Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After several days of fishing, the time for the market finally arrived.

Ying Yuanxing had already consulted with the village chief about the market's opening hours and the travel time from Peach Stream Village, meticulously planning his departure and return.

The market was quite a distance from Peach Stream Village. Fortunately, there was public transport available; otherwise, he would have had to walk the entire way. Even with a backpack to carry the fish, the journey would have been arduous and more perilous.

Before dawn, Ying Yuanxing was roused by his alarm. He quickly got up, fed the fish one last time, and completed his farm chores in the dark before starting to pack the fish.

He selected the most numerous species to fill his backpack, leaving the remaining scattered varieties, which were few in quantity, in the pond for now, planning to sell them once their numbers increased.

As for the five bullyfish, Ying Yuanxing pondered for a moment, then scooped them out and placed them in a separate bag. He wanted to see if they could survive out of water; if so, he would save a backpack slot.

Ideally, Ying Yuanxing would have preferred to wait until he had caught a few more bullyfish before selling them all at once. However, despite catching many other types of fish in the past few days, he hadn't hooked any more bullyfish, so he decided not to wait any longer.

Most importantly, Ying Yuanxing noticed that these fish seemed unusually inactive in the tank. He wondered if they weren't accustomed to eating hay, which made him worry they might die if he continued to keep them.

After a while, he was surprised to find the fish in unexpectedly good condition. Ying Yuanxing promptly bagged them, then, with two empty packs on his back—a sickle hanging on the left and an axe on the right—and his fishing rod slung diagonally, he headed out.

The village chief, already aware of Ying Yuanxing's departure, was waiting at the door. From a distance, he saw Ying Yuanxing, laden with gear, rummaging through a trash can as he approached.

Even though it wasn't the first time he had witnessed Ying Yuanxing in such a state, each sighting still made the chief feel a momentary blackout.

What baffled him most was that Ying Yuanxing seemed to know of his disapproval. He would avoid the chief when rummaging through trash, but only by keeping a slight distance, as if believing the chief wouldn't see him, then continue with complete nonchalance.

The chief could attest that even though other Great Weirds hadn't yet interacted with Ying Yuanxing, they were all intimately familiar with this habit of his, having even figured out the pattern of his appearances.

"Chief!" Ying Yuanxing greeted him warmly upon seeing him.

"You're going to sell fish, aren't you?" the chief nodded in response, then noticed the eerie Qi swirling around the bag in Ying Yuanxing's hand. It must contain the Yu family's various Great Weirds—it was impressive they could endure such a situation.

Ying Yuanxing nodded. "Chief, when do we leave?"

This was Ying Yuanxing's first time leaving the village, and he wasn't familiar with the route. Since the chief was also heading to the market, Ying Yuanxing decided to accompany him.

"I'll go get some money, then we'll leave right away." The chief glanced at the familiar eerie Qi in the bag, confirming the Yu family's presence. He then went inside to send a message to Elder Brother Yu, instructing him to hurry to the market and wait for them. After that, he set off with Ying Yuanxing.

At the bus stop, a dilapidated bus, looking as if it were destined for the scrapyard, soon drifted into view from a distance. As it drew closer, one could even hear its parts rattling, making one wonder if it would fall apart upon boarding.

"Let's get on," the chief said, stepping aboard first.

Ying Yuanxing, holding the fish bag in one hand and steadying his protruding axe with the other, also boarded the bus.

The chief inserted a coin into the ticket machine—Ying Yuanxing saw it was one yuan—then set down the fish bag. Although the bag wasn't particularly heavy, the moment it was placed on the floor, the bus groaned as if it were buckling under the weight.

Alarmed, Ying Yuanxing quickly picked up the bag, only to find that the metal floor seemed to have dented where the bag had rested.

Seriously? Is it that flimsy? Ying Yuanxing suddenly felt unsafe underfoot, fearing that if he stepped slightly too hard, he might punch a hole through the floor, even though the metal looked fine.

Ying Yuanxing wanted to ask the chief if they could switch buses, but the chief had already paid and taken his seat. Bringing it up now would be troublesome.

Well, might as well take it. If the chief could ride this bus, it probably wasn't as dangerous as he imagined. Ying Yuanxing reassured himself, pulled out a coin, inserted it into the ticket machine, looked around, and chose a seat directly behind the driver.

He was still concerned about the bus's structural integrity, but while other areas might be questionable, the driver would surely prioritize his own safety. Therefore, the spot directly behind him should also be safe.

However, after a while, Ying Yuanxing noticed the bus still hadn't moved. The driver seemed to be looking back at him—that gaze...

Ying Yuanxing, seated directly behind the driver, simply assumed the driver had turned to look at him. He didn't realize that the driver's head had actually rotated a full 180 degrees, literally looking back at him.

"Chief, what's wrong?" Confused by the stare, Ying Yuanxing could only ask his acquaintance.

The chief looked at the bag in Ying Yuanxing's hand, then at Ying Yuanxing's earnest expression, strongly suspecting that Ying Yuanxing simply didn't want to pay extra. Each Great Weird cost one yuan. He had paid for himself, but Ying Yuanxing needed to pay for the Yu family.

The chief considered pretending not to understand, but since Elder Brother Yu had already set off, he couldn't delay too long, or collecting the money would be difficult. He reluctantly got up and inserted five more coins.

The driver silently started the bus.

Only then did Ying Yuanxing realize that the fare hadn't been fully paid. But the bus fare for these few fish was actually more than his own? The transportation cost was a bit too high. The only difference between this and robbery was the smaller amount!

Ying Yuanxing felt a pang of heartache, but he was too embarrassed to let the chief pay for him. He took out five yuan and handed it to the chief.

The chief was surprised that Ying Yuanxing would offer him the money and didn't dare to be polite, knowing that the last time he had been polite, Ying Yuanxing had taken him literally. He quickly took the five yuan back.

Though grieving over the extra five yuan, Ying Yuanxing didn't notice that the bus sped past several stops without stopping, even though people on the platforms were waving for it. The creaking from the bus grew significantly louder than before.

Finally, upon reaching the market's stop, the driver almost eagerly opened the door and gestured for them to disembark.

Ying Yuanxing got off with the fish bag, and the bus doors quickly closed. The bus then sped away—or rather, tried to, crawling forward like a worn-out mule, inch by inch.

What Ying Yuanxing didn't know was that the driver was, in fact, the bus itself. Riding this bus was akin to riding a horse. Generally, the Great Weirds who took this bus were not very powerful, as stronger Great Weirds had various modes of transportation.

And with five Yu family Great Weirds on board—the three small ones were one thing, but the two larger ones were exceptionally heavy, almost crushing the bus.

If not for the driver's fear of the Yu family's eerie Qi, Peach Stream Village's notorious reputation, and the chief's prompt payment, they might have been thrown off halfway.