Unlimited priesthood

Chapter 115 Gangs
Inside a covered boat in the reed marshes.

Shen He hung up the fishing lamp and closed the cabin curtain tightly before uncovering the layers of wrapping. After taking a sniff to confirm that the aroma wasn't too strong, he slowly opened the earthenware pot.

"call!"

The earthenware pot was opened, still warm, and a gust of steam rushed out. Looking closely, one could see a pot of milky white soup, emitting an incredibly tempting aroma that even stimulated Shen He's body and taste buds, causing him to involuntarily let out a gurgling sound.

hunger!

eager!

His body's instincts were stimulating and urging him on.

Shen He readily agreed and scooped up a spoonful of fish soup with a wooden spoon.

The fish soup is milky white with a layer of oil shimmering on the surface, making it even more tempting under the lamplight.

It's really strange. Shen He clearly didn't add any seasonings, or even fry the fish in oil, but the turtle soup is still milky white and has such a thick layer of oil.

Is the fat layer on a turtle really that thick?
Obviously not. He had eaten and seen many delicacies during his several Dream Butterfly encounters. He wouldn't dare say he had dragon liver and phoenix gall, but he had tasted all kinds of rare delicacies, including a lot of turtles. He had even eaten some spirit beasts in the Spirit World, but he had never seen such a plump turtle.

It must be a product unique to this world.

Shen He's mind was racing, but his actions never stopped. He blew on the fish soup to cool it down slightly before putting it in his mouth.

"Ok!"

The fish soup was incredibly fresh and sweet, and a warm sensation spread through the body, revitalizing the frail and weak old man.

"Although its efficacy is not as good as that of real spirit beast flesh and blood, it still has a 30-50% effect. Long-term consumption can strengthen blood and qi and improve physical strength."

"No wonder the restaurants in the city, as well as the major families and the Goldfish Gang, are all buying this turtle at high prices."

"Without special bait, these rare fish species can only be caught by luck, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse."

"I'm not just guessing. A fisherman's natural talent for fishing can increase the feeding rate of high-grade and rare fish species. This turtle is a result of fishing."

"It seems that as long as I spend some time in this reed marshland and recuperate this old and weak body, I can recover some of my martial arts strength and then explore this world."

"No, this world..."

While eating the turtle stew, Shen He searched through "Old Zhong's" memories and quickly noticed several unusual key points.

Although it was just a rumor, with his perspective, he could still glean some clues from it.

This world... has a serious problem!
Not only the Great Chen Dynasty that lasted for a thousand years, but also some unusual places, are full of thought-provoking mysteries.

Shen He frowned, pondering for a long time but still couldn't find an answer, or rather, there wasn't enough evidence to support it, so any speculation was meaningless.

So in the end, he simply put all of this aside for the time being and began to digest the turtle's vital energy using the Devouring Yuan Technique.

"Whoosh!"

Outside the ship, the wind and waves raged, but inside, it was as warm as a cradle.

Shen He absorbed the primordial energy and practiced the Coiling Dragon Stance Technique, not daring to be too intense. He simply circulated his blood and qi silently, gradually condensing his martial arts skills.

And so it went, the next morning.

Before dawn, Shen He had already woken up, got up and went outside the cabin, washed up briefly, and then set off on his awning boat to continue fishing.

Clearly, he had tasted success and wanted to replicate his past glory.

Somewhat urgent.

But there is no urgency.

Because this is a medium-sized world, the time flow rate is 100 times that of the real world, so Shen He can only use this half-year period for 50 years.

Over the next fifty years, he must ensure that "Old Zhong" possesses sufficient strength, at least enough to achieve fasting and auto-play, otherwise it will affect his plans and the actual development of the situation.

Fifty years is such a short time, it's bound to be a bit rushed.

Fortunately, Shen He has accumulated enough experience and is confident that he can do it.

It's just... taking a small risk.

But how many things in the world don't require taking risks?
It still needs to be done.

They rise with the sun and return at sunset.

The result was a huge disappointment. Not only did they fail to catch any more turtles, but they also failed to catch any larger common fish. They only managed to catch a grass carp weighing over three pounds, as well as a few carp and crucian carp.

However, this is the norm. Turtlefish are not so easy to catch. Even with his professional talent, it would be difficult to catch them every day.

As the sun set and night fell, Shenhe stopped night fishing, because the oil in his fishing lamp had completely burned out.

Without a fishing lamp, there's no way to light the way. Although his blood and energy have improved a lot with the help of the stewed turtle, his eyesight is still failing and he can't see in the dark, so he has to reluctantly give up night fishing.

"Most fish are nocturnal, and this is especially true for carnivorous fish like turtles. Without fishing lights, you can't fish at night, so the chances of catching turtles will be greatly reduced."

"In addition, night fishing can also help you avoid being seen and getting into trouble."

"Fish oil can be made at home; all you need to do is catch a few big fish."

"As for daily necessities, it's okay to go without staple food for a while. Salt can be replenished by drinking fish blood. The effects of the Swallowing Yuan Technique are powerful enough. As long as you rest and recuperate, everything will be fine."

"The fish market is controlled by the Goldfish Gang. Although it has its own order, it is still dangerous. Going there with an old and weak body is simply playing with your life."

"Therefore, we should focus on development for a while and go to the fish market to investigate the situation after we have gained sufficient strength."

With these thoughts in mind, Shen He had already gutted the three-pound grass carp, taken out a piece of fish oil, and put it in a pot to cook, adding some fuel to his fishing lamp so he could continue his night fishing business.

...And so it went, a month later.

The dock, the fish market.

"Fish for sale! Fish for sale!"

"Look at this lotus carp, it's just fattened up for winter, it's so plump and delicious!"

"And this crab, it's full of roe inside!"

"Fresh green clams, fresh green clams!"

Although Dongting Lake is a large lake spanning nearly a thousand miles with many main streams and tributaries, even flowing into the sea, it ultimately cannot pass through cities and prefectures and directly enter the streets and markets.

They could only set up stalls at the nearby dock fish market to supply nearby residents or restaurant merchants in the city.

In the fish market, behind a stall, an old man sat alone.

He looked extremely old; his hair was withered and gray beneath his straw hat, and his face was deeply lined with wrinkles and mottled with age, showing the vicissitudes of time. He exuded an air of decline from the inside out, appearing frail and decrepit.

Shen He was sitting at his stall, having just taken out the fish he had caught over the past two days, when a group of people walked over. The leader was a burly man with a strong build and rough hair and beard.

"Hey, old Zhong, you're still alive?"

The man glanced at him and shouted with a hint of mockery.

"Thanks to you, Third Brother!"

The burly man, called Third Brother, smiled and looked at the fish he had laid out. When he saw a small turtle among them, his eyes lit up with surprise: "You actually caught a turtle?"

"Little turtle, little turtle!"

Shen He smiled, his hunched back behaving ingratiatingly.

“Even a small turtle is still a turtle. I’ve long heard that you, Old Zhong, are skilled at catching turtles and fish, and now I see that your reputation is well-deserved.”

Chen San smiled, looking at him with amusement: "How do you plan to sell it?"

Shen He smiled and said, "One catty and eight taels, the price is three hundred copper coins. If you want it, then two hundred copper coins will do."

"Yes, that's fair!"

Chen San nodded and gave his follower a look.

The attendant understood and immediately tossed out a small string of copper coins before stepping forward to pick up the turtle.

May your business prosper!

Chen San chuckled softly, and before Shen He could speak, he led the two away with their hands behind their backs.

Shen He lowered his head, picked up the string of copper coins, counted them and found there were only eighty-odd coins, but he didn't make a fuss, just shook his head and put them in his pocket.

"That old guy is quite sensible."

On the other side, Chen San, who left with a few followers, nodded secretly when he saw that Shen He did not shout.

The henchman beside him added, "Third Brother taking a liking to that old guy's stuff is a blessing he's earned in ten lifetimes. He's so grateful he wouldn't dare argue with Third Brother."

"That's right, that old man, he doesn't even have any children, he's practically buried up to his eyebrows, if it weren't for Third Brother taking care of him, would he still be alive today?"

"I don't think it's necessary to give him that hundred or so coins. It's already a blessing for Third Brother that he likes his things. How can he have the nerve to accept money?"

"Ha ha!"

Several henchmen chimed in, but then Chen San's expression suddenly changed, and he slapped Chen San across the face.

"Snapped!!!"

With a slap, Chen San knocked the ungrateful lackey to the ground. His face darkened as he looked at the others and said, "I'm buying, not robbing. Of course I have to pay. If I don't pay, I'm breaking the rules of the Goldfish Gang. Do you want me to be punished according to the gang's rules and regulations?"

"this……!"

The group looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

"Humph!"

Chen San coldly stared at the group: "If there's a next time, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Having said that, he turned and left, and his followers had no choice but to hurriedly follow.

Behind them, Shen He, with his straw hat pulled low, caught a glimpse of the scene out of the corner of his eye, his expression remaining indifferent.

As mentioned before, wherever there are people, there is a world of conflict and competition. Even those who transport night soil or shovel manure can breed things like "manure bullies," not to mention other professions.

Whether it's beggar tyrants, medicine tyrants, fish tyrants, pig tyrants, salt tyrants, or oil tyrants, in any industry you can think of that can generate profit, there will be bullies and market manipulators.

The same applies to the fish market; not only are there fish tyrants, but also fish gangs formed by these tyrants.

Chen San was one of them, a manager of the Yueyang Prefecture Goldfish Gang, who controlled the fish market on behalf of the gang.

Don't be fooled by the fact that he seems to have some sense of reason now and knows that you have to pay for things; that's just a thin layer of pretense.

Once you expose his true colors, you'll find he's a ruthless wolf who eats people without spitting out the bones. Over the years, he's been collecting fees from fish market stalls and protection money on behalf of the Goldfish Gang, driving countless families to their deaths.

Old Zhong, a lone individual, was one thing, but for those fishermen with families to support, each month they were squeezed by him and the government, plus daily expenses like firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Forget about saving any money, they were lucky if they didn't incur debt.

If you encounter a year of famine, or if you are unlucky and can't catch fish or suffer a serious illness, you may lose everything and have to sell your children.

In such an era, ordinary people's ability to withstand risks is far too weak.

(End of this chapter)