Chapter Ninety-Six: Using Himself as Bait to Lure the True Dragon?

Fresh rain had washed the empty hills clean, and by evening the air already held the breath of autumn.

The Qianling River ran the length of Great Liang and branched into countless tributaries. After passing Jiangling Prefecture, its current had grown calm.

All along the river one could see boats drifting with the flow: ferries carrying travelers by water, narrow skiffs of fishermen casting their nets, pleasure boats belonging to wealthy households out for leisure, and the transport barges used for official grain shipments.

A world of different people, yet with no connection between them.

An old ferry drifted gently upon the river.

Xu Boqing lounged half-leaning against the bow. A bamboo hat sat on his head, an empty fish basket rested by his side, and a yellowed fishing rod hung loosely from his hand.

Perhaps because the river fish were especially hard to catch, he had propped one hand on the deck to support his cheek, eyes half-lidded as he dozed.

At some point, another fishing boat had appeared on the river.

A few pelicans stood at the prow, their heads cocked as they watched the water. When they spotted fish, they leapt into the river; before long, one of them surfaced with a fresh, lively big fish clamped in its beak, then lifted its head toward its master as if seeking praise.

It looked no different from any ordinary fishing boat, the only unusual thing being that its owner was a plainly dressed middle-aged woman.

Whether by intent or accident, as the boat drifted it slowly drew closer to Xu Boqing’s ferry.

When it came within several zhang, the middle-aged woman on the fishing boat glanced at him. Seeing him dozing with half-closed eyes, she raised her brows and called out with a teasing smile, “Young man, wake up. You’ve got a bite.”

As she spoke, the float that had not moved at all suddenly plunged beneath the water, and the fishing line snapped taut.

“Hm?”

Xu Boqing startled awake in surprise. Seeing the line thrashing about, he smiled knowingly. “Well now, there really is a fish on the hook. Rare, rare.”

With that, he flicked his wrist. The line shot out of the water with a hiss, and a fat, succulent perch burst from the river.

At the very least, it weighed seven or eight jin.

He reeled in the rod and line, caught the fish, then plucked from its mouth a nail-like straight hook. Turning slightly, he casually tossed the rod and hook back into the cabin.

Then, holding the fish by its gills, he looked toward the middle-aged fisherwoman nearby. His eyes brightened as he smiled. “Madam, you truly are my lucky star. I’ve been fishing here for days and not a single fish bit the hook.

“The moment you arrived, I caught one. And what a plump, tender one at that. Lunch is secured.”

“How could you fish for days and not have a single fish bite?” The middle-aged woman on the fishing boat laughed and said in a teasing tone, “I suspect the fish only took your hook while you were dozing off.”

“Hahaha... very true, very true.”

Xu Boqing smiled with an inscrutable expression and cupped his hands. “This fish is plump and delicious, and it was caught because of your words. For me to enjoy it all alone would be a shame. Might I invite you aboard for a little company?”

The woman on the fishing boat froze slightly.

Seeing this, Xu Boqing cupped his hands again and gave a wry smile. “My apologies. I was rude. If you have doubts, I quite understand. In that case, let us part here.”

“Young sir, you misunderstand...”

The woman on the fishing boat paddled closer. When the two boats neared, she stepped aboard the ferry and smiled. “I’m just a country woman and don’t know proper manners. I hope you won’t take offense.”

“Hahahaha...”

Xu Boqing rose buoyantly and gestured for her to sit. “I felt an immediate affinity with you, Madam. I was even afraid you might reproach me for my blunt words.”

“You flatter me.”

Seeing that he was still holding the fish, the woman asked tentatively, “Do you need help with it?”

“Just sit and be at ease, Madam.”

Xu Boqing waved a hand, took out a small knife, and using the river water beside the boat, cleaned the fish—slitting it open, scaling it, and removing the innards.

“I know you’ve lived by the water for a long time, so you’ve surely grown tired of river and lake fare, or perhaps even seafood from the deep. But today, you must try my cooking.”

“Oh?” The woman looked at him in surprise. “Is your way of preparing fish different from others?”

“Not exactly.”

Xu Boqing took a charcoal brazier from the cabin, lit it, and set a pot on top before saying meaningfully, “Madam, you may not know this, but every person has a different palate.

“Though the method for cooking fish is more or less the same, I am not like everyone else. The fish I make will naturally taste different as well.”

The fisherwoman fell into a brief daze.

Partly because of what he had said.

Partly because, following his gaze just now, she had also seen into the cabin and noticed the straight hook lying inside.

A straight hook?

Fishing?

Her eyes moved slightly as she said, “I can see what makes you different, young sir. You actually fish with a straight hook.”

“Some fish for the fish, some fish for amusement. As for me, I use a straight hook only for fun. I’m afraid I’ve given you a reason to smile.”

Xu Boqing answered casually, as though he knew nothing at all, and focused intently on steaming the fish. He fussed with the charcoal in the brazier, added water to the pot, and blew on the flames, making it all look quite convincing.

Though the woman remained suspicious, she did not press further. Instead, as if she knew nothing, she changed the subject. “May I be so bold as to ask your name, young sir?”

“Xu Boqing.”

“A good name.”

The woman nodded slightly, then asked tentatively, “And how old are you, young sir? You don’t look very old. How did you come to make a living by this river?”

“My age...” Xu Boqing paused.

He thought to himself that he carried the memories of two lifetimes. Denying either would sound wrong, so age was truly difficult to explain.

Thus he answered vaguely, “I’m probably older than Madam expects. As for why I’m by the river, I’m merely passing through, not making my living here.”

The woman watched him fall slightly distant when speaking of his age and silently confirmed her suspicion: just as she thought.

Then, hearing the phrase older than Madam expects, she became even more certain of her guess.

She nodded and said with a teasing smile, “Then I shouldn’t call you young sir. I should call you sir instead.”

“You honor me too much, Madam.”

Xu Boqing waved his hands repeatedly, then seemed to recall something and asked, “May I be so bold as to ask your name?”

The woman hesitated for a moment. “Ao Lan.”

“A beautiful name, with nobility hidden in it.”

Xu Boqing praised her, then asked as if he knew nothing of her identity, “I mean no offense, but you’re a woman. How did you end up making your living on the river?”

As if recalling some old memory, Ao Lan’s expression grew a little nostalgic and a little helpless. She let out a sigh. “My husband died young, and in the family there’s still an unruly, disobedient son. If I didn’t come out to earn a living, the two of us would starve.”

Xu Boqing’s expression stiffened. He knew he had been too abrupt, and said sincerely, “I had no wish to reopen a wound for you, Madam. My apologies.”

“It’s nothing.”

The woman smiled as if she did not mind. “That happened many years ago. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I might even have forgotten it.”

After that, the two of them fell silent.

Several days earlier, when Xu Boqing had slain the demon at the River God Shrine, he had vaguely felt that someone was spying on him in secret.

But the energy in the air had been chaotic, and with the rain pouring through the night, even his Heavenly Eye could not make much of anything out.

At first, he had thought it might be an accomplice of that toad spirit, or some other evil creature.

So when he struck, he made a grand display of power, even borrowing divine force from the River God’s talisman decree to sever the river and slay the demon.

He had done it all to frighten the hidden watcher.

And it had worked.

After the demon was slain and until he left, no other fiend had dared show itself, but that sense of being watched had never gone away.

Considering that on the river he could command the advantage of water and borrow power from the River God’s talisman decree, he had drifted for several days upon the Qianling River, even using himself as bait in hopes of drawing out whoever was spying on him.

And now, that hidden presence had indeed been lured out.

Only it was somewhat different from what he had imagined. Not a person, nor an ordinary demon or monster.

It was...

a dragon.

A true dragon.