1006 Finishing What Was Started Final Chapter (1/2)
”This is really interesting,” Wang Yao said. ”I think we should check it out. What do you think, Zizai?”
”Great idea,” Jia Zizai replied with a grin.
Wang Yao and Jia Zizai headed down south to check out the situation for themselves.
Meanwhile, the 32-foot big fish in the Valley of Thousands of Medicines gulped down on a goat and then a pig.
”What do you think?” Guo Zhenghe asked.
”We have no records of such a fish in our database, which probably makes it some special breed,” Xu Xinyuan said. ”From the looks of things, luring it out would be an easy feat, but capturing it would require massive doses of harmless anesthetics.”
”Get to it, Uncle Xu,” Guo Zhenghe said. ”And, be quick!”
”No problem.” Xu Xinyuan nodded.
Truthfully, this was the first time he had to take down such a huge aquatic animal. He had no idea of his chances of exceeding. The key problem was that there was no way of procuring bigger boats to be used on that lake, which would have made the job a lot easier.
Guo Zhenghe started coughing again.
”It seems like things are worsening for me.” He stuffed another Blood Orchid into his mouth, but the effects were limited.
”The flower is getting worse at suppressing degradation.” His body was now much weaker. He was incredibly frail. He panted just from walking for a bit. He felt his entire body was lethargic and constantly felt sore all over. The constant grind wore down his body considerably.
He panted laboriously.
The professionals had been probing continuously for three days.
On a peak near the village's lake…
”Damn, that really is a big fish!” Wang Yao was shocked to see the big fish in the lake.
”It is a big one alright,” Jia Zizai said. ”Just look at the size of that head. I wonder if that's a whale.”
”Aren't whales creatures that live in the sea?” Wang Yao asked. ”Where we are now is at least 300 miles away from the sea.”
”Hey, what's that?” Jia Zizai asked.
”Wait here,” Wang Yao said. ”I'll go check it out.”
”Alright, you be careful, Master,” Jia Zizai replied.
Wang Yao leaped from the cliff, which was tens of feet high, in a flash.
”Tsk, tsk, tsk, Master sure is something,” Jia Zizai admiringly said as he watched the impressive feat.
After getting off the peak, Wang Yao quickly arrived at the side of the lake. He watched the other people's efforts trying to capture the fish from afar.
The lake was huge, but there were few people around. Wang Yao was standing far enough to prevent anyone from seeing him.
When he watched at a closer distance, he was only able to make out the overall appearance of the fish. The fish was almost pitch black and had tightly packed scales. It looked somewhat like a barracuda but had sharp teeth.
”Ready?”
After repeated tests, they finally nailed down the plan to catch that big fish. They resorted to using strong anesthetics to knock the fish out, but the anesthetics could not be too potent. Otherwise, they would have had no use of the fish's innards.
”Let's begin. Mr. Guo is really running out of time,” Xu Xinyuan said. Anyone with eyes was able to see the physical changes Guo Zhenghe had been undergoing the past few days. His entire face looked eerily ashen, and there was no need to even comment on the other aspects.
”Alright.”
A pig and a goat were tied on bamboo and sent out into the lake.
As expected, the big fish showed up.
After a loud crack, blood splattered on the lake.
The fish was able to gulp down a goat in a single bite.
The next bite it took chomped down the whole pig.
The surface of the water quickly turned blood red.
The fish circled for a bit before disappearing into the water. It was nowhere to be seen.
”Is it gone?”
All of them anxiously looked at the surface of the lake.
”I do hope the fish isn't going too far away.”
”The wait feels awful.”
Nothing had come from a whole morning of effort.
”It looks like we aren't using enough.”
When they were about to leave, something suddenly happened to the water. A huge fish was floating up to the surface.
”It's coming up! It's coming up!”
They cautiously closed in on the fish. They confirmed that it had been tranquilized before piercing its thick, hard scale and injected greater doses of anesthetics. They tied the fish up using steel ropes and pulled it to shore using diesel-powered equipment. It was the first time everyone was able to see what the fish looked like up close.
It was indeed a big fish. It was almost 50 feet long.
”We finally caught the fish.” Xu Xinyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Many villagers had come to witness the scene. Most of them feared and revered the fish, but some resented and hated it since they had lost family members to that fish.
Miao Zhaoxing went out to disperse the crowd. The spectators gradually returned to what they were doing.
Guo Zhenghe dragged his extremely frail body to the side of the lake. He looked at that huge fish.
”Hurry up,” he said.
The people around began to cut up the big fish. They cut and dissected the fish using chainsaws. While they were cutting it up, the fish suddenly awakened. It almost ended up breaking free from the steel ropes. One of the professionals died and another was injured in the accident.
It took an entire day for that big fish, which was said to have been around for hundreds of years, to be killed and completely dissected.
Wang Yao and Jia Zizai watched the entire process taking place from a mountain not far away.
”What are they doing, Master?” Jia Zizai asked. ”Don't tell me that they intend to make fish soup out of this thing.”
”They might be using the fish's flesh to cure Guo Zhenghe's body,” Wang Yao said.
”Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's a bold thought,” Jia Zizai replied.
That was how it was. Miao Zhaoxing had learned from Miao Xihe's notes that the big fish they offered sacrifices to every year might have had something called ”internal alchemy” inside it. The legends said that it yielded mystical effects when ingested. Miao Xihe had attempted to catch that godly fish solely because of that. He had made more than one attempt, but he apparently never succeeded. That was because he had yet to be cornered and the fish was one of his methods of punishing villages at times. That was unlike Guo Zhenghe's situation, who had to succeed or die.
The heart of the big fish was as large as a goat.
It was worth noting that the hearts of blue whales were said to weigh over 110 pounds and were the size of a small car. When compared to blue whales pound for pound, that was the ratio of this big fish's heart.
”So, should we cut it open?” Xu Xinyuan asked.
”Collect the blood in the heart,” Miao Zhaoxing said.
The people Xu Xinyuan had brought knew little of such matters despite being professionals, which meant that they needed to be guided by people who were actually into such matters.
”Do it slowly.”
When the heart was cut open, a huge amount of blood sprayed. It emitted a unique fishy smell.
”Gosh, this is disgusting.” Several of them were drenched in blood.
They took the heart apart carefully after cutting it open. Miao Zhaoxing kept a close eye on the entire operation.
”Hang on, what is that?”
They found a ball-shaped collection of flesh in the fish's heart, which was about the size of a fist.
”Cut it open.”
They cut the meaty flesh on the outside open and found an oval ball of bone in it, which was smooth and felt like jade.
”This is it!” Miao Zhaoxing excitedly exclaimed.
This was the thing Miao Zhaoxing speculated to be the treasure in the fish, which had been mentioned in Miao Xihe's notes.
”Did you find it?”
”Found it.”
Guo Zhenghe placed the ball of flesh, was about the size of an egg, in his hand.
”What should I do with this?” he asked.
”According to what Miao Xihe said, just gulp it down as it is,” Miao Zhaoxing said.
”Just gulp it down? Are you sure that I won't choke to death?”
”You won't,” Miao Zhaoxing said. ”I have some special medicine that can stimulate your esophagus, allowing it to become wider than it usually would be.”
”Well, let's get to it.”
Guo Zhenghe took the special medicine before ingesting the culmination of internal alchemy in one go.
”How do you feel?”
”Ugghh!?” Guo Zhenghe instantly began shuddering all over.
He felt as if his stomach had been ignited. The flames started to burn throughout his entire body.
He shrieked in pain as he slumped to the ground.
”What is happening?” Xu Xinyuan, who was by his side, immediately asked in fright.
”This is probably a normal reaction,” Miao Zhaoxing said. ”That thing was where the essence of the fish, which had been living for centuries, was collected. Taking it all in at once means having to withstand a certain measure of pain.”
”Will he be fine?”
”Everything comes with its own risks,” Miao Zhaoxing replied.