Martial Saint: Starting with Accumulating Experience

Chapter 117 Selling Fish

As dawn broke, Xiaowen got up early to go fish-selling with her grandfather.

First, we took Grandpa to the stream and brought back the fish and shrimp we caught yesterday. Then we went to the riverbank and took the fish that Grandpa caught at night out of the live water tank and put them into a wooden bucket.

Grandpa carried the fish ahead, and Xiaowen followed behind, tugging at his clothes.

A breeze blew from the river, carrying the coolness of the water and a faint fishy smell. Xiaowen sniffed and looked up at her grandfather's back.

Grandpa's back was a little hunched, and his shoulders, carrying the fish pole, were slightly tilted, but he walked very steadily. The bamboo pole bounced on his shoulders, making a soft "creaking" sound.

Before long, the two arrived at the Feiyu Ferry morning market.

The morning market was gradually becoming lively, with farm women carrying vegetable baskets, vendors hawking their wares, and neighbors rushing to buy vegetables.

The noise gradually grew louder, with shouts and bargaining mingling together.

Grandpa found an empty spot to put down his load, and Xiaowen obediently squatted down beside him, placing her small bamboo basket at her feet, her big, round eyes watching the passersby.

She hopes someone will come and buy her fish.

Grandpa weighed, killed, and cleaned the fish with nimble hands and feet, while Xiaowen carried a small bamboo basket in his arms, which was used to collect the copper coins he earned from selling the fish.

As the sun slowly rose higher, the number of fish in the basket gradually decreased, while the number of copper coins in the bamboo basket gradually increased.

Xiaowen felt a sweet warmth in her heart. She had earned much more money today than in the past few days, and she thought that she deserved some credit for it.

Xiaowen's eyes suddenly dimmed, and she thought:

If Dad were here, he could take on the weight of both me and Grandpa by himself.

Just then, the shouts suddenly subsided.

Xiao Wen peeked out and looked towards the street corner. He saw two idle thugs swaggering over, dressed sloppily, with fierce looks on their faces, and walking unsteadily.

This group of people were local hooligans. The leader of the hooligans, relying on his brother-in-law who worked for the Canglang Gang, would loiter around the market every day, collecting money.

If you don't pay them, they'll smash your stall and beat you up; poor small vendors simply can't afford to mess with them.

"Old man, business is good today. Shouldn't you offer me a little something?"

The rogue whistled at Grandpa Zheng. He knew the family and knew that Zheng Shuisheng had gotten into trouble. Now there were no men left in the house, just an old man and a child, who were easy to bully.

The old man quickly put on a smile and said in a low voice, "Good sir, I'm just a common fisherman. My grandson and I barely make ends meet, and we really don't have any extra copper coins to hand over."

"Stop talking nonsense!" The rascal said impatiently, grabbing the old man's collar. "If you set up a stall here, you have to pay. If you don't pay today, you can forget about your fish stall. I'll smash all the baskets."

"I have paid the money, I have paid the money, and I have paid the management fee on time every month." The old man said cautiously.

Xiaowen was so frightened that she trembled all over, hugged her grandfather's leg tightly, her eyes immediately turned red, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she dared not cry out loud.

"Hey old man, can't you understand human language? What business is it of mine if you give it to the gang! It's not like it's for me! Hurry up and give it to me!"

Seeing this, the henchman next to Xiaowen kicked over the small money basket in Xiaowen's arms.

With a clatter, all the copper coins he had painstakingly saved rolled onto the cold stone floor and scattered everywhere.

Xiaowen was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly lay down on the ground and reached out to pick up the coins, her little hands frantically grabbing at them, feeling both scared and wronged.

"Oh ho, so you're rich! You dare to swindle me, grandpa!"

The ruffian shoved Grandpa Zheng aside, and the old man fell to the ground, knocking over the fish basket. All the fish inside spilled out and struggled on the bluestone slab.

The old man was too old and weak to resist, and could only plead, "Please don't scare the child, we really don't have much money."

The vendors around were furious, but they were all afraid of being bullied by this scoundrel, so they could only dare to be angry but not speak out.

"Do you want money?"

A deep, cold voice came from behind the rogue.

The scoundrel frowned: "Useless—"

The word "word" had not yet been uttered.

Snapped!

A slap landed heavily on the scoundrel's face, deforming his ugly face and causing it to bleed. Several of his teeth flew out of his mouth from the blow.

He flew sideways and crashed onto the bluestone ground.

Before he could react, the person who attacked him grabbed his head and slammed it down hard again!

Bang!

His nose bridge snapped instantly, and his last remaining teeth were knocked out, leaving his mouth gushing blood.

Seemingly not satisfied, Chen Feng grabbed his head and slapped it again! Thump! Thump!

After three more powerful blows to the bluestone slab, the rogue was instantly on the verge of death, barely breathing and on the verge of passing out.

Chen Feng grabbed his hair and lifted him up like a dead dog, coldly saying, "I have no money, but I can give you a free slap."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was slapped several more times without any hesitation.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

The scoundrel's face was swollen like a pig's head, all his teeth were gone, and his face was covered in blood.

Chen Feng deliberately used his body to block the bloody scene so that the children wouldn't see it.

At the same time, he channeled a wisp of wood-elemental true energy into the rogue's body, keeping him alive and preventing him from dying.

As for whether the rogue's fragile meridians could withstand his Wood-element True Qi at the Opening Aperture Realm—who cares?

Chen Feng tossed the scoundrel aside, letting him fall face down on the ground, then turned to look at his pale-faced follower.

"Which foot? Tell me yourself."

"You, you're dead! You're dead! His brother-in-law is a member of the Canglang Gang! You're dead!!" the henchman shouted.

"Stop shouting, it won't make a difference who comes," Chen Feng said coldly, grabbing his henchman and breaking both of his legs.

Leave him next to the scoundrel and let him wail.

Chen Feng's gaze swept coldly over the scene. He had come early in the morning to see how the Canglang Gang managed the fish market, but this was what he saw.

My good mood for the whole day was ruined by this disgust.

"Brother—" Xiaowen stammered, her eyes red and brimming with tears.

Chen Feng turned his head, squatted down to help her pick up the copper coins, and said softly, "It's okay, your brother is here."

It was as if he had just struck a bloody blow, and that he wasn't the one who had crippled the two hooligans in a few moves.

Chen Feng adjusted his position slightly, placing himself precisely between Xiao Wen and the ruffian, preventing Xiao Wen from seeing anything.

"S-Sir----"

Grandpa Zheng, trembling, pulled Xiaowen into his arms and looked at Chen Feng with eyes full of fear.

"Grandpa, he's the brother who helped me catch fish yesterday." Xiaowen's nose tingled with emotion; what happened today was too much of a shock for her.

Chen Feng took out some silver from his pocket and secretly slipped it to Grandpa Zheng, saying, "Consider these fish on the ground as my purchase. You can go back now."

The old man was terrified and was about to refuse when Chen Feng persuaded him, "Someone will be here soon. The child is still here. You should take the child back first."

Amidst his surprise and uncertainty, the old man dazedly accepted the money and pulled Xiaowen away.

Xiao Wen walked away, glancing back at Chen Feng every few steps, while Chen Feng smiled and waved.

After the grandfather and grandson walked away.

Chen Feng's face darkened.