Chapter 425: Chapter 185: Beneath the Abyss

’Just a stroke of luck.’

Chen Cheng smiled and offered a casual compliment,

"Senior Brother Chai is also an expert at catching fish. When your luck turns, I’m sure you’ll return with a full catch."

"Heh, let’s hope you’re right then, Junior Brother."

Chai Liang composed himself and asked,

"Junior Brother, are you interested in making a small fortune together? I’ve spotted a Tier Two Treasure Fish nearby, but I’m not fast enough to catch it... If we team up, we split the profits fifty-fifty!"

"Deal."

Chen Cheng agreed without hesitation.

He only had a few hundred taels of spare cash on him right now, not even enough to buy a single high-grade Fluorescent Pearl.

If he could really get half the earnings from a Tier Two Treasure Fish, it would undoubtedly be a handsome windfall.

Chai Liang then roughly indicated the area, and the two split up, closing in from both sides to form an encirclement.

Without the aid of his Profound Breath Inspiration during the day, Chen Cheng’s search was time-consuming and laborious.

But fortunately, his hard work paid off.

After a long and meticulous search, Chen Cheng was the first to spot the Tier Two Treasure Fish hiding in a thicket of aquatic grass.

Just as Chen Cheng was about to speed up and lunge for it, Chai Liang made a move first.

It would have been better if he hadn’t moved. His sudden action startled the fish, which abruptly accelerated and shot off into the distance.

Normally, with Chen Cheng’s speed, catching up wouldn’t have been difficult.

But at that exact moment, several figures appeared in the distance.

The leader of the group was incredibly fast. His bone structure was also rather unique; when his body twisted, it generated terrifying power. His muscular frame shot forward in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, he had snatched the Treasure Fish.

’We’re screwed...’

Chai Liang’s brow furrowed deeply, his face instantly falling.

"That’s the newly promoted Elite Disciple of the Python Pavilion, Zhao Tuo... He’s extremely domineering. With the Treasure Fish in his hands, we’re definitely not getting it back... All our hard work was for nothing..."

Hearing this, Chen Cheng merely frowned slightly but didn’t say a word.

’In his view, since it had already happened and Zhao Tuo was known to be domineering, going up to reason with him would be completely useless. It would only lead to self-humiliation and could even invite trouble.’

’Right now, all he wanted was to focus wholeheartedly on his cultivation. He didn’t want to get sidetracked by such incidents and attract endless trouble.’

"Junior Brother Chen, let’s go... We have to swallow this, even if it’s a bitter pill..."

Fearing Chen Cheng might do something rash, Chai Liang tried to persuade him while putting an arm around his shoulder, starting to swim away.

「Elsewhere.」

Zhao Tuo placed the Tier Two Treasure Fish into his Fish Guard, then immediately handed it to a follower behind him to carry.

Beside him, another follower complimented him with a wide grin:

"Ever since our Senior Brother Zhao was promoted to a Python Pavilion Elite, that worthless coward Chai Liang has completely lost his nerve. He didn’t even dare to come forward and say a single word in protest."

"Shut your stinking mouth!"

Zhao Tuo’s expression turned cold as he said,

"Back when I was in the Fishing Pavilion, Chai Liang helped me out a lot. No one is allowed to speak ill of him behind his back!"

At these words, surprise flickered across the faces of his followers.

’They couldn’t understand. If Zhao Tuo truly respected Chai Liang, why would he snatch his prey? Wasn’t that a contradiction?’

But in the next instant, a savage grin spread across Zhao Tuo’s face as his tone shifted.

"If you’re going to badmouth him, then go do it to his damn face!"

The followers were stunned for a moment, then expressions of dawning understanding appeared on their faces. Almost simultaneously, they accelerated, chasing after Chai Liang.

’They were all ordinary Python Pavilion Disciples, their status already a cut above Chai Liang’s. With an Elite Disciple like Zhao Tuo backing them, they were naturally brazen and unrestrained. Before they had even caught up, their minds were already racing with ways to mock and humiliate Chai Liang.’

But, at that very moment.

Chen Cheng suddenly grabbed Chai Liang’s wrist and accelerated abruptly. He pulled him along at a speed that was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye, and in an instant, they completely vanished from the sight of the Python Pavilion Disciples.

"So... so fast... Who is that kid?"

"He’s an unfamiliar face. Judging by his leather uniform, he’s just an ordinary disciple from the Fishing Pavilion..."

"Impossible! Not even a Dragon Pavilion Elite could reach that speed... How could a mere ordinary disciple from the Fishing Pavilion possibly do that...?"

"Senior Brother Zhao..."

The followers all turned back to see Zhao Tuo’s expression had become utterly grim. He was frozen on the spot, having made a motion as if to give chase, but ultimately, he didn’t follow.

Anyone could see that Zhao Tuo had wanted to chase them, but froze when he realized he had no hope of catching up.

"What are you looking at!?"

His pride completely shattered, Zhao Tuo bared his teeth and roared in a humiliated rage,

"All of you, get the hell out of here and go find some Treasure Fish! Every one of you has to find one today! Otherwise, just you wait and see how I’ll deal with you!"

Hearing this, the group quickly dispersed.

Only the follower carrying the Fish Guard cautiously approached.

"Senior Brother Zhao... that kid with Chai Liang just now... I think he was carrying three Treasure Fish."

"Are you sure?"

Zhao Tuo’s gaze hardened, and a fierce, greedy glint instantly flashed in the depths of his eyes.

...

「Sanshi Island.」

Chen Cheng took Chai Liang directly back to his house on the island.

"Junior Brother Chen, thank you so much for that just now..."

After they went inside, Chai Liang cupped his fist and bowed in a formal show of thanks, then sighed helplessly.

"If they had cornered us, who knows what kind of trouble he would have made for me..."

"Why is that?" Chen Cheng asked.

"It all started a year ago..."

Chai Liang said,

"At the time, Zhao Tuo had just joined the Fishing Pavilion and knew nothing. An Elder assigned me to guide him. In the beginning, he was completely respectful and followed my every instruction, and I taught him a great deal."

"But as his strength grew, his attitude toward me took a sharp downturn. I didn’t pay it much mind at the time, thinking, ’At worst, we’ll just stop interacting.’"

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