Debt Exposed

Willingly Take the Bait?!

Hong Ming stared at the fishing rod before him, his heart rate quickening involuntarily.

He had been fretting over how to locate the Treasure Fish!

The appearance of the "Willingly Take the Bait" trait was undoubtedly a beacon in the dark, solving his most pressing crisis.

Suppressing the agitation in his heart, he asked the fishmonger with a calm expression, "How much for these grass carp?"

"Ten wen for the small ones, five wen per catty for the large ones," the fishmonger replied with a light chuckle.

"I'll take three large ones!"

Hearing this, the fishmonger's brows danced with joy. "Coming right up!"

Displaying high professional standards, he picked out the three largest grass carp right in front of Hong Ming, weighed them, and tallied the cost.

"That will be one hundred and three wen, honored guest. You can just give me one tael of silver."

The fishmonger voluntarily waived the odd change for today's big customer.

Hong Ming nodded slightly, and while taking out the money, he asked casually, "Old man, this fishing rod looks quite good. Would you be willing to sell it to me?"

"The fishing rod?" The fishmonger's expression faltered for a moment before he glanced at Hong Ming.

He was somewhat surprised that Hong Ming had taken a fancy to this dilapidated rod, and a sliver of suspicion flickered in his mind.

He had a nagging feeling that Hong Ming's intentions were not as simple as they seemed.

However, he didn't dwell on it, instead pondering whether he could profit from this.

Just as the thought arose, he caught sight of Hong Ming putting his money away and immediately dismissed it.

He laughed heartily and said, "You're joking, guest. Since you sincerely want it, just take it for ten wen!"

As he spoke, he observed Hong Ming's expression.

"How about five wen? This rod has seen better days; it might break after a few uses," Hong Ming said, his expression unchanged and his tone casual.

The fishmonger withdrew his gaze and focused on haggling, eventually settling on a price of seven wen.

With the fishing rod in his left hand and the grass carp in his right, Hong Ming walked through the streets and alleys, inexplicably drawing frequent glances.

He didn't pay much mind to it, heading home with the intention of letting Hong Zheng and the others eat the grass carp.

In the backyard of the Hong Family grocery store.

A stifling silence permeated the air.

The eldest aunt asked with a trembling voice, "Father, you aren't joking, are you? Ming, he... he has incurred a massive debt of ten taels?"

She found it hard to believe the heaven-shattering news she had just heard from Hong Zheng.

"It's true. Someone from the Zhong Family Cloth Shop came by just now to notify us personally. They said we must pay it off within half a month, or they will report it to the authorities!" the aunt said, her face full of sorrow.

Upon hearing this, the eldest aunt felt a sense of impending doom and whipped her head toward Hong Zheng. "Father, you aren't expecting us to help pay this, are you?"

A massive debt of ten taels of silver—even if her entire family gave their lives to fill the hole, it wouldn't be enough.

The aunt was equally anxious; this was no longer a question of whether they could pay, but the fact that even if they went bankrupt, they still couldn't afford it.

Hong Zheng didn't speak, his brows knitted into a knot as his cane struck the ground, creating a maddening, rhythmic noise.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh, as if having made a decision. "You don't have to pay the whole amount; we will cover it."

"But Father, does our family even have that much money?"

Hearing that they wouldn't have to pay, the aunt's expression softened slightly, and she asked with curiosity.

Hong Zheng glanced at the youngest aunt, who had remained silent the entire time, and murmured, "I have arranged a marriage for Xique. The other party is willing to provide a ten-tael dowry. We will use that money to pay off the debt."

"Father, you are going to use Xique's lifelong happiness to pay off Ming's debt?" The aunt looked up abruptly, her face full of disbelief.

The eldest aunt was stunned, her throat feeling as if it were being crushed by a giant boulder, making it impossible to breathe.

Although Hong Xique, the youngest aunt, didn't speak, her trembling shoulders revealed the turbulent storm raging within her heart.

If there were a choice, who would want to use their own marriage to settle a debt!

"What else can I do? Should I just watch Ming go to prison?" Hong Zheng's tiger-like eyes widened, his sockets turning red.

He didn't want to sacrifice Hong Xique to pay the debt either, but at this moment, he had no other choice!

Hearing this, the aunt and the eldest aunt were both speechless; at this moment, anything they said seemed pale and powerless.

In the small courtyard, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was nearly suffocating, but it was soon broken by a voice: "Grandfather, Aunt..."

It was Hong Ming returning!

Hong Zheng's expression shifted slightly as he quickly adjusted his emotions and pulled himself together.

He looked at the aunt and the others, solemnly warning them, "Do not tell Ming about this, under any circumstances."

No one spoke in response.

The youngest aunt kept her head down, a faint sobbing sound escaping her throat.

The aunt and the eldest aunt looked on with complex expressions; the thousands of words on the tips of their tongues all dissolved into a long sigh.

The two women walked to the side of the younger aunt, gently patting her shoulder in silent comfort.

"Grandfather, what is going on with you all?"

Hong Ming walked through the shop and arrived at the small courtyard, noticing that the atmosphere felt a bit off, and asked curiously.

"It's nothing." Hong Zheng shook his head repeatedly, fearing that Hong Ming might see through the facade, and hurriedly changed the subject. "Ming, what about this fish?"

Hong Ming glanced at the aunts before withdrawing his gaze, smiling, "This is a grass carp I brought for you all."

"Look at you, coming back is enough, why buy fish?"

Hong Zheng complained in a lukewarm tone, then immediately beckoned to the aunts, "Don't just stand there, hurry over and help prepare it; we'll eat fish tonight."

Everyone responded and busied themselves, and a moment later, wisps of smoke curled up from the courtyard.

The scent of cooking smoke gathered overhead, igniting a brief moment of warmth, yet it vanished into thin air as soon as Hong Ming departed.

On the way back, Hong Ming recalled the scene during dinner and inexplicably felt that everyone had been forcing their smiles.

He assumed it had to do with his martial arts training and didn't pay it much mind, turning his thoughts instead to his new trait.

"Six points of Luck—at most six days and I'll have enough to solidify the trait and go find the Treasure Fish!"

Anticipation welled up in Hong Ming's heart, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

Not long after, he arrived at the military town and was just about to head to the training grounds when he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back, a chill running down his spine.

He stopped abruptly, his gaze sweeping across the area, and caught a glimpse of a figure moving away.

"That is... Huang Chun?"

Hong Ming stared at the retreating back, identifying the person, his expression tightening.

The strange feeling from just a moment ago had come from Huang Chun!

His heart tightened; this guy showing up was definitely not as simple as just coming to see him.

It was likely a silent threat.

"I must cultivate Ming Jin as soon as possible!"

A sense of urgency surged in Hong Ming; Huang Chun's act of appearing without truly showing himself only made him feel more endangered.

Unwilling to waste a single second, he hurried to the training grounds, cast aside all distracting thoughts, and stood in his stance.

Time flowed like water, reflecting Hong Ming's tireless figure.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

Every day, aside from earning money, Hong Ming practiced martial arts, utilizing his time to the absolute limit.

He never slacked off in the slightest.

Under such diligent, sleep-depriving efforts, both his stance work and his Luck saw explosive growth.

[Luck: 6 points (35%)]
[Martial Arts: Coiling Dragon Stake (Entry 219/500)]

Looking at the number in the Luck column, joy spread across Hong Ming's face: "I can finally solidify the Willingly Take the Bait trait!"

He shifted his thoughts, communicating with the panel, which responded instantly:

[Consumed 6 points of Luck, successfully solidified the "Willingly Take the Bait" trait.]

Hearing the voice in his mind, the corners of Hong Ming's mouth curled upward.

Now, everything was ready; he only lacked the final push.

Hong Ming looked at the torrential rain outside the window, which was as dense as silk, and suppressed the restlessness in his heart.