Chapter 306: Chapter 205: Fisherman_2
Three years of tax exemption was already a hefty reward, let alone the added ten taels of silver…
Qing’s heart skipped a beat as she snapped back to reality. Paying no mind to the envious stares around her, she grabbed her younger brother and headed straight for the pharmacy.
This money burns the hand!
Though the rules of the Flying Tiger Gang held sway and no one dared to harm them now,
she knew—knew with absolute clarity—that the gang’s rules would not last forever.
Miss Li wouldn’t always be there to “stand up” for them!
Whenever the Spirit Fish are gone, so will the rules of the Flying Tiger Gang.
Everything would revert to the way it was.
By then, her money, and her life…
Qing didn’t dare to think further. Clutching her brother’s hand, she hurried into the pharmacy.
“Cough, cough!”
In the dimly lit pharmacy lay an old man, yellow-faced and gaunt, a mere skeleton of a man, as if plagued by illness.
“Doctor Mo!”
Qing, with respectful demeanor, presented a gold ingot and placed it on the countertop: “I’ve come to get medicine for my brother, using the prescription you mentioned last time.”
“Oh?”
The elder sat up, glanced at the ingot on the counter, then at the siblings, and a playful smile crossed his face: “Did you catch a Spirit Fish?”
“Mm!”
Qing nodded and forced a laugh: “Happened to catch one.”
“Is that so?”
The elder chuckled, accepted the ingot, and looked back at the siblings: “I wasn’t planning on telling you, but now that the Spirit Fish have appeared, it’s a matter of fate and destiny, so I shall. This prescription of mine may prolong your brother’s life by ten years at most. To truly eradicate the illness, another prescription is needed!”
“This…”
Qing was stunned, at a loss for words.
If another doctor had said this, Qing might have thought him a charlatan of the Martial World.
Yet this “Doctor Mo” was a renowned healer far and wide, known for his eccentric temper, curing people based on his whims. His pharmacy was not located in the city but in this modest fish market, erratic in its operations. Even the Flying Tiger Gang dared not trouble him, which clearly showed his extraordinary stature.
Her brother, suffering from a strange illness, was told by many doctors he would not live past five years, but it was only after coming to Doctor Mo that they obtained a prescription that offered a chance of extending their family lineage.
Such a divine healer would certainly not deceive her with false promises.
Could there really be a prescription that could cure her brother’s illness?
Qing’s gaze sharpened and she quickly took out the remaining five taels of silver: “Doctor Mo, how much for that prescription?”
“Silver?”
Doctor Mo glanced at her, then shook his head and said with a grim smile: “That’s not something you can buy with silver.”
“Not something you can buy with silver?”
Qing held the ingot, rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do.
“However…”
Doctor Mo’s tone shifted: “If you can catch me a certain fish to use as a catalyst, then I will prepare the medicine for you for free.”
“Fish?”
“What fish?”
Qing gasped, snapping back to her senses: “A Spirit Fish?”
“The king among Spirit Fish!”
Doctor Mo smiled: “Among the Spirit Fish, there is a Fish King. Its entire body radiates Spirit Light. A single bite can prolong one’s life by a hundred years. Used in alchemy and medicine, it cures all ailments. If you manage to catch it or find it, I will treat your brother for free.”
“The Spiritual Fish King?”
Qing stood rooted to the spot, her expression one of shock.
Doctor Mo continued: “Spirit Fish are not like Demon Fish; they aren’t as ferocious, which is why the Flying Tiger Gang has mobilized the fishermen to catch them wholesale. Likewise, the Fish King is the same. Maybe even your brother could catch it.”
“Catching it is not difficult; the difficult part is finding it!”
“Qing, I, an old man, see that you have fortune on your side, which is why I’m telling you all this.”
“As long as you can catch the Fish King, I guarantee to cure your brother.”
“Also, keep this matter to yourself. It’s for your own good as well as mine.”
“Now go.”
Qing walked away from the pharmacy, but Doctor Mo’s words echoed in her mind.
Spirit Fish?
Fish King?
One bite extends life by a century?
Does Wuzhe Lake really harbor such a treasure fish?
How come she had never heard of it?
Even if such a fish existed, could she really catch it?
And then there was the Flying Tiger Gang; if they found out someone had caught the Spiritual Fish King and not turned it in…
Shuddering at the thought, Qing quickened her pace and left the fish market in a hurry.
That night…
“Sister, are we going out on the boat at night?”
At the bow of the black-canopied boat, under the frail light of a lantern in the vast dark of Wuzhe Lake, visible only as a grain of rice, the north wind caused it to flicker.
“Stay in the cabin; the wind is strong at night. Don’t get blown off into the water.”
Wrapped in her straw raincoat, Qing stood at the bow, rowing the boat while keeping her eyes fixed on the water below.
According to the Flying Tiger Gang’s charts and Doctor Mo’s words, a notable feature of the Spirit Fish was their glow; any fish that glowed was a Spirit Fish, and the brighter the better.
“If there really is a Spiritual Fish King, it would be like a lantern in the water.”
“Unfortunately, Wuzhe Lake is so vast and deep that even if the Spiritual Fish King glowed like a lantern, finding it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“It’s impossible to see during the day; only at night is there a small chance.”
“But even at night, that bit of glow hardly penetrates the water surface. Diving is necessary for a better search.”
“But it’s so cold, the water so chilly, and there are terrifying creatures like Black Night Fork in the lake.”
“No, I can’t go down. Father, Mother, your spirits in heaven, please let me encounter the Spirit Fish to cure my brother’s illness…”
The north wind howled, scattering Qing’s thoughts.
Startled back to attention, Qing continued her vigil, hoping to catch a glimpse of a fantastical shimmer of light.