Not Necessarily So

The air in the Marsh of Dreams and Mists was humid, and dense fog often shrouded the land.

Sunlight would frequently give birth to rainbows when it shone down, their colors flowing and shimmering.

When moonlight poured down, it appeared exceptionally cold and clear, with the glow flickering faintly within the swirling fog.

At this moment, a half-moon hung high in the sky, casting its cold light.

This time, Cui Hao and Zheng Zhaoling were not the only ones to come to the Marsh of Dreams and Mists. There were also two Supreme Elders from the Tribulation Crossing stage of the Marsh, but they had only met briefly before the journey. Since then, Cui Hao had never seen the two Tribulation Crossing cultivators again.

Cui Hao naturally wouldn’t be tactless enough to ask where the two Tribulation Crossing cultivators were.

After all, the Cloud Dream Pavilion had its own goals, and knowing when to mind one’s own business was important.

In the great courtyard, beside the fish pond,

Yunze’s displeasure and the effort to suppress it could be clearly observed on their face. At least for now, their demeanor remained proper, even managing something resembling a faint smile.

As for the reason—whether it was because Cui Hao had arrived at the Marsh of Dreams and Mists without prior notice, or because Cui Hao’s previous major actions there had genuinely infuriated Yunze—remained unclear.

Still, both of them tactfully refrained from bringing up past matters.

Holding fish feed, Cui Hao tossed it to the spirit fish, which looked as if they hadn’t been fed in ages.

What a waste. They’d starved so much they’d grown thin.

If they were grilled like this, they certainly wouldn’t taste good.

Come to think of it, aside from making tea, Third Senior Sister’s skill at grilling fish was also exceptional—provided one could ignore how she went about it.

When Cui Hao watched, his face was grim, but when he ate, his enjoyment was undeniable.

Watching Cui Hao feed the fish, Yunze carefully studied this Core Formation cultivator, whose expression remained indifferent, devoid of emotion, and who exuded an air of authority.

More than disgust or hatred, what Yunze felt most was vigilance.

Cui Hao.

A cultivator who never showed his face or displayed his cultivation level, yet managed to overturn the established rules of the entire Marsh of Dreams and Mists through mere schemes and manipulation.

His master was the now-famous Chu Xingchen.

He had allied with the three great immortal sects, gotten them all to coordinate their actions, and had even once intimidated the Great Thunderclap Temple.

When it came to backing, no one had a stronger foundation than this young man.

Now, one of his junior brothers was cultivating at the True Dragon Blessed Land, and Yunze herself depended on the secret technique of that junior brother for her cultivation.

Every point precisely targeted Yunze’s vulnerabilities.

She couldn’t fall out with him, and she had to guard against Cui Hao, who was a master at setting traps.

Especially since she still didn’t know his purpose for coming to the Marsh of Dreams and Mists this time.

“You’re feeding the fish a bit sparingly,” Cui Hao remarked with a tone of regret as he finished tossing the bowl of feed.

Yunze’s smile stiffened, their mind racing to decipher the true meaning behind Cui Hao’s words.

Feeding too little—was he implying she was stingy?

Or that her Marsh of Dreams and Mists was too small-time, and she needed to distinguish between the fish and the ones feeding them?

Unable to provoke him, she had no choice but to show weakness.

“The Marsh of Dreams and Mists is a remote and isolated place,” Yunze said with a hint of helplessness. “How could we have such great resources or means?”

Cui Hao frowned slightly, sounding confused.

“A place as vast as the Marsh of Dreams and Mists can’t even gather enough fish feed?”

Hearing this, Yunze’s eyes lit up faintly. Could this mean Cui Hao saw her as someone feeding the fish, rather than being a fish herself?

That made sense. After all, she had ceded the Blessed Land. Logically, Chu Xingchen should repay that kindness.

Feeling she understood Cui Hao’s attitude this time, Yunze’s demeanor softened.

“Yun Li once said that when it comes to feeding fish, you’re the expert. I’ll need to seek your advice on it.”

Cui Hao raised an eyebrow. This was unexpected.

Zheng Zhaoling had told him that Yunze wanted him dead, so he’d braced for resentment, only to find such courtesy.

It must be that his master had spoken well of him during the last visit.

After all, enmity is better resolved than nurtured.

His master thought many steps ahead, undoubtedly preparing the ground for his return to North Jambudvipa.

Truly worthy of being his master.

“The most important thing in feeding fish is generosity,”

Cui Hao said confidently. After all, he had managed Third Senior Sister’s fish pond for quite some time.

Countless spirit fish had died under his care.

Did those fish die in vain?

Of course not. They all became part of Cui Hao’s accumulated experience in fish-raising. When it came to feeding fish, he truly had some insights.

Pointing at the thin, bony fish before him, Cui Hao said,

“You have to be generous when feeding fish. You have to be willing to give. Right now, you’re feeding them cheap feed, but when these fish grow up, they’ll repay you with their flesh.”

“Especially with fish you raise yourself—since they can’t escape, you must be even more generous.”

“Feeding them as casually as you do, they go hungry, and though they seem to cluster around you when you feed them, if they ever got the chance to leave, they’d disappear without a trace.”

“Feed them well, and even wild fish will remember that there’s food here. When they get hungry, they might even come back on their own.”

These were lessons from experience.

When Cui Hao had first raised fish, he’d neglected them, and many had run off.

But thanks to his diligent feeding back then when he craved plump fish, the ones that vanished eventually returned when hunger struck again—how, he never knew.

Yunze’s expression stiffened. She understood the analogy.

Cui Hao was accusing her of hoarding most of the resources distributed by the Cloud Dream Pavilion instead of sharing them with the yao beasts under her command.

Because she hadn’t fed them well, they sometimes disobeyed orders or even secretly resisted.

Yunze wanted to explain, but seeing Cui Hao’s confident and indifferent gaze, she swallowed her words.

In the eyes of someone like Cui Hao, any excuse was probably just a joke.

“I’ve learned from you,” Yunze said in a low voice.

Zheng Zhaoling, holding her own bowl of fish feed, furrowed her brow slightly as she watched Yunze and Cui Hao.

Somehow, she felt as though the two were not talking about the same thing.

But listening to the conversation, it seemed fine.

What’s more, Yunze’s hostility had lessened noticeably.

Sharing a common interest really could bridge distances.

Cui Hao set the fish-feed bowl aside, a warm smile on his face, deciding the pleasantries were sufficient. Cutting to the chase, he said,

“No need for lessons. Just some advice from experience. If you, Daoist Yun Ze, genuinely take the time to care for your fish, you’ll understand this naturally.”

“I apologize for this sudden visit without prior notice. I was presumptuous, but the matter is urgent. Please don’t take offense.”

Yunze gave a slight bow. “A distinguished guest comes from afar. How could I take offense? I welcome you with all my heart.”

“That’s good.” Cui Hao’s gaze swept across Yunze’s face, reading her expression. “Thank you for your hospitality today. The night is deep now, so let’s leave it here for the moment.”

Yunze was taken aback.

After all that groundwork, she had expected to get to the main point. Why was he stopping?

Cui Hao certainly hadn’t come to the Marsh of Dreams and Mists just to sightsee.

Chuckling softly, Cui Hao turned and walked away without hesitation.

After giving Yunze a slight salute, Zheng Zhaoling followed after him.

Watching them leave, especially Cui Hao’s calm and carefree demeanor, all Yunze could think was:

Truly worthy of being Cui Hao, wasn’t he?

The rhythm of the conversation was perfectly balanced; sometimes, handling urgent matters with calmness is the true way to get things done.

Cui Hao and Zheng Zhaoling walked a bit further away.

Suddenly, under the moonlight, Zheng Zhaoling spoke:

“I think Yunze seems to have misunderstood something. It might be overthinking.”

“I think so too,” Cui Hao nodded repeatedly. “But whatever it’s misunderstanding seems to be a good thing—it’s been treating me much better now.”

Cui Hao met Zheng Zhaoling’s gaze with a raised eyebrow, looking smug:

“Let it overthink one more night; by tomorrow, it might even call me ‘Brother Cui Hao.’”

Zheng Zhaoling looked straight at him:

“This is the Cloud Marsh Dreamland. I could go and report you anytime.”

Hearing this, Cui Hao quickly responded:

“Sister Zhaoling, we’re battle comrades who’ve fought side by side. You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

Zheng Zhaoling kept walking, satisfied with Cui Hao’s quick awareness of the situation, and replied:

“That’s not necessarily certain.”