Chapter 1530 - 565: Ice Fishing for Eels
Zhou Xuan, disguised as "Ning Yu," walked into Longba Manor.
Ning Yu, naturally, is a prominent figure in Snow Plain Prefecture. He is the junior of the Boba Golden Buddha, and there isn’t anyone in Longba Manor who wouldn’t recognize him.
A man who looked like a steward bowed to Ning Yu and respectfully said, "Master Ning Yu, it’s been a while since we last met. I see that your aura is becoming more solemn and dignified, as if your Buddhist studies have advanced."
"It’s still at the previous level. I’ve been preoccupied with worldly matters recently, so I haven’t had time to contemplate Buddhism."
Zhou Xuan raised the Heavenly Spirit Bone in his hand high and said to the steward, "I came to see Lord Longba. My senior brother asked me to deliver this item to him."
"Oh, what a pity. Lord Longba just returned from the Reincarnation Temple. He had barely arrived home when our young master called him away."
"Did your young master have an urgent matter?" Zhou Xuan asked.
"It’s not something urgent; our young master’s craving was acting up. He wanted to eat ’Ghost-faced Eel,’ and Lord Longba, doting on his youngest son, took several dozen servants to Cuomo Lake."
The steward said with an accompanying smile.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan said, "Then I will wait for him in your manor."
"Afraid that’s not possible."
The steward hurriedly said, "Catching those ’Ghost-faced Eels’ is quite tricky. It’s extremely hard to get them to bite. Since the lord has just gone fishing, it might be nightfall before he returns."
Zhou Xuan, seeing that the steward repeatedly made excuses, asked, "Listening to you pushing things off, it seems Lord Longba has secretly instructed you, whenever you encounter me, to brush me off with a few casual words, then shoo me away?"
With a retreat as an advance, Zhou Xuan’s words scared the steward, whose knees trembled uncontrollably.
He repeatedly said, "Oh, our people from the Longba family have deeper feelings for the Reincarnation Temple than the waters of Cuomo Heavenly Pool, how could we intentionally deceive the master?"
"Since you’re not brushing me off, then take me to find Lord Longba."
Zhou Xuan said, "When it comes to their eel fishing spot, you might be extremely familiar with it, right?"
"This..."
"I’ll be honest with you. It’s not me who wants to find Lord Longba but my senior brother. If you delay my senior brother’s important business, you’ll hardly escape the consequences."
Zhou Xuan applied both kindness and authority.
The steward, hearing this, dared not say more and hurriedly said, "Understood, understood. Old Liu, prepare the horses, prepare the horses well."
In no time, a groom with the surname Liu brought out two shiny white horses from the manor.
Zhou Xuan and the steward both mounted the horses and galloped towards "Cuomo Heavenly Pool."
On the way, Zhou Xuan felt the horse beneath him had astonishing strength; this white horse ran even several times faster than the Mei Ken Cars of Mingjiang Prefecture.
The scenery on both sides rapidly receded.
At such speed, Zhou Xuan, sitting on horseback, should have been buffeted by a great gust of snowy wind,
Yet, it felt as if he were meditating in a closed space, not perceiving even a wisp of wind.
He slightly turned his head to glance at the horse’s hooves, discovering numerous blood-colored inscriptions engraved on them.
"Seems similar to the Taoist’s Divine Armor Horse."
Upon seeing the runes on the horse’s hooves, Zhou Xuan marveled at the strict caste system in Snow Plain Prefecture.
Ordinary folks might barely survive the winter in the heavy snow, yet those from the Six Great Families ventured out unafraid of the cold, even thinking of fishing in this icebound land.
The journey was monotonous, and the steward, finding himself bored, urged his horse alongside Zhou Xuan, chatting offhandedly with him.
"Master Ning Yu, you’ve visited our manor several times but have never tasted a single bite of ’Ghost-faced Eel.’ Truly, you’ve missed a culinary delight."
"What’s the taste of that Ghost-faced Eel like?"
Zhou Xuan asked.
The steward smiled and said, "Its meat is exceedingly tender, requiring little cooking; just a slight sear, and its aroma would waft down several streets."
"Listening to you, it sounds like I should stay at your manor tonight for a meal before leaving?"
"Of course, indeed. The flavor of Ghost-faced Eel is unforgettable once tasted."
After listening, Zhou Xuan nodded,
Though, whether the taste of Ghost-faced Eel would be forgettable, Zhou Xuan didn’t know,
However, the scene of catching the Ghost-faced Eel was truly something Zhou Xuan would never forget in his lifetime...
...
Cuomu Heavenly Pool is a cold pond, surrounded by lush underwater plants. Even in this extreme cold, the pond hasn’t frozen over; instead, a misty vapor rises above it,
The vapor, illuminated by the blazing sun and adorned with purple flowers, forms a purple haze.
From a distance, Zhou Xuan genuinely felt that the scene in the pool had the grandeur of the Taoist "Purple Qi Comes from the East."
"The scenery and landscape by this pool are truly beautiful."
Zhou Xuan pointed to Cuomo’s Heavenly Pool and said to the steward.
The steward smiled and said, "Of course, it’s excellent scenery. The mountain range around the heavenly pool stretches for sixty miles and all belongs to our Longba Manor. The people from Rize Manor have tried many times to take it over."
"Tsk... Can the average folk come here to enjoy the snowy landscape?" Zhou Xuan pondered.
The steward, looking back with a smile, pointed to a distant mountain range and said, "Master Ning Yu, do you see that small peak? That’s Biqiu Peak. Any commoner from Snow Plain Prefecture crossing that peak faces execution without pardon."
In this caste-rigid Prefecture City, even enjoying a scenery might cost your head.
Zhou Xuan rode onward until reaching the heavenly pool’s edge, where Longba, dressed in a fluffy fur coat, was fishing for Ghost-faced Eel with his manor people.
As for the people by the heavenly pool, in Zhou Xuan’s view - there were two types.