The Sacred Appearance of Su Cheng at the Reservoir, Entering the Peach Garden to Unify the Three Kingdoms

The middle-aged man was utterly stunned, his eyes nearly popping out of his head, as he pointed at Su Cheng and stammered, "Y-you... you... you!"

He stared at the grass carp in Su Cheng's hands, completely at a loss for words to describe the turmoil in his heart.

Just moments ago, he had clearly seen the young man go to rinse his hook empty-handed, yet in the blink of an eye, he was now holding up a fish with both hands.

He wanted to argue, but the evidence was right before his eyes.

Then, with a perfectly straight face, Su Cheng spouted nonsense: "It seems this fish was moved by my words and willingly came into my hands. No need to be shocked, Uncle—it’s just fate at work."

Hearing this,

Ji Qingyi, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but let a trace of amusement flicker in her eyes.

Gu Ruoxue, however, massaged her temples in exasperation.

But just then, the man noticed something odd about the fish.

It was dead!

Relief washed over him as he realized—this fish must have coincidentally died and floated to the surface, and the kid had simply scooped it up.

"Lucky you! Who’d have thought rinsing a hook would net you a dead fish? What fortune. Go ahead and keep it," the man said with a laugh before turning back to his fishing. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "And just to be clear—I meant catching a fish with a rod, not grabbing a dead one by sheer luck!"

He couldn’t resist shooting Su Cheng a glare.

Su Cheng, however, awkwardly glanced between his hook and the man before forcing a sheepish smile. "Oh... so that’s how it is. I thought it understood me and floated up on its own."

With that, he set the dead fish on the grass and resumed rinsing his hook.

The man, though, wasn’t done. Watching Su Cheng’s back, he sneered, "Use your brain—how could that even happen? You think fish understand human speech? What, did you get hit by a door or something?"

Su Cheng stood up and turned around, his embarrassment deepening. Quickly, he backtracked, "But... fish really can understand me."

The man burst into laughter at Su Cheng’s stubborn denial.

"Look!"

Su Cheng suddenly raised his hand.

Dangling from his straight hook was a lively, thrashing fish.

This fish was one Su Cheng had pulled from his space—a pre-deceased but still twitching specimen. As a vertebrate, its nerve reflexes remained intact.

He’d bought it specially from a fish market earlier.

Though its brain had ceased functioning, muscle spasms kept it moving. After skewering it with the hook, he’d even stuffed a pinch of salt into its mouth, making it flail more vigorously than a live fish. Now, it wriggled wildly mid-air.

"What the—am I dreaming?!"

The man froze, then instinctively slapped himself hard across the face.

Smack!

The crisp sound made the two women exchange a glance.

Su Cheng removed the fish from the hook and handed it to the man, his expression earnest. "Thank you for your earlier advice, Uncle. Consider this fish a token of my gratitude."

The man was still in shock, gaping at the fish as if his entire worldview had crumbled.

After a long pause, he stared at the carp in Su Cheng’s hands, then back at Su Cheng, his lips trembling. "H-how...? Did you really just catch this with a rod?"

"You saw it yourself, didn’t you?" Su Cheng replied matter-of-factly.

The man couldn’t contain his disbelief any longer. He grabbed Su Cheng’s shoulders and shook him violently.

"This is impossible! That’s a straight hook! No way, absolutely no way!"

His voice cracked with agitation. Without waiting for a response, he sprinted to where Su Cheng had rinsed the hook and threw himself onto the ground, inspecting every inch like a madman.

He frantically scoured the water and grass, his face growing paler by the second, until finally, he collapsed onto his backside, utterly defeated.

Choking up, he glared at the water and beat his chest, howling, "This makes no sense! How...?!"

"Uncle, don’t take it so hard."

Su Cheng crouched beside him and patted his back soothingly. "All living things have souls. I truly believe kindness resonates with them—that’s why the fish came willingly. If you don’t believe me, let me try again."

Under the women’s bewildered stares, he clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his head at a 45-degree angle, gazing pensively at the sky.

In that moment, he radiated the profound melancholy of a sage who had seen through the illusions of the world—or perhaps an old man who had witnessed life’s fleeting glories.

However, at this moment, Su Cheng suddenly turned around and looked at the middle-aged man with a serious expression. "Mister, look—my hands are empty, and the fishing hook is straight."

Though still reeling from the earlier shock, the man managed to react. He glanced at the fishing rod in Su Cheng’s hand, then at the water’s surface. After confirming nothing was amiss, excitement surged across his face as if he’d grasped a lifeline. "Right! If you’re so capable, do it again and let me see!"

"Sure thing!"

Su Cheng agreed with a hearty nod. He clasped his hands together, closed his eyes in prayer, and after a moment, flung the fishing hook with a sudden motion. There was a loud splash—only for the hook to fly straight out of his hand and disappear into the water.

Ji Qingyi: "......"

Gu Ruoxue: "……"

Middle-aged man: "?"

"Oops, lost the hook."

Su Cheng rubbed his forehead in frustration and hung his head dejectedly. But almost immediately, he perked up again, declaring earnestly, "If I just put my hand in the water, the fish will willingly swim right into my palm!"

With that, he rolled up his sleeves, lay flat on the ground, and plunged his hand into the water. This time, the man moved right beside Su Cheng to watch closely. He was certain the young man had nothing hidden in his hands, so he stared unblinkingly at the water, unwilling to miss a single moment.

Then, Su Cheng abruptly looked up at the man and grinned, flashing a row of pearly white teeth. "Mister, look!"

Splash—

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief as he followed Su Cheng’s gaze. When he saw what was in his hand—

"Holy f sh!!!!!!"

He couldn’t help but curse aloud.

Middle-aged man: "......!!!"

His face was a picture of utter shock and disbelief, as if he’d just witnessed something beyond comprehension.

At that moment,

Both the man and the two women who knew the truth fell into stunned silence. They lowered their heads in unison, unable to fathom what kind of twisted logic could lead to such an absurd act.

Su Cheng…

Had just pulled a ten-pound Boston lobster out of the water!

But it didn’t end there. Su Cheng, seemingly dissatisfied with his catch, tossed the lobster aside and grumbled, "I don’t want lobster. I want fish! I’m eating fish right now!"

Ignoring the man’s horrified expression, he plunged his hand back into the lake.

Ji Qingyi, however, seemed to anticipate another outrageous stunt and quickly pulled out her phone to record what came next.

Sure enough, less than a second later, Su Cheng single-handedly lifted a plate of grilled fish from the water—complete with cling wrap tightly sealing the perfectly cooked fish inside.

"Now this is more like it!"

He stood up, admiring the grilled fish on the plate with satisfaction.

The man’s face at this point was indescribable—twisted with confusion, shock, and sheer terror.

A lobster was already surreal enough, but at least it was an aquatic creature…

But what the hell was this about pulling out a fully grilled fish?!

Did the fish cook itself in the water?!

Was it seriously ready to eat, just unwrap and dig in?!

Finally, Gu Ruoxue noticed the horrified stares from nearby fishermen at the lobster. Unable to take it anymore, she stepped forward and said to the man, "Actually, we’re magicians. We set up props and mechanisms underwater beforehand."

The man snapped out of his daze. He glanced at the grilled fish, then the lobster, and—since the situation was too absurd to believe otherwise—immediately accepted the explanation.

Noticing the girl filming nearby, he even concluded they must be internet-famous magicians!

"Are you done?! Let’s go!"

Gu Ruoxue grabbed Su Cheng by the collar and dragged him away, calling back to the man, "Sorry about that, mister! Keep the lobster as an apology!"

"No, my lobster!"

Su Cheng, however, wasn’t willing to part with it—he’d spent a fortune on that thing and had never tasted anything so luxurious in his life.

"I’ll reimburse you!"

A vein throbbed on Gu Ruoxue’s forehead as she yanked him along. Su Cheng struggled weakly but was no match for her strength and could only be hauled off.

…………………………

Fifteen kilometers away from Peach Orchard.

The trio left the reservoir and arrived at a secluded creek.

Gu Ruoxue wore a stern expression as she glanced at Su Cheng, who was now hiding behind Ji Qingyi. She sighed. "Don’t you think what you did back there was excessive?"

Su Cheng pouted, adopting a defiant, unrepentant stance. "He provoked us. He needed a little shock, or I wouldn’t have slept tonight."

"That man’s expression was pretty entertaining, though."

Ji Qingyi slightly curved her lips, her eyes filled with amusement as she looked at Su Cheng, then turned to Gu Ruoxue and said, "Besides, he did it with our best interests in mind. You wouldn’t plan to scold him for that, would you?"

The moment these words left Ji Qingyi’s mouth, Gu Ruoxue couldn’t help but frown.

Even if Su Cheng had acted out of concern for them, that didn’t justify his behavior—especially not when he had taken such a condescending approach to manipulate others.

Gu Ruoxue sighed softly and said, "When humans are children, they often destroy anthills out of mere curiosity or amusement. Some argue that this is an ignorant yet pure form of malice—one that can be corrected through education."

Then, her tone sharpened slightly. "So, tell me—are you acting out of ignorance now, or arrogance?"

She glanced at Ji Qingyi, who remained composed, showing no intention of stopping her reprimand.

"Have you become like this because you think you’re above others now? Or is it because spending too much time with certain people has made you forget who you originally were—and who you should be?"

Her words visibly darkened Su Cheng’s expression.

Surprisingly, Ji Qingyi didn’t react strongly. She merely patted his shoulder lightly and said, "She’s not wrong. This matter could have been resolved easily, yet you chose such a reckless approach. It might cause trouble."

"..."

When Su Cheng didn’t respond, Gu Ruoxue simply shook her head and fell silent.

Seeing that the two had reached a temporary pause in the discussion, Su Cheng also realized he had gone too far. He nodded silently in acknowledgment.

But he’d do it again in a heartbeat!

If he let insults slide without retaliation, what kind of transmigrator would he be?

Though he had promised Gu Ruoxue to inform her before using his abilities, she had been right beside him today. If she had wanted to stop him, she would have done so earlier.

From the moment he took out the tea set by the stream, Gu Ruoxue had been tacitly allowing it. That was why he had acted without restraint.

"It’s noon. Let’s eat."

Su Cheng glanced at the sun in the sky before speaking to Ji Qingyi and Gu Ruoxue.

They nodded, and Su Cheng began unpacking the ingredients. Though he insisted he could handle it alone and told them to wait, the two women didn’t act like aloof young ladies—instead, they pitched in to help.

For instance, while he set up the grill and added charcoal, Ji Qingyi fanned the flames with a handheld fan beside him, while Gu Ruoxue and Su Cheng washed the ingredients.

The three worked in harmony, the atmosphere warm and peaceful—like a picnic.

No, it was a picnic.

Soon, lunch was ready.

But then, Su Cheng frowned in surprise when he noticed the two women couldn’t handle heavy flavors. Instead, they only ate light vegetables and took a few bites of fish, avoiding anything greasy entirely.

For example, Gu Ruoxue set up a pot, boiled some greens and tofu into a soup, and didn’t even add salt. Yet the two women ate it with relish, leaving Su Cheng baffled.

Why not just drink plain water if you’re not going to season it?

But everyone had their own dietary habits, so he didn’t press further. He simply finished the grilled vegetables and fish by himself in silence.

After cleaning up, the three sat together again, sipping tea and eating the rice dumplings Su Cheng had brought.

He noticed Ji Qingyi had truly let loose on this outing.

Normally, she would never eat in front of him, but today, she not only ate—she kept going back for more.

Still, she remained as elegant and beautiful as ever.

Sipping his tea, Su Cheng stole glances at the two women beside him, leisurely chatting and drinking, while silently marveling at how surreal this whole experience felt.

After tea, the three resumed their journey toward the peach blossoms.

Before they knew it, another hour had passed.

After a full day of walking, the two women hadn’t even broken a sweat—proof of just how formidable their stamina was.

Finally, they reached their destination: the "Sea of Peach Blossoms," spanning 22,000 acres.

From afar, the vibrant peach blossoms stretched like a pink ocean across the land.

"Like rosy clouds, like brocade—like a sea, like a tide. How magnificent!"

Ji Qingyi’s usually lifeless eyes sparkled with delight as she gazed at the endless peach trees covering the mountains and fields, unable to hold back her admiration.

Gu Ruoxue nodded in agreement. The sight of the blossoms, radiant as clouds and dazzling as silk, was a feast for the eyes.

And soon, they would have the pleasure of wandering through this sea of flowers.

"Our next destination is to traverse the blossom sea, then ascend the Xiaojinshan Peach Blossom Viewing Pavilion to overlook the scenery. After that, we’ll head back."

Gu Ruoxue outlined the final leg of their trip, and Su Cheng nodded in understanding before the three pressed onward.

By now, more and more tourists had begun to appear along the path.

"Should we take a group photo later?"

Su Cheng asked.

"Of course we should."

"One group photo at the Peach Blossom Temple, and this commission can be wrapped up perfectly."

Hearing this, Su Cheng immediately made up his mind. This time, he wouldn’t hesitate anymore—no matter what Gu Ruoxue or Ji Qingyi thought, when it came time to take the photo, he’d summon every ounce of courage to reach out and pull them closer to him.

Why stand so stiff and serious in a casual outing photo?

The whole point of an outing is to have fun—why make it look like a graduation portrait?

That just wouldn’t do!

Even if it meant inching just a little closer, even if getting too close might blow up in his face today, he was determined to go for it!

Yet, as the three of them wove through the crowd, he suddenly spotted a few familiar figures in the distance.