In Mute Bay, an endless reed marsh rustled in the wind.
Deep within the marsh, on a shoal far from the main waterway, several clumps of particularly tall, dense reeds were bent over, intertwined, and tied together.
A dilapidated, abandoned boat was beached here. Beneath its canopy, several young but sorrowful faces were etched with the heavy burden of life.
"The Dragon King Incense... it's gone up by thirty percent again!"
Liang Badou let out a long sigh, his voice filled with helplessness. "The Jinhe Gang is clearly trying to suck our bones dry."
"My father coughed all night."
Li Hu's voice was low and hoarse. "I still don't have money for his medicine. Most of the fish and shrimp I caught this morning went to filling the hole for the Dragon King Incense... How are we supposed to live like this?"
As he spoke, his eyes turned red.
Hearing this, a look of misery appeared on the others' faces.
The Government Office's exorbitant taxes had already bent their backs, and now the local Jinhe Gang was forcefully collecting "Dragon King Incense."
It was called Dragon King Incense, but it was really just a fee for water lamps.
At the beginning of each month, gang members would go door-to-door along the river demanding payment, carrying tin lanterns. The lanterns were painted with a single, blood-red character: 'Transport.' Their wicks, soaked in fish oil, gave off a foul, fishy stench when lit.
For any fishing family who couldn't pay, a bowl-sized hole would be chiseled into the bottom of their boat during the night. The next day, another flickering 'water lamp' would appear on the river's surface. These were floating lamps made from broken boat planks, and beneath them, a corpse often lay submerged.
Those who paid received a black carp scale to nail above their door, a supposed sign of the 'Dragon King's blessing'.
But everyone knew that scale was stained not with divine grace, but with human blood.
"All our family's money has gone to the Dragon King Incense. We can't go on like this..."
In the corner, Chen Qing's brow was tightly furrowed.
He had transmigrated here half a month ago, reborn into the family of a poor fisherman.
His so-called home was just two dilapidated fishing boats tied together bow to stern, hastily bound with hemp rope and rotten cloth strips. The cracks between the boats were stuffed with wet mud and reed fluff.
Father and son made a living by fishing. A year ago, his father, Chen Wu, had been taken away to repair the canal and had not been heard from since.
In these chaotic times where lives were as cheap as grass, for an ordinary family to lose its pillar of support was nothing short of a devastating calamity.
His mother, Ms. Han, wove fishing nets at home, earning a meager, hard-won wage.
His family, like the more than two hundred thousand ant-like commoners in Gaolin County, was pinned firmly to the very bottom of the mire.
'This world... it's as hard as climbing to heaven!'
The Government Office's taxes scraped their skin and picked their bones clean, layer by layer, and then the local gangs came with knives to meticulously scrape the marrow.
Academy tuition? That was the exclusive preserve of the gentry's children.
If a child from a poor family wanted to learn a few characters, they'd have to chop wood by day and steal light to study bitterly by night. Surviving on a single bowl of thin porridge a day, they might have a faint glimmer of hope after enduring twenty years of it.
Want to learn a trade to make a living? You'd need a guarantor with a "clean" family history going back three generations.
If any poor man's son tried to rise above his station, getting his legs broken in the dead of night was a common occurrence.
Among the kiln workers in the west of the city, mastering the "Fire Eye Secret Technique" could earn you artisan status and a few full meals, but the price was thirty years of apprenticeship, toiling like an ox or a horse.
The poor struggled at the bottom, muddle-headed and adrift, without a single ray of light in sight.
But Chen Qing was different.
In his mind hovered a Fate Plate: [Fate Plate: Heaven Rewards Diligence; all efforts will be fruitful.]
Heaven favors the diligent; every effort will be rewarded.
This meant that for him, any skill had no aptitude threshold, no bottleneck to hold him back.
He had been secretly exploring this for a long time and discovered that only by practicing martial arts could he maximize the potential of this Fate Plate.
Practicing martial arts would allow him to participate in the Martial Arts Examination, win fame and status, rise above the masses, and completely turn his life around.
Most importantly, he wouldn't be bullied by others.
However, learning martial arts was not easy.
"Hu Zi, Xiaochun, Ah Qing, Erya."
Liang Badou spoke again, his voice low and solemn. "Water Bandits have been rampant lately. Although the chances of running into them are less than one in ten, this fishing business is ultimately a deadly living. Unless we resign ourselves to our fate, like Uncle Wang, working as forced labor on their boats, toiling like cattle in their 'Fishery'... Do you all have any plans?"
The faces of the others were filled with confusion.
They were all children of Mute Bay's fishermen, childhood friends.
Liang Badou's family was the best off. His father was a barefoot doctor, his mother did odd jobs at a tavern, and it was said they even had a relative in the Inner City.
Erya's family was in the business of curing fish, and she always carried a heavy, salty, fishy smell.
Xiaochun's father was a shipwright who normally helped fishermen repair the tung oil and putty seams on their boats. Their life was barely getting by.
Li Hu had lost his mother at a young age, and his older sister was married. He made a living fishing with his elderly father. Now that Old Li was bedridden with illness, the family depended entirely on him to survive.
"My father is sending me to Wanbao Hall to be a Xiaolang."
Xiaochun said softly with his head down, "I have to sign a ten-year indenture contract, but I can get a three-year advance on my wages."
Wanbao Hall was a pawnshop. A Xiaolang was responsible for sweeping, moving goods, running errands, and learning to appraise items. For three years, they couldn't dream of touching the account books.
Liang Badou looked at Xiaochun in surprise and said, "I heard that to become a Xiaolang at Wanbao Hall, you have to bribe the Second Attendant with ten taels of silver..."
The faint glimmer of hope that had just ignited in Li Hu and Erya's eyes was instantly extinguished.
Ten taels of silver. That was enough to feed a family in Mute Bay for a year. Who could come up with that easily?
Xiaochun quickly explained, "How could my family have any savings? My father raised that silver by selling everything we own and borrowing from everyone he could."
He deliberately emphasized "borrowing." In this dog-eat-dog world, not flaunting one's wealth was the way to survive, even in front of childhood friends.
Erya sighed. "If you can make it through, it's a way to live."
Chen Qing nodded silently.
'A Chao Feng is an appraiser, responsible for valuing and inspecting goods. Besides the regular salary, there must be a lot of extra money to be made.'
Liang Badou turned to Li Hu. "Ah Hu, what about you?"
Li Hu took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the murky river in the distance. "I'll work on a boat... Maybe head south. I hear the pay is higher there."
Erya was taken aback and asked again, "Where are you going?"
"South."
Li Hu's gaze swept past Mute Bay. "My father... my sister will look after him."
Everyone fell silent again. Elder Li was injured, and the burden of life now rested entirely on Li Hu's shoulders.
The river wind whimpered as it battered the boat's canopy.
Erya then said in a small voice, "My mother asked Wang the Matchmaker to put in a good word. She wants to send me to Landlord Guo's house to be a rough-work maid... She said since I'm decent-looking and quick with my hands, my monthly salary could be two hundred copper coins more."
Her voice dropped even lower. "Besides, in a wealthy household, I can see a bit of the world."
Liang Badou nodded and finally looked at Chen Qing. "Ah Qing, what about you?"
Chen Qing's reply was concise. "I plan to practice martial arts."
Martial arts!?
The others were all stunned, as if they had misheard him.
Liang Badou waved his hand and laughed. "Ah Qing, you're talking nonsense again."
Chen Qing said slowly, "I'm serious."
"An ordinary Martial Arts Hall charges a discipleship fee of ten taels of silver, and they still have to look at your Root Bone and aptitude."
Liang Badou's brows furrowed, and he shook his head repeatedly. "And that's not all. Room and board costs at least two taels a month, medicinal baths are another tael, and then there's equipment... Learning martial arts isn't that easy!"
The poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts. This was no empty saying.
Joining a Martial Arts Hall was just the first step. Truly practicing martial arts was a bottomless pit that required a constant supply of meat for nourishment.
People from Mute Bay had indulged in this fantasy before, only to end up wasting their time and falling into huge debt. The slightly better-off ones merely ended up as gatekeepers and house guards for wealthy families.
Erya and Xiaochun also shook their heads secretly, clearly thinking Chen Qing's idea was impractical.
Li Hu opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words.
Erya looked at Liang Badou. "Brother Badou, what about you?"
Speaking of himself, Liang Badou unconsciously straightened his back a little. "My third uncle is a Scribe in the Inland River Department. My father said I should first follow him to study and learn to write. In a few years, when my third uncle retires, he'll find a way to recommend me..."
"Brother Badou, you're going to be an Official?!"
Erya's eyes lit up, her voice rising. "Doesn't that mean... you're going to be rich and powerful?!"
The others' faces immediately showed unconcealed envy.
To the poor people of Mute Bay, even a Government Official's post was an incredible "Official," let alone the more powerful position of a Scribe. To be able to study under one and eventually take over was a blessing so great they wouldn't dare to dream of it.
"It's not set in stone yet. I'll just focus on learning from my third uncle for now."
Liang Badou was, after all, still a youth, and couldn't suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth. "We're all from Mute Bay. We should get together more often from now on, to look out for each other."
The others all nodded in agreement.
If Liang Badou really made it big, maintaining their friendship now would be a rare connection for the future.
After a bit more small talk, Erya and Xiaochun's attitude toward Liang Badou became noticeably warmer.
After a short while, they all took a small boat, left the reed marsh, and returned to Mute Bay.
Chen Qing walked quickly toward his family's linked boats.
This world was full of gangs and desperate men who would rob people on the road. Unknown dangers lurked everywhere.
Just as Chen Qing was about to reach his home, a harsh shout suddenly came from ahead:
"You dog! The waters upstream are Jinhe Gang territory, and you dare to go there!?"
"I'll show you what a real Water Lamp is!"
Near his own dilapidated boat, he saw that the door plank of his neighbor Aunt Gao's home was split with a large crack.
A worn-out cloth curtain hung askew, several pottery jars lay shattered on the ground, and the stench of rotting dead fish and shrimp filled the air.
Aunt Gao was slumped on the muddy ground, holding her head and sobbing. Uncle Gao was being pinned to the ground by two fierce-looking Jinhe Gang thugs in short jackets. His forehead was bruised and swollen, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with humiliation and despair.
And the main culprit behind all this was the Jinhe Gang's Qian Biao.
He had a stocky build and wore a silk jacket, open at the chest to reveal a hideous knife scar.
Qian Biao was mainly responsible for collecting the 'Dragon King Incense' from the fishing boats.
The Jinhe Gang not only collected 'Dragon King Incense', but also Funeral Money, which they called 'Yin Ship Guide Silver'. They charged two hundred copper coins per corpse, or else they would dump the body in the middle of the river.
There was also the so-called 'Water Ghost's Dowry', where they forced the bride's family to pay up, otherwise a 'Water Ghost' would come to snatch the bride.
As for who this 'Water Ghost' was, everyone knew full well.
Weddings, funerals, marriages—they squeezed oil from the bones of poor fishermen for every single event.
Who dared to disobey? Their fishing nets would be slashed in the middle of the night, dead rats would inexplicably appear in their boat cabins, or more directly, an 'accidental' collision would sink their fishing boat to the bottom of the river.
The fishermen of Mute Bay both hated and feared him, their faces paling at the mere mention of his name.
"Yo, Ah Qing!"
Qian Biao saw Chen Qing and strode over. "Look at this, just look at the mess Brother Gao has made."
He sighed, as if he were the one most heartbroken by the situation. "That Fishery upstream is Jinhe Gang territory. Old Gao broke a taboo... Aiya, there's nothing I can do. Can't break the gang's rules! It doesn't feel good for me, either!"
Chen Qing also put on a heartbroken expression. "You're right, Master Qian."
"Aiya, these days are truly hard to get through. Look at how the price of fish has plummeted. Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar—is there anything that isn't getting more expensive?"
Qian Biao changed the subject, his smile becoming even more sincere. "Ah Qing, has your family had enough to get by recently? Seeing you and your mother having such a hard time... it really pains my heart."
"If it's not enough, I can lend you some emergency money. A hundred copper coins will generate two copper coins in interest per day, settled daily. The interest is crystal clear, I'd never cheat you. You just have to put up your family's old boat as collateral!"
Chen Qing kept the forced smile on his face, but a chill rose in his heart. The sound of Aunt Gao's sobs behind him seemed to grow clearer.
Behind Qian Biao's 'generosity' was cold calculation. Two copper coins of interest per day on a hundred copper coins sounded trivial, but with the interest compounding, the annual rate was terrifyingly high. It was practically sucking the marrow from their bones.
The collateral would have to be the Chen Family's boat, which was a fisherman's lifeline.
Qian Biao was certain that this widow and orphan were weak and easy to bully. He had long since seen the Chen Family as fish on the chopping block, ready to be taken.
Chen Qing's bitter smile deepened as he repeatedly cupped his hands. "Thank you for your concern, Master Biao! You're too righteous! But for now... we can still barely manage. If it's really not enough, I'll come ask for your help."
Seeing that Chen Qing wasn't taking the bait, the smile on Qian Biao's face instantly froze, his facial muscles twitching in a perfunctory manner. "Fine. When you need it, come find me anytime."
His gaze swept over Chen Qing, carrying a hint of imperceptible gloom. "Hurry back now. Don't let your mother wait too long."
Those three words, 'wait too long,' were spoken with deliberate slowness. It sounded like concern, but it was more like a cold urging.
"Yes, thank you, Master Qian, thank you, Master Qian!"
Chen Qing forced a grateful look onto his face and walked quickly toward his family's two dilapidated, connected fishing boats.
「...」