Carson Flores cultivated for about half a day when the little fellow popped up again.
Perhaps because it had replenished its food and rested, it no longer looked listless but full of vigor.
It stood by the shore and chirped twice in the direction of Carson before splashing into the water.
Soon, the surface of the water was once again rippled, occasionally disturbed by surging waves.
"It’s gone down to fight again!"
Lilly Compton was also awakened, looked at the water, and laughed, "It got hurt fighting before. Is it going down for revenge?"
Carson laughed, "Last time it was able to fight for so long, getting injured in many places, which means its opponent didn’t have overwhelming power. The other must have been injured as well, but to what extent, I don’t know."
Both stopped cultivating for the moment, switched on their lamps, and focused on the surface of the water.
More than ten minutes later, the sounds of water alerted them as the little fellow resurfaced and swam towards the shore—not to the opposite side, but towards where Carson and Lilly were.
Lilly exclaimed with joy, "Is it coming towards us?"
Carson laughed, "If I’m not mistaken, the little guy is injured again and came to seek my help for healing."
No sooner had he spoken than the little fellow leaped out of the water, limping onto the shore without hesitation, and headed straight for Carson.
The little fellow’s body was once again covered with blood, with a large patch of blood on one leg, as if something had bitten viciously into it.
The little fellow ran up to Carson, tilted its head upward, and chirped at him with hopeful eyes.
"It really came to get treated; it’s so smart!"
Carson too was amused by the little fellow’s behavior, "Alright, I’ll treat you. I also want to see what’s down there in the water. I’ll help you out so you can finish it off sooner!"
Carson took out the Life Essence Pearl again and healed all the little fellow’s injuries.
The little guy looked at Carson with ever-growing affection, rubbing its head vigorously against Carson’s leg like a domestic cat or dog.
Lilly, feeling a bit envious, took out a large strip of beef jerky from her backpack and handed it to the little guy.
But the little fellow was still wary and refused to leave Carson or come near Lilly; Lilly had no choice but to hand the beef jerky to Carson, "It’s still afraid of me. Carson, you feed it, try it?"
Carson offered the beef jerky to the little guy, who hesitated not a bit to take a bite, then held it down with both paws and began tearing and chewing.
Carson noticed that the little guy’s teeth were very sharp, and its claws were also very hard and sharp; the tough beef jerky was easily torn into pieces by the little guy, which then ate it with relish.
After eating its fill, the little guy rubbed against Carson once more before running back into its cave.
From then on, the little guy would go into the water every day to fight with the creature below, always returning with injuries. Each time it was wounded, it would dash to find Carson for treatment.
Carson healed it each time and fed it some food. Through repeated treatments and feedings, the little guy no longer had any guard against Carson and would even curl up and sleep beside Carson after eating. However, it only let its guard down around Carson—it still wouldn’t accept food from Lilly, nor allow her to touch it.
"The injuries on its body are getting lighter; it seems the creature below is losing combat power and can’t keep up," said Lilly, looking at the rippling water, curiously guessing, "Carson, what do you think is down there in the water?"
Carson laughed, "It could be a fish or an eel of some sort. But whatever it is, it must have sharp teeth, and it can’t be too large, or the wounds on our little guy wouldn’t be so small."
Lilly laughed, "Do you think it could be like the fish in the Jade Pool of Mount Kahdas?"
Carson paused for a moment, "I don’t know, but I think the fish in this pool, enriched with Spiritual Energy, would taste pretty good. Eating them regularly must be beneficial. This little guy probably fights so vigorously because it’s been catching and eating these fish, which is why it’s so extraordinary."
Lilly laughed, "It’s a pity we’re only here for a short period of cultivation, or we could try catching some fish to eat, too."
Carson chuckled, "The little guy has been busy fighting these past few days and hasn’t caught any fish. Otherwise, it’d be nice to have it catch fish for us to eat."
Lilly erupted into laughter, "That’s true, I’ve seen how swiftly it catches fish."
As they were talking, the splashing suddenly stopped. The little guy emerged on the water’s surface with a slender fish at least one meter long in its mouth!
Dragging the fish, the little guy came ashore on Carson’s side, then trudged with the fish straight to Carson, laid it before him, and chirped merrily with a tilted neck, full of pride—the very image of the Great General who had won a battle.
Lilly called out with surprise, "It really did catch one! What kind of fish is that? It looks strange; I don’t even recognize it..."