6kv Chapter 5 The Mysterious Black Stone! Fishbone Kung Fu!
Chapter 5 The Mysterious Black Stone! Fishbone Kung Fu!
The two men seemed to be very secretive about the contents of the box. After one of them put it down, he seemed to feel uneasy and went back to push the box further into the grass, farther from the shore.
"Is everything alright now?"
"Alright, stop scaring yourself. Once we get things sorted out in a while, we won't have to suffer on this shore anymore, and we can go back to the city and enjoy ourselves with beautiful women."
"That's true. But Brother Cao also assigned me a task, which I need to take care of while I'm at it."
"Just a few small fry, it won't take much effort. We can take care of them before we go back."
The two voices faded into the distance until they disappeared completely at the end of the riverbank before Su Yu dared to swim out.
"Ouch... It's so cold!"
Su Yu climbed ashore, shivering all over. His body was too weak; after soaking in the icy water for so long, the cold seeped into his very bones.
Fortunately, it wasn't all for naught; my swimming skills improved!
[Skill]: Swimming (Proficient 1/200)
Swimming in this season is tough, but the results are immediate. With enough energy and blood, your skill level can increase even faster.
"I still need to save up money to learn martial arts as soon as possible!"
After wringing out his wet clothes, Su Yu hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't resist walking towards the bushes.
What exactly were those two people hiding so furtively?
He groped around in the grass for a while, and the box he touched was icy cold; it was the dark wooden box.
Su Yu took a deep breath, held it, and carefully lifted a small crack in the door.
Inside the box lay a fist-sized black stone, emanating a chilling aura.
This stone was extremely strange, its surface covered with countless holes, like a honeycomb briquette riddled with wormholes. Although it had no luster, staring at those holes for too long gave one a dizzying feeling as if their soul was being sucked in.
"As long as you don't go into the water, you'll be fine..."
Su Yu recalled the conversation between the two and felt a chill run down his spine. This thing exuded an evil aura; it was definitely not a good thing.
He suppressed the urge to investigate further, quickly closed the lid, restored the grass to its original state, and cleaned up the traces he had left behind.
He had no idea what to do with it, or to try throwing it in the water.
Faced with something unknown and dangerous, he was too weak to do anything more than court death.
……
In the afternoon, Su Yu returned home with a full load once again.
I estimated in my mind that the total catch over the past three days was more than 100 jin (50 kg).
This result is secure.
He went home first to change into dry clothes before leisurely making his way to the market.
It was the busiest time of day at the market, and the area in front of the Qian family's fish collection point was packed with people. Su Yu spotted Bai Shun at a glance.
The autumn wind was bleak, yet this guy was only wearing a sleeveless short-sleeved shirt, revealing clearly defined bronze muscles, still glistening with undried water droplets. He had clearly just come out of the water, yet showed no sign of the chill.
"He's most likely started learning martial arts." Su Yu was secretly shocked. Bai Shun's qi and blood were already far beyond that of ordinary people.
After handing over the catch and waiting until dusk, the Qian family steward cleared his throat and announced loudly:
"The time has come! The results will now be announced!"
The crowd fell silent instantly.
"Fifth place, Gudu Village, Wednesday, 97 jin!"
"Fourth place, Gudu Village, Zhou Da, 98 jin!"
"Third place, Qingxi Village, Su Yu, 119 jin!"
"Second place, Gao Tan Village, Gao Xiaoshuang, 130 jin!"
"First place, Bai Shun from Bailu Village, 200 jin!"
The announcement of the list caused an uproar.
"Good heavens! Two hundred pounds? Did this 'black loach' scoop up the entire riverbed?"
"That Gao Xiaoshuang, is she the girl from Gaotan Village? Those long legs, wow, she's definitely a skilled swimmer!"
Among the crowd, some people began to stare at a few people with burning eyes. These people had stood out because of their excellent fishing skills and had joined the Qian family's fishing team. Their future was going to be very comfortable.
"Hey, you black mudfish! How about my daughter be your wife?" a man with yellow teeth shouted.
"Get lost! Your daughter takes after you; how could anyone possibly want her?"
"Dad, I've taken a liking to Su Yu. He's so handsome."
"That black mudfish is so amazing, I'll marry him first."
"Alright, quiet down, everyone else disperse." The Qian family steward waved his hand to disperse the crowd with a stern face and beckoned Su Yu and his group of five to his side.
"At dawn tomorrow, take this token and report to the Qian family compound at No. 1 Jinyu Street in the outer city. You will not be waited for if you are late!" After saying this, he gave each of the five people a wooden token and left with his men.
Bai Shun remained aloof and arrogant. He took the token, didn't even glance at anyone else, and left directly.
The tall woman named Gao Xiaoshuang raised an eyebrow, a hint of arrogance in her eyes, and approached Su Yu. Her gaze swept over his face: "From Qingxi Village? You're quite pretty. How many years have you been fishing?"
"I've been fishing since I was a child." Su Yu said calmly, not wanting to cause any more trouble. "Sorry, I have something to attend to at home. Goodbye."
After saying this, he clasped his hands in a salute, turned around, and left.
Gao Xiaoshuang was left standing there, her face stiffening instantly, seemingly not expecting the man to be so indifferent.
He was instantly enraged. Those fishermen always fawned over him, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Finally, he spat in the direction Su Yu had left: "Pah!"
Zhou Da's eyes lingered on Gao Xiaoshuang's long legs as he approached with a smile. Just as he was about to say something, Gao Xiaoshuang spat in disgust and turned away.
In the end, only Zhou Da was left standing there, ignored.
"Haha, big brother, you've got a hot face but a cold backside," Zhou San mocked with a strange laugh.
Zhou Da is short and fat, while Zhou San is tall and thin, but judging from this, the two are actually brothers.
A glint of savagery flashed deep in Zhou Da's eyes. He rubbed his face, put on a silly grin, and turned to Zhou San, asking, "Is it funny?"
When I saw him like this on Wednesday, my laughter stopped abruptly. Like a duck whose neck had been grabbed, I shrank back and dared not utter another sound.
……
The next morning.
Su Yu paid the ten-coin entrance fee and stepped into Blackstone City.
This city has a strict hierarchy.
The inner city was a gathering place for the powerful and wealthy, heavily guarded, and ordinary people could not even get in.
Although one could enter and leave the outer city, one was not entitled to reside there permanently.
To obtain permanent residency, one needs a guarantor and introduction, and then spend money to buy a house, which would cost at least a hundred taels of silver.
Moreover, this is only a qualification for one person. For the entire family to enter, the only way is to pass the martial arts examination and obtain the status of a martial arts scholar.
This is also why Grandpa Su fully supports his grandson Su Can in learning martial arts.
After passing through a bustling avenue, Su Yu arrived at a secluded courtyard made of bluestone with carved beams and painted pillars and upturned eaves.
After the guards verified my token, I was led into a small training ground.
"Captain Qian, the new recruit is reporting for duty."
The guard leading the way brought Su Yu to a man as tall as an iron tower.
The man was seven feet tall, with bulging muscles, standing like a bear. He was Qian Wenhu, the captain of the third team of the Qian family's fishing team.
"Su Yu from Qingxi Village greets the captain." Su Yu clasped his hands in a salute.
Qian Wenhu looked him up and down, then suddenly slapped Su Yu's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand and gave it a squeeze.
A powerful force struck, and Su Yu felt as if his shoulder bone was about to crack, but he gritted his teeth, his expression remained unchanged, and his body did not move an inch.
"Hmm?" A hint of surprise flashed in Qian Wenhu's eyes, then he laughed and released his grip. "Good lad! You look skinny, but you've got some tough bones! My name is Qian Wenhu, and from now on you're one of my men!"
Before long, Bai Shun and the others also arrived one after another.
Qian Wenhu's smile vanished, his gaze sweeping over the five men like lightning, and he said in a deep voice:
"From today onwards, you will be the outer members of Team C of the Qian family's fishing team. Your monthly salary will be one tael, which will be paid after you return from each fishing trip. If you do a good job, there will be additional rewards."
"The Qian family usually sets sail at the beginning of each month. You should come here to report at that time. We will notify you if there are any changes."
"Besides your monthly salary, I will now teach you the aquatic martial art, the Azure Wave Fishbone Skill!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's breathing became slightly rapid.
"Watch closely! This technique mimics aquatic creatures!"
"First move: Swimming Fish Swings Its Tail!"
Qian Wenhu let out a low shout, and his body suddenly became agile. His spine was like a dragon, and he exerted force from his waist and hips, making him seem as if he had truly transformed into a large fish, swimming in the air and creating gusts of wind.
"Second move, swimming in the water..."
Su Yu and the others dared not delay and quickly followed suit, gesturing as they went.
At first, Su Yu felt his movements were clumsy, and his bones felt rusty and twisted. But as he continued, he suddenly had a sense of familiarity.
After practicing once, although I still felt a bit awkward, it was much better than before!
Just then, words flashed before my eyes:
[Martial Arts]: Azure Wave Fishbone Skill (Beginner 10/100)
[Note]: Swimming skills have been replaced by the martial art "Azure Wave Fishbone Skill", gaining 10 proficiency points.