Chapter 22

“It's in the river outside the village. Yesterday, Xiao Yan and I went fishing and were lucky to catch it,” Lu Qing replied.“There are Blue-armored Fish in that little river?” Dr. Chen was somewhat surprised. The river outside the village wasn’t very large, so it was rare for a Blue-armored Fish to grow to this size. But then he remembered that the nearby villages didn’t rely on fishing for their livelihood. Perhaps that was why the Blue-armored Fish could grow so large. “No wonder you said you felt talented in fishing. To catch such a specimen of Fish Stone, the Blue-armored Fish must be enormous. How did you manage to catch it?” Dr. Chen looked at Lu Qing’s somewhat thin body with new respect. “It’s all thanks to the fishing line you gave me, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing said modestly. “Grandpa Chen, that fishing line is incredibly durable. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to pull in such a big fish.” “As long as it was useful. It’s of no use to me anyway,” Dr. Chen waved his hand, not particularly concerned. On the contrary, he was more interested in the wooden bucket Lu Qing was holding. “What’s in your bucket? It looks quite heavy.” Because Lu Qing had put some branches and leaves in the bucket when he went out to avoid scaring the fish, Dr. Chen couldn’t see clearly what was inside. “There’s something I want to give you, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing began to remove the branches from the bucket. “Yesterday, Xiao Yan and I caught two big fish. We ate the larger Blue-armored Fish and saved this smaller one for you to try.” “Indeed, Grandpa Chen, this fish is really beautiful. Grandpa Zhang and the others didn’t recognize what kind of fish it was,” Xiao Yan added. “Oh, you’re so thoughtful. Let me see what kind of fish it is.” Hearing this, Dr. Chen was even more interested. “It’s this fish.” Lu Qing removed all the branches from the bucket and handed it to the old doctor. Dr. Chen looked into the bucket and, upon seeing the fish that resembled flames, his expression first froze and then turned emotional. He blurted out, “Is this a Red Moon Carp?” Dr. Chen indeed recognized the fish. Lu Qing’s thoughts were racing, but he maintained a look of confusion on his face. “Grandpa Chen, do you know what kind of fish this is?” Dr. Chen put Xiao Yan down and leaned closer, reaching into the bucket to tease the fish and examine it carefully. Finally, he confirmed, “There’s no mistake, this is a Red Moon Carp!” Dr. Chen looked at Lu Qing with genuine astonishment. “You managed to catch a rare Red Moon Carp?” “Grandpa Chen, what is a Red Moon Carp?” Xiao Yan asked innocently. “The Red Moon Carp is quite extraordinary,” Dr. Chen began to explain. “Red Moon Carp is a type of rare fish. Any fish that can be called rare has unique qualities.” “The Red Moon Carp is known for its exquisite taste.” “It’s said that its flavor is so delicious that once you’ve tasted it, you’ll never forget it. Because of this, some people have even called it one of the ten greatest delicacies in the world.” S~ᴇaʀᴄh the NøvᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality. “One of the ten greatest delicacies?” This time, it was Lu Qing’s turn to be surprised. He hadn’t expected the Red Moon Carp to be so famous. No wonder it was rated as an extremely fresh delicacy by abilities. “This big red fish is so amazing!” Xiao Yan was also stunned. “Grandpa Chen, have you ever eaten Red Moon Carp?” “Grandpa once had the chance to taste Red Moon Carp at a nobleman’s banquet. The flavor…” Dr. Chen didn’t finish his sentence, but even Xiao Yan could see the nostalgic look on his face. “Then giving this Red Moon Carp to you, Grandpa Chen, is the best decision,” Lu Qing said. “I can’t accept such a gift,” Dr. Chen regained his composure. “Do you know how much this Red Moon Carp would sell for in the city?” Lu Qing shook his head. “One hundred taels of silver.” Dr. Chen held up one finger, and seeing the shock on Lu Qing’s face, he continued, “The best quality Red Moon Carp can sell for at least one hundred taels of silver.” “A single fish is worth one hundred taels of silver?” Lu Qing gasped. He knew that silver was very valuable in this world. One tael of silver could support a family of three for a month. And in his memory, the most prosperous time in the Lu family didn’t even have ten taels of silver in savings. Now a single fish was worth one hundred taels, which was beyond his expectations. The key was, this was just an ordinary rare fish with a hint of red light. If it were a true red-light level spiritual fish, how precious would that be? “This world is vast, Lu Qing,” Dr. Chen sighed. “The daily expenses of those noblemen are beyond ordinary people’s imagination. Do you know how much it costs them to host a banquet?” Lu Qing shook his head again. “At least a thousand taels of silver. If they are entertaining distinguished guests, the expenses are even more unimaginable.” “This Red Moon Carp is a rare delicacy. For those rich noblemen, a mere hundred taels of silver is nothing.” Lu Qing’s mouth hung open. His expression was half-pretended, but the other half was genuine surprise. Indeed, no matter which world it is, the extravagance of the wealthy is always so exaggerated. “Well, do you still want to give this Red Moon Carp to me?” Dr. Chen teased, seeing the incredulous look on Lu Qing’s face. Lu Qing came back to his senses, hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly, “Yes, of course, I’ll give it. Compared to Grandpa Chen’s life-saving grace, what is a hundred taels of silver? Without you, I wouldn’t be standing here, let alone have caught this Red Moon Carp!” “Hahaha…” Dr. Chen suddenly burst into hearty laughter. After laughing for a while, he stopped, looking gratified. “I’m very happy with your kindness, but I really can’t accept this Red Moon Carp. It’s too wasteful for me to eat such a precious fish.” “But Grandpa Chen…” Lu Qing wanted to say more, but Dr. Chen raised his hand to stop him. “Alright, it’s settled then. Leave the fish with me. In a couple of days, I’ll take it to the city to sell. I’ll exchange it for silver, and you can take it home for your household expenses.” Lu Qing opened his mouth but didn’t insist further. He only said, “Alright, but Grandpa Chen, the money from selling the fish should first be used to pay for your previous medical treatments.” “Deal!” Dr. Chen nodded. But he didn’t tell Lu Qing that the precious herbs in the previous decoction he made were worth no less than this Red Moon Carp. Dr. Chen could tell that Lu Qing was a very proud young man. If he knew the value of that decoction, he probably wouldn’t accept the money from selling the Red Moon Carp. Dr. Chen looked at the Red Moon Carp in the bucket again. Then he frowned, “Unfortunately, this Red Moon Carp, although its appearance is good, is a bit too large. It might not be worth a hundred taels, and its value might be slightly lower.” “Why, Grandpa Chen? Isn’t it better if the fish is bigger?” Xiao Yan asked, puzzled. “Generally, that’s the case, but not for the Red Moon Carp,” Dr. Chen explained. “The most unique thing about the Red Moon Carp is its freshness. Usually, a Red Moon Carp weighing around two pounds is at its most tender and delicious. If it exceeds this weight, even though the flavor doesn’t diminish, the meat becomes slightly tougher, so its value naturally decreases.” Lu Qing could understand this. It was like certain seafood in his previous life, which wasn’t more expensive the bigger it was. Instead, when it was smaller, the price per unit was higher. “No matter its value, it’s up to you, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing said. No matter how valuable the Red Moon Carp was, Lu Qing couldn’t sell it himself. He believed that if he dared to bring such a rare fish into the city, even if he sold it, he might not be able to leave the city safely. Perhaps only someone like Dr. Chen, who was a practitioner, had the qualification to engage in such transactions. “By the way, Red Moon Carp is always rare and its habits are difficult to discern. It likes to be solitary and is hard to spot. How did you manage to catch it?” Dr. Chen asked curiously. “Maybe it was luck. Yesterday, after catching the Blue-armored Fish, I continued fishing for a while and happened to catch this Red Moon Carp,” Lu Qing replied. But he was thinking deeply. Hard to discern habits? So even Dr. Chen didn’t know that Red Moon Carp liked to eat Blood Apricots? “Maybe it really was your luck,” Dr. Chen sighed. “Perhaps heaven took pity on you and your sister living such a hard life, so it granted you this fortune.” Dr. Chen thought of Lu Qing’s sudden recovery from his illness. Maybe Lu Qing’s illness suddenly getting better was also for this reason? After sighing for a while, Dr. Chen temporarily kept the Red Moon Carp in a water tank in his house and then started to perform acupuncture on Lu Qing. This time, after the acupuncture, Lu Qing slept for a shorter time than the last. When he woke up, he saw Dr. Chen still chatting and laughing with Xiao Yan in the courtyard, and a plate of yam cakes was still on the stone table. “You’re awake. Come, have some food first.” Seeing Lu Qing come out, Dr. Chen pushed the plate of snacks towards him. This time, Lu Qing didn’t decline. He took a piece of cake and slowly ate it. Dr. Chen observed Lu Qing’s complexion and nodded. “Not bad. It seems you’ve been following my advice these past few days and haven’t skimped on your food.” “Grandpa Chen, my brother and I have been eating well every day. My brother’s cooking is really good!” Xiao Yan boasted proudly. “Yes, Grandpa can see that.” Dr. Chen affectionately patted the little girl’s head. With his medical skills, how could he not see that the siblings’ complexions were much better than a few days ago? After Lu Qing had eaten a few pieces of cake, Dr. Chen spoke slowly, “I mentioned before that after this acupuncture session, I would allow you to study medicinal herbs with me for half an hour. Do you remember?” Lu Qing immediately sat up straight and said solemnly, “Of course, Lu Qing remembers.” “Then do you still have the desire to learn about medicinal herbs now?” “Of course, Lu Qing’s interest in herbs has never waned.” “That’s good.” Dr. Chen smiled. “I thought that after catching a Red Moon Carp and soon having a large sum of money, you might no longer want to pursue herbal medicine.” “Lu Qing wants to learn about medicinal herbs not just to make a living but out of genuine curiosity about the miraculous properties of various herbs and how they cure diseases,” Lu Qing said seriously. “If that’s the case, then come with me.” Dr. Chen got up and walked into the house. Lu Qing hurriedly followed. Inside, Dr. Chen took out a book and handed it to Lu Qing. “Here is the ‘Compendium of Hundred Herbs.’ It records the names, illustrations, and growth habits of various herbs. Take it and study it well. Compare it with the herbs drying outside in the courtyard. If you have any questions, come and ask me.” Holding the book, Lu Qing was stunned. “Grandpa Chen, didn’t you say you’d have me help dry the herbs while learning from you?” Now he was directly handed a book. Lu Qing knew that books were precious in this world. First, paper was expensive, and second, ink was also costly. The original owner’s grandfather, when fleeing a disaster, had brought nothing but a few books. Unfortunately, during the escape, those books were lost. As a result, the original owner often heard his grandfather lament that losing those family heirloom books was a great shame to their ancestors. Later, due to the family’s poverty, they couldn’t afford paper and ink, so Lu’s grandfather never managed to rewrite those family heirloom books. Thus, the original owner only recognized some characters and had very shallow writing skills. “What’s the matter? Are you unwilling?” Dr. Chen asked. “Of course I’m willing,” Lu Qing quickly replied. He knew the value of knowledge in this world. “Then that’s settled. You can start learning now.” Seeing Dr. Chen’s insistence, Lu Qing could only take the book and return to the courtyard. After instructing Xiao Yan for a bit, he found a quiet spot and opened the book. However, after skimming through a few pages, Lu Qing couldn’t help but frown. Because many of the herb names in the “Compendium of Hundred Herbs” were quite peculiar and the characters were very obscure. The original owner didn’t know many characters. Even though he had memories from his past life, the characters of the two worlds were somewhat different. There were some characters he didn’t recognize. As a result, reading this “Compendium of Hundred Herbs” was very challenging. At this rate, he didn’t know how long it would take to learn the knowledge in the book. Lu Qing knew he wasn’t exceptionally intelligent. Nor did he have the ability to read ten lines at a glance and understand everything instantly. In his past life, he was just an average person with normal intelligence who had to study hard to barely get into a regular university. So, to learn the “Compendium of Hundred Herbs,” he estimated he would need the same diligence as when he studied for college entrance exams. Encouraging himself, Lu Qing continued reading. Then, as he read, the herbal book suddenly emitted a faint white light. [Compendium of Hundred Herbs: A book that records knowledge about various herbs.] [Learning this book might give you a rough understanding of the world’s herbs.] [Do you want to download it?] The first two messages were fine, but when the third message appeared, Lu Qing was completely stunned.