"Sir, we've already paid this month's stall fee." Mrs. Chen's face was wreathed in smiles as she held up a plump black river carp, trying to stuff it into the arms of the Water Snake Gang member.
The man took the fish, but his tone remained cold. "Paid? Who'd you pay?"
"We paid Brother Liu. It's always been..."
"Liu the Fourth?" The man sneered, cutting her off. "Looks like you haven't heard. Qingxi Market is under our Brother Cao Bin's control now! What, you're going to refuse to pay the first time Brother Cao comes to collect?"
Mrs. Chen's face paled. "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare." She glanced to the side, pleading for help.
THUD!
The Fish-killing Saber in his third uncle's hand slammed down hard on the cutting board, the blade sinking deep into the wood.
He was silent for a moment, then vigorously wiped his hands on his apron, which was covered in fish scales and bloodstains. From the deepest pocket of his inner liner, he fished out a piece of Broken Silver.
Mrs. Chen took the silver and reluctantly handed it over, her eyes filled with pain.
'That was half a tael of silver. It could have bought a dose of Herbal Decoction for her son. Now that he was learning martial arts, the family was especially short on money.'
'But trying to reason with the Water Snake Gang would only invite more trouble.'
The gang member took the silver, casually tossing it in his hand to feel its weight.
"Not enough. This Su Family fish stall makes a pretty penny. From now on, the stall fee is going up by twenty percent."
"What!" Mrs. Chen's voice shot up. "Sir, the standard fee has always been half a tael. You must be joking."
"This is Brother Cao's new rule! You earn more, you pay more!"
"This is robber—"
The man's face darkened instantly. He leaned forward, his presence menacing. "Robbery? The market in the neighboring Cyan Bamboo Town was just raided. Over a dozen people died!
It's not easy for our Water Snake Gang to protect you while you make money! Do you understand? Now, either pay up or get lost!"
Tears of desperation welled in Mrs. Chen's eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, "Sir, please, have a heart. My nephew, Su Hong, is with the Snow Wolf Gang. Perhaps you..."
"And my son just started training at the Hongshan Martial Arts Hall. We have a lot of expenses right now, so please, cut us some slack."
After hearing this, a flicker of mockery appeared deep in the Water Snake Gang member's eyes. "Su Hong, you say? Oh, I know him, I know him. Heh."
'If I didn't know him, I wouldn't be charging your family extra.'
"This is all Brother Cao's doing. If you have a problem, go ask Brother Cao to cut you some slack."
Veins bulged on the back of his third uncle's hand, but looking at the two men, who were fearless with their backing, he could only sigh in defeat. He pulled out two more strings of copper coins and slammed them on the table.
"Take it!"
...
Su Yu watched the backs of the two Water Snake Gang members, his thoughts churning.
'Are those two targeting my third uncle's family?'
'And who is this Cao Bin?'
'For gang matters, I'll have to ask my cousin, Su Hong.'
Once the men were a good distance away, Su Yu approached with his fish basket. "Third Aunt, are you alright?"
"Oh, Yu." His third aunt glanced at Su Yu, then turned to secretly wipe away a tear. "I'm fine. The Water Snake Gang just charged us a little extra. We've already paid."
"You've caught so many fish again today! Goodness, your skill is incredible. You'll have no trouble finding a wife in the future." His third aunt quickly composed herself and helped Su Yu place his fish basket on the stone counter.
"Third Uncle, I caught a Golden-Threaded White-Scaled Fish. Where's the best place to sell it?" Su Yu asked in a low voice, glancing around.
His third uncle's eyes sharpened instantly. He took the basket and pushed aside the ordinary river fish on top.
At the very bottom, a flash of white laced with gold was strikingly conspicuous among the other fish.
"How big?"
"It must be over ten pounds!"
His third uncle quickly grabbed a ragged cloth and covered the basket completely, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
"Husband, is it real?" his third aunt whispered from the side, her eyes wide with shock.
"You watch the stall. Yu and I are going to see Steward Liu at the Fuxian Building."
With that, his third uncle ripped off his fish-reeking apron and led Su Yu deeper into the market.
...
"A fine catch! A truly fine catch!"
The portly Steward Liu circled the wooden basin containing the Golden-Threaded White-Scaled Fish twice, clicking his tongue in amazement. "I haven't seen a wild Golden-Thread of this quality in a month."
"It's fresh out of the water," Su Yu said, his tone poised.
"Excellent! Master Wang is hosting a banquet tonight, and we're in need of a fresh fish dish." Steward Liu was in high spirits. He held out a plump hand. "For the entire catch, I'll give you a flat price—five taels of silver!"
Su Yu turned to look at his third uncle, and when he saw him nod, he accepted the offer.
"Someone, take this White-Scaled Fish to the restaurant immediately. No delays." Steward Liu took the fish and handed over five taels of silver.
Su Yu suppressed his excitement as he took the silver and carefully tucked it into his shirt.
'I've finally saved up ten taels. I can learn martial arts!'
"The younger generation is truly formidable. Catching a Golden-Threaded White-Scaled Fish is no easy feat! If you have fine goods in the future, you can come directly to me."
"Thank you, Steward Liu." Su Yu cupped his fist and took his leave.
...
「As night fell」 Su Yu went to Su Hong's house and knocked on the door. "Big Brother, it's me."
"Coming."
The door opened, and Su Hong welcomed Su Yu inside.
"Your aunt has to go into the city early tomorrow to do laundry, so she's already gone to bed. Let's go to the inner room."
The two of them sat down in the inner room. Under the dim, yellow light of an oil lamp, Su Yu recounted the day's events at the market in detail.
After Su Hong finished listening, his calm face instantly turned grim. He gripped the corner of the table so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"It's my fault for getting Third Uncle's family into this. And you, Second Brother—you'll have to be careful of this Cao Bin from now on!"
Su Yu was puzzled. He looked at his big brother quietly, waiting for an explanation.
"That Cao Bin is an enemy of mine. In a gang conflict years ago, my hand slipped and I killed his younger brother, and I crippled one of his fingers. He's hated me to the bone ever since.
Originally, we were both stuck at the first threshold of our martial arts training, so he wasn't much of a threat. But I never expected that he would somehow break through several stages in a row. Last month, he even became a full-fledged Martial Artist. He also latched onto Liu Hong of the Water Snake Gang, taking him as a godfather and becoming a minor leader."
Su Hong heaved a deep sigh, his eyes filled with regret and worry. "I never thought Qingxi Market would become his territory. This is trouble."
Su Yu frowned as well.
'A Martial Artist?'
'This is big trouble. Once someone becomes a Martial Artist, an ordinary person has no way to fight back.'
'Big Brother is definitely no match for him either.'
"But don't you worry too much, Second Brother. I work for an important figure in the Snow Wolf Gang. I'll go to him and see if he can think of something."
Seeing how heavy the atmosphere had become, Su Yu changed the subject. "Big Brother, I want to learn martial arts. Where's a good place to go?"
Su Hong was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Su Yu seriously. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, Big Brother. In this day and age, I have to at least try to learn martial arts."
"Alright, then. Let me tell you about your options." Su Hong patted Su Yu's shoulder and spoke seriously.
"There are basically three paths to learn martial arts in the city right now. The first is the Black Stone Army. This is the official path of the Imperial Family. Their Cultivation Techniques are good, but it's also the most dangerous. With the world in chaos, the Black Stone Army has to constantly fight rebel forces like the Black Lotus Sect. The death rate is extremely high."
"The second path is through the great aristocratic families, like the Zhao, Wang, and Li families. They have many resources, but they either only accept geniuses or you have to sign a servitude contract and become a family slave. You'd never be able to free yourself in this lifetime."
"The last option is the various martial arts halls. As long as you can pay the discipleship fee, you can learn."
Su Hong paused for a moment before continuing.
"The strongest in the city is the Guiyuan Martial Arts Hall, but their discipleship fee is a steep fifty taels. Next are Hongshan, Chasing Wind, and Iron Armor. These three are well-established, powerful halls, and their fees are thirty taels."
Su Yu nodded. "Big Brother, I've only saved up ten taels of silver. A smaller martial arts hall where I can learn will be fine."
"As for smaller halls, I know of the Chang Chun Martial Arts Hall. That's where I learned back in the day. They teach a style called Chang Chun Fist. The hall master is a humble man and doesn't look down on disciples from poor families."
"There's one more..."
Su Hong hesitated before speaking again.
"In the west of the city, there's the White Ape Martial Arts Hall. The hall master, Qin Fangqiong, was a formidable figure in her youth, famous for her White Ape Fist. Unfortunately, I heard she was injured years ago. Now that she's older, her cultivation level has fallen, and the hall has declined along with her. It's considered a lower-tier hall now."
"Her discipleship fee is only ten taels. But Hall Master Qin has a strange temperament and accepts disciples on a whim. Her reputation as a teacher is mixed."