Infinite Professions-Chapter 126 - 49: The Gang

In the reed marsh, inside the black sailboat.

Shen Hex hung the fishing lamp properly, drew the cabin curtain tightly, and then slowly unwrapped layers of wrapping. He leaned in and sniffed to confirm that the aroma wasn’t too overpowering before he gradually opened the clay pot.

"Whew!"

The pot opened, still warm, releasing a wave of heat. Upon a closer look, there was a pot of creamy white thick soup emitting an irresistibly tempting fragrance. It even stimulated Shen Hex’s body and taste buds, causing him to involuntarily let out a rumble.

Hunger!

Desire!

The body’s instincts drove him, urging him.

Shen Hex, feeling this, naturally followed suit with a wooden spoon directly scooping out a ladle of fish soup.

The fish soup was milky white, with a layer of oil floating on its surface, making it even more tantalizing under the lamp’s light.

It’s really strange, Shen Hex hadn’t added any seasonings, nor had he fried the oil, yet the turtle fish soup remained milky white and had such a thick layer of oil.

Is turtle fish fat really that thick?

Clearly not. Through several Dream Butterflies, he had both eaten and seen much. Maybe not Fairy Liver and Phoenix Organs, but he had tasted all sorts of mountain and sea delicacies, consumed plenty of turtle fish, and even in the Spirit Control Realm, had consumed a few spirit beasts. But never had he encountered turtle fish this rich and plump.

It must be a specialty of this world.

Shen Hex’s thoughts swirled, yet his actions didn’t pause. He blew the fish soup slightly cool and then sent it into his mouth.

"Mmm!"

The fish soup entered his mouth, feeling incredibly fresh and sweet, along with a wave of warmth spreading throughout his body, rejuvenating this frail and weakened physique.

"Its effect, though not equal to true spirit beast flesh, holds thirty to fifty percent efficacy. Long-term consumption can strengthen vital energy and enhance the body."

"No wonder that the restaurants in the Prefecture City, as well as various prestigious families and members of the Golden Fish Gang, buy this turtle fish at high prices."

"This kind of rare fish species, without special bait, relies solely on luck, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse."

"I’m not the blind cat. The Professional Talent of a fisherman enhances the bait rate for premium and rare fish species; this turtle fish is the result of fishing."

"It seems, by simply thriving a while in the reed marsh, rejuvenating this frail body, I could recover some Martial Dao strength and further explore this world."

"No, this world..."

While enjoying the turtle fish stew, Shen Hex probed "Old Zhong’s" memory, quickly detecting several strange key points.

Though mere rumors, with his perspective, it’s like glimpsing a leopard through a tube.

This world... harbors significant issues!

Not just the long-lasting Great Chen Dynasty but other unusual aspects where hidden mysteries provoke thought.

With his brows furrowed, Shen Hex pondered long without seeing answers, or rather, lacked enough evidence to support; any conjecture held little significance without it.

Thus, ultimately, he decided to temporarily set these aside, activating Yuan-Devouring Skill to digest the turtle fish’s primordial qi.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Outside the boat, the wind blew and waves crashed, while inside felt warm as a cradle.

Shen Hex consumed Yuan and transformed it into qi, practicing the Coiling Dragon Stance Method, not daring to be overly intense, merely channeling vital energy, slowly and surely condensing martial arts.

And so, the next morning.

Before daylight broke, Shen Hex awoke, rose and ventured outside the cabin, performed simple washes and then set out on the sailboat, continuing to fish.

Clearly, he tasted the success, seeking to replicate the previous day’s triumph.

Some urgency.

But urgency was needed.

Because it’s the Middle Thousand World, where time flows a hundredfold faster than the real world, so these six months, Shen Hex could only utilize as fifty years.

In these fifty years, he had to provide "Old Zhong" with some power, at least to achieve Fasting Passive Cultivation; otherwise, his plans and developments would be affected.

Fifty years, such a short time, unavoidably rushed.

Fortunately, Shen Hex had accumulated sufficiently, confident in accomplishing it.

However... a small risk had to be taken.

But in this world, what few endeavors don’t involve risk?

What’s necessary must be done.

The sun rises as he fishes, till its setting to return.

But to much disappointment, not only did he fail to catch another turtle fish, he didn’t even catch a larger ordinary fish, only a three-plus-pound carp along with several common carps and crucians.

But this is to be expected, catching turtle fish isn’t easy. Despite his Professional Talent’s effects, continuous success is difficult.

As the sun set, blending dusk into night, Shen Hex refrained from night fishing, since the fish oil in the fishing lamp had completely burned out.

Without the fishing lamp to illuminate, even though the turtle fish stew had enhanced his vital qi, causing him to be less frail, he still had dim vision, not permitting night viewing, meaning he had to painfully forego night fishing.

"Fish typically lurk during the day and venture out at night, turtle fish being carnivorous, more so. Without a fishing lamp, night fishing is unfeasible, drastically lowering turtle fish capture probability."

"Aside from this, night fishing allows concealing actions, evading certain troubles and entanglements."

"Fish oil can be self-processed, merely by catching a few big fish."

"As for living supplies, going without staple food for a time isn’t an issue, and salt can be supplemented through consuming fish blood. With Yuan-Devouring Skill’s potency, as long as the body is restored, everything won’t pose a problem."

"The fish market is dominated by the Golden Fish Gang, its regulation still concealing peril. Venturing forth in a frail state implies gambling away one’s life."

"So, first lay low and build up some strength, and then go to the fish market to check the situation."

With that thought, Shen Hex had already gutted the three-pound green fish, taking out a piece of fish oil to simmer in a pot, adding a bit of fuel for the fishing lamp to continue his night fishing endeavors.

...

A month later.

The Wharf, Fish Market.

"Fish for sale, fish for sale!"

"Look at this lotus carp, it’s just put on autumn fat, very plump and tender!"

"And these crabs, they’re full of roe inside!"

"Fresh green mussels, fresh green mussels!"

Even though Dongting is a vast lake close to a thousand miles with many major branches and streams, even connecting the river to the sea, it ultimately cannot go directly through towns and cities into the streets.

It can only have stalls by the dock’s fish market, supplying nearby residents or merchants from town taverns to purchase.

Within the fish market, behind the stalls, sat an old man alone.

He looked extremely old, with gray and white hair beneath his bamboo hat, a deeply lined face with age spots, all showing the wear of time, emanating a sense of decay from within, appearing shaky and decrepit.

Shen Hex sat at the stall, having just taken out the fish caught in the past two days when he saw a group of people approaching, led by a strong, rugged man with coarse hair and beard.

"Yo, Old Zhong, still kicking?"

The man glanced at him, shouting mockingly.

"All thanks to you, Third Brother!"

The man called Third Brother laughed, looking at the fish laid out, noticing among them a small softshell turtle, his eyes showed surprise: "Caught a softshell turtle?"

"Little turtle, little turtle!"

Shen Hex smiled, bowing his hunched body, all in a compensatory laugh.

"Even a small turtle is a turtle, I’ve heard you, Old Zhong, have a knack for catching turtles, and now it seems your reputation is well-deserved."

Chen San smiled, looking amusedly at him: "How much are you planning to sell it for?"

Shen Hex replied with a smile: "One and eight-tenths pounds, at three hundred cents, if Third Brother wants it, then two hundred cents is enough."

"Hmm, very reasonable!"

Chen San nodded, giving a look to his attendant by his side.

The attendant understood, immediately tossing out a small string of copper coins, then stepped forward and picked up the turtle.

"May your business flourish!"

Chen San smiled lightly. Before Shen Hex could respond, he led his two men away with a wave of his hand.

Shen Hex bowed his head, picked up the string of copper coins, counted only eighty or so, but he didn’t make a fuss, just shook his head, and put it away in his bag.

"This old fellow is quite tactful."

On the other side, as Chen San left with a few attendants, seeing that Shen Hex did not make a scene, he also nodded secretly.

The attendant beside him said: "Third Brother likes that old fellow’s stuff, that’s his good fortune for ten lifetimes, he’s too grateful to make a fuss with Third Brother."

"Exactly, exactly, that old guy doesn’t even have any children, practically buried in the grave already. If it weren’t for Third Brother taking care of him, how would he still be alive today?"

"I say, there’s no need to even give him those hundred cents, Third Brother liking his stuff is already his good luck, how does he have the nerve to take the money?"

"Haha!"

The attendants chimed in, only for Chen San’s face to suddenly change, turning around and slapping him across the face.

"Smack!!!"

The slap knocked the tactless attendant to the ground, and Chen San looked at the others with a dark face: "I’m buying, not robbing, of course, I have to pay, not paying would break the Golden Fish Gang’s rules. Do you want me to face gang rules and punishment?"

"This...!"

The men exchanged glances, not daring to speak for a moment.

"Hmph!"

Chen San coldly glared at them: "If this happens again, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

With that, he turned and left, and the attendants hurried to catch up.

Behind, Shen Hex kept his hat low, glancing at the scene from the corner of his eye, still expressionless.

As previously mentioned, wherever there are people, there is Jianghu, and the strife for interests is too numerous; even those who haul night soil can breed dung overlords, let alone other trades.

Such as beggar lords, medicine lords, fish lords, pig lords, salt lords, oil lords—if you can think of it and profit is involved, oppressors are sure to be present.

The fish market is the same; not only are there fish lords, but also fish gangs formed by them.

This Chen San is one of them, a steward of the Yueyang Prefecture Golden Fish Gang, representing the gang to control this fish market.

Don’t be fooled by his reasonable demeanor, knowing to pay for things he buys, it’s only a thin façade.

Once the mask is off, you’ll find he’s a wolf that devours people whole; over the years, representing the Golden Fish Gang, collecting stall fees and protection fees from the fish market, he’s driven countless families to ruin.

Old Zhong’s kind of solitary man gets by, but those fisher families with mouths to feed, monthly squeezed by him and the government office, plus daily expenses on food and fuel, can’t even save up, let alone avoid debt.

If they encounter a disastrous year, or have bad luck, unable to catch fish or struck by a severe illness, losing everything and selling children might very well happen.

In such times, ordinary people’s ability to withstand risks is just too weak, too weak.