C209

Old Ox was a villager from the He Family Village. Just like the name of the village, most of the villagers had the surname He or were related to him in some way. But the old cow was different. He had come here after escaping from a foreign land. He was a young man in his twenties. In a blink of an eye, he was close to sixty years old, yet he was unable to make a home here. Therefore, as a villager of He Village, the old ox's status was quite low, but fortunately, just like his own surname, the old bull was as hardworking as a cow.

Every three or four days, he would make a trip to the Qingyu Lake to catch fish and then bring them back to the village to sell to the fishmongers. This was an important source of income for him.

Not long ago, there were rumors that the Qingyu Lake was going to change this place into a mountain resort, which caused quite a sensation in the village. But then, somehow, it was all over.

Only then would the old cow be able to rely on the Qingyu Lake and continue living.

He dragged the fishing net to the lake and began to prepare for the day's work. For new fishermen who don't know how to get out of the net, fishing is a skillful business. Where you get out of the net and how you get out is something to be careful about. However, for a veteran like Old Bull, logging out of the net had already become a mechanical matter. Even with his eyes closed, he could still do this job well.

The old cow was squatting on the shore, spreading out the fishing net while whistling. He was not a lively person, but he was good at whistling. After all, this was the only entertainment he had while fishing.

He saw nothing but ripples spreading outward from the lake.

Was that the big fish? The old cow suddenly started to look forward to today's harvest. He straightened himself and continued with his work.

"Putong." Another heavy sound.

The old cow rubbed his eyes. He could not believe his eyes. If what he saw just now was a fish, then that fish was way too big.

He put down the fishing net in his hand but did not stand up. Instead, he moved his feet towards the clumps of grass by the lake.

With the cover of the grass, the old cow hid himself, and then he stopped moving.

When he was younger, Old Ox was a hunter. At that time, the Coastal City was still in the process of development and construction. However, the more people there were, the fewer prey there would be. Furthermore, since the country had strictly regulated this area, the old cow put down the hunting rifle and picked up the fishing net.

However, his patience had been honed while he was a hunter. Time passed by, minute by minute. If it were an ordinary person, they would have given up on this seemingly meaningless wait a long time ago. He felt that he had become a part of nature. If he could add a shotgun to his gun, then the old cow could even go back to the days when he was young and healthy.

The old cow didn't have a shotgun. He had nothing but patience. But most of the time, it's enough as long as you have the patience.

On the surface of the clear Qingyu Lake's lake, a small bubble appeared. It seemed that something was about to rise from the bottom of the lake.

The old cow widened his eyes as he stared at the rising bubble. Could it be a rare big fish?

No.

The old cow's mouth slowly opened, and at the same time, his eyes widened. A dark green shadow drilled out from the bottom of the water. It was not a big fish, but a creature that he had never seen before.

Although it had the appearance of a human, the creature's body was covered with scales. Compared to a human who was barely able to learn swimming, that fellow's swimming posture was no different from a fish's. No, she was even more agile than a fish.

"Mermaid," the old bull muttered, "that's mermaid!"

His voice startled the creature in the lake. The creature turned its head to look at the old cow's clump of grass, then suddenly dived into the bottom of the lake.

The old cow stood up as well. He even forgot to take his net with him as he ran in the direction of the village.

"Mermaid, mermaid!" Panic covered his face.

In the myths of Lin Lin, the image of the mermaid is not the same, while the modern scholars believe that the mermaid in the myths is actually a Jugong, which is also a sea buffalo. The mysterious veil of the merman fish was removed, and people gradually lost interest in the merman fish legend.

However, the old cow was certain that what it saw was not a real gongzi. It was a real humanoid creature with facial features, long hair, and human-like limbs — along with green scales that covered its entire body.

This was an astonishing discovery. If others could believe the old cow, then another species would be discovered by humans here. Even the rarely visited Qingyu Lake would gain great fame because of this.

However, there weren't many people who would believe the old bull if he met one. Mermaid? In an age when feudal superstition has been broken, it is hard to accept these seemingly nonsensical remarks.

However, regardless of whether or not there was anyone who believed in the old ox, the news that there was a fish in the Qingyu Lake would spread and attract people with ulterior motives.

Just as the old ox was running towards the He Family Village, a strange passenger was sitting in the coach and heading towards the He Family Village from Coastal City.

The man gave off a foul stench, and his beard and hair looked as if they had not been combed in a long time. He covered his eyes with his dirty bangs, revealing only the bottom half of his face to the others.

If it weren't for the fact that he was quite generous with his money and looked rather pitiful while walking, the driver would definitely not have agreed to give him a ride.

"Here's the money. Take me to the Terminal Station." That's what he told the driver.

The strange man didn't sit in the seat like the other passengers. He sat on the ground after he got on the car.

The driver was also happy to see him like this. After all, he was too smelly.