Chapter 30:
"Thank you for remembering." Lei Gong picked up the fishing rod and knocked Li Ji on the head.
"This fishing rod has an unusual origin," Lei Gong said, his tone serious. "It was made from bamboo planted by the first Jade Emperor himself. The fish it catches aren't ordinary, but rather the lost yuan scattered in the rifts of time and space."
"Forgotten Yuan?" Li Ji frowned, confused by the term.
"Think of it as a treasure lost in the cracks of time and space. Don't worry too much about the details. If I were to explain, it would take three days and three nights," Lei Gong added, with a grin. Li Ji wisely decided to remain quiet. He had learned by now that when Lei Gong said something would take days to explain, it was bound to be a long-winded, overly complex tale that wasn't worth hearing.
"The rift in time and space is like a vast, calm pool. The Forgotten Elements drift within it, like small fish swimming in the water. As long as you find the right bait, you can catch them, and gods make the best bait!" Lei Gong swung the fishing rod, and with a slight motion, the bamboo pole emerged from the rift holding an emerald-green fish. Slowly, he walked toward the edge of Kunlun, and the time and space outside rippled slightly.
Li Ji blinked in disbelief. "Are you telling me that gods are being used as bait for these Forgotten Elements?"
Lei Gong pulled out a vial, popped the cork, and swung the fishing rod over it. Out of the vial, Kunos was pulled out, his towering figure now seven to eight meters tall, his ferocity apparent in every movement. His appearance made Li Ji shudder.
"Wait, did you two save Lord Kunos? Who are you? Tell Lord Kunos your names!" Kunos demanded. "When I return to the dark space, there will be great rewards!"
Li Ji stared at him with a confused look. "You've become bait. You think you can go back to the dark space like this?"
"What is this? What is this thread wrapped around me? Where is my magic, my dark power? Why can't I use them?" Kunos shouted in panic, but Lei Gong ignored his cries. With a single motion, Kunos was cast back into the rift in time and space.
Li Ji turned to Lei Gong, still in disbelief. "Why are gods the best bait?"
"I don't know," Lei Gong shrugged. "The Jade Emperor tested it out." His nonchalant answer left Li Ji speechless. The lack of curiosity or scientific inquiry was astounding.
"But the main reason," Lei Gong continued, "is that gods' bodies are strong enough to survive. After all, the rifts in time and space are filled with dangers. Ordinary bait would be torn apart instantly."
Lei Gong seemed to find something fascinating about the fishing rod, although Li Ji couldn't see anything at all. "Master, there's nothing here," Li Ji muttered, starting to feel like he was part of an absurd charade. Fishing for lost yuan, really?
"Here, take the rod," Lei Gong said, handing the fishing pole to Li Ji. As soon as the rod touched his hands, a vivid image of Kunos' body shrinking down in the darkness appeared in Li Ji's mind. Kunos' once terrifying figure was now collapsing under the pressure, his form shrinking until he was barely a quarter of his size, the black space around him twisting in unimaginable ways.
"What will it take for the fish to bite?" Li Ji asked, his worry growing. The idea of failing to catch anything while holding the rod was humiliating.
"Don't worry," Lei Gong reassured him, waving his hand as he began to retreat back into his room. "The fishing rod has an automatic fishing function. No need to stress about it."
Li Ji could only stare at the empty space in surprise. "Isn't this just fishing for the sake of it? And you made this ages ago with all these advanced features?"
"Master, can I go back to my room and sleep?" Li Ji asked, his exhaustion beginning to set in.
"No!" Lei Gong's voice came from the room as he closed the door behind him. "If you let go of the fishing rod, it could fall into the rift."
Li Ji sighed deeply. "So I've become a tool, working non-stop without rest and without pay. How long must I endure this?"
But Li Ji couldn't afford to just throw the fishing rod away. If he did, he might end up like Kunos—cast aside and forgotten by Lei Gong, tossed into the rift as nothing more than bait. So, resigned to his fate, Li Ji kept his grip on the rod.
"Amu, come here!" Li Ji called out, sending an air bomb toward Amu's bird nest. The bird immediately flew out of Kunlun's exit, no doubt a regular part of this strange system of tools.
"Why do I always end up with tool companions?" Li Ji muttered as he watched Amu fly away. He clutched the fishing rod tighter.
In the rift, Kunos continued to shrink. The relentless tide of time and space squeezed and distorted his form. What had once been a seven- or eight-meter figure was now collapsing into a small heap. His body was being torn apart by the pressure, and his grotesque, twisted expression spoke of unimaginable pain.
"If I had to die this way, at least it would be quick," Li Ji thought, watching the slow collapse of Kunos' form. He could almost feel Kunos' hatred and pain, even though he couldn't hear the curses Kunos was undoubtedly muttering in his mind. Despite everything, it seemed Kunos was still clinging to life, desperately refusing to die.
"I'm so tired," Li Ji muttered as his eyes grew heavier. He felt the creeping exhaustion of having stayed awake too long. The Sandman's touch was slowly taking its toll.
"If I fall asleep, will I lose my grip on the rod?" Li Ji yawned again, nearly unable to stay awake. If he dozed off now, he could drop the rod, and it would fall into the rift, along with the fish—and that would be a disaster.
"No, no, I can't sleep," he muttered, trying to fight the sleepiness. He had to stay awake. His grip on the rod was the only thing preventing him from being dragged into the rift with Kunos.
Just as Li Ji's head started to droop once more, the scene in his mind shifted. The bamboo pole rose high, and something red and gleaming was pulled from the rift—a gemstone, glowing with fiery intensity.
"Phoenix power?" Lei Gong suddenly appeared beside Li Ji, his voice filled with astonishment.
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