Chapter Seventeen: Yu Er Is Captured

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"Young Master! Something terrible has happened!"

Mo Dun, Uncle Fu, and over fifty villagers from Mo Village were stationed in Chang'an, happily counting the day's harvest, when suddenly Li Xin burst in, panic written all over his face.

"What is it?" Mo Dun asked urgently.

"Yu Er was taken by members of the Fish Gang!" Li Xin cried, trembling.

"Don’t panic, tell us slowly," Mo Dun soothed, guiding Li Xin to sit down.

As Li Xin recounted the events, it turned out that he and Yu Er, envious of Chang'an's bustling prosperity, had decided to stroll around the city together after closing the fresh fish shop. But as soon as they stepped out, they caught the eye of some Fish Gang members.

"The Fish Gang cornered us in a dead-end alley. Yu Er realized we couldn’t escape, so he stooped down for me to climb over the wall and flee. He was caught by them," Li Xin said, his eyes reddened with grief.

"Outrageous! It seems Mo Village has kept a low profile for too long—even a petty Fish Gang dares provoke us now!" Uncle Fu roared, a fierce aura rising from him.

"Let’s fight them!" The young men of Mo Village, left behind in Chang'an, were already burning with indignation from the humiliation suffered at the hands of Chi Zhiyong a few days prior. Now, provoked again by the Fish Gang, their fury finally erupted.

"Young Master, let me go! I’ve long had enough of that Fish Gang," Tie An rumbled in his deep voice.

"You mustn’t, Young Master!" To everyone's surprise, it was Master Yu who stepped forward to stop them.

"Uncle Yu, Yu Er is your son—how could you?" Mo Dun asked in astonishment.

"Young Master, of course I want to save Yu Er. But precisely because of that, we mustn’t act rashly. This could very well be a plot by that old scoundrel Wang!" Master Yu said grimly.

In the past, it was Master Yu who brought Mo Village’s salted fish to sell in Chang'an, and he knew the connection between the Fish Gang and the Wang Family Fish Shop, as well as the powerful patrons behind them. If Mo Dun acted recklessly and caused trouble in Chang'an, even if they rescued Yu Er, the authorities would punish Mo Dun.

The village’s situation was already precarious, barely scraping by. If the secret of keeping fish alive was lost, it would spell the end for Mo Village.

"We must deliberate carefully. I assure you, Yu Er will never betray the secret of keeping fish alive," Master Yu said painfully.

He knew his son well, but whether Yu Er could survive this ordeal would depend on fate. For the sake of the five thousand souls in Mo Village, he was prepared to sacrifice even his own child.

"Master Yu!" Mo Dun was moved.

"Old Yu..." Uncle Fu laid a heavy hand on Master Yu’s shoulder. It wasn’t just Master Yu; when Chi Zhiyong threatened Mo Village, Uncle Fu and the other elders had already resolved to fight to the death. Mo Village had nothing to lose but their dignity. Had Mo Dun not devised the plan to use the South Gate as a transit point, Chi Zhiyong wouldn’t have survived another day.

A heavy silence fell upon the villagers, each filled with righteous indignation.

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"No, we must rescue Yu Er!" Mo Dun declared resolutely.

"Young Master..." Master Yu tried to object.

"Uncle Yu, say no more. Yu Er is my brother, but even if it were any villager of Mo Village, I would do my utmost to save them. Even if it cost us the secret of keeping fish alive, I wouldn’t hesitate," Mo Dun proclaimed loudly.

"Young Master!" The villagers were deeply moved.

"But the secret of keeping fish alive is our lifeblood!" Master Yu protested anxiously.

"A mere little secret is no match for the lives of our people. I have plenty of such secrets in my mind!" Mo Dun announced confidently.

"Still, since we cannot act rashly, we must devise a foolproof plan," Mo Dun said, his eyes flashing with determination.

At the Fish Gang headquarters.

The entire gang was tense, as if facing a great enemy.

Tonight, the boss had ordered everyone to be on high alert; any negligence would be punished by gang law.

All shuddered inwardly, dreading the brutal rules of the gang.

In the dungeon.

Yu Er was trussed up and hanging, while the Fish Gang boss Ding Jiang glared at him menacingly.

"Boy from Mo Village, if you confess the secret of keeping fish alive, I’ll guarantee you’ll walk out of here tomorrow unharmed. If you dare keep silent, your family will be picking up your corpse from the pauper’s grave," Ding Jiang threatened.

"A real man runs for his life! I’m just a cart-puller from Mo Village, doing the heavy lifting," Yu Er stammered, pretending to be frightened. In truth, having helped Master Yu sell fish in Chang'an, he was no stranger to the ways of the world and understood the immense importance of the secret. He had no intention of revealing it—only of staying alive.

"Oh? So you’re not going to talk? Beat him!" Ding Jiang barked.

Two thugs immediately set upon Yu Er, beating him mercilessly.

"Boss Ding, I truly am just a cart driver. The secret is kept tightly in Mo Village—only the young master and a handful know it! Even if you kill me, I don’t know a thing!" Yu Er cried out pitifully, doing his best to divert Ding Jiang’s attention.

"Hmph! Still playing dumb? Recognize this man?" Ding Jiang signaled, and a cowering figure entered—the waiter from Pan Family Restaurant, a man from the neighboring village, Guo Zhuang.

"Reporting, Boss. This is Master Yu’s son, Yu Er. If anyone in Mo Village knows the secret, surely his father does."

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"Guo Wei, so it was you who betrayed us!" Yu Er roared at Guo Wei, realizing now how the Fish Gang had caught him so precisely—it was Guo Wei who had pointed him out.

Mo Village and Guo Village were neighbors and frequent rivals. Guo Wei and Yu Er had fought before and borne grudges, but Yu Er never imagined Guo Wei would join the Fish Gang.

"Yu Er, do you have anything else to say?" Ding Jiang’s eyes were cold.

"My father does know the secret, but he’s never told me!" Yu Er insisted. He knew that if he gave up the secret, the Fish Gang would surely kill him to silence him.

"Keep beating him!" Ding Jiang snarled.

The two enforcers resumed their assault, this time targeting vital spots. Yu Er coughed up blood.

"The catfish effect! It’s true—the secret lies in the catfish effect!" Yu Er blurted out, unable to endure more, revealing a sliver of the truth.

"Still lying! Everyone in Chang'an knows about the catfish effect by now. Many have tried, none have succeeded. What use is it?" Ding Jiang himself had tried it and knew the results.

"That’s because you’re using the wrong fish. Sardines are sea fish; catfish work for them. Our river fish can’t use catfish," Yu Er explained, making up an excuse.

"Then what should we use?" Ding Jiang demanded fiercely.

"I’m afraid you won’t dare use what I tell you!" Yu Er spat out blood and answered defiantly.

"Ridiculous! What fish would I, Ding Jiang, not dare to use?" Ding Jiang boasted.

"Carp! Carp weighing over twenty jin!" Yu Er stared at Ding Jiang and spoke slowly.

"Carp?" Ding Jiang exclaimed.

In this era, carp were not as common as in later times. Because "carp" shared the same pronunciation as the imperial surname "Li," ever since the Li Tang dynasty ascended the throne, an order had been issued: anyone caught killing carp would be imprisoned. As a result, no one dared eat carp.

No wonder—no wonder no one had ever discovered the secret. It was all because they never used the right fish. The more Ding Jiang considered it, the more plausible it seemed. No one dared use carp; it was no surprise the secret remained elusive.

"Yu Er, if you dare deceive me, you know what fate awaits you," Ding Jiang threatened.

Yu Er nodded quickly, silently praying that Li Xin would hurry. All he could do now was buy himself an hour.