Chapter 525

"So hot."

Liang Qu slung his longbow over his shoulder and carried his spear, blinded by the blinding white light.

The plum rain had ended in Pingyang Prefecture; the gray haze in the sky had dispersed, and no one dared raise their head to look for the sun—everywhere was a dazzling, blinding glare.

The blue stone slabs were baked dry, moss at the corners turned yellow and withered, and a faint scent of charring drifted from the cracks.

"Don't stand there dazed, let's go!" Xiang Fang Su tapped his sword scabbard, shouting to urge them on. "Bai Yinbin's waiting on the boat—we're the team leaders this July, so get there early and come back early."

"How long will our trip take?"

Liang Qu followed the two out the door; after only a few steps on the stone slabs, the searing heat burned through his soft soles into the soles of his feet.

"Half a month, maybe twenty days. Why? You got something to do?"

"I need to go to Huazhu County by late August. The newly appointed County Magistrate Liu Wenyuan invited me to serve as chief priest—he even included a silver note worth three hundred taels as travel expenses."

"Chief priest?! And travel expenses?!" Xiang Fang Su gasped.

"Otherwise, why would I bother making the trip?"

"..."

Liang Qu's matter-of-fact tone left Xiang Fang Su speechless.

Why did he have to pay out of pocket just to serve as priest?

"It depends on the catch, the supplies, and the weather. If the hold fills up, we return early. If supplies run out, we return early. If the weather turns bad, we return early—in short, we won't stay longer than a month." Ke Ko Wenbin tore open his shirt, baring his chest. "Damn bad luck—we got stuck with the hottest days of the year. I should've booked this trip back in April."

"Who knew May and June would be so busy? Two suns in two days? That's even worse."

"Hey! You three, what are you yapping about? Are you women going to lie down on the bed? Hurry up!"

Bai Bai Yinbin shouted from the bow of the boat.

"Coming, coming!"

"Liang Ashui, have your Dragon-subordinates arrived? Two smoke signals, two skilled divers—you must bring them."

"I called them. As soon as you knocked, I gave the order."

Liang Qu leapt onto the deck with a few bounds.

He glanced around briefly.

The fleet totaled twenty-one large vessels, each over ten zhang long: ten Ganjin ships, six broad-bellied square barges, and five warships.

The Ganjin ships were large Fuchuan vessels, similar to Liang Qu's own, capable of serving as warships, fishing boats, and timber transports—versatile and adaptable, each crewed by twenty to thirty sailors and boatmen, plus fifty naval soldiers.

The broad-bellied square barges were the largest, designed solely for transporting and storing Treasure Fish; their crews were roughly half the size of those on Ganjin ships.

The warships, needless to say, were the main vessels for Liang Qu and his group, with sailors and soldiers combined totaling a hundred men.

The Jianghuai Great Marsh was fraught with danger; bundles of Xuan Water Spears were carried aboard the warships, their blades gleaming coldly.

Besides these twenty-one large ships, over a hundred Wangsuo boats clustered like bees and ants, filling the gaps between vessels, drifting with the current, bumping against each other, and after inspection, each was hauled onto the deck.

A sizable fishing fleet.

Xiang Fang Su inventoried supplies, Ke Ko Wenbin inspected the ships, Bai Bai Yinbin reviewed weapons, and Liang Qu handled roll call.

Less than half an hour passed.

Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe compiled the headcount.

After multiple confirmations, the soldiers waved their flags, and the large ships slid out of the dock.

The fleet surged through the waves, vast and imposing, heading toward the wide expanse of the marsh.

Liang Qu paced the deck, like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time—he'd never seen such a massive Treasure Fish operation, and everything fascinated him. He specifically called for the Field Office Chief Clerk to explain the details.

What tricks could the government possibly use to catch Treasure Fish?

The Field Office Chief Clerk, eager to please, opened a wooden chest and pulled out red pills as if offering feed, their strong fishy odor filling the air.

"Your Excellency, observe—these are Cold-Blooded Rooster Pills, made by drying and grinding Dragon blood three times, mixed with many ingredients, specifically designed to attract carnivorous Treasure Fish."

"Each pill, the size of a human eyeball, costs dozens of copper coins! To locate a school, you must dump hundreds at a time—each outing costs over ten taels of silver!"

"And this one," the Field Office Chief Clerk opened another chest, filled with yellow pills. "This one is called..."

The entire cabin was stacked with wooden chests, all brimming with "luring" feed.

Extremely valuable.

Liang Qu frowned: "Over a thousand men, half of them martial artists—food, drink, waste, plus all this feed—after ten or fifteen days, can you really bring back enough to justify the cost?"

The Field Office Chief Clerk was delighted Liang Qu asked.

Everyone in the River Office knew: if you couldn't curry favor with Xu Xu Yue, you'd better curry favor with Liang Liang Ashui!

The heir was his disciple; the Provincial Governor was his uncle.

Even if the Duke of Xu was powerful, he was far away in the capital—eight poles away. Could he compare to the current River Inspector, or even the neighboring Prince of Xu Yue?

After a brief pause, he gathered his thoughts, then spoke fluently.

"The Pingyang River Office has existed for just over a year. Your Excellency's ignorance is understandable. Ordinary folk struggle to catch Treasure Fish for three reasons: one, they lack methods; two, they lack good nets; three, they lack scale."

"As for methods, Your Excellency sees them—each pill costs dozens of copper coins, and you need at least a hundred. No ordinary person can afford that. As for good nets, no need to elaborate."

"Often, it's not that they can't catch them—it's that the Treasure Fish, once in the net, use their strength to break free."

Liang Qu nodded silently.

Fishermen's nets were made of coarse cloth and hemp.

Hemp fibers absorb water, swell, and rot easily, so nets must be used for three days, then dried for two, to extend their lifespan.

"And the third?"

"The third—scale—is, in my humble opinion, the most critical point. It applies to the fishermen, the Treasure Fish themselves, and even correlates with the size of the prefectural city."

"Explain."

"Truly high-value Treasure Fish cost hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of taels per fish. The profit is enormous—but hard to earn."

"One trip, hoping for ten thousand taels is unrealistic. To catch two or three worth several thousand taels each is already a blessing."

"So our target is never those. It's the schooling Treasure Fish! Has Your Excellency heard of the phosphorescent shrimp of the Southern Sea?"

"I have."

"Schooling Treasure Fish appear deep in the marshes, numbering at least a hundred, sometimes reaching a thousand. But as the saying goes, every tool has its limits."

"They multiply quickly and are numerous, but their quality is poor—worse than even the common Red Blood Carp or Tigerhead Spotted Fish found in shallow waters!"

"Yet, like the phosphorescent shrimp of the sea, each individual is insignificant—but when their numbers swell, they churn waves into thunder, and even whales and giant fish can gorge themselves!"

"The drawback? Most martial artists at the Mid-Bound of the Horse-Running Realm find them too low-yield."

"Ordinary Treasure Fish have strong spiritual essence and can remain potent in one place for two or three months before slowly losing it."

"Schooling Treasure Fish are inherently weak and short-lived—they begin losing their essence within a month, and within ten days, they revert to ordinary fish, their edible value barely better than nothing."

"Fishing is time-consuming and laborious, often taking half a month. By the time the fish are hauled ashore, they must be sold nearby. If the prefectural city is small and lacks enough martial artists, they simply won't be consumed."

"Liang my lord, have I made myself clear?"

The Chief Clerk bowed slightly, watching carefully.

"You've explained it well."

Liang Qu tossed him a small silver ingot.

The Chief Clerk happily pocketed it: "Your Excellency, is there anything else you require?"

"No."

The Chief Clerk hesitated, glancing at the wooden chests and the soldiers guarding the door.

"Liang my lord, inside the cabin..."

"I understand. No one may stay alone—must have at least three present."

Liang Qu stepped out the door.

Two days passed.

The fleet sailed with favorable winds; skilled swimmers dove in repeatedly, scouting for fish schools—and within half a day, they had results.

Ten Ganjin ships spread out, lowering over a hundred Wangsuo boats, forming a vast circle.

The Wangsuo boats were shaped like shuttles, with bamboo masts and wooden sails; three men stood aboard, drawing only seven or eight cun of water, two boats pulling one net.

Splash!

Vast quantities of red pills were dumped into the water, churning thick foam.

The stench spread.

Liang Qu reached into the water and clearly sensed dozens of large fish surging toward them like whirlwinds!