Chapter Twenty-Six: Driving Down the Price

Around midday, Qin Zhen and his companions finally caught sight of the sea.

On the golden sands, crowds had already gathered—mostly villagers from nearby settlements, come to fish and eke out a living. The scorching sun and blazing waves pressed down on their thin bodies, making them stoop. Not far off, in the shade of a grove, Scarbro and his men lounged beneath the trees, leisurely eating watermelons to keep cool.

When Qin Zhen arrived, Scarbro immediately got up to greet him, a fierce face wreathed in a smile.

The last haul—over a hundred fish—had been taken to Jiangnan Province for sale, where the city’s nobles and officials scrambled over each other for them! Though Jiangnan lay by the sea, outdated fishing methods meant seafood was scarce; even for the wealthy and powerful, a fresh fish was a rare treat.

This trip had not only filled Scarbro’s coffers, but many officials had expressed their desire to place regular orders for fish, promising a steady stream of profit.

In Scarbro’s eyes now, Qin Zhen was his very own gold mine.

“Young Brother Qin, you’re here! Someone, cut a melon for our honored guest!”

With a crisp crack, a juicy, ruby-red watermelon was split open. Qin Zhen and his companions, parched from hours of travel, wasted no time in accepting the treat. Qin Zhen divided the melon and bit into it ravenously.

By custom, Liu Quan put down a hundred coins, grabbed the fishing net, and led his men toward the beach.

Scarbro, meanwhile, drew Qin Zhen aside and began to complain. “Young Brother Qin, to tell the truth, we lost quite a bit last time. Is there any chance you could lower the price from forty coins per fish?”

“You lost money?” Qin Zhen was clearly dubious.

A ruthless man like Scarbro—if he’d made a loss, would he still be this cordial? Clearly, he was just trying to force the price down for more profit.

“There are plenty of mountain passes on the road, all needing their cut. Then there are the heavy trade taxes—it’s skin and bones by the time I get my share.” Scarbro threw an arm around Qin Zhen’s shoulder, speaking with apparent sincerity. “I’ve got dozens of mouths to feed—really, there’s not much left over for me after a trip like this.”

“If you’re not making money, why are you buying watermelon?” Qin Zhen shot back.

“Hey! Who said we bought it?” one of Scarbro’s lackeys chimed in cheerfully. “There’s a melon farmer five miles ahead who grows plenty—he let us take as much as we wanted for free.”

Qin Zhen glanced at the man, then at Scarbro, and said coldly, “Forty coins. Not a single coin less.”

With that, he strode toward the beach without a backward glance.

“That little brat really thinks he’s something?” one of the henchmen grumbled. “Scarbro, they’re not giving you any respect. Should we teach him a lesson?”

“If you go after him, are you going to fish in the sea yourself?” Scarbro squinted.

“They’re just relying on that fishing net, aren’t they? We could just take it and have other villagers do the fishing for us. Forty coins a fish? They’d be lucky to get ten! They’re getting spoiled!”

The lackey’s words gave Scarbro pause. He smiled meaningfully, his eyes turning cold as he looked toward Qin Zhen.

On the beach, Liu Quan had just set the float logs in the water and was about to head in when villagers gathered round. A few bold men called out, slightly embarrassed, “Need a hand?”

“We’re good swimmers—we can help you cast the net farther out. All we ask is a single fish in return!”

The memory of Qin Zhen’s last haul—over a hundred fish at once—was still fresh. Many villagers had stayed, hoping for a chance to help and earn a fish for themselves.

“I’m not in charge of that,” Liu Quan replied, pointing to Qin Zhen. “You’ll need to ask him.”

After hearing their request, Qin Zhen asked, “And your name?”

“I’m Li Erniu, from Little Rock Village,” the tall man said, scratching his head.

“Do you have float logs?”

“Of course! Who fishes without them?” Li Erniu pointed to a massive log on the shore. “Ours is thicker and longer than yours—it can float much farther!”

There were few fish near the shore; the deeper you went, the greater the catch. The farther out the net, the better.

Seeing Li Erniu’s sturdy log, Qin Zhen nodded with satisfaction. “Very good. Li Erniu, you’ll take your men and pull the net as far as possible. When you let go, signal us right away—understood?”

“No problem!” Li Erniu and his crew readied their log to enter the sea.

“Brother Liu, could you go with them? I’m worried they might lack experience their first time.”

The vine-woven net was difficult to manage and clean; if not handled properly, the whole effort could be wasted. Qin Zhen, playing it safe, wanted Liu Quan to go along.

“No trouble,” Liu Quan replied with a faint smile, tying a rope around himself before heading into the water.

Soon, the log was floating out to sea, pushed farther and farther by the group.

“How fascinating!” Shan Hai exclaimed, clicking his tongue in wonder. He’d never seen fishing like this before.

“Can a vine net like that really catch fish?” Shan Hai was skeptical. Back in the village, he’d seen the net full of holes—wouldn’t the fish just swim right out? How could it possibly work?

“Of course it can!” Li Han grunted, eyes shining with pride. “You can always trust Zhen!”

At those words, Shan Hai fell silent, focusing intently on the floating log. He was curious to see if Qin Zhen was truly as capable as everyone said.

Waves several meters high crashed into them, one after another, leaving Liu Quan and the others seeing stars.

Almost three hundred meters from shore, Liu Quan called out, “That’s far enough. Let’s stop here.”

“That’s it? We can go a bit farther—there’s a dark mass ahead, must be a school of fish!” Li Erniu replied, brimming with the confidence of a seasoned fisherman. “Don’t worry, our log is steady. Even if we capsize, we’ll haul you back.”

Looking at these unflappable fishermen, unfazed by the pounding surf, Liu Quan cursed them for beasts, yet felt a grudging respect.

As they neared three hundred meters, Liu Quan insisted, “The rope’s not long enough—don’t push your luck!”

Under Liu Quan’s guidance, Li Erniu released the net weights.

Seeing Liu Quan’s signal, Qin Zhen on the shore immediately gave the order, “Pull together!”

The villagers began to haul on the rope with all their might.

“It’s heavy—must be fish in the net!”

Even without Qin Zhen prompting, the villagers rushed to help, eager to lend a hand.

Sweat poured as their chants rang out, and soon the front of the net surfaced.

“There are really fish in there!”

Shan Hai, full of excitement, dashed into the water, leaping about like a child who’d never seen the world. A wave crashed over him, knocking him down, and he gulped down several mouthfuls of seawater, coughing violently.

“Don’t go drowning on us!” Qin Zhen and Li Han quickly dragged him back to shore.

Li Han laughed, “If you drown, at least we’ll have a feast!”

Still shaken, Shan Hai collapsed on the sand, feeling the blue expanse before him more terrifying than any bandit or outlaw.

By that time, the net was out of the water and being dragged ashore.

Black scales gleamed blindingly in the sunlight!