Stranger Danger

Flap flap flap...

The creature was a strange fish the size of a calf. It had fish scales the size of a human palm, and each scale glittered like a rainbow under the moonlight. It had a pair of wings on its back, and it was carrying a jade pearl in its mouth.

The strange fish immediately flapped its wings and took to the air after landing on the deck. Rainbow light danced above its wings before flowing into the pure white jade pearl in its mouth, filling it with all kinds of colors.

The next moment, the strange fish fired the jade pearl at Ye Qing like a bullet. However, Ye Qing easily caught it between his fingers as if he had anticipated this.

The jade pearl kept shaking and struggling between his fingers as if it had a mind of its own. However, it was completely futile.

The strange fish was enraged when it saw that the jade pearl was unable to break free. It threw itself at Ye Qing like a cannonball.

In response, Ye Qing twitched his fingers slightly and whipped the fish with his fishing rod, causing it to fall right back on the deck.

"Make sure you don't kill it."

Beside him, Feng Qingyou removed the cover of the wine pot and urged, "Quick, drop the pearl inside."

Ye Qing casually let go of the fishing rod, and it landed right on top of the strange fish. The fishing rod looked like it weighed no more than a willow branch, and yet it was heavy enough to pin the strange fish on the deck and prevent any movement. At the same time, Ye Qing dropped the jade pearl into the wine pot.

The translucent Burning Fire was dyed rainbow as soon as it made contact with the jade pearl. At the same time, the fragrance in the air became dozens of times richer and mellower than before.

"What a smell!" Ye Qing's eyes lit up as he blurted.

"A Pearl Holder's jade pearl is an excellent complement to any wine. Even the lousiest, most bitter wine would become several times, even a dozen times better than before just by adding a pinch of pearl powder."

Feng Qingyou looked rather pleased as she sniffed the clear fragrance in the air. "In some major cities, the jade pearl of a Jade Holder is a priceless good that may not be bought even with ten thousand gold. The pearl is also nicknamed the 'Priceless Pearl'."

"The Priceless Pearl, is it? It certainly lives up to its name."

Ye Qing looked at the Priceless Pearl slowly dissolving into their pot of Burning Fire with a smile. "And here we are dropping an entire pearl into a single pot of wine. Are we being wasteful?"

"We certainly are." Feng Qingyou grinned. "But why live if you can't be wasteful every once in a while[1]?"

"Oh right, I should remind you that the flesh of the Jade Holder is a rare delicacy as well. Paired with a pot of wine that is flavored with the Jade Pearl, and some might say that is a delicacy to die for. We should not miss this opportunity."

Feng Qingyou got up to her feet and grabbed the pinned Jade Holder by the tail. Then, she walked toward the kitchen while saying, "I'm going to process it now. Please watch over the furnace and make sure that the fire doesn't go out."

"Do you need my help?" Ye Qing asked.

"No, I alone am enough."

Feng Qingyou explained smilingly, "A Jade Holder is very easy to process for someone who is familiar with it, but extremely complicated for those who aren't. One misstep, and the flesh would turn sour, bitter, and deadly poisonous."

"Got it. I look forward to it." Ye Qing smiled back. There were specializations in every field, so he should just focus on fishing. With luck, he might be able to fish another Jade Holder or two.

The Jade Holder was the strange fish from earlier. A Phenomenon-class Stranger, it had rainbow-colored scales and carried a jade pearl in its mouth. That was why it was called the Jade Holder.

The reason the Jade Holder was famous was because the jade pearl in its mouth possessed an astounding ability. As Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou discussed earlier, it could magically improve the taste of any wine by many fold.

Alas, the Jade Holders were usually found in the deep sea, and their numbers were few. They were also exceptionally alert toward predators. The average person lacked the ability to capture them, and those who could generally cared little for the fortune it could make them to turn it into a profession. That was why the Priceless Pearl was priceless.

In the past, Ye Qing had only heard of the Priceless Pearl. He had never seen one with his own eyes, much less tasted a wine that had been flavored by it. It wasn't because he couldn't afford it, but because no one was selling. The desire had crossed his mind every once in a while as a regret, but now he could finally fulfill his dream.

Ye Qing split his focus between watching the furnace and fishing. He pulled out a not insignificant amount of fishes during this time, but alas, he did not find another Jade Holder.

About a teatime later, a faint aroma came from the kitchen. Unlike the rich, intoxicating scent of a wine after a Priceless Pearl was dropped into it, the aroma was gentle and almost indistinct.

And yet, it refreshed his mind and made him feel like he was flying.

As if on cue, Feng Qingyou walked over to the table while carrying a jade plate with one hand. She sat down.

Fish slices so thin they were comparable to a cicada's wing was sitting on the plate. They glowed rainbow under the moonlight like some sort of exquisite art piece.

"Quick, eat them now!"

Feng Qingyou urged while handing Ye Qing a pair of chopsticks. 'The meat of a Jade Holder cannot last long after it dies. It will rot and change flavor in just a teatime, so quickly."

Ye Qing obediently grabbed a slice of fish meat with his chopsticks and placed it inside his mouth. Like snow, it felt cool to touch and melted immediately in his mouth cavity. It spread from the tip of his tongue to his mouth and stomach, then from his stomach to every vein, bodily point, flesh, blood, and pore of his body.

The cool sensation was neither biting like the frost of winter nor chilly like the seeping cold of autumn. It was cool and gentle, vibrant and soothing like a gentle gust of wind during a sunny spring day.

Feng Qingyou asked, "How does it taste?"

"It's beyond wonderful," Ye Qing replied instinctively as he basked in the cool sensation that was spreading to every corner of his flesh, blood and bone like water.

"The Jade Holder cannot leave the seawater for long. That is why its flesh rots and goes bad very quickly after it dies. Practically no one living near the center of the continent can enjoy such a delicacy."

Feng Qingyou seemed incredibly happy as her eyes were curled into crescents. She then removed the wine pot from the furnace and poured Ye Qing a cup of wine, "Now, give Burning Fire a taste."

Ye Qing picked up the cup and drained it in one gulp.

As expected, Burning Fire poured down his throat and burned like gasoline inside his stomach, hot and fiery. However, the heat was quickly neutralized by the coolness that had already permeated every pore of his body. The heat was no longer hot, but the coolness was still cool. The contrast between cool and hot, yin and yang would continue to circulate inside his body like some sort of exquisite, inner body massage.

Feng Qingyou asked smilingly, "How do you feel now?"

"I am beyond words," Ye Qing praised from the bottom of his heart before picking up another slice of fish meat in his mouth. Then, he drank it down with another gulp of Burning Fire. Both the taste and the wonderful sensation of ice and fire became even greater than before.

At this point, he had experienced many delicacies in his life. However, only a handful of them could compare to the combination of the Jade Holder's flesh and the Burning Fire.

"Hmm? Why aren't you eating, Qingyou?" A couple more slices of fish and a few cups of Burning Fire later, Ye Qing suddenly realized that she hadn't touched her chopsticks at all. It was very strange.

"I'm not hungry. I'm fine just watching you eat," Feng Qingyou replied smilingly.

"Why don't I believe you?"

Ye Qing narrowed his eyes and watched Feng Qingyou suspiciously.

"Oh, fine. You got me."

Feng Qingyou gave up the pretense. "I heard rumors saying that, while the Jade Holder's flesh is an exquisite complement to any wine, the person would very quickly suffer a terrible stomachache. I was hoping to check if the rumors are true[2]."

1. The excuse every woman uses when they're sucking their boyfriend/husband's bank accounts dry. ☜

2. No greater love declaration than, "You are my favorite lab rat." ☜