You Win

"Treasure fish!!" Li Niuhe suddenly let out an exclamation. "There's a treasure fish in here?!"

Zhang Mingxi's smile stiffened instantly, and his expression darkened slightly.

He had selfish motives.

He was gambling.

He was gambling that Lin Yi hadn't recognized the Three-Eyed River Goby inside and just happened to want a fish meal.

He was gambling that Li Niuhe, who was simple-minded and rarely read books, would be unable to identify the seemingly ordinary Three-Eyed River Goby.

When the time came, this precious treasure fish would naturally be his for the taking.

He had been in the martial arts hall for five months and had now broken through the third martial pass, reaching the Blood Pass.

If he could obtain this treasure fish to pair with the Foundation Building Soup issued by the hall, he might be able to break through the fourth martial pass. The rich vitality and blood within the treasure fish could even lay the foundation for him to break through the fifth martial pass.

After that, he would head straight to the realm of a martial artist.

The line between a martial artist and a mortal was as thin as a thread.

Yet, their status and standing were worlds apart!

But now...

Zhang Mingxi steadied the smile on his face and feigned surprise. "Ah?! Treasure fish? What are you talking about, Junior Brother?"

Lin Yi also wore a faint smile on his face as he said:

"Are you sure you really don't know?"

"I really don't know... That is a Three-Eyed River Goby."

"A Three-Eyed River Goby?!" Li Niuhe was astonished and hurried over to take a look.

The fish he had wanted to slap to death a moment ago was now held in his hands with extreme caution, as if it were a treasure of the world.

"A Three-Eyed River Goby! It really is a Three-Eyed River Goby?!" Li Niuhe let out a cry of surprise.

The fake smile on Zhang Mingxi's face had completely vanished, his hands clenched tightly, veins bulging.

Damn it!

He couldn't enjoy it all by himself anymore.

Jiang Er's eyes were filled with worry.

He understood the principle that an innocent man is guilty of his own treasure.

In his view, since Zhang Mingxi and the other were Lin Yi's seniors, their strength was likely superior to Lin Yi's.

If the other party decided to take it by force, they were still in the fishing village, after all.

Lin Yi might truly have no way to deal with them for the moment.

Jiang Er quietly glanced at Lin Yi in front of him; the other man remained calm, wearing his usual indifferent smile.

He couldn't help but think to himself, Brother Lin clearly looks younger than me, yet his composure is extraordinary... I just wonder what Brother Lin intends to do?

Lin Yi's mind was clear.

The moment the two men before him harbored improper thoughts about his treasure fish, he had unilaterally decided to strip them of their humanity.

These two were accustomed to picking fights.

He had spent his days focused on martial arts and had been unwilling to contend with them, but it seemed this had given them the impression that he was weak and easily bullied, leading them to become increasingly brazen.

Now, the opportunity was here.

The greed of these two was laid bare; they were determined to seize his fortune.

They had already invited their own destruction.

Since that was the case, he would solve the problem while he was at it, saving himself from their constant daily harassment.

Zhang Mingxi reined in his smile and looked at Lin Yi.

"Junior Brother, it was my eyes that were dim; I truly didn't expect there to be a treasure fish in here."

"But, you know how I am. I've been practicing martial arts for over five months and have been struggling to break through. Why don't you offer this as a favor, Junior Brother, and help your senior brother out? I will never forget this kindness."

Zhang Mingxi continued in a gentle, conciliatory tone.

Truly shameless!

Jiang Er roared inwardly, nearly cursing out loud.

Zhang Mingxi's father had been a notorious rascal in the village in his early years, eventually using his talent for flattery to climb up to the leader of the Black Wind Gang, and was later assigned to a high-level position in the Fishermen Gang.

He hadn't expected Zhang Mingxi's level of shamelessness to exceed even his father's.

Lin Yi smiled and said, word for word:

"You're a piece of trash; what does it have to do with me if you can't break through?"

"What if I don't want to sell the fish?"

Zhang Mingxi's expression froze instantly.

"Wh... what did you say?!"

Lin Yi's blunt and candid whisper tore Zhang Mingxi's shameless mask right off, leaving him momentarily rattled.

"You are a piece of trash." Lin Yi repeated it again.

Zhang Mingxi's face turned shades of green and white as he took deep, steadying breaths.

Li Niuhe stood to the side, not acting rashly, but instead watching the scene before him with interest.

All this time, it had always been Zhang Mingxi doing the talking while he did the hitting—one playing the stick, the other the carrot, offering courtesy before resorting to force.

This was the first time he had seen Zhang Mingxi get shut down, and he found it unexpectedly amusing.

"Hoo..."

Zhang Mingxi caught his breath, ignored Lin Yi's insults, and spoke with a hint of coldness in his tone.

"Whether you sell the fish or not is naturally up to you."

"However, this is Jianghuai Village after all, and treasure fish are rare commodities. What if the villagers want to take a look out of curiosity and accidentally surround you, refusing to let you leave? What would you do then?"

"The villagers aren't very worldly. If they want to touch your treasure fish and end up being too rough, what happens if they kill it?"

"If you're narrow-minded and try to stop them, and accidentally hurt someone, what then? There are plenty of ruffians and scoundrels in this village who would demand a dozen taels of silver in extortion, and you wouldn't even be able to explain yourself at the magistrate's office."

Following this, Zhang Mingxi raised his eyes to look at Jiang Er.

"Jiang Er, I heard your uncle was injured quite badly while fishing a while back. The daily medical expenses are like a bottomless pit."

"If, by any chance, something were to happen to that black-awning boat of yours... well, your family might have some serious trouble making a living after that."

"And let's not forget, little sister Jiang Meier is reaching the age of marriage, isn't she..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

An open conspiracy. This was a naked, open conspiracy.

"Zhang Mingxi!" Jiang Er was furious, but Lin Yi pulled him back just in time.

At the same time, Lin Yi observed that the fortune surrounding Jiang Er had become slightly more concentrated.

Oh?

So he's the type that thrives under suppression?

The more his fortune is suppressed, the stronger it gets?

Lin Yi glanced at Jiang Er in surprise.

Zhang Mingxi kept his eyes fixed on Lin Yi.

Seeing that the other man's usual calm expression had finally faded, replaced by a rare look of anger, Zhang Mingxi was ecstatic inside.

He was even happier than if he had obtained the treasure fish.

He just wanted to see Lin Yi feeling stifled.

He wanted to see him possess a treasure he couldn't take away, forced to hand it over to him in frustration!

Zhang Mingxi sneered inwardly.

Heh, kid, you want to fight with me?

Jiang Er looked at Lin Yi, his gaze firm.

"Brother Lin, don't worry about me. Since I've already sold the fish to you, it belongs to you. I, Jiang Er, would never dream of taking it back!"

"At worst, I'll just sleep on the boat from now on. As long as I live, the boat stays; if I die, the boat goes with me."

Lin Yi gently patted the back of Jiang Er's hand, signaling him to set his mind at ease.

Then, Lin Yi stepped forward, spread his hands, and sighed.

"Sigh..."

"Fine, you win."