You Won

"Treasure Fish!!" Li Niuhe suddenly cried out in shock. "There's a Treasure Fish in here?!"

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

He had an ulterior motive.

He was taking a gamble.

He was betting that Lin Yi hadn't recognized the Three-Eyed River Goby inside and had only happened to want a fish dinner.

He was betting that Li Niuhe, simple-minded and never much for studying, wouldn't recognize this Three-Eyed River Goby that looked so ordinary.

Then this precious Treasure Fish would naturally fall into his hands.

He had been at the martial arts school for five months. Now he had broken through the third Martial Pass and reached the Blood Pass.

If he could get this Treasure Fish and use it alongside the Foundation Building Soup provided by the martial arts school, perhaps he could break through the fourth Martial Pass. The rich vitality and blood energy inside the Treasure Fish might even lay the groundwork for breaking through the fifth Martial Pass.

After that, he could advance straight into the Martial Artist realm.

There was only a hair's breadth between a Martial Artist and an ordinary person.

Their status and standing were worlds apart!

But now...

Zhang Mingxi steadied his smile and feigned surprise. "Huh?! A Treasure Fish? Junior Brother, what makes you say that?"

A faint smile also played on Lin Yi's face as he said:

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

"Really, I don't know... That's a Three-Eyed River Goby."

"A Three-Eyed River Goby?!" Li Niuhe exclaimed in surprise, hurrying over to take a look.

The fish he'd wanted to slap to death earlier was now cradled in his hands with the utmost care, as if it were a priceless treasure.

"A Three-Eyed River Goby! It really is a Three-Eyed River Goby?!" Li Niuhe cried out.

The false smile on Zhang Mingxi's face had completely vanished. His hand clenched tightly, veins bulging across its back.

Damn it!

Now he couldn't keep it all to himself.

Jiang Er's eyes were full of worry.

He understood the truth that an innocent man could get into trouble for possessing a jade treasure.

In his view, Zhang Mingxi and Li Niuhe, as Lin Yi's senior disciples, were very likely stronger than Lin Yi.

If they tried to seize the fish by force, and considering they were still in the fishing village, Lin Yi might not have any way to deal with them for the time being.

Jiang Er quietly glanced at Lin Yi. The other man remained composed, wearing his usual calm smile.

Brother Lin looks even younger than me, yet he carries himself like no ordinary person... I wonder what he plans to do?

Lin Yi's thoughts were clear.

The moment the two men before him entertained improper thoughts about his Treasure Fish, he could only unilaterally declare them both struck from the rolls of the living.

Those two were used to picking fights with him.

He usually kept his mind on martial arts and didn't care to bicker with them, but that seemed to have given them the impression that he was weak and easy to bully. They were only growing bolder.

Now, opportunity lay right before them.

Their greed was plain as day. They were determined to snatch it from his hands.

They had already brought death upon themselves.

Since that was the case, he might as well take care of them now. It would save them from constantly pestering him in the future.

Zhang Mingxi's smile faded as he looked at Lin Yi.

"Junior Brother, it seems I was blind. I truly didn't expect there to be a Treasure Fish in there."

"But, you know how it is with your senior brother. I've been practicing martial arts for over five months now, and I still can't break through. Why don't you do me a favor and lend me this fish? I'll never forget your kindness."

Zhang Mingxi kept his voice warm and amiable.

Shameless!

Jiang Er raged inwardly, almost cursing out loud.

Zhang Mingxi's father had been a notorious scoundrel in the village in his youth. In the end, through sheer brown-nosing, he had wormed his way into the favor of the Black Wind Gang's leader and was eventually appointed to a high-ranking post in the Fishermen Gang.

He hadn't expected Zhang Mingxi to be even more shameless than his father.

Lin Yi smiled and spoke slowly, one word at a time:

"You're a useless piece of trash. Your failure to break through has nothing to do with me."

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

Zhang Mingxi's expression froze.

"Y-you... What did you say?!"

Lin Yi's blunt, candid words ripped Zhang Mingxi's shameless mask right off, leaving him so rattled that he nearly lost his composure.

"You're a useless piece of trash," Lin Yi repeated.

Zhang Mingxi's face went pale, then flushed red. He took one deep breath after another.

Li Niuhe didn't act rashly. Instead, he watched the scene with great interest.

All along, Zhang Mingxi had done the talking while he did the hitting: one wielded the stick, the other offered the sweet date—polite words first, force afterward.

This was the first time he'd seen Zhang Mingxi get the wind knocked out of him. He found it rather amusing.

"Phew..."

Zhang Mingxi finally calmed down. Ignoring Lin Yi's insults, he spoke with a chill in his voice.

"Whether you sell the fish is up to you, of course."

"But this is Jianghuai Village, after all, and a Treasure Fish is a rare thing. What if the villagers want to see something unusual and accidentally surround you, refusing to let you leave? What would you do?"

"The villagers aren't very worldly. What if they want to touch your Treasure Fish? They don't know their own strength. What if they touch it to death?"

"And if you're hotheaded and try to stop them, what if you accidentally hurt someone? The village is full of scoundrels. They could demand a dozen taels from you, and you'd never be able to explain yourself to the authorities."

Then Zhang Mingxi raised his eyes to look at Jiang Er.

"Jiang Er, I heard your uncle was badly injured while fishing the other day. The daily medical expenses must be a real money pit."

"What if something happens to your family's covered boat? After that, your whole family might have trouble making a living."

"And your little sister Jiang Meier is nearly of age, isn't she..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

It was a scheme laid bare, an open threat.

"Zhang Mingxi!" Jiang Er cried out furiously, but Lin Yi stopped him in time.

At the same time, Lin Yi noticed that the Aura of Fortune surrounding Jiang Er had grown slightly denser.

Oh?

So he was the type who grew stronger under pressure.

The more he was suppressed, the stronger his Aura of Fortune became?

Lin Yi looked at Jiang Er in surprise.

Zhang Mingxi kept his eyes fixed on Lin Yi.

When he saw the calm expression Lin Yi had worn until now finally disappear, replaced by a rare look of anger, Zhang Mingxi was overjoyed!

He was even happier than if he'd gotten the Treasure Fish.

He wanted to see Lin Yi seething with frustration.

To watch him possess a treasure yet be unable to take it away, forced to hand it over to him!

Zhang Mingxi sneered inwardly.

Heh, kid. You think you can go up against me?

Jiang Er looked at Lin Yi, his gaze firm.

"Brother Lin, don't worry about me. I already sold you the fish, so it's yours. I, Jiang Er, would never ask for it back!"

"At worst, I'll sleep on the boat from now on. If I'm here, the boat is here. If I die, the boat dies with me."

Lin Yi gently patted the back of Jiang Er's hand, signaling him to relax.

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

"Alas..."

"Fine. You win."