Chapter Twelve: Venturing into the Sea

“From the little fishing village?”

A burly, crew-cut man with a face full of scars strode over, surrounded by a dozen rough-looking men. His expression was unfriendly as he glanced at Qin Zhen and Li Han, finally settling his gaze on Liu Quan, who stood at the forefront.

“The usual rule—one hundred copper coins to go to sea.”

“What do you mean, one hundred coins to go to sea?” Qin Zhen was taken aback.

“It means that anyone from our village who wants to fish at sea, whether they catch anything or not, must first pay a hundred coins as a protection fee,” Liu Quan explained, handing over a small purse. “That man is Scar Brother, the local boss. He’s got connections everywhere! If we don’t pay, we won’t even get near the sea.”

“But the sea isn’t his, why should we pay him?” Li Han shouted indignantly.

“Newcomers, huh?” Scar Brother said nothing, but his pockmarked underling spoke up. “Haven’t you heard about Scar Brother? Everyone in Jiangnan knows his name! Even the bandits in the mountains and the county officials treat him with respect!”

“Pay up, and Scar Brother will protect you like a father protects his sons. Don’t pay, and he’ll beat you like your own father would!”

“So either way, you’re my dad?” Li Han retorted, his face stern.

“That’s right!” The pockmarked man grinned. “You’re clever!”

After collecting the money, Scar Brother casually pointed to a spot and spoke.

“That’s your area. Don’t cross the line, understand?”

“We understand!” Liu Quan and the others nodded vigorously, clearly accustomed to this routine.

Qin Zhen simmered with anger. He felt utterly powerless.

“Liu Quan, you look sturdy enough—why not just fight him?” Li Han protested, unwilling to submit. “There are so many of us! How can we let a thug push us around? If you’re scared, I’ll take him on. You just kick him from behind!”

“Han, you really are foolish!” Liu Quan wished he could shut Li Han up.

“You think no one’s ever tried to resist? Once, a group of villagers, over a hundred strong, wanted to challenge Scar Brother. The next day, bandits from the mountains slaughtered them! Their heads were stuck on stakes, packed as tightly as wheat in a field!”

At this, the fishermen nearby all showed fear on their faces. Clearly, they knew the story well.

“We’re just trying to survive. No need to die over it. Pay a little and move on. You’re all still young—hot-blooded!”

“The officials don’t care?” Qin Zhen regretted the question as soon as it left his mouth.

Will the authorities ever intervene when there’s nothing to gain?

Liu Quan whispered, wary as ever, “You don’t know. Scar Brother’s sister is said to be a concubine of a bandit chief in Mount Mao’er. With connections like that, even those tough county officers avoid him. Who’d dare interfere?”

Watching the arrogant thugs and the poor villagers suffering under their abuse, Qin Zhen felt a fire ignite in his chest. Suddenly, those dozens of silver taels he possessed seemed worthless.

In this world, without strength, money alone makes you nothing but a sheep awaiting slaughter! Just like now—work hard to earn a bit, only for someone to press a knife to your throat and take it all!

“Let’s go to sea!”

Liu Quan’s low shout snapped Qin Zhen out of his thoughts. The dozen villagers who had come with him each took a long rope and tied it around their waists. The rope’s end was fixed to a wooden stake carried along.

They pushed the stake into the water, left a few people on shore to hold the rope so the stake wouldn’t drift, while the rest, led by Liu Quan, stripped off their clothes and plunged into the sea.

This was the most primitive and rudimentary method of fishing in this world.

Diving underwater, catching fish with bare hands.

The waves surged, the wind howled!

Human beings were but dust, swallowed by the mighty sea!

Qin Zhen found this method foolish, yet he couldn’t help but admire these tide-chasers.

The irony was, though they dared defy even the heavens, they were forced to bow and scrape before thugs like Scar Brother.

A world that made no sense!

“These young men, risking their lives against the waves! No amount of money would make me do it. Hey, Zhen, let’s just stick to the woods. Even if I starve to death or jump from the mountain, I’ll never fish in the sea!” Li Han vowed.

Qin Zhen said nothing, gazing absent-mindedly at the surging, treacherous ocean.

“If only we had fishing nets…”

“What’s a fishing net?” Li Han asked curiously.

“It’s a huge net strung together with rope. Cast it, and you can catch plenty of fish!” Qin Zhen gestured.

“I think Liu Quan mentioned them, but they’re expensive—only rich folks use them. Plus, they’re disposable; once used, they’re thrown away,” Li Han muttered. “The fish you catch aren’t worth as much as the net. Isn’t that just wasting money?”

Qin Zhen suddenly remembered—the Great Shang was a landlocked nation, never venturing into the ocean; it wasn’t until a century ago, when the Northern Barbarians invaded and forced several relocations south, that the nation finally ended up by the sea. This attracted the attention of pirates and brought enemies from the waves.

The nets that evolved were all designed for river fishing, completely unsuited for the fierce fish of the ocean.

Furthermore, the lack of shipbuilding skills meant Great Shang had no capacity for long voyages, and thus the common folk had no means for deep-sea fishing.

Catching fish by hand seemed idiotic, but it was born of necessity.

If only he could improve the fishing net…

Qin Zhen suddenly grew excited, scanning his surroundings before darting into the seaside woods to search.

“Zhen, you finally want to comb through the woods.” Li Han was thrilled. “Let’s go hunt wild boar!”

“Forget that! Help me find this kind of grass.” Qin Zhen yanked up a string of green stems and handed them to Li Han.

“What’s this?” Li Han looked at it suspiciously. “Zhen, can we stop eating wild greens? I’m sick of them!”

“This isn’t wild greens! It’s bracken! It’s incredibly tough, and its plant fibers can be used to weave fishing nets!”

Li Han recognized each word Qin Zhen said, but he couldn’t make sense of them together.

He didn’t understand, but he trusted Qin Zhen.

Li Han didn’t dwell on it, and immediately bent his head to search alongside Qin Zhen.

Soon, the two returned to the beach with armfuls of wild grass.

By then, Liu Quan and the others had already emerged from the water, their catch poor, only three or four fish in hand.

Everyone sighed and wore worried expressions.

“Liu, this won’t do. We haven’t even made back our investment—how about another run?” one asked.

Liu Quan was unwilling, but with night falling, diving after dark was doubly dangerous. He really didn’t want to risk his brothers’ lives.

At that moment, Qin Zhen and Li Han came running with bundles of wild grass. Without a word, Qin Zhen soaked the grass in water and began working intently.

“What are you doing?” Liu Quan asked curiously.

“Weaving a net!” Qin Zhen replied boldly. “I’m going to use this to catch fish!”