Chapter 42: Four-Stage Donghu Pearl.

“Hmm?” Zhao Xing cocked his ear, listening to the direction of the wind.

“What’s wrong, young master?” After boarding the boat, Old Eight Xu shook the water from his ears; he had dived too vigorously just now.

“Shh, don’t make a sound.”

Old Eight Xu immediately froze, his expression somewhat stiff. Was there something unclean? No way, right? He had worshipped the Earl of East Lake earlier today, and his heart was truly sincere! He really hadn't thought about the Wang family's daughter when he was praying.

“Row that way,” Zhao Xing directed, pointing in a certain direction. Simultaneously, his bright eyes began to channel magic, expanding his scanning range.

Although the lake water was an obstruction, Zhao Xing could see clearly in depths of over ten meters, provided the water wasn’t too murky.

“Alright!” Old Eight Xu propelled the boat with great effort. He dared not ask more now; it was clear this young master wasn't new to this. He felt Zhao Xing had a keener eye than even the most experienced river scavengers.

“What exactly are the wandering souls subconsciously avoiding? Cold, light… these characteristics fit the East Lake Pearl, but for an East Lake Pearl to influence a spirit, it would have to be at least a third-tier, wouldn’t it?”

Zhao Xing focused his mind on casting, his bright eyes ceaselessly scanning. It was nearing the Dingmao hour, the time when "ghostly wealth" luck was strongest.

If they couldn't find it within a quarter of an hour, it would be much harder later.

During periods of strong fortune, one might pick up treasures just by walking; during weak periods, a treasure could fall into one's hand and still go unrecognized.

“If there’s still no harvest by the second Dingmao hour, it will likely be difficult to find anything by the third,” Zhao Xing muttered. He picked up a bamboo pole and, together with Old Eight Xu, propelled the boat towards the direction of the wind sounds.

After paddling vigorously for half a quarter of an hour, Zhao Xing’s eyes suddenly lit up: “Stop!”

Deep beneath the lake at that moment, there was a hidden reef. Beneath the reef lay a dead turtle, holding a pale blue pearl in its mouth.

Because the reef grew in an intricate, crisscrossing manner, the pearl was invisible from the other three directions on the surface, visible only from Zhao Xing’s current position.

“Turtle? So that’s what it meant, I thought it was just some nonsensical ghostly babble… Old Eight Xu, how deep can you dive?”

Old Eight Xu proudly patted his chest and boasted, “Anything within thirty meters is easy for me to retrieve.”

Zhao Xing nodded and said, “Good. Dive from here. Descend about fifteen meters, and you’ll find a ten-meter-square cluster of reefs. On the south side of that reef, there’s an intersection; dive diagonally three feet and seven inches down from there, and you’ll touch the treasure!”

“Alright! Watch me, young master!” Seeing Zhao Xing so certain, Old Eight Xu rubbed his hands together excitedly and jumped into the water.

Zhao Xing quietly observed from the boat.

Old Eight Xu truly hadn't exaggerated. He dived down with ease and, following Zhao Xing’s directions, effortlessly found the blue pearl in the turtle’s mouth.

Then Old Eight Xu slowly ascended, and a faint blue glow gradually rippled through the water.

“Young master, young master! There really is treasure!” Old Eight Xu exclaimed, excited.

“Quick, come up,” Zhao Xing urged, quickly pulling him onto the boat.

“Hiss, hah, hiss~” Old Eight Xu tossed the pearl onto the small boat. After climbing aboard, he kept inhaling sharply. Despite the scorching heat, he felt a strange chill, all because of the pearl.

“A fourth-tier East Lake Pearl, and an extremely rare Ice Pearl. This quality… should it be considered mid-grade fourth-tier?” Zhao Xing picked up the pearl and examined it in his hand.

A wave of coldness emanated from his hand, as if he were holding a block of ice.

Old Eight Xu couldn’t bear the cold, but for Zhao Xing, who was at the third stage of Qi Gathering, it was no problem.

“Congratulations, young master! You’ve obtained a third-tier East Lake Pearl,” Old Eight Xu quickly congratulated him. He couldn’t recognize it as a fourth-tier pearl, thinking it was only third-tier, as he had never seen a fourth-tier one in his life.

“I have you to thank for this,” Zhao Xing said with a slight smile, putting the pearl away. “You’ll certainly receive a reward when we get back.”

“Thank you, young master.” Old Eight Xu’s face lit up with joy. According to their agreement, he wasn't entitled to a share, but a bonus from a pleased patron was an unexpected windfall.

As river scavengers, receiving rewards was uncommon. If it were a sure profit, they would do it themselves. This kind of work always carried a significant risk of loss.

“Just this one pearl is enough to make me rich,” Zhao Xing thought to himself.

A fourth-tier East Lake Pearl was a treasure produced by a 'seasonal transformation', something that might only appear every ten years. As for an Ice Pearl, it was even rarer, worth at least five hundred taels!

“A fourth-tier Ice Pearl is most beneficial to martial artists. It can significantly reduce the wear and tear on the body from practicing fire-element cultivation techniques or martial arts. It can also assist in cultivating water-element techniques. If we find the right buyer, it wouldn't be surprising for the price to double.”

Having acquired the treasure, Zhao Xing’s mood significantly brightened.

Originally, he could have returned after finding the Ice Pearl, but since they were already there, and another Dingmao hour was approaching, he didn't want to miss it. Who would complain about having too much money?

Over the next half an hour, the "ghostly wealth" luck waned.

However, relying on his bright eyes, Zhao Xing managed to find more than a dozen first-tier East Lake Pearls.

Old Eight Xu was utterly astonished by Zhao Xing.

Every time he went into the water, there was a haul, never an empty trip. Could anyone argue with that?

When he told his boss back home, he probably wouldn't even believe it!

Time passed. During Zhao Xing's next hour, he didn’t find anything particularly valuable, only a single emerald-studded earring. He had no idea which noblewoman might have dropped it while boating.

“It's just a single earring, not a pair, so it's probably only worth seven or eight taels.”

“We can head back now,” Zhao Xing said, glancing at his almanac.

It was already the fourth quarter of the Hai hour. There wouldn’t be any more significant finds. Especially after the Zi hour, trying to seek "ghostly wealth" would bring bad luck instead.

“Old Eight Xu, let’s head back,” Zhao Xing decided, signaling to call it a day.

“Alright!” Old Eight Xu was also content. Today’s haul was enough for him to brag about to his companions for a long time.

“Ah—!”

“Someone fell into the water!”

“Large boat, hurry over and save them!”

Suddenly, voices drifted on the wind. Old Eight Xu paused, then turned to ask Zhao Xing, “Young master, it sounds like someone fell into the water over there.”

“I see them, but someone has already gone into the water and rescued them. We don't need to worry.”

“True, nine out of ten people at East Lake can swim,” Old Eight Xu replied, and began paddling towards the shore.

After passing a grassy cove, they happened upon some river lanterns floating by, illuminating the area.

There, a small boat was docked in the cove, and a young woman stood on it. It was Lin Baiwei, whom they had seen earlier.

Seeing the large boat and the lotus lanterns drifting closer, she couldn’t help but look embarrassed.

Zhao Xing and Old Eight Xu’s appearance, in particular, made her feel flustered. She was drenched, her graceful figure faintly discernible in the light of the lotus lanterns. What concerned her more was that her aunt was still in the water.

If a large boat came over and people gathered to gawk, it would be a public humiliation.

“This…” Old Eight Xu quickly lowered his head, preparing to go around.

“No need for such trouble,” Zhao Xing stopped him. Then, his "Flowing Clouds" spell enveloped the entire grassy cove, concealing both Lin Baiwei and Third Aunt Lin.

“Thank you,” a faint, mosquito-like voice whispered on the wind.

Zhao Xing and Old Eight Xu went ashore.