3: Chapter 3: The Red Serpent Gang's Debts Can Never Be Repaid
*Bang!*
Several men were seen hoisting a middle-aged man and tossing him out of the courtyard.
Li Qing looked closely; although the middle-aged man had been beaten black and blue and was lying on the ground, with a trail of saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth and his hands clutching his stomach, he was feebly moaning, "Ow... ow..."
However, Li Qing could still tell from his attire that this was his next-door neighbor, Uncle Hu.
Like his father, he was a fisherman.
Or rather, like Li Qing's family, those living in Sanjiao Bay were basically the bottom-tier fishermen of Shangyun City.
Sanjiao Bay was located at the junction of Shangyun City and the eight-hundred-mile Chiyun River, on the outskirts of Shangyun City. It was named Sanjiao Bay because it was cut into a triangular area by three rivers.
As the fishing industry in Shangyun City was well-developed, there were dozens of areas like Sanjiao Bay, forming a massive community of nearly two hundred thousand fishermen.
A sturdy figure swaggered out of the Hu family's small courtyard, followed by several scoundrels.
Li Qing's eyes narrowed.
Liu Balian, as the name suggested, had a hideous burn scar that ran vertically across his entire left face, making him look like a vengeful spirit.
This man was a leader of the Red Snake Gang, which collected the so-called "Dragon King Incense" from the fishermen in this area.
"What Dragon King Incense? Isn't it just firewood taxes, grain taxes, and other exorbitant levies?"
Li Qing grumbled in his heart; there were even funeral fees included.
Whenever someone died in a household, they had to pay three hundred coins in funeral fees to the Red Snake Gang. Otherwise, at best, filth would be splashed on the house; at worst, the corpse would be thrown into the eight-hundred-mile Chiyun River, never to find peace.
They even... arranged ghost marriages for people!
Truly, they were monsters who devoured people whole!
Whistling, Liu Balian tossed the money pouch in his hand: "Old Hu, oh Old Hu, you said your family had no money, but isn't this quite a lot?"
He grabbed Uncle Hu's hair with his other hand and lifted his head: "You actually dared not to pay the Dragon King Incense. This is disrespectful to the Great Dragon King~"
Uncle Hu's eyes were glazed; he let out two "ah" sounds and fainted.
"My husband!" a voice cried out as a woman was seen hugging a half-grown boy, cowering timidly inside the house.
Liu Balian looked around: "Anyone who dares to be disrespectful to our Red Snake Gang or to Lord Dragon King will end up like this!"
*Slap! Slap!*
As soon as these words were spoken, many families who had been peeking from the shadows quickly shut their doors.
Clearly, Uncle Hu's ordeal had achieved Liu Balian's goal of killing the chicken to warn the monkeys.
"Hmph!"
Liu Balian stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
Suddenly, his gaze locked onto Li Qing and his father, who were about to enter their home.
"Brother Li!"
Liu Balian said. Li Bing silently turned around, shielding Li Qing behind him.
Li Bing cupped his hands: "Leader Liu, I wonder what the matter is? My family just paid the Dragon King Incense."
"Hah!" Liu Balian waved his hand: "It's nothing serious. It's just that I heard Brother Li has been looking for a job for young nephew Li recently?"
Hearing this, the hearts of the two Li family members tightened.
Liu Balian continued: "In my opinion, scraping a living on the great river is indeed hard work. Why not learn a craft? At least it's stable and safe."
Li Bing's expression was indifferent: "My son has a dull personality, so it's hard to say. If Leader Liu has something to say, please speak plainly."
Liu Balian grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth with bits of some vegetable stuck in the gaps.
Only then did he reveal his true purpose: "I see the young nephew has a weak constitution. I'm afraid the family doesn't have much spare money, right?"
At these words, Li Bing's brow furrowed.
In the past, for the sake of his so-called filial piety and the "big picture," and so that his child would have someone to look after him if he met with an accident on the great river...
Because of this, much of the money he earned was often given to Li Shan.
However, he had misjudged these people. They never viewed his family as kin, but rather as money-making tools.
Now, seeing his child so thin and weak made him feel quite regretful.
Seeing the flash of pain and regret on Li Bing's face, Liu Balian was certain that Li Bing was indeed very short on money.
He thought to himself, "You gave all your money to that lazy bum of the Li family. Everyone on this street laughs at you, Li Bing, for having skills but being blind!"
Liu Balian suddenly slapped his chest: "I, Old Liu, won't say much else, but I survive in these streets and alleys by relying on the word 'loyalty.'
"So, I think... Brother Li might as well borrow some money from me. One tael is fine, three taels is fine, but I guarantee that for every hundred coins, only one wen of interest will be charged daily. It's settled daily, absolutely fair, and clear. How about it? As long as you use that boat of yours as collateral."
Hearing this, even an honest fisherman like Li Bing couldn't help but chuckle in anger.
"Leader Liu is truly righteous, but my family still has some surplus grain, so there's no need for Leader Liu to worry. Qing'er, let's go home."
One wen of interest for every hundred coins sounded like little, but with compound interest, it would become terrifyingly high. Even if he sold his whole family, he wouldn't be able to pay it back.
This was the so-called "loyalty" these Gangs talked about!
Li Qing was also startled when he heard this.
If this kind of numbers game really got rolling, let alone their family, the entire Sanjiao Bay wouldn't be worth that much.
It really lived up to that saying.
The Red Snake Gang's kindness is never-ending; the Red Snake Gang's kindness is compound interest!
*Clack!*
Watching the Li family's courtyard door close, a hint of displeasure appeared on Liu Balian's face.
A shifty-eyed lackey stepped forward and said, "Leader Liu, this Li Bing is actually so ungrateful. Why don't we..."
This man was named Shuyan. He widened his eyes and made a knife-like gesture across his neck, the meaning obvious.
*Smack!*
Liu Balian slapped Shuyan on the head: "Idiot, you can do that to others, but not to Li Bing."
"Ah~" Shuyan said, dizzy: "Why, Leader?"
Liu Balian's face darkened as he said, "In his early years, this Li Bing was a tough character. He was even recruited by the now-defunct Black Water Gang.
"That Gang was no less ruthless than us, yet they couldn't do anything to him. Why do you think that is?"
"Why?" several people asked hurriedly. As low-level Gang members, they rarely knew such secrets.
Liu Balian held up a finger, his eyes full of longing: "Because in his early years, this man caught a Treasure Fish!"
"Hiss! A Treasure Fish!" Everyone exclaimed, their faces filled with envy and... greed.
In the term "Treasure Fish," "Treasure" comes first, and "Fish" comes second!
If those century-old medicinal herbs are the treasures of the mountains, then the Treasure Fish is the treasure of the river!
The reason this thing is called a "treasure" is because it has the magical effects of "strengthening blood and nourishing the body"!
So-called Blood Strengthening means it can expand a person's Qi and blood, saving them from months or even years of hard training on the martial arts field.
As for Body Nourishing, it's even more incredible. Even with the most severe injuries, it can keep one alive; this is something that can't be bought for a thousand gold pieces!
Besides, it tastes delicious. Even Lord Cao of Wei Wu in the past had to share it with the Holy Emperor Guan, which shows how delicious it is.
As everyone knows, becoming a high-and-mighty Entering the Force Martial Artist only requires two steps: accumulating Qi and blood, and breaking through the gate to reach Entering the Force.
A Treasure Fish not only saves months of the blood-accumulation process but also protects the consumer's Foundation from being damaged if they fail the breakthrough.
This is a so-called "Heaven And Earth Treasure!"