Chapter 101: Fishing for Peaches

That evening, ten young men followed Li Banfeng and Ma Wu to the New Land.

Along the way, the ten men carried ten sacks of stinking fish on their backs.

These were dead fish Li Banfeng had bought from the market the previous night. Tied in sacks and left under the sun all day, they now stank so much that the smell could carry over ten meters even against the wind.

The journey was difficult for the ten young men. One tall, dark-skinned man had barely walked two *li* before his face turned pale from the stench.

"Are these two going to the New Land to 'fish' for peaches? Why else would they bring such smelly fish?"

Another handsome young man in blue nodded and said, "Given the season, they must be going for peaches. But they won't be able to do it; they won't make any money."

A thin young man in a yellow shirt said, "Who cares if they make money? As long as we do. We'll set the price with them later; picking peaches must be at the market rate, otherwise, we're not doing it."

Earth Jade Peaches were one of the most common "prey" in Blue Willow Village's New Land.

Ma Wu was indeed taking them to "fish" for peaches on this trip.

They walked to the southernmost end of the village, where there were no more houses, only occasional tents.

Many people didn't even have tents and simply slept on the ground.

On the edge of the New Land, it was hard to say what might emerge. One might go to sleep fine at night and wake up the next morning with not even a corpse left.

These people had mostly lost hope of survival; having food to eat was a blessing. They lived near the New Land because there was simply nowhere else to sleep; they couldn't even find space under bridge arches.

They left the village and entered a forest.

The forest looked unremarkable, just with denser foliage. As they reached the center of the forest, five young men, under Ma Wu's direction, opened the ten sacks of stinking fish and placed them on the ground.

The twelve people took their positions. Ten young men stood upwind, while Li Banfeng and Ma Wu stood downwind.

Ma Wu kept reassuring Li Banfeng: "Brother Li, the peach tree will definitely come from downwind. We need to keep watch here so we can give them orders later."

Li Banfeng's face was pale. "Don't talk. If you say another word, I'll throw up."

"Brother Li, it's not that bad, is it? It smells alright to me!"

"If you say another word, I'll damn well throw up on you."

It wasn't that Li Banfeng was being fussy; his sense of smell was extraordinary. Being downwind, the stench of the fish pouring into his nostrils was almost unbearable.

By 4:30 AM, as dawn approached, movement finally appeared in the forest.

*Creak-creak-creak*

Something was moving through the trees.

Li Banfeng quietly put on his Thread-Pulling Earrings and activated his Spirit Sound Insight skill, wanting to hear the creature's sounds.

A sharp shriek made Li Banfeng's eardrums ache. Once the pain subsided, he heard a roar beneath the shriek.

"Fragrant, truly fragrant..."

Li Banfeng really wanted to have a good discussion with the creature.

The leaves rustled.

Ma Wu reminded everyone to get ready.

An Earth Jade Peach tree was approaching them. Amidst the foul odor, Li Banfeng could already faintly smell the fragrance of peach blossoms.

*Crick-crick-crick*

The continuous sound of bark scraping indicated a "giant python" over a meter in diameter slowly slithering beneath the tree.

If it were their first time in Blue Willow Village's New Land, seeing such a thick python would surely scare them witless.

But many of these young men had experience "fishing" for peaches. They knew this wasn't a python; it was the root of an Earth Jade Peach tree.

This root seemed to be the peach tree's nose, sniffing around for scents.

When it passed Li Banfeng, the root had no reaction; a Level 2 House Cultivator was automatically ignored.

When it passed Ma Wu, the root reacted.

It climbed onto a branch and came to Ma Wu's side, fine rootlets slowly growing on him.

Sweat beaded on Ma Wu's face.

He was scared. Although he had experience "fishing" for peaches, experience didn't guarantee there wouldn't be accidents.

An Earth Jade Peach tree was a tree; it didn't possess much intelligence, but its combat power was not low. If its roots entangled Ma Wu, a Joy Cultivator who hadn't reached a higher level would be nothing more than an appetizer for the peach tree.

After a moment, the rootlets stopped bothering Ma Wu and rushed towards the pile of stinking fish on the ground beneath the tree.

The peach tree knew there was a person nearby, but the person's appeal couldn't compare to that of the stinking fish.

Thick roots plunged into the pile of stinking fish, sucking frantically.

Through the Thread-Pulling Earrings, the peach tree's cries kept echoing: "Fragrant, truly fragrant!"

Before long, several more roots plunged into the pile of stinking fish, which visibly began to shrink.

Seeing the time was right, Ma Wu led everyone, following the roots, to find the peach tree hidden nearby.

This peach tree was large enough for three people to embrace, and a wooden house could easily be built on its massive crown.

Beneath the tree, exposed roots spread out densely, extending beyond a normal person's line of sight.

This tree had only just arrived in this forest.

Li Banfeng was curious: how did such a massive tree move through such a dense forest?

This wasn't the time to ponder such things; their time was very limited.

Each of the twelve people carried a cloth bag. While the peach tree was eating the stinking fish, they quickly jumped onto its body.

Fist-sized Earth Jade Peaches, nestled among the peach leaves in the tree's crown, were their target.

The peach tree suddenly trembled a few times, as if it had suddenly acquired a few fleas, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Two young men nearly fell from the tree but were pulled back up by Li Banfeng and Ma Wu.

When "fishing" for peaches, the more people, the better. Not only did it increase picking efficiency, but they could also look out for each other.

They absolutely couldn't fall. If they landed among the roots, a live person would be eaten, bones and all, in the blink of an eye.

The peach tree quickly calmed down, no longer paying attention to the "fleas" on its body, and focused intently on eating the stinking fish.

Now was the best time to pick peaches; they had to be fast. How many peaches they could pick before the tree finished the fish depended on their skill.

Li Banfeng was the fastest, not just with his hands but his feet too. As a Journey Cultivator, he could move freely among the branches. In a short time, he had picked two full bags of peaches.

The others weren't as fast. Each peach had to be picked carefully, and those who were unsteady on their feet had to rely on others nearby to help them.

Everyone managed to pick roughly one bag of peaches, while the pile of stinking fish had been more than 70% eaten by the peach tree.

Ma Wu glanced at the fish and shouted, "Withdraw!"

Everyone quickly gathered their bags and left the peach tree.

If they didn't leave now, it would be too late.

Earth Jade Peaches had a varied diet; they loved stinking fish the most but wouldn't mind eating something else.

They left the forest at extreme speed. Halfway out, Li Banfeng stood on a treetop and looked towards where the peach tree had been.

The peach tree had vanished, disappearing in an unknown way, as if it had never been there.

Was this peach tree cultivated by a Cultivator of the Plough, or did it cultivate itself?

This was unknown.

Tonight's hunt was over. They were lucky to have encountered an Earth Jade Peach tree.

What if they hadn't found one?

Then this trip would have been a waste. They'd still have to pay the hired help, the stinking fish might barely last until tomorrow night, and the business would have resulted in a loss.

They returned to Blue Willow Village. On the way, they met a breakfast vendor. Ma Wu bought fried dough sticks and fried pancakes and shared them with everyone.

After Ma Wu and the others left, the breakfast vendor quickly packed up his stall and sent a message to Tang Tianjin, the head butler of the Song family.

Upon receiving the news, Tang Tianjin immediately informed the Song family patriarch, Song Jiasen.

Was buying breakfast such a big deal that the patriarch needed to be informed?

The breakfast wasn't the big deal; the peaches were.

"Master, Young Master Ma Wu from the Ma family took people to hunt in the New Land."

In Blue Willow Village, hunting was one of the villagers' most important sources of income.

Blue Willow Village was the Song family's territory. To hunt in the New Land, one had to inform the Song family in advance, and anything hunted had to be sold through the Song family.

Ma Wu going hunting without informing the Song family was considered an offense to them.

Song Jiasen took a sip of tea, ate a pastry, and asked, "What did he hunt?"

"Earth Jade Peaches. He hired ten people and 'fished' over a dozen sacks back."

Song Jiasen pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "Why would he hunt peaches? This isn't a business he can do; he won't make any money."

The butler said, "Master, whether he makes money or not is irrelevant to us. But what he did wasn't according to the rules. Going to pick peaches without notifying us—he's showing us no respect."

Song Jiasen chuckled. "A few days ago, Ma Junyang couldn't afford rent and lived in a shack. Now he's found some money from somewhere and moved back into a small building.

This young master, he just can't endure hardship. His living situation is better now, but after paying rent, he probably won't be able to make ends meet for long.

Let him take these peaches. When he comes to us to sell them, we'll pay him the market price. Once he realizes he can't make money from this, he won't do it again."

"Master, the Ma family has many connections in the city. Although Ma Wu was cast out, his roots aren't completely severed. What if he doesn't come to us to sell the goods?"

Song Jiasen picked up his teacup, took another sip, and said calmly, "Then we cannot tolerate him. If he doesn't come to us to sell, he won't be able to take even a single peach out of Blue Willow Village."

Ma Wu led everyone back to their lodging. Each person carried their bag, which was weighed one by one.

Ma Wu paid one hundred yuan per *jin* of peaches; this was the market rate for picking peaches in Blue Willow Village's New Land.

Some were quick, picking fifty *jin* and earning five thousand yuan.

Others were slower, picking ten *jin* and earning one thousand yuan.

The dozen-plus sacks of peaches totaled over 380 *jin*. Excluding Li Banfeng's and Ma Wu's shares, over thirty thousand yuan was paid out in total.

What were these peaches used for?

The pulp of Earth Jade Peaches was an auxiliary ingredient for alchemy, and the peach pits were excellent medicinal materials.

How much could these peaches be sold for?

According to the Song family's purchase price, one hundred yuan per *jin*.

This was ridiculous. Buying at one hundred yuan per *jin* and selling at one hundred yuan per *jin* meant Ma Wu made no profit on this venture.

Not only did he not make money, he even lost some.

Buying stinking fish cost money!

In Blue Willow Village, only the Song family profited from picking peaches because they sold them in the city for five hundred yuan per *jin*, a fivefold exorbitant profit.

But could Ma Wu take the peaches out of the village?

No.

The Song family would never stand by and watch Ma Wu carry over a dozen sacks of peaches out of the village. That would be cutting off the Song family's revenue stream and humiliating them.

So what was Ma Wu hoping to gain from this business?

The handsome young man in blue asked, "Sirs, you're not planning to sell these peaches back to the Song family, are you? Just a reminder, you won't make any money that way."

Ma Wu smiled and said, "Boss Song is my friend. You might not make money, but I'm different."

The young man didn't dare ask more questions. Everyone took their money and left.

Only two people remained in the wooden house: Li Banfeng fetched water, and Ma Wu soaked the peaches.

After soaking for over an hour, seven or eight hundred worms floated to the surface of the water.

Earth Jade Peaches had high sugar content and easily attracted insects.

From the seven or eight hundred worms, Ma Wu picked out over fifty mottled green worms and gave them to Li Banfeng.

"These worms are called Tiger-Head Lice, Brother Li. Make sure to keep them safe."

Li Banfeng carefully stored the green worms and went to the market to buy fish.

Ma Wu took the peaches to the Song family to sell them.

Lord of the Mundane successfully advanced to Level 2. Thank you, dear readers, for your continued support.

(End of this chapter)