Zhou Sihai

The boat had just docked at the pier when, before Wang Mengde could jump ashore, he heard a startled cry:

"Look, Wang Mengde is back!"

The voice was sharp and bright, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Wang Mengde frowned slightly and looked toward the sound.

The one shouting was a lanky middle-aged fish cultivator standing by the pier, craning his neck in this direction.

At his shout, the many fish cultivators and fishmongers on the pier all turned their heads in unison, their gazes landing on Wang Mengde.

A wave of discussion immediately broke out.

"I heard Chen Bigmouth say that Wang Mengde cultivated the Entwining Silk Technique to the pinnacle. Isn't that too outrageous?"

"Yu Xiangyu said it too. Wang Mengde bound ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp at once with the Entwining Silk Technique, giving them the chance to kill the fish and escape disaster."

"The pinnacle? Isn't he only at the third level of Qi Refinement? How could that be possible?"

"Chen Bigmouth and Yu Xiangyu said it themselves. Could it be false?"

The crowd was not speaking quietly, and Wang Mengde's hearing was quite good. He heard every word clearly.

Chen Bigmouth.

Yu Xiangyu.

Those two had been among the cultivators who had broken through to the west with him.

Later, after he and Zhao Youming's group left by boat, the two had seen that they could not catch up. They simply abandoned their skiff, activated Lightbody Radiance Talismans, and fled across the sea.

It seemed the two had been lucky enough to escape back to Rosy Cloud Island.

And they had even spread word of what happened.

Those two blabbermouths. Wang Mengde cursed inwardly.

They had only been back for a short while, yet they had already made it common knowledge that his Entwining Silk Technique had reached the pinnacle.

The discussions on the pier continued.

At that moment, Liu Haiwen and the other fishmongers hurried over together.

Liu Haiwen was the fastest. He took three strides in two, rushing to the side of the boat with shining eyes as he fired off questions like a string of firecrackers:

"Brother Wang, I heard Chen Bigmouth say you got quite a few Azure Jade Ghost Carp? Let me have a look."

Several fishmongers behind him also crowded around, each stretching his neck to peer into the cabin.

Wang Mengde knew he could not hide it.

He nodded, his expression calm. "I did get a few."

As soon as he spoke, his right hand formed a seal.

The Entwining Silk Technique was unleashed.

More than a dozen threads of spiritual power, too fine to see, shot forth and burrowed into the pile of ordinary sea fish.

A moment later, eight azure fish were wrapped in the threads and dragged from the pile, suspended in midair.

Their azure scales gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight, faint spiritual radiance flowing endlessly across them.

The fishmongers' eyes lit up, and they all began calling out.

"Wang Mengde, sell those fish to me. I'll pay a high price."

"I'll pay eighteen spirit stones per pound."

"I'll pay nineteen."

Liu Haiwen raised his voice even more. "Brother Wang, we're old acquaintances. I'll take them all—nineteen and a half spirit stones per pound, paid on the spot."

Just then, a resonant voice came from beyond the crowd.

"I'll take these Azure Jade Ghost Carp."

The voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

Everyone turned to look and saw a burly middle-aged man striding over.

The man appeared to be around forty. He had a square, upright face, thick brows, large eyes, and wore a green robe. A faint spiritual pressure emanated from his body.

Sixth level of Qi Refinement.

The fishmongers' expressions changed in unison when they recognized him.

"It's... Immortal Master Zhou."

"Why is Immortal Master Zhou here?"

"Move aside, move aside."

The crowd automatically made way for him.

The man stopped before Wang Mengde, wearing a gentle smile.

Zhou Sihai, one of Rosy Cloud Island's largest fish merchants.

He owned three shops.

More importantly, his daughter had married an inner disciple of the Evergreen Sect, letting him lean against the great tree that was the Evergreen Sect.

Zhou Sihai glanced over the eight Azure Jade Ghost Carp on the skiff, then looked at Wang Mengde and said with a chuckle:

"Why are there only eight? I heard there were twenty."

Wang Mengde cursed Chen Bigmouth and Yu Xiangyu, those two blabbermouths, inwardly once again.

Yet his expression remained as calm as ever as he explained, "Although twenty were killed at the time, I did not kill them alone.

"I got eight. Qin Xiangnan, Zhao Youming, Zhou Lie, and Sun He each got three."

Zhou Sihai nodded and did not ask further.

He said directly:

"I'll take all eight of your Azure Jade Ghost Carp."

Wang Mengde looked at him.

"How much are you offering?"

Zhou Sihai laughed heartily.

"Since this is our first deal, naturally I'll offer the highest price.

"Twenty spirit stones per pound. Consider it the price of making a friend."

Twenty spirit stones per pound?

Wang Mengde's heart stirred.

That price was indeed somewhat higher than the market rate.

Wang Mengde cupped his hands.

"Thank you, Senior Zhou."

The smile on Zhou Sihai's face deepened. His gentle voice carried a note of recruitment. "From now on, if you get your hands on anything good, sell it to me first. I won't treat you unfairly."

Wang Mengde nodded.

"Alright."

Zhou Sihai's gaze swept over him before he suddenly asked:

"I heard your Entwining Silk Technique has reached the pinnacle?"

Wang Mengde said modestly, "I merely got lucky and made a breakthrough."

Zhou Sihai shook his head.

"There is no need for modesty.

"I also heard that you detected the Azure Jade Ghost Carp school from far away and led everyone in breaking through to the west ahead of time.

"That shows your Spirit Eye Technique has also reached a very high level of mastery."

Wang Mengde cursed Chen Bigmouth and Yu Xiangyu again in his heart.

Those two blabbermouths had only been back for such a short time, yet they had spilled all his secrets cleanly.

Wang Mengde's expression did not change as he said lightly:

"Average."

Zhou Sihai looked at him.

"To be frank, my Spirit Eye Technique has been stuck at the peak of minor accomplishment for three years. No matter what I do, I cannot advance even an inch.

"I would like to ask for your guidance and see whether I can find an opportunity to break through."

He paused, then added:

"I know the rules. I certainly will not have you work for nothing."

Wang Mengde fell silent for a moment.

Guiding someone in a technique?

Qin Xiangnan's figure flashed through his mind.

That man often came to him for guidance on techniques, only to stab him in the back in the end.

Still, Wang Mengde nodded. "Alright, but I cannot guarantee it will work. When it rains and you cannot go to sea, come find me."

In the cultivation world, having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy.

Especially a friend with considerable influence on Rosy Cloud Island and the backing of the Evergreen Sect.

A friend was a friend, but he would never again trust anyone easily.

Still, there was nothing wrong with ordinary association.

At his words, a smile appeared on Zhou Sihai's face.

"Good. Straightforward."

He patted Wang Mengde on the shoulder.

"If you need help with anything in the future, just speak up.

"As long as it is within my power, I will not refuse."

Wang Mengde nodded.

"Thank you, Senior Zhou."

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Sihai called to the attendants behind him:

"Come, weigh them."

Two attendants stepped forward and weighed the eight Azure Jade Ghost Carp one by one.

"This one is twelve pounds, one tael."

"This one is eleven and a half pounds."

"This one is nine pounds, eight taels."

A moment later, the attendant announced the total:

"The eight fish weigh ninety-six pounds altogether."

Zhou Sihai looked at Wang Mengde and smiled.

"Ninety-six pounds at twenty per pound comes to one thousand nine hundred and twenty spirit stones."

Wang Mengde felt a faint surge of joy.

It was somewhat more than he had expected.

He had thought the eight fish would sell for at most eighteen hundred, yet they had brought in over nineteen hundred spirit stones.