Bait

The voice was sharp and hooked, low in volume but piercing in pitch, enough to make one's skin crawl.

The fishermen fell silent, turning their eyes toward the two men emerging from the wooden shed.

On the left was a government tax collector, dressed in a worn, dark uniform with a blank expression on his face.

The man on the right was in his thirties, his face covered in a large, festering sore.

Though it was only the beginning of spring, he was affectatiously fanning himself with a folding fan.

He was none other than the local fish market's greatest thug.

You Lanchuang!

You Lanchuang paid no mind to the angry fishermen, instead leaning over to whisper something to the tax collector.

The tax collector gave a slight nod.

Then, You Lanchuang turned to face the crowd, drawling slowly:

"They say a man shouldn't be too kind-hearted."

"When you come ashore, the fish market pays your taxes along with our own fees. Do you even have the money yourselves?"

"Old Man Wang, do you have the money to pay your taxes? If you can't pay, do you think you'll be allowed to sell your fish?"

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

The others looked at one another, not knowing how to respond.

You Lanchuang continued:

"Once the spring flood arrives, the river turns vicious. Every year, don't a few good men drown?"

"The fish market organizes the fishing teams and coordinates everything to prevent loss of life."

"Not only do we put in the effort, but we pay you eighty wen a day." He paused, pointing at the pile of fish on the ground. "Are these few fish worth eighty wen? And yet, you refuse such generous terms."

His tone turned icy:

"If you don't want to, that's fine. But don't even think about taking your boats out during the spring flood."

The fishermen grew agitated again.

"The river isn't your family's property! By what right do you stop us from sailing?"

You Lanchuang's gaze whipped toward the fisherman who had spoken, and he let out a cold snort through his nose.

"The river isn't our family's, true, but the rules—those are set by us."

He looked toward the tax collector beside him:

"Clerk Wang, would you agree?"

The tax collector remained expressionless, speaking flatly:

"The fish market assists the government in managing fishing affairs and has its own regulations. Unified coordination during the spring flood is only proper."

With the government openly siding with the fish market, the fishermen's spirits completely collapsed. They whispered among themselves in small groups:

"Forget it, let's just go along with it. At worst, we'll just put in the minimum effort."

"True, the waves during the flood season are indeed dangerous. Better to earn a little less than risk it."

"But this is so stifling!"

"What can you do? If you truly offend this guy, you won't just be drowned by the waves—you'll be killed by him."

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

"I... sigh..."

As they discussed this, several had already begun to line up to press their thumbprints.

You Lanchuang laughed triumphantly.

"Ho ho ho ho."

He had caught snatches of their conversation, and the more he heard, the more excited he became.

Lu Cheng stood at the bow of the boat, a fire of rage igniting in his chest.

For the sake of caution, Lu Cheng had not wanted to stir up trouble or provoke You Lanchuang prematurely.

But a hyena is always a hyena; even if you don't provoke it, it is always looking for a chance to bite you.

Once You Lanchuang held the spring flood in his grip, let alone practicing martial arts, even living a stable life would become a luxury.

Old Man Ge beside him sensed something, grabbing Lu Cheng's wrist with a trembling hand:

"A-Cheng, don't be impulsive."

Lu Cheng turned back to look at Old Man Ge.

Old Man Ge had long since had his spirit ground away by the world; he had no courage left, only numbness and resignation.

He could retreat, but Lu Cheng could not.

If he didn't even dare to cross the hurdle right in front of him, what right did he have to continue on the path of martial arts?

Thoughts raced through his mind, and though the fire within him burned ever brighter, Lu Cheng grew only more composed.

Breaking free from Old Man Ge's grip, he shook his head and whispered:

"Uncle, this isn't impulsiveness; it's fighting for our lives!"

"If I don't speak up this time, there won't be another chance to speak at all."

Without waiting for Old Man Ge to react, Lu Cheng turned his head and shouted:

"This is not right!"

With that, he jumped off the boat and walked across the gravel toward the wooden shed.

The fishermen heard the shout behind them and turned their heads one after another.

But when they saw it was Lu Cheng who had spoken, the sliver of hope that had risen in their hearts sank back down.

Several old fishermen exchanged glances and sighed silently.

Lu Cheng was the best student in the nearby villages.

But the events of two months ago had taught them that while Lu Cheng was intelligent, he was ultimately too young.

In their eyes, Lu Cheng should have kept a low profile, fishing and studying, striving to become an official, rather than recklessly risking his life against You Lanchuang.

He had barely managed to survive back then; was he going to throw his life away now?

Lu Cheng did not know what they were thinking, and even if he did, he would not be moved.

By the time he finished the short walk across the gravel, he already had a plan in mind; though it was risky, it was not without a chance of success.

Walking straight past the crowd to the front of the wooden shed, Lu Cheng looked at You Lanchuang without a hint of fear:

"Eighty wen a day is not right."

Lu Cheng stepping forward caught You Lanchuang quite by surprise.

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

In his view, what did a scholar amount to?

Never mind that he hadn't even earned a degree yet; even if Lu Cheng had passed the xiucai exam, so what? Did he really think it was that easy to enter the officialdom?

Wasn't the tax clerk beside him a prime example?

Although he had passed the xiucai exam long ago, he had still wasted over a decade, only managing to become a minor clerk in the end by relying on connections in the fish market.

That was why, back then, he had gone after Lu Cheng with the intent to kill.

He had beaten many lowly, foolish fishermen to death, but Lu Cheng was the first scholar.

It was already a surprise that he hadn't beaten Lu Cheng to death; he hadn't expected the boy to dare to stir up trouble again today.

It seemed he had forgotten the pain once the wound had healed.

But that was fine; last time he had shown off his fists, this time he would show off his strategy, so people wouldn't always say Master You only knew how to use brute force.

Kid, let's see if you're tougher, or if Master You is!

In a flash, You Lanchuang wove a vicious scheme in his mind:

"Kid, eighty wen isn't right? For a scholar, you're surprisingly bad at doing the math."

"At three wen per catty of fish, for eighty wen, you'd have to catch nearly thirty catties!"

He pointed at the fishermen and said:

"Even in the peak season, how many of these people can catch thirty catties?"

As he spoke, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes:

"If you think eighty wen is too little, are you planning to evade taxes?"

The tax clerk surnamed Wang snorted:

"Those who evade taxes shall have their property confiscated and be exiled a thousand miles away."

This immediately terrified the many fishermen, who hurriedly claimed they would never dare.

Lu Cheng glanced at You Lanchuang with surprise.

He truly hadn't expected this guy to have such a trick up his sleeve, but since he had misunderstood Lu Cheng's objective, these words would never have the intended effect.

Lu Cheng shook his head and bowed to the tax clerk:

"Rest assured, Clerk, Lu Cheng is a scholar. I am only fishing now to make a living, but my heart remains set on the imperial examinations, so I would naturally never violate the laws of Great Qi."

The tax clerk nodded:

"If you aren't evading taxes, then what do you want?"

"If it's not tax evasion, then you must just feel like you're getting the short end of the stick." You Lanchuang snapped his folding fan shut with a clack, glared, and pointed at Lu Cheng, "They say scholars are the most heartless, and I didn't believe it, but to think... sigh..."

"Do you really care that much about a few catties and a few wen?"

"You've already made plenty extra as it is. At a time like this, are you really unwilling to concede even a little profit, insisting on dragging everyone else into the storm?"

The tone shifted, and he added:

"But since Master You is benevolent, how about this: for you and Old Man Ge, how does one hundred coins sound?"

BOOM!

The crowd erupted as if a pot had boiled over.

"Hey, why do they get one hundred coins!"

"We can catch more fish too."

"Dragging a big net on the river, what does that have to do with skill?"

How ruthless!

What a scheme!

With just these few sentences, he not only pushed Lu Cheng into the position of being unrighteous.

Lu Cheng caught nearly twice as much fish as the others every day, which had already made many people jealous.

But that was personal ability, and the fishermen hadn't thought much of it.

Yet now that You Lanchuang offered a price higher than the others, it instantly ignited the jealousy buried deep in their hearts.

Being bullied by the thugs at the fish market was one thing, but how could this brat Lu Cheng be placed above us?

At this moment, the fishermen seemed to have forgotten the oppression of the thugs, focusing only on venting their dissatisfaction toward Lu Cheng.

You Lanchuang looked at the agitated fishermen, the smugness at the corners of his mouth almost impossible to suppress.

Lu Cheng did not answer You Lanchuang; he turned around to face the fishermen and said loudly:

"Everyone is underestimating me, Lu Cheng, far too much. How could a mere few copper coins compare to a Silver Sturgeon!"

The voice was not loud, yet it made everyone's breath hitch.

A rare treasure like the Silver Sturgeon was gold in the water.

In an instant, the fishing teams and the one hundred coins were all cast to the back of their minds.

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

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

"Is it true? He isn't just boasting, is he?"

"I don't think it's a lie..."

You Lanchuang thought of something instantly, and without even bothering to keep up his act, he asked urgently:

"What do you mean?"

He took the bait!

Lu Cheng turned his head and cast a glance at You Lanchuang with feigned arrogance:

"I mean exactly what I said. If we all go out on the boats together to drag the nets, what if we catch a precious haul like the Silver Sturgeon?"

"Does that count as part of the eighty coins too? That would be far too unfair!"

You Lanchuang's breathing suddenly quickened.

Silver Sturgeon!

This brat could catch a Silver Sturgeon!

Everyone secretly whispered that he had killed Lu Zhongyou.

That was indeed true, but it wasn't because Lu Zhongyou had defied him.

It was because Lu Zhongyou's impulsive act of releasing a Silver Sturgeon had aroused his suspicion.

That was a Silver Sturgeon; an ordinary fisherman could hardly catch one in a lifetime.

Why had Lu Zhongyou released it so impulsively?

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

After failing to get answers on the river and a conflict ensued, he had thrown Lu Zhongyou into the water.

Looking at it now, Lu Zhongyou must have told Lu Cheng the location of the Silver Sturgeon's waters!

You Lanchuang considered himself a man who had weathered many storms, yet fearing he might scare Lu Cheng off, he spoke with uncharacteristic caution:

"Nephew Lu is joking. A rare catch like the Silver Sturgeon naturally cannot be treated that way; we shall split it equally according to its value."

Lu Cheng let out a cold snort and said disdainfully:

"What value? Three coins a catty?"

Such blunt words made You Lanchuang's face twitch, but he still forced a smile and said:

"Oh my, I was just joking with Brother Lu earlier. Who would have thought he'd take it seriously? The Silver Sturgeon has always been worth one hundred coins a catty."

"Is that true?"

"It is the truth!"

The fishermen grew excited as well.

A single Silver Sturgeon weighed at least a hundred catties. Counting a fishing team of twenty men, each person could walk away with over a hundred copper coins!

Lu Cheng received the affirmative answer and nodded.

"Since that is the case, then that will do."

Having said that, he ignored them further and turned toward the fishing boat.

Behind him, You Lanchuang hurriedly probed:

"Hey, we need to sign and press our fingerprints."

Lu Cheng sneered inwardly, not even looking back as he replied:

"What is the rush? The spring flood is still a while away; it won't be too late to sign in a couple of days."

You Lanchuang was not angry but delighted, watching with a smile as Lu Cheng and Old Man Ge settled the fish cargo.

Did Lu Cheng's behavior not clearly indicate that he intended to catch the Silver Sturgeon?

"Uncle, tomorrow morning, I will head out on the boat alone. The wind and waves on the river are starting to pick up, so I will go scout the water conditions first."

That evening, outside the courtyard shared by the Lu and Ge families, Lu Cheng whispered these words as they were about to part ways.

Old Man Ge's movements stiffened upon hearing this, and he immediately recalled the conflict on the mudflats at noon, naturally understanding what Lu Cheng intended to do.

Hearing Lu Cheng say this, he fell silent.

After a long while, he said in a low voice:

"That is fine. I have been exhausted these past few days anyway; it is a good time to rest and mend the nets."

He paused, then continued:

"However, do not truly trust that vile ruffian. If there is any conflict, remember to prioritize your own safety."

After speaking, the old man walked slowly into the courtyard. With two consecutive creaks of the door, the surroundings fell back into silence.

Lu Cheng knew that Old Man Ge had misunderstood his intentions, but he did not offer an explanation.

He looked up at the sky; the setting sun was infinitely close to the horizon.

Taking a deep breath, he quickened his pace home, locked the door, and went to sleep.

When the moon reached its zenith, Lu Cheng quietly stepped into the courtyard and gripped the fish spear leaning against the wall.

[Fish Spearing Technique]

[Grade: Mortal]

[Realm: Proficient (92/100)]

"Ninety-two..."

To deal with You Lanchuang, his three skills were his only reliance.

Among them, [Fish Spearing Technique] was the most critical.

He did not seek to advance his realm right now; he only needed to warm up and get comfortable so he could remain calm when facing the enemy.