The Betrothal Gifts

Can Zhang Chi get his hands on a Treasure Fish?

Liu Changle was instantly tempted.

To someone practicing martial arts, a Treasure Fish was no different from a divine elixir, and he was ready to agree on the spot.

"I hear catching fish deep in the Hun River is no simple matter, and we just want to practice our fists in peace."

Practice in peace? What achievements could come from just practicing fists?

Seeing Wei Luo's lack of ambition, Bighead frowned.

Out of consideration for their recent friendship, Wei Luo still offered a word of warning in the end.

"Bighead, Zhang Chi's money might not be so easy to earn. Be careful you don't risk your life."

Yet by now Bighead refused to listen to a single word from Wei Luo, simply waving a hand and turning to leave.

"Wei Luo, I've seen Bighead drinking Bone-Strengthening Soup frequently lately. It looks like he's making his money through this exact channel.

A few taels of silver a time is no small sum. Why didn't you accept?"

Once Bighead left, Liu Changle immediately spoke up.

Wei Luo didn't say much, merely shaking his head slightly.

"If money were that easy to make, would it ever reach our turn?"

"You're saying Bighead is lying?"

Liu Changle wore a puzzled expression, but Wei Luo offered no further explanation.

He had long since used the Great Thousand Revelation to make a deduction.

When the Great Thousand Revelation deduced other people, the time required seemed to vary according to their level of mastery.

Deducing Zhang Chi required a full month, but deducing Bighead was much faster.

[Deduction for following Bighead to catch fish deep in the Hun River]

[Time required: three breaths]

[The hazardous waters of the Hun River combine opportunity with peril; there is a thirty percent chance of sudden death.]

As soon as he saw the thirty percent chance of sudden death, Wei Luo knew the matter was far from simple.

Although Zhao Xiu didn't earn much money here, it was still better than dropping dead in the river.

Back on the other side, Zhang Chi and the others were waiting for Bighead.

"Well? Are they coming?"

Zhang Chi asked.

Bighead shook his head. "Neither of them is coming. They even said Brother Chi's money isn't easy to make."

Luo Sanhu chimed in, "They probably heard we're going into hazardous waters and got scared right out of their wits. Not a shred of backbone."

Beside him stood several others who had just become boatmen.

Shen Wu had the support of the Bone-Strengthening Soup provided by the Sun Family, but they had nothing at all.

Bighead had also been drinking Bone-Strengthening Soup lately, and seeing this, they had long since concluded that this path was viable.

Therefore, when Zhang Chi approached them, they agreed almost without hesitation.

"If they can't even grasp this kind of money-making opportunity, it looks like they'll just be mediocre nobodies in the future."

Luo Sanhu added another remark before looking toward Zhang Chi.

"Brother Chi, when are we setting off? The sooner the better."

Zhang Chi merely smiled. "Rest assured, everything's prepared this time. We can set off in the next couple of days."

The setting sun cast its rays over Yellow Mud Alley.

It was the time when work ended, and neighbors idly chatted in their doorways.

"Xiao Luo is back! Tsk tsk, I haven't seen him in quite some days. He's grown so tall and sturdy!"

"It looks like the Sun Family's food is truly top-notch. Xiao Luo has really made something of himself."

"Xiao Luo, do you want a wife? If you want one, just say the word—my sister's daughter just turned sixteen, and she's a perfect match for you..."

Before he even reached Yellow Mud Alley, neighbors were warmly greeting Wei Luo.

Word of his becoming a boatman for the Sun Family had long since spread around Yellow Mud Alley.

Backed by a half-tael of silver in monthly wages, in the eyes of the neighbors, Wei Luo already possessed the bearing of a "phoenix among men."

At that moment, another neighbor chimed in.

"What do you all know? A half-tael of silver is nothing! The most important thing about entering the Sun Family is learning martial arts. Who knows, before long Master Wei Luo might become a martial artist lord!"

With these words, the neighbors looked upon Wei Luo with even greater respect, and those with daughters were already planning to seek out a matchmaker.

Wei Luo put on no airs, greeting the neighbors one by one.

Just as he reached the entrance of Yellow Mud Alley, however, a harsh, raspy sound of weeping drifted over.

"Yuanyuan... Where are you... Grandfather failed to watch you... When are you ever coming home?"

Wei Luo raised his gaze and saw Uncle Cao, who always squatted at the alley entrance, with disheveled hair, half-reclining against the corner of the wall.

Feeling somewhat puzzled, he pulled aside a passing neighbor to ask about it.

"Ah... It happened a few days ago. Uncle Cao's granddaughter was playing at the mouth of the alley—a completely normal thing, really—but in the blink of an eye, she vanished. That's how Uncle Cao ended up like this."

The neighbor sighed before even speaking. Uncle Cao's son had been conscripted for hard labor a couple of years ago and had yet to return, while his daughter-in-law had fallen ill and died.

Uncle Cao had only his granddaughter left as a mental anchor, and with the child lost, he had now gone somewhat deranged.

In this era, to go missing was no different from being dead.

The neighbor glanced left and right before lowering his voice.

"Some people say they saw the Fish-Dragon Gang do it. It's not just Old Cao's household; several families in the neighboring ward have lost children too."

With that, the neighbor added another warning.

"You mustn't spread this around carelessly. Be careful the Fish-Dragon Gang doesn't come knocking. Last time someone talked too much, the Fish-Dragon Gang beat him half to death."

Wei Luo's brows were already tightly knitted together. This matter actually tied back to the Fish-Dragon Gang, and he had no idea what they hoped to gain by abducting so many children.

[Deduction concerning the missing children]

[Time required: one month]

A month?

Wei Luo's gaze sharpened. When he used to deduce others—such as Zhao Xiu, whose strength was greater than his own—it only took a few days.

How could deducing some ordinary children require this much time?

Something was deeply wrong with this picture!

Just as Wei Luo was thinking this, the sound of festive music drew closer.

Suonas led the way, while flutes, copper gongs, and clackers resounded.

Vermilion chests covered in red cloth were carried along, and a matchmaker dressed in crimson walked at the very front.

Before long, word spread that someone was coming to deliver betrothal gifts.

The street instantly livened up, and everyone wondered which wealthy household was taking a bride.

The streets around Yellow Mud Alley were inhabited by impoverished folk, and couples usually just invited elders from both families to witness their union when marrying.

Seeing such a formal delivery of betrothal gifts, the neighbors all felt a surge of curiosity. Whose daughter was this, to have such good fortune?

Wei Luo also paused to watch for a moment.

The matchmaker led the musicians into Yellow Mud Alley, and just as everyone was guessing whose family it was, the matchmaker's footsteps came to a halt right in front of Wei Luo's doorway.

Then, before Wei Luo's own eyes, the matchmaker knocked on his family's courtyard door.

"Sister Zhao, someone has taken a fancy to you. From now on, boundless wealth and prosperity await you!"

Witnessing this dramatic scene unfold before him, Wei Luo's eyebrows twisted almost into the shape of question marks.

He immediately strode toward his home, but upon stepping through the threshold, he found his mother wearing a bewildered expression.

Seeing Wei Luo return, Zhao Xiu even asked him what was going on.

Meanwhile, the matchmaker cheerfully ordered the men to carry the chests of betrothal gifts inside, loudly chanting the inventory as she did so.

"Six and a half taels of white silver, two bolts of silk fabric, a set of jade bracelets and hairpins..."

"Did you find the wrong place?"

Wei Luo strode over and grabbed the matchmaker to question her. The matchmaker was startled at first before speaking up.

"I didn't find the wrong place. Zhao Xiu, widow of Yellow Mud Alley—I've already asked around. Is there a second widow surnamed Zhao in Yellow Mud Alley?"

With that, the matchmaker looked Zhao Xiu up and down, a trace of envy flashing in the depths of her eyes.

Though Wei Luo's mother was thirty-four and usually dressed in grime-stained hemp garments, she had virtually no wrinkles on her face, and her brows and eyes were exquisitely proportioned, giving her entire person an air of delicate refinement.

Tsk~ What a face, what a figure! No wonder even Hall Master Li of the Fish-Dragon Gang has set his sights on her. Which of these riverbank fisherwomen could possibly compare?

Hearing the name Li Dadao, Mother Zhao was utterly stunned, shaking her head repeatedly.

"No, no. I've never had the slightest thought of remarrying, let alone marrying a man like him."

Wei Luo's brows also knitted tightly together. Only now did he understand why Li Dadao had been so courteous when they first met.

Yet what kind of man was Li Dadao? His hands were stained with countless blood debts, and with the Fish-Dragon Gang recently abducting children, he was a thoroughly desperate criminal.

Wei Luo immediately closed his eyes and began his deduction.

[If the betrothal gifts are accepted, the deduction for Mother's destiny]