Chapter 71: Unintentional Skill

Ji Yuan's joke came to an end, and he clearly saw the two approaching children. Indeed, he saw them clearly.

They both wore pristine, light blue robes, utterly free of dust. Even their boots were spotless, and their faces were immaculate.

They had come along a mountain path, and with night already fallen, would ordinary children truly dare to venture into the mountains at such an hour? Especially to the edge of a deep pool that seemed quite eerie to behold?

Glancing behind them again, he confirmed there were no adults. The likelihood of these two children being ordinary greatly diminished. Furthermore, they emanated neither demonic nor yin energy…

‘Mountain spirits? Or could this be the first time I, Ji, have encountered genuine cultivators, after all this time here?’

Ji Yuan's heart stirred, yet he felt less excited than he might have expected. He feigned turning back to his book, though his curiosity about the newcomers' true identities was piqued.

Ji Yuan, however, remained perfectly calm, which the two children found intolerable. The boy spoke up:

“Hey, fisherman, when are you leaving? You won't catch any fish anyway.”

The other girl immediately added:

“It's already dark. Aren't you afraid of wild beasts in the mountains?”

From an ordinary perspective, the children's questions were quite amusing.

Ji Yuan turned his head to look at them again.

“It's already dark, and you two little children are still wandering around in the deep mountains. Aren't you afraid your families will worry, or afraid of wild beasts?”

“We're not afraid!”

“That's right! We're not afraid!”

As if to add conviction, the girl continued.

“Don't mind our size; we possess formidable martial arts!”

Ji Yuan smiled and nodded, seemingly in full agreement.

“Ah, I see. My apologies. But I am not afraid either; I, too, possess formidable martial arts!”

With that, Ji Yuan turned his head back to his book, showing no intention of moving from his spot.

From their brief exchange, it seemed they were indeed children close to their apparent age, not ancient beings merely appearing as youngsters.

“Hmph, you won't catch a single fish all night!”

No sooner had the boy spoken than Ji Yuan's expression subtly shifted. Though the fishing rod itself didn't move, the hook in the deep pool seemed to have been nudged.

The next moment, the fishing line trembled almost imperceptibly. Ji Yuan narrowed his eyes and flicked his wrist. With no major movement, the rod bent and swung upward as if by magic.

“Splash~”

A cascade of water erupted from the calm, emerald pool as a translucent, silvery-white fish, about the length of an index finger, was hooked and flung into the air along the line and rod's trajectory.

“Silver Qiaozi Fish!”

The boy and girl exclaimed in unison.

Amidst their exclamations, the boy almost instinctively flung a circular blue jade pendant from his sleeve. In an instant, the jade grew from small to large, trailing a faint blue light as it flew towards the silver fish still in mid-air. The light behind the pendant created a blurred, pouch-like outline.

“Huh!?”

Ji Yuan flicked his bamboo rod. With the honed skill of a top martial arts master, the fishing line guided the silver fish with the agility of a bird. The blue jade flew swiftly, yet it could never quite ensnare the silver fish.

After the jade pendant brushed past the silver fish twice, Ji Yuan sharply flicked the rod downward. The silver fish, still attached to the line and hook, suddenly dropped and flew towards him.

A stream of water rose from the deep pool, condensing into a ball-sized water sphere in front of Ji Yuan.

“Pop~”

At the exact moment the water sphere formed, the silver fish dropped into it with uncanny precision. The iron hook, meanwhile, was deftly shaken free from the silver fish's mouth by Ji Yuan.

The boy, his brow furrowed, retrieved the jade ring that had been flying through the air. He and the girl stared at Ji Yuan, watching the small silver fish swim within the water sphere, unable to escape.

“Who are you? How dare you come to Emerald Pool to steal Silver Qiaozi Fish!”

Ji Yuan temporarily put his fishing rod aside, turning halfway to face the two angry children.

“Is this Emerald Pool exclusively claimed by your Yuwai Mountain?”

As soon as he saw the blue circular jade pendant, Ji Yuan knew which group they belonged to.

“You know about our Yuwai Mountain, yet you still won't give us the Silver Qiaozi Fish?”

The boy's words were very childish, no different from those of an ordinary child.

Ji Yuan also smiled.

“I've been fishing here for most of the day and only caught this one fish. Even if your Yuwai Mountain is a renowned immortal sect in Jizhou, you can't simply take it by force, can you?”

“You! Emerald Pool belongs to our Yuwai Mountain! So the Silver Qiaozi is also ours!”

“We've been coming here to await the Silver Qiaozi Fish for years!”

If this were the old Ji Yuan, he might indeed have been taken aback by these two children. But now, he had learned quite a lot.

“Heh heh, this Emerald Pool is unregulated and unrestricted, and it's nearly seven or eight hundred li away from Yuwai Mountain. How does that make it your sect's property?”

After Ji Yuan spoke, a thought subtly crossed his mind, and he deliberately, half-jokingly, half-seriously, called out towards the area behind the two children.

“Are there no elders accompanying them? Letting two children throw such a tantrum!”

Originally, this was just a slightly sarcastic probe from Ji Yuan, but to his surprise, no sooner had his words faded than a voice indeed drifted over.

“Please forgive this display, esteemed sir. Our Yuwai Mountain is indeed in the wrong!”

The voice lacked Ji Yuan's balanced, calm, and powerful resonance, yet it was undeniably gentle and elegant. As the voice faded, a middle-aged man, clad in a blue, cloud-patterned robe with a jade hairpin in his topknot, drifted into view as if materializing from thin air.

Before this, Ji Yuan had not detected the slightest trace of this person's presence; he neither saw nor heard him. It truly startled Ji Yuan, though repeated training had ensured his outward composure remained unchanged, and his ancient eyes showed no ripple of emotion.

In fact, the newcomer was equally startled by Ji Yuan. He couldn't discern the fisherman's true nature; he saw no aura or divine light, making him appear as an ordinary mortal, perfectly integrated with his surroundings.

Especially the way he manipulated the fishing rod and line while playfully dealing with the children just now—it was effortless, without a hint of worldly technique or visible magical energy. His water control was incredibly refined and artless, employing only the simplest methods, not an iota more.

Moreover, although the blue-robed man had revealed himself, looking into Ji Yuan's peculiar eyes, he couldn't shake the feeling that the other could see through him, even with his Etherealization Jade Talisman.

“Heh heh, I just called out casually. I didn't expect an elder to actually be following them. You certainly have patience!”

As he spoke, Ji Yuan also shifted half his body while seated, so he wouldn't have to constantly turn his head to face the rear. This movement revealed a copy of the Tongming Ce on his lap, causing the blue-robed man's eyes to narrow slightly.

‘The Tongming Ce? It's the Heavenly Record Scroll!’

The newcomer didn't take Ji Yuan's candid remark seriously. He reasoned that someone fishing while reading could not possibly be engaged in deep meditative study.

“You jest, sir. It was merely the antics of two junior disciples. This Emerald Pool yields but one Silver Qiaozi a year, and it greatly benefits the cultivation of these two juniors, which is why they were so eager.”

After saying this, the blue-robed man waved a hand. The two children were drawn directly to his side as if by invisible threads. Ostensibly meant to discipline their rudeness, this action was, in fact, a quiet preparation for defense.

The fisherman's cultivation was unfathomable, and his seemingly mild temper might not be genuine. It was best to handle the situation carefully.

‘It's just one Silver Qiaozi. Find a reason to withdraw!’

“I am Qiu Feng of Yuwai Mountain. May I know your esteemed name, sir? And have you come here specifically to await us?”

Qiu Feng deliberately softened his tone, adopting a more respectful address, and gave a slight bow towards Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan, of course, dared not presume superiority. He slowly rose before bowing in return, hesitating for a moment before deciding to state his true name.

“My surname is Ji, my given name is Yuan. There's no need for such formality. My visit this time was merely out of leisure, having read some obscure lore that spoke of water spirits forming here, which piqued my interest to investigate.”

‘Good, he wasn't specifically waiting for us!’

Regardless of the truth, Qiu Feng felt a slight sense of relief, and a smile appeared on his face.

“Since you have already caught the Silver Qiaozi, sir, we shall not linger and disturb you further. Let us take our leave! He'er, Yiyi, let's go.”

As he spoke, Qiu Feng bowed slightly to Ji Yuan again, then turned and led the two children away.

Ji Yuan could sense Qiu Feng's caution and wariness towards him, but aside from returning the bow by the pool, he found himself at a loss for words. Was his first encounter with a cultivator truly ending like this?

The two children were still reluctant and resentful, kicking at pebbles and weeds as they walked. After moving a short distance from the pool, the girl couldn't help but whisper a complaint.

“Hmph, snatching our Silver Qiaozi and bothering children...”

Qiu Feng was caught between laughter and tears; these children truly believed Emerald Pool belonged to them.

But he didn't expect the boy to add, “Hmm, utterly shameless...”

The previous remarks were nothing, but as soon as the words “utterly shameless” were uttered, Qiu Feng's face drastically changed, and he immediately cut them off.

“He'er!”

These two child disciples of his senior brother were far too unaware of their place. Many highly cultivated individuals in this world possess extraordinarily keen senses, and while other offenses might be forgivable, directly insulting someone's face is a deeply taboo act.

“Hahahahaha... There's some truth to that. It is indeed a bit shameless to snatch things from children!”

Ji Yuan's balanced voice drifted over. Although he was laughing, it caused Qiu Feng's heart to suddenly skip a beat. In his nervousness, he had already stirred his magical energy, and the jade hairpin in his topknot had turned from blue to a faint red. This immortal sect member, a master of the Chaoyuan realm, felt completely lacking in confidence.