317: Chapter 311 Search 317: Chapter 311 Search The boats anchored in the reservoir were all those common wooden rowboats.
There was no way around it, that was the boat technology of the era.
Steel-hulled vessels were rare in inner territories.
Whether in reservoirs or ordinary rivers, most of the fishing vessels were still these simple wooden rowboats powered by manual rowing.
But fortunately, among the small wooden boats with panoramic skylights, there was also a slightly larger awning boat mixed in.
Given the choice, Chen Hai naturally opted for the awning boat over the open-top ones as his temporary transport for exploring the reservoir.
“Immortal Master, I have found three fish spears and put them in the cabin.”
“Should we set sail now, and search inside the reservoir for that monster?”
Despite his age, Taoist Wang was quick with his actions.
He was exceedingly diligent.
As soon as Chen Hai boarded the awning boat, with just a brief look around, Taoist Wang had already stowed the fish spears and grasped the oars in both hands.
It seemed that just a slight nod from Chen Hai would prompt him to start rowing towards the middle of the reservoir.
“Hold on, wait a moment!” After a bit of thought, Chen Hai took out a talisman and handed it over to him.
“Immortal Master, I have quite a few talismans with me!”
“You should keep this talisman for yourself!” Taoist Wang hesitated and quickly articulated his refusal.
Currently, he was racking his brains, seeking to ingratiate himself with Chen Hai with the hope of being accepted as a pupil.
If he gleefully accepted the talisman from Chen Hai, he thought it might not be appropriate and could give Chen Hai a poor impression of him.
To show that he wasn’t coveting Chen Hai’s talisman, he reached into his bosom and actually pulled out a thick stack of at least a few dozen talismans.
“Can your shoddily made things compare to my talisman?”
“This Danghui Talisman that I’m giving you, a Feng Shui Master over in Xiangjiang spent nearly a million to buy just one from me.”
“Take it and don’t argue with me!”
“What if you get bewitched by that thing, drop the oars, and dive back into the water?”
“I wouldn’t afford to give you such a valuable True Taoism Talisman!”
Looking displeased, Chen Hai glared at Taoist Wang and retorted sharply.
This Danghui Talisman, even though he had entered the Object Controlling Realm, still had a low success rate in creating.
Normally, it took him two to three days to successfully draw one Danghui Talisman.
Given this situation, he always kept only a limited number of these talismans on hand, never exceeding ten.
In contrast, he always carried a thick stack of Corpse Transformation Talismans.
In terms of quantity, it was definitely far more than the stack of talismans Taoist Wang had just produced.
“Can this thing really sell for nearly a million?” Hearing Chen Hai say this, Taoist Wang couldn’t help drawing a sharp intake of breath.
On regular days, when he assisted people with capturing ghosts and performing exorcisms, on a good day, a ritual could earn him a few hundred or even thousands.
If luck was bad, and someone saw through his inadequacies, not earning money was just one thing, but worse, he could be beaten up.
Just a few months ago, he was beaten so severely that he lay in his dilapidated temple for several days.
Thinking of these incidents, Taoist Wang felt a flood of sorrow.
After hearing that a single talisman drawn by Chen Hai could sell for nearly a million, his face showed a touch of unfathomable expression.
Likewise, his aspiration towards Taoism grew much stronger.
With a devout heart, he respectfully took the Danghui Talisman from Chen Hai’s hand.
Just as he was about to carefully store the Danghui Talisman close to his body, Chen Hai reached into his clothing and pulled out another thick stack of talismans.
“How many millions is this?
With so many talismans, they must be worth tens of millions, right?”
“With skills like Immortal Master Chen, if I just drew two talismans each day, what couldn’t I have?”
Licking his lips, Taoist Wang’s breathing quickened significantly as he muttered to himself.
Corpse Transformation Talismans and Danghui Talismans were completely different, their values not remotely comparable.
However, Taoist Wang, being a fake, when it came to drawing talismans, merely scribbled anything, naturally unable to discern the vast differences between the two!
“Alright, Taoist Wang, let’s set sail!”
“Head towards the direction I’m pointing to, and I’ll tell you when to change course!”
After instructing Taoist Wang, Chen Hai picked up one of the nearby fish spears and began wrapping Corpse Transformation Talismans around the tip of each spear.
Even bullets fired from modern firearms, under normal circumstances, would lose their lethal force after entering the water for a couple of meters.
On the contrary, the fish spear, being one of the most primitive weapons, maintained its remarkable effectiveness when hunting aquatic prey.
Chen Hai wasn’t worried about locating the monster’s hiding place.
During their encounter in the fog, he had already taken the opportunity to mark the monster uniquely.
Though the monster’s dive into the water blurred Chen Hai’s sensing of the mark.
But just with that mark, Chen Hai knew the approximate location where the monster was hidden, which was sufficient.
Taoist Wang had mentioned that he had worked as a helmsman for a few years, and that seemed to be indeed true.
His skill in steering and rowing the boat was genuinely impressive.
Compared to Taoist Wang, although Chen Hai had some experience and wouldn’t row the boat in aimless circles, his skills were far inferior.
“Go a bit south!”
“Now, row a bit towards the northwest!”
…
The shape of Black Stone Reservoir was incredibly irregular.
Some areas were narrow, others wide, resembling a ribbon winding through the mountains, with its twists and turns covering at least six or seven miles.
With Chen Hai’s guidance, Taoist Wang maneuvered the awning boat through turns and bends for nearly half an hour before finally stopping beside a mountain stream.
“Immortal Master, is the monster hidden in this area of water?” Taoist Wang asked nervously, scanning the surrounding waters.
Even though he had voluntarily taken up the task of rowing the boat into the reservoir with Chen Hai,
It didn’t mean he could face the monster in the water with equanimity and composure.
When the monster had appeared before, he had been utterly confused and had no clear idea what it looked like.
But he had seen Chen Hai’s abilities with his own eyes.
Taking on this task, his goal was simply to curry favor with Chen Hai, hoping to learn some skills from him.
As for other things, Taoist Wang did not think much about them.
In his opinion, since Chen Hai dared to enter the reservoir by boat, he must be confident in dealing with the monster!
“It should be!
Taoist Wang, can you make some noise to see if we can lure it out?”
Chen Hai nodded and instructed Taoist Wang.
The reason he let Taoist Wang take action instead of himself
He considered that the monster might be wary of him, his deliberate noises might not successfully lure out the monster.
“Alright!” Taoist Wang nodded.
After a moment’s thought, he picked up the boat paddle and began to slap the water surface.
As for Chen Hai, he crouched down, fish spear in hand, hiding under the awning of the boat.
“Splash splash… splash splash…”
With intermittent strikes on the water with the paddle, Taoist Wang kept his wily eyes alert, vigilantly watching the surroundings.
“Immortal Master, is the monster truly hiding in this water area?”
“I’ve been slapping the water surface for a while, why won’t it come out…”
Suspicious, Taoist Wang asked.
But his words were only half-spoken when a burst of white light shot from his chest, enveloping him completely.
This white light was naturally the true manifestation of the Danghui Talisman being activated.
Strictly speaking, whatever was in the water was definitely filthy.
It wanted to beguile Taoist Wang, so the Danghui Talisman immediately activated, protecting him within it.
“The monster is out?
Where is it?
I didn’t see it…” Taoist Wang was initially bewildered when protected by the white light of the Danghui Talisman.
But in just an instant, he had already come to his senses.
Looking tense, he murmured to himself, looking left and right, yet still unable to see any anomalies on the surrounding water surface.
“That thing is right under the boat!”
“Taoist Wang, show your skills now, quickly turn the boat around!”
With a quick step, Chen Hai, holding a fish spear, had already crawled out from under the awning.
After determining the hidden position of the monster through the mark he had placed on it, he swiftly urged Taoist Wang.
“Alright, Immortal Master, it’s time to show my true skills!”
With Chen Hai beside him, Taoist Wang felt considerably calmer.
To showcase his skill in rowing, his entire demeanor was like that of one revitalized.
Grasping the paddle in his hand, he pried up and down, swaying left and right
“Not good, Immortal Master, at this critical moment, my leg is cramping, and I can’t control it!”
The awning boat had only turned halfway when Taoist Wang stumbled.
Were it not for Chen Hai’s quick reflexes grabbing him, he would have been sitting on the boat’s plank or worse, falling directly into the water.
With a face full of dismay, Taoist Wang explained to Chen Hai.
Failing at the crucial moment was indeed a shameful act.
Taoist Wang didn’t want this, perhaps his extreme nervousness had caused his sudden leg cramps.
However, at that moment, Chen Hai had no time to attend to him.
The fish spear he had been holding was already launched towards the shadow visible at the side of the boat, thrusting fiercely.