Willingly Take the Bait

"Zhou Min wanted to buy half a month of my time?"

After learning the reason, Hong Ming was slightly taken aback.

Qin Hao nodded. "That maid told me so. She said you rowed the boat well."

There was a trace of surprise in his tone. He had not expected Hong Ming to win Zhou Min's favor in such a manner.

This was treatment that even he had never enjoyed!

"As for the price, that's negotiable. They said they definitely wouldn't shortchange you."

Qin Hao continued acting as a go-between, listing all sorts of benefits.

"If you row well during these half a month and help Miss Zhou cultivate Bright Force, they'll directly reward you with thirty taels!"

"Once you agree, though, you'll have to wait on call all day and come whenever summoned."

Thirty taels!

This was the most generous payment Qin Hao had ever encountered in his career as an introducer.

Whether Hong Ming was tempted or not aside, Qin Hao himself was truly tempted.

If he could obtain this money, then for quite a long time afterward, he would no longer lack the capital to buy martial arts resources.

This would undoubtedly slash his costs and let him devote himself more wholeheartedly to martial arts.

Given how difficult Hong Ming's martial path was, surely he had no reason to refuse.

Hong Ming was indeed somewhat tempted. Thirty taels was an enormous sum; not only could it solve his martial training expenses, it could also help him repay his massive debts.

But the price behind such high-paid employment was not something he wished to bear.

Waiting on Zhou Min and rowing for her around the clock meant completely losing his free time.

The afternoon time spent gathering clams was of little importance, but if even his time for martial training was taken away, how could he fulfill the Fate Grid's requirements?

Put seriously, this was not a transaction for thirty taels, but a transaction for ten years of his life.

Once he agreed, the ending would be destined to end in his failure!

At that thought, Hong Ming extinguished the flicker of temptation in his heart.

But he did not rush to refuse. Instead, he prepared to bargain and see whether there was any room to maneuver.

Hong Ming asked, "Brother Hao, could I sell only my daytime hours and keep the nights for myself?"

This was the greatest concession he could make.

"Uh... I'm not sure about that. I'll go ask for you." Qin Hao was uncertain as well.

"Then I'll trouble you, Brother Hao."

Hong Ming cupped his hands as he saw him off.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Qin Hao returned with a pained expression and shook his head. "They didn't agree. How about you think it over again?"

He tried to persuade Hong Ming to change his mind. Since they had already hired his daytime, what did the remaining hours matter?

If he could earn this money, it would be of great benefit to Hong Ming's future martial training and daily life alike.

Hong Ming felt some regret, but he did not insist. "No. Please trouble Brother Hao to decline politely for me."

"All right." Qin Hao sighed and left.

Not long afterward, he found Hong Ming again and brought bad news. "Miss Zhou said you don't need to go over today."

She said today, but in truth, he likely would not need to go again in the future.

Although Hong Ming's polite refusal had not caused Zhou Min any tangible loss, it had undoubtedly slapped her in the face.

It was only natural for Zhou Min to stop him from rowing for her.

In the vast Water Army Training Camp, formal martial artists might be rare, but people who could row boats were a dime a dozen. They did not lack Hong Ming.

Hong Ming fell silent after hearing this, but said nothing more. Instead, he asked Qin Hao whether he could introduce another job.

After pondering briefly, Qin Hao said, "There is one, but the pay is rather low—not even half a qian. Will you do it?"

"I will!" Hong Ming agreed without a second thought.

As long as there was work, that was enough. He did not ask for much, only enough to cover the cost of one dose of Blood-Qi Medicine per day.

"Then come with me."

Hong Ming's third customer was also a woman, named Chen Yao.

Her family circumstances were unknown compared with Zhou Min's, but she certainly did not lack food.

When Hong Ming arrived, Chen Yao was eating.

Seeing someone approach, she hurriedly picked up a plate of pastries and turned away, mumbling, "Wait till I'm done eating!"

Her voice was a little hurried, and her movements sped up accordingly. The pastries on the plate vanished at a visible rate.

Just when Hong Ming thought she had finished, she secretly reached backward and swiped two more plates of pastries, wolfing them down.

"D-Do you want some?" That muffled voice sounded again, asking Hong Ming.

Hong Ming shook his head and politely declined. "No need. Thank you, Miss Chen."

"Oh." Chen Yao swallowed back a word.

She no longer paid attention to Hong Ming and focused wholeheartedly on dealing with the food.

Half a quarter-hour later, Chen Yao let out a satisfied burp. Only after clearing every last pastry from the small square table did she look at Hong Ming and ask, "You're so thin. Can you even row a boat?"

Her tone was very blunt, laying bare her doubts about Hong Ming.

She weighed more than two normal adult men. Let alone rowing while standing in a stance, even rowing while sitting still took considerable effort.

Hong Ming glanced at Chen Yao's figure, whose slimness was not particularly obvious, then said after a slight pause, "Miss Chen, since I'm already here, why not let me give it a try?"

"All right, then." Chen Yao thought that made sense and readily agreed.

She then climbed onto the boat. The instant she entered it, Hong Ming clearly saw the hull sink nearly two inches.

Retracting his gaze, Hong Ming strode forward and steadied the constantly rocking boat.

Once Chen Yao was ready, Hong Ming slowly began rowing.

He had to admit, this boat was indeed harder to row than the others. Every swing required some effort.

But with the enhanced Breathing and Exhalation Trait supporting him, he could still perform at seventy or eighty percent of his usual level.

This could be seen from the change in Chen Yao's expression. The faint doubts she had worn at first had now turned into delight.

How could she not be delighted?

Hong Ming was the best boat-rower she had encountered so far!

After adapting slightly, Chen Yao discovered that Hong Ming could completely keep pace with her rhythm. She no longer held back and began seriously practicing her stance.

Hong Ming took the chance to sense Chen Yao's rhythm. It was slightly inferior to Wang Heng's, but higher than Zhou Min's.

This showed that Chen Yao would cultivate Bright Force faster than Zhou Min.

"Hmm?"

Hong Ming suddenly sensed something unusual. He discovered that Chen Yao's rhythm had changed.

It had become increasingly close to Wang Heng's.

Clearly, Chen Yao's stance practice was producing remarkable results.

Moreover, this progress seemed even more efficient than Wang Heng's cultivation while Hong Ming rowed for him.

"Looks like Chen Yao's talent is a little better than Wang Heng's."

Hong Ming made this deduction, but did not rashly touch her to inspect her Traits.

The morning's boat-rowing ended quickly. Hong Ming was so tired that his muscles and bones went numb, while Chen Yao still looked as though she wanted more.

"You row really well!" Chen Yao praised him without stinting.

And then? That was it!

After thanking her, Hong Ming took his leave. Once he had eaten lunch, he headed straight for the Chen Family Water Farm.

The journey there counted as rest. By the time he arrived, his energy and spirits had mostly recovered.

After renting a boat from the Chen Family, Hong Ming headed into the inner waters to gather clams. As usual, he first went to check the spot where he had previously found the Azure Dragon Fish.

After searching for a while without result, he changed locations and focused on his work.

Luck seemed to have begun favoring Hong Ming. In less than an hour, he had already reaped a full harvest.

"Two medium Clam Pearls, thirty low-grade Clam Pearls, and over a hundred damaged Clam Pearls. I've struck it rich!"

A rare bumper harvest!

Hong Ming felt as though his clam pouch was about to burst, so he decided to call it a day early.

After docking the boat, Hong Ming went to the Fishery Market to sell the Clam Pearls. The earnings were extremely high, nearly three qian of silver.

It was comparable to three days of his income!

Since it was still early, he did not hurry back. Instead, he chose to stroll around the Fishery Market and see whether there were any useful Traits he could solidify.

As he wandered, he truly stumbled upon an unexpected delight:

[Trait: Willingly Take the Bait]

[Status: Can be solidified]

[Required Fortune: 6 points]

[Solidification Effect: Within a range of ten zhang, can attract Treasure Fish to appear for half a quarter-hour.]

[Note: Can be used three times]