Departure

A thin layer of silt covered the target Lu Cheng had been looking for.

A wooden chest, about a foot square, with handles on either side and a two-inch lock clamped firmly shut.

That was it!

The fish market's cashbox.

Having found his target, Lu Cheng grabbed the handles and immediately turned to swim back up.

"Splash!"

Lu Cheng burst out of the water and gulped in air, his face flushed red from holding his breath.

His struggle with You Lanchuang had already been dangerous and exhausting. Searching around underwater had used up the rest of his breath, and he had nearly run out of strength on the way back up.

But Lu Cheng was overjoyed. He raised his free right hand and slapped the water several times.

"Hahahahaha! Heaven's Mandate is truly on my side!"

Even with the water's buoyancy, Lu Cheng could still feel the chest's weight.

That meant it held no small amount of silver!

That made Lu Cheng even happier.

After catching his breath, Lu Cheng used the water's force to heave the cashbox onto the boat.

The box landed inside with a heavy thud, accompanied by a pleasant, crisp clatter of coins.

It sounded like heavenly music.

Without wasting a moment, Lu Cheng climbed aboard, picked up the smallest key, and went to unlock it.

With a click, the final barrier fell away.

Lu Cheng eagerly opened the lid. Inside was a sea of golden yellow: copper coins of all sizes filled half the chest.

He looked up and scanned the river in every direction. Only after confirming there wasn't a single boat in sight did he pour out all the coins and count them.

Most were one-cash coins, with quite a few ten-cash and five-cash coins mixed in.

Lu Cheng found a few lengths of net cord and counted as he threaded the coins onto them.

In the end, there were fifteen thousand four hundred and seventy-six cash, equivalent to fifteen taels and four mace of silver.

Add the one tael from You Lanchuang and the savings Lu Cheng had made from fishing over nearly two months, and that came to...

"Eighteen taels!"

A fortune!

It was truly a fortune!

Even with Lu Cheng's memories of a fisherman's life, it would have taken him nearly two years to save that much.

Before this, Lu Cheng had never imagined he could come into so much money in such a short time.

Thanks, You Lanchuang. You gave up your life and your money.

But his excitement lasted only a short while. Looking at the chestful of copper coins, Lu Cheng took a deep breath.

He reached in and stirred them around. At the sound of coins clattering, his mood immediately settled.

The fishermen braved wind and waves on the river, working themselves to the bone, only for their blood and sweat to end up in a chest like this.

And then, through the hands of a villain like You Lanchuang, it had wound up with him.

"Against You Lanchuang, the fishermen are the weaker side. Their strength is no match for his, so they're oppressed and exploited by him and the authorities."

"But here on the river, You Lanchuang became the weaker side, and this chest of coins naturally went to me."

"The weak stay weak, and the strong stay strong. It's been this way since ancient times, let alone in this lawless, chaotic age."

"The more lawless the world is, the more strength I need to protect my own way!"

"Fortunately, You Lanchuang is dead now, and the spring flood won't be affected. With all this money, practicing martial arts won't be a problem anymore."

After a moment of reflection, Lu Cheng leaned back in the cabin. A sudden alertness stirred in his heart.

"No. I can't wait for the spring flood!"

"Behind the Cold Willow Town fish market stands the entire Yang City Fish Gang. They're truly deeply rooted in Yangcheng County."

"You Lanchuang was just a minor leader. In this chaotic age, when human lives are worth less than grass, it's nothing unusual for ten or eight men like him to die."

"But it's different when such a large sum of money disappears. In less than three days, the Fish Gang will surely send someone to investigate."

"Nothing much ever happens on this stretch of riverbank. They can't possibly overlook the fact that I quarreled with You Lanchuang over the Silver Sturgeon."

"Those men are all unreasonable bullies. Once they get suspicious, they won't care whether there's evidence. They'll come straight to my door."

"There's no time to lose. I might as well go to Yang City today. The sooner I find a master, the sooner I'll have someone to back me."

"No matter how powerful the Fish Gang is, would they really dare throw their weight around with a martial sect?"

"I have [Heavenly Mandate] in hand. Just give me a little time, and setting foot on the martial path won't be a problem."

"When that time comes, it'll be fine if the Fish Gang leaves me alone. But if they come looking for me, I'll send them off to join You Lanchuang!"

At the thought, Lu Cheng's heart surged. He gripped his fish spear.

The moment he did, something felt strange. Surprise flashed across his face, and he quickly turned his awareness inward, into his Consciousness Sea.

Deep within his Consciousness Sea, [Heavenly Mandate] shone with golden brilliance, vast as a pillar.

Its top stretched toward an unknown destination, its base connected to an unknown place.

The boundless laws of the Great Dao appeared one after another, flickering in and out.

As Lu Cheng focused on them, a black silhouette abruptly appeared.

Its proportions were exactly the same as Lu Cheng's.

Its face was a mass of black, but the shadows of its features still bore traces of Lu Cheng.

It held a black weapon. Looking closely, it was a three-pronged fish spear.

Without Lu Cheng willing it, the silhouette immediately began to wield the spear as soon as it appeared.

"Probe," "draw," "thrust," "intercept," "turn"—it performed each move in succession. Every movement flowed naturally, so perfect that anyone who saw it would be left marveling.

Once the sequence was complete, the silhouette exploded with a bang.

But the fragments did not disappear. Like black snowflakes caught in the wind, they swirled rapidly throughout Lu Cheng's Consciousness Sea before slowly fading away.

The silhouette had appeared after Lu Cheng learned the [Fish Spearing Technique]. Now that it had fully merged with his Consciousness Sea, it meant the [Fish Spearing Technique] had finally pierced through the last layer of paper and reached perfection in one fell swoop.

But that wasn't the surprise.

What surprised Lu Cheng was that he had suddenly gained a new understanding of [Heavenly Mandate].

[ Fishing ] and [ Swimming ] both reached perfection through constant practice, with time grinding them to completion.

The [Fish Spearing Technique], by contrast, had advanced through two moments of "enlightenment."

Last night, his pent-up resolve had erupted into an unstoppable charge.

Today, he had burned his bridges and fought for his life.

Both times, he had brought his essence, energy, and spirit together in total concentration.

That was why his skill had made such astonishing progress in so little time.

It consumed a great deal of energy, but it was far more effective at breaking through bottlenecks.

The bully was dead, and the way ahead was clear.

The gloom that had weighed on him for two months lifted all at once. Lu Cheng felt more carefree than ever.

He packed the copper coins and sank the chest in the river.

After making sure he'd erased every obvious trace except for the folding fan, Lu Cheng rowed straight back. Before long, he reached the riverbank.

Lu Cheng had been out on the boat for less than an hour. It was still early, and there weren't many fishermen on the riverbank.

After tying up the boat, he slung his bundle over his back and headed home.

The bundle weighed more than sixty pounds. In his previous life, Lu Cheng wouldn't have made it three miles before collapsing in exhaustion.

But whether this world was different or fishermen's children were simply in better shape, he couldn't say.

Lu Cheng made it all the way home without stopping, and still had strength to spare.

Within half an hour, he had everything packed.

With the bundle on his back, Lu Cheng knocked on Old Man Ge's door.

Before leaving, he needed to explain things to the old uncle who had saved his life.

He didn't have to wait long. With a creak, Old Man Ge's face appeared in the doorway.

Before Lu Cheng, still hesitating over how to begin, could say anything, Old Man Ge spoke first.

"Why are you back so early today? Did something happen?"

Lu Cheng was taken aback. Everything he had done had been to deal with You Lanchuang.

But as far as Old Man Ge knew, Lu Cheng had fallen out with him over the Silver Sturgeon.

To be fair, if Lu Cheng had been in Old Man Ge's shoes, he would never have shown the other man a friendly face again.

Lu Cheng had already prepared himself to be turned away, or even cursed out.

"Don't rush. Come inside first." Before Lu Cheng could speak, Old Man Ge continued, "I didn't see smoke from your place this morning, so you probably haven't eaten all day. There's still some food in the house. I'll have your aunt warm it up for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Woman Ge's disgruntled voice came from inside.

"What food? We finished it ages ago. It's this late already. Do we have to light the stove again?"

Old Man Ge frowned and turned, ready to lose his temper. Lu Cheng hurriedly stopped him and called toward the house.

"Don't trouble yourself, Auntie. I'm not hungry. I just need to talk to Uncle for a moment."

That brief exchange had already helped Lu Cheng quickly compose himself.

Turning back to Old Man Ge, he said, "Uncle, I have a classmate from a wealthy family in Yangcheng County. A few days ago, he invited a provincial graduate to his home as a guest."

"Now he's invited me to go and discuss our studies together. It's a rare opportunity, and I have to leave right away. I'm afraid I'll be gone for a while, so I wanted to ask you to keep an eye on my house."

"Oh dear." Old Man Ge furrowed his brow. "Acheng, I don't mean to be suspicious, but wealthy families rarely have good people in them. Why would your classmate be so kind?"

Lu Cheng hadn't considered that, but he quickly thought of something to say.

"Maybe he's seen how hard I study and wants to invest in me while I'm still without any academic honors, hoping to hire me as an adviser someday?"

Old Man Ge said, "Well, I suppose that makes sense. But why the rush? You could at least go tomorrow."

Lu Cheng shook his head.

"I can't wait. That provincial graduate has already started lecturing today. If I wait until tomorrow, I'll lose more time."

As he spoke, he handed over a small sack.

"This is the grain and vegetables I had left in my house. Please remember to put them away later, so they don't go moldy."

Old Man Ge didn't refuse the food. He took it and headed inside.

"Wait here a moment. I'll get you some money. Yang City is nothing like our little village and town. You can go without anything, but you can't go without money."

Lu Cheng hurried forward to stop him.

"No need, Uncle. My classmate has already arranged everything. I won't have to spend a single coin once I get there."

He had more than ten taels on his back. Even after paying his martial arts tuition, he wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.

But no matter what Lu Cheng said, Old Man Ge insisted on going inside to get him money.

Left with no choice, Lu Cheng took advantage of the moment Old Man Ge went indoors and quickly slipped away.

By the time Old Man Ge came back out, Lu Cheng was nowhere to be seen.

All he could do was sigh and go put away the food.

But when he opened the grain sack, he froze.

Buried in the brown millet was a money pouch.

Inside, the copper coins were neatly stacked in a string of one thousand.

Old Man Ge shook his head at first, then broke into a grin.

"Heh, you little rascal. This old man will just have to count himself a son richer."

Old Man Ge's son was in his twenties, but he was addicted to drink, food, gambling, and prostitutes. He hadn't been home in over a month.

Leaving the kitchen, Old Man Ge went into the main room and said to Old Woman Ge, who was still sulking nearby, "Wife, go to the village entrance tonight and buy two jiao of wine to go with our meal."

Old Woman Ge was just about to snap back when she noticed the string of copper coins in his hand.

She stood up at once, glanced outside the courtyard, and asked in a hushed voice, "Did Lu Cheng give it to you? Has he left? I'll warm up the food."

She wasn't foolish, and she wasn't mean-hearted. Otherwise, Old Man Ge could never have saved Lu Cheng in the first place.

She had only been upset because she thought Lu Cheng had become a heartless ingrate—able to catch a Silver Sturgeon, yet abandoning their household at the first opportunity.

Old Man Ge smugly slapped the money down on the table.

"By the time you warmed up the food, he'd have starved to death. Women—long hair, short sense."

Near noon, the fishermen returned to shore one after another, and the riverbank gradually grew lively.

In the wooden shed, a few thugs watched the gathering fishermen and began to grow uneasy.

"Why hasn't Master You come yet? Are we buying fish today or not?"

"Beats me. We checked his home and Widow Xu's, but he wasn't there. Hey, could he have gone to the gang to pay the tribute?"

One of the older thugs shook his head.

"How could he have? Tribute isn't due until the day after tomorrow. All right, quit guessing. Start buying the fish. We'll find out when we deliver it this afternoon and stop by the gang."

The man keeping the accounts asked, "But all the money's with Master You. What are we supposed to use to buy fish?"

"What do you mean, what? Hmph. We'll buy on credit!"