...He was clearly still hung up on having told his boss about the situation in Pingze without getting permission from Qin Fang beforehand.

Seeing the expectant look in Monkey’s eyes, Qin Fang gave it some thought, only to realize with resignation... ’It seems there really isn’t anyone more suitable than Monkey.’

He looked at Monkey and asked, "I’ll have to ask you to make the trip, then?"

"No trouble, no trouble at all!"

Monkey’s eyes lit up. "Master Qin, you can rest assured," he said quickly. "When should I go? I’ll make sure it gets there safe and sound!"

Hearing this, Qin Fang nodded and asked Xu Meng for a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

Xu Meng agreed. He then rose to his feet and said, "In that case, I’ll take my leave."

"Master Qin, should I come back later, then?"

Monkey asked quickly.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Fang said, "Why don’t you go get some sleep first? You’ve been up all night. Get some rest. You can deliver it tomorrow."

It was already afternoon. Monkey had traveled with him through the night and hadn’t rested. Qin Fang was worried something might go wrong on the road if he set out again so soon.

A touched expression appeared in Monkey’s eyes. He quickly shook his head. "I’m fine... Back when I was guarding the fish, it was normal to go two or three days without sleep. It’s no problem at all!"

Hearing this, and seeing that Monkey indeed didn’t look tired at all, Qin Fang decided that it was best to act quickly. He nodded and told Monkey to come back in a little while.

Not long after the two of them left, Monkey returned with the brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

Qin Fang began to write the letter.

In it, he told his senior brother what had happened in Pingze.

He described in detail the outcome of the Iron Tiger Gang and the Four Seas Gang’s attempt to catch the Treasure Fish, as well as the rumors that had spread through Pingze afterward.

He urged his senior brother to tell him what was going on as soon as possible, especially whether this incident might impact their master... He also instructed him to write a reply and give it directly to Monkey to bring back.

He finished the letter, sealed it, and handed it to Monkey. "After you deliver this," he said, "wait in the county seat for a while and bring back my senior brother’s reply... You know who my senior brother is, right?"

Monkey nodded vigorously. "I know, I know! It’s Master Zhou, right? I met him last time!"

Qin Fang said no more. He handed Monkey the letter, along with twenty taels of silver.

Monkey was taken aback and quickly refused. "There’s no need, Master Qin... The silver you’ve already given me is more than enough. Oh, right! The money from those men killed outside the courtyard is still with me. I’ll go get it for you."

He turned to leave as he spoke.

Qin Fang stopped him. "That’s enough. You keep that money... Now, be careful on the road."

Monkey paused, stunned. After a moment’s hesitation, he didn’t refuse. He bowed slightly and said, "Yes, Master Qin. I’ll be on my way, then..."

Qin Fang nodded, and Monkey headed out the door.

Watching Monkey disappear into the distance, Qin Fang let out a long sigh...

After a moment, he realized he was getting a little hungry. They had brought dried rations back with them, but ’how could that possibly be enough to eat?’

Especially with his current appetite...

He went to the kitchen, but seeing there was no food left, he decided to go out and buy some.

The market was much less bustling than when he had first arrived. There were still people around, but as it was already afternoon, most of the stalls were getting ready to pack up for the day.

The stall where he usually bought his meat was already sold out, so Qin Fang had to keep searching.

Soon, he found a stall selling wild game. The prize was a wild boar, or what was left of it—half a carcass.

It was truly massive. The half-carcass lay on a flatbed cart, so large that a good portion of it hung over the side and touched the ground.

’At this rate, the whole pig must have been over a thousand catties, right?’

A crowd had gathered around it, all clicking their tongues in amazement.

They were all saying it was a Pig King.

The seller was a sturdy-looking man dressed as a hunter, a broad smile on his face.

Someone in the crowd asked him curiously how he’d managed to hunt it.

The man chuckled. "Just lucky. I didn’t hunt it... The Pig King seems to have fallen off a cliff. Its head was already smashed in when I found it. You could say I just picked it up."

He was thrilled.

A Pig King this large was practically invincible in the forest; even a tiger might not have been a match for it.

’...It fell to its own death?’

’And someone just happened to find it?’

The onlookers were all green with envy.

Qin Fang squeezed through the crowd to get a better look, then asked, "How much?"

Hearing someone ask the price, the hunter beamed. "Not expensive, not expensive! But this is a Pig King, after all... Thirty copper cash per catty. How many catties would you like, young man?"

He pulled out his knife, ready to cut a piece.

’Thirty copper cash... a bit more expensive than a regular domestic pig, but not by much. Only ten cash more.’

"Weigh it. I’ll take the whole thing," Qin Fang said with a nod.

"The whole thing?"

The hunter and the onlookers were all startled. The carcass was huge; buying the entire half would cost a fortune.

"Alright, alright! Someone give me a hand!"

the hunter shouted, calling over a few people to help.

It took four or five men working together with a large steelyard scale to lift the carcass. Once they did...

A full five hundred and ten-plus catties!

"Five hundred and thirteen... You’re a generous man, sir, so I can’t be stingy. Let’s round it off. Just give me fifteen taels of silver! How’s that?"

The hunter said with a delighted laugh. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Qin Fang nodded, pulled out a handful of silver fragments, and gave them to the hunter.

The hunter quickly used a small portable scale to weigh out fifteen taels. He handed the excess silver fragments back to Qin Fang and grinned. "Alright, we’re all settled. Where do you live, young man? We can deliver it for you?"

Before Qin Fang could answer, someone else spoke up. "You don’t need to. We’ll take it."

As they spoke, everyone in the crowd instinctively turned to look. Their expressions changed, and they began to subtly back away.

Qin Fang turned and saw several members of the Fish Dragon Gang approaching.

They walked up to him and called out respectfully, "Master Qin."