Beat the Dog in the Water

Beat the Dog in the Water

One trip out on the boat had yielded an enormous harvest. Not only had he caught a Treasure Fish, his Marsh Spirit fusion had also broken through 10, reaching 11.7.

The Jianghuai Marshlands truly were a blessed land. He needed to explore them more thoroughly.

He had explored less than half the waters near Shang Rao Wharf. He needed to find chances to uncover more of the map. Besides Treasure Fish, Treasure Plants were also excellent.

Liang Qu had also discovered that as he grew stronger, his mental strength improved as well. Perhaps before long, he would be able to command another Water Beast.

As the weather grew colder, Cannot Move was becoming less and less useful. He needed to find a Water Beast to replace it. It would help whether he was catching fish or exploring deeper waters.

By noon, A Fei had caught around thirty fish. Only then did Liang Qu row back to the wharf, pretending that he had spent the entire night fishing.

He still sold them to the Fishing Wharf. The one receiving him was still Lin Songbao, the second son of Lin Di, the Fishing Wharf manager.

Lin Songbao helped carry the fish and asked, "Why didn't A Shui come sell fish these past few days? Did you go to town too? If you ask me, you're so good at Fishing—why bother walking over ten li? Carrying dozens of fish on your back is exhausting."

Liang Qu smiled. "I did go to town, but not to sell fish. I went to learn martial arts."

"Learn martial arts?"

Lin Songbao, who was weighing the fish, was startled. He looked Liang Qu up and down, his tone full of regret. "Hey, did you spend all the money from selling that Treasure Fish last time on martial arts?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You... you... what a muddlehead!" Lin Songbao said, frustrated that iron had failed to become steel. "A Shui, you're still too young. You don't know how deep the waters of martial arts run.

"Yes, the threshold for training is only six or seven taels, but without dozens upon dozens of taels to buy medicinal ingredients, you'll never make anything of it.

"Those three Martial Arts Schools in Ping Yang Town take in who knows how many farmers and fishermen every year, people who have saved for more than ten years. But once they get in, then what?

"After three months, don't they still come slinking back? In the end, they spend their whole lives as farmers and fishermen. Some don't have enough qi and blood, yet force themselves to train until they cripple or kill themselves! If you kept those seven taels, with how good you are at Fishing, you could definitely marry a fine wife. Ah, what a waste."

It was clear Lin Songbao truly found it a pity, believing that spending money to learn martial arts was simply pouring it into the water.

Liang Qu smiled and scratched his head without saying much. He merely counted the copper coins from the transaction, and after confirming there was no mistake, headed home.

He did not plan to return to the Martial Arts School for the next two days. After eating a Treasure Fish, his changes had been rather drastic. It would not be good if someone noticed.

He had yet to finish learning Tiger Fist and Crane Fist, but he had finished Ape Fist. Practicing it at home would have the same effect.

"Why isn't that brat back yet?"

Three young men squatted at the entrance. One had a grass stem between his teeth, while another lay sprawled atop the wall. They looked thoroughly impatient.

"Should we go in and search again? I think he must have hidden the money at home. Who carries that much silver around all day?"

"Didn't we already turn the place upside down? Damn it, there was nothing. Just a few jin of coarse rice. Even the bedding was rotten. He got so much money for selling that Treasure Fish—why isn't he spending it?"

"Do you think he took the money to learn martial arts? Six taels and five is about enough."

"A mud-legged peasant wants to rise through martial arts?"

"Some people are just stupid. They can't see through it. Maybe... Hey, hey, Second Brother, look! That kid over there—is that him?"

The man called Second Brother narrowed his eyes. Seeing the distant figure, he was not certain. He only felt that the newcomer's bearing was rather different from before, though his outline did indeed look familiar.

"Probably. Let's hide first. Don't scare that little bastard off."

In the distance, Liang Qu frowned slightly. Since Refine Marsh Spirit, his ears and eyes had become sharp. He had long spotted the three young men outside his home, and he had also seen them sneakily hide after noticing him, as if they were afraid no one would know they were plotting something.

Liang Qu knew those three. They were the notorious Wang Brothers of Yi Xing City. They were not fishermen but farmers, with over a dozen mu of fields on the back mountain. They were cut from the same cloth as LaiTou Zhang, only not as savage as LaiTou Zhang, daring to drive people to their deaths.

Because they were three brothers, with plenty of men in the household, they had bullied others often enough. Whenever it came time to irrigate the fields, the three brothers would squat by the river mouth with hoes on their shoulders. Their fields had to be watered first, and anyone who tried to fight for it would have their heads smashed open and bloodied.

Liang Qu did not farm, but he had heard some things.

The three brothers had such a foul reputation, and now they had come to block his door. Their intentions were obvious. They had seen him sell a Treasure Fish for a sizable sum some days ago, and crooked thoughts had taken root.

But Liang Qu did not avoid them. Times had changed. In the past, even dealing with one LaiTou Zhang required utmost caution and all manner of schemes. But now, with his Water Monkey fusion exceeding 10 points, he had gained strength even outside the water. Add to that his martial training and the nourishment from two Treasure Fish and a Treasure Lotus, and he was in peak physical condition.

Even though he had not learned the fighting methods of the Three Fists Technique, he was far from helpless.

In the alley, the Wang Family Brothers waited quietly. But after waiting for quite a while without hearing the door open, they began murmuring among themselves.

"What's going on? Why isn't he here yet?"

"Did that little bastard break his leg? Why's he walking so damn slow?"

"Because I'm looking for a handy weapon."

"Who?"

The voice came from overhead, startling them all. Wang Lao Da looked up and saw a green brick flying toward him.

Liang Qu leaped down from the roof, a green brick in hand, and smashed it into Wang Lao Da's face.

The blow was heavy and powerful. Blood from his nose mixed with broken teeth and sprayed through the air, while the green brick cracked in two on the spot.

"And you!"

Liang Qu struck left and right, slapping with his left hand, then his right. He brought a brick down on the stunned Wang Lao Er's forehead, splitting his scalp open on the spot.

Wang Lao San, standing nearby, was dumbstruck. Seeing both of his elder brothers collapse to the ground, he put on a fierce front while his heart quailed. "Liang... Liang Qu, why did you hit my eldest and second brothers?"

"You cheap bastard begging for a beating! I'll hit whoever I damn well please!"

Liang Qu gripped half a broken brick in each hand and charged at Wang Lao San.

In a fight, it was all about momentum!

Liang Qu bore down on him with overwhelming force. How could Wang Lao San dare resist? He dropped to all fours and rolled and crawled out of the alley.

Seeing this, Liang Qu hurled a half-brick, striking Wang Lao San in the waist and abdomen.

Wang Lao San's shoulder gave way, and he nearly planted his face into the ground. Enduring the pain in his kidney, he continued crawling out of the alley.

Liang Qu had no time to chase him. He turned back into the alley and began punching and kicking the two men on the ground.

"Bastards born but never taught, worse than pigs and dogs!"

Wang Lao Da tried to fight back, but Liang Qu brutally forced him down with one hand. He had no idea why Liang Qu possessed such immense strength. His head slammed into the wall, and he nearly coughed up blood.

Liang Qu kicked Wang Lao Er, who was trying to escape, back into place. With his left hand, he grabbed Wang Lao Da by the head, while his right hand swung back and forth, slapping him hard across the face.

The two could only howl as they were beaten, blood streaming all over their bodies. Their crotches were soaked through as well, making Liang Qu sick to look at. There was nowhere left for him to stomp.

"Get lost! All of you, get lost!"

Wang Lao Da and Wang Lao Er groaned. Hearing those words was like receiving a pardon. They crawled out of the alley, leaned against the wall, supported each other, and fled in sorry states.

Liang Qu's expression was cold. If killing people here had not made it difficult to dispose of the bodies and likely brought the authorities down on him, he would have struck far more ruthlessly.

Those dog bastards did nothing but waste rice and grain by staying alive.

By then, quite a few people had gathered outside the alley, drawn by the sounds of fighting. But the Wang brothers had long been infamous, so rather than being frightened, everyone cheered.

"A Shui, you're only sixteen, right? How did you become so skilled?"

"Not only that—I remember he's fifteen. He won't turn sixteen until after the New Year, right? Truly incredible."

"Yeah! I saw those two brothers wet their pants. Hahaha!"

Liang Qu steadied his breathing and composed his expression. "Let everyone know, I'm strong because I went to learn martial arts. Hu Martial Master at the Martial Arts School said my Root Bone was astonishing—I'm a martial arts genius seen once in a hundred years! Dealing with a few scoundrels is naturally nothing!"

As soon as those words fell, everyone wore different expressions.

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