Chapter 304: Chapter 204: Spirit Fish_1
“Hey, isn’t that Qing?”
“Come in and have a few drinks with us, brothers?”
“Hahaha!”
Clad in a straw raincoat and wearing a bamboo hat, Qing ignored the drunks’ nonsensical banter and hurried into a pharmacy with her little brother.
“Ah, that girl, she’s a pitiable one.”
“Not only did her parents die early, but she’s also left with such a burden.”
“Just a medicine pot, how can she make ends meet?”
“In such cold weather, even a grown man might not withstand it, how can this little girl endure?”
“You say that, but if you want to help her, why don’t you find a matchmaker and propose?”
“Don’t say that. The girl is very capable, a good wife who knows how to manage a household.”
“Unfortunately, she’s saddled with a burden…”
While the people inside the shop were discussing, Qing had already left the pharmacy and was heading back to her fish stall with her little brother.
She hadn’t yet sold all the fish she had brought and had rushed over because the doctor at the pharmacy was a peculiar man – the shop sometimes opened and sometimes didn’t, so she didn’t dare delay and could only come to buy medicine first before returning to her stall.
However, just as she reached her stall, she saw that the neighboring stall had attracted a large crowd, with bouts of arguing carrying over.
“What… What’s going on?”
Qing looked around, not daring to go up directly, so she asked a fishmonger she knew.
“It seems two groups are vying for the same fish; neither will give way to the other, both insisting on buying it.”
“One fish?”
“What kind of fish?”
“That I don’t know.”
Qing was surprised, and the crowd was even more curious, each stretching their necks to look inside, truly enjoying the excitement of the commotion.
Only a few old fishmongers frowned deeply, silently packing up their stalls and retreating inconspicuously.
Qing also came to her senses, looked at the fish still unsold on her stall, then at the ring of arguing people, and gritted her teeth. She took her brother by the hand and moved toward a corner of the street.
In the center of the scene, two groups surrounded the fish stall, engaged in a verbal battle, at an impasse.
“I saw that fish first.”
“Just because you saw it first, it’s yours? Since when does the world work like that?”
“Exactly, we offered money first; the fish is ours!”
“How absurd, you twist the truth, thinking we Donglai Pavilion can be bullied?”
“So what if it’s Donglai Pavilion? We at Nanfeng Building aren’t vegetarians either.”
“Hey, fish seller, whom are you going to sell the fish to? Speak up!”
Unable to come to an agreement, the two groups ended up turning their attention to the fishmonger.
Facing the devouring stares from both sides, the fishmonger put on a smile uglier than crying: “Gentlemen, please, how about we split the fish in half, one half for each of your establishments… ah!”
Before he could finish speaking, someone slapped him to the ground with a backhand: “You dog, taking my deposit and still daring to sell the fish to someone else!”
Upon seeing this, another person immediately sneered: “What deposit? Don’t throw your weight around, intimidating the shopkeeper.”
After saying this, he had two helpers lift the fishmonger up: “Don’t be scared, we all will back you up. Say whom you’re selling the fish to, and it will be to them. In broad daylight, who dares to force a sale?”
“Sir, I…”
The fishmonger, whose cheek was swelling up, looked at the two menacing men and simply didn’t know how to respond.
The people around were all very surprised at this scene.
“Donglai Pavilion?”
“Nanfeng Building?”
“Those are two of Jiangning Mansion’s big restaurants.”
“What kind of fish is so rare that it has the two major restaurants scrambling over it?”
“Could it be a Black Night Fork?”
“Stop kidding, Black Night Fork appearing in this fish market?”
“Exactly, with Old Zhou’s physique, how could he catch a Black Night Fork?”
“I heard it’s a carp, very ordinary, but for some reason, the managers from both restaurants regard it as a treasure.”
“Could it be…”
The crowd was buzzing with speculation, and the situation grew increasingly out of hand.
Just then…
“Giddy up!”
“Move aside, move aside!”
A burst of hoofbeats sounded, shaking the ground.
People turned their heads to look and saw a cavalcade charging in, making their way into the fish market.
The person at the forefront was a woman, draped in a fiery red fox fur cloak which failed to conceal her striking figure. She rode a chestnut-red horse, exuding an air of regal and martial grace, radiating with breathtaking beauty.
Behind the woman, three more riders followed swiftly, dressed brightly and riding fiercely, emitting an aura of the Martial World.
Only after these riders, came the foot soldiers – over a hundred robust men, shouting in unison as they approached, equally awe-inspiring.
“It’s the Flying Tiger Gang!”
“That person is…”
“The third son of the Flying Tiger Gang? Why would he follow someone else?”
Witnessing the newcomers, the crowd was both startled and curious.
The two groups by the fish stall turned their heads and bowed respectfully toward the woman who had ridden in.
“We greet Miss Li!”
“Hmph!”
The red-clothed woman sat on her horse, gazing down coldly: “The country has laws, and families have rules. By causing such a disturbance here, do you even have the empire’s laws in mind?”
“We… we acknowledge our mistake, please, Miss Li, forgive us!”
Upon hearing this, the two men broke into a cold sweat and knelt down to beg for mercy.
Li Suhong looked down with an impassive face: “I’ll overlook this on account of the Zhang and Li families. If you offend again, do not blame me for being heartless!”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“Be gone!”
As if granted amnesty, the two men scrambled away.
Only then did Li Suhong drive her horse forward, addressing the bewildered fishmonger, “I will buy this fish.”
With that, she took out a piece of silver from nowhere and tossed it in front of the fishmonger.
“Thank you, Miss Li, thank you, Miss Li!”
Although he did not know the identity of the newcomers, the fishmonger was still grateful and knelt on the ground, repeatedly thanking them.
“Go!”
Li Suhong did not say much. She turned her horse around and led her team galloping away, soon disappearing from everyone’s sight.
She was like a brilliant whirlwind that suddenly appeared and just as suddenly left.
Qing stood amongst the crowd, staring in the direction of Li Suhong’s departure, looking a bit dazed and lost.
Not just her, many people felt the same way, watching the retreating figure of Li Suhong as if they were looking at a dream.
But a dream is ultimately just a dream; it could never become reality, and in the end, one could only return to the starkness of the real world with a heavy heart.
Soon, the crowd dispersed and everything went back to normal.
In the tavern…
“Li Suhong, Miss Li!”
“Le Family of Jiangning Mansion!”
“I heard that there are three great families in Jiangning Mansion, and the Le Family is one of them, the most formidable!”
“Even the Flying Tiger Gang was raised by the Le Family!”
“Why would such important people come to the fish market?”
“What exactly was the fish being sold at that stall?”
“Donglai Pavilion and Nanfeng Building both wanted it, and in the end, Miss Li gave a bar of Yuanbao.”
“I looked carefully, that bar of silver must have been at least fifty taels.”
“Apart from the Black Night Fork, what fish could be so valuable?”
“Could it be…”
After a burst of discussion, the atmosphere inexplicably changed.
Several people got up to settle their bills and hurriedly left the tavern.
An inexplicable unease spread through the mood, and the bustling tavern swiftly emptied by more than half.
Xu Yang did not move, sitting on the side and glancing out the window.
In the fish market, it was still bustling with people coming and going, but there was now an added sense of urgency.
“Heh, they’re all dreaming of making a fortune, but is the Spirit Fish that easy to catch?”
At that moment, in the tavern, someone suddenly let out a scornful laugh.
“Spirit Fish?”
Xu Yang muttered to himself, lowering his head, about to invoke Mana to consult the Skill of Heavenly Mechanism, but quickly dispersed it again.
The Skill of Heavenly Mechanism did not work in this world.
Because of the corruption of Demonic Qi, everything possessed a demonic nature; Demonic Qi had become as essential to this world as the Prime Spirit.
To consult Heavenly Mechanism required the support of Demonic Qi, otherwise, it would be completely resisted by Demonic Qi.
In fact, even Demon Cultivators would find it difficult to consult Heavenly Mechanism at this time.
As Demonic Qi polluted the Heavenly Earth Prime Spirit, it was also resisted by it.
The two forces wore each other down, causing the Heavenly Mechanism to be chaotic.
This was both good and bad.
If he couldn’t use the Skill of Heavenly Mechanism, neither could anyone else.
Since Heavenly Mechanism could not be consulted, the only option was to gather information himself.
“Old gentleman, how about we drink together?”
“This… wouldn’t be appropriate, would it?”
“Waiter, bring us a jar of your best Daughter’s Red wine and a few dishes to accompany the drinking.”
“Heh heh heh, young man, you’re here for that Spirit Fish too, aren’t you?”
“What Spirit Fish?”
“You don’t know about the Spirit Fish? Ah well, it’s a creature that appears once every few decades… No rush, let me explain it to you in detail.”
After a bout of wild boasting, the red-nosed old man collapsed on the table. The man who had invited him for a drink left a piece of Small denominations of silver and floated away.
A few moments later…
“Dang dang dang!”
The gong and drums resounded, and loud voices filled the air.
“Everyone gather at the fish market entrance, the manager of the Flying Tiger Gang has something to announce.”
“The Flying Tiger Gang?”
“What is it about?”
“This…”
The crowd was uncertain but still made their way obediently to the entrance of the fish market.
At the fish market entrance, a simple stage had already been erected, and a portly middle-aged man stood on it.
“Fellow villagers, I’ve summoned you here today for the matter concerning the Spirit Fish in Wuzhe Lake.”
“In Wuzhe Lake, there is a type of fish called the Spirit Fish, which is extremely valuable.”
“The Spirit Fish has no specific species, only a few characteristics. I will distribute booklets later, and every household can collect one.”
“This fish is a tribute, not to be used privately. The officialdom has ordered our Flying Tiger Gang to collect them. Catching one Spirit Fish will exempt you from taxes for three years and reward you with ten taels of silver.”
“Those who hide them privately will be deemed as stealing tribute and will be punished by death, regardless of the amount.”
“Furthermore, the government has imposed a ‘Spirit Fish tax’. Each household must submit one Spirit Fish as tax before the beginning of spring or face severe punishment and be integrated into the official fishing fleet to catch Spirit Fish.”
“Starting now, Wuzhe Lake is closed off. All fishing boats must be registered and hang a token to fish in the lake. Our Flying Tiger Gang will set up patrols day and night. If any unregistered boat is found fishing, it will be dealt with as a theft of Spirit Fish.”
Elsewhere, outside the fish market, by the docks.
A large ship was moored, and cargo was being unloaded.
At the prow of the ship, in the biting cold wind, a great cloak billowed slightly.
Gazing at the expansive Wuzhe Lake, which resembled a sea, Li Suhong wore an indifferent expression and asked in a calm voice, “How is it going?”
“Everything has been arranged. Apart from the original Wuzhe Lake fishermen, other fishermen will soon relocate here. Three thousand disciples of our Flying Tiger Gang, all skilled in water, are on standby with the boats, ready to capture the Spirit Fish and present it to Miss Li,” the person behind her responded respectfully, though with a hint of hesitation, “Controlling the fishermen is easy, but the emergence of the Spirit Fish is bound to attract contention from all sides. I fear that our gang’s disciples are no match for those powerful figures of the Martial World.”
“That’s not for you to worry about,” Li Suhong replied without turning around. “Do what you must, and those people will naturally be dealt with by someone else.”
“Understood!”