of small fish in the bucket, and with the beast running back and forth like this, there was no telling how long it would take. He didn't want to wait forever.

Lu Qing closed the door and returned to his room, his mind completely at ease.

This was a perfect solution.

Although it cost him some fish, for someone who loved fishing as much as he did, those fish were nothing. In any case, every time he went fishing, his catch was more than he could eat in one sitting.

Having the Night Spirit Lynx help consume them wasn't a bad thing. He could treat it like he did back in the countryside—when there were leftover vegetables or bones that couldn't be finished, you'd feed them to a cat or a dog.

With a relaxed heart, Lu Qing slept very well again that night.

Early the next morning, he went to the courtyard and saw that the wooden basin was empty.

Over two catties of fish had been eaten entirely; the little thing had quite an appetite.

After washing and putting away the basin, Lu Qing began to prepare breakfast.

After eating with Xiao Yan, he prepared to head to Old Doctor Chen's place.

Carrying over a catty of freshly slaughtered small fish, Lu Qing set out with Xiao Yan. Since the doctor had mentioned he liked eating small fish last time, and he had caught quite a few yesterday, he decided to bring some along.

Walking along the mountain path, a hint of anticipation appeared on Lu Qing's face.

The doctor had gone into town yesterday to help him sell the Red Moon Carp; he wondered what the result would be. Although the doctor had said the Red Moon Carp was a precious Strange Fish that was highly sought after and would definitely sell, his heart was still a bit anxious until he saw the silver.

When they reached the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, Lu Qing saw that Old Doctor Chen had just finished his morning exercises.

"Grandpa Chen!" Xiao Yan ran forward.

"Xiao Yan! Haven't seen you for a day, did you miss your grandpa?" The doctor picked up the little girl.

"I did~" Xiao Yan answered sweetly.

"Hahahaha..."

"Hello, Grandpa Chen," Lu Qing also stepped forward to greet him.

"Mm, you look in good spirits today. What, that beast hasn't come to harass you again?"

In Old Doctor Chen's view, his medicinal powder was always very effective; any beast that smelled it would keep its distance. He had given Lu Qing such a large bag that even a tiger or leopard wouldn't want to go near. A mere unknown beast shouldn't be any exception.

However, Lu Qing's expression turned slightly awkward.

"Grandpa Chen, the powder doesn't seem to be very effective. That beast has come to our house for the past two nights."

"Oh? How can that be?" Old Doctor Chen was startled.

"I don't know what happened. It seems that thing isn't afraid of the powder," Lu Qing answered truthfully.

"Then how did you make it leave?"

The doctor looked at Lu Qing's complexion again, certain he hadn't misjudged; Lu Qing did not look like someone who had stayed up all night.

"I didn't use any special method. I discovered that the fellow seems to be coming specifically for our fish, so I just threw some fish to it, and it left after eating."

"It likes eating fish?" The doctor pondered for a moment. "What does that beast look like? Did you see it clearly?"

"It's a small black beast, about two feet long. It's pitch black all over, but its four paws and neck are white. Grandpa Chen, do you know what kind of beast it is?"

"A two-foot-long black beast?" The doctor thought for a while and then shook his head. "I have traveled north and south for so many years, but I have never seen a beast with such an appearance."

"Even you don't recognize it, Grandpa Chen?" Lu Qing was somewhat surprised.

"Look at you," the doctor laughed. "The world is vast and boundless, and the living creatures are countless. Although I have traveled for decades, the places I have stepped are but a tiny corner of this wide world. Isn't it normal to encounter creatures I don't recognize?"

"You're right, Grandpa Chen," Lu Qing nodded.

He had originally hoped to gain more information about the Night Spirit Lynx from the doctor, but it seemed that hope had fallen through.

"However, from your description, that little beast seems quite intelligent. Since it has no intention of attacking humans and is only seeking food, there is no need to think about driving it away for now."

Old Doctor Chen was well-traveled and knew that some creatures in this world were very special. Based on Lu Qing's description, that black beast was very likely one of them.

"I thought so too. Since we can't finish all the fish at home anyway, there's no harm in sharing some with it," Lu Qing smiled.

Even if he were told to drive it away, he wouldn't dare. That fellow was quite formidable!

Xiao Yan had been listening for a long time and finally understood a bit of what they were talking about. Her eyes instantly lit up. "Brother, next time you feed that little beast fish, can you let Xiao Yan watch too?"

"That might be a bit difficult," Lu Qing said. "It seems to only come after you've fallen asleep."

"Why?" The little girl felt a bit aggrieved. "Does it hate Xiao Yan?"

"I don't know about that. Perhaps the beast is timid. Once it gets more familiar with us, it should be willing to see you."

"Then brother, you should become friends with it quickly. Xiao Yan wants to see what the little beast looks like too," Xiao Yan said expectantly.

"I'll try my best."

What else could Lu Qing say? He could only nod and agree.

"By the way, Grandpa Chen, this is for you. I caught some small fish yesterday. You mentioned last time that you wanted to eat some; I wonder if this is enough?"

Lu Qing handed the prepared fresh small fish to the doctor.

The doctor took a look and was quite satisfied. "Put them inside. It just so happens that the things you asked me to buy are also back; I've placed them in the house."