His skin became smoother, and his body sturdier.
More than an hour later, the warmth in his stomach dissipated.
Liang Qu noticed the changes in himself as he compared his reflection on the water's surface.
He looked more handsome, although he remained dark-skinned, the roughness had faded, revealing a more heroic presence.
When he clenched his fist, he felt an obvious increase in strength, each swing vigorous like a raging tiger.
Previously, Liang Qu grew up on coarse grains and vegetables, but after consuming the Treasure Fish, it was as if he had grown up on meat, eggs, and milk.
Both healthily developed, but the quality was vastly different, and so was his spirit and outlook.
It felt wonderful, the sensation of power flowing through his body was unparalleled.
He could jump higher, run faster, and even his breathing became steadier, as if his entire body had been liberated.
"No wonder Martial Masters value these Treasure Fish. They truly are miraculous items for nurturing the body and mind. If I had a hundred of them, I might not need to step into any Martial Hall to break through Skin, Flesh, Bone, and Blood Barriers."
Liang Qu stood up, dressed, ensuring that the redness on his face had subsided from the excess nourishment, and effortlessly rowed back to the dock.
He couldn't wait to sell the Treasure Fish he had and use the proceeds to exchange for a promotion opportunity.
But before he even reached the shore to pay the docking fee, he noticed a large crowd gathering, making a ruckus on the riverbank.
"What day is this?" he wondered to himself.
"Wasn't last month the Moon Festival? Is there some festival I don't know about?"
Liang Qu put down the oars and used a pole to maneuver closer to the dock.
Someone came over to collect the fee.
Fishing out two coins from his pocket, he handed them over, clutching his fish basket, and scanned the throng for Li Libo, whom he spotted easily due to his height.
Sure enough, where there was excitement, there was Li Libo, a longtime merrymaker in any ruckus.
Liang Qu grabbed him and asked, "What's going on?"
"Hey, who's pulling me—" an annoyed Li Libo grumbled from the crowd but couldn't resist the powerful grip, grimacing as he got pulled out.
"Oh, it's you, Liang Qu. What have you been eating? Your grip’s monstrous!"
Liang Qu was unfazed. “You haven't told me what's happening. Why is there such a gathering?”
"You came just in time. Someone at our dock caught a Treasure Fish! It looks like a Black Fish but is entirely red, weighing in at two catties, three taels, and six qian. Someone caught one before and called it Red-Blood Perch. You know, a tael of silver for each catty."
Li Libo was practically bursting with pride, as if he had caught the fish himself, oblivious to Liang Qu's changing expressions.
Treasure Fish were rare but not unheard of.
One or two lucky finds a month at the dock was normal.
Liang Qu hadn’t expected he’d encounter another just when he was about to sell his.
Luckily, it didn’t seem to matter—the demand for Treasure Fish always outstripped supply.
Encountering a moment like this wouldn't hurt; it might even mean the Martial Master would buy both fish, possibly yielding extra silver out of delight.
Liang Qu let out a call amidst the crowd, clearing his throat, “Our Upper Prosperity Dock must really be blessed by the River God! Two Treasure Fish caught in one day!”
Li Libo, nearest to him, winced from the shout, “You’re babbling! Chen Jiechang only caught the one fish!”
Just then, eyes turned his way.
Liang Qu lifted his basket and fished out the Horned Pomfret by its gills, holding it aloft.
“I meant the second one to be mine!”
The crowd erupted in disbelief, their initial circular gathering splitting into two clusters.
“Isn’t that just a Pomfret?”
“No, not a Pomfret! Look closely, it has horns on its head!”
“Indeed, it has horns! It’s a Treasure Fish!”
Once it was confirmed by those nearby, the dock erupted into an even bigger frenzy.
More people gathered, eager to witness the extraordinary fish.
“Who caught it?”
“It’s Ah Shui, son of Old Liang! Quite a fisherman, catching over thirty fish daily!”
“Old Liang? Wasn't he the one who passed away last month? What luck to catch such a fish!”
“Old Liang’s family luck hasn’t run out after all!”
“Incredible, a single Treasure Fish could cover months of rice grain for me! If only I could catch one, I could die without regret.”
“Yeah, if you caught one, the brothel madam in the alleyway would be the one making bank, hahaha!”
The crowd buzzed with excitement; two Treasure Fish on the same day at one dock was an unheard-of occurrence.
Everyone sought to bask in the good fortune.
Scanning the faces around him, Liang Qu noted the envy and naked desire in everyone's eyes.
He had never imagined the descriptions in tales could be true and observable.
“Ah Shui, my family has a daughter of marriageable age, want to marry her?”
“Uncle Chen Yi, isn’t your daughter only nine?” Liang Qu felt a chill encountering an acquaintance he met once.
“Their family isn’t suitable. Join ours and get a look at our daughter.”
“Stop, Shi Lao’er. Your daughter is eighteen!”
“You don’t understand. A woman three years older is a golden charm!”
Chen Qingjiang could support a large family single-handedly.
Liang Qu, handsome with remarkable fishing prowess, became the most eligible bachelor.
Every household with a daughter wanted to claim him.
Recalling the carriage that ignored him when he first arrived, in less than a month, Liang Qu understood what it meant for fortunes to turn.
But he held no resentment; as a poor man, personal integrity was all he had.
The plight of those in lower ranks was simply how it was.
Amidst the crowd's festive clamor, two cords of attention converged back into one.
Liang Qu saw the one who caught the other Treasure Fish, Chen Jiechang.
In his twenties, tall and muscular, his skin as dark as any fisherman's.
He was known as one of the best fishermen from Upper Prosperity Dock, earning over a hundred coins daily, surpassing even Uncle Chen.
When their gazes met, Chen Jiechang, though slightly unhappy about sharing the spotlight, kept a cordial smile.
Rural folks, after all, relish enjoying better fates than others, and vice versa.
Liang Qu recalled his second uncle in his past life.
After passing the prestigious high school entrance exam, his cousin perpetuated similar prejudices, equating professional clout to university prestige upon meeting.
Once Liang Qu graduated, his jabs shifted to social connections as the new currency.
They studied each other's Treasure Fish.
Chen Jiechang’s fish resembled a Black Fish but was completely red, like forged from fresh blood, quite a striking color.
“The Martial Masters are coming, the Martial Masters are coming!”
“Move aside, move aside!”
“The Martial Masters are here to see the Treasure Fish!”
As the crowd parted, Liang Qu and Chen Jiechang looked up to see three men approaching.
They were taller than the surrounding commoners, their postures distinctly upright.
So, these were Martial Masters? Perhaps just Martial Artists?
In Peaceful Sun Town, only those who broke through the four barriers earned the title Martial Master.
Those who hadn’t were simply Martial Artists.
With little exposure among ordinary folk, it was easy for the two titles to blend, except perhaps in areas they understood differently but still chose to call them so.
The leader among them introduced himself, as Hu by surname, from Peaceful Sun Town on business in Righteous Prosperity City.
Upon hearing of Treasure Fish at the dock, he came to purchase them if genuine.
Chen Jiechang promptly greeted, “Master Hu, take a look at mine.”
Master Hu took a glance at Chen Jiechang’s fish, “Red-Blood Perch, weight?”
“Twelve ounces, seven taels, and six qian!”
“Three taels of silver, will you sell?”
“Yes, yes, I’ll sell!”
Chen Jiechang beamed with delight; three taels of silver were enough for over a year’s rice grain.
The previous month, the dock over caught a nearly four catty Tigerhead Grouper, only fetching three liang five qian, putting his Red-Blood Perch in a better light, more valuable by weight!
Master Hu made a swift transaction, not bothering to weigh the fish, evidencing his trust in honest dealings expected of others under his scrutiny.
He then approached Liang Qu, noticing the Pomfret with horns and expressed surprise, “Horned Pomfret? Quite rare, weight?”
Liang Qu attentive to Master Hu's reaction, lowered his head slightly and replied, “Three catties, two taels, and one qian.”
The fish had been weighed earlier amidst the curiosity-hungry crowd; it was precise.
“Six liang five qian, will you sell?”
“Six taels?”
Chen Jiechang was momentarily fixed in place, while the surrounding fishermen fell silent.