My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 249 Blackmail
Tongtianfang Wharf.

"Five baskets of miscellaneous fish, how about one white jade coin?" A skinny man rummaged through Chen Mu's catch and asked.

This...this is a white jade coin?

Thinking of how many baskets of fish had been eaten by the Five Ghost Bags, Chen Mu's face twitched.

It doesn't eat fish, it eats white jade coins!

"Alright then." Chen Mu looked listless.

They returned the boat and went straight back to the low hill courtyard.

"I'm not in a hurry to get the deposit back, since I'll be renting another boat tomorrow anyway."

"This is actually a good source of income," Chen Mu said, perking up.

With his intoxicating bait and the Heartless Bell, combined with the Five Ghosts Bag, catching fish couldn't be easier.

"And there's no need to think about those huge, powerful, and dangerous beasts."

"Just deal with small fry like today."

"Making money is easy!"

Chen Mu's eyes lit up.

"This is something we can do!"

……

For seven or eight days in a row, Chen Mu practiced the Hundred Intents Breaking Illusion Technique in the morning as usual, and went fishing on the Tongtian River around three o'clock in the afternoon.

Improved version of the intoxicating bait to knock out the target, Heartless Bell to finish them off, and Five Ghosts Bag to capture them.

If you find a calm bay, you can catch five or six baskets of fish in less than half an hour.

The rest were all fed to the Five Ghost Bag.

Although the Five Ghosts Bag still showed no signs of growth, Chen Mu didn't care.

"One a day, that's thirty a month, what a pleasant surprise!"

That's enough to cover a third of his expenses.

"If I weren't afraid of being targeted by the people at the docks, I could have earned even more!" Chen Mu said regretfully.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes.

There are a few small groups that exploit fishermen at the dock.

"Luckily, I only caught small, half-meter-long fish."

Chen Mu was quite impressed with his own wisdom.

Only catch small fish, a maximum of six baskets at a time, and you can make money safely and reliably!

I'm figuring out how to balance my training and fishing time.

A fishbone boat sped up before us.

"You're Chen Mu?" Ai Ji asked impatiently.

Chen Mu glanced at the carefree Ai Ji, then at Xu Rao, who was gripping the steering wheel with a gloomy expression.

Well, Gongsun Sheng's disguise shouldn't have been exposed yet.

So Chen Mu looked at the two of them seriously and said, "I'm not!"

Ai Ji was taken aback and turned to look at Xu Rao.

“Ship No. 49, that’s him.” Xu Rao’s face grew increasingly cold.

Ai Jidu laughed in anger: "Trying to fool your grandpa, huh!"

Do you know his ship number?
Was it that old man with the goatee at the dock who leaked the information?

That old bastard! He definitely took bribes!

"What is this, you two?" Chen Mu asked, feigning caution.

Thinking about the shady dealings the seven Wu brothers had done in the past, Chen Mu understood.

I only sell some miscellaneous fish, and you've already got your eye on this?

“Last night you played dice with us and lost, the kind that bankrupts you.”

"To pay off your gambling debts, you decided to sell yourself to us and work for us for two years and seven months."

"Here's an IOU, sign it. Tomorrow you'll board our boat and fish for us." Ai Ji said skillfully, casually tossing Chen Mu a scroll about the size of a palm.

Dice? Bankruptcy? IOU?
Is it really that blatant?

"I……"

Before Chen Mu could finish speaking, Ai Ji waved his hand impatiently to interrupt him.

Then he jumped onto Chen Mu's boat in a flash: "You want to rebel, huh? Your people before you thought so too."

His right arm was quickly covered by a dark aura.

Then, the power accumulated and bulged at the wrist, like a series of iron rings.

"Hurry up! Use all your strength. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can sign!" Ai Ji urged impatiently.

Chen Mu: “…”

So skilled? How many times the hell have you done this?!

He couldn't help but sigh. He had previously thought that the seven Wu brothers had been frightened into submission by Mo Wuzhou.

I didn't expect it was just a change in business.

And to make matters worse, it happened to me!

Taking action is out of the question; someone dying would likely cause a lot of trouble.

Using the Heart-to-Heart Mantra makes it much simpler.

"It seems Gongsun Sheng's disguise is beyond repair," Chen Mu thought helplessly. He activated the Heart-Connecting Rope.

Just as he was about to reveal his identity, he saw Ai Ji, who had been so aggressive just moments before, suddenly change his expression.

The right fist, which had been pulled back behind his head to gather power, and was originally covered by a powerful aura resembling a black iron ring, suddenly vanished.

Not only that, Ai Ji even scratched his head a couple of times in a mock manner, as if the punch he had just prepared was just a joke.

Then, he grinned awkwardly, like a complete idiot, and asked, "Have you eaten?"

Chen Mu: “…”

He looked at Ai Ji with a puzzled expression, then glanced at Xu Rao on the opposite boat, whose smile was more like a grimace, and looked completely bewildered.

What the hell?

"Should we... sign it?" Chen Mu asked cautiously. Something felt off.

Ai Ji was sweating profusely. Sign it? If Gongsun Sheng saw that contract of servitude, wouldn't they all be finished?!

Even Xu Rao, who was at the helm, felt a chill run down his spine and stared intently at Ai Ji.

You better not say the wrong thing, or I'll fucking kill you first!

"Sign...a sales contract?" Ai Ji gasped for breath, his head covered in sweat.

I finally managed to get a word in edgewise!
“We’re already so familiar with each other, why bother with a sales contract? I’ll take all your fish catch from now on!” Ai Ji said with a big wave of his hand.

“Those guys at the docks will exploit you; you can only make more money if you sell to me.”

"We do cash transactions, no monthly settlements."

"Such favorable terms are only something the seven brothers of Wushan can afford."

"You won't lose out by selling to me, and I'll make a profit too. It's a win-win situation!"

Ai Ji was afraid that Chen Mu would speak, so he rambled on and on incoherently.

Chen Mu: “…”

Something's not right here.

"The price is negotiable, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" Ai Ji was still making that promise.

Chen Mu glanced at the talkative Ai Ji, then at the extremely nervous Xu Rao.

Price... negotiable?
"Those...ten white jade coins?"

Ai Ji: "..."

Extorting me?!

You dare to blackmail me?!

"it is good!"

Chen Mu: “…”

Is it sensing a connection through the concentric rope?

They seem very afraid of seeing me do something wrong...

Seeing that Ai Ji looked like he was about to devour him, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and hand him ten white jade coins.

Chen Mu narrowed his eyes and curled the corners of his mouth.

Wow, looks like I've discovered a new source of income, haha...

……

For three days in a row, Chen Mu used the Heart-Connecting Rope to communicate with the seven brothers of Wushan whenever he had free time.

It was discovered that these guys were indeed committing crimes.

Just like how they tricked people into farming back then.

This time, they're scamming people into fishing for them.

There was a show of force, a contract as proof, and it seems they even bribed the dock manager.

Moreover, they target small-time swindlers who catch minor fry, lack strength, and have no powerful backers.

For a time, he was doing very well.

But as soon as he establishes a synesthetic connection, these guys immediately change their tune. In an instant, they can transform from fierce demons into gentlemen.

His expression was sincere, his words earnest, and his voice soft.

If he hadn't personally encountered Ai Jixu and learned about their shady dealings...

Using only synesthesia, he would never be able to detect the trick!

Such a good actor?

Are the thresholds for becoming a bad person really that high now?
"Talent!"

(End of this chapter)