Chapter 5, Half a Stone Tablet

The symbol in the warm current has become a bit clearer.

... ...

Today is a fortunate day; at noon, Sun Changming found a pearl

The area below the lower abdomen seems to be filled, and a warm current has circulated around the body, settling at the position of Sun Changming's left chest.

The little loach rushed over, and the gilded clam immediately sensed it, swiftly closing its shell

Then I realized I had overthought: yesterday the dominant fierce fish caused such a commotion that the pearl divers were scared away, and today in this stretch of water, there is not a single person.

The window made of mulberry paper was shattered by a shadow the size of a fist. The shadow fell into the room and turned in place, revealing a beetle that was entirely black, yet bore white markings resembling a human face.

Sun Changming wore a puzzled expression: it felt as if... one encountered a ghost around the corner, and both the person and the ghost were startled.

The cave was not very deep. As soon as Sun Changming entered, he felt that it was much warmer here than outside. At the bottom of the cave lay a semicircular stone tablet, on which some patterns were carved, but they were not clear in the water.

The little loach finally came to a stop, but Sun Changming grabbed its tail and said, "Don't run away, what about my share?"

... ...

The little loach bit onto the edge and swam outward

The little loach rushed forward, executing a skilled tail whip that cracked the clam shell with a sharp sound. Then, twisting its body, it struck back and forth in the water several times, and with a few more sharp sounds, the clam shell was completely shattered

Sun Changming let out a quiet sigh, instructed his sister to pay attention to her safety, and then packed his belongings before heading out

Sun Changming discovered that within this warm current, there was faintly a symbol, but it had not yet taken shape

The little loach turned around, its tail striking heavily against the stone

Suddenly, a tumultuous sound of flowing water came from behind. Sun Changming thought to himself that it was not good; the dominant ferocious fish had returned and discovered that the treasure had been stolen

The sun rose as usual, and Sun Changming set off after having breakfast

He mustered his courage and climbed down to the window, slowly raising his head

Sun Changming made a decisive move, approached the riverbank, then bent his body and with a powerful flick, the half stone tablet flew out of the water and landed far away in the grass by the riverbank

Sun Changming took out the pouch from the tree hole. Several weapons had already been consumed by the little loach, leaving only two tokens. One token was engraved with three flames, and on the back was a seal script character "Yuan". The other token had intricate black cloud patterns on both sides, with a "Nine" character carved in one corner.

The components of the two tokens are far inferior to weapons, and the little loach is not full, clinging to Sun Changming and refusing to work. Sun Changming has no choice but to say: "I will find something else to eat later"

Sun Changming found the half stone tablet in the grass by the riverbank. Not daring to examine it closely, he quickly tucked it into his bosom and left.

However, both the stone and the opening are irregularly shaped, with a gap in the middle that is just wide enough for a small loach to slip through

The little loach surfaced, memorized its location, and then plunged into the water, sprinting with all its might before diving headfirst into the mud at the riverbed

It seems to be several times more powerful than when I last crushed that fierce fish.

The beetle suddenly raised its six sharp knife-like legs, small in size yet extremely irritable, opening its large mouth and hissing in a strange manner, when it suddenly spotted Sun Changming

The little loach swims swiftly, like a sharp sword cutting through the water

On this night, the village of Juehu was howling with fierce winds, and a rustling sound filled the air. Occasionally, a chilling and mournful scream pierced through the darkness.

This time, after the little loach had eaten its fill, a warm current came again, more intense than before, giving Sun Changming a feeling of being in a furnace

Today, the sensation of a foreign object in my throat has become more pronounced

Then, he returned to the riverbank and guided the little loach from the small river into the big river

It paused for a moment, then quickly shrank its entire body, forming a round ball, and rolled out the door with a clatter. With a thud, it hit the door and bounced back, becoming agitated, and with several thuds, it crashed against the door repeatedly, finally breaking through the door panel with a transparent hole and escaping outside

The little loach reluctantly brought a surge of warmth, which was considerably weaker than yesterday's. After circulating through the body, it settled in the chest.

Sun Changming originally intended to pull the stone away a bit, just enough to swim out. However, after pulling it, he turned around and saw that the stone was covered in cracks

Sun Changming dared not delay any longer and squeezed through the significantly enlarged gap, exerting all his strength to swim towards the small river

Sun Changming smiled and threw it into the river

The dominant ferocious fish could not reach the shore, seething with anger, and wreaked havoc in this stretch of river, tearing apart seven or eight fierce creatures, causing even the nearby pearl divers to be too frightened to enter the water

The fierce fish is still on the stone, covered by a thick layer of silt.

First, I went to that tree hole and cut the remaining weapons to feed to the little loach

However, it got stuck at the opening, as the gap is too small for the stone tablet to pass through

Sun Changming lay hidden in the mud for a while, and after confirming that there were no ambushes, he surfaced and swam over

Near an underwater stone wall, Sun Changming once again plunged into the mud. It did not take much effort before he discovered a hole in the stone wall, blocked by a stone as large as a washbasin.

The little loach rushed in, took a bite of the clam meat, and then returned holding the pearl in its mouth

Sun Changming grasped the little loach by its tail and lifted it up, admonishing, "Why was there no warm current yesterday? It must be that you kept it for yourself"

The mussel is entirely jet black, with pale yellow patterns along its edges. An experienced pearl diver from the village might feel despair upon encountering such a mussel, known as the "Gold-Patterned Mussel." It is extremely alert and its shell is remarkably sturdy, making it very difficult to open even with a large iron hammer

However, the surging water flow behind him grew increasingly intense. Sun Changming cursed under his breath, wondering if that thing could sense the location of the treasure

We must seize the time, who knows if that tyrant fish will suddenly return

The little loach emerged quickly, swimming back to the small river. Sun Changming collected the little loach back into the gourd, secretly excited, yet on the surface, he feigned disappointment as if he had gained nothing, and returned to the village

Inside and outside the village, these insects are densely packed, flowing like a flood towards the large earth mound behind the village

Sun Changming was very cautious today and reached the edge of the river

The little loach drooped its whiskers, looking quite pitiful

Sun Changming heard a series of thuds, as if something was repeatedly striking against the walls and door of the small dilapidated house

It was not until dusk that the tyrant fierce fish finally left in resentment

This night was surprisingly calm; the great monsters did not come, and Sun Changming slept soundly holding his sister.

This night was exceptionally long. After dawn, the village was filled with the sound of weeping, as the casualties caused by the strange swarm of insects far exceeded those from the great monsters of the past

Sun Changming cut everything and threw it to the little loach

Calculate the time, there are four days left until the survival tax is due. In order for my sister to eat meat, I must find another pearl in these days, regardless of its size

Bang

As with yesterday, Sun Changming's soul attached itself to the little loach and swam into the river. First, it aimlessly circled twice, then headed straight for the location of the ferocious fish from yesterday