Old Shed Street Fish Seller

The first night of arriving at the long-dreamed-of Cultivation World.

Chen Dengming, the famed Nanxun Saber King of the Nanxun Kingdom's Martial World, weathered the elements and curled up under the eaves of a shack in the shantytown, barely scraping through the night.

The next morning, a beauty who hadn't returned home overnight came back yawning, took pity on him, and even set the leftover food she'd packed beside his feet.

Chen Dengming snapped awake from his half-sleep, half-cultivation state, staring blankly at the oil-paper-wrapped meal before him. Behind him, a soft, weary woman's voice sounded.

"Eat this, and there won't be a next meal~~ My life's hard too."

He turned his head, catching only a graceful silhouette entering the door. With a bang, the door beside him slammed shut.

A good-hearted girl!

But he wasn't a beggar—just new here and hadn't the money to rent a place yet.

Though a bit frustrated inside, Chen Dengming's stomach growled loudly. He opened the oil-paper bundle.

The food inside was cold, yet it faintly carried traces of spiritual energy fluctuation, softening his initial resistance.

"What's the deal? That woman doesn't seem to be a cultivator, yet she can afford meals with spiritual energy?"

Chen Dengming muttered to himself, but he could take things as they came. He rubbed his face, wolfed down the food quickly, and after filling his belly, he had to go try catching those Spirit Fish.

Otherwise, if he couldn't earn enough to rent a place, it'd be hard to settle down and study the Dao in peace.

As for cultivating in the wild, or selling Pure Spirit Pills and other options, he wasn't ready to try them unless absolutely necessary. The so-called Hidden Dragon should not act—some survival tactics required getting familiar with the situation first before deciding.

He kept telling himself inwardly: this was the Cultivation World now. To rise above, he had to steady his mind and not let the possession of a Golden Finger make him arrogant or complacent.

Because this was an utterly brutal and realistic Cultivation World—killing and being killed were all too simple. The divide between immortal and mortal was far more stark and terrifying than any class in the Martial World of old.

Soon, several days passed.

Though Chen Dengming faced some setbacks and caught no Spirit Fish, he managed to use the Luo Family's Waist Token as collateral to rent some tools and bait for catching them. The Spirit Fish didn't bite, but he caught plenty of ordinary fish, solving his own food needs and even trading some of the miscellaneous fish with mortals in the Gathering Place.

This also helped him build rapport with some of the mortals there.

Thus, he grew more familiar with the Gathering Place's situation, but he'd also truly become a fishmonger, earning the nickname "West Old Shed Street Fishmonger."

Among the thousand-plus households in the entire Rogue Cultivator Zone, mortals made up the majority, with quite a few Innate Martial Artists as well, while Qi Refining Stage rogue cultivators accounted for only about three-tenths.

Resources here were naturally controlled by cultivators. Even residency rights were divided among a dozen or so factions of cultivators.

For mortals to live in the rogue cultivator Gathering Place, they had to pay resources.

The ways to obtain resources included helping cultivators plant Spirit Rice, mine Spirit Grains, risk their lives (like catching Spirit Fish or luring demon beasts), or, for those Innate women, other means. There were many methods.

The benefit of living in the rogue cultivator Gathering Place was a measure of safety—at least no need to worry about demon beast attacks in the wild.

Moreover, the Gathering Place was built atop an abandoned spirit vein, where residual spiritual energy remained. For some Innate Martial Artists with poor talent, living here was the best cultivation site they could hope for.

That day.

It was the fifth day since arriving in the Cultivation World.

Early in the morning, Chen Dengming placed the fish he'd caught yesterday at the doorstep of the beauty's house where he'd often been lodging lately, then shouldered his fishing gear and left the Gathering Place.

As the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring.

These past days, he'd often slept outside the door of the beauty who'd gifted him that meal, and he'd give her some of the fish he caught for free, as rent for using her doorstep.

But that beauty worked nights at the nearby Golden Character Workshop, often away from home at night and only returning at dawn.

Thus, the two rarely crossed paths. Chen Dengming had gotten used to it.

By the fifth day, he'd basically figured out the Spirit Fish's movement patterns and had set up some traps using the rented gear and bait, combined with the Stone Gu.

He was fairly confident he could catch one or two Spirit Fish, trade them for some Spirit Grains, then redeem the collateralized Waist Token, rent his own place, and settle down to cultivate for a while.

Two incense sticks later.

Chen Dengming took a familiar route to a lake over a dozen li away.

This was one of the larger lakes outside the Gathering Place and an important resource, jointly controlled by the two rogue cultivator factions, Golden Character Workshop and Hutong Street.

It was early morning, with a thin mist over the lake. After last night's rain, the water had risen, looking even greener and deeper.

In the distance, ripples slowly pushed toward the shore, carrying faint white foam and glimmering slightly. The lush grass, flowers, and trees around the lake made for a pleasant view.

But Chen Dengming suddenly caught a whiff of blood and rot amid the fresh, watery air, and his expression shifted.

Then he saw that the stationed cultivators from Golden Character Workshop up ahead had two more men than usual, all radiating faint spiritual pressure. One wore a Hutong Street dharma robe, clearly a notable figure from the other side.

These cultivators were gathered around, talking, while at their feet lay a corpse reeking of rot and blood, its surface wrapped in strange, spiderweb-like sticky mucus, a horrifying sight.

Sensing Chen Dengming's arrival, one of the cultivators glanced over coldly and said, "Mortal, there's a demon beast lurking nearby. We're handling business. Stay away."

"Demon beast?!"

Chen Dengming halted mid-step, staring at the corpse that also faintly emitted spiritual pressure. His heart sank.

The dead man was a cultivator. He'd been fishing around here these past few days, thinking the wilds weren't too dangerous in daylight.

But now, it seemed he'd been too optimistic.

"He's here to fish. Let him try once more—we haven't seen that beast anyway."

Just then, another old cultivator from Golden Character Workshop, with thinning hair and a goatee, spoke blandly.

The other cultivators glanced at him with mixed thoughts, then shrugged indifferently and continued discussing and observing the corpses on the ground.

Chen Dengming immediately smiled and cupped his hands. "Forget it. Since it's dangerous here, this junior won't fish anymore. Time to switch trades."

As he spoke and turned to leave, a wave of spiritual might locked onto him, making his heart jolt and his brow furrow slightly.

"Does my Golden Character Workshop arrange your tasks just for you to fish when you feel like it and switch trades when you don't?"

The sparse-haired Old Man stared sharply, fixing Chen Dengming with a cold gaze. Seeming unwilling to let his faction lose face before the cultivators of Hutong Street, he blocked his departure.

The nearby cultivators glanced at Chen Dengming, their expressions indifferent, then went back to their own chatter, paying him little mind.

"Immortal Master!"

Chen Dengming smiled and cupped his hands again, about to make another excuse. But the Old Man snorted, his eyes turning dangerous, and the spiritual might radiating from him intensified.

The tree craves stillness, but the wind will not cease.

"This old bastard."

Chen Dengming's anger flared inside, but he quickly lowered his head to keep the Old Man from noticing.

The Blood Centipede Gu in his ear canal stirred slightly, bristling with murderous intent.

"This junior, of course, must see things through to the end!"

Chen Dengming suddenly took a deep breath, his eyelids drooping slightly as he bowed his head, hoisted his fishing gear, and walked toward the lakeshore opposite the Old Man and his group.

He kept admonishing himself inside.

A true man bends and stretches as needed. The enemy outnumbers him; now is not the time. If one of them ever strayed alone, he would unleash all the bloodlust of the Martial World and endure no longer.

But the Blood Centipede Gu seemed not to listen. The Gu worm shared his heart and mind, sensing his frustration, and its thirst for blood swelled endlessly, stirring in him the impulse to slay an immortal as a mortal, to trample the smug faces of cultivators underfoot.

"Wormy, Wormy, wait a little longer... If we don't strike, fine. But when we do, it must be a killing blow..."

Sensing the several spiritual mights behind him from afar, Chen Dengming did his best to calm the Blood Centipede Gu. Rage without strength was futile rage; only a strike planned with a cool head could let the weak overcome the strong. He quickly guessed the Old Man's intent.

Could it be that he was meant to be bait, to lure out the so-called murderous demon beast?

If so, what advantages could he swiftly exploit?

My Ming bro's fists are clenched—I can't take it either. Tomorrow's work: Blood Centipede, I want to eat fish! Throw in some Monthly votes!