Chapter Eighteen: Self-Rescue and Rescue

"Boss, do you think we should deal with Fish Two?" Guo Wei made a throat-slitting gesture, his voice full of malice.

"There's no rush. Fish Two is still useful to us. Let's first test if the carp trick works. If it does, then he's useless and you can do as you please," Ding Jiang replied coldly.

"Thank you, Boss!" Guo Wei exclaimed with delight. He had a longstanding feud with Fish Two and finally saw his chance for revenge.

An hour quickly passed.

"Boss, the experiment failed! All the fish are belly-up," Guo Wei came running in a panic.

"Fish Two, you must have a death wish to toy with me!" Ding Jiang burst into a rage, storming into the dungeon.

"Beat him! Beat him hard!" Ding Jiang roared.

Ding Jiang was a tyrant in Chang’an’s fish market; it had been a long time since anyone dared mock him like this.

Guo Wei rushed over, eager to please, and began to ruthlessly beat Fish Two with a whip and stick. Blood streamed down Fish Two’s face in moments.

"Hahaha! The Secret of Keeping Fish Alive is the lifeblood of Mo Village! Even if I die, I won't tell you!" Fish Two spat blood and laughed wildly.

"Why be so stubborn? It's already been over an hour. The people of Mo Village must know you’ve been captured by now. If they haven’t come to save you, they’ve clearly abandoned you. Why sacrifice your life for them?" Ding Jiang tried to break his spirit.

"So what? In Mo Village, five thousand of us face hunger every day. For the sake of our people, sacrificing one, ten, or even a hundred lives is nothing," Fish Two answered resolutely.

"Still so stubborn? I think you’re a good liar. If I cut out your tongue, let’s see if you can still deceive anyone," Ding Jiang threatened, gripping a sharp knife and seizing Fish Two’s tongue.

"Haha, Fish Two, you finally got what’s coming to you. From now on, you’ll be known as Mute Fish Two," Guo Wei laughed harshly at his side.

Fish Two's face turned deathly pale as he struggled desperately.

"Boss, something’s wrong! People from Mo Village are here!" a Fish Gang thug shouted in alarm.

"Mo Village?" Ding Jiang’s expression changed. When he used to rule the fish market, Mo Village was the only place he couldn't collect protection money from—they’d clashed more than once, and he knew well how tough they were.

"How many people?"

"Three," the thug replied. "One is that runaway Li Xin, the other two are Young Master Mo Dun from Mo Village and a tall fellow."

"They want to trade the Secret of Keeping Fish Alive for Fish Two!" the thug added.

"What?" Everyone in the dungeon was stunned.

"They want to exchange the secret for Fish Two but demand he be unharmed," the thug confirmed. He could hardly believe it himself and had checked several times before reporting.

Fish Two struggled even more fiercely. He knew just how important the secret was to Mo Village. Now that it was being offered up because of him, regret and guilt washed over him. If only he hadn’t been tempted by the allure of Chang’an, Mo Village would never have faced such a crisis.

"Hahaha! Guard him well—don’t let anything happen to him. Looks like fortune has smiled on me at last," Ding Jiang laughed joyously as he left the dungeon, ignoring Fish Two’s cries.

Outside the Fish Gang’s main gate.

"So you’re Mo Dun!" Ding Jiang strode out, leading a crowd of his men, glaring fiercely at Mo Dun.

"How dare you! Ding Jiang, you stand before the founding County Earl of the Empire, and you address him by name? That’s a crime!" Li Xin shouted.

"Oh? So I’m supposed to bow to a brat like you?" Ding Jiang mocked.

He’d investigated Mo Village thoroughly. Though Mo Dun was a County Earl, Mo Lie was long dead, and Mo Dun had no real power or influence.

The Fish Gang members burst into derisive laughter, jeering at Mo Dun and Li Xin.

"You’re not afraid I’ll get rid of you too?" Ding Jiang threatened, his face grim.

Mo Dun’s expression didn’t change; he sneered, "I am indeed a founding County Earl. Even if I have no real power, if anything were to happen to me in Chang’an, not only your little Fish Gang, but even those behind you would be wiped out."

Ding Jiang and his men paled. He might not care about Mo Dun, but they couldn’t ignore the authorities. If something happened to a County Earl, the Fish Gang wouldn’t survive the night.

"True, I won’t harm you. But others aren’t so lucky. I hear you’ve lost someone recently. Maybe I can help you find him—if you’re not quick, you might just find him in a mass grave," Ding Jiang threatened.

"You—" Li Xin growled in anger.

"Fine, let’s be frank. I’ve brought the Secret of Keeping Fish Alive. Now go and fetch Fish Two. I must see him safe and sound, or I’ll destroy the secret right here and now," Mo Dun said, patting the waterwheel behind him and placing his hand on a lever.

"That’s one of their waterwheels!" a gang member whispered to Ding Jiang, recognizing it from his time shadowing Mo Village’s caravans.

Ding Jiang was tempted to simply seize it, but seeing Mo Dun’s hand on the mechanism made him hesitate. He’d seen Mo Village destroy the secret in an instant at South City Gate, humiliating Chi Zhiyong.

"Very well. Since Mo Village is offering such a reward, it’s only right. We heard someone from Mo Village went missing, so we’d already sent our people to look. Who would have thought you’d arrive just as we found him?" Ding Jiang feigned delight and waved his hand. "Bring our esteemed guest here!"

"Yes!" Two Fish Gang thugs hurried off to the dungeon.

"Guo Wei, open up! The boss wants Fish Two brought out," one thug called, banging on the door.

"Fine," Guo Wei replied reluctantly. He didn’t want to let Fish Two go, not after their grudge.

"Hurry up! The boss is about to trade him for the secret!" the thug urged.

With a heavy creak, the dungeon door opened.

A broadsword was pressed to the thug’s throat. The thug’s face went pale with fear. Behind him, the air was thick with the smell of blood and another thug lay dead in a pool of it.

"No!"

Guo Wei’s heart seized with terror. He tried to shout, but was kicked hard, slamming into the wall and falling unconscious.

"Fish Two, wake up!"

"Father!" Fish Two opened his heavy eyes to see Master Yu and Uncle Fu before him.

"Father, I didn’t tell them, I didn’t tell," Fish Two muttered deliriously.

"I know, I always believed in you!" Master Yu’s tears streamed down his face.

"Don’t sleep yet—your father’s taking you out soon," Master Yu said, gripping his broadsword and lifting Fish Two as they headed out of the dungeon.