Change Arises

"Slow down, slow down, Old Zhou. I saw this Great Green Carp first. I'm buying it, so I won't be owing you any favors!"

As he spoke, the black-robed youth tossed the Great Green Carp in his hand to a group of green-robed followers, instructing them to wrap it carefully.

Zhou Yuya smiled obsequiously, "What are you saying, sir? We're practically family. Even if it's going into the fish market, it's my filial duty to offer it!"

"Fine, you know how to talk!"

The black-robed youth proudly patted Zhou Yuya on the shoulder. With a casual reach into Zhou Yuya's money pouch, he pulled out a handful of copper coins and silver ingots, scattering them on the ground. "Here, old man, this is your payment for the fish!"

Uncle Mu froze on the spot. Scattered on the ground were quite a few copper coins and silver ingots, but altogether, they didn't amount to more than two taels.

If this Great Green Carp were sold to the fish market, it would fetch at least a hundred taels.

"This isn't right. Two taels of silver isn't enough for this Great Green Carp!"

A fisherman with a long face couldn't stand it and spoke up in support.

His words were met with a hundred echoes. They all worked in the same trade, and everyone knew how hard it was. Seeing Uncle Mu's hard-earned Great Green Carp about to be snatched away, the fishermen felt a shared sense of injustice and began to grumble.

"Oh really? Anyone else dares to blabber, and I won't buy today's fish!"

Seeing the black-robed youth's face darken, Zhou Yuya's heart leaped, and he immediately yelled at the crowd.

He had managed the fish market for years and was adept at handling fishermen. At his words, the fishermen immediately fell silent.

Just as Zhou Yuya subdued the fishermen, a loud boom echoed. The long-faced man who had first spoken up for Uncle Mu was sent flying by a palm strike from the black-robed youth. He crashed onto the bluestone slab, leaving a pool of black blood, a gruesome sight.

"I'll ask again, is two taels of silver enough to buy this Great Green Carp?"

The black-robed youth wore a relaxed smile, but his overwhelming killing intent, like a collapsing mountain, pressed down on everyone present, daring no one to meet his gaze.

His icy stare was like a cold wind slicing through a forest, bending all the trees, leaving only a solitary bamboo standing tall.

Uncle Mu straightened his aged head, glaring coldly at the black-robed youth, and said in a hoarse voice, "If you want the Great Green Carp, forget two taels of silver. You can have it for free. Why did you hit him!"

"Why hit him? You old fossil, daring to speak to Young Master like that? How dare you be so arrogant! What's with all the 'whys'? We hit you because we want to!"

As soon as he finished speaking, with a crisp snap, Zhou Yuya slapped Uncle Mu hard across the face.

Uncle Mu's hardened face was like cold rock, unmoving. He suddenly drew a short fork from his waist and threw it under Zhou Yuya's arm.

Zhou Yuya happened to be standing in front of Uncle Mu. His sleeves were wide. Uncle Mu's fork strike was sudden and swift. A black light flashed as the steel fork cut through the air, shrieking as it precisely pierced the Great Green Carp's head and lodged firmly in the bluestone slab.

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone.

The Great Green Carp was indeed delicious and valuable, but its preparation was very particular, requiring it to be killed and cooked immediately.

Now, with its head pierced, the Great Green Carp was as dead as it could be. It could no longer be served to the black-robed youth as a guest.

"Old Man Mu, you're asking for death!"

Zhou Yuya roared hoarsely, so enraged his hair seemed to stand on end.

"That's the fish my old man caught. My old man is unhappy, so he killed it to eat the meat himself. It doesn't concern you."

Uncle Mu's beard and hair bristled, exuding an imposing aura.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

The black-robed youth clapped his hands coldly, still smiling. "As expected, heroes emerge from the marketplace! I just don't know how strong this hero of yours is. Old Xiong, take a few brothers up there and test him."

Immediately, seven or eight green-robed men spread out and surrounded Uncle Mu.

Their caution was solely due to Uncle Mu's swift throwing fork just now. The group of thugs worried that this might be a tricky opponent.

In reality, this worry was unnecessary. The throwing fork was merely a skill Uncle Mu had honed over years of fishing. Measured by the standards of martial artists, Uncle Mu hadn't even entered the Body Tempering Stage; he was just a slightly stronger, impoverished old fisherman.

The thugs swarmed forward, and Uncle Mu, utterly defenseless, was easily knocked to the ground. A bone-chillingly brutal beating commenced.

"Alright, don't beat him to death. I still haven't heard him say a single soft word."

The black-robed youth waved his hand to stop them.

At this moment, Uncle Mu lay slumped on the ground, covered in blood. His chest rose and fell slightly, but his blood-stained head remained held high.

Seeing Uncle Mu's stubbornness, the black-robed youth's smile deepened. He said gently, "Old man, kowtow to me three times, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, prepare to fill the Dragon Whisker River with your old bones!"

Uncle Mu did not reply. He curled up on the ground, his neck stiff, like a withered branch, brittle yet unyielding.

"Old man, you're tough! Someone, tie stones to him and sink him into the river!"

The black-robed youth lost his patience, unwilling to waste any more time on the withered old man before him.

"Young Master, doing this in broad daylight, it might not be appropriate!"

Zhou Yuya advised softly.

Although Furong Town was small, it was still within the territory of the Great Yue Royal Court. In broad daylight, to take a life, the laws of the Great Yue Royal Court were not to be trifled with.

Even powerful figures bullying commoners did so with cunning tricks and hidden methods, not this openly.

The young black-robed master laughed heartily. "In broad daylight? So what if it's in broad daylight? Let alone this little Furong Town, even in Guang'an City, if I don't like something, I'll eliminate it on the spot. Who can do anything about it?"

He then cast a sideways glance at his green-robed attendants, snorting, "What are you all standing around for? Sink him!"

As soon as the young black-robed master finished speaking, the fishermen in the area finally changed their expressions. Ferocity and anger appeared on everyone's faces.

"What the hell are you all doing? Are you trying to rebel? Do you know who this young master is? Have you heard of the Black Dragon Hall? This young master is the Young Hall Master of the Baima Branch Hall. If you want to cause trouble, weigh yourselves first to see if you're capable!"

Zhou Yuya didn't care about the fishermen's lives initially, but if things escalated and the black-robed youth crippled them all, preventing them from working, the fishing trade would lose its income, which would also affect his interests.

As soon as the words "Black Dragon Hall" were spoken, a bone-chilling wind swept through the entire venue, carrying away all the anger and dissatisfaction.

"Why bother talking to these peasants? Is the name of the Black Dragon Hall something they can comprehend?"

The black-robed youth glanced at Zhou Yuya with a hint of arrogance in his eyes.

Just then, a little girl in plain clothes rushed into the scene. She was barely thigh-high, with a chubby little face and a small schoolbag slung over her shoulder. Tears streamed down her face as she ran towards Uncle Mu, wailing.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, what's wrong? What happened? Sob sob..."

The little girl threw herself beside Uncle Mu, shaking him as she cried her heart out.