Chapter 190: Fishing

"A Presence Dissipating Formation to be precise." Gao Zhen said while wrapping the talisman around the other stones and infusing Qi into them simultaneously.

"...so that the other cultivators won’t be able to perceive us? Right?" Yi Chen asked after hearing the formation’s name.

To this, Gao Zhen shook her head and explained, "No, that’s a different array formation, and since it consumes a lot of spirit stones, it would be a waste to use it in this scenario.

Since none of the nearby cultivators would be above the Qi Absorption Stage, they don’t pose much of a threat to me.

So, you don’t need to worry about those cultivators much, just stick close to me, and no one here would pose a threat to you and others."

"Then...who are we dissipating our presence from?" Yi Chen asked with a confused expression.

"Of course, it’s from the Purple Carps, which hunt in these waters. Along with them, there are also Grade 1 demonic beasts, which are more numerous."

Gao Zhen answered in an obvious tone.

"This..."

’Wasn’t I just sticking my head close to the lake’s surface a few minutes ago?’

Because of the reflective surface of the lake, he was unable to get a proper view of what was underneath the surface at that time.

’...just what would have happened if a demonic beast had suddenly decided to snap at my neck.’

He gulped the next second.

Clearly understanding what was going on in Yi Chen’s mind, Gao Zhen chuckled and said, "Don’t worry, Young Master Chen. They only come out to hunt at night."

"Ah, so it’s like that." His expression relaxed when he heard that.

By now, Gao Zhen was done with wrapping a dozen or more stones with the talismans and had infused her Qi in all of them.

The next second, using her spiritual energy, she guided all the stones to specific spots around their campsite, arranging them in a circle.

A few of them were also placed on the lake’s bed, and once each stone was at its specific spot, they simultaneously glimmered and projected a semi-spherical barrier outward.

The next second, Yi Chen noticed the blue barrier covering their entire camp while also covering a small portion of the lake around them. It only stayed there for a couple of seconds before dissipating as if it never existed.

Seeing this, Gao Zhen nodded with a satisfied expression and said, "With this, the nearby demonic beasts, both on land and in water, won’t be able to sense our presence."

"So that’s how it is." Yi Chen nodded in understanding while glancing at the sky, where no trace of the barrier could be seen.

Splash!

A small fish suddenly leapt out of the water before splashing back into the lake. This small act attracted Yi Chen’s attention at the lake’s surface near it.

Thanks to the dissonance the splash had created, he was able to see underneath the crystal-like surface for a moment and notice a lot of small fish meandering inside.

An idea came to his mind the next second. Turning towards Gao Zhen, he asked, "Then...It won’t be a problem if I were to hunt these fish at this time, right?"

"Fish? Yes, there won’t be any problem even if you accidentally venture out of the barrier’s periphery to hunt, as I’ve said before, most of the demonic beasts only get active at night."

"That’s great!" Yi Chen answered with a bright smile on his face.

Seeing this reaction, Gao Zhen curiously asked, "Is Young Master Chen fond of eating fish?"

"Well...since Madam Gao has helped us with setting up the camp, I was thinking of treating you with it."

Yi Chen answered while scratching the back of his head, subtly swallowing his saliva.

’It’s definitely not because I haven’t eaten a fish in ages...’

"So, we won’t be getting any?" Zhou Lan, who had just come out of her tent along with Xie Rou because of the momentary appearance of the formation, asked.

"Ah, of course! It’s only natural that I’ll be treating Miss Lan and Miss Rou as well," Yi Chen answered with a smile. Since they were all a team, he was already planning to do so in the first place.

"That’s great! Then, in return for this goodwill, the two of us will be helping Junior Brother Chen with collecting the required firewood."

Zhou Lan suggested in goodwill.

"That would be of great help." Yi Chen welcomed the additional help with a smile.

"It seems Young Master Chen is quite confident in his cooking skills." Gao Zhen said with a curious smile.

"Well...It definitely will taste good, that I can guarantee." Yi Chen answered confidently. Before leaving, he had already stored a variety of condiments inside his storage ring.

"That makes me look forward to it even more..." Gao Zhen paused and said, "Call me when the food is ready...since I’ve already helped with setting up the camps, I’ll go and take a nap in my tent. If the fish isn’t well prepared, I’ll be really disappointed...good luck,"

She waved towards the three of them with an amused expression and left for her tent.

Seeing Gao Zhen act in her familiar playful manner, Yi Chen, Zhou Lan and Xie Rou locked eyes with each other and chuckled softly before busying themselves with their tasks.

Glancing at the fish meandering inside the lake, Yi Chen pulled back the sleeves of his robes and his trousers before entering the lake.

"It’s time to catch some fish now," he said with a smirk and moved towards the knee-deep water.

The next second, he took out his sword and, using the flat side of his sword, kept smacking the fish he found to be of suitable size out of the water.

Although he was fast, the fish were also very slippery, so there were more times he failed than he succeeded. However, a smile was apparent on his face the whole time.

’It’s quite fun actually...’ he thought with a grin and kept at it without stopping, totally engrossed in his actions.

Unbeknownst to him, his swordsmanship was also progressing very rapidly at the moment.

Half an hour passed by without him even noticing, and when he finally came out of his engrossed state, the mound of fish appeared in front of his eyes.

"This..."