Owen Bertram had a secret: three years ago, he found a loach that had fallen from the sky. This was a very special loach, as his soul could attach itself to the creature and swim around freely in the water.
He dared not tell anyone this secret, fearing that the villagers would report him as a monster to the Immortal Clan in the mountains, who would then send immortals to eliminate him.
Unbeknownst to him, on that same day three years ago, two other creatures had also fallen to the earth. One, an injured giant White Cat, fell in the Western Ridge Poter Kingdom. King Monroe himself entered Alps Mountain and brought the cat back to Portland as a divine beast to protect the nation. Over the three years, the White Cat helped King Monroe conquer the Six Kingdoms and unify half of the West Ridge.
The other, a Divine Fire Vermilion Bird, fell in the Southern Wilderness Great August Sect. Here, Stan Sect disciple Reed Blade encountered the Vermilion Bird during his journey into the Great Swamp. Three years later, Reed Blade emerged with incredible abilities, first defeating the Stan Sect Law Enforcing Elder, and later the sect leader. With this, he seemed unstoppable as he dominated nineteen sects across the Southern Wasteland, positioning the Stan Sect as the number one power in the area.
However, nobody knew that on that day three years ago, three creatures had actually fallen from the sky, not just two!
Compared to the unrivaled power of the White Cat and the Vermilion Bird, this loach was just too weak! So weak that no one even noticed that three creatures had fallen from the sky that day.
...
"Splish!"
In a small river by the village, after three years of nursing back to health, Little Loach finally began to thrive, wriggling its tail and diving to the riverbed.
Owen Bertram curled up by the riverside in a tree hollow, his soul controlling Little Loach as it searched the waters.
Today, before the sun sets, was the deadline for paying the "Life Saving Tax". If they missed it, Owen and his sister would go without a single grain of rice for half a month, starving to death.
This was the closest river to the village, and countless locals had already scoured its depths. But it was the safest place, as further away, there were many fierce Water Monsters; Little Loach was too weak, and would be swallowed whole.
Little Loach dived deeper and deeper, with the light around it dimming and the water becoming colder and colder. Owen's body on land began to tremble uncontrollably.
As the sun moved further westward, Owen grew more and more anxious. He swam into a new area and suddenly felt a hint of warmth. Excited, he searched the riverbed, finding a faint yellow light emitting from a spot obscured by a cluster of River Clams.
A River Clam opened, revealing a tiny Pearl inside.
Little Loach swam back the way it came, and Owen retrieved it on the riverbank, placing it in a Gourd that he carried with him.
He then warmed up his body, pulled a small knife from his waist, and plunged headfirst into the river. A wave of cold washed over him, making his body tense up.
Swimming to the River Clam's location, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Glancing down, he saw a Fierce Fish the size of his palm had sunk its teeth into his leg.
Owen didn't have time to react; this spot was his limit. Any further delay and the cold would leave him frozen and immobile, doomed to sink to the bottom forever.
He stabbed the knife into the River Clam, snatched the Pearl, and swam away.
His body grew stiffer and stiffer, the cold seeping into his very bones. Owen mustered all his strength and leaped upwards, his hands finally clinging to the riverbank.
Exhausted, he crawled out of the river, his body wracked with shivers and his face a sickly pale.
Clenching the Pearl in his hand, he collapsed on the ground, the sun's warmth doing nothing to comfort him.
It took him quite a while to recover. Once his body regained feeling, he looked down at the Fierce Fish, still biting his leg and swallowing his blood.
Owen pried the Fierce Fish off with his knife and tore a strip of cloth from his tattered clothes to bandage the wound.
Suddenly, movement stirred inside the Gourd. Owen patted it gently, saying, "These things are poisonous, you can't eat them."
These days, Little Loach had been craving meat and constantly wanted to eat the Fierce Fish found in the river.
Owen spread out his palm, the Pearl the size of a bean securing him and his sister's food for the next half month. Oh, and Little Loach too, of course.
However, Little Loach in the Gourd continued to fidget, its movements growing more forceful as it banged against its container.
Owen found it strange, asking, "Can you eat it?"
He sliced off a tiny piece of fish meat and tossed it to Little Loach. Just a small piece shouldn't be lethal. After suffering a bit, it should stop causing trouble.
Little Loach swallowed it whole, but instead of growing stiff and cold like Owen had imagined, it became even livelier, creating a ruckus in the Gourd. It wanted more.
"Huh?" Owen looked at the Fierce Fish. Could it be that this one was edible?
He sliced off another sliver of fish, hesitated for a moment, then put it in his mouth. He chewed twice...then, his teeth chattered loudly and he fell straight to the ground.
Unexpectedly, a warm current flowed from Little Loach, entering Owen's limbs and dispelling the cold from his body.
Ethan looked questioningly at Little Loach, slicing another sliver of fish and tossing it to the creature. Little Loach gulped it down, still unharmed.
The Fierce Fish was only the size of Owen's palm, but its body was many times larger than Little Loach. Incredibly, Little Loach ate every last bit of the fish.
Owen spread his hands, saying, "It's all gone."
But Little Loach refused to give up, continuing to ram the Gourd. Owen finally released it, and Little Loach wriggled about, eating the Fierce Fish's scales, teeth, and innards scattered on the ground until nothing was left.
Finally satisfied, Little Loach then curled up on the ground, looking just like a small snake.
As it did, that familiar warm current flowed from it once again. This time, however, the warmth didn't dissipate. Instead, it began to circulate through Owen's body.