Snakehead Eel

Ma Wu stood in front of the Song Family Granary, throwing a tantrum. "Hey Boss Luo, you're so rich, you don't need to bother with me over a few dollars."

Warehouse manager Luo Sancai laughed and said, "Fifth Master, what are you saying? We buy peaches for one hundred yuan a pound, and we can't break that rule."

"Then you should also check the quality of these peaches. Do you think my peaches are the same as theirs? Asking you for an extra twenty yuan isn't unreasonable, is it?"

Ma Wu wants to sell his goods for 120 yuan per kilogram.

He didn't really want to earn those twenty dollars; he just wanted to put on a show for the Song family.

Luo Sancai really wanted to give him the twenty yuan; he didn't want to offend this down-on-his-luck young man for such a small amount of money.

But Song Jia Sen, the head of the Song family, sat in the courtyard and gave Luo Sancai his order, "One hundred yuan per jin, not a penny more!"

Luo Sancai advised, "Sir, it's only a few thousand yuan in total, just give it to him."

Song Jia Sen said with a stern face, "I thought he had some ability, using the Ma family's name to act like a scoundrel here! Damn it, who spoiled him with this bad habit!"

"Master, the key point is that he is indeed the son of the Ma family."

Song Jiasen sneered, "So what if he does? This is Blue Poplar Village. In a village, things have to be done my way. Make sure the person weighing the goods checks carefully and calculates every single pound and ounce. If he doesn't want to sell, let him carry it home and let it rot in his hands!"

Luo Sancai had no choice but to charge according to the market price.

"You just wait, one day I'll turn the tables and show you what regret is!" Ma Wu, having failed to gain any advantage, took the money and left cursing.

That evening, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu took a bag of rotten fish to Xindi again. This time, the butler received the news early and quickly informed the head of the family, Song Jia Sen.

Upon hearing this, Song Jia Sen sneered, "Knowing it's not profitable, you're reluctant to hire someone. Let him go. If he catches a peach, we'll still buy it at the market price. Don't say we didn't give him money for food."

Ma Wu and Li Banfeng walked quickly through the woods, with Ma Wu confirming the direction with Li Banfeng along the way.

"Brother Li, if it weren't for you, I really wouldn't dare to cross this forest alone. Let's hurry up so we don't attract the peach trees."

"Brother Ma, I can walk as fast as I want, the key is that I'm afraid you won't be able to keep up."

"I'm too weak, why don't you carry this bag?"

"There's no room for discussion. You have to carry the stinky fish."

At two o'clock in the morning, the two walked through the woods and arrived at a lake.

The lake is quite large, covering an area of more than three miles in circumference. The water is extremely murky; if you scoop up some water, you can't even see your palm.

Li Banfeng took out a fishing net, put on the Tiger Head Louse he had picked from the peaches, and began fishing.

"In the new land of Blue Poplar Village, Tiger Head Louse are the best for fishing for Snakehead Eel. We can catch dozens of them with these insects." Ma Wu was very confident, but after waiting for an hour, he didn't catch a single fish.

That's how business is; there are risks involved.

If we don't catch Snakehead Eel tonight, all our previous efforts will be in vain.

"The fish aren't coming in quickly today, Brother Li. Be patient and wait a little longer."

Li Banfeng sniffed and looked at Ma Wu, asking, "What's that smell? It's so fishy!"

Ma Wu's face lit up with joy. "Brother Li, can you smell the fishy smell? The Snakehead Eel are coming soon, and they smell incredibly strong!"

Li Banfeng sniffed carefully for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's not over here, it's across the lake."

Ma Wu was very surprised. He couldn't smell anything, so how could Li Banfeng smell the scent from across the lake?

Following Li Banfeng to the other side of the lake, the two cast their nets again, and with one cast, two black-scaled eels were pulled from the water.

The Snakehead Eel lives up to its name; this fish has a snake's head, two sharp teeth like a snake, and can even flick its tongue like a snake.

Li Banfeng suspected that it was originally a snake, a snake with a fish's body.

Ma Wu quickly stepped in. "Brother Li, don't move! This fish is highly poisonous. If you get bitten, you'll die within an hour."

He put the fish into his bag with gloves, while Li Banfeng then baited the hook and started fishing.

Two hours later, the two had caught a total of thirty-one Snakehead Eel.

With enough fish, Li Banfeng carried the Snakehead Eel on his back, and Ma Wu carried the rotten fish on his back. The two returned to Blue Poplar Village.

Tang Tianjin, the head steward of the Song family, saw Ma Wu, he went up to greet him, "Fifth Young Master, you're back so early. Oh dear, why did you bring back this stinky fish again? Didn't you catch any peaches last night?"

Ma Wu snorted coldly and remained silent.

Tang Tianjin remained enthusiastic. "Fifth Young Master, don't be sad, please don't be sad. Make another trip tonight, catch some peaches, and we'll be waiting for you to deliver them."

During the day, Ma Wu slept downstairs, while Li Banfeng returned to Portable Abode and said to the record player, "Wife, I smell of fish all over. Can you boil some water for me to wash up?"

Sizzle~

The record player roared, "Hot water, hot water! Why don't you buy a boiler? Do you know how many days I haven't eaten?"

To be honest, since arriving in Blue Poplar Village, apart from those few highway robbers, Li Banfeng really hasn't given his Wife anything to eat.

"Don't worry, my Wife. I'll definitely treat Wife to something good in the next couple of days."

The record player roared, "If you don't buy groceries in the next couple of days, I'll eat you!"

Li Banfeng angrily retorted, "What kind of talk is this? Are you trying to murder your own husband?"

Sizzle~

"What if I harm you? Even if I do, I'll just marry someone else who's good enough! Then I won't have to go hungry or live this miserable life!"

That's what they said, but the record player still heated a basin of water for Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng washed himself thoroughly and was just about to go to bed when Tang Blade appeared before him and said loudly:

"Ten steps, one kill; a thousand miles, no trace left! The decisive battle has begun!"

"What decisive battle?" Li Banfeng was taken aback, staring at the Tang Blade in astonishment.

"If you dare not fight me, I will never be at your beck and call." Tang Blade stood in front of Li Banfeng, just as he had when they first met.

Why did this thing restart?

Sizzle~

The record player sneered from the side, "Hey, my husband, I once said that it's better not to keep this magic weapon. It can only be used three times, and each time it can only make one cut. After three cuts, we'll be strangers again, and you'll have to subdue it again."

Li Banfeng looked at the Tang Blade and said, "Three strikes and I have to fight you? Isn't that a bit of a bad rule?"

Tang Blade's tone was firm. "This is the way of the sword!"

Li Banfeng became even more dissatisfied. "You are clearly a knife, why do you keep talking about swords?"

Tang Blade straightened his body. "The atmosphere is right. Now, tell me, where shall we duel?"

Seeing that Tang Blade's movements were a bit too exaggerated, Li Banfeng noticed a detail.

His scabbard was fitted very tightly, as if it were fixed to the blade by some means.

Li Banfeng said, "Let's have a battle in the outer room today."

"Excellent!"

Tang Blade followed Li Banfeng to the outer room. The record player let out two cold laughs but said nothing.

In the outer room, a man and a sword stood ready. Li Banfeng said, "Weren't we supposed to have a final battle? Why haven't you drawn your sword yet?"

"Hmph~" Tang Blade sneered, "Once it's drawn, won't I be threatened by your pills again? Our martial arts are vastly different; even without the sword drawn, I can still kill you!"

Tang Blade wasn't exaggerating; there was indeed a huge gap in combat strength between him and Li Banfeng. Without the sword drawn, it was like a wooden stick, but even that stick could kill Li Banfeng.

Tang Blade maintained his martial spirit and shouted at Li Banfeng, "Make your move!"

Li Banfeng said to the Copper Lotus, "Take him in."

Hiss hiss~

The Copper Lotus has been waiting for this day for a long time.

She hadn't eaten anything for a long time either.

The petals unfold, Lotus Heart shimmers with light.

A whirlwind arose, pulling the Tang Blade towards the Lotus Heart.

Tang Blade shouted hoarsely, "One-on-one combat, a fair fight to the death! What kind of hero brings in reinforcements?"

Li Banfeng said, "Our duel before was an agreement between us. This time it's just your wishful thinking."

The Tang Blade drew near Lotus Heart, who struggled fiercely. "You won unfairly, I will never submit to you."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I don't need you to submit. I think this knife of yours is too troublesome, and I want to reforge it."

Tang Blade watched the approaching Red Lotus, not knowing its origin, but sensing that he might be reduced to ashes. "If you put me inside this thing, I'm afraid I won't be a magic weapon when I come out again."

Li Banfeng nodded. "It's alright. Even if I refine two pills, they'll be more useful than you."

Tang Blade, unable to struggle, cried out, "I have wandered all my life, and finally found a wise lord. I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse..."

Li Banfeng stopped the Copper Lotus and had a good discussion with Tang Blade.

"I don't like the rule that you have to duel me every time you make three cuts. From today onwards, you have to change that rule."

Tang Blade explained, "I am a magical artifact, and these rules are the foundation of my existence. If they are changed, my spirituality will have nothing to rely on, so these rules are absolutely unacceptable..."

Li Banfeng turned around and asked, "Ah Lian, are you hungry?"

Tang Blade immediately changed his tune. "The rules cannot be changed, but the methods can be flexible. In the future, every time I fight my lord, we will not actually fight. I will simply admit defeat."

Li Banfeng nodded. "That's a good attitude. Besides, you can only make three cuts, isn't that too few?"

Tang Blade swayed repeatedly, saying, "My lord, this is an unchangeable rule, and this is the only method I can use."

"Who says the rules can't be changed? Next time I'll let you fight, you can strike three times first, then fight me, and if you admit defeat, you can strike three times again, right?"

Tang Blade explained, "My lord is wise, but this method is truly impractical. After I have struck three times, I must rest for several days before I can fight again."

In other words, Tang Blade only has the power to strike three times. If he doesn't get enough rest, he won't be able to help Li Banfeng fight.

No matter how much Li Banfeng pressured him, Tang Blade had no way to break the spell. Seeing his sincerity, Li Banfeng stopped making things difficult for him.

That evening, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu once again carried the stinky fish to the new land. This time, they passed through the woods from the west and did not head towards the lake, but instead walked into a desert.

The night wind blows, and yellow sand swirls around. It's hard to imagine that such a desert could exist next to a dense forest.

Ma Wu tossed the rotten fish aside.

Li Banfeng took out the Snakehead Eel and placed it under a cactus.

In the vast desert, apart from cacti, there were almost no other plants to be found. Ma Wu counted them first. "One, two, three..."

There were twelve cacti in total. After counting them, the two lay down on the yellow sand, their backs to the cacti, and began to chat.

Li Banfeng said to Ma Wu, "We didn't actually need to go back to the village last night; we could have just stayed in Xindi."

Ma Wu shook his head and said, "That won't work. Song Jia Sen will become suspicious. In Blue Poplar Village, it's not difficult to find treasures in new places. The difficulty lies in hiding from the Song family's eyes."

Just like the Thorn Swallow Pearl we're looking for, a pearl of excellent quality, the Song family would only offer a maximum of 20,000 if they sold it to us, but if we delivered it to Green Water City ourselves, we could sell it for 200,000 to 300,000.

The difficulty in making money in Blue Poplar Village lies not in the methods, but in the deception, in...

As he spoke, Ma Wu glanced back and counted, "One, two, three..."

He counted it again.

"Twelve, thirteen," Ma Wu laughed, "They're here!"

The cactus has arrived.

P. S.: This cactus is called Thorn Gourd, this was a huge profit!

It's the 1st! Dear readers, please give Salad your monthly tickets! To thank you all for your support, there will be an extra chapter at noon today~