Chapter 5

The fish market was eerily quiet, with no one making a sound. The fishmongers all reached up to cover their mouths, exchanging furtive glances with each other. Standing on the outskirts of the crowd, the fishermen who had already sold all their catches for the day were grinning and making faces, their eyes squinted as they watched the short, plump old man with the cunning and shrewdness characteristic of common folk.

Ever since Chu Tian overturned the previous fish market boss three years ago and took over the Baiyang River mouth, the fishermen of Baiyang River had not sold even a single scale of carp. The officials and nobles of Shuzhou City had not tasted carp for three whole years!

The large carp from Baiyang River were truly a delicacy. Over the past three years, countless guests from Shuzhou City had come with white silver and golden gold, seeking connections and ways to find the fishmongers and fishermen, but not a single large carp could be obtained!

When the short, plump old man opened his mouth, he asked for ten one-zhang-long golden-scaled large carps. Heh!

"Send the guest away. We won't do this deal!" Chu Tian, sitting steadily in his chair, picked up his teacup and took a sip, his expression calm and composed, much like the officials in Shuzhou City when they dismissed guests.

The four large men standing behind Chu Tian took a step forward in unison, their staffs thudding heavily on the ground. The ironwood staffs, striking the stone slabs, produced a dull sound.

The short, plump old man glanced at the four large men, slowly crossed his arms behind his back, and chuckled, shaking his head. "I am Ling Fu, the second steward of the Ling family, responsible for handling matters for the young masters and misses of the Ling family. Young Master Ling Yue is the most promising figure of our generation. If he wants ten one-zhang-long golden-scaled large carps, he certainly means it."

Ling Fu smiled coldly and said, "If he doesn't get them, Young Master Ling Yue will be unhappy. When he is unhappy, my lord, lady, and even the grand lord and grand lady will not be happy. I, Ling Fu, will naturally not be able to be happy either."

"I, Ling Fu, am not a noble person, but if I am unhappy, someone will not be able to continue being happy!"

Shaking his hands, Ling Fu pulled out another garlic-shaped gold bar from his sleeve and slapped it on the teatable next to Ji Hao.

"Slap, slap, slap," Ling Fu took out seven more garlic-shaped gold bars one by one, slapping them heavily on the teatable. Ten garlic-shaped gold bars were neatly lined up, their high purity gold bars shining like ten pieces of charcoal in the sunlight, emitting a dazzling light.

The fishmongers around them shrank back, not daring to make a sound, and the fishermen held their breaths, afraid that a loud breath might disturb Chu Tian and Ling Fu.

Ten garlic-shaped gold bars, one hundred taels of gold!

In Shuzhou, this was a true fortune. The three-compound house Chu Tian took over from the previous fish market boss might not even cost one garlic-shaped gold bar.

Shuzhou was a remote and desolate place, so gold was extremely valuable. A small segment of a garlic-shaped gold bar was enough to find ten or eight heroes in Shuzhou City to help you with some dirty and secretive deeds.

For example, chopping off someone's limbs, smashing someone's head, or stuffing someone into a sack and throwing them into the Baiyang River. Ten garlic-shaped gold bars were enough to make a hundred or eighty heroes bend their backs and bow, calling you "Sir"!

Chu Tian tilted his head, the pink chrysanthemum flower in his hair swaying, and squinted at the ten garlic-shaped gold bars.

"Ling Fu, second steward, are you trying to pressure me with gold?"

Ling Fu's round face was full of smiles, and he said gently, "No, I am using the Ling family to pressure you! Chu Boss, you are just a mere fishmonger, a pig or dog-like thing. The Ling family, however, is the closest and most intimate kin of the Chu family in Shuzhou. My lord is the military司马 (military officer) of Shuzhou City."

The military司马 of Shuzhou was an auxiliary military official who could mobilize the Shuzhou troops. Although his rank was not high, he was a real power player.

Especially for a market boss like Chu Tian, who mixed with all kinds of people in the market, the influence of a military司马 was even greater than that of a governor.

The faces of the fishmongers and fishermen around them were not good, and they all looked at Chu Tian with worry.

The Ling family was not to be provoked.

The Chu family behind the Ling family was even more formidable.

If Chu Tian really angered them, the lord Ling Fu mentioned could easily send a troop of soldiers to level the Baiyang River fish market, wiping out Chu Tian and all his forces.

These fishmongers and fishermen all had their own calculations. Compared to the previous fish market boss three years ago, Chu Tian was like a savior. After he took over the Baiyang River fish market, the lives of both fishmongers and fishermen improved significantly, and their days became better and better!

If something happened to Chu Tian and the previous fish market boss returned, everyone would have to go back to eating bran and drinking the northwestern wind.

A dark-skinned, towering fisherman suddenly stepped out of the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Boss, there are excellent large carps in the Baiyang River. They are in the whirlpool below the Tiger Tooth Cliff upstream, where the carps are the fattest."

Pounding his chest, the towering fisherman smiled honestly, "I'll take a group of brothers, and within a day and a night, we will definitely catch enough large carps. Golden-scaled ones are rare, but there are plenty in the Baiyang River."

"Whoa, whoa, step aside. Big Black, if you have the strength to risk your life at Tiger Tooth Cliff, you might as well go home and hug your wife!" Chu Tian pointed at the towering fisherman and then looked at Ling Fu, "Second steward, do you know..."

"For three whole years, not a single carp has come out of the Baiyang River fish market!" Ling Fu smiled brightly, "I don't care about the details, but this time, Young Master Ling Yue wants ten one-zhang-long golden-scaled large carps. By noon three days from now, you, Chu Boss, must personally deliver them to the front of Shushan Academy. If you disappoint Young Master's interest, heh, heh, heh!"

Ling Fu laughed coldly three times, crossed his arms behind his back, and walked away with his head held high, accompanied by two handsome young servants.

As he walked, Ling Fu muttered curses, "A pig or dog-like lowlife, really thinking he's something?"

"Oh, oh, oh, are there no real men in Shuzhou City? The large carps of Baiyang River are famous, and not a single one has come out in three years. So many lords and young masters in Shuzhou City, and not one can break this fellow's head?"

"Rascals, truly rascals, they need to be properly disciplined. You should obediently deliver the large carps Young Master wants, or I will definitely break your head and your two dog legs. Tsk, just a mere fishmonger, ah, spit!"