Chapter 53

Su Peng logged into the game and appeared on the second floor of the Haikujū Inn.

He walked out from the second floor and saw a notice on the first floor, stating that the merchant ship would officially board at the third hour of the morning. Su Peng settled his room fee and walked out of the inn, heading to the port to prepare for the journey.

Just as he stepped out, Su Peng saw about eight or nine young martial artists walking ahead, armed with weapons. They were a group led by Huo Sijie. These young martial artists had no particular business; most of their fathers were well-known in the martial world. They were just starting out, hoping to make a name for themselves but didn't know where to start, so they wandered around aimlessly. The direction they were heading was also toward the port.

Su Peng had little in common with them and didn't want to walk with them, so he slowed down. At this moment, Su Peng suddenly noticed that the middle-aged scholar, who looked down on his luck, also came out of the inn. The scholar saw Su Peng and nodded slightly as a greeting.

Su Peng still had a good impression of this scholar. He seemed to have a noble demeanor and exceptional discernment, and talking to him might not be so boring. Su Peng walked over and clasped his hands, saying, "Sir, I am Su Peng from Jiangning. The other day, I admired your dignified appearance and the grandeur of your thoughts. Sir, are you going to the port to board the ship? Would you like to walk together?"

The scholar smiled faintly and said, "You flatter me. I am Fu Yi from Liangzhou, just a down-on-my-luck scholar. How can I deserve such praise? But I am indeed going to the port, so let's walk together."

"Very well," Su Peng nodded and walked with Fu Yi toward the port.

As they walked and talked, Su Peng found Fu Yi to be refined and well-versed, with insightful views, making him a good conversational partner. Fu Yi also felt that Su Peng's words and insights were quite novel and unique, and he developed a good impression of Su Peng.

After a while, both felt they were getting along well, and their relationship grew closer.

As they were walking, they suddenly saw a crowd gathered ahead. Su Peng had excellent eyesight and took a look, saying, "Hmm? Isn't that the master from Dafutu Mountain's Dakuang Temple whom I met briefly the other day? And the people around him seem to be the same wealthy merchants I saw that day. What are they doing there?"

Fu Yi also saw them and said, "Let's go take a look."

Su Peng nodded, and the two slowly walked over.

When they got closer, they found that there were indeed many people gathered, probably dozens. Huo Sijie and his group of young martial artists were also there, watching the commotion. Su Peng and Fu Yi walked in and saw that at the center of the crowd, there was a man with a sharp face and a cunning look, dressed in old fisherman's clothes, arguing with someone. In front of him was a large turtle,缩在壳子里。

The turtle was enormous, and if a person stood on its shell, it could still carry them. The shell was thick and a uniform green color, with no patterns, reaching almost to a person's calf.

"What a large turtle, I wonder how long it has lived," someone in the crowd said.

In the crowd, the group of wealthy merchants was arguing with the sharp-faced man.

After listening for a while, Su Peng understood the situation. The sharp-faced man claimed to be a fisherman who had caught a giant turtle in the sea. Thinking it was a rare find, he brought it to the market to sell. However, no one bought it for a long time, and he became impatient. He took out a knife, saying he would kill the turtle and drink its blood, and eat its meat. At that moment, the Zen master from Dafutu Mountain's Dakuang Temple and the wealthy merchants happened to pass by. The Zen master felt that the turtle had lived for a long time and deserved to live, so he asked the fisherman to spare its life. The fisherman refused, and the Zen master's "fans" among the wealthy merchants started arguing with him.

At this moment, the fisherman shouted, "This turtle is mine since I caught it. I want to kill it for soup and eat its meat. What right do you have to stop me? Did you catch it?"

"You, a mere vendor, how can you be so heartless and cruel? The Zen master from Dakuang Temple is guiding you to be kind, but you won't listen. You truly lack wisdom!" a wealthy merchant said, pointing at the fisherman's nose.

"Hmph! You all are rich merchants in this port, not knowing my hardships. How many times a year can I eat meat? Can kindness be eaten? No way!" the sharp-faced fisherman shouted loudly.

"Amitabha..." The white-browed Zen master from Dakuang Temple recited a Buddhist chant and said, "All beings are equal. What sin has this turtle committed to deserve such a fate? I see that this turtle has lived for a hundred years, which is truly remarkable. I cannot bear to see it suffer... This life should be returned to the sea and given a chance to live."

"The master is compassionate and merciful to all beings, truly a high-ranking monk!" The wealthy merchants around the white-browed Zen master praised him. Su Peng had heard from Fu Yi that these people were merchants from the nearby coastal city, often engaged in river and sea trade, and were very wealthy. A few days ago, they somehow met the white-browed Zen master from Dakuang Temple and became fascinated by his teachings. Not only did they rent a courtyard for the Zen master at the Haikujū Inn, but they also listened to his teachings every day, treating him like a disciple.

"You, the vendor, are too unreasonable. The Zen master from Dakuang Temple has spoken. Why don't you take this opportunity to form a good connection and release the turtle?"

Among the young martial artists watching, someone couldn't hold back and said, "Dafutu Mountain's Dakuang Temple holds a special place in the martial world. Although it's not officially stated, it is considered the leader of the righteous path. The disciples of Dakuang Temple are always treated with respect when they visit other righteous sects. Influenced by their parents, these young martial artists already side with the white-browed Zen master. Now they are speaking up to support him."

The fisherman, hearing this, became agitated and said, "I worked hard to catch this turtle. You want to release it just like that? You want to show your kindness? Kindness means getting things for free? If you want to be a good person, fine, but give me money to buy the turtle and release it yourself!"

"This person is so unreasonable!" the young martial artist who spoke earlier said, feeling indignant.

Huo Sijie, standing among the young martial artists, had a thought. He thought that the disciples of Dafutu Mountain's Dakuang Temple were not easy to meet. This Zen master, judging by his appearance, must be of high seniority. He had just completed his training and was starting his journey in the martial world, aiming to build a reputation. Making connections with righteous high-ranking monks was also a way to gain fame. He wanted to form a connection with this Zen master and decided to do a good deed by spending some silver to buy the turtle.

With this in mind, he stepped forward and said loudly, "How much do you want for the turtle? I'll buy it!"

"You? Can you afford it?" the sharp-faced vendor shouted.

"It's just a turtle. How much can it cost?" Huo Sijie smiled proudly, confident in his wealth. His uncle had secretly given him fifty taels of gold for his journey, which, if calculated in modern terms, would be equivalent to 750,000 RMB. In this agricultural society game, it was a considerable amount!

"I want one hundred taels of gold!" the sharp-faced vendor shouted loudly, his voice resonating around.

"One hundred taels of gold?"

As soon as he said this, the crowd fell silent, but soon a wave of discussion began.

"This person is crazy for money. It's just a turtle, and he wants one hundred taels of gold? He must be out of his mind!"

"If I were the Zen master, I would hit him. This is extortion!"

"Let's see. If the Zen master is truly compassionate, he would pay one hundred taels. Otherwise, it's fake compassion."

"What about that young martial artist? He seems to speak confidently. Can he come up with one hundred taels of gold?"

Huo Sijie's face turned red, and his breathing became slightly rough. He thought the vendor would sell the turtle for a few dozen taels of silver or at most one tael of gold. Buying it to form a connection with the high monk from Dakuang Temple seemed like a good deal, but he didn't expect the vendor to ask for one hundred taels of gold!

Although he wanted to form a connection with the Zen master from Dakuang Temple, one hundred taels of gold was too much. He could donate directly to Dakuang Temple and get a merit plaque with his name on the merit stone. He was completely unwilling to spend one hundred taels of gold, especially since he only had fifty taels in total.

"You, the vendor, are crazy for money!" the young martial artists, seeing Huo Sijie's predicament, joined in, scolding the fisherman.

"You're crazy? A broken turtle for one hundred taels of gold? I don't think it's worth even one hundred coins!"

Among the wealthy merchants, someone also scolded the fisherman.

The fisherman rolled his eyes and said, "What? I think I'm selling it cheap. Haven't you heard that old turtles can produce pearls? If a turtle lives for over a hundred years, it can produce a pearl in its shell. This turtle is probably over a hundred years old. If I kill it and extract the pearl, one hundred taels would be a bargain!"

Hearing this, the wealthy merchants were momentarily speechless. They lived near the sea and had heard similar legends. If it were true, extracting a few night pearls would indeed be worth more than one hundred taels of gold.

"Amitabha... I, a poor monk, want the turtle to be released, not for any pearls. I feel pity for the turtle..." the white-browed Zen master recited another Buddhist chant, looking at the turtle with closed eyes, seemingly very sad.

The wealthy merchants, seeing the Zen master's sad expression, looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Su Peng and Fu Yi had been watching for a while. Seeing this, Su Peng had a playful smile on his face and said to Fu Yi, "Mr. Fu, do you see any pattern here?"

"Silence is golden for a true gentleman," Fu Yi smiled and said to Su Peng.

Su Peng thought that Fu Yi was indeed a discerning person and said nothing, continuing to watch.

"The master is sad! How sinful we are! I will contribute fifteen taels of gold! Everyone, let's contribute money to buy the turtle and release it for the master!"

At this moment, a wealthy merchant suddenly spoke up.

Hearing this, the other wealthy merchants with similar wealth immediately realized what to do, and someone shouted, "I will contribute ten taels of gold!"

"I will contribute twenty taels of gold!"

These wealthy merchants started bidding loudly, and a few stingy ones hesitated and stepped back.

"Since this is our territory, how can we let the master be sad? One hundred taels of gold is a lot, but it's not an astronomical amount. With so many of us, can't we come up with it? Let's pool one hundred taels of gold to release the turtle for the master!"

The leading wealthy merchant looked around and then at Huo Sijie, saying, "Young martial artist, will you contribute money?"

"I..." Huo Sijie felt a headache, thinking for a while, and said, "I will contribute three taels of gold..."

"Only three taels?" The wealthy merchant looked at Huo Sijie with disdain, thinking, "You look so well-dressed, but you're just a stingy miser." He waved his hand and said, "Three taels is not needed. Keep it for yourself."

He then muttered, "A miser, no money, no face..."

This comment was just loud enough for the young martial artists behind Huo Sijie to hear. They all looked at Huo Sijie, who was so angry that he wanted to bite his teeth. If his companions thought he was stingy, how could he maintain his reputation as a martial artist?

"I... You... You heard wrong. I said I will contribute ten taels of gold," Huo Sijie said, his heart bleeding.

"Good! This young martial artist will contribute ten taels of gold!" The wealthy merchant praised loudly, and Huo Sijie felt trapped, hating it.

"Those two martial artists, will you not contribute money?" The wealthy merchant's gaze suddenly fell on Su Peng and Fu Yi, asking them.

Su Peng couldn't help but laugh, thinking they were being asked to contribute.

"Ha ha, you can see from my appearance that I am not wealthy. Ask this young martial artist instead," Fu Yi smiled and stepped back, letting Su Peng take the lead.

Su Peng was both amused and annoyed, thinking that Fu Yi seemed to be a serious person but had a mischievous side. He hadn't even gotten to know him well, and Fu Yi had already put him in a difficult position. However, he wasn't really angry and shook his head, saying, "I travel in the martial world, and earning money is not easy. I think eating is more important than releasing a turtle. I won't contribute any gold."

"You're also a miser," the wealthy merchant's face became less friendly, and he muttered.

But Su Peng was indifferent, thinking, "If he's strong, let him be strong; the wind will blow over the mountain. If he's arrogant, let him be arrogant; the moon will shine over the river." He remained calm, as if he hadn't heard anything.

The wealthy merchant, seeing Su Peng's attitude, thought he was a seasoned traveler and not like the others, who seemed capable but were actually inexperienced. He didn't bother Su Peng and went to collect the money.

At this moment, Huo Sijie, who had just contributed ten taels of gold, saw Su Peng "unscathed" and felt a deep hatred. He had found this person annoying since their first meeting in the inn, and now he found him even more detestable. He wanted to drag Su Peng into the situation and said, "That person over there, you've been watching for a while. Don't you have any compassion? Or are you a miser like an iron rooster, and all people from Jiangning are as stingy as you?"

"People from Jiangning like to help those who truly need it, not turtles. But since you, Huo Young Martial Artist, have money, you can save both people and turtles," Su Peng said calmly.

This comment disrupted the atmosphere, but the wealthy merchants, who were in high spirits, ignored it.

Finally, the wealthy merchants, along with Huo Sijie's ten taels of gold, managed to gather one hundred taels of gold, which they placed in a bag. The leading wealthy merchant handed the bag to the fisherman, saying, "Your gold!"

The fisherman, without a word, took the bag and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

The white-browed Zen master finally opened his eyes, squatted down, and lifted the large turtle, which probably weighed dozens of pounds, with one hand.

"Great!" The wealthy merchants applauded and cheered.

Su Peng and Huo Sijie, being martial artists, were not surprised. A simple infusion of internal energy could allow one to lift several times their own weight for a short period, which Su Peng could easily do. If the Zen master from Dakuang Temple couldn't do it, that would be strange.

"Let's go to the ship and follow the master to release the turtle!" the wealthy merchants shouted, and they followed the white-browed Zen master to the port.

"We should go too; the ship is about to leave," Fu Yi smiled and said to Su Peng.

Su Peng nodded and smiled, "Sure, this drama isn't over yet. Let's see how it ends."

With that, the two walked toward the port...

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