The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

"Hmm?" Zhao Xing perked up his ears, listening to the direction of the wind.

"What's the matter, young master?" Xu Laoba, having just gotten back on the boat, shook water from his ears. He had dived in a bit too hard earlier.

"Shh, don't make a sound."

Xu Laoba immediately froze, his expression stiffening. Could there be something unclean nearby? No way! He had sincerely paid respects to Lord Donghu earlier. When he made his offering, he really didn't have any improper thoughts about Lady Wang!

"Paddle in that direction," Zhao Xing gestured toward a certain spot while using his Night Vision spell to expand his range of vision.

Although the lake water provided some obstruction, Zhao Xing could still see clearly to a depth of about ten meters, as long as the water wasn't too murky.

"Oh, alright!" Xu Laoba obediently paddled with all his strength. By now, he dared not ask any more questions. It was clear this young master wasn't new to this kind of thing—he seemed to know better than a river scavenger where to look.

"Something about this light and cold seems to match the characteristics of a Donghu Pearl, but for a pearl to affect wandering souls like this, it would have to be at least third-tier, right?"

Focusing his attention, Zhao Xing kept his Night Vision active. The time was now approaching the Dingmao hour, when the luck for ghostly fortunes would be at its strongest.

If he couldn't find something within the next fifteen minutes, it would be much harder to do so later.

When fortune is strong, you can find treasures just walking around; when it's weak, you could hold the treasure in your hand and not recognize it.

"If I can't capture anything by the second Dingmao hour, it'll be even harder by the third."

Taking up a bamboo pole, Zhao Xing and Xu Laoba worked together, paddling toward the source of the wind.

After half an hour of paddling, Zhao Xing's eyes suddenly lit up. "Stop!"

At the bottom of the lake, deep within a cluster of rocks, lay a dead turtle, clutching a pale blue pearl in its mouth.

Because the rocks overlapped and grew at odd angles, the pearl was only visible from Zhao Xing's position, while it was completely hidden from view in the other three directions.

"A turtle? So that's what the ghost meant earlier... Xu Laoba, how deep can you dive?"

Xu Laoba proudly pounded his chest. "Anything within thirty meters is fair game for me, Xu Laoba!"

Zhao Xing nodded. "Good. Dive from this spot. After descending about fifteen meters, you'll find a cluster of rocks about ten meters wide. On the southern side, there's a gap. Reach in three feet and seven inches, and you'll find the treasure."

"Got it! Watch me, young master!" Trusting Zhao Xing's certainty, Xu Laoba eagerly jumped into the water.

Zhao Xing stayed in the boat, calmly observing.

Xu Laoba wasn't boasting—he dove down with ease. Following Zhao Xing's directions, he quickly found the turtle clutching the blue pearl in its mouth.

As he resurfaced, a faint blue glow slowly rippled through the water.

"Young master, young master! There's really a treasure!" Xu Laoba called out excitedly.

"Come up quickly," Zhao Xing urged, helping pull him back onto the boat.

"Hah, hah," Xu Laoba gasped for breath, tossing the pearl onto the boat. Despite the hot weather, he shivered slightly, feeling cold—courtesy of the pearl.

"A fourth-tier Donghu Pearl, and an exceptionally rare Ice Pearl at that. Judging by the quality, this should be a mid-grade fourth-tier pearl," Zhao Xing examined the pearl in his hand.

A wave of cold air surged from the pearl, making it feel like holding a block of ice.

Xu Laoba couldn't handle the cold, but Zhao Xing, with his cultivation at the third level of Essence Gathering, had no trouble.

"Congratulations, young master! You've found a third-tier Donghu Pearl!" Xu Laoba, not recognizing the pearl's true grade, mistakenly thought it was only third-tier. After all, he had never seen a fourth-tier treasure in his life.

"Thanks to you," Zhao Xing smiled, storing the pearl away. "When we return, you'll get a nice reward."

"Thank you, young master!" Xu Laoba beamed with joy. According to their agreement, he wouldn't get a share of the find, but any bonus from the employer was always a welcome surprise.

As a river scavenger, receiving bonuses wasn't common. If there was guaranteed profit, scavengers would do it themselves. The job always carried a risk of coming up empty-handed.

"This one find alone qualifies as striking it rich," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

A fourth-tier Donghu Pearl was a treasure formed by the rare "Ten-Year Seasonal Change." Finding an Ice Pearl was even rarer, and this one could easily fetch at least five hundred silver taels!

"A fourth-tier Ice Pearl is most valuable to martial artists. It greatly reduces the physical strain of practicing fire-based techniques and can also enhance water-based techniques. If I find the right buyer, the price could even double."

With such a valuable find, Zhao Xing was in high spirits.

Having secured an Ice Pearl, he could've gone back then and there. But since there was still another Dingmao hour left, why not stay? Who would complain about finding more money?

In the next half hour, the fortune for ghostly treasures waned.

However, thanks to his Night Vision spell, Zhao Xing still managed to locate over a dozen first-tier Donghu Pearls.

Xu Laoba was in awe of Zhao Xing, utterly impressed.

Each time he dove down, he came back with something. Not once did he come up empty—how could you not be convinced by that?

When he returned and told the others, his boss probably wouldn't even believe it!

…

As time passed, Zhao Xing's luck began to run out. He only managed to find a single emerald-encrusted earring, likely dropped by a noblewoman while traveling by boat.

"Just one, not a pair—probably worth seven or eight taels."

"Still, it's time to head back." Zhao Xing checked his calendar.

By now, it was nearing the fourth quarter of the Hai hour. From here on out, there wouldn't be any more good finds, especially after midnight. Trying to force more ghostly fortunes might even bring bad luck.

"Xu Laoba, let's head back," Zhao Xing decided to call it a night.

"Got it!" Xu Laoba was more than satisfied with their haul. Today's success would be enough for him to boast about for quite some time.

"Ah—"

"Someone's fallen into the water!"

"A big boat is heading over to rescue them!"

Suddenly, voices carried over on the wind. Xu Laoba froze for a moment, then turned to Zhao Xing. "Young master, it seems someone's fallen in the water over there."

"I see it, but someone's already gone in to help. No need for us to worry."

"That's true. Nine out of ten people around Donghu can swim," Xu Laoba said as he paddled the boat toward shore.

As they passed through a grassy bay, a drifting river lantern illuminated the area.

There, docked by the reeds, was a small boat with a young maiden standing on it. It was none other than Lin Baiwei, whom they had seen earlier.

When she saw the large boat and river lantern drifting toward her, she appeared flustered.

Seeing Zhao Xing and Xu Laoba's boat approach only made her more anxious. Her clothes were soaked through, revealing her graceful figure in the glow of the lanterns. Worse, her aunt was still in the water.

If the larger boat came closer, she would be surrounded and exposed to public scrutiny—an embarrassing situation, to say the least.

"Ah..." Xu Laoba quickly averted his eyes and steered the boat to avoid the scene.

"No need to make such an effort," Zhao Xing stopped him, then cast a Cloud Summoning spell, enveloping the entire bay and concealing Lin Baiwei and Lin Sanniang from view.

"Thank you," a faint, almost inaudible voice carried on the wind.

Zhao Xing and Xu Laoba finally reached the shore.