I'm just an ornamental fish in the water.

A subconscious question flashed through Jiang Li's mind.

But he immediately came to his senses, and without even looking, he flicked his tail and sped away!

The fishhook isn't scary. Even though he's a fish now, he won't be foolish enough to bite the hook.

It's impossible for fishhooks to appear in the Wei River, after all, the local environment shapes the people, and the Wei River is no exception, with fishermen making a living by fishing.

But the problem is!

Jiang Li didn't sense the fishhook beforehand!

It was only after directly encountering it that we realized it!

That's the biggest problem!

You should know that Jiang Li is now in her true form, her true form in the water.

He was originally a water creature in human form, and also possessed a different bloodline. His perception in water was several times that of cultivators of the same level.

Logically speaking, even if the fishing line attached to the hook were shrunk by a factor of ten or more, as long as it still existed, it would be impossible for Jiang Li not to notice it.

Upon realizing something was wrong, Jiang Li's first reaction was naturally to run away.

Even if there are problems, we should wait until we are safe before taking any action.

Jiang Li darted away, covering more than ten miles in a single leap. Just as she was about to take out the seven-colored scales to send a message, suddenly…

A brass fishhook swayed gently in front of me and then sank down.

Jiang Li's eyesight and senses were rendered useless in the face of this fishhook; she could only notice it when it was right in front of her eyes.

"brush!"

This time, the fishing hook was cast directly, and although it didn't stick to Jiang Li, the fishing line tied Jiang Li up tightly!

Jiang Li instinctively tried to struggle, but under the seemingly ordinary binding of the fishing line, she had no strength at all.

Whether it's talisman pills, true qi, or even the Huaihuo authority that is an innate talent, none of them can be used!

He could only be slowly pulled toward the surface of the water, like an ordinary fish.

"Splash!"

Ripples spread across the water's surface. Jiang Li, bound by the fishing line, was suspended in mid-air from the fishing rod, slowly rotating.

"Are there koi carp in the Wei River?"

A slightly hoarse and weak male voice came to my ear, tinged with curiosity.

Jiang Li looked over and saw a man wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat sitting cross-legged on the dry riverbed, holding a fishing rod steadily in his hand, and the other end of the fishing rod was naturally him...

The man appeared to be in his forties, with a sickly thin and pale face and a short beard.

With a swift movement, he lifted Jiang Li up the fishing rod and brought her to his feet.

"Hmm... It would be a shame to eat such a beautiful fish."

The man muttered to himself, then casually wiped his hand across Jiang Li's face.

Suddenly, the fishing line on Jiang Li's body seemed to disappear, and Jiang Li, the whole fish, fell down and was caught by the fish basket that the man stretched out.

No, you're not going to act anymore, right?

Jiang Li looked at the man with some frustration.

This is definitely not an ordinary person, whether it's the strange fishing hook and line, or the man's completely unsurprised expression after seeing his unusual appearance.

Everything was clearly telling Jiang Li that this man was no ordinary person.

Jiang Li lay horizontally in the fish basket. Although her magical power and true qi were still sealed, she was different from ordinary fish. With a "snap," she did a "true carp leap," her beautiful tail supporting her on the bottom of the fish basket, and she stood up.

The man put away his fishing rod and bent down to look at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li also saw the man's eyes, which were originally hidden under his straw hat.

Her eyes, resembling phoenix eyes yet with a slightly rounded curve, were clear and bright, instantly inspiring a sense of closeness just by looking at them.

This is not some kind of evil magic or bewitchment, but rather a pair of eyes filled with compassion and kindness.

"But the meat seems to be of good quality..."

The man looked at Jiang Li's movements, which were definitely not something an ordinary carp could do, and his tone was somewhat hesitant.

Jiang Li wanted to roll her eyes, but she couldn't, so she could only silently open her mouth.

*Pop...*

A perfectly round bubble, angled perfectly and shimmering in the evening sunlight, was released by Jiang Li and slowly rose.

Jiang Li and the man watched the bubble rise illogically, rising about a foot high before bursting with a "pop," turning into insignificant water vapor.

Yes, he hasn't neglected his ability to make a living.

Jiang Li thought with satisfaction.

"That's really impressive."

As if hearing Jiang Li's thoughts, the man smiled and praised her, saying, "You should take her back and raise her."

As he spoke, the man picked up the fish basket, looked Jiang Li in the eye, and asked with a smile, "Would you like to come with me?"

As soon as Jiang Li moved its tail, its whole body began to sway from side to side, like a roly-poly toy.

"Tsk."

The man smacked his lips meaningfully, a wicked smile creeping onto his face.

"You can't leave anyway."

After saying that, he stood up and the fishing rod in his hand suddenly shrank, from nearly two zhang long to about nine chi, making him a head taller than the man.

He left the Wei River, leaning on this bamboo pole and carrying his basket.

No, I don't want to go with you!

What's the point of asking this extra question?

Jiang Li thought to herself, feeling quite depressed.

Could it be that even if one cultivates to become human and attains spiritual power, as long as one is a fish, one cannot avoid being caught at some point?

Impossible, impossible. If that were the case, where would all those air force units come from?

Jiang Li simply leaned against the edge of the fish basket, swinging like a swing as the man's arm moved.

The man's steps were not fast, but each step covered a distance of hundreds of feet.

But Jiang Li could sense that this was not some kind of escape technique.

The technique of stealth can move a hundred steps in one step. When it is used, the figure seems to "jump frames", but that is only from the perspective of outsiders.

To cultivators using escape techniques, he was simply moving at an extremely fast pace; in essence, it was a kind of extreme speed.

But this man was different. With each step he took, it was as if the distance of that step was hundreds of feet, reaching the extreme of naturalness.

Jiang Li couldn't describe the feeling in detail, but she was certain that it was a method of extremely high status.

Soon, the man arrived at a village.

He seemed to be a local; once inside the village, his pace returned to normal, and he greeted the people around him with a smile.

"I'm home."

Before long, the man stopped in front of a small courtyard. The courtyard was surrounded by a fence less than four feet high, meant to keep out honest people but not scoundrels.

The man pushed open the door, went inside, and casually placed the fish basket and bamboo cane next to the water tank.

I filled a ladle with water, carefully washed my hands, and dried them.

Then he picked up the fish basket and went into the room.

The room was very small, with just a bed, a table, two stools, and a shelf for miscellaneous items, which filled it to the brim.

However, the man was clearly good at finding humor in hardship; he left a small space by the window, just enough to fit a deck chair.

The man placed the fish basket on the table, picked up a book from the table, and strolled to the recliner.

With a creak, the man sat down and stared intently at the book in his hands.

Jiang Li looked over curiously, only to find that the book's cover did not have a title written on it.

Just then, the man frowned slightly, as if he had encountered some kind of hurdle, and softly recited a passage.

"The Dao is the beginning of Heaven and Earth, born in the Great Beginning, moving in the Great Simplicity, sprouting in the Great Ultimate, the Great Ultimate divides into the Two Forms, the Two Forms divide to give rise to the Five Elements, and the Five Elements give rise to all things."

As the man chanted, a ray of light seemed to appear out of nowhere and fall upon him.

He turned his head, looked at Jiang Li in the fish basket, and asked with a smile.

"Little Fish, in your opinion, what is the Tao?"