Filling the Progress Bar in One Shot

The silence lasted for a while before whispers began to rise.

"Six taels and five qian!"

"Really six taels and five qian?"

"Good heavens, isn't that a fortune? They're both Treasure Fish—why was A Shui's worth so much more? So much better?"

Clearly, everyone had been shocked by Hu Martial Master's offer.

Li LiBo, standing nearby, counted it out on his fingers and gave a start.

Chen Jiechang's Red Blood Perch weighed two jin, seven liang, and six qian, yet it had only earned him three taels of silver—just over one tael and one qian per jin.

But Liang Qu's Bullhorn Pomfret weighed three jin, two liang, and one qian, and it was worth six taels and five qian! That came to two taels per jin, nearly twice the price of the Red Blood Perch! Wait, why had he said the Red Blood Perch had "only" earned three taels?

Li LiBo fell silent.

At the same time, Liang Qu was likewise swept up in overwhelming joy.

He had thought one Treasure Fish would merely greatly shorten the time before he could enter a Martial Arts School. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected it to fill the progress bar outright! Adding the two taels and eight qian in cash he had saved over these past days, Liang Qu's total assets had already surpassed nine taels and three qian!

Not only had he met the minimum requirement of seven taels to enter a Martial Arts School, he even had his autumn taxes accounted for.

As for any thought of refusing to sell, there was none at all.

The Martial Master had offered a clearly different price, proving he had not taken advantage of a country fisherman's shallow knowledge, failed to recognize the Bullhorn Pomfret, and named a price at random. Otherwise, he could easily have offered something close to the Red Blood Perch's price.

Besides, a few taels of silver truly was not much to a Martial Master. Chen Jiechang earned a hundred wen a day, three taels a month. He only seemed poor because his living expenses were high.

Even if the price really had been forced down, there was nothing he could do about it. There was no reason to think he would not be squeezed in Ping Yang Town as well. Fishermen were not fools, and neither were Martial Masters. Selling it directly also saved him a trip of more than ten li.

"Sell it, of course I'll sell it. But I have a question I'd like to ask Master Hu."

Liang Qu steadied his emotions and made a small request.

Hu Martial Master was brief and direct. "Ask."

"Why is it that, though they are both Treasure Fish, the Bullhorn Pomfret costs twice as much as the Red Blood Perch?"

The fishermen nearby all pricked up their ears, equally curious.

The world of Martial Masters was ultimately mysterious and alluring. Being able to secretly learn something others did not know brought a certain private thrill.

Hearing Liang Qu's question, Hu Martial Master showed no impatience. "The Bullhorn Pomfret's horns can be used as medicine. Made into Dense Pills, they can strengthen essence and refine Qi, helping one break through the Breaking Blood Barrier. I am at this stage now, and it is of great use to me."

So that was it!

Liang Qu thought of the pair of small horns he had kept earlier and rejoiced that he had not thrown them away.

Hu Martial Master was actually quite sincere.

Everything that followed went smoothly. Liang Qu presented the living Bullhorn Pomfret, and Hu Martial Master tossed him a bag of silver before leaving without even asking for the cloth bag back.

Before he left, he also called out, "If any of you catch another similarly deformed Treasure Fish in the future, come tell me. I won't let you take a loss."

The wharf fishermen all cheered in unison.

Skin, flesh, bone, blood—the four barriers. From the information revealed earlier, Hu Martial Master had already reached the fourth barrier. Once he crossed it, "Martial Master" would no longer merely be everyone's respectful form of address, but a solid, genuine ability.

A few Treasure Fish truly were of vital importance, Liang Qu thought to himself.

After Hu Martial Master left, the fishermen on the wharf no longer bothered to keep their voices down. For a time, they all congratulated Liang Qu on his good fortune. Some even stepped forward to touch him, hoping to rub off on themselves some mysterious, unfathomable thing.

Over the past half month, Liang Qu had caught a Yellow Croaker, a Spotted Head Fish, and now even a Treasure Fish. He was practically luck walking on two legs.

Surrounded by the crowd, Liang Qu clutched the money bag tightly but did not refuse.

Putting out to fish was far more uncertain than farming and harvesting grain. Fishermen thus tended to believe in mysterious forces more than farmers did. Yi Xing City held countless large and small sacrificial rites, though thanks to its developed productivity, they were all led by wealthy households and used livestock.

Of course, this world had Martial Artists, beings far beyond ordinary people. Liang Qu could not say for certain whether those indescribable things truly existed.

For a time, the attention from two people at Shang Rao Wharf catching Treasure Fish had almost all been stolen by Liang Qu alone.

Chen Jiechang stood outside the crowd and touched his heavy money bag. He was unwilling to accept it, yet helpless to do anything about it. In the end, he could only leave alone.

Once the excitement faded and some of the fishermen dispersed, Li LiBo let out a strange cry. "Dear Mother, six taels! My family couldn't save that much money even over generations!"

"Cut the nonsense. Who's the one about to go to a Martial Arts School to take a master?" Liang Qu tucked away the money bag, returned to the boat, secretly put away the two fish horns the size of finger bones, then picked up Li LiBo's fishing net and handed it back. "Your family's net helped me enormously."

"Heh, shouldn't you treat me to a meal, then?"

"I was already planning to."

Having made a windfall and with entry into a Martial Arts School just around the corner, Liang Qu was brimming with high spirits. Naturally, he had to treat someone.

The two went straight to a Small Restaurant and ordered a chicken, a plate of mutton, a plate of pork, and a pot of warmed wine. They spent over a hundred wen and enjoyed a fine meal together.

Liang Qu did not normally drink and was not used to it, but Li LiBo could drink. Fishermen often went into the water, and there was no fisherman who did not drink. Since they were happy today, Liang Qu ordered him a pot, partly to thank him for lending the fishing net.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li LiBo's face flushed red. He glanced left and right before lowering his voice. "When are you planning to go to the Martial Arts School?"

Liang Qu turned his head. "How did you know I was going to a Martial Arts School?"

The original Liang Qu had been withdrawn and had no particularly close relationships at the wharf. But Liang Qu was different. He was generous by nature, and having treated Li LiBo to two meals, the two had grown much closer than they had been at the beginning.

"Nonsense. You asked me so carefully last time—even a fool could see what you were thinking. But it's normal. Who hasn't dreamed of practicing martial arts and becoming a Martial Master? Those are people above people. We're nothing like that, just mud-legged peasants reeking of fish."

Li LiBo's tone held no small amount of envy. Once one became a Martial Master and was registered in the records, the court would provide subsidies. One would escape lowly status, no longer need to go out fishing every day, and would not end up covered in fish stink. That smell could not be washed away even with soapberry—it had seeped into the bones.

The Great Shun Dynasty had been founded only sixty years ago, and recent years had brought favorable winds and rains. It was not as though people had nothing to eat, but running about every day for that little bit of food was indeed exhausting. No one wanted to live such a life forever.

Every young man in Yi Xing City under twenty had dreamed that he possessed extraordinary Root Bone, would win the favor of some great master, and become a grandmaster of his generation.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority could not cross that high threshold of seven taels of silver. Even if they could pay it, literary pursuits impoverished while martial pursuits enriched; in the end, they still would not have much of a future.

Li LiBo had originally assumed Liang Qu was simply another young man with dreams in his heart. But today, a single Treasure Fish had made him see Liang Qu in a new light.

Six taels and five qian—he was almost at the threshold.

This kid was probably going to enter the Martial Arts School with him, wasn't he?

Still, it was too much of a coincidence. Not long after asking about it, he had made a windfall enough to enter a Martial Arts School. And there was that fight with LaiTou Zhang. Come to think of it, he had not seen him for over half a month. That was rather strange.

Li LiBo felt that something was off, but he could not say what. He simply felt that in all of Yi Xing City, there was no one else like Liang Qu.

"That's right. My father left behind some savings, and it's already enough." Liang Qu felt there was no need to deny it.

Li LiBo wore an expression that said he had known it all along. Throwing an arm around Liang Qu's neck, he laughed loudly. "That's great! I was worried I'd get bullied when I went to the Martial Arts School. Perfect—we can become fellow disciples!"

"Mm."