Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

Buqu looked up at the sky; the sun was high in the sky, and it was only past noon.

Going home now is too early.

If the original owner had dared to go home at this time, he would have been beaten and scolded by Li Xian.

Buqu, however, was not worried about this.

Li Xian is a scoundrel; he's greedy for money.

If you see yourself returning with a full load of goods, you'll be too happy to care about yourself.

Furthermore, this small boat can only hold so many fish.

If you're just grinding progress in the water, you can stay on the shore; there's no need to wander around in the shallows.

What if some lost water monkey happens to pass by? Wouldn't that be a huge disaster?

The oars swayed gently, and the small sampan slowly swam back to the lake shore.

From a distance, he saw Li Xian bring someone back. Judging from his appearance, he looked about the same as himself.

Bu Qu's face darkened. If he could, he would have liked to leave the boatload of fish for Wang Erlang.

"Fine, let's feed this scoundrel first. This boatload of fish can't be kept secret. If he finds out later, I'll be in deep trouble."

A bucket of fish is easy to hide, but a boatload of fish is impossible to hide.

He had no intention of turning the boat around.

Li Xian usually has a bad temper, but he is most patient at times like this.

A ship must eventually dock.

While he was pondering, Li Xian noticed him and led his men to stand on the shore and wait.

Before long, the small sampan was only a few feet from the lake shore.

Li Xian looked very unwell.

Seeing the workers clocking out early, I was about to give them a good scolding.

Then the new cattle and horses take over.

When Li Xian saw that the fishing boat was full of fish, his expression suddenly improved. The scar on his face trembled as he smiled, making people want to vomit.

He couldn't wait for the sampan to reach the shore, so he waded through the water and jumped onto the sampan.

"Little brat, what's gotten into you today?"

As Bu Qu rowed his famous oar, he replied casually, "It's a treat from the Dragon King."

The original owner was frequently beaten and scolded by Li Xian, so naturally, her attitude towards him was not good.

Li Xian didn't care and laughed loudly as he looked at the boat full of fish: "Hahaha, it turns out even the Dragon King has his moments of enlightenment."

He plunged both hands into the pile of fish, lifting up a large crucian carp in one hand and a large tilapia in the other.

In his eyes, fish are not fish, but money for drinks and gambling.

As the sampan docked, Li Xian caught a glimpse of the boy he had brought with him. He looked him over from left to right and found him increasingly displeasing.

He suddenly jumped off the boat, grabbed the boy and pulled him to the side of the sampan. In front of Bu Qu, he kicked him into the lake.

"If I'd known you were so capable, why would I have bothered looking for an adopted son? You alone are enough!"

Bu Qu remained silent, a sudden chill running through him: "If I hadn't returned with a full haul today, I would be the one kicked into the lake right now. Hmph, once my water control improves further, your good days will be over!"

After giving a compliment, Li Xian began to show signs of impatience.

He told Buqu to get off the boat quickly, intending to row to the fish market himself and sell the boatload of fish.

Bu Qu frowned: "If you row the boat away, what will I eat?"

Li Xian, who had a rather short temper, said, "Hey, you little brat, you've got some nerve, daring to talk back?"

Seeing that he was about to hit him, Bu Qu suddenly stood up, his eyebrows raised in a fierce expression: "Yes, hit me, keep hitting me! If you've got the guts, kill me! Let's see who can catch so many fish for you in the future!"

He wasn't afraid of Li Xianzhen taking action; at worst, he'd just dump it into the water.

If we can't beat Li Xian on land, why should we be afraid of him in the water?

If you're so capable, let's have a three-hundred-breath battle underwater and see who suffocates first!

Upon hearing this, Li Xian's raised fist remained suspended in the air for a long time before finally being slowly lowered.

This boatload of fish is worth several hundred coins, enough to cover Bu Qu's usual catch for half a month.

Since it was a rare opportunity to open a business, he was genuinely reluctant to part with his adopted son.

Li Xian's scar twitched, revealing a terrifying smile: "Alright, now that's more like my son, Li Xian's son."

He took two copper coins out of his pocket and tossed them over: "Go buy some food."

Bu Qu reached out and caught the two copper coins, silently watching Li Xian row away.

These two copper coins were the greatest benefit he could obtain from Li Xian.

If you don't fight for it, you won't even get these two copper coins.

"Two copper coins... I can sell this boatload of fish for five hundred coins! Even the gangsters aren't this greedy."

He was nominally an adopted son, but in reality, he was no different from a black slave.

As long as Li Xian lives, he will never have a chance to rise in the world.

The boy who had been kicked into the lake struggled to swim back to shore, vomiting up some water. His eyes were fixed on Bu Qu, his gaze unfathomable, as if he were looking at his father's killer.

Bu Qu rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, "Why are you looking at me? I'm just like you."

The boy was stunned by what he heard.

"You're the eighth son, I'm the seventh, and the six brothers in front of us are all dead."

The boy was taken aback again.

After a long while, he slumped down on the shallow beach and began to mutter to himself: "Last night, that bastard sneaked into my house under cover of darkness. He insulted my mother to her face and even pointed his finger at me, threatening, 'If you don't want my mother to die, you'd better obediently give him your adopted son.' He left at dawn, and came back again at noon..."

As he spoke, the boy clenched his fists and tears streamed down his face.

Upon hearing this, Bu Qu's dead memories began to attack:

Six months ago, Li Xian tricked the original owner's father into going to Blackwater Lake, saying that they wanted to catch a big catch together.

That night, the devastating news arrived that the original owner's father had been dragged away by a water monkey.

The original owner became Li Xian's adopted son in a daze.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late to get away.

Bu Qu sighed, squatted down beside the boy, and advised, "Go home quickly before he comes back."

The boy shook his head, his tone fierce: "I want revenge, I want to kill him!"

"You're no match for him, don't throw your life away in vain."

Upon hearing what Bu Qu said, the boy lowered his head little by little, his hair, though not long, completely covering his eyes.

"And you, don't you hate him? Don't you want to kill him?"

"What's the use of thinking about it? I can't beat him anyway." Bu Qu sneered. "As the saying goes, the wicked will be punished by Heaven. He's a drunkard and gambler, who knows when he'll die of alcohol poisoning; or when he loses a bet and gets his legs broken by the gambling den; or when he's carried away by water monkeys..."

Bu Qu patted the boy on the back and comforted him, "We don't necessarily have to take action."

The boy looked up at Buqu, his expression one of utter astonishment.

"Go home, isn't your mother waiting for you to take care of her?"

The boy struggled to his feet and left dejectedly.

"Just bear with it a little longer. Wait a little longer. Once my water control abilities are stronger, I'll be able to deal with him."

Bu Qu had no intention of reporting to the authorities, just like that young man.

Although they were all people from Heishui County, their social statuses were vastly different.

The noble wealthy families in the inner city, the mediocre commoners in the outer city, and the lowly fishermen outside the city.

When problems arise, the government will first consider one's identity and status, and then one's connections and wealth.

As for whether something is right or wrong, that's something they consider last.

The yamen runners wouldn't waste their time on lowly households like Buqu.

They are like small fish at the bottom of a lake; even if they are eaten by big fish, it will be silent and no one will care.