Inside the pleasure boat, there was a dedicated kitchen.
Uncle Li and the others dragged the enormous fish king into the kitchen at the rear of the boat, letting the chefs prepare it into a delicious meal.
By now, some familiar faces had boarded the boat, mostly wealthy young people from Fu City.
Su Hao asked Gu Huai to take care of these guests while he went to the kitchen to check on the fish king and retrieve the spirit stone fragments from its body.
The spirit stone fragments were crucial for unlocking the store, so he couldn't risk any mishaps.
In the kitchen, several chefs were sharpening their knives, preparing to work on the fish king.
"Young Master Su, why have you come here?" a chef asked, bowing respectfully.
"I just want to examine the fish king. Drag it inside, and I'll check for any peculiarities before you start working on it," Su Hao replied, not wanting to extract anything from the fish's belly in front of others.
If rumors spread, the whole of Fu City might learn about Su Hao obtaining some extraordinary treasure, which would only invite trouble.
"Yes, sir!" The kitchen helpers immediately moved the fish king to a nearby storage room, clearing space for Su Hao.
Su Hao waved his hand, dismissing everyone. He bent down, looking at the fish king gasping for air, and thrust his hand into its belly. After feeling around, his eyes lit up as he touched something hard and pulled it out.
"Is this the spirit stone?" Su Hao wondered, examining the walnut-sized spirit stone fragment in his hand. It was only slightly more lustrous than an ordinary stone. When he gripped it, a peculiar energy flowed from the stone into his body, entering his meridians and cleansing his physique.
"This spirit stone seems to cleanse the body and increase internal energy," Su Hao murmured, sensing the energy emanating from the fragment.
"Spirit stone fragment detected. Do you wish to absorb it? Absorption will unlock the system store!" The system's voice interrupted Su Hao's contemplation.
"Absorb!" Su Hao commanded.
"Absorbing 50g of spirit energy. System store activated!"
After the spirit stone fragment in Su Hao's hand disappeared, a new system store section appeared in his interface.
"I didn't expect that small fragment to contain only 50g of spirit energy. Still, unlocking the system store is an unexpected gain. I'll study it more thoroughly when I return to the Su residence," Su Hao thought as he left the room, washing his hands with clean water.
"I thought such a large fish might have some kind of core, but there was nothing. Prepare the fish king quickly and serve it as soon as possible!" Su Hao instructed the kitchen staff.
"Yes, Young Master!" The helpers glanced at the hole in the fish's belly, slightly confused, but after hearing Su Hao's words, they exchanged looks, surprised that he would believe in such legendary things.
Su Hao left the kitchen and returned to the center of the boat, where food and drinks had already been laid out. As he arrived, the guests who had boarded the boat thanked him for the opportunity to enjoy the fish king.
"Fatty, take care of them. I'm going to entertain our new guests," Su Hao told Gu Huai before walking towards Dong Fang Mu and his companions.
"Don't worry, you two. I've instructed them to prepare the fish quickly. Since we've met by chance, let's share a drink!" Su Hao raised his glass and downed it in one gulp.
"Yes, we must thank you for your hospitality, Brother Su," Dong Fang Mu replied, drinking his wine without hesitation.
Xiao Xianger, who was with him, also reached for a glass, but Dong Fang Mu stopped her.
"My cousin can't handle alcohol well. She'll just have some fish and soup later if that's alright with you, Brother Su," Dong Fang Mu explained softly.
"If she can't handle alcohol, then she shouldn't drink. I'll have someone bring up some fruit," Su Hao said, gesturing to a nearby servant to fetch fruit.
They chatted casually for a while, as they weren't well acquainted, and Su Hao didn't pry too much into their affairs.
As they talked, a delicious fish aroma wafted through the boat.
"It smells amazing!" the guests exclaimed.
"The smell is so strong; I'm starting to drool!" Xiao Xianger said, wanting to go to the kitchen, but Dong Fang Mu held her back.
"It seems this fish king is quite extraordinary," Dong Fang Mu remarked, also noticing the intense aroma.
"It'll be ready soon. Don't worry, everyone. Today, our goal is to finish the entire fish king!" Su Hao said with a smile as his own stomach began to growl.
Meanwhile, on the banks of the Luoshui River, a group of masked individuals in black clothes gathered behind a woman wearing a silver mask.
"Miss, Qin Hao from the Qin family is on the pleasure boat. It seems he's entertaining guests from the capital," one of the black-clad figures reported.
"Guests from the capital? Could the Qin family have established connections there?" the silver-masked woman pondered, her voice growing serious. It was already difficult enough to deal with the Qin family, and if they advanced further, it would be even harder to exact their revenge.
Her voice was cool, but if Su Hao were present, he would have recognized it as belonging to Yue Ying, who had left the Moonlight Tower. She had recently broken through to the fourth level of the Earth Realm and, upon learning of Qin Hao's presence in Fu City, decided to make a move against him.
Qin Hao was considered one of the outstanding members of his generation in the Qin family. Killing him would be a significant loss for them.
Suddenly, a person emerged from the river. After surveying the area and spotting Yue Ying's group, he quickly climbed ashore.
"Miss, a fish king was discovered in the river and caught by Young Master Su. Now Qin Hao and his companions have boarded Young Master Su's boat," the spy reported. He had been tasked with monitoring Qin Hao and his group.
"Fish king? Young Master Su?" Yue Ying hadn't anticipated this turn of events.
"Miss, Young Master Su was recently the target of an assassination attempt. I believe there might be skilled fighters protecting them on the boat. If we were to make a move there, we likely wouldn't have a chance to kill Qin Hao," the spy cautioned.
"It seems we can only act once they're back on shore. You all go back first. I'll see if there's an opportunity to strike," Yue Ying said after some consideration.
They had originally planned to attack Qin Hao on the Luoshui River, but now that he was on Su Hao's boat, they would have to wait and see if they could seize an opportunity on land.
"Miss, perhaps you should return while we attempt to ambush Qin Hao on shore," one of the black-clad figures suggested, concerned.
"I know what I'm doing. You all leave first," Yue Ying replied coldly.