猫咪3.0

Recalling the recent changes at the fish market, Qing gritted her teeth and began to cast her net.

Wuzhe Lake was deep with plenty of big fish, but the Spirit Fish were not necessarily among the large ones; on the contrary, many Spirit Fishes were small in size.

Small fish were difficult to catch, and the larger ones only made it harder; in the end, the fishermen had to dive into the water to grab them.

But with the weather like this, was it really safe to just dive in?

Yet, what choice was there?

The Flying Tiger Gang had their so-called rules, and although they didn’t directly force fishermen to sail out at knifepoint, the price of rice and salt kept rising—almost daily—while only the price of fish fell lower and lower each day. Besides the Spirit Fish, no other catches fetched a good price. Fish that used to be bestsellers on a typical day now had to be discarded at low prices.

At this point, many fishermen would rather have an extra meal themselves than waste the effort going to the market to sell their catch.

But people can’t live on fish alone; firewood, rice, oil, and salt are necessities too.

So, even though it was freezing cold, the boats still had to set out.

She was one of the lucky ones, having caught a Spirit Fish the day before, which could sustain her for a while.

Those with lean reserves who hadn’t caught a Spirit Fish were really in a dire situation; they had to sail out and dive into the water.

“Huff!”

Another gust of north wind blew, causing Qing to shiver continuously.

“No good, I’ll need to buy more wine later, otherwise, I can’t withstand this weather at all.”

Qing bit her teeth and began to haul in the net, and unsurprisingly, there wasn’t a single Spirit Fish.

Seeing this, Qing could only sigh, pack up her dripping wet net, and head toward the Fish Market Pier.

Along the way, she encountered many fishing boats, including quite a few familiar fishermen, but there was hardly any greeting.

Silence, silence, it was all silence.

Oppression gradually turned to despair.

“The price of rice has gone up again!”

“Same with the salt, it’s increased by thirty percent!”

“Damn the Flying Tiger Gang!”

“Are they trying to drive us to our deaths?”

“Old man Li passed away last night after diving into the water.”

“A’guang and his brothers encountered the Black Night Fork last night; only one of the three brothers came back.”

“Jiangzhou Mansion, Ningzhou Prefecture, and our Jiangning Mansion have all sealed the roads, not allowing us to leave.”

In just a few days, the atmosphere at the fish market had taken an extreme turn.

Qing didn’t dare say much and instead made her way to the pharmacy, only to find the door firmly shut.

Obviously, Doctor Mo was not opening for business today.

With no other choice, she bought some supplies and quickly left the market.

She felt that the current fish market, the current Wuzhe Lake, was like a furnace whose fire kept burning more fiercely, already beyond control, ready to explode at any moment.

It was very unsettling.

But there wasn’t much she could do except try to stay as far away as possible.

Meanwhile…

“Master!”

“Immortal Master!”

Li Suhong led a group to welcome a young Taoist Man into the hall.

This Taoist was a young and extremely handsome figure, draped in a vermillion robe that blazed like fire, remarkably eye-catching.

Li Suhong went forward with a respectful yet somewhat desolate demeanor.

The group trailed behind, likewise holding back their words.

Seeing this, the young Taoist Man smiled, “I already know what happened. This man and I are of the same path, and you all are no match for him. Let him be for now. When the Fish King emerges, I shall deal with him and settle our karma.”

“Is that so!”

Hearing this, although the others had doubts, they dared not question further and could only respectfully agree.

The young Taoist Man waved them off, “Alright, you may leave. I have matters to discuss with Suhong.”

“Yes!”

They exchanged a fleeting glance and bowed before retreating.

Only Li Suhong stayed in the hall, silent.

The young Taoist Man looked at his disciple and went straight to the point, chuckling lightly, “How badly are you hurt?”

Li Suhong did not speak but silently undid her clothing.

“Hmm!”

Seeing Li Suhong’s flawless shoulder, the young Taoist Man nodded, “Just one move injured you so severely; there’s no doubt this person is a Qi Refiner. The question is, from which sect or faction does he come?”

Li Suhong dressed again, “His Sword Qi was extremely sharp, and his Mana was especially pure and powerful.”

“Hmph, powerful so what?”

The young Taoist Man laughed scornfully, “The old ancestor from Great Xing Mountain will soon achieve Nascent Soul Condensing. The Great Xing royal family is scouring the world for Demon Transformation Spiritual Objects for him, and they are determined to get the Spiritual Fish King of Wuzhe Lake. Can he really compete with Great Xing Mountain?”

Li Suhong nodded, a trace of hesitation in her eyes as she looked at Zhu Yang and said, “Master, the weather is getting colder. The common folk can’t bear it and are beginning to harbor resentment. If we keep forcing them like this…”

“What then?”

The young Taoist Man glanced at her, “A heart of a Bodhisattva, you can’t bear it anymore?”

“No, not at all!”

Li Suhong shook her head, explaining, “It’s just that the disciple thinks this surge of Spirit Fish might not end with just one winter. If too many fishermen die or get injured at this time, it might not be beneficial for future catches. Perhaps it would be better to pause for a while, wait until spring warms up…”

“Once you enter Immortal Cultivation Sect, all beings are but livestock!”

The young Taoist Man scoffed with a chilling smile, “Understand?”

Li Suhong fell silent for a moment, then nodded, “I understand, Disciple understands!”

“Good, as long as you understand, as long as you understand… hahaha!!”