"Uncle Chen, are you ready yet?"
"Coming, coming!"
In the courtyard, Chen Qingjiang finished organizing his fishing net and followed Liang Qu to the dock.
Chen Qingjiang hadn’t forgotten Liang Qu’s promise to take him to a spot teeming with fish.
Since yesterday, he had stayed home, not even stepping outside.
"Uncle Chen, are you still planning to sell the fish in town after catching them?"
"I did a couple of days ago, but it’s getting colder, and the fish are so thin they’re barely worth it. It’s not worth the effort anymore."
Liang Qu said, "Then starting today, don’t go anymore."
His senior brother had mentioned that the mountain spirits could kill even second-level martial artists.
These spirits were powerful and preferred to prey on those with strong vitality.
Even someone like Liang Qu, who hadn’t broken through any martial barriers, wasn’t safe.
It was better to avoid unnecessary risks.
Righteous Prosperity City was about fifteen or sixteen miles from Peaceful Sun Town.
While the road was wide and well-traveled, the dense forests on either side were perfect hiding spots for mountain spirits.
They could ambush travelers, especially someone like Uncle Chen, who often left early in the morning to sell fish.
Liang Qu himself had traveled with a caravan that morning, not daring to go alone.
"Did something happen? Is it related to that guy, Lu Shaohui?"
Chen Qingjiang was simple but not stupid.
Hearing this, he immediately thought of the martial artist who had recently died.
Martial artists were rare, and in Peaceful Sun Town, their numbers had grown thanks to Master Yang Dongxiong, who had established a martial hall over twenty years ago.
Many people from nearby counties had come to train under him, and over time, the town had developed a thriving martial community.
This, in turn, had led to the growth of the town itself, with more people coming to live and work there.
In other places, the number of martial artists would be much lower.
The sudden death of one was no small matter.
"Yes, one of my senior brothers went to investigate. He said it was killed by a demonic beast. They haven’t caught it yet, so we need to be careful."
Chen Qingjiang nodded in agreement.
Since he wasn’t planning to sell fish in town anymore, it didn’t matter.
When they reached the dock, Liang Qu leaped onto a black-canopied boat, a significant upgrade from his old, rickety fishing boat.
The night before, he had slept at the martial hall and had come early to retrieve his boat from Lin Songbao at the fish market.
The old boat, barely more than a few planks, had been left behind.
The black-canopied boat was much larger, about five meters long and over a meter wide, with higher sides to keep out the waves.
The deck was covered with red-lacquered planks, and there was even a mat and a bamboo pillow inside.
The canopy, made of woven bamboo and coated with coal and tung oil, was sturdy and could be opened or closed to provide shade or shelter from the rain.
This upgrade was like trading a slingshot for a cannon.
With the new boat, Liang Qu could even sleep on the water if he needed to.
"Ah Shui, you got your black-canopied boat back?" Chen Qingjiang was surprised but then realized, "Oh, of course, things are different for you now. Scabby-head Zhang wouldn’t dare mess with you. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen him in a while. He didn’t pay his autumn taxes, and when they went to his house to arrest him, he was gone. The authorities declared him a fugitive. Did you know that?"
"No, I didn’t. Lin Di from the fish market gave me this boat. He said Scabby-head Zhang sold it to him, and Lin Di wanted to curry favor with me, so he returned it."
"Well, that’s good news," Chen Qingjiang mused.
"If Scabby-head Zhang sold his boat, he must have run off with the money. I wonder what he’s up to. Maybe he’s turned to banditry?"
Liang Qu remained expressionless and urged, "Who cares about a thug like him? Let’s get going."
Chen Qingjiang untied the boat and followed Liang Qu.
The black-canopied boat was larger and harder to row, but it used a sculling oar instead of paddles, making it faster, more stable, and easier to handle.
Liang Qu, who had been training in martial arts for over a month and was on the verge of breaking through his first barrier, found it much easier to row than his old boat.
He even felt like he could balance a plate of fennel beans on the edge of the boat while rowing, a feat only the most skilled fishermen could manage.
The two boats sped across the water, with Liang Qu enjoying the thrill of the ride.
Chen Qingjiang, struggling to keep up, called out for him to slow down.
But Liang Qu didn’t need to be told; they had arrived at their destination.
"Ah Shui, you’re so strong," Chen Qingjiang panted.
"Is this the spot?"
"Yes, this area is full of fish."
"Let me cast the net."
"Wait, let me throw something in first."
Liang Qu pretended to take out a small box and scooped out a lump of mud, which he tossed into the water.
"What’s that?"
"Bait I got from my master. It’s very attractive to fish."
"Really? That’s amazing!"
It was just ordinary mud, but Liang Qu used it as a cover to signal the two water beasts below to drive the fish toward them.
After about fifteen minutes, he told Chen Qingjiang to cast the net.
Chen Qingjiang threw the net, and it spread perfectly across the water.
"Hahaha, so many fish! There are so many!"
Chen Qingjiang struggled to pull the net back in, but it was filled with over twenty large fish, worth about forty copper coins.
In winter, this was an incredible haul!
Liang Qu compared this to Fatty Catfish’s usual catch.
It took Fatty Catfish nearly an hour to catch the same amount, making this method much faster.
"Ah Shui, quick, throw in more of that bait!"
"Alright."
One lump of mud after another, one net of fish after another.
Chen Qingjiang was overjoyed, sweating profusely but unwilling to take a break.
This wasn’t just fish—it was silver, gleaming silver!
"Uncle Chen, that’s enough for now."
"No, there are still so many fish!" Chen Qingjiang’s arms and legs were sore, but he wanted to keep going.
"We don’t have any more fish baskets. The compartments are full. We can’t fit any more."
"Full already?"
Chen Qingjiang was stunned.
In just three or four hours, both boats were full?
He came back to his senses and muttered, "This much fish must be worth five or six hundred copper coins."
"I saw a couple of small trout in there, so it’s probably around that. Uncle Chen, wipe your sweat. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Liang Qu tossed him a cloth.
"We can come back tomorrow. There’s plenty of bait, and we can always make more. Let’s head back."
Five or six hundred coins, split between them, would be nearly three hundred each.
Over a month, that would add up to seven taels of silver.
The best part was that Liang Qu could now focus on other things instead of spending all his time fishing.
In the future, he could even bring more people into this venture, forming a "fleet" and doubling their income.
Of course, he’d have to be careful about who he brought in.
Thinking back to the meal he had the night before, Liang Qu felt a sense of accomplishment.
Without realizing it, he had moved beyond manual labor and into a position where he could earn a steady income without lifting a finger.
Many businessmen didn’t even make as much as he did now.
Living in a mansion with beautiful maidservants wasn’t just a dream—it was within reach.
Chen Qingjiang looked at the full boat, his heart filled with regret.
In his thirty years of life, he had never had such a successful fishing trip.
The fish seemed to throw themselves into the net.
If this kept up, he’d have to repair the net soon.
The thought of leaving now left him feeling empty.
He was afraid today was just a dream, that he’d wake up to an empty net.
Or worse, that today was the last day the fish would gather here, and tomorrow he’d be back to catching the skinny winter fish, with no hope of paying off the eight taels of silver he owed the medical hall.
Chen Qingjiang was torn between hope and fear.
"Ah Shui, if we come back tomorrow, will there still be so many fish?"
Liang Qu was momentarily taken aback, then laughed.
"Of course there will be. The key isn’t the location—it’s the bait. My master made it, and it’s incredibly effective. Even if we go somewhere else, the fish will still come."
Chen Qingjiang’s worries eased.
If it was the bait that made the difference, then there was no need to fear.
The fish might move, but the bait would always work.
With that, he finally agreed to head back, no longer hesitating.
Liang Qu breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that Uncle Chen would want to keep fishing all night, only to return home and face his wife’s questions about where he’d been.
The two boats docked, and as soon as they tied up, someone on the dock called out to Liang Qu.
"Ah Shui, you’re finally back! Hurry home—someone’s causing trouble at your place!"
(End of Chapter)