Wait a minute, where is my master?

What should you do if you aim to fish for the master but end up catching a fish instead?

— Jin Xu

......

Hearing the sharp, fearful woman's voice coming from the well, Jin Xu hastily backed away several steps to the big willow tree, and suddenly, all the horror films he'd watched came to mind.

Was this the unfathomable thing Master had mentioned in the chronicles?

The bleak Daoist temple suspended in the sky, the mysteriously missing old Taoist, the terrifying scream of a woman from the old well, and the always swaying big willow tree in the courtyard, simply a full stack of buffs.

During his retreat, the fishing line and hook were pulled out of the well, bringing up a golden-red object.

Jin Xu took a closer look and saw it was a large golden-red carp, screaming at the top of its lungs.

This... this doesn't look like Master either.

And how did a fishing rod catch a fish?

A question popped into Jin Xu's mind.

After Jin Xu pulled it up, the golden-red big carp fell by the well and flopped around a few times.

Suddenly, it transformed into a woman wearing a golden-red silk dress, her skin white as snow.

The woman's long hair, reaching her waist, sprawled messily on her back; her slightly lifted chin looked sharp, her cute face bore a pitiful expression, and the golden-red scale at the center of her forehead added a mysterious aura to her.

She faced Jin Xu, half kneeling and sitting on the ground, her eyes round and staring intently at Jin Xu.

From Jin Xu's perspective, the posture of this fish demon was "rich and generous!"

A demon! And it can transform into a human!

Jin Xu was panicking.

This was not at the East Sea where Master took him to slay demons for fun, and now, no one was there to protect him.

This was his first time seeing a demon that could transform into a human, and he was stiff all over.

At the same time, his brain began whirring, recalling all sorts of fantasy novels and movies he had seen, trying to adopt some Monk and Taoist techniques from them.

In the end, Jin Xu realized he had neither the Peach Wood Sword nor the Yellow Talisman Paper, so he could only shout a classic line.

"What kind of demon are you! I can tell at a glance you are not human!"

After saying it, the young Taoist felt his courage surge a bit!

But it was just a bit...

Then he conjured the only attack spell he knew, "Hand Palm Thunder," on his right hand—one of the minor spells his master had casually taught him. He hadn't practiced much and was still somewhat unskilled with it.

...

Yu Yaoer, a Nascent Soul Realm fish demon, was initially studying her new recipes in her Water Mansion.

Suddenly, ripples appeared in the void before her, followed by a silver fishing hook. Then, an invisible force appeared, trapping her in a spread-eagled position and pulling her across the void.

This sudden turn of events startled Yu Yaoer, causing her to scream in fright!

But no matter how she activated the spiritual power within her body, she could not break free.

After passing through the void, she found herself in her original form, soaked in a well, the well water actually being condensed from spiritual liquid.

However, before she could fully appreciate the spiritual liquid, she was yanked out of the ancient well by the fishing hook, hitting the ground hard, and then the force binding her quietly dissipated.

Yu Yaoer was both shocked and enraged. Once she found her spiritual power functioning again, she first scanned with her Spiritual Sense to see who had bound her to this place.

She found herself in a small courtyard, with only a young Taoist holding a black fishing rod but showing no fluctuations of spiritual power in front of her.

Just as she was about to speak up and question him, she caught a clear glimpse of the young Taoist's face.

Then she activated her spiritual power and transformed into human form.

Yu Yaoer, self-proclaimed "Number One Chef of the Shui Clan," was most annoyed when someone interrupted her while she was researching new dishes.

But... if the person interrupting her looked like this young Taoist.

Cough, that might not be too bad.

After transforming, she lay on the ground, pondering what to say for her opening line

when she suddenly saw the Taoist shout out.

"What kind of demon are you! I can tell at a glance you are not human!"

"Huh? Didn't you see me transform from a fish into a human?"

Yu Yaoer thought to herself.

Immediately after, she felt an extremely terrifying aura emanating from the young Taoist holding a black fishing rod in front of her, especially the golden thunderbolt in his right hand!

Yu Yaoer felt as if a huge "danger" sign had suddenly appeared over her head.

!!!

"I'll die, definitely die if it hits me, not a drop of fish oil left!"

The golden thunderbolt shone upon the beads of sweat trickling down Yu Yaoer's forehead. She wasn't an inexperienced little demon, but the fluctuation of spiritual power from this young Taoist was undoubtedly the strongest and most terrifying she had felt in her two hundred years of cultivation!

Without worrying about why she had suddenly appeared here, she decided to use her secret technique:

"Water Clan Spirit Guide to Survival in the Cultivation World"

With spiritual power circulating within her, she sank her energy into her Dantian, Yu Yaoer straightened up her upper body and exclaimed loudly,

"Taoist, spare my life, this demon knows not why she is here, but is willing to serve as your demon servant, at your beck and call!"

"Water Clan Spirit Guide to Survival in the Cultivation World", rule one: confess quickly—those who don't end up as dishes.

"Water Clan Spirit Guide to Survival in the Cultivation World", rule two: if you can't beat them, pledge allegiance. Safety first, being alive means having a future.

Her grandmother, the current Shui Clan Elder, had mysteriously passed this book to her, proclaiming it their clan's secret manual and had instructed her sternly only to use it when her life was at stake.

Jin Xu almost threw out the Hand Palm Thunder in surprise as the woman in red cried out.

This demon wants to acknowledge me as her master?

The young Taoist thought to himself.

When he had greeted Tianxing Taoist, he had heard that shape-shifting demons were at least at the Nascent Soul Realm.

So what was with the fishing rod left by his master? He had clearly imagined his master's voice and smile!

Seeing the young Taoist deep in thought and silent, Yu Yaoer emphasized her "abundantly endowed" upper body, knelt on the ground using her knees as feet, not minding the dirt on her golden-red dress, and scrambled right up to Jin Xu, pressing herself firmly against his thigh, crying like a fountain of tears,

"Wuuu~ Taoist, spare my life! This demon has never harmed a human life, and I can do household chores. Just let me be your demon servant, and I... I can... cook for the master. No one has ever tasted my cooking!"

Facing the terrifying golden thunderbolt aura, Yu Yaoer, with her voice trembling, clung tightly to Jin Xu's thigh, clearly unwilling to get up unless she was accepted as a demon servant.

"Spirit Guide to Survival in the Cultivation World," tactic three: gain sympathy, demonstrate value.

The young Taoist, looking at the fish demon clinging to his leg, was already a bit confused about the situation.

His master had said that shape-shifting demons were at least at the Nascent Soul Realm, while Jin Xu himself had just achieved the power of the Golden Core Realm.

He first eliminated one correct answer.

This demon wasn't suddenly kneeling and begging for mercy just because she was scared of me.

But why is she so afraid of me?

Looking at her snot and tears, the young Taoist could only attribute the problem to the fishing rod.

Could it be that creatures hooked by the fishing rod feel an inexplicable fear of the fisherman, even to the point of acknowledging the fisherman as master outright?

Thinking this, Jin Xu gasped in shock.

Hiss~~ If it really is as he guessed, then it's just as well it wasn't his master who was hooked.

Otherwise... the thought is too beautiful to bear.

He remembered, in his past life, a detective had said, "Eliminate all the impossibles, and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

It seems it's the fishing rod's doing.

Otherwise, there's no other explanation for why this Nascent Soul Realm great demon seeing me, newly possessing "Golden Core" realm power, immediately knelt down and begged for mercy just from a Hand Palm Thunder!

Having figured out the "key" point, Jin Xu dispersed the Hand Palm Thunder in his hand.

He then lifted his leg slightly and gave a gentle shake, sending Yu Yaoer flying out.

She looked quite pretty, so why did she have to smear her tears and snot all over his Taoist robe? Not neat at all.

Jin Xu only had one Taoist robe, and without a spare, it was all he had.

As a result, his gentle shake turned out a big deal!