I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

The night was deep in the northern suburbs of Jianghai City.

The black Range Rover, like a silent beast, rolled over the potholed gravel road and came to a stop at the gate of the abandoned steel plant.

There were no streetlights, only a few eerie, ghostly lights shining from the distant factory buildings. The wind blew through the rusty iron sheets, making a strange "creaking" sound that sent chills down one's spine.

"Brother... is this where we're going?"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Jiang Xiaoyu gripped the seatbelt tightly, her face pale. "This doesn't look like a seafood market; it looks more like a murder scene from a horror movie."

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is called industrial style, it's all the rage now."

Jiang Li unbuckled his seatbelt and calmly reassured her, "These wholesale markets are usually in the suburbs where the rent is cheaper. Besides, we came in the middle of the night, and it's a bit creepy in the dark, but it'll be lively once we go in."

He glanced back at Big Yellow in the back seat.

Big Yellow was lying on the large plastic bucket containing half a bucket of "braised tentacles" raw materials (abyssal leech remains), staring warily into the darkness outside the window.

It could sense that this place was a collection of "dirty things," though they were all just insignificant pieces of trash, but the chaotic and disgusting atmosphere made this noble Tindaros hound very uncomfortable.

"Big Yellow, get to work! Don't slack off!"

Jiang Li opened the trunk and lifted the heavy bucket out.

"Woof!" (Yes, boss!)

Big Yellow jumped off the vehicle and skillfully nudged the bucket lid with its head, indicating that it was ready.

"Little Fish, stay close to me. There are a lot of people here, so don't get lost."

Jiang Li carried a bucket in one hand (which weighed several hundred pounds, like a basket of vegetables to him) and held his sister's hand in the other, striding into the half-closed iron gate.

……

As soon as you enter, a wave of noise hits you.

Although it's an underground black market, there are an unusually large number of people here tonight.

Awakened individuals, bounty hunters, and black market merchants in all sorts of bizarre attire mingled among the crowd, their stalls overflowing with all sorts of strange and unusual items: still-bleeding beast teeth, eyeballs sealed in jars, broken swords emanating black aura...

"Wow……"

Jiang Xiaoyu stared wide-eyed at a row of skulls displayed on a nearby stall, then shrank back behind Jiang Li in fright.

"Brother, is...is that a human skull?"

"Those are resin crafts! Halloween props these days are so realistic!"

Jiang Li continued to make up stories without changing his expression, "Look at that guy over there, wearing a black robe and a bird beak mask. He's a cosplayer, it's a unique part of the local culture."

Upon hearing this, the stall owner who was selling "Plague Doctor Masks" (cursed items) trembled and almost dropped the bottle of poison in his hand.

Cosplay?

I'm a legitimate curse wizard, okay?!

But when he glanced at the large bucket Jiang Li was carrying and sensed the suffocating C-grade evil aura emanating from it, he immediately shut his mouth and even struck a pose to cooperate.

"See, I told you it was an actor," Jiang Li said, pointing at the wizard.

Jiang Xiaoyu nodded, seemingly understanding, "I see... The atmosphere here is so unique."

The two men and the dog made their way through the crowded throng and went straight to Fatty Wang's bunk.

Fatty Wang's business is doing well tonight. He's busy trying to sell a newbie awakened to his "ancestral talisman" (which is actually just scraps of paper with scribbled symbols on them).

"Hey, Mr. Wang, busy?"

Jiang Li put the large bucket on the ground.

"Thump!"

The cement ground trembled, and the bucket lid shifted slightly, releasing a strong, pungent stench from the abyss.

Wang Pangzi's nose twitched, and his expression changed instantly.

This taste...it's so familiar!

That's the smell of money! And the smell of a big shot!

He suddenly looked up and saw Jiang Li's smiling face. He immediately pushed aside the novice customer in front of him, and the fat face of Jiang Li greeted him with a smile as bright as a chrysanthemum.

"Oh my! Isn't this Mr. Jiang? What brings you here?"

Fatty Wang bowed and scraped, his attitude as respectful as if he were welcoming his own father, "You... have some good stuff again?"

"Well, I had some leftover scraps at home, and I thought I'd bring them over so you could see if you'd like to buy them."

Jiang Li pointed to the bucket on the ground.

Fatty Wang rubbed his hands together and carefully lifted a corner of the bucket lid.

Inside, it was completely filled with black chunks of flesh and tentacles. Although it had been chopped up, the chunks of flesh were still wriggling slightly, radiating a chilling vitality.

"hiss--"

Fatty Wang gasped.

The remains of the Abyssal Leech Mother! And there's such a huge quantity of them!

This is top-grade raw material for making "regeneration agents" and "corrosive agents"! One barrel of this can easily yield dozens of bottles of Grade C agents!

"Take it! We must take it! Take as much as you can!"

Fatty Wang was so excited that his whole body trembled. This was no scrap; it was a whole barrel of gold!

"Would you name a price?" Fatty Wang asked tentatively.

Jiang Li thought about the price of the whole animal yesterday, and then looked at this bucket of minced meat.

"Eight hundred thousand, how about that?"

"make a deal!"

Fatty Wang agreed so readily, as if afraid Jiang Li would change his mind. Eight hundred thousand? This barrel, if resold to a pharmaceutical company or alchemy guild, would fetch at least two million!

"Beep—800,000 yuan has been deposited into your account."

Hearing the notification sound from his phone, Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction.

This money is earned faster than robbing a bank.

Jiang Xiaoyu, who had been silent the whole time, was completely stunned.

"Brother... that bucket of stinking, rotten meat... sold for 800,000?" She tugged at Jiang Li's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Are we doing illegal business?"

"Cough cough, what rotten meat? That's deep-sea squid, used to make high-end fish feed, it's extremely nutritious."

Jiang Li spoke with a straight face, spouting nonsense, "This is a high-tech industry, you wouldn't understand."

Fatty Wang's lips twitched as he listened.

Deep-sea squid? To be used as animal feed?

Your Versailles is truly something else.

"By the way, Mr. Wang, I have something to ask you."

Jiang Li accepted the money and was in a good mood. "Does this market sell... sturdier ropes? Or hooks or something like that?"

He wanted to upgrade his equipment.

The steel cable we used last time worked well, but it was a bit stiff and didn't feel good to the touch. Also, the meat hook was a bit rusty and not sharp enough.

"A sturdy rope?"

Fatty Wang thought for a moment, "Go inside, there's an old man in section C called 'Iron Hand,' he specializes in selling hunting tools, he should have what you're looking for. But that old man has a bit of a strange temper, so please bear with him."

Thanks.

Jiang Li waved and led his sister and Da Huang towards Area C.

……

Section C is the weapons and equipment area. Most of the vendors here are burly men, and they sell all sorts of things, from cold weapons to firearms, and even some explosives that look like contraband.

Jiang Li walked and looked around, paying no attention to the gleaming swords and blades.

"This knife is too thin; it'll definitely chip when cutting fish bones."

"This sword is all flashy, but it's not as handy as my butcher knife."

Finally, he found the "Iron Hand" that Fatty Wang had mentioned in a corner.

The stall owner was an old man with only one arm. His left hand was a mechanical prosthetic limb with a metallic sheen, which he was hammering at a piece of red-hot metal.

The stall was cluttered with various chains, shackles, and animal traps.

Jiang Li immediately noticed a black chain coiled on the ground.

The chain was about the thickness of a thumb, completely black, and covered with densely packed runes (Jiang Li mistook them for patterns). It felt icy cold to the touch and gave the impression of being extremely tough.

【Soul Binding Lock】(C-grade seal item).

Originally a magical artifact used to bind evil spirits, it can suppress spirits and is indestructible.

"Grandpa, how much is this chain?" Jiang Li squatted down and asked.

The old man with the iron hand raised his eyelids, glanced at Jiang Li, and said coldly, "Not for sale. That's for locking away vengeful ghosts; ordinary people who take it will have their lifespan shortened."

"Locking up a vengeful ghost? Sir, you must be joking. It's just an iron chain!"

Jiang Li smiled, reached out and grabbed one end of the chain, and pulled hard.

"collapse!"

The chains were pulled taut, producing a crisp metallic clang.

"I think this is of good quality; it would be perfect as fishing line, and I can also use it to walk the dog."

As Jiang Li spoke, he casually slipped the chain around Big Yellow's neck.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The runes on the chains lit up instantly, attempting to suppress the power within Big Yellow.

However, Dahuang just shook its fur and sneezed.

It is a Tindaros Hound, a creature that does not belong to this dimension, and this seal against spirits is like a cool necklace to it.

"Woof!" (This chain is a bit heavy, but it looks pretty cool.)

Iron Hand Old Man: "..."

His eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

That's a Soul-Binding Lock! Even a C-rank vengeful ghost would instantly lose its ability to move if it were caught on it, yet this hairless dog didn't react at all?

And that young man... actually used this kind of sealed object as fishing line and dog leash?

"This...this is a C-grade..."

"Grade C stainless steel?" Jiang Li replied. "It does look rust-resistant. Sir, let's skip the fluff and name your price."

The old man with the iron hand swallowed hard, looking into Jiang Li's clear yet "foolish" eyes, and suddenly realized that he might have encountered a legendary master who was "hidden in plain sight".

"Fifty...fifty thousand." The old man quoted a fair price.

"Okay, I'll take it."

Jiang Li paid readily. This chain was much cheaper than the rotten meat they'd just sold; it was a good deal!

Just as Jiang Li was about to leave with the newly bought "dog leash," trouble came knocking.

"Hey, this dog is pretty good."

A sarcastic voice came from behind.

Jiang Li turned around and looked.

Three men dressed in leather jackets and resembling biker gang members blocked the way.

The leader had a Mohawk hairstyle, a nose ring, and was playing with a butterfly knife in his hand.

Behind him followed a huge ghost wolf with glowing green eyes.

This is Zhao Qiang, the famous "Beast King" of this area, a B-level Beast Tamer Awakener who specializes in forcibly buying and selling various rare battle pets on the black market.

He spotted the big yellow dog next to Jiang Li at a glance.

Although the dog looked ugly and had no fur, his beast tamer's intuition told him that this dog contained extremely terrifying potential! If he could get his hands on it and train it, it would definitely be a top-tier battle pet!

"Hey kid, are you selling this dog?"

Zhao Qiang stared greedily at Da Huang. "Name your price, I'll take it."

Big Yellow rolled its eyes.

Another one wanting to buy it? Are people's aesthetic tastes this unique these days?

It glanced at the ghost wolf behind Zhao Qiang.

Tch, a piece of trash cobbled together from dead souls, dares to bare its teeth in front of the Time Hound?

Big Yellow licked its lips.

It was a little hungry. Although this ghost wolf was trash, it was all-natural and additive-free, so it should be a good snack.

"Not for sale."

Jiang Li shielded his sister behind him, frowning as he looked at Zhao Qiang. "This is my family's stray dog. We've grown attached to it. I won't sell it for any amount of money."

"A mongrel?" Zhao Qiang scoffed. "Kid, don't push your luck. It's your good fortune that I've taken a liking to your dog. If you know what's good for you, leave it here, or else..."

He snapped his fingers.

"Awooo—"

The ghost wolf let out a mournful howl, its body instantly doubling in size. It opened its blood-red maw, revealing its fangs, and approached Jiang Li, attempting to intimidate him with its aura.

The surrounding crowd dispersed, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

"That's Beast King Zhao Qiang! That kid's in for a world of trouble!"

"That ghost wolf has eaten people before, it's incredibly ferocious!"

Jiang Xiaoyu was so frightened that she grabbed Jiang Li's clothes tightly: "Brother..."

"Don't be afraid."

Jiang Li patted his sister's hand, his face darkening.

"Are you a dog trafficker?"

He looked at Zhao Qiang, his eyes turning dangerous. "Extortion in broad daylight... no, in front of everyone? Is there no law?"

"The law?" Zhao Qiang laughed wildly. "In the black market, I'm the law! Big Wolf, teach him a lesson!"

"roar!"

Upon receiving the command, the ghost wolf pounced.

However, before it could pounce on Jiang Li...

Big Yellow, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly moved.

It didn't transform, nor did it use any time-space abilities.

It simply opened its mouth and made a "swallowing" motion towards the ghost wolf that pounced on it.

"Woof!" (Get lost!)

A terrifying pressure from a higher dimension descended instantly.

The once ferocious ghost wolf seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall in mid-air, freezing instantly.

Immediately afterwards, it seemed to have seen something extremely terrifying, let out a scream like a rat, tucked its tail between its legs and turned to run away. It even ran too fast and crashed headfirst into the iron pillar next to it, instantly shattering its form and turning into a wisp of green smoke that shrank back into Zhao Qiang's Beast Taming Emblem.

The entire room fell silent.

Zhao Qiang's smile froze.

What happened?

His B-grade battle pet was scared to death by a single bark from a bald mongrel?

"Oh dear, why is this dog so timid?"

Jiang Li shook his head, looking disgusted. "Such a big guy, and he's afraid of my dog, Da Huang? My dog ​​doesn't even dare to catch mice."

He stepped forward and patted Zhao Qiang on the shoulder.

"Dude, you have to be honest in business. Even if a deal falls through, we can still be on good terms. This dog of yours isn't good quality; you should take it home and train it properly."

Jiang Li's grip was "slightly" strong.

"Click."

Zhao Qiang felt an irresistible force coming from his shoulder. His shoulder blade made a crisp sound, and he was slammed to one knee, his knee cracking the concrete floor.

"ah--!!!"

Zhao Qiang screamed in agony, cold sweat pouring down his face instantly.

Is this even human strength?! This is practically hydraulic clamps!

"Oops, I'm so sorry, I was too rough."

Jiang Li helped Zhao Qiang up (actually, she lifted him up) with an "apology" look on her face, and then straightened his collar. "Be careful next time. Don't make loud noises, it'll scare the children."

After saying that, he took Big Yellow by the hand and his sister by the hand, and strode away amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd.

Zhao Qiang was left standing there, clutching his shattered shoulder, bewildered in the wind.

He knew he had met his match today.

And it's made of titanium alloy.

……

on the way home.

Jiang Xiaoyu looked at her brother with admiration: "Brother, you were so cool just now! That guy looked so fierce, but he knelt down as soon as you patted him!"

"That's because he's calcium deficient, and his legs are weak."

Jiang Li casually made up a story, "If you encounter people like this in the future, stay away from them; they're all scammers."

He touched the bank card and the newly bought "dog leash" in his pocket, feeling great.

"Equipment upgrade complete. Tomorrow... I'll go check out that 'Antique Appreciation Fair' thing."

"I heard that places have even more treasures..."