Grinding to the Martial Sage from the White Ape Fist-Chapter 37: In the Boiling Mist Swamp, Silver Blades Like Rain

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: In the Boiling Mist Swamp, Silver Blades Like Rain

The moment Old Man Jiang finished speaking, the waters ahead began to change abruptly.

A roiling white mist seemed to form a sheer cliff, rising from the water’s surface to completely shroud the river for miles. Visibility dropped to less than ten feet.

The air was thick with an oppressive, humid heat and the smell of sulfur. Every breath felt like swallowing hot coals. The murky water churned as countless fist-sized bubbles gurgled and burst, splashing scalding droplets everywhere.

Through the hazy white mist, a faint, dark red glow could be seen emanating from the river’s depths, perhaps from some underwater geothermal fire.

"So this is the Boiling Mist Swamp!" Su Yu exclaimed in admiration. ’I never thought a marvel like this, a meeting of fire and water, could exist so deep within the Black Water River.’

Old Man Jiang wiped the hot sweat from his forehead, stroking his beard smugly. "This place is extremely hard to find. You have to navigate four or five underwater currents to get here. I was just lucky to stumble upon it all those years ago."

Su Yu nodded. He reflected on the journey here; ’Without Old Man Jiang’s guidance, I never would have found this place. I would have easily gotten lost in the maze of waterways.’

The two black-canopied boats slowly navigated through the thick mist, heading deeper into the Boiling Mist Swamp.

Due to the thick mist, Old Man Jiang showed no intention of casting his net, despite the constant stirring from beneath the water.

Su Yu didn’t want to reveal his Listening Wave Positioning either, so he simply followed along.

Before long, the two boats reached an area where the mist had thinned considerably. The water temperature seemed to have returned to normal as well, and there were far fewer boiling bubbles.

"Younger Brother Su, this is where the hot and cold currents meet. The fishing is best here, and the visibility is good. Let’s fish around this area!"

Su Yu was also an experienced fisherman and knew this well. Both men picked up their fishing nets, looking for an opportunity to cast.

Jiang Mu also retrieved a fishing net from the cabin, stood at the bow, and prepared to cast.

She glanced at Su Yu and said excitedly, "Hey, Su Yu, let’s have a competition to see who catches more fish! Don’t think you’re so great just because you handled that big crab earlier. When it comes to fishing, experience is what counts!"

Su Yu was focused on using his Listening Wave Positioning, his eyes locked on the water’s surface. He had no time to pay her any mind, so he didn’t answer.

Seeing Su Yu ignore her, Jiang Mu ground her canines in frustration. ’Hmph! Just you wait,’ she fumed internally. ’When I catch a treasure fish, I’ll shove it in your face and slap you silly with its tail!’

SPLASH!

Old Man Jiang was the first to cast his net, and it looked like he had already snared a catch.

A smile immediately spread across Jiang Mu’s pretty face, revealing her trademark sharp canines. "Grandpa, you’re amazing!"

A moment later, the net was hauled aboard, revealing three Red Oil Fish, each weighing four to five pounds.

"Haha, a great start! Not bad!" Old Man Jiang beamed, his face a mess of smiling wrinkles. That single cast was worth five or six hundred wen—a haul beyond the reach of any ordinary fisherman.

Meanwhile, Jiang Mu was also casting her net repeatedly. Though she didn’t land any massive catches, she brought in a good number of Yellow-Scaled Fish and was dancing with joy.

Only Su Yu remained perfectly still, sitting at the bow and letting his small boat drift with the current, making no move to cast his net.

Jiang Mu took notice and couldn’t resist gloating, "Hey, hey, Su the kid, was catching that Iron Bone Shuttle just a stroke of luck? How come you can’t seem to catch a single fish now? Look at how many I’ve already caught."

Su Yu turned a deaf ear.

He had, of course, detected schools of fish below, but they were all common varieties. ’Not worth my time,’ he thought.

’My targets now are rare fish, at the very least. Or even treasure fish!’

But perhaps he’d used up all his luck when he first arrived at the Black Water River. Several quarters of an hour passed, and in this place teeming with fish, Su Yu hadn’t come across a single rare one.

Furthermore, constantly staring at the water and using Listening Wave Positioning was starting to mentally exhaust him.

Just as he was about to pull in his net to take a break, that familiar, profound sensation suddenly came to him. This time, however, what he perceived was utterly astonishing.

More than ten meters ahead and deep underwater, a scorching presence was frantically fleeing in his direction.

But that wasn’t the most important part.

What shocked and baffled Su Yu was what lay behind that red presence: hundreds, even thousands, of densely packed silver specks of light were surging forward at incredible speed, like an underwater meteor shower!

’What... what is that?!’

’Could they all be rare fish?’

Just as Su Yu was reeling in shock and doubt, Jiang Mu let out a sharp cry from her boat:

"Ha! A big fish!"

As luck would have it, her net had landed squarely over that large, fleeing red fish.

The rope in her hands instantly pulled taut, even letting out a groaning sound.

Before she even had a chance to celebrate, a tremendous force erupted from below, as if she had netted a wild bull!

SPLASH!

A massive wave erupted, and before Jiang Mu could even cry out, she was yanked into the water by the monstrous force!

"Xiaomu!"

Old Man Jiang’s face went pale with fright. He threw down his own net, about to jump in and save her.

PSHH!

Jiang Mu broke the surface, treading water gracefully. Her head popped up from the churning waves. She was soaked through, hair plastered to her face, but she wasn’t the least bit panicked. On the contrary, she flashed a brilliant grin, revealing her two little canines.

"Grandpa, stay put! It’s a Giant Red Carp! I’m going to take care of it myself!"

Seeing that she was unharmed, Old Man Jiang’s expression relaxed, and he gave her a doting nod.

He didn’t seem worried about the great fish escaping, content to let his granddaughter test her skills against it.

Su Yu, meanwhile, kept his attention fixed on the rapidly approaching silver specks. He held his net wide, preparing to land a massive haul.

In the water, Jiang Mu struggled against the large fish for a few moments and quickly became breathless. "Grandpa, this fish is incredibly strong!"

Old Man Jiang laughed. "It’s fine. That fish is all brawn, but it’s not dangerous. Just don’t let it ram you. Here," he said, "take the Fish Spear. One good poke should be enough to secure it!"

"Got it!" Jiang Mu took the Fish Spear and dove back under. The underwater struggle between girl and fish sent large waves rolling across the surface.

’They’re coming!’

Su Yu tensed. A massive wave, visible to the naked eye, was surging toward them from the distance.

"There’s a school of fish!"

He called out a warning.

Old Man Jiang spotted the school at the same time. A look of delight crossed his face as he immediately turned, grabbed his fishing net, and prepared to make a cast.

But in the next instant, a terrifying scene unfolded.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Countless flat, slender, silver fish burst from the water. They had transparent, wing-like fins on their sides, which they used to glide at high speed about three feet above the surface. Their silver scales glinted coldly in the sunlight, making each fish look like a flying Willow Leaf Saber!

An unlucky Yellow-Scaled Fish that had jumped out of the water found itself directly in their path.

SHRED!

Without slowing in the slightest, the Yellow-Scaled Fish was instantly shredded by a few of the silver fish, exploding into a shower of blood and gore!

"Damn it! It’s a school of Silver Knife Fish!"

Old Man Jiang’s face turned deathly pale, and he roared, "Xiaomu! Get out of the water, now!"

He no longer cared about anything else. He dove into the water to rescue his granddaughter, who was still wrestling with the Giant Red Carp.

Seeing the terrifying power of the Silver Knife Fish school, Su Yu knew the situation was dire. There was nowhere to run; he could only face them head-on.

He was a Three-Step Gatekeeper Martial Artist; he wasn’t so fragile. He just had to protect his vital spots.

He quickly cast his net. This Iron Wire Net could withstand a struggle with a treasure fish; it was highly unlikely this school of Silver Knife Fish could tear it.

With his cast, the Sardines over a hundred feet ahead were caught precisely in the net.

THUD THUD THUD THUD!

A dense barrage of impacts rang out, like rain drumming on banana leaves, as numerous Silver Knife Fish hit the net and fell into the water like dumplings into a pot.

But soon after, even more Sardines came surging forward.

SPLASH!

At that moment, Old Man Jiang and Jiang Mu surfaced.

Holding the Fish Spear in one hand and pulling Jiang Mu along with the other, he didn’t return to his own boat but scrambled directly onto Su Yu’s.

"Younger Brother Su, help us!"