Start with the fisherman

Chapter 40: The Bounty List Villain, Su Wu Returns
Early in the morning, Cao Ze was practicing the Fish-Dragon Body Tempering Technique in the courtyard, while Su Xiaozhi was busy in the kitchen.

He did not go to the bottom of the sea to practice today.

Yesterday, after distributing porridge, the group of blue-clad men who claimed to be from the Church of Poseidon did not leave, but set up camp outside the village, as if they were going to stay for a long time.

When the villagers saw them, they were very welcoming. They simply stopped them from setting up camp and took the initiative to clean up some empty rooms for the group to stay in in Bishui Village.

This morning they went to the village entrance early and started cooking porridge again.

This method is not uncommon, and Cao Ze does not object to it. Although their purpose is to spread faith and recruit believers, they have indeed saved many lives.

If they hadn't appeared, even if the storm had subsided, Bishui Village would have at least 10% fewer people.

However, there were many strangers in the village, so out of caution, Cao Ze stayed at home. And now that the storm had stopped, he had to prepare to go to sea to make money.

……

At the entrance of the village, the villagers lined up in an orderly manner with their bowls in their hands. Everyone in Bishui Village, young or old, male or female, came to the entrance of the village.

But no one noticed that a middle-aged man in gray clothes was walking quietly in the village. Every step he took seemed to be in the shadow of the houses, and he used all the buildings around him to hide his figure, which was often fleeting.

Not to mention that everyone is at the entrance of the village at this time, even if everyone is at home, they probably won't be able to detect his existence.

Soon, the man came to the outside of Cao Ze's courtyard.

He had already found out that the boy in this family was a warrior. He had a record of killing a first-level body-building warrior. He was also a good fisherman. Knowing the location of a school of yellow croaker was like controlling a gold mine, so his family should have some money.

Nowadays, the world is in chaos and the landlords have no surplus food. They are distributing porridge everywhere. Where does the porridge come from?

Naturally, it comes from these rich and unkind dog owners.

It just so happens that this kid actually dares to show no interest in the deeds of Lord Poseidon, so don't blame him for being rude.

Musha?
So what if I can kill a person at the first level of body forging?

The highest level is the second level of body forging.

So what if he has reached the third level of body forging?
Is it possible that there are still Yi Jin martial artists in such a remote place?
The middle-aged man was very confident. With his strength of the fifth level of body building and Yi Jin, he could easily walk around in Bishui Village.

He came to the outside of the courtyard wall, jumped lightly, supported himself on the wall with his left hand, and easily climbed over the wall.

He landed steadily, and then he saw Cao Ze practicing martial arts in the yard.

Inhale...exhale...

The breath turned into wind, whistling in the courtyard and raising dust.

The middle-aged man who had just landed in the courtyard froze in place, his eyes wide open, "Yi Jin Xiaocheng?"

"How could there be a Yi Jin warrior in such a remote place?!"

But he soon calmed down.

So what if he is a Yi Jin warrior?

He had seen many warriors from small places. They often had a good level of cultivation, but when it came to fighting they were as immature as children. They had all the strength but were unable to use it at all.

He had even seen a sixth-level body-building warrior from a small place lose to a young man from an aristocratic family who had just mastered skin-smoothing.

Fighting power is not just determined by cultivation level, otherwise there wouldn't be so many fights in this world. When a dispute arises, everyone shows off their cultivation level and compares their skills. The one with the higher level wins, and the dispute naturally disappears.

In addition to cultivation, martial arts and combat experience are also very important components of combat effectiveness.

It is already very difficult for a warrior from such a remote village to obtain a cultivation method by chance, so how could he have the opportunity to practice martial arts, let alone combat experience? How could he have the experience to fight with those muddy fishermen?

Although this kind of warrior has impressive skills, he is actually just a paper tiger and can withstand a single blow.

He didn't expect that he would encounter such a paper tiger today.

The middle-aged man grinned fiercely, drew out his long sword, and rushed towards Cao Ze. He was very excited. After today, he would probably have another record of killing a Yi Jin warrior to add to his reputation.

Swish!
Suddenly, a white light appeared in front of his eyes.

The grim smile froze on his face, then broke in two.

"so white!"

The middle-aged man only had time for this thought to flash through his mind before his consciousness fell into chaos.

"So weak!"

Cao Ze retracted his dagger and was also somewhat surprised at the power of Ji Canghai.

Although he had killed many warriors in the Yi Jin realm before, he had never done it as cleanly and neatly as he did now. It was as easy as crushing an ant. The two sides were no longer on the same level.

He didn't understand why the other party suddenly appeared in his yard, but when the other party showed murderous intent and rushed towards him, the ending was already doomed.

"Brother Ze."

Su Xiaozhi exclaimed softly, came to Cao Ze and held his arm.

She was now also a second-level body-building warrior, so she naturally sensed the movement in the courtyard at the first moment. Cao Ze's stunning sword move was deeply engraved in her mind.

She had always known that Brother Ze must be very powerful. She had never won in the ring, but it was not until just now that she realized how powerful Brother Ze was!

"Find a place to bury him?"

After calming down, Su Xiaozhi looked at the two halves of the corpse that had formed a pool of blood in the courtyard. The strong smell of blood made her frown.

Even though Daqian exploits the people and doesn't care about the lives of civilians, killing is still a capital crime in Daqian.

Cao Ze smiled, feeling relieved that Su Xiaozhi was not frightened by such a scene. She even had time to think about how to deal with the beginning and the end. This was great!
but,
"No, we'll call the police!"

It was clearly this person who broke into his courtyard, and this person was not from Bishui Village. He was fighting on his home turf, and the laws of Daqian could not do anything to him.

Of course, the most important thing is that he is no longer the ordinary fisherman Cao Ze!

"Okay, I'll report it to the police."

Su Xiaozhi understood Cao Ze's meaning instantly.

Soon, two Daqian soldiers from Bishui Village came to the Cao family courtyard.

"Did you kill the person?"

As soon as they entered the door, the two Daqian soldiers gasped when they saw corpses lying on the ground.

They were usually responsible for collecting the taxes of Bishui Village, so they naturally knew Cao Ze. When they thought about how they had collected taxes from such a vicious person before, they couldn't help but feel a chill down their spine.

"I was practicing swordplay in the courtyard, and he rushed in to kill me, and I just happened to chop him down..."

Cao Ze pointed at the corpse on the ground and explained that the middle-aged warrior's long sword had been put away by him long ago.

This long sword was obviously of much better quality than Zheng Tiezhu's short sword. Zheng Tiezhu's short sword was just forged from ordinary iron, while this long sword was at least a fine long sword that had been tempered hundreds of times. Naturally, he accepted it with a smile.

"Breaking into a private residence with the intention of committing murder is not a crime!"

The two Daqian soldiers quickly came to a conclusion about Cao Ze's behavior. Judging from their expressions, they would have come to this conclusion even if Cao Ze said nothing.

"what!"

Suddenly, one of the soldiers let out a light exclamation, walked forward, and carefully put the two halves of the body together.

"Flying Fox of the East Sea!"

When the two halves of the face came together, the soldier suddenly exclaimed.

Another soldier stepped forward upon hearing this, and after taking a closer look at the face, he also exclaimed, "It's really the Flying Fox of the East China Sea!"

It was not until then that they realized that they had underestimated this young man.

You know, Donghai Feihu is the 97th-ranked murderer on the bounty list. He has committed several horrific crimes around Cape City and escaped official pursuit several times. He is said to be a powerful warrior who has reached the fifth level of body forging and Yijin realm.

I didn’t expect that such a vicious person would die at the hands of a young boy from a fishing village!

"Bounty list?"

Cao Ze was puzzled.

Having lived in a fishing village for a long time and without access to information, although his cultivation has improved, his knowledge is still no different from that of an ordinary fishing village boy.

"The so-called bounty list is a bounty list issued by the Daqian court, used to offer rewards for notorious thieves."

"Of course, the bounty list we are talking about is the Cape City bounty list."

"But those who can enter the wanted list of Cape City are all powerful and fierce people. Otherwise, they would not be rewarded and would have been captured and killed by the Daqian court long ago."

After discovering the identity of the corpse, the two soldiers' tone of voice when speaking to Cao Ze changed drastically, even becoming a bit flattering, and they patiently explained things to Cao Ze.

They were just ordinary soldiers, all of them at the first level of body forging, so they didn't dare to act presumptuously in front of Cao Ze.

If Cao Ze was only at the second or third level of body forging, it would be fine. With the Daqian court as their cover, Cao Ze would not dare to do anything to them. But now, even if Cao Ze killed them, I am afraid that their superiors would try to win over Cao Ze first, rather than avenge them.

After all, they don't have any background, otherwise they wouldn't have been assigned to guard this remote village.

"The reward for this East Sea Flying Fox is fifty taels of silver. Don't worry, Brother Ze. We will send its head to Cape City and give you the reward in a few days!"

"That's it, thank you very much!"

Cao Ze hurriedly thanked the two of them.

"You're welcome, you're welcome, this is what we should do."

The two soldiers waved their hands repeatedly, even with a hint of pride, as if it was an honor to help Cao Ze.

Without any need for Cao Ze's instructions, the two men quickly cleaned up the body and carried it out of the yard, and even remembered to clean the yard for Cao Ze.

This is the world where martial arts is respected!

"Fifty taels of reward?"

Cao Ze murmured, and couldn't help but feel a little tempted. Hunting down the criminals on the bounty list would obviously make money much faster than going out to sea to fish.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea. Just as the two soldiers said, everyone on the bounty list is a tough guy. If he meets a tough guy and loses his life, then everything will be over.

He has a panel to add points to, so there's no need to take such a risk.

……

On the blue sea, a black-sailed boat was floating quietly on the sea. There was no wind on the sea, but it was still shaking constantly.

"My dear husband, I was wrong. Please forgive me!"

In the cabin, amidst the heavy breathing, a begging voice was heard.

Cao Ze snorted, "You can take it if you want it, and you can take it if you don't want it. What do you think of your husband as?"

Su Xiaozhi wrapped her hands around Cao Ze's neck and licked his ears. She didn't dare to tease him anymore and quickly begged for mercy again, "I don't dare. From now on, I will listen to my husband. If my husband lets me be on top, I will never go down..."

"It's not that easy!"

Cao Ze chuckled. Su Xiaozhi was really becoming more and more outrageous. She had provoked him and wanted him to stop. That was not going to happen.

"It's really not going well. It's really not going well..."

Su Xiaozhi begged for mercy, "Otherwise, I..."

The wupeng boat swayed gracefully for a while before finally settling down.

"You!"

Pinching Su Xiaozhi's nose, Cao Ze couldn't help but laugh.

He felt something was wrong when he went out fishing today. Su Xiaozhi actually wore the skirt with peach blossom pattern. It didn't look like she was going out to sea to fish, but rather like she was going to attend some grand event.

Sure enough, not long after sailing out of the coast, she entered the cabin of the sloop and called out "husband" in a tender voice.

It was just a change of address, and Cao Ze understood what she meant.

After all, Su Xiaozhi usually calls him Brother Ze.

Cao Ze thought that he was not a lustful person, but since his lady had invited him, as a man, he naturally could not refuse, so he gladly accepted the invitation.

As for the begging for mercy afterwards, with Su Xiaozhi's current physique of the second level of body building, how could she really be as unable to withstand the conquest as an ordinary woman? It was just some small interest that could not be told to outsiders.

"What's wrong with me?"

Su Xiaozhi wrinkled her nose slightly and looked at Cao Ze proudly, "Didn't my husband like it very much just now?"

Cao Ze also showed a happy smile, tightened his arms, and hugged this lovely woman in his arms, "I like it!"

"As long as it's you, I like it no matter what!"

Su Xiaozhi narrowed her eyes slightly and lay in Cao Ze's arms like a lazy cat, surrounded by a sense of happiness.

"Let's bring the mattress tomorrow!"

In the tenderness, Su Xiaozhi suddenly whispered, "I have learned some new knowledge and want to discuss it with my husband."

"Which aunt did you learn this from?"

Cao Ze wanted to see who had led his little Zhi astray.

"Not at all!"

Su Xiaozhi shyly pinched Cao Ze's waist muscles and said, "I learned it from a book!"

"There is beauty in books!"

"Good good!"

"Everything is up to you, my wife!"

Cao Ze agreed with a smile.

This black-sailed boat was bought from Uncle Qiang. Uncle Qiang is old and is not suitable for going out to sea to fish. As soon as Cao Ze proposed it, he readily agreed, so he could decorate his boat however he wanted, as long as Su Xiaozhi was happy.

We had originally planned to explore deeper waters today, but due to this delay, we could only catch one boatload of fish and return to the village.

As the sun sets, the sunset dyes the sea into a bright red, just like the festive look of a wedding.

Sitting in the cabin, looking at Cao Ze rowing the boat, Su Xiaozhi was mesmerized for a moment.

Before the boat docked, Cao Ze saw a man standing on the shore, looking over here. It was Su Wu, whom he hadn't seen for many days!

With a strong row, the black-sailed boat flew to the shore like an arrow. Uncle Wu seemed to be waiting for them.

When he arrived at the shore, Cao Ze discovered that Uncle Wu was pale, his breath was weak, and there was a faint smell of blood coming from his body. He looked like he was seriously injured.

"Dad, what's wrong with you?"

Su Xiaozhi jumped off the black-sailed boat in one step, came to the shore, reached out to support Su Wu, and asked anxiously with concern.

Su Wu's pupils shrank because of Su Xiaozhi's jump just now.

Is this already a small step towards resurfacing?
Looking at Cao Ze again, he had a reserved demeanor and his skin was bronze with a metallic luster.

Is this already a complete resurfacing?
He had only been away for more than two months, and he wanted to ask Cao Ze and the others, "What happened?"

But he had something more important to say.

"Come home with me quickly, pack your things, and go to Cape City!"

"I have prepared some money for you, enough for you to live in Cape City for a while. As for the rest, you have to rely on yourselves."

Su Wu cut to the chase and took Su Xiaozhi and Cao Ze with him and walked towards Bishui Village.

Originally, he was a little worried about whether the two could survive in Cape City. But when he saw that they had both become warriors, he felt much more relieved.

"Dad, what happened?"

Su Xiaozhi continued to ask, "Brother Ze is very powerful now, Brother Ze will definitely be able to help you!"

"I have offended someone I cannot afford to offend. You will only be safe if you go to Cape City!"

Su Wu did not hide anything, but he did not say much either.

He naturally saw that Cao Ze was quite powerful now, and might be able to help him in the future. Unfortunately, he didn't have that much time left.

"Aze, I know you are a good kid. Xiaozhi will depend on you to take care of her from now on!"

"Don't avenge me, just hide your identities and live a good life!"

Su Wu looked like he was making arrangements for his final affairs.

"Don't worry, Uncle Wu. As long as I'm here, I won't let Xiaozhi get hurt!"

Cao Ze promised without hesitation.

Su Wu looked at Cao Ze with satisfaction. Although he was his father-in-law, he liked his son-in-law more and more. He felt that letting Xiao Zhi marry Cao Ze was probably the best decision he had ever made in his life.

"Uncle Wu, what's going on?"

Cao Ze also asked.

Su Wu just kept shaking his head, "Don't bother yourself too much. The less you know, the better it will be for you."

(End of this chapter)