The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

At noon, Xikou Market was busiest.

Monks came and went on the main street in an endless stream, and the shouts of vendors from the shops along the street rose and fell.

The dock was even more crowded, with boats of all sizes filling the ferry terminal. Boatmen carried ropes and moved back and forth on the gangplank, shouting and making way for each other.

Just then, a cargo ship slowly sailed by.

The boat was open-air, covered with a layer of coarse cloth, and bulging underneath, where neatly stacked spiritual vegetables could be vaguely seen.

Several crew members stood at the bow of the boat, looking around and occasionally huddling together to whisper among themselves.

The owner of the boat was a large, stout man who was slumped on a bamboo chair at the stern, his belly rising and falling with his snoring.

"stop."

A sharp shout rang out, and a disciple of the Mu family leaped onto the bow of the ship.

The boat lurched violently, and the owner nearly tumbled off his chair.

"This is the inner harbor; cargo ships are not allowed to enter." The Mu family disciple pointed outside expressionlessly.

The owner rubbed his eyes, stood up, and greeted him with a beaming smile: "Manager, could you do me a favor? This fellow is going to the Worry Relief Shop, and we can't afford to be delayed."

As he spoke, he subtly handed over a bag of spirit stones.

The bag wasn't big, but it was bulging, containing at least twenty or thirty spirit stones.

The Mu family disciple glanced down and then knocked the spirit stone bag away.

With a thud, the bag landed on the deck, and several spirit stones rolled out.

"Rules are rules. Go back." The Mu family disciple's voice was cold and hard, without even blinking.

The commotion was quite significant, drawing the attention of the cultivators on the surrounding ships.

Many people on the shore stopped and craned their necks to watch the spectacle.

The landlord's face turned pale and then red, and he stood there, unsure whether to move forward or backward.

Zhu Huaijin took a deep breath, suppressing the embarrassment on his face, and forced a smile: "Manager, it's not that we're breaking the rules, it's just that the ferry over there is full, and Jieyoufang is in a hurry."

Before he could finish speaking, the Mu family disciple coldly interrupted, "That's your problem, not mine. Anyway, your ship can't get in."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Huaijin immediately adopted a distressed expression: "Manager, please have mercy. This is a shipment of spiritual vegetables. They won't be fresh if left out for too long, and the Relief Workshop won't accept wilted vegetables. If I end up with these stuck with uneaten produce, I'll suffer a huge loss."

The Mu family disciples remained silent, only staring coldly at him, completely unmoved.

Seeing this, Zhu Huaijin's voice suddenly rose, and he cried out, "Everyone, please be the judge! I spent three days and three nights traveling from the outer islands to collect these spiritual vegetables, braving wind and rain. Do you think it's easy to earn a few hard-earned coins?"

My elderly mother is at home waiting for the money to save her life...

This shout immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the onlookers.

"It's really not easy; those who work on ships are most afraid of being stuck with unsold cargo."

"The Mu family's rules are too rigid. What's wrong with making an exception?"

"Exactly, they didn't do anything wrong..."

Gradually, people began to point fingers at the Mu family disciple, saying things like the Mu family was cold-blooded, ruthless, and inhumane.

The Mu family disciple stood at the bow of the ship, his face growing increasingly grim, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.

You all seem so detached, talking without any sense of responsibility. But if the higher-ups punish us, won't I be the one to bear the consequences?

With that thought in mind, he made up his mind that no matter what others said, he would not let him in.

He can tolerate it, but there are others who can't stand it.

After a moment, a middle-aged man walked over from the dock.

He wore a long, gray-blue robe with the Mu family's emblem embroidered on his chest and a steward's token hanging from his waist.

When the crowd saw him, they automatically made way for him.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the Mu family disciples immediately bowed and paid their respects.

The middle-aged man glanced at him, nodded, and then turned his gaze to Zhu Huaijin on the boat.

Zhu Huaijin's eyes lit up: "Manager Liu."

The middle-aged man remained expressionless and said calmly, "This is a one-time exception; there will be no next time."

Zhu Huaijin was overjoyed and repeatedly assured him, "Of course, of course, thank you so much for your understanding, Steward Liu."

The Mu family disciple opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing and silently retreated to the side.

Afterwards, the cargo ship docked, and Zhu Huaijin beckoned to a worker and whispered, "Go and run to Jieyoufang and tell them the goods have arrived."

The man nodded and ran off in a flash.

Before long, a tall, thin man dressed in a silk robe walked over from the market area.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhu Huaijin immediately put on a fawning smile and greeted him obsequiously: "Manager Lin, you've arrived. Don't you trust my goods? I guarantee they're fresh, just picked from the field."

Manager Lin squinted and said slowly, "Whether it's new or not is not for you to decide."

After saying that, he jumped onto the boat, casually pulled out a piece of spiritual vegetable from under the cloth, smelled it, and then chewed it.

He chewed slowly, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were savoring some delicacy.

Zhu Huaijin stood to the side, confident that the goods were fine, but he still looked a little nervous.

The forest ranger went through the process twice more, taking leaves from different baskets and tasting them before nodding in approval.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Huaijin felt a weight lifted from his heart.

He walked up to Manager Lin and rubbed his hands together.

Manager Lin, of course, understood his meaning and laughed, "There are too many people and too many eyes around here. Are you sure you want to pay the bill here?"

Zhu Huaijin waved his hand dismissively: "The Xikou market is not what it used to be. Who would dare to cause trouble on the Mu family's turf? Besides, my men aren't just sitting around doing nothing."

The men behind him puffed out their chests, intentionally or unintentionally revealing the magical artifacts at their waists.

Upon hearing this, Steward Lin said no more and took out a spirit stone bag from his pocket.

The bag was bulging, containing at least a thousand spirit stones.

Zhu Huaijin's eyes lit up, and he immediately told the shop assistants to move the goods. He then plopped down in a chair, took the bag of spirit stones, and began counting them with a smile.

He counted very slowly, and every now and then he would pick up a spirit stone and hold it up to the sun, looking like he was obsessed with money.

People came and went at the dock, and many of them looked at him with a burning gaze.

Zhu Huaijin was completely unaware and continued to happily count his spirit stones.

He had no idea that at that moment, on another ferry not far away, a pair of eyes were staring intently at him.

His gaze was sinister and intense, like a wild dog that hadn't eaten for three days seeing a bone.

Feng San composed himself, suppressed the agitation in his heart, and turned to disembark from the ferry.

He walked quickly, weaving through the crowded docks and plunging into the alleyways of the market.

After turning left and right, and navigating several narrow alleys, he arrived at a secluded courtyard.

The courtyard was small, the outer walls were mottled, and most of the paint on the door had peeled off, making it look like the dwelling of an ordinary hermit.

Feng San stood at the door and knocked three times.

Seeing that no one answered, he knocked three more times, but still there was no response.

Feng San frowned and went around to the back of the courtyard.

The back door is even less noticeable, sandwiched between two walls, so narrow that only one person can pass through at a time.

He raised his hand and tapped three times lightly.

The gate to the courtyard was open this time.

Feng San squeezed in sideways, but the courtyard was empty and deserted.

He looked puzzled and was about to speak when a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Have you found a target?"

Startled, Feng San turned around abruptly.

An old man stood in the shadows behind the door. He was thin and gaunt, with a face full of wrinkles and a pair of cloudy eyes that shone with a sharp light.

Feng San calmed himself down and forced a dry laugh, "Godfather, why aren't you in your room?"

Feng Yuan didn't reply, and walked into the house by himself with his hands behind his back.

Seeing this, Feng San followed along eagerly.

The room was simply furnished, with only a wooden table and a few chairs.

Feng Yuan sat down at the table and looked up at Feng San: "Tell me about it."

Feng San quickly went over and told them what had happened at the dock.

From the argument between Zhu Huaijin and the Mu family disciples, to Steward Lin settling the bill on the spot, and then to that bulging bag of spirit stones.

At the end, he looked disdainful: "Godfather, these people don't take us seriously at all."

He paid his bill on the street, displaying over a thousand spirit stones as if he wanted everyone to know he was rich.

This time, we must teach them a lesson they won't forget.

Feng Yuan listened expressionlessly, his fingers slowly tapping.

"What is that person's cultivation level?"

"Fourth level of Qi Refining, fifth level at most," Feng San said confidently. "His henchmen are only at the early stage of Qi Refining, maybe two of them are capable of fighting. If my son and I take him down, it will be a piece of cake."

Feng Yuan paused for a moment, then asked, "Is there enough profit?"

Feng San's eyes lit up, and he held up two fingers: "I saw it clearly, that bag was so bulging it was about to burst, it must have been worth at least two thousand spirit stones."

Feng Yuan's fingers stopped.

Two thousand spirit stones was no small sum for him.

I'm really short on cash lately. My men are pressing me for spirit stones, and the spies I keep also need money. If I don't make some money soon, I'm afraid I won't even be able to keep them.

Thinking of this, Feng Yuan slowly nodded: "Go and keep an eye on them, don't let them escape."

Upon hearing this, Feng San was overjoyed, responded, and turned to leave.

Just before leaving, he turned back, shamelessly asking, "Godfather, after this trip, can I go have some fun? I heard some new girls have arrived over there..."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yuan grabbed a teacup from the table and threw it at him: "Is that all the grit you've got?"

Feng Sanyi shrank his neck, and the teacup flew past his scalp, hitting the door frame and shattering on the ground.

He chuckled, turned and ran away.

Feng Yuan was the only one left in the room.

He sat by the oil lamp, his cloudy eyes flickering in the dancing firelight.

The deal was indeed tempting, but he still felt uneasy.

There's been no news of that old bastard Mandu for some time now.

A few days ago, he sent someone to deliver a message, saying that his men had discovered several suspicious Mu family disciples and asking if they wanted to take action together.

He didn't respond at the time.

It's not that I don't want to earn spirit stones, but I find it strange.

The Mu family has always been strict, so why are there suddenly a few unfamiliar faces wandering around at sea?

After only a few days, Mandu disappeared without a trace.

His men also seemed to have vanished into thin air.

As Feng Yuan gets older, he becomes more and more afraid of death. The reason he has lived to this age in the line of robbing cultivators is because of his cautious nature.

If he weren't so desperate for spirit stones, he really wouldn't want to make a move at this time.