At this moment, a thin layer of frost had unknowingly formed on the surface of the lake before him.
In the next instant, the fishing rod began to shake.
Zhou Qing, realizing what was happening, had no time to savor his excitement. He hurriedly grabbed the fishing rod, spread his feet apart, and squatted slightly.
His heart was pounding with excitement, but his expression remained extremely focused.
He gently lifted the fishing rod, the front end being pulled by the fishing line, bending into an exaggerated arc.
Then, he slowly and rhythmically reeled in the line, instantly feeling a stronger chill and immense force emanating from the water.
Zhou Qing dared not be careless, as the fishing rod was bearing tremendous tension, bending in the air like a large bow.
"Here comes the fish!"
Zhou Qing shouted in his heart.
He exerted a strong force, and with the sound of splashing water, a snow-white fish, vigorously wagging its tail, was pulled out of the lake, its water droplets falling and creating shallow ripples on the lake's surface.
Seeing the fish struggling on the grass and the rapidly spreading frost, Zhou Qing could hardly believe that he had caught an Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish in such an inconspicuous spot.
Taking advantage of no one's attention, he quickly tossed the fish into the basket and hid it.
Afterward, he cast the fishing rod again, pretending to lie down leisurely, but his heart remained restless.
"I'm rich, I'm really rich this time!"
Zhou Qing secretly glanced again, confirming that he hadn't imagined it.
The Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish in the basket was completely snow-white, as if carved from the purest ice crystal, with smooth body lines and tightly arranged scales, shimmering with a faint silver light.
Especially its broad and soft fins, light as a delicate veil.
"It's quite pretty!"
Zhou Qing murmured to himself, feeling even more delighted.
At this time, a few core disciples in the distance seemed to notice something and looked over.
Seeing Zhou Qing's lazy appearance by the shore, they shook their heads helplessly and then focused more intently on fishing.
[Ignore Points +1]
[Ignore Points +1]
[Ignore Points +1]
.....
The pleasant sound echoed in his ears, making Zhou Qing feel even happier.
Until dusk was approaching, his fishing rod moved again, accompanied by the freezing lake surface.
Zhou Qing's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Could it be that all my luck in life has been spent here?"
After confirming no one was watching, he quickly pulled the fish out of the water using the same method as before.
As expected, it was another Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish.
"Could this place be an excellent fishing spot?"
He knocked the fish unconscious and stored it, then put away the fishing rod and began to examine the surroundings. However, everything looked quite ordinary.
Could it be the Talent Skill of Lowering Presence?
"Hey, what are you looking at? I've been looking for you for half the day!" Yan Xiaohu's voice came from afar, accompanied by two core disciples chatting and laughing, seemingly on good terms.
Zhou Qing immediately stood up straight and said with a smile, "Nothing much, just looking around. Third Senior Brother, how's your fishing going?"
Yan Xiaohu waved his empty fish basket with a sullen face and said, "These Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish are too hard to catch, purely relying on luck. The place you chose isn't great either, clearly lacking fishing experience."
One of them smiled bitterly and said, "Even if we picked a good spot, what good would it do if we still ended up empty-handed? Let's go, they've already started over there."
"I heard that Junior Sister Lu prepared some small gifts for us. I'm quite looking forward to it. After all, no girl has ever given me a gift in so many years," said another person with a grin.
Yan Xiaohu rubbed his stomach, feeling hungry after a whole day of fishing.
Then, the four of them walked towards the empty space over there.
The bonfire was already blazing, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of roasted meat.
Zhou Qing, like a thief, kept scanning his surroundings.
To be honest, he really wanted to leave. After all, Lu Yaoyao had ulterior motives towards him, and he was so naive. What if he accidentally fell into her trap?
Looking at the long table set up, along with the delicious food and wine on it, he even started to imagine.
What if later Lu Yaoyao, under the pretext of toasting, suddenly stumbled into his arms?
With so many senior brothers around, most of whom had higher cultivation than him, wouldn't they be jealous?
Or what if she pretended to be drunk later and said some nonsense?
Like praising him as dashing, her type?
Wouldn't that make him a target?
However, having been invited to fish here and having caught two Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish, leaving suddenly would seem a bit ungrateful, wouldn't it?
Moreover, if he left alone, others would think he was unsociable or even say he had a guilty conscience.
He turned his head, ready to ask Yan for advice, but found that Yan seemed even more nervous than himself, even a bit uneasy.
"What's wrong, Third Senior Brother?" Zhou Qing asked, puzzled.
Yan Xiaohu swallowed hard and immediately made a shushing gesture: "You might not believe it, but I was fine just now. However, the closer I get to this bonfire, the more I have an ominous premonition."
Hearing this, Zhou Qing couldn't help but become tense as well.
"Third Senior Brother, don't scare me."
Yan Xiaohu thought for a moment, then seriously said: "Sometimes my sixth sense is pretty accurate. How about we leave for now? Anyway, we didn't get anything this time..."
Before Yan Xiaohu could finish speaking, the previously calm lake surface suddenly rippled inexplicably, and an invisible pressure descended abruptly.
This pressure was like Mount Tai pressing down, making everyone's breathing heavy, as if the air had solidified, and every slight breeze carried a chilling fear.
In the midst of everyone's fear, a figure slowly rose from the water.
It was an old woman, her body hunched, skin as dry as tree bark, deeply wrinkled.
Her eyes were murky and deep, her hair disheveled and sprinkled with water plants and mud, her body cloaked in a tattered black robe that fluttered in the wind.
Moreover, she held in her right hand a large fish that looked like an ice sculpture - the Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish.
Seeing the old woman's appearance, Yan Xiaohu's face instantly turned pale, his throat convulsing as if about to gag.
"Greetings, Supreme Elder!" The chief disciples of various peaks immediately recognized the old woman's identity and hastily bowed in respect.
The other disciples who reacted quickly followed suit, bowing hurriedly.
"Bow your head, bow your head, quickly bow your head, don't let her notice us!" Yan Xiaohu squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, pulling Zhou Qing to bow quickly.
Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately bowed his head.
Third Senior Brother's sixth sense was indeed incredibly accurate.
In fact, Zhou Qing hadn't seen anything that time, as Yan Xiaohu volunteered to take a look as a senior brother.
But the moment he poked his head out, he froze, no matter how Zhou Qing called from below.
As Zhou Qing curiously wanted to climb up, Yan Xiaohu fell down as if he'd seen a ghost.
He landed face-first in the dirt, trembling all over as he dragged Zhou Qing away.
There was no need to say the rest, as it was almost common knowledge; even their master occasionally joked about it.
"Senior Brother, what do we do now?" Zhou Qing asked quietly.
Yan Xiaohu bent his waist even lower, saying, "Don't speak, be careful not to be noticed. For now, we can only hope she doesn't notice us."
At the same time, the old woman stepped lightly on the air. With each step, a ripple containing the essence of the Great Dao appeared beneath her feet.
"I didn't expect my divine skills to reach Great Success this time. Though I tried to suppress it, I still managed to destroy the back mountain. However, this accidental creation of a lake does blend nicely with the surrounding scenery. Not bad, not bad!"
The old woman spoke slowly, her voice echoing in everyone's minds.
Only then did everyone understand the sudden appearance of the lake.
"I heard from Cao that he recently took on a new female disciple; it must be you!" The old woman took a step forward and instantly appeared in front of Lu Yaoyao.
Lu Yaoyao bowed respectfully again: "Junior Lu Yaoyao, greets Supreme Elder!"
The old woman looked Lu Yaoyao over, then nodded in satisfaction: "Good bone structure and talent, and quite pretty. Cao has truly accepted a good disciple this time."
Lu Yaoyao quickly responded: "Elder, you're too kind. It's my great fortune to join the Taiqing Sect."
The old woman smiled and brought forward the Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish with her right hand.
"Such a humble and good child. I came out of seclusion in a hurry and didn't have a suitable gift for you. Seeing you all fishing, I guess it's this one. Unfortunately, there were originally three in the lake. Two are gone, so this one is a small gift from me."
Looking at the Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish being handed over, Lu Yaoyao felt a surge of gratitude.
The others cautiously looked up, seeing the Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish in awe of its size.
But what did the Supreme Elder mean by her previous words?
What did she mean by originally three, now one? Did someone already catch the other two?
Who could it be?
Someone had hidden it well. No one realized until now.
Hearing this, Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively moved closer to Yan's back.
"Don't move, don't move!" Yan Xiaohu warned immediately.
Zhou Qing froze on the spot.
Then, the Supreme Elder glanced around, her gaze lingering on Yan Xiaohu for a moment.
Yan Xiaohu, feeling a shiver run down his spine.
Unexpectedly, the old woman said, "Alright, I won't disturb your fun. Enjoy yourselves while you're young. When you reach my age, you won't have the energy even if you want to have fun."
Her tone was full of nostalgia and lament, then she left, walking on air.
The crowd bowed, saying, "Farewell, Supreme Elder!"