Chapter 003: Wealth Should Not Be Flaunted—Collecting Protection Fees!
Page (1/3) Today's first update: Chapter 003!
“Brother Wang, lend me a third-grade Spirit Orb. I’ll return it another day.”
It wasn’t until Yu Le dragged the lifeless, fatally pierced Scarlet Phoenix Carp ashore and spoke that the crowd finally snapped out of their reverie. Their gazes immediately grew feverish, locking onto the carp impaled on Yu Le’s fishing rod.
That was a third-grade spirit fish worth six figures!
Previously, Brother Wang hadn’t lent Yu Le any bait, but this time he was exceedingly generous, hurriedly pulling out his third-grade Spirit Orb, which was nearly polished smooth from never being used.
After all, every fisherman dreams of catching a big one.
In this otherworld, size wasn’t enough—the grade of the fish was what truly mattered.
The Scarlet Phoenix Carp Yu Le had wrestled underwater, in terms of size, couldn’t compare to the hundred-pound Bloodscale Grass Carp that had slipped the hook earlier—it looked to be seventy or eighty pounds at most.
But the value of a third-grade spirit fish compared to a first-grade one couldn’t be measured by size alone.
These fishermen had all seen plenty of Bloodscale Grass Carp; a hundred-pounder sold to an honest spirit beast dealer would fetch about three thousand.
But a third-grade spirit fish—especially a rare Scarlet Phoenix Carp—was something none of them had ever even seen, let alone caught.
Even so, it was worth at least thirty or forty Bloodscale Grass Carp.
A Spirit Orb was a spatial tool specifically for storing spirit beast corpses. Beyond the convenience and security for transport, its main feature was to keep one’s wealth from prying eyes.
This otherworld was far less safe than Yu Le’s previous life; if you dared walk down the street carrying a spirit fish, you might find yourself knocked out before you knew it.
A Spirit Orb could be password-protected—useless to anyone who stole it. Of all the fishermen present, most only had first- or second-grade orbs; only Brother Wang owned a third-grade one.
Though he rarely caught anything, Brother Wang’s favorite saying was: “I’ll catch a big one sooner or later!”
Spirit Orbs weren’t too expensive—even a third-grade one capable of storing a third-grade spirit fish cost only a thousand or so. Still, not everyone was willing to buy something just to let it gather dust.
They were single-use items, discarded after use.
If you could catch a third-grade spirit fish, the expense was more than worth it.
Without hesitation, Brother Wang lent Yu Le his only third-grade Spirit Orb, grinning, “Remember to treat me to a meal someday.”
“Absolutely,” Yu Le nodded, carefully hiding his inner excitement.
While the surrounding fishermen lingered, Yu Le had already stored the lifeless Scarlet Phoenix Carp in the third-grade Spirit Orb.
Just as he was about to leave, the fishery owner, cigarette dangling from his lips, strode over.
He twisted his scarred, unfriendly face into a smile and handed Yu Le a cigarette.
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“Thank you, Brother Zhu.” Yu Le accepted the cigarette politely—such things were considered a luxury here.
He was just about to tuck it behind his ear when Zhu Kai, the fishery owner, lit it for him. Unable to refuse, Yu Le tasted his first cigarette in this world.
As smoke curled through the air, Zhu Kai’s smile grew wider. “Little Yu, you’ve been fishing here for quite some time, haven’t you?”
Yu Le heard the underlying meaning, but pretended otherwise. “Thanks to your care, Brother Zhu, I’ve been fishing here with Brother Wang for over two years.”
“Mm, that’s not a short time.” Zhu Kai stubbed out his half-finished cigarette and flicked it away, instantly snatched up by another fisherman, who relit and smoked it without a hint of disgust.
“Well, I won’t beat around the bush. You’ve been coming here for over two years, and you’re the only one who’s never sold your catch to me. I let it go before, but how about today? Sell me that Scarlet Phoenix Carp. I’ll give you this much!”
Zhu Kai raised five fingers on his left hand, then three on his right.
One fisherman asked in confusion, “Eight thousand?”
A fellow angler nudged him, annoyed. “You think you can buy a third-grade spirit fish for eight thousand?”
“Eighty thousand. Deal?”
Eighty thousand?
The crowd gasped in astonishment—it was a sum they couldn’t hope to earn from fishing in an entire year.
Even Brother Wang was giving Yu Le meaningful looks.
Yu Le’s brows furrowed. He understood that Zhu Kai, who used buying fish as a way to collect protection money, now had his sights set on him.
But that price… was simply insincere!
Since arriving in this world, Yu Le had done his homework to survive, especially when it came to the various grades of spirit fish, which were his livelihood.
He wasn’t an expert on spirit fish market prices, but he had a rough idea.
Ordinary first-grade spirit fish, depending on species and size, ranged from one to three thousand, with rare types sometimes fetching up to five thousand.
Second-grade fish were several times more valuable—even the cheapest went for seven or eight thousand, and rarer ones could sell for twenty or thirty thousand.
Third-grade spirit fish started at seventy or eighty thousand, but those were the most common varieties.
The Scarlet Phoenix Carp he’d caught was no ordinary fish—even among third-grade spirit fish, it was exceedingly rare, with potential to advance to fourth or even fifth grade.
Experts claimed the Scarlet Phoenix Carp carried a trace of higher realm bloodline.
Market value usually ranged from a hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand!
Zhu Kai’s seemingly generous offer was slashing the price in half.
Yu Le took a deep drag, snuffed out the cigarette, and smiled. “Sorry, Brother Zhu, I’m not selling.”
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Zhu Kai’s smile remained, unsettlingly cold, making Brother Wang anxious in the distance.
“Don’t be foolish, Little Yu,” Brother Wang called out.
Yu Le ignored him, gripping his fishing rod and preparing to leave.
“Wait—one hundred thousand. One hundred thousand, just to make friends,” Zhu Kai upped his offer by twenty thousand.
The fishermen, familiar with Zhu Kai’s ruthless ways, swallowed nervously.
Everyone knew how ruthless Zhu Kai could be—how else could someone without real clout secure a fishery lease in this society?
Every fisherman present had sold him fish at cheap prices, always agreeing with a smile.
Besides being the owner, Zhu Kai was a third-grade Favored One, and his life weapon was no mere tool for daily use.
Except for Yu Le, everyone had sold him fish for cheap, partly to curry favor and secure good fishing spots.
But Yu Le had never sold him a single fish. Zhu Kai knew Yu Le was a second-grade Stonewall Realm cultivator, so he’d never forced the issue. After being refused several times, he’d used his authority to assign Yu Le the worst fishing spots.
Their grudge had built up over time.
Now that Yu Le had caught the Scarlet Phoenix Carp, Zhu Kai could no longer hold back.
Raising his offer was unprecedented for Zhu Kai—likely out of respect for Yu Le’s underwater battle and uncertainty about this solitary fisherman’s true abilities.
Even so, Yu Le remained calm, shaking his head. “Sorry, Brother Zhu, maybe next time.”
Zhu Kai’s eyes turned icy, a flash of cold light as a broad, gleaming blade appeared in his hand.
His Yellow-grade Life Weapon: Scaleshatter Blade!
“One hundred twenty thousand. Final offer. Take another step and things get unpleasant,” Zhu Kai said, advancing toward Yu Le’s back, blade in hand.
Hearing this, Yu Le paused, sighing. “Is this really necessary?”
Before Zhu Kai could react, Yu Le tightened his grip, swung his fishing rod around, and lashed out.
“Good nerve!” Zhu Kai exclaimed, preparing to bring down his blade on Yu Le’s Coiling Dragon Rod, intent on teaching him a lesson. But Yu Le’s rod moved with astonishing speed, lengthening in the wind, looping around Zhu Kai’s blade in a flash, and striking him head-on!
“Ah!” Zhu Kai howled like a slaughtered pig, his Scaleshatter Blade clattering to the ground as he was sent flying seven or eight meters.
For a moment, the scene fell utterly silent.