He achieved the pinnacle of martial arts starting with breaking through the limits of Tiger Fist.

The area near the cave where the treasure fish was located was a jagged rocky area, making it difficult to cast a net.

Jiang Lin patiently kept casting bait, luring it towards a wide, flat area.

This treasure fish was quite large and had an excellent appetite. The fish that Jiang Lin threw in was sucked into its mouth as soon as it opened its mouth, and then disappeared without a trace, bones and all.

Fortunately, Jiang Lin went out to practice his skills this time, so he caught a lot of fish; otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have been able to attract them that far.

Within half an hour, the strange fish was lured to a suitable spot to cast the net.

The shallow water was clear, and it was the first time Jiang Lin had seen its entirety.

It resembled a snake but was not quite a snake. It had a long body, but four limbs and sharp claws like knives. Its body was the same thickness from front to back, and it was three or four meters long.

Its head, in particular, has a disc-shaped mouthpart filled with sharp ring teeth.

Jiang Lin felt a chill run down his spine; this was just too ugly.

But since it's a precious fish, we have to get rid of it no matter how ugly it is; it costs money.

Seeing that there was little bait left, Jiang Lin knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.

Jiang Lin straightened the fishing net in his hand and then suddenly cast it out.

Since perfecting his fishing skills, the nets he casts have become different, perfectly round and precise.

The sound of the fishing net hitting the water startled the precious fish below.

But its reaction was different from that of ordinary fish; instead of running away immediately, it turned its head to look at the source of the sound.

In that instant, the fishing net tightened.

"Wow, that's some real strength."

Even with Jiang Lin's current physique, he could barely lift it.

The fishing net's ropes snapped taut, and the precious fish began to thrash violently, its force increasing so much that Jiang Lin almost overturned the boat.

With a "sizzle" sound.

The sharp claws tore through the fishing net made of hemp rope, and after several more rolls, ripped the entire net to shreds.

With a twist of its body, it floated to the surface, its dark, empty eyes looking at Jiang Lin.

"this……"

Jiang Lin's heart tightened, and he bent down to pick up the long knife that was placed at his feet.

He drew his sword.

Since he got this knife from Lao Liu last time, he hasn't had a chance to draw blood. Jiang Lin doesn't mind making an exception today.

Their eyes met for a long while before the treasure fish dived into the water and disappeared.

In Jiang Lin's perception, the treasure fish burrowed back into the cave and settled there once again.

Jiang Lin also breathed a sigh of relief. He decided to avoid fighting if possible. Although he was not afraid of it, this was deep in the swamp, and it would be difficult to deal with if he got injured.

"You dare look me in the eye? Fine, you'll see next time."

Jiang Lin glanced at the approaching dusk, uttered some harsh words, and turned back towards Changning County.

Actually, the situation just now was extremely suitable for using a bow and arrow, but of course, I'm not referring to the one Jiang Lin was practicing with.

That bow was barely good enough for practice; he had no desire to even use it.

……

Changning County Wharf.

Jiang Lin returned the rented boat, got his deposit back, picked up the "night ray" wrapped in lotus leaves, and headed to the fish market.

The docks in Changning County also charge an entrance fee, but the people collecting the money have changed from gangs to government officials.

Now, the Great Jin Dynasty is in turmoil, and the government's power can only be confined to the prefectures and counties.

The countryside had long been dominated by gangs and local gentry.

The saying "imperial power does not extend to the countryside" illustrates this point; it's simply a common problem in the final years of a dynasty.

The saying goes, "Those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water." The fish market in the county town is definitely not comparable to that in the countryside, and the Long family is not the only dominant player in the market.

There are members from the Eagle Claw Sect, various merchant guilds, escort agencies, martial arts schools, and even blacksmith shops that buy fish here.

Jiang Lin will definitely be selling fish at the Long family's stall; he still owes Senior Sister Long a favor!

Upon entering the Long family's shop, Jiang Lin took out the treasure fish.

He had seen this fish sold before, and knew that its value lay not in the fish meat, but in its unicorn horn.

The longer the horn of a stingray, the more valuable it is. This one is too small, with its single horn only two inches long, so it probably won't fetch a good price.

The shopkeeper measured the size; it was two inches and seven fen (approximately 1.3 inches), and quoted a price of twenty-seven taels.

This is calculated at ten taels of silver per inch, which is a fair price.

After all, he's not even an adult yet.

The age of these fish horns also matters; the older they are, the thicker and longer they become, and even their color changes.

The value of a piece from a good year will increase significantly, and it's not uncommon for it to sell for two or three hundred taels of silver.

After the money and goods were exchanged, Jiang Lin was about to leave when he suddenly saw two people walking out of the shop's backyard.

One of them was a bit older, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with well-proportioned muscles and dark, shiny skin, looking like someone who had long made a living in the water.

The other person was dressed in a blue outfit that accentuated the beautiful curves of their upper body. Their waist was cinched tightly, and their long legs made their hips appear full and firm.

"Senior Sister Long."

Jiang Lin went up to pay his respects.

"Junior Brother Jiang, what brings you here?" Long Susu asked with a hint of curiosity.

"I managed to catch a treasure fish, so I'll exchange it for some silver."

"Baoyu, Junior Brother, you're really skilled! How big is it?" Long Susu immediately became interested.

"Uh." Jiang Lin stretched out one hand, then thought for a moment and used his other hand to extend it a bit further in front of his palm.

"So big..."

"Hahaha……"

Long Susu smiled so broadly her face was like a peach blossom in the rain; this junior brother was truly amusing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Long Susu waved her hands repeatedly, "It's not that I meant to laugh at you, it's just that your fish is just too..."

He almost burst out laughing again, but quickly managed to hold it in.

Jiang Lin didn't feel embarrassed at all, and simply laughed along with his senior sister.

After a while, the laughter stopped, and Jiang Lin was about to take his leave when Senior Sister Long called him back.

Seeing that they had something to say, Jiang Lin consciously went out of the shop and waited outside to avoid suspicion.

After Long Susu gave a few instructions, the man went out first, and even glanced at Jiang Lin before leaving.

"Junior brother, are you short of money?" Senior Sister Long walked gracefully out of the gate.

I'm definitely short of money. Last time I bought a bow and arrows, and then I bought a bottle of "Blood Nourishing Pills". I only have a little over twenty taels left.

Fortunately, there was income today, which restored the money in my purse to fifty taels. However, this amount of money is just a drop in the bucket for cultivation.

To put it bluntly, they can't even afford a decent bow and arrow.

"Senior sister, you're overthinking it. I'm originally a fisherman; this is my old profession."

Long Susu said with satisfaction, "Junior brother is so young, yet he was able to catch the treasure fish on his own. His fishing skills are indeed superb, even though the fish was a little small."

"There's something I'd like to trouble you with, Senior Sister." Jiang Lin recalled the precious fish that had stared at him and decided to ask Senior Sister Long for some information.

This senior sister was born into the Long family, so she must have done a lot of research on these precious fish.

After Jiang Lin gave his description, to his surprise, Senior Sister Long also said she didn't know.

"The Yunmeng Marsh is vast and unpredictable, teeming with countless rare and wondrous creatures; it's normal not to recognize them." She then added, "However, our Long family has compiled a special book recording all kinds of strange and precious fish; I'll fetch it for you to see in a few days."

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Jiang Lin's heart leaped with joy.

In this way, he would no longer need to fumble around based on fragmented rumors.

In this world, ordinary people have limited knowledge, but his previous life was already quite good, at least he could read.

Fishermen's knowledge of the treasure fish mostly comes from word of mouth and their own experience, which contains many errors and omissions.

Now that he has access to a systematic register, it will greatly benefit his future actions.