Chapter 67

Al led Fang Tianfeng through several shops and soon stopped, pointing to a place. Fang Tianfeng's gaze was immediately drawn to a particularly special dragon fish.

This dragon fish had extremely unique scales, with the edges of the scales being a light golden color and the base color inside being a deep purple, exuding a noble and mysterious aura. Under the light and the contrast with the surrounding small fish, it had a regal presence. Compared to this dragon fish, the ones they had seen earlier were just small minnows.

The scales on the head of this dragon fish were also completely framed in gold with a deep purple base, with no impurities in color, giving it a strong metallic feel. The head scales of the second-grade overback golden dragon, however, were not framed in gold.

Al said enviously, "Didn't you ask me what a first-grade golden dragon fish is? This fish is a first-grade golden head, much more precious than a second-grade overback. Moreover, this purple color is so beautiful, it's a model of the purple-bottomed golden-headed dragon, and it's the pride of this shop. It's said that even with an offer of 300,000, the owner wouldn't sell it. This fish has attracted many people."

Fang Tianfeng looked and indeed saw several passersby attracted by the purple-bottomed golden-headed dragon, stopping to watch.

Al continued, "Golden dragons are divided into five grades based on quality, but if you categorize them by color, there are many more. This golden-headed dragon has a purple base, so it's called a purple-bottomed golden head. Besides this, there are blue-bottomed, gold-bottomed, multicolored, and classical types. Fish merchants, to sell more, will rename those with slightly different shapes and colors, like large golden heads, small golden heads, 24k, cannon heads, and so on. If you're raising them yourself, don't be misled by their claims; just buy what you like."

"Actually, there is a top-of-the-line dream variety of golden dragons, which belongs to the overback golden dragon. Its full name is the Dream Bouchi Mira. The main feature is that the base color is dual-colored, with four color gradients that change with different lighting, making the color extremely varied. It's said that there are only a few in the entire country. The Japanese love this dream variety, but I personally don't like it. I prefer more pure colors. If you want something flashy, you might as well raise koi."

Fang Tianfeng looked at the purple-bottomed golden-headed dragon with great pleasure. It was truly beautiful. He thought that when he had more money in the future, he would raise a few of these dragon fish and place them in the living room, where a glance would make him feel comfortable all day.

Al then said, "To identify dragon fish, you don't just look at the color; you also need to consider the body shape, whiskers, eyes, head, mouth, scales, gills, and the pectoral, dorsal, anal, and tail fins. Of course, there's also the lineage and origin. There's a lot to it. Even experienced dragon fish enthusiasts can sometimes make mistakes."

Al then whispered, "This purple-bottomed golden head is excellent in all aspects, and its lineage and origin are verified. The only downside is that the whiskers are not straight. Otherwise, the price could be 50,000 more on top of the original."

Fang Tianfeng didn't realize there was so much to know about dragon fish. If he invested blindly, he would definitely lose a lot of money.

The two of them visited a few more shops. Besides golden dragons, the most valuable were red dragons.

The best red dragons were even more expensive than golden dragons because golden dragons had several defects: short whiskers, short bodies, and small fins, making them less aesthetically pleasing than red dragons.

Al, being a good person, repeatedly advised that if they really wanted to raise dragon fish, they should first understand golden dragons before moving on to red dragons, and not try to do too much at once.

Fang Tianfeng naturally wouldn't act blindly. Besides, these things cost tens of thousands, and he didn't have the energy to raise too many. Starting with a second-grade overback golden dragon was best. First-grade golden heads were expensive, with even the lower-quality ones costing 20,000 to 30,000.

As they walked and looked at dragon fish, Al, who was well-informed, not only introduced dragon fish but also a type of ornamental fish similar in status to dragon fish: koi. However, koi were not as popular in China as dragon fish but were very popular in Japan, where almost all wealthy people raised koi.

As they walked, they came to a shop called Dragon Tiger Aquarium, where a group of six or seven people were gathered around a medium-sized aquarium, pointing and discussing. An elderly man, around sixty or seventy years old, sat nearby, looking worried.

Fang Tianfeng curiously walked over and saw that in the aquarium, there were two dragon fish with their bellies up, their abdomens swollen and their scales a beautiful golden yellow, but some scales had fallen off.

Next to the elderly man, there was a sign that read: "Whoever can cure these two gold-bottomed golden heads will be the new owner and will receive a pair of purple-bottomed golden heads as a gift."

Next to the sign, there was another aquarium containing two purple-bottomed golden heads, but their purple color was lighter, and only half of their heads were golden, far inferior to the pride of the shop they had seen earlier.

Al sighed and said, "This old man is quite pitiful. A few years ago, he became obsessed with dragon fish, and every time he raised a few, they died. Later, he learned how to raise them and bought these two gold-bottomed golden heads, raising them for over two years. He had a deep bond with them and often boasted about them with a smile when buying fish food. But a few days ago, these two fish got ascites, and it hasn't been cured. They are now in the final stages and won't live much longer."

Fang Tianfeng asked, "These four are all first-grade golden heads. How much are they worth together?"

"These two gold-bottomed golden heads I've seen before, with their full golden heads and excellent quality, are worth at least 150,000 together. The two purple-bottomed golden heads are worth about 60,000 to 70,000. This is a conservative estimate. If someone really likes them, they might pay more."

Fang Tianfeng used his Qi-sensing technique to look at the two golden-headed dragon fish and indeed saw a disease aura, as thick as a toothpick, very concentrated. A toothpick-thick disease aura might seem like a small problem, but for fish, it was very scary, like a fever, which, though only as thick as a toothpick, could be fatal for a child.

Fang Tianfeng thought for a moment, walked to the old man, and said, "I can cure them."

Al looked at Fang Tianfeng in surprise, thinking how unreliable this young man was. Just a moment ago, he didn't know anything about dragon fish, and now he was claiming to cure them. If he didn't think this person was nice, he would have left long ago.

The people around them all looked over, and even the owner of the shop, a middle-aged man with a tough face, came out. Even when he smiled, he looked a bit intimidating.

The old man slowly raised his head, looked at Fang Tianfeng, and said numbly, "Go ahead, any medicine you need is on my account."

The owner of Dragon Tiger Aquarium, however, shook his head and said softly, "Young people these days say anything."

Fang Tianfeng looked at the owner and then at the old man, saying, "I won't treat them here. Take the fish to my place."

The old man hesitated.

The owner, however, walked over with a smile and said, "Young brother, ascites in the final stages is very hard to treat. Even if cured, the fish won't have much life left. What do you do, and how long have you raised dragon fish?"

Al gently tugged at Fang Tianfeng's clothes and then smiled at the owner, saying, "Brother Hu, don't mind him. My friend just wants to try, nothing more."

Brother Hu just glanced at Al and then asked Fang Tianfeng, "What makes you think you can cure these two dragons?"

Fang Tianfeng asked curiously, "Are you the owner of these two dragon fish, or is it this old man? I hope you don't interfere with my business with him."

The people around quickly moved away, looking at Fang Tianfeng as if he were asking for trouble.

Brother Hu still smiled and said, "I see you're young and don't know better. I won't hold it against you. Old Zhou is already so upset, don't make things worse. If you want to raise dragon fish, I have some here. How about a 10% discount?"

Fang Tianfeng said, "Thank you for your kindness, but I came here to cure these two dragon fish."

Al was full of anxiety. Others didn't know, but he knew that Fang Tianfeng was a complete novice, not even understanding the basic grades and categories.

"Let's go, Brother Hu isn't someone to mess with," Al said kindly.

Fang Tianfeng didn't respond, but said to Old Zhou, "I only ask you, are you willing to take the dragon fish to my place for treatment? If not, just say so, and I'll look at other fish."

Brother Hu immediately noticed Fang Tianfeng's way of referring to the dragon fish and asked, "Are you a beginner?"

Fang Tianfeng didn't answer, just looked at Old Zhou.

Old Zhou said helplessly, "Alright, my car is outside. I'll have someone move the aquarium. If you can really cure them, I'll have someone bring the two purple-bottomed golden heads to your place."

Brother Hu opened his mouth to say something but stopped and then changed his words, "I'll find someone to help you carry it. Have someone go with the car, anyway, it needs to be brought back."

"You're quite bold," Fang Tianfeng said.

Brother Hu snorted and called someone on the phone.

Soon, four people arrived and slowly carried the aquarium onto a truck. Besides the aquarium, there were various fish foods, medicines, and other items, a whole pile of things. Before getting in the car, Old Zhou asked, "Young man, where are we going?"

"Chang'an Garden."

Old Zhou looked surprised, nodded, and told the truck driver. He then got into a black Mercedes R300, which also had a driver.

Fang Tianfeng and the four people carrying the aquarium got into the truck.

Al followed and said, "I sell these, so I can help a bit."

The truck drove slowly, with two people holding the aquarium. The two dragon fish, about forty centimeters long, floated weakly on the water, their bellies still up.

Fang Tianfeng walked over and touched the bellies of the two gold-bottomed golden heads, sending in a little Qi, then using the Qi-guiding technique to extract a bit of the disease aura.

The two fish immediately moved, but their bellies were still up, and they still looked weak.

The truck entered Chang'an Garden and stopped at the entrance to a villa. The four people slowly carried the aquarium out. When half of the aquarium was out of the truck, Fang Tianfeng said, "The door is narrow, and it's more troublesome for four people to carry it. You four don't need to come in; I can do it alone."

The four people carrying the aquarium looked at Fang Tianfeng as if he were a fool. The aquarium was full of water, weighing about 300 to 400 kilograms, and even two people would find it difficult to carry, let alone one person.

Fang Tianfeng stepped forward, gently lifted it, and, to everyone's shock, easily carried the one-meter-long aquarium, walking steadily into the villa.

The four people carrying the aquarium looked at each other, each more surprised than the last.

"This guy is too strong!"

"The key is that he can carry such a heavy thing and still walk so fast and steadily."

Old Zhou, seeing this, had a glimmer of hope in his eyes and immediately followed. Al also went in.

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