Master Fang

Great Yang, Yanzhou, Pingjiang County.

The Jianghu waters surged, crashing against the cliffs, raising a thousand layers of waves.

It was just dawn, and at the ferry crossing in Pingjiang County, fishermen who had returned from fishing under the cover of night set up their stalls at the crossing, beginning their livelihood.

"Master Fang, please be kind. Last month you said you'd take three from each fish stall, but today it's seven. How am I supposed to live!"

A thin old man with dark skin, peeling slightly from years of sun exposure, looked utterly desperate.

"Last month was last month, this month is this month! You're using last month's rules to handle this month's affairs? Old Man Hu, has your brain been flooded?"

A young man, quite burly and tall, dressed in a coarse cloth short jacket, looked down at the old man.

Behind him, a group of ruffians stood with their arms crossed, sneering.

"Master Fang, you're forcing me onto a dead end!"

The old man knelt down with a 'bang', crying out, "Master Fang, please be kind and accumulate some virtue. Just consider my old age and the difficulty of fishing, and let me go!"

"Difficult?"

Fang Xuan sneered, "Who has it easy in this world? Old Man Hu, if you don't have it easy, do I?"

He paused, a ruthless look in his eyes, and said, "Seven tenths is seven tenths! I won't take more or less. If you don't give it, I'll throw your whole family into the Jianghu to feed the fish!"

Hearing this, the dark-skinned, thin old man's face turned ashen, and he stammered, unable to speak.

The other fishermen nearby, seeing this, couldn't help but show looks of pity.

"Fang Xuan, we're all neighbors. Do you have to be so ruthless? Old Man Hu is your elder after all, he even held you when you were little. Do you have to force him onto a dead end for a little money?"

An aunt who was drying her net couldn't help but speak up, defending him.

Fang Xuan tilted his head and looked at her, then suddenly smiled, "Alright, alright, Aunt Lin truly has a Bodhisattva's heart, speaking up for justice! I truly admire you!"

He paused, his smile fading:

"Since Aunt Lin is so kind and said it's just a little money, why don't you help Old Man Hu pay? I'm sure you won't just talk the talk, right?"

"I..."

Aunt Lin, who had been so bold and righteous just moments before, suddenly choked on her words, her face turning pale then green. She secretly spat and turned her head away, saying no more.

The others also avoided his gaze, not daring to speak up again.

They were afraid that this detestable ruffian leader, whom dogs hated, would target them.

Seeing this, Fang Xuan couldn't help but let out a disdainful scoff, withdrawing his gaze and focusing back on Old Man Hu's face.

"Old Man Hu, I'll count to three. If you still insist on not giving it, you know the consequences yourself," Fang Xuan said lightly.

Old Man Hu's body trembled. He shakily reached into his waistband, took out a bag of coins, and handed it to Fang Xuan.

Fang Xuan took it and weighed it in his hand, then showed a satisfied smile.

"That's right, everyone makes money in harmony.

You should know, I, Fang, have always respected the old and cherished the young, and dislike fighting and killing."

Fang Xuan smiled and patted Old Man Hu's head, helping him up from the wet ground.

Then, Fang Xuan turned and beckoned, and immediately a large group of people left in a swarm.

Before leaving, one of the ruffians didn't forget to shout:

"The New Year is just over a month away! You know Master Fang's temper! He might not remember who gave him gifts, but he remembers clearly who didn't!"

The teeth of the group of fishermen's sons ground together, making clicking sounds. It wasn't until they watched Fang Xuan leave that they 'spat' out a mouthful of saliva and cursed Fang Xuan in various ways.

The sky gradually darkened.

On a small alley paved with bluestone slabs.

Fang Xuan, full of food and drink, walked through the alley with a slight drunken haze in his eyes. The group of ruffians who had followed him had also dispersed, leaving only one person.

That person had shifty eyes and a rat-like appearance. His eyes were 'slit-shaped', making it hard to tell if they were open or closed.

He was Fang Xuan's close confidant. He had joined the Black Whale Gang with Fang Xuan back then. Because his eyes were so small, like a line, his nickname in the gang was 'One Line Sky'.

"Brother Xuan, didn't we go too far today? Old Man Hu's family of four relies on him alone. We took seventy percent of his earnings. I'm afraid his family won't survive this cold winter."

A trace of unbearable pity appeared in One Line Sky's eyes.

"Don't worry, Old Man Hu is much shrewder than you think."

Fang Xuan waved his hand and said with a smile, "That old fellow secretly hides the good stuff under his sampan. Every time he finishes fishing, he goes to other counties first, sells the good stuff, and then brings back some cheap small fish and shrimp to fool us. He's just putting on a show for us."

"Ah?"

One Line Sky was stunned, and then anger erupted from his small eyes:

"That Old Man Hu! How dare he play tricks on us? See if I don't go back and smash his fish stall right now!"

Fang Xuan grabbed the furious One Line Sky and shook his head, saying, "Alright, Old Man Hu isn't the only one doing this. Are you going to smash all of them? We need to know when to stop. If we really push them to their deaths, what good does that do us?

It's like the government suppressing bandits. If the government really wiped out all the mountain bandits, who would still pay them respects?"

One Line Sky opened his mouth, lowered his head, and remained silent.

"Here, this is for you."

Fang Xuan untied the money pouch from his waist, casually took out half of the broken silver, and handed it to One Line Sky.

"Your child is about to be born, right? Go buy your wife a few chickens to nourish her well. Your wife followed you without complaint back then and suffered a lot. Now that your life is better, you can't treat her lightly, understand?"

"Brother Xuan, I..."

One Line Sky looked at Fang Xuan somewhat at a loss, his throat constantly moving, and his eyes gradually turning red.

"Alright, stop being so dramatic! Hurry back and be with your wife!" Fang Xuan said with a laugh, patting One Line Sky's shoulder.

"Brother Xuan, you'll be my brother for life!"

One Line Sky nodded heavily, turned, and left.

The cold wind howled, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Fang Xuan's drunken haze had disappeared at some point, and his eyes were clear.

He looked back at Pingjiang County, which was gradually being covered by heavy snow, and couldn't help but let out a light sigh.

It had been ten years since he came to this damned world. At first, he still had grand ambitions, imagining that he could be like the transmigrators written about in novels in his previous life, able to achieve great things and reach the pinnacle of life.

But ten years had passed.

He, who was just an ordinary person in his previous life, had his original grand ambitions worn away in this world where laws and morality had completely collapsed and the class system was incredibly rigid.

These ten years had taught him a truth.

In this man-eating world, being gentle and reasoning with people was useless.

To survive in this world, you had to be fierce, ruthless, and understand human nature!

In the beginning, he also held the attitude of being kind to others and mingled with the people around him.

But when his cheap parents, who were usually the most kind and generous, often even sacrificing themselves for others, were about to die of illness in bed.

He went to the neighbors who had often been helped by his parents, wanting to let his parents eat a roasted chicken before they died. When those neighbors, who usually said 'a near neighbor is better than a distant relative,' closed their doors tightly and pretended to be deaf and dumb, he understood.

Some things couldn't be begged for; they had to be snatched!

So.

He joined the Black Whale Gang. Over the years, relying on his daring and enterprising spirit, while also being sharp-minded, he had now risen to the position of a small leader.

It wasn't exactly making a name for himself.

But it could be considered that he had a foothold in this small Pingjiang County.

"Master Fang is back?"

"Master Fang, my family smoked some cured fish. Would you like to take some back to try?"

"Master Fang, our family brewed a few pots of good wine. It's just for you!"

Passing through the narrow and cramped Tong'an Alley, the neighbors all smiled and fawned over him.

"Get lost, get lost."

Fang Xuan impatiently waved his hand, then walked to the house at the end of Tong'an Alley, pushed the door open, and entered.

In the courtyard surrounded by a fence, a large iron pot was burning, filled with small pebbles that had been burned red.

Fang Xuan looked at the iron pot, and a smile gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He saw that in front of him, the void began to boil like boiling water.

A line of illusory small characters gradually solidified and became clear.

[Martial Technique: Whale Sand Palm (Mastered)]
[Progress: 450/500]
[Growth Method: Burn stones in an iron pot and temper both palms!]
[Introduction: A hundred refinements make steel, capable of splitting gold and breaking stone!]