Ch 18: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

After feeding the little koi, Qin Zhao took out the book Shangshu Zhengyi that Chen Yanan had given him.

This book was a common reference for the Classics subject in the imperial examinations and was one of the required readings for all candidates taking the Tongsheng Exam.

Qin Zhao couldn’t recall where or when he had read this book before, but a few months ago, when the town’s academy sent it to him to transcribe, he found it extremely familiar after just reading a few passages. He could even recite parts of it with ease.

In this era, printed books existed but were prohibitively expensive, so most students still used handwritten copies.

Chen Yanan’s book was no exception.

After several handovers, errors and omissions were inevitable, and Qin Zhao’s previous work involved revising these texts, correcting mistakes, and then transcribing them.

However, this was his first time making annotations.

He first read through the initial pages, marking words and sentences that he felt needed explanation directly on the book. His interpretations and other notes were written on a separate sheet of rough paper, which he then inserted between the pages for reference.

This approach allowed the book to remain clean and organized, without affecting Chen Yanan’s ability to take notes during class. Additionally, the notes could be removed at any time, ensuring they didn’t disrupt Chen Yanan’s own thought process.

Jing Li watched from start to finish, going from curious to amazed, and finally, he was completely stunned.

This person’s study methods… they’re way ahead of their time.

It’s a waste of talent that he’s not a teacher—no, that he’s not taking the imperial examinations.

Qin Zhao seemed to have a thorough understanding of the book. He barely needed to think while writing and managed to annotate nearly half the book in less than an hour and a half.

He put down his brush and stretched.

Qin Zhao didn’t plan to annotate the entire book. This was a quick fix to help Chen Yanan temporarily deal with his teacher. However, the guy would have to read many more books in the future, and Qin Zhao couldn’t help him every time.

Chen Yanan needed to learn to think for himself and apply what he learned.

Jing Li hadn’t thought about any of this—he just assumed Qin Zhao was tired and could finally rest.

Over the past few days, Jing Li had learned to recognize a few simple characters, but this book was written in such a complex and obscure manner that he couldn’t make out a single word, leaving him bored and dozing off in his wooden bucket.

Moreover, although he knew Qin Zhao was helping Chen Yanan out of gratitude for saving his life, he still didn’t like the guy.

He hadn’t forgotten Chen Yanan’s rude remarks from before.

Jing Li yawned heavily in the water, releasing a string of bubbles.

“I told you before that you don’t need to keep me company,” Qin Zhao noticed his drowsy state and said softly.

But being alone is so boring.

Jing Li swished his tail.

He was just a fish—he couldn’t survive out of water and couldn’t do anything else. During the day, he could follow Qin Zhao around, but the long nights had nothing interesting to offer except watching him write.

Qin Zhao seemed to understand his thoughts and said leisurely, “If you could turn into a human, you could find other ways to pass the time.”

“!!!”

Jing Li was so startled that he shuddered, splashing water onto the table.

Qin Zhao was prepared and moved the book out of the way before the water could reach it.

This little demon is so skittish—has he really been cultivating for years?

The “skittish” little koi was now huddled in the corner, his tail swaying nervously from side to side.

Why did Qin Zhao say that?

Was he testing him? Did he discover something?

Where did he slip up?

—Completely unaware that his guilty behavior was a dead giveaway.

Qin Zhao held back a smile and reached out his hand.

Jing Li instinctively wanted to dodge, but afraid of appearing too suspicious, he forced himself to stay still.

Qin Zhao slowly patted the little koi’s head, his fingers gliding over the cool, smooth back, then teasing the soft fins. With each touch, the little creature in the water gave a slight tremble.

Scared but too afraid to move.

How adorable.

Qin Zhao thought with a hint of mischief, his fingers continuing to stroke further back, but then he suddenly felt a sharp nip.

The little koi had bitten down on his fingertip.

Even a fish will bite when pushed too far.

But the little koi’s tiny teeth didn’t hurt at all; it didn’t even dare to bite hard. Qin Zhao only felt a gentle, cool pressure encasing his fingertip, which tickled slightly.

He wasn’t sure what crossed his mind, but suddenly his ears grew warm, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

“It’s getting late; let’s go to sleep,” Qin Zhao said.

That night, Qin Zhao’s dreams were no longer filled with those unfamiliar pavilions and towers, nor the endless falling and despair.

Instead, he had a night of vivid, romantic dreams.

In the dream, the young man lay atop him, his hair damp, his clothes disheveled.

Those soft, delicate lips lightly brushed over his fingertips, inch by inch, before he looked up and softly called out—

“Husband.”

The next morning, for the first time, Qin Zhao fetched water for an early morning bath.

And he bathed three times.

Jing Li was now very displeased.

This morning, Qin Zhao was acting very strange. Not only did he skip their usual playtime, but now he left the house without taking him along.

Who keeps a pet fish like this?

Jing Li swam around the bucket restlessly, his tail slapping the sides in frustration.

Although Qin Zhao had said he’d only be out for a while and would be back soon, staying home alone was just too boring.

He really wanted to go out and explore.

Jing Li paused.

Maybe, while Qin Zhao was away, he could try transforming into a human and go out to have some fun?

Jing Li had already transformed into a human twice, so he had some experience.

He discovered that as long as he was well-fed and energized, he could transform into a human quite easily.

This morning, Qin Zhao had fed him the last piece of sugar cake and two small pieces of egg pancake, so he was full and could try transforming again.

Jing Li jumped out of the water and landed in the center of the room, silently wishing in his heart.

Let me turn into a human, let me turn into a human…

A red light flashed through the room, and a young man appeared in the center.

His hands and feet were intact, though the red scales on his body hadn’t completely faded, but there were far fewer than before.

Jing Li looked at his body with satisfaction.

If it continued like this, with a bit more practice, he was sure he could freely transform into human form.

This time, Jing Li was more experienced. He first dried his hair and casually tied it back with a hair tie. Then he went to the clothesline behind the house and took down the clothes he had worn before.

The clothes had been hanging outside all night and were now dry, but Qin Zhao had left too early in the morning to bring them in.

He figured that as long as he wore them and hung them back afterward, Qin Zhao wouldn’t suspect anything.

Mimicking how Qin Zhao usually dressed, Jing Li tied the belt around his waist tightly, grabbed a straw hat, and walked out the door with confidence.

Qin Zhao hadn’t even locked the door today, making it easy for Jing Li to slip out.

The village was quiet in the early morning. At this hour, everyone was either working in the fields or heading to the market in town. Hardly anyone was left in the village, and Jing Li didn’t encounter a single person as he walked.

Jing Li took a deep breath of the fresh air and quickened his pace.

…

Out of the corner of his eye, Qin Zhao thought he saw a familiar figure. He turned his head, but the path outside the house was empty.

The person he was talking to continued speaking.

“…The wages for building a house in the village are fifty coins a day for four hours of work, and you just need to provide one meal. Qin Zhao, did you hear me?”

Qin Zhao snapped back to attention and said, “Sorry, Uncle Lin.”

“What’s on your mind? You’ve been distracted all morning,” said Lin Changzhong, a relative from the Lin family, known for his work in construction around the village.

Qin Zhao had indeed been a bit preoccupied today. He pressed his fingers to his temple and shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Outside, Jing Li hid around the corner of a narrow alley, peeking out cautiously.

He hadn’t expected Qin Zhao to be here and had almost been caught. He thought Qin Zhao was going far away today, which was why he didn’t bring him along.

But it turned out to be somewhere so close.

Hmph.

Jing Li peered out, watching as Qin Zhao stood by the window, talking to a farmer. Just then, the morning sun began to rise, casting a soft glow on Qin Zhao’s profile, making his features look even more striking.

Some people, no matter how simply they dress, still exude an air of refinement.

Jing Li was so absorbed in watching that he didn’t notice the soft meow behind him.

“Meow~”

Ahhhhhh—!

Qin Zhao turned back again, his brows slightly furrowed. “Uncle Lin, did you hear something just now?”

“No, I didn’t hear anything. Are you feeling unwell again?” Lin Changzhong replied. “You don’t look too good. You should rest when you get home. Leave these matters to me; you don’t need to worry.”

Lin Changzhong added cheerfully, “You helped out Lin Lao’er’s family before, which is as good as helping me. There’s no need to be so formal.”

“Thank you,” Qin Zhao said. “When can the construction start?”

“You want to build two rooms, a pool, and a bamboo fence. I can supply the wood and tiles, but we’ll need to gather bamboo from nearby villages, which might take some effort,” Lin Changzhong explained. “Once we have all the materials, I’ll let you know. Don’t worry, as soon as we have everything, I’ll get the house built in a few days.”

Qin Zhao nodded. “Understood.”

The real cost of building a house wasn’t in the labor but in the materials. Qin Zhao opted for tiled roofs instead of the cheaper thatched ones most poorer farmers used, which would double the cost.

Qin Zhao handed over three guan as a deposit and left with the receipt Lin Changzhong had written.

When he returned home, he saw the door was closed, and an orange cat was sitting in front, lightly scratching at the door.

The small hole that the cat had previously clawed open had been repaired by Qin Zhao. The little creature circled around the door, trying to find a way inside.

The little monster inside is probably scared again.

Qin Zhao smiled silently, stepped forward to shoo the cat away, but paused when he heard a voice from inside, tinged with a sob, “D-Don’t come in…”

The voice was soft and delicate, trembling at the ends, as if on the verge of tears.

Qin Zhao’s heart skipped a beat, then began to race uncontrollably.

Did… did he turn into a human?

The cat, noticing Qin Zhao, obediently sat by his feet, rubbing its head against his leg, purring softly.

Inside, there were sounds of someone gasping as if they were even more frightened.

Qin Zhao could sense that the boy was right behind the door. With only a thin door between them, he could almost picture what the boy must look like.

That slender back pressed tightly against the door, red-rimmed eyes, scared and on the brink of tears.

It must be a very beautiful sight.

Qin Zhao placed his hand on the door, trying to steady his emotions as he took a quiet breath.

He really wanted to pretend he didn’t know anything, but how could this little fish be so bad at keeping secrets?

Qin Zhao felt a bit helpless. After a moment, he bent down, picked up the cat, and quietly walked away.