Buying Fish

Jiaqing County, outskirts, fish market.

It was already past the hour of You and into the hour of Xu; the sky had begun to darken with a faint, dusky gloom.

Jiangze Huaiye.

A dilapidated black-awning boat pulled up to the shore.

Soon, a youth wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat darted out from the boat. He nimbly secured the vessel to the bank, then hoisted his creel and hurried toward the fish market.

Jiang Er felt that his luck today was simply abysmal.

He had set sail early, and by all rights, he should have returned with a full haul.

Instead, a powerful fish had snagged his net midway, tearing it to shreds and slamming into the hull of his aging boat, leaving a gaping hole that caused it to take on water.

A black-awning boat was a fisherman's lifeline, the very foundation of his survival.

Under those circumstances, Jiang Er could hardly worry about the fish; he had spent the better part of the day just struggling to keep the boat afloat.

In the end, with nightfall approaching, he had managed to scrape together only about twenty catties of fish.

With autumn setting in, it was peak season for the fish market, which naturally drove prices down; fish were currently selling for a mere thirteen wen per catty.

Adding to that, since he had missed the prime hours at Zhengxing Fish Market, he figured the price for his catch would be discounted even further.

Thinking of his bedridden father at home and the ever-increasing cost of medicine, Jiang Er's heart sank.

If he didn't sell his fish today, his father's medicine for tomorrow would be in jeopardy.

At this thought, Jiang Er's brow furrowed even tighter.

"Sigh..."

With a soft sigh, Jiang Er hung his head and trudged onward toward the market.

Upon arriving at the fish market, Jiang Er's already heavy heart sank completely.

The peak hours of the market had long since passed.

Within the market, only a handful of fishermen remained.

The stalls were filled with scrawny or less-than-fresh dead fish, most of which were being sold at bargain prices.

The buyers were mostly elderly folk in tattered clothes, picking through the stalls and haggling with ruthless intensity.

"Fine, fine, six wen is six wen, just take it and go!"

A stall owner, his head throbbing from the harassment, waved his hand to signal the gaunt-faced old woman picking through his wares.

"Hmph, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, don't think you can pull a fast one on me. No chance. At least you have a conscience today..." The old woman looked quite smug.

Jiang Er felt a pang of bitterness and quietly moved away from her.

He reached a corner of the market and huddled there, silently observing the passersby.

Compared to the rotting, foul-smelling fish elsewhere in the market, Jiang Er's catch could be considered premium quality.

Because of this, a few people soon gathered around.

However, none of them made a move to buy.

At this hour, most people came looking for a bargain, hoping to scavenge the leftovers that others hadn't wanted.

Soon, an old man approached Jiang Er, scrutinized the fish in the creel for a long moment, and spoke up.

"Young man, how much for these fish?"

Jiang Er glanced around, then answered hesitantly, "Eleven... eleven wen."

"Eleven wen?" The old man raised an eyebrow. "At this hour, you're still asking for eleven wen?"

The people behind him chimed in as well.

"That's right. When we walked by earlier, plenty of stalls were selling for six wen a catty."

"Exactly. Why are you young folks so greedy?"

"Look at these fish, they're half-dead. You can tell they've been sitting there forever. We're doing you a favor by buying them; otherwise, if you take them home, they'll be dead by tomorrow. Who's going to buy your dead fish then?"

Jiang Er's face flushed with indignation. "Nonsense!"

"I just caught these fish! They aren't half-dead at all!"

The few people around him continued to condemn him, as if refusing to sell at a loss were some sort of grave sin.

"I'm not selling!"

Frustrated and stubborn, Jiang Er slammed the lid of his creel shut and prepared to head home.

Jiang Er couldn't help but sigh inwardly, lamenting his rotten luck.

First the boat was damaged, then the catch was poor, and finally, encountering these shameless old vultures at the market had left him seething with anger.

Jiang Er hoisted the creel onto his back and walked briskly away from the market.

"Sigh, this youngster really doesn't know how to appreciate good advice..."

The sunset glow faded, mirroring the way Jiang Er's heart felt as it gradually sank into silence.

The day's catch remained unsold, and the repairs for the fishing net would only incur further costs.

The debts owed to the medical clinic had already piled up, and there was no money left at home; how to pay for his father's medicine tomorrow remained a pressing problem.

Thinking of his younger sister, who had tearfully told him just a few days ago that she was willing to become a concubine for Landlord Zhang in the outer city just to collect a dowry to treat their father, Jiang Er's heart sank even further.

It was hard to live, so hard to live.

"Young man, wait a moment."

Suddenly, Jiang Er felt a great force pulling at the fish basket on his back, making it impossible for him to move forward.

Jiang Er turned his head to see a tall, slender figure standing behind him, wearing a bamboo hat.

The stranger looked up, and Jiang Er finally saw his face clearly.

He was a youth with a face like polished jade, red lips and white teeth, and an elegant, refined air; he looked to be about the same age as himself.

Jiang Er was stunned. Thinking of his own plain features and the dark, tanned skin he had earned from years of exposure to the wind and sun, he felt a sudden pang of inferiority.

But seeing that the other party was also wearing simple, coarse linen clothes like any commoner, his sense of inferiority lessened slightly.

Lin Yi had been watching from the side for a long time back at the fish market.

Previously, he had spotted a Three-Eyed River Goby in the other man's basket.

Lin Yi had studied the characteristics of various common treasures and rare fish.

At a glance, a Three-Eyed River Goby looked no different from an ordinary river goby—it had an elongated, scaleless body, a grey-green back, a milky-white belly, a slightly pinkish underside, and a flattened tail.

The only difference was that the Three-Eyed River Goby had a more cyan-jade hue and an extremely subtle bump between its brows; furthermore, the third eye of the Three-Eyed River Goby would only open after the fish had died.

Therefore, to an ordinary person, the Three-Eyed River Goby was an incredibly difficult treasure to discover.

"Young man, what is the meaning of this?" Seeing Lin Yi's extraordinary bearing, Jiang Er couldn't help but adjust his tone and voice.

Lin Yi smiled and said, "How about you sell these fish to me..."

Compared to the mean-spirited old men and women from before, the refined Lin Yi felt like a breath of fresh air, and Jiang Er couldn't help but feel a surge of goodwill toward him.

Jiang Er probed, "Brother, how much are you prepared to pay..."

Jiang Er had actually already made up his mind; as long as the price wasn't ridiculously low, he would sell them even for eight wen per catty.

Lin Yi was easy on the eyes, and there was also a bit of stubborn pride in his heart.

Lin Yi raised his hand and gestured with a five.

Jiang Er froze, and a sense of stifled frustration suddenly rose within him.

He had thought Lin Yi was a man of extraordinary bearing, but he was just another guy looking to take advantage of someone!

"Fifty taels of silver."

Lin Yi's voice came through calmly.

The frustration that had been rising in Jiang Er's heart vanished instantly.

"Y-young man, don't joke around..."

Jiang Er's voice stuttered.

He had only caught about twenty catties of fish; even if he sold them at the most expensive seasonal price, it would only be fifteen wen per catty.

That would only fetch him three hundred wen in total.

One tael of silver was worth a thousand wen.

Fifty taels of silver?

Such a massive sum of money was something Jiang Er hadn't even dared to imagine.

"Fifty taels of silver!" Jiang Er exclaimed, "Young man, please don't joke or tease me."

Lin Yi reached into his pack, took out a pre-divided cloth pouch of silver, and handed it to Jiang Er. "Count it."

Listening to the clinking sound of silver inside the pouch, Jiang Er swallowed hard and waved his hands repeatedly. "N-no, that's too much! At ten wen a catty, these fish are worth two hundred wen at most. You're giving me far too much."

Though he came from humble origins, he still understood the principle that a gentleman should acquire wealth through proper means.

Lin Yi looked at the youth before him with appreciation, then said with a serious expression, "It's fine. Your fish are worth this price."

Worth this price?

Jiang Er was stunned, and then he suddenly remembered something.

A few years ago, there had been rumors at the fish market that someone had caught a treasure fish, and a single catty had been worth nearly ten taels of silver.

Could it be that he had caught a treasure fish himself?

Jiang Er asked tentatively, "Could it be that there is... a treasure fish inside?"

Lin Yi smiled and nodded. "So, are you selling?"

Jiang Er nodded repeatedly in wild delight, saying, "Sell! Of course I'll sell!"

The treasure fish was only useful to Qi refiners; it could strengthen blood and Qi, and raise one's cultivation realm.

For an ordinary person without a martial training method, it would only cause the body to overreact and suffer damage from excessive nourishment.

Jiang Er did not doubt Lin Yi.

He was destitute and had been trying to pass off the treasure fish as an ordinary item.

The person before him could have easily taken advantage of the situation, yet he had chosen to be upfront.

With this sum of money, he could finally stop worrying about his household affairs.

His father's medical expenses were now covered, and his little sister would no longer have to worry all day about being married off as a concubine to a landlord.

In this way, the person before him could be considered his benefactor.

Having successfully purchased the treasure fish, Lin Yi was also ecstatic.

Treasure fish were rare and hard to come by, especially since they were vital for his upcoming breakthrough at Martial Pass.

"Thud!"

A crisp sound brought Lin Yi back to his senses.

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow as he looked at the youth kneeling on one knee before him and asked, "Young man, what is the meaning of this?"

Jiang Er lowered his head, his tone earnest and low as he said, "I won't hide it from you, brother; my name is Jiang Er. My family has recently suffered a calamity, and I am in dire need of money. I was ignorant and failed to recognize the treasure, but you have a discerning eye. Instead of taking advantage of me, you bestowed wealth upon me. This is a great kindness that Jiang Er dares not forget."

"In the future, if there is anything within my power, just give the order."

"You're being too serious, Brother Jiang." A hint of a smile flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

Lin Yi had been able to accumulate hundreds of taels of silver in just a few short years, so he had naturally made his fair share of lucky finds.

As the saying goes, only a fool passes up a bargain.

As for today, the reason Lin Yi chose not to take advantage of the situation was simple.

Lin Yi looked at the person kneeling before him.

Within Lin Yi's line of sight, the man was shrouded in a dense, golden light.

This was the manifestation of the other party's abundant fortune.

With such grand fortune and a sincere nature, it was well worth it to forge a bond of goodwill.

"Young Brother Jiang, please rise. You and I are merely taking what we need, so there is no need to take it to heart..."

Just as Lin Yi was about to help Jiang Er up, a mocking, sarcastic voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Yo, isn't this Jiang Er? I thought you were usually so tough; since when did you have the habit of kowtowing to others?"

Jiang Er glanced to the side, his face flushing slightly.