Lu Qingqing looked heartbroken. "Yes, my sister is the White Spirit Snake."
"And the only White Spirit Snake in the world."
"Otherwise, why do you think we wouldn't give you the White Spirit Snake?"
"Don't think that my sister only cut off a piece of flesh from her arm."
"But this piece of flesh will affect her cultivation for a hundred years."
Chen Nan never expected that Lu Bailing was the White Spirit Snake.
He put down his fishing rod and took a step back.
He bowed deeply to Lu Bailing. "Your great kindness, this junior will never forget. Please accept this bow!"
He had no way to repay her.
He could only express his gratitude through this gesture.
Lu Bailing quietly watched the turbulent Nai River before them. "Since I could not find a suitable partner, I naturally do not wish for you, Young Master Chen, and your beloved to be separated by life and death."
"Young Master Chen, this piece of my flesh can only remain viable in the water for two hours."
"Please... make haste!"
Chen Nan nodded solemnly.
He said "excuse me."
Then he hung the piece of flesh from Lu Bailing onto the fishhook.
He raised the fishing rod and cast it forward.
Swish, swish, swish!
The reel spun madly.
The fishhook flew out dozens of meters, landing in the swift river water ahead.
Chen Nan held his breath, concentrating.
He watched the tip of the rod quietly.
This fishing rod had no float.
But the tip was soft and flexible,
and he could tell if a fish was biting by the curve of the rod tip.
This was the "silent rod" fishing technique from Earth.
"There were some fish in the river originally, but why have they all disappeared now?" Guo Yu could not help but ask.
Lu Qingqing explained, "My sister is a great demon at the fifth level of Body Possession. Her flesh contains terrifying demonic energy. Ordinary fish will flee upon sensing this aura."
"Only Nai River fish over a thousand years old would dare to approach."
She paused here, then looked at Chen Nan. "Young Master Chen, we know you wish to catch a ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish."
"But you must be prepared for the worst."
"Ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish are extremely rare."
"We may not encounter one."
She also did not want her sister's sacrifice to be in vain.
But they knew how rare a ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish was.
Chen Nan remained silent.
He also knew how rare a ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish was.
At this point,
all he could do was to do his best and leave the rest to fate!
Time slowly passed.
About half an hour later.
The rod tip suddenly twitched.
Then the movement became more rapid.
It was clear a large fish had taken the bait.
Chen Nan swiftly yanked the rod up.
Instantly.
The fishing rod bent like a great bow.
A terrifying pulling force suddenly struck, causing the rod to hum.
The reel spun even more wildly, letting out line.
"A big fish is on!"
Chen Nan was incredibly excited. He struggled to control the rod, trying his best not to let it straighten.
If it did,
the line would surely break, or the rod itself.
At the same time.
Guo Yu produced a special large bow, about two meters high.
The bow body had a dark, glossy sheen.
A black arrow, bound with a chain, was ready to be fired.
Because they all knew.
Nai River fish were immensely powerful.
Although Celestial Silkworm Thread was exceptionally tough,
it might not be enough to successfully land a Nai River fish.
Even if Chen Nan could reinforce it with spatial laws,
he could only do so for the Celestial Silkworm Thread above the water.
His spatial laws were useless once they entered the water.
As Chen Nan strenuously fought the fish,
a black Nai River fish, about ten meters long, leaped out of the water about three hundred meters ahead.
It thrashed wildly, trying to break free from the hook in its mouth.
Guo Yu immediately drew his bow.
Chen Nan suddenly said, "Don't shoot!"
"Legend has it that Nai River fish with a lifespan of ten thousand years turn golden."
"This one clearly hasn't reached ten thousand years."
He had gone to great lengths to come here only for a ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish.
Even though Nai River fish contained abundant Yin energy
and were extremely nourishing,
he would not take it.
With all his might,
Chen Nan forcefully managed to flip the ten-meter-long Nai River fish over.
Then he dragged it to the bank.
The so-called Nai River fish were similar to carp in the mortal world.
They had two golden barbels.
The difference was.
Mortal world carp had two nostrils.
But Nai River fish had four.
The biggest difference was their bodies were covered in black scales.
"This Nai River fish must have lived for about five thousand years," Lu Qingqing sighed.
Failing to catch a ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish
meant her sister would have to cut off more flesh as bait.
Although she wanted to cut off her own flesh,
she was not the White Spirit Snake.
Even if she did, it would be futile.
After removing the fist-sized fishhook,
Chen Nan pushed the Nai River fish back into the Nai River and said softly, "Go back, and invite your ancestor!"
He didn't know if this would work.
But when he watched videos in the mortal world,
some people would say this when releasing small fish they caught.
Generally, they would end up catching quite a lot of fish.
Plop!
The Nai River fish violently swished its tail, splashing a large amount of river water.
It instantly disappeared into the vast Nai River.
"Here you go!"
Lu Bailing's face was as pale as wax. She cut off another piece of flesh and handed it to Chen Nan.
"Wait!" Lu Qingqing suddenly said. "Young Master Chen, could you perhaps use a smaller fishhook? That way, my sister wouldn't have to cut off as much flesh!"
"Let's be frank. Your fishhook is so large. If you never catch a big fish, does that mean my sister will have to cut off flesh as bait every time?"
"Look at her frail body, how many times can she afford to lose flesh?"
She felt heartbroken for her sister.
That's why she suggested Chen Nan use a smaller fishhook.
Chen Nan looked embarrassed. "Young Lady Qingqing, the fishhook... cannot be changed."
"Because the remaining ones are even larger than this one."
"It's alright, Young Master Chen, please continue fishing!" Lu Bailing sat down cross-legged on the ground, her complexion exceptionally weak.
She had cultivated for a thousand years to reach her current cultivation level.
And after losing two pieces of flesh earlier,
she had already lost over a hundred years of cultivation.
Looking at the bloody flesh in his hand, Chen Nan felt a pang of guilt.
If catching a ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish required sacrificing Lu Bailing,
then this was destined to be a sinful act.
This made him fall into deep thought.
Was he saving someone?
Or killing someone?
If it was at the cost of Lu Bailing's life,
even if he caught the Nai River fish,
and refined the Life-Creating Pill,
and saved Du Yuan,
he would never forgive himself.
Because his original intention was to save a life.
He took a deep breath.
Chen Nan hung Lu Bailing's flesh onto the fishhook.
Then he cast the hook into the Nai River about two hundred meters away.
His eyes calm, he watched the hook gradually sink into the water, and said, "Miss Lu, I thank you for your kindness. Success or failure... rests on this final cast!"
"Even if I don't catch a ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish, I cannot let you be in danger."
Lu Bailing opened her weak eyes. "But if a ten-thousand-year-old Nai River fish cannot be caught, your beloved will leave you."
Chen Nan: "My luck shouldn't be that bad, right?"