Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, they reached a secluded spot where few people ventured. The big yellow dog stopped and barked a few times at the water.

"Is this it?"

Qin Ning pointed to the water, and the little black cat on his shoulder suddenly darted out and unleashed a flurry of meow punches at the dog's head.

"??? Why did you hit it?"

"It said it was too lazy to walk and asked if it could perch on my shoulder."

Grass... is a type of plant.

"So I'm going to set some rules for it." Qin Li said domineeringly. The big yellow dog had already rolled over and was lying on the ground, exposing its belly, its tail wagging rapidly.

"It's really weird that this thing is perched on my shoulder, but to speed things up..."

Qin Ning released a burst of energy, and the big yellow dog floated up from the spot, its four paws sliding in the air in a perfect dog paddle, its eyes full of surprise.

"Let it guide you, and you translate for me."

"it is good."

Qin Li returned to her designated spot.

The dog and cat duo sped along the riverbank, thankfully the place was secluded and there weren't many people around.

Otherwise, if the residents of the city see this, who knows what strange rumors will spread.

"Go straight, go straight, follow the tributary on the left, this time take the right side."

Qin Li, like a navigator, with a resolute gaze, translated every dog ​​bark.

"stop!"

Qin Ning slammed down on her feet: "Is he trying to perch on my shoulders again this time?"

The little black cat shook its head coolly, raised its paw and pointed to the water, "This is it, those two strange fish were caught here."

Qin Ning followed the paw's gaze and saw that a staircase leading directly to the river had been built on the riverbank. It was originally intended to make it easier for residents to wash their clothes, but since the place was desolate, it had become convenient for cats and dogs to fish by the water.

He descended the steps, and upon reaching the last step, the energy emanated from it. There was nothing unusual in the water, and he did not sense any plague energy.

Is Nature's plan to provide wild animals to combat disease about to fail?

Indeed, the reason Qin Ning came here was because he had his eye on the plague energy inside the strange fish, which was equivalent to five "Aman" in quantity.

Most of the funds were diverted to Bai Gu, and the assassins from [Hundred Birds] don't know when they'll come knocking again to "deliver money."

Not wanting to fall behind in his cultivation but also feeling a bit strapped for cash, he devised a plan to take advantage of the strange fish.

The fish should have been caught by the big yellow cats along the shore, so there should have been quite a few of them. But now the water is empty. Have the fish moved away?

Qin Ning didn't like being in the air force. After a slight hesitation, he channeled his innate energy into his fingertips, unleashing the Sunflower Water, which split the river and parted the sea!

A complex hexagram fell onto the water's surface, and the calm Xiao'an River began to tremble. A large hole slowly opened in the water, as if an invisible hand had forcibly squeezed out the space.

Qin Ning told Da Huang to stay on the shore, then leaped up and jumped into the water cave with the kitten.

Xiao'an River is not deep, only about 4.5 meters high. After landing, he wrapped his feet with his Qi to prevent them from sinking into the mud and sand at the bottom of the river, and looked around.

Some fish that couldn't escape struggled in place, while earthworms occasionally surfaced in the mud and then disappeared again.

Hmm, there are two water turtles peeking out from the corner.

The ecosystem at the bottom of the Xiao'an River is quite rich... Qin Ning walked slowly forward, searching for traces of the strange fish, but everything at the bottom of the river was ordinary. After a thorough search, he found nothing.

Qin Ning frowned, preparing to use the Kui Shui divination again to expand the search area, when Qin Li suddenly raised her paw and gently patted his cheek.

"Qin Ning, look at the wall behind the water. Why is there a patch of a different color?"

Qin Ning turned his head and noticed a very conspicuous circle on the wall to his left, which was covered with moss, seaweed, and shellfish. He walked closer to take a closer look.

There was a noticeable gap around it, suggesting that it was a stone lid that was frequently opened.

Use divination to move the area away from the water.

Qin Ning raised his palm and gently pressed it into the center of the circle, exerting a little force. With a crack, the wall caved in and then bounced back, revealing an entrance about six feet high.

The entrance was covered by a layer of water, which was dark and deep, and the bottom could not be seen.

He was debating whether to go in or not. After all, the cave in front of him was not large, and if he encountered something, it would be difficult to maneuver properly. Moreover, there was water flowing inside.

As a result, a sudden rushing sound came from inside the cave, and countless strange fish rushed out of it, one after another leaping over the water and crashing onto the soft sand and silt.

Soon, it formed a small mound of fish.

Qin Ning took a few steps back, looking at the ever-growing mound of fish. For some reason, five words suddenly flashed through his mind.

Mysterious food serving window.

I can't go in for now, and I don't know what's inside, but that doesn't stop me from refining the toxins in these strange fish... I used my supernatural power [Plague Qi], and the strange fish on the ground quickly turned into harmless nutrients.

Once he could no longer swallow, Qin Ning swiftly closed the circular stone wall, temporarily stopping the food from being served.

As Qin Ning felt his physical fitness slowly increasing, he became conflicted.

The threat here isn't significant at the moment, and his message to Cheng Feng didn't reveal any specifics. Should we absorb the information for a few days before reporting the true situation?

But what if something happens because of these few days of delay... wait, even if I report it, I can ask them to leave this strange fish with me.

Aside from me, only assassins would need something like this, which is covered in poison.

......

Secret rendezvous point.

The pale-faced, beardless Cheng Feng frowned and said in a shrill voice, "Are there poisonous fish in the Xiao'an River?"

No wonder he was so surprised; this is a tributary of the Chengchuan River, the source of water supply for part of the people's livelihood in Bei'an City.

"Here it is."

Qin Ning wiped his hand on the ink pouch at his waist, and a strange fish landed on the table. As it struggled and jumped, it knocked over the teacup, and the scalding tea made the fish struggle even more violently.

Then, even more scalding hot tea was spilled.

Old Chengfeng's slender fingers moved swiftly like the wind, poking the strange fish's head. The fish instantly stopped throbbing. When he withdrew his two fingers, Qin Ning could see that he was holding a thin needle for testing poison.

Using a fine needle to test for poison is not unusual, but precisely severing the nerves of a strange fish that is moving erratically with such a fine needle, causing it to stop moving, is something that not everyone can do.

"A master, most likely a martial artist, probably above the sixth rank..." Qin Ning silently guessed.

Old Chengfeng stared at the black silver needle in his hand, his brow furrowed in a deep frown. "Qin Hanchan, do you know exactly where this strange fish is found in the Xiao'an River, and how many there are?"

"How much more do we need right now?"

"????"

Is that what I meant?

Old Chengfeng's lips twitched, and he saw Qin Ning sitting opposite him chuckle and say, "I can draw the location for you, but relax, these strange fish aren't as dangerous as you think. Their poison is insoluble in water."

Upon hearing this, the old official breathed a slight sigh of relief: "This is good news, but there are so many poisonous fish, it will be a troublesome matter to deal with them, especially since this matter cannot be publicized, lest it cause panic among the people."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ning's smile deepened.

"I can help, but... it'll cost extra."