Chapter 4: The legendary golden Scalefish
A column of black smoke was visible coming from the center of the forest, if you moved closer you could distinguish a river passing by this place and on the riverside, a bonfire from whence the smoke came. In front of the fire, a young boy with black hair was totally naked standing up his eyes closed and his palms toward the heat, his fine features were emphasized by his deep concentration and the fire's light. His body was well built for his age, it was obviously Xiao Yu enjoying the fire's heat and having completely lost track of the time, Mei Ling in contrast began her return. It didn't come to her mind that Xiao Yu would not had the time to dry his clothes in more than one hour, she arrived at the riverside her arms full of all kind of fruits and shouting:
"Xiao Yu, look all the fruits I picked up!"
It was only when she was several meters apart from Xiao Yu that she realized something was off. Xiao Yu was so focused before, he only had the time to cover his lower parts with both hands when he realized he was still naked in front of Mei Ling.
The young girl's cheeks turned red at the sight of Xiao Yu's completely naked, she quickly turned around and said with an embarrassed voice:
"I didn't see anything!"
Xiao Yu's face was as red as a tomato, he did not understand what happened to get him in this unlucky position, but he did not try to figure out and quickly put his clothes on. Neither of the two could find words to say in this awkward situation. Finally Mei Ling broke the silence:
"I have found some fruits, I don't know if you have heard me the first time! If you want to take some, enjoy yourself." Xiao Yu nodded, took an orange fruit with an elongated shape and started to eat.
The time he needed to eat his fruit later, Xiao Yu said: "We should start fishing if we want to get some fishes back, the sun will begin to move downward soon."
He picked up his fishing rod, the hard acquired earthworms and then chose a good spot to fish, where the water was the most quiet and where he could sit the closest of the river. Under the attentive eye of Mei Ling, he took one worm and put it on the hook at the line's end. Xiao Yu extended his right hand holding the fishing rod behind him, then he placed his left hand just below on the rod and pulled back hard with both hand:
"Swwiiiiiiish!!!"
The sound of the hook and the line slicing through the air was heard, it landed at the middle of the river and produced just a single sound as it entered in the clear water:
"Plop!"
The hook continued downward before being stopped by a small float fixed on the line, it was generally made from the same wood of the fishing rod, a kind of wood which had to be simultaneously flexible, robust and resisting to water. The raw material used to craft a perfect fishing rod was even more scarce and valuable than the ones used to craft weapons, except for staffs and spears which had the same necessity to be elastic and sturdy at the same time. Only the float was visible above the water, motionless like Xiao Yu and like Mei Ling who was watching behind the young man, occasionally her thoughts went astray remembering the awkward situation she had surprised before, she blushed, shook her head and tried to think of something else.
While Mei Ling was lost in her thoughts, Xiao Yu on the contrary had already succeeded in emptying his mind, he was focused only on the fishing rod in order to being one with it, like an extension of himself. Feeling the wooden rod held firmly in his hands, even the line and a moment later he could feel the float, his sense pursued his course further and further under the water until the hook.
Xiao Yu wait in this state the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when suddenly he felt the hook moving, being experienced he did not panic and wait, when he saw the float being driven underwater he stood up and he pulled hard on the fishing rod with both hands.
A blue-grey striped fish sprung out of the water and landed on the riverside, Mei Ling jumped from her rock and exclaimed:
"Wouahh! Nice catch! It measures at least ten inches!"
"It's only a random fish, it didn't even reach its adult size." said Xiao Yu with a smile.
Mei Lin picked up a big stone and landed a sudden strike on the wriggling fish's head. This rough execution made Xiao Yu think: "I must be careful to not anger this girl otherwise she would be able to do the same thing with something else." Xiao Yu gulped, he closed his legs instinctively protecting his family jewels.
Time passed as Xiao Yu continued fishing and Mei Ling took care of them one by one.
His concentration was deeper and deeper, he was waiting for a fish to take the bait when he remembered unconsciously the cultivation technique of the village and his sense left the fishing rod to explore his dantian, this time was different from before, as if the light he sensed before was waiting for him, he found it almost instantly, his sense came closer and he could distinguish the shape of a tiny luminous sphere. When his sense came in touch with it, the light shone abruptly blinding Xiao Yu's senses and filling his whole body, it spread everywhere opening on its way the various gates restraining the flow of the Qi, also called the meridians.
Mei Ling could not believe what was happening, the light leaking out from Xiao Yu's body was openly visible and she knew very well what was the meaning of this sign. Xiao Yu was awakening, he was opening his meridians and will be able to cultivate, meaning that now he will be able to start gathering the vital energy called the Qi, this principle was the first step in the world of martial arts. Even her did not reach this step yet, she knew she was closed to breakthrough to this stage but she received the cultivation technique for almost one month whereas Xiao Yu got it last day it was too much of a difference between them, even the record of the village realized by Shen Ming was ridiculous in front of Xiao Yu's talent. Was it really talent? Or was it due to his ability to sleep and dream more than anyone everyday, to have so often his head in clouds? All these moments of calm and tranquility he spent alone helped him to find this state of concentration needed for cultivation.
Xiao Yu felt the energy around him slowly penetrating his body, a strange phenomenon happened, all this energy was flowing through his body but not only, the fishing rod still held firmly by Xiao Yu was not an exception and the energy started to gather in it, then in the line spreading until the hook where the worm were still hung. The energy gathering in the worm made him glow strangely more and more, like a lighthouse illuminating a boat in the storm all the fishes hidden in the river started to move frenziedly, rushing quickly in the direction of this tasty worm.
Approaching closer the fishes started to collide between them, and even fight in order to be the first to taste this glowing snack, but suddenly a golden flash arose from the river's bottom, forcing his way through the fishes it arrived in an instant in front of the worm and swallowed it in one shot. This lightning-fast fish did not stop and ran up the river against the current, when it felt something was strange, it was definitively slower than before, it swam with all his strength but felt something was still slowing him, he looked behind him to see an unusual scene. Behind him was a young boy dragged on the water at high speed and bounded by a thread to him, this boy was clearly Xiao Yu who did not have time to realize what was happening but did absolutely not want to let go of the fishing rod of his father.
Everything happened in an instant, Mei Ling had just the time to shout: "A golden Scalefish!!!! Catch him Xiao Yu!!!" before going after them.
The golden Scalefish was irritated, his mouth was hurting him and more importantly he could not get rid of the burden behind him, he was intentionally going under water then back to the surface to make Xiao Yu let go.
"Blloublou Stop fucbloouuukingblouu evil blobloblooo fish!!" shouted Xiao Yu between two breaths.
Suddenly he saw a huge rock getting closer at high speed, the fish was trying to send him on the rocks. It was too late to dodge, his head hit violently the stone and he felt dizzy but despite this, his hands did not let go of the fishing rod for a short moment before he finally passed out.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone