Bait

That voice was thin and hooked, not loud, but pitched so high it made people's skin crawl.

The fishermen fell silent and looked toward the two men coming out of the wooden shed.

On the left was a government tax collector, wearing a faded black robe. His face was expressionless.

On the right was a man in his thirties with a broad swath of festering sores across his face.

It was clearly only the beginning of spring, yet he was holding a folding fan and waving it with affected airs.

He was the local fishmongers' biggest thug.

You Lanchuang!

You Lanchuang paid no mind to the angry fishermen. He turned his head and murmured something to the tax collector.

The tax collector gave a slight nod.

Then You Lanchuang turned to face the crowd and drawled:

"People really shouldn't be too kindhearted."

"As soon as you come ashore, the fishmongers pay your taxes along with their own. Do you even have that kind of money?"

"Old Wang, can you afford your taxes? If you can't pay, can you sell your fish?"

The old man who had been the loudest just moments ago fell silent.

The others exchanged uncertain looks, unsure how to respond.

You Lanchuang continued:

"When the spring flood comes, the river turns fierce. Every year, doesn't it drown a few skilled fishermen?"

"The fishmongers organize a fishing crew and coordinate everyone to prevent fatalities."

"Never mind all the time and effort that takes, we even pay you eighty copper coins a day." He paused and pointed at the pile of fish on the ground. "Are these few fish worth eighty coins? We're offering such generous terms, and you still refuse."

His tone turned icy.

"If you refuse, fine. Just don't expect to take your boats out during the spring flood."

The fishermen grew agitated again.

"That river doesn't belong to you! What gives you the right to stop us from going out?"

You Lanchuang's gaze snapped toward the fisherman who had spoken. He snorted and said:

"Of course the river doesn't belong to us. But we make the rules."

Then he looked at the tax collector beside him.

"Clerk Wang, isn't that right?"

The tax collector spoke coolly, his face still blank.

"The fishmongers assist the government in managing the fishing trade and have their own regulations. Coordinating everyone during the spring flood is only right."

With the government openly siding with the fishmongers, the fishermen were completely disheartened. They gathered in small groups and murmured among themselves:

"Forget it. Let's just do as they say. We can put in the hours without putting in the effort."

"Yeah, the waves really are huge during flood season. We'll just have to settle for earning less."

"But this is so humiliating!"

"What can you do? If you really make an enemy of that bastard, you'll either get smashed by the waves or killed by him."

"Besides, we really don't have the money to pay our taxes."

"I... sigh..."

As they talked, a few had already decided to join the queue and sign their names.

You Lanchuang broke into a smug laugh.

"Hohohoho."

He had caught bits of what they were saying, and it only made him more excited.

Lu Cheng stood at the bow of the boat, fury flaring in his chest.

For the sake of caution, Lu Cheng hadn't wanted to provoke You Lanchuang before he was ready or cause unnecessary trouble.

But a hyena was always a hyena. Even if you left it alone, it was still waiting for a chance to bite.

If You Lanchuang took control of the spring flood too, forget practicing martial arts—even living in peace would become a pipe dream.

Old Man Ge, beside him, sensed something and abruptly grabbed Lu Cheng's wrist. His voice trembled.

"Ah Cheng, don't act rashly."

Lu Cheng turned and looked at Old Man Ge.

The world had long since worn the fight out of Old Man Ge. He had lost his courage, leaving only numbness and resignation.

He could back down, but Lu Cheng couldn't.

If he didn't dare cross even this hurdle, what gave him the right to walk the path of martial arts?

Thoughts raced through his mind. The fire inside him blazed higher, yet Lu Cheng grew calmer.

He pulled free of Old Man Ge's grip, shook his head, and said softly:

"Uncle, this isn't rashness. It's a fight for our lives!"

"If we don't speak up now, we won't get another chance."

Before Old Man Ge could move again, Lu Cheng turned and shouted:

"This is unacceptable!"

With that, he jumped off the boat and strode over the gravel toward the wooden shed.

The fishermen heard the shout behind them and turned around.

But when they saw that it was Lu Cheng who had spoken, the faint hope rising in their hearts faded again.

A few old fishermen exchanged glances and sighed without a word.

Lu Cheng was the most learned man in the nearby villages.

But what had happened two months ago had shown them that, clever as Lu Cheng was, he was still too young.

They thought Lu Cheng should keep his head down, fish and study, and work hard to become an official—not recklessly pick a fight with You Lanchuang.

He'd only just managed to survive. Was he going to throw his life away now?

Lu Cheng didn't know what they were thinking, and even if he had, it wouldn't have affected him.

By the time he had crossed the short stretch of gravel, he had already come up with a plan. It was risky, but not without a chance of success.

He walked straight through the crowd and stopped in front of the shed, meeting You Lanchuang's gaze without fear.

"Eighty copper coins a day is unacceptable."

Lu Cheng's boldness took You Lanchuang somewhat by surprise.

Unlike the fishermen, he had never taken Lu Cheng seriously.

What could a scholar amount to?

He didn't even have an official degree. Even if Lu Cheng passed the county-level examination and became a licentiate, so what? Did he really think getting into the government was that easy?

Wasn't the tax collector standing right beside him proof enough?

He had earned his licentiate early, yet spent more than ten years going nowhere. In the end, he had only managed to become a minor clerk through the fishmongers' connections.

That was why You Lanchuang had gone after Lu Cheng with the intention of killing him in the first place.

He had beaten and killed plenty of lowly, foolish fishermen, but a scholar was a first.

It had been a surprise that he hadn't beaten Lu Cheng to death. And now the boy dared to bare his claws again?

It seemed he'd forgotten the pain as soon as his wounds healed.

Still, this was good. Last time, You Lanchuang had shown off his fists. This time, he'd show off his cunning, too. Then people couldn't keep saying Master You only knew how to use brute force.

Let's see whether you're tougher, boy, or Master You!

In the blink of an eye, a vicious scheme took shape in You Lanchuang's mind.

"Boy, eighty coins isn't enough? And you call yourself a scholar? You can't even do this simple arithmetic?"

"Fish sells for three coins a pound. At eighty coins, you'd have to net almost thirty pounds!"

He pointed at the fishermen.

"Even during flood season, how many of you can catch thirty pounds?"

A cruel glint flashed in his eyes.

"You think eighty coins is too little? Are you planning to evade taxes?"

The tax collector surnamed Wang snorted.

"Tax evaders have their property confiscated and are exiled a thousand miles away."

That frightened the fishermen even more, and they hurriedly insisted they wouldn't evade taxes.

Lu Cheng glanced at You Lanchuang, surprised.

He hadn't expected the bastard to have this trick up his sleeve, but You Lanchuang had misunderstood Lu Cheng's purpose. His threat wouldn't work.

Lu Cheng shook his head and cupped his hands toward the tax collector.

"Rest assured, Clerk Wang. I, Lu Cheng, am a scholar. I fish for a living now, but I have never abandoned my hope of passing the imperial examinations. Naturally, I would never violate Great Qi's laws."

The tax collector nodded.

"If you're not evading taxes, what do you want?"

"Then you just think you're getting a raw deal," You Lanchuang said. He snapped his fan shut, glared at Lu Cheng, and pointed at him. "They say scholars are the ones most likely to betray their friends. I never believed it, but now... sigh."

"Are you really so hung up over a few pounds of fish and a few coins?"

"You already earn a lot more than the others. At a time like this, can't you give up even a little profit? Do you really have to drag everyone else into the storm?"

Then he changed his tune.

"But Master You is a man of honor. How about this? We'll give you and Old Man Ge a hundred coins each."

Boom!

The crowd erupted.

"Hey, why do they get a hundred coins?"

"We can catch more fish, too!"

"What does hauling a net across the river have to do with skill?"

How ruthless!

How devious!

In just a few sentences, he had cast Lu Cheng as the cruel and dishonorable one.

Lu Cheng caught nearly twice as much fish as the others each day, and plenty of them already resented him for it.

But that was just a matter of personal ability. The fishermen hadn't thought much of it.

Now, though, You Lanchuang was offering Lu Cheng more than everyone else, and the jealousy buried in their hearts immediately burst into flames.

Being bullied by the fishmongers' thugs was bad enough. Why should Lu Cheng get to lord it over them, too?

At that moment, the fishermen seemed to forget the thugs' exploitation and focused solely on venting their anger at Lu Cheng.

You Lanchuang looked at the agitated fishermen, barely able to suppress his smug grin.

Lu Cheng didn't answer him. He turned to face the fishermen and called out:

"You all think too little of me, Lu Cheng. A few copper coins are nothing compared to a Silver Sturgeon!"

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone stopped breathing for a moment.

A Silver Sturgeon was a rare treasure, gold of the river.

At once, the fishing crew, the hundred coins—everything else was forgotten.

"Did I hear that right? Lu Cheng said... Silver Sturgeon?"

"That's right, he said he could catch a Silver Sturgeon."

"Is that for real? He's not just bragging?"

"I don't think he is..."

You Lanchuang immediately realized what Lu Cheng meant. He dropped all pretense and asked urgently:

"What do you mean?"

Hook, line, and sinker!

Lu Cheng turned his head and gave You Lanchuang a haughty, sidelong glance.

"I mean exactly what I said. If we all take our boats out and haul in a net together, what happens if we catch a precious fish like a Silver Sturgeon?"

"Are you going to count it as part of the eighty coins? That would hardly be fair!"

You Lanchuang's breathing suddenly quickened.

A Silver Sturgeon!

This boy could catch a Silver Sturgeon!

Everyone secretly said You Lanchuang had killed Lu Zhongyou.

They were right, but it wasn't because Lu Zhongyou had slighted him.

It was because Lu Zhongyou's rash decision to release the Silver Sturgeon had made You Lanchuang suspicious.

A Silver Sturgeon! Most fishermen couldn't catch even one in their entire lives.

So why had Lu Zhongyou released it so impulsively?

So You Lanchuang had quietly followed Lu Zhongyou when he went out on his boat.

When his attempt to force the truth out of Lu Zhongyou on the river failed, a fight broke out, and he threw Lu Zhongyou into the water.

Now it seemed Lu Zhongyou must have told Lu Cheng where to find the Silver Sturgeon!

You Lanchuang considered himself a man who had weathered plenty of storms. Yet now he was so afraid of frightening Lu Cheng that he spoke with unusual care.

"Little nephew Lu, surely you're joking. A rare catch like the Silver Sturgeon obviously wouldn't be handled that way. We'd split its value fairly."

"Is that so?"

"Really!"

The fishermen grew excited too.

A Silver Sturgeon weighed at least a hundred jin. If a fishing team had twenty people, each person could take home over a hundred copper coins!

After getting a definite answer from Lu Cheng, Old Man Ge nodded.

"In that case, that should work."

With that, he paid them no more heed and turned toward the fishing boat.

Behind him, You Lanchuang quickly tested the waters. "Hey, what about signing and putting your thumbprint on it?"

Lu Cheng sneered inwardly. Without turning around, he replied, "What's the hurry? The spring flood is still a while off. We can sign in a couple of days."

You Lanchuang wasn't angry. If anything, he was delighted, watching with a smile as Lu Cheng and Old Man Ge settled the fish delivery.

Wasn't Lu Cheng's behavior proof that he planned to catch Silver Sturgeon?

"Uncle, I'll go out on the boat alone first thing tomorrow morning. The wind and waves on the river are picking up. I'll scout the water conditions."

That evening, outside the courtyards of the Lu and Ge families, Lu Cheng said this quietly as they were about to part.

Old Man Ge froze at his words. Then he recalled the clash on the mudflat that noon and naturally understood what Lu Cheng intended to do.

Hearing him say this, Old Man Ge fell silent.

After quite a while, he finally said in a low voice, "That's fine. I've been worn out after all these days, so I can take a few days to rest and mend the nets."

He paused, then continued, "But don't you go trusting that vicious thug. If there's a clash, remember to keep yourself safe."

With that, the old man slowly entered the courtyard. The gate creaked twice, and silence settled over the surroundings once more.

Lu Cheng knew Old Man Ge had misunderstood him, but he didn't explain.

He looked up at the sky. The setting sun was already almost touching the horizon.

He took a deep breath, hurried home, shut the door, and went to sleep.

When the moon was high overhead, Lu Cheng quietly stepped into the courtyard and grasped the fish spear leaning against the wall.

[Fish Spearing Technique]

[Grade: Mortal]

[Realm: Proficient (92/100)]

"Ninety-two..."

His three skills were his only means of dealing with You Lanchuang.

Among them, the Fish Spearing Technique was the most important.

He wasn't looking to advance its realm just yet. He only needed to warm up, get his hand in, and face his enemy without losing his composure.