6kv Octopus Market 1
Octopus Market 1
The morning mist had not yet dissipated.
At this time of day, the seaside fish market in the provincial capital is always as noisy as a pot of boiling porridge.
The fishy smell, the salty taste of the sea, the noise of people...
And that indescribable, uniquely decadent smell of this era, all mixed together, became the scent of the harbor at dawn.
Gu Shenyan stood in front of a fish stall, his brows slightly furrowed.
He is only sixteen years old this year, and has delicate features.
His moon-white silk robe stood out conspicuously in the fish market, its hem and cuffs embroidered with dark cloud and thunder patterns, the material clearly of considerable value.
What's even more eye-catching is the burly man behind him, as imposing as an iron tower.
He was broad-shouldered and burly, with a square face that remained expressionless. His hands were clasped behind his back, yet no one dared to approach him within three feet.
The stall owner was a dark-skinned boat captain, around fifty years old.
He was hunched over, his face beaming with a smile, yet tinged with a hint of resentment.
"Young master, you're putting me in a really difficult position!"
"This spirit fish, I caught it last night with seven brothers, risking our lives. What price do you say it is..."
"Twenty silver dollars." Gu Shenyan simply held up two fingers:
"Captain, I've already paid 30% more than the market price."
He was secretly making plans in his heart.
Silver-scaled fish, a spiritual creature found among the nearshore reefs, containing a faint aquatic spiritual energy...
When that young lady gave me her advice, she mentioned that there were three types of naturally occurring spiritual creatures in the vicinity of Guangdong Province that could potentially activate one's bloodline:
On it lies the egg of a deep-sea turtle, which can activate the Xuanwu bloodline; such an item is extremely rare, appearing only once every hundred years.
Among them, the Azure Scaled Flood Dragon Fish in Yunmeng Marsh can activate the Flood Dragon bloodline, but Yunmeng Marsh is more dangerous than the near sea.
Below that are the near-shore spirit fish—though of the lowest grade, they are occasionally caught.
If it can be found, there might be a sliver of hope to activate the remnants of the ancient mermaids...
"But this spirit fish..." The boat captain rubbed his hands together, his gaze shifting between Gu Shenyan and the burly man:
"Young master, you may not know this, but strange things have been happening at sea lately, those water monkeys..."
He lowered his voice, his eyes revealing genuine fear:
Just three days ago, the Wu family, who lived on the boat next to mine, returned with only an empty boat after going out to sea to fish.
The cabin was filled with blood and claw marks—three fingers' width each, as thick as an adult's thumb!
Upon hearing the words "water monkey," several vendors nearby changed their expressions, and some even subconsciously took a half-step back.
Gu Shenyan remained unmoved, simply waiting for the boat captain to continue.
"Who dares to go out to sea now?" The boat captain's voice was tinged with excitement as he pointed to the fishing boats moored not far away.
"Yesterday afternoon, someone spotted the fish on the rocks on the east bank—a rare find that you can only see a few of in a year!"
Everyone says that going to sea at this time is like an old man hanging himself because he's tired of living.
But Xiao thought to herself, "There are still seven or eight mouths to feed at home..."
As he spoke, his eyes reddened, but he forced himself to hold them back:
"I was given a second chance at life; fortune favors the bold!"
He led his brothers into the sea and waited in the crevice of the reef all night long, until their hands were frozen stiff, before the spirit fish finally appeared.
You didn't see it; that thing swam incredibly fast in the water, like a streak of silver light.
"Many of my brothers took turns diving, and it took them almost half an hour to finally catch it!"
Before he could finish speaking, he lowered his voice again, glanced around furtively, and then leaned closer:
"For someone of your status, young master, to buy something... cough, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that for someone like me, struggling to make a living, this fish is something I risked my life for."
Young master, do you think... could you...?
He didn't dare finish his sentence, fearing he might offend the obviously powerful young nobleman in front of him.
After all, the imposing aura that the burly man following behind had inadvertently revealed had made this seasoned seafarer, who had spent half his life making a living at sea, tremble with fear.
Gu Shenyan remained silent for a moment.
His gaze fell on the wooden basin.
The water in the basin shimmered with a faint silvery light, and a fish about two feet long was swimming slowly in it.
The fish was entirely silvery-white, its scales resembling fine silver, reflecting a strange luster in the morning light.
What's even more peculiar is that every time the fish swims around, ripples appear on the surface of the water in the basin.
After the ripples spread, they brought a strange sense of coolness, as if even the heat in the air was dispelled.
This is indeed the kind of spirit fish I've been looking for.
"Thirty silver dollars," Gu Shenyan finally spoke, "but I also need ten pike from over there."
The boat captain was taken aback, his expression shifting from surprise to hesitation: "Young master, those ordinary goods..."
"What?" Gu Shenyan looked up at him. "You think the price is too low?"
"No, no, no!" The boat captain quickly waved his hands, his face beaming with a smile. "Deal! Deal!"
He wondered to himself: Could this young master be trying to make a comparative study between ordinary fish and spirit fish?
These young masters from wealthy families often have some quirks that are hard for others to understand.
As the boat captain spoke, he winked at the men standing behind the stall.
Three strong men immediately stepped forward. Two of them held down the wooden basin, while the third carefully placed a net into the water.
The spirit fish seemed to sense the danger, and its previously slow swimming suddenly became swift.
The water splashed up, and the silvery-white figure leaped out of the wooden basin, nimbly bouncing on the ground. The three burly men couldn't catch it for a moment.
"Get online!" the boat captain cried, stamping his feet in frustration. "Don't let it get away!"
As the spirit fish was about to leap onto the shallow shore, the boatman and his crew turned pale.
If this treasure escapes, all their hard work this night will have been for nothing!
Just then, the burly man who had been silent all along made a move.
He didn't step forward, or even reach out; he simply raised his right arm slightly and pressed his palm forward in a half-hearted manner.
The movements appeared effortless, yet an invisible force burst forth from between the palms.
The spirit fish, which was about to leap away, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, and its body came to an abrupt halt in mid-air.
Then it fell helplessly back to the ground, only its gills still opening and closing, but its eyes revealed an almost human-like terror.
The entire fish market suddenly fell silent for a moment.
The surrounding vendors and customers were stunned, and then their expressions changed.
Being able to control qi from a distance is a genuine martial arts skill, at least indicating that the practitioner has achieved some success in the martial arts school!
The boat captain was sweating profusely.
Only then did he realize that these were probably no ordinary guards or servants, and he quickly smiled ingratiatingly:
"I am very grateful for your help, sir!"
The burly man withdrew his hand expressionlessly; capturing the energy just now was a trivial matter for him.