A Bountiful Harvest

"Fine marksmanship, sir!"

Chen Hong walked over quickly to welcome the returning Hong Ming, offering praise without reservation.

As he spoke, he did not forget to check the condition of the Black Bass.

Seeing that the arrow had been removed from its body and that Hong Ming had placed it in a water basin, his gaze tightened, fearful that the Treasure Fish might perish.

He soon discovered that although Hong Ming's arrow had pierced the Treasure Fish, it had missed the vitals and caused no life-threatening damage; it was, at most, a superficial wound. His expression eased slightly.

Withdrawing his gaze, he finally took a serious look at Hong Ming, who was indeed a dashing young man.

When his scrutinizing eyes landed on the Black Stone Bow, he paused for a split second.

His smile widened, and he asked with a hint of probing, "Your archery is extraordinary and your movements are agile; could you be a Water Soldier of the River Bureau?"

"Young Master Chen has eyes like torches," Hong Ming replied after jumping off the boat.

This remark was undoubtedly an admission of his identity, causing Chen Hong to glance sideways at Chen Shan, who had followed behind.

He did not speak, but his eyes carried a trace of reproach.

If there were River Bureau Water Soldiers at the Chen Family Water Farm, why had it not been reported?

Chen Shan did not notice the emotion Chen Hong was projecting, as he was currently immersed in the revelation of Hong Ming's other identity.

He remembered that Hong Ming had been recommended by Su Qiang, and he had assumed he was a man from the countryside; he had not expected him to turn out to be a Water Soldier of the River Bureau.

Noticing Chen Hong's gaze, Chen Shan felt somewhat fearful and hurried forward to whisper the situation to Hong Ming.

"So it is Brother Hong!" Chen Hong cupped his hands and lowered his posture, giving Hong Ming plenty of face. "I did not know earlier that Brother Hong had come to my water farm. Please forgive me for the lack of hospitality."

Hong Ming returned the pleasantry: "Young Master Chen is too kind. It was I who was abrupt; how could there be any talk of poor hospitality?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Hong brought up the main business, mentioning vaguely: "Brother Hong, I wonder how you intend to handle this Black Bass?"

At this point, how could Hong Ming not understand the subtext of Chen Hong's words?

Although he had a mind to keep the Treasure Fish, he did not insist, saying frankly: "Since this fish was obtained at your family's water farm, it is naturally for Young Master Chen to dispose of. I have merely contributed a meager effort."

The implication was clear: the fish could be given away, but the compensation for his hard work could not be lacking.

Chen Hong understood instantly, laughing aloud as he said: "Brother Hong is absolutely right. In that case, I am willing to offer twenty taels as a token of gratitude for your assistance. How does that sound?"

He once again made his sincerity clear; the Black Bass Treasure Fish was expensive, with a minimum market value of twenty taels.

However, a half-Treasure Fish was much cheaper, and selling it for ten taels would be the absolute limit.

By opening with twenty taels, he was doubling the price, and the remainder was intended primarily to curry favor with Hong Ming.

From Hong Ming's attire and archery, it was not hard to see that he was a Water Soldier of the Archery Battalion, which indicated that the other party had already become a martial artist.

Whether his future was limitless was another matter, but there was no harm in building a good relationship.

If he were to encounter him while running his shipping business in the future, he could rely on this friendship to make his journeys easier.

Hong Ming saw Chen Hong's intention to befriend him and had no objections to it.

He had initially estimated that ten taels would be a sky-high price and had not expected more; now that the other party had raised the price to twenty taels, there was naturally no reason to refuse.

The two sides quickly reached a tacit understanding, completed the transaction, and began chatting, calling each other brothers.

Through probing questions, Hong Ming learned from the other party the reason for the appearance of the Black Bass at the water farm.

It was related to the approaching fish tide!

He realized belatedly that whenever autumn turned to winter, fish from all water bodies would migrate toward the Huai River like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, waiting to swim back upstream when the spring warmth returned.

This round trip was the most unprecedented grand occasion for the fishing industry in all of Clear River City, known as the biggest harvest period of the year for the people of Qing Province.

Countless people who relied on the Huai River water system for their livelihood made a fortune from this.

Among them, there were many who captured Treasure Fish, creating myths of overnight wealth that shocked all directions and were sung about for a time.

With the fish tide approaching, all kinds of fish were restless, and the once-rare Treasure Fish were no exception.

This Black Bass must have been driven by instinct and, unable to bear the loneliness, set off early, only to have its luck run out on evolution, resulting in a tragic accident in its fish life.

Hong Ming had obtained the answer he wanted, and so had Chen Hong.

When he learned that the other party was a newly promoted archer still in the Preparatory Camp, Chen Hong's expression flickered, but he said nothing more.

The two men had essentially traded information, and after finishing, they parted ways.

Hong Ming returned home loaded with twenty-five taels of silver. With this huge sum, he would not have to worry about cultivation resources for the next half month.

Upon returning to the camp, he purchased Force-Nourishing Pills and threw himself into his cultivation without distraction.

The next day, Chen Yao sought him out.

Her purpose was somewhat unexpected; she had come specifically to thank Hong Ming.

"So the Chen Family Water Farm is the property of Miss Chen's family!" Hong Ming realized the reason after hearing her out.

He had been wondering why he felt Chen Hong's features looked familiar; it turned out the two were siblings.

Chen Yao was also surprised by this, not expecting that it was Hong Ming who had caught the Treasure Fish for her family.

"I merely went with the flow; I didn't provide much help at all." Hong Ming did not feel his actions were worth Chen Yao making a special trip to thank him.

Chen Yao, however, disagreed: "If it is a kindness, why speak of its size?"

It was thanks to Hong Ming selling the Black Bass in time that her family's difficult business situation had been eased.

Hong Ming might not have known about this, but she could not turn a blind eye to it.

"Miss Chen is too polite. If we are truly talking about help, given your usual assistance, it is Hong who should be thanking you." Hong Ming chuckled, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

He was referring not only to Chen Yao's guidance but also to the paperwork.

Chen Yao was slightly stunned upon hearing this, but Wen Xin, standing beside her, blurted out: "Eh, you knew?"

"Mn." Hong Ming nodded gently.

He hadn't been sure before, but now he was completely certain.

"At least you have a conscience!"

Chen Yao did not speak, but Wen Xin jumped in first, her tone filled with relief.

"One thing is one thing, another is another."

Chen Yao insisted, not finding it strange that Hong Ming would know about this matter.

Although she had not deliberately told him to claim credit, she had left plenty of traces; it was only a matter of time before he found out.

The reason she hadn't said anything was mainly due to the shadow cast by her previous experiences helping others.

Now that she saw Hong Ming kept it in his heart, a sense of relief similar to Wen Xin's rose within her.

Seeing that Chen Yao had gone this far, Hong Ming did not persist and accepted it gracefully.

Before they parted ways, Chen Yao seemed to recall something and reminded him in a serious tone: "Hong Ming, now that you have joined the Archery Battalion, it is good to practice archery often, but do not slack off on your fist techniques."

Hong Ming nodded slightly, indicating he understood.

"Chen Yao, you telling Hong Ming to practice his fist techniques so diligently—it wouldn't be for the sake of the Martial Examination, would it?"

On the way back, the sisters' conversation still revolved around Hong Ming, and Wen Xin asked with a guess.

"You could say that." Chen Yao was noncommittal.

"You are thinking way too far ahead!"

After hearing this, Wen Xin shook her head, feeling that Chen Yao was doing something unnecessary.

The Martial Examination was something at least a Dark Force martial artist should consider; Hong Ming was still far from that.

Moreover, it was unknown whether he would even be able to step into the Dark Force in the future.

Bright Force could be achieved through diligence, but the Dark Force was not that simple.

It was a chasm that had trapped countless Bright Force martial artists.

Many Bright Force martial artists spent half their lives honing their skills, exhausting their life's efforts in bitter cultivation, yet they never managed to touch that threshold.

Let alone aspiring to the Martial Examination!