"Look."
Jiang Fan didn't waste any words. He went straight to the kitchen, grabbed a vegetable knife, and slashed it across the skin of his arm.
But it only left a white mark, without a scratch.
The sight almost made Su Weiwei's heart leap out of her chest.
She nearly thought her husband was committing suicide.
"Tough as cowhide, this is a Skin Tempering Realm Martial Artist."
"Brother, have you really become a martial artist?"
Su Weiwei was both surprised and delighted.
She grabbed Jiang Fan's arm, squeezing and pinching it, feeling the skin tough like leather.
A regular knife or sword wouldn't leave a trace on it.
This is a unique feature of a Skin Tempering Realm Martial Artist, an extraordinary strength.
"Yeah, now you can rest assured."
"But this is a secret, don't let anyone know to avoid trouble."
Jiang Fan reminded her.
"Mmm, I understand."
Su Weiwei was overjoyed, her face flushed, and her heart filled with joy.
She never expected that her brother had become a martial artist.
In this world, the status of a martial artist is extremely high, even being in the Skin Tempering Realm means being a cut above the rest.
If one exposes their strength, it would be enough to command respect.
If Uncle Meng's family had a martial artist yesterday, Zheng Wenbing wouldn't have dared to exploit the situation to his advantage and extort money.
"Then I'm leaving."
"Stay safe at home, and try not to go out if it's not necessary."
"Things have been chaotic lately."
Jiang Fan instructed.
He was also a bit worried that something might happen to Su Weiwei while she was home alone, so he reminded her to be cautious.
After all, with him heading to Tonghe County, he wouldn't know what might happen.
"There's also a cellar at home."
"If anything happens, I'll hide in the cellar immediately."
Su Weiwei nodded.
"That's good then."
Jiang Fan knew Su Weiwei was a very cautious woman and should be able to handle things without a major problem.
After saying this, he took some silver taels and headed towards Tonghe County.
...
In just an hour, Jiang Fan reached Tonghe County.
Because he had previously been to Tonghe County with Father Jiang, he was somewhat familiar with the way.
Along the way, he passed through many desolate mountains and wilderness.
He understood why the villagers of Osmanthus Village were reluctant to go to Tonghe County.
This path leads through scarcely inhabited areas, surrounded by mountains and dense vegetation.
If anything happens, one might end up dead in the wilderness.
Even crying for help, no one could rescue them.
"I didn't expect the Soaring Snake Breathing Technique to have the effect of enhancing stamina."
Jiang Fan mused with emotion.
Having advanced to the Skin Tempering Realm, his stamina was incredibly abundant, not even a top-tier athlete from his past life could compare to him, so he ran at full speed, quickly covering a distance of twenty li.
Upon reaching Tonghe County, his stamina barely decreased, and he wasn't even out of breath.
If it were before, it would have taken at least two to three hours to arrive, and he would have been utterly exhausted.
After paying the entry fee, Jiang Fan easily entered Tonghe County without being stopped by the city gate soldiers.
After all, seeing a poor commoner like him, they knew he wouldn't have much money.
Even if they tried to extort him, they wouldn't squeeze much out.
"It seems the refugees from the north haven't started to affect this place yet."
Jiang Fan carefully observed the situation inside Tonghe County, and it was as usual, with no price hikes yet, maintaining a temporary balance.
But he knew this was only a temporary state.
Once a large number of refugees arrive here, Tonghe County will fall into complete chaos.
At that time, let alone skyrocketing prices, even with money, it might be impossible to buy food.
The residents here, with little exposure, naturally wouldn't foresee this.
But that's also a good thing.
It means he still has time to make preparations.
If chaos truly begins, buying food might not be an easy task.
"Indeed, I have to come to Tonghe County to buy food."
"The prices here are much cheaper than at the Fish Cage."
Jiang Fan reached a marketplace in Tonghe County, where various stalls and shops were filled with items. Soybeans, cucumbers, rice, and other vegetables and grains were over 30% cheaper than at the Fish Cage, some even 50% cheaper.
Compared to the Fish Cage, it's like a discount sale.
One can only imagine how brutally the Dragon King Gang exploits the fishermen, wishing to make them spend every penny without saving any money.
Thinking about this, his hatred for the Dragon King Gang deepened, seeing them as a tumor of Yunmeng Lake.
Countless fishermen were exploited by them, resulting in broken families.
"But I can't buy too much food."
"Buying too much would not only be difficult to carry back, but it would also draw attention."
"It might even attract bandits."
"I'll purchase smaller amounts of food, around a few dozen jin at a time."
"Then come back daily to buy more, in smaller quantities but more frequently, acting cautiously."
"I'll spend most of the silver taels to exchange them for food."
Jiang Fan contemplated his plan. He knew that during the late dynasty, silver was the least valuable, while food was the real hard currency.
When people are starving, silver can't be eaten.
Moreover, if food is properly stored, it can last over two or even three years.
So he didn't worry about the food expiring.
With that thought, he began making large purchases at the marketplace.
...
But Jiang Fan didn't know that a man in a black vest accidentally saw him. The man was unexpectedly a member of the Dragon King Gang and one of Zheng Wenbing's subordinates.
"Huh? Isn't that kid the poor fisherman from Osmanthus City? How does he have the money to come to Tonghe County to buy food?"
"Looks like the kid lied last time, and there might be a lot of money left at home."
"These fishermen seem poor on the surface, but they are quite rich."
The man in the black vest had a flicker in his eyes, with many sinister plots in mind.
Without hesitation, he weaved through the streets and quickly arrived at the Baihua Building in Tonghe County.
The Dragon King Gang leader, Zheng Wenbing, was there having a good time.
After all, on this trip collecting the monthly salary from Osmanthus Village and other places, he had managed to extort quite a bit of money.
The Old Meng Family was just one of the victims.
The fishermen he beat up were too numerous.
After collecting a large amount of money, he couldn't wait to come to Tonghe County to enjoy himself, indulging in pleasure.
Overall, the money he extorted mostly went to these women.
"Xiaowu, why did it take you so long to come? I've been waiting for a long time."
Seeing the man in the black vest arrive, Zheng Wenbing laughed heartily and immediately spoke.
"Lord Bing, you probably don't know who I just saw."
"That fisherman Jiang Fan from Osmanthus Village seems to have come to Tonghe County too."
The man in the black vest quickly recounted what he had seen earlier.
He even exaggerated, saying that the kid was quite wealthy and had bought a lot of food.
"Damn it, I knew that kid was up to something."
"Being so obedient to pay the monthly salary, turns out he really struck it rich."
"If you hadn't caught the kid coming to Tonghe County, I would have been fooled by him."
"But that's good too. Without the fishermen's money, how would we get rich?"
Zheng Wenbing sneered, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes, chilling to the bone.