The sudden turn of events left both Li Jing and the fishmonger dumbfounded.
Then, realization dawned on them.
How could a fish possibly leap three meters high?
Especially not one that had been brought to the market and put into a basin, its vitality long gone!
It's turning into a monster!
Just as the two of them considered the possibility of it becoming a monster, the plump fish that had leaped over three meters high suddenly ballooned up to the size of a car!
Simultaneously, a rapidly lengthening Health Bar appeared in Li Jing's eyes.
In a blink of an eye...
The Health Bar extended linearly, and the number marked on it skyrocketed from 1 to 899!
Li Jing's eyes sparkled instantly.
On the other hand, the fishmonger's face paled on the spot.
He was just an ordinary man at the initial stage of cultivation in the One Realm.
Facing a monstrous fish as big as a car, would he even see another day?
As the monstrously large fish tumbled overhead, about to fall, the fishmonger was on the brink of despair.
With just one hit...
He could easily be squashed to death!
Just as he was about to close his eyes in despair...
"Boom!"
A tremendous sound of thunder exploded.
A bolt of Thunder, as thick as an arm, streaked across the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and struck the monstrous plump fish.
Under the shocked gaze of the fishmonger, the thunderbolt, with the force of a wrecking ball, pierced through the fish from head to tail, before disappearing into the sky approximately fifty meters above the market.
With a "thud".
The monstrous plump fish landed on the road beside him.
The thunderbolt struck.
It killed the plump fish and knocked its huge body away at the same time.
Accompanied by a tantalizing meat aroma, the fishmonger, who had just managed to survive, stared at Li Jing in a daze, completely stiff, smoke rising from his outstretched palm.
At the same time, a notification tone sounded in Li Jing's ear.
"Experience +899."
"Level up, 8. Spiritual Power Intensity increased +16, Skill Points +2."
The emotionless female voice was delightful.
However, Li Jing couldn't bring himself to feel pleased at the moment.
With his perfect Palm Thunder attack...
The fish monster died peacefully.
But at the same time, it was completely charred by the electricity.
Just as he was about to check it out, the fishmonger stammered out his gratitude.
"Brother! Just now I misunderstood you! I'm lucky you were here, or I, Yu Hai, would definitely be dead!"
At his words, Li Jing paused.
"Don't thank me, thank Stinky Tofu. It sensed the transformation of the fish monster ahead of time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to save you in time."
Stinky Tofu?
Yu Hai was stunned for a moment, then realized that the Stinky Tofu Li Jing was referring to was the husky beside him.
Glancing at the husky, who appeared dignified and spirited on the surface but was actually trembling with its tail tucked between its legs, either due to the thunder or the fish monster, Yu Hai exclaimed subconsciously.
"Thanks, Doggo."
"Woof!"
Stinky Tofu howled in response, lifted a paw, and waved it just like Li Jing did, to indicate that it was a trivial matter.
On witnessing this, Yu Hai was stupefied.
His expression of gratitude was purely based on the fact that he had managed to escape death.
But he didn't expect Stinky Tofu to respond to him, let alone in such a human-like manner.
A Spiritual Beast!?
With wide-eyed disbelief, Yu Hai was astounded on realizing.
At this moment, scattered traders and customers from around the market came over.
Looking at the monstrous fish, as large as a car, lying dead in the aisle, its exterior charred and interior crisp, they all stared at Li Jing in awe, refraining from any comments.
The situation now was wholly different from the one the previous night.
Only a few people had witnessed the initial transformation of the plump fish into a monster.
But many saw Li Jing raise his hand and instantly kill the fish monster with a Thunderbolt.
That thick and solid Thunderbolt, how terrifying was it?
Even up till now, it still sent chills down their spines.
Li Jing noticed people gathering around him, each individual casting frightened and shocked gaze upon him. He furrowed his brows slightly.
In this world, the surface talk was about the equality for all.
But the reality dictated the supremacy of cultivation level.
He had anticipated this when he first traversed to this world, yet he hadn't truly faced it.
Now that he confronted it, he indeed felt uncomfortable.
What's crucial was that the onlookers simply viewed him like a monster.
Their emotion of fear far outweighed any other emotion.
Li Jing shook his head quietly and stepped forward.
"Boss Yu, you're a fish seller; you probably have a good grasp of the market price for Monster Fish. Can you tell me if this scorched fish corpse on the ground can still be sold for cash?"
Given the recent revelation that the stinky tofu was a Spiritual Beast, Yu Hai was taken aback by Li Jing's question.
Seeing Li Jing's serious demeanour, he dared not delay. He turned to check the fish monster, which was charred on the outside but tender and emitting a rich aroma on the inside, and his face revealed a dilemma.
"The charred surface of the fish monster wouldn't be worth much, we'll have to see how much of the inner fish flesh is intact. However, even if it is intact, the fish has been completely cooked by the thunder, so it can only be sold as cooked food. Without cooking value, the price surely won't be very high."
He hesitated for a while before gritting his teeth and saying,
"Brother, if you intend to sell this fish monster, I can offer three hundred thousand for it. You saved my life, so I'm willing to take a bit of a loss as a repayment for your favor."
"Three hundred thousand?"
Li Jing's face fell.
He had anticipated that the charred fish monster wouldn't fetch a high price.
However, to see it get evaluated to such a low price truly struck a painful chord in his heart.
The fish monster, with its thicker health bar and its size dwarfing last night's monster chicken, should have fetched a much higher price if it was unscathed.
Even if he could not fetch a million, it might not be far off from it!
What a heavy loss!
Seeing the gloom in Li Jing's face, Yu Hai misinterpreted it as distrust and was quick to assuage his doubts,
"Young Master, I assure you, I quote you a fair price. There's no intention of cheating you. If you don't believe me, you can ask the others around …."
Li Jing interrupted him with a shake of his head.
"Boss, don't get me wrong, I do trust you. I just feel it's such a pity."
"A pity?"
Yu Hai blinked, then nodded.
"Indeed, it's a pity about this fish monster. If the fish flesh was not charred by the thunder, considering its culinary value, the price in a high-end restaurant could have easily been three million."
"Three million!?"
A darkness came over Li Jing's vision, his heart aching to the point he could hardly breathe.
The value of this fish monster was almost twice as high as he had originally anticipated!
But thinking about it, it made sense.
Chicken and fish are inherently different.
No matter how special a chicken is, in the end, it's just a chicken on the table.
It could be used for soup, roasted, or braised but its culinary value was limited.
But when it came to fish, chefs have always managed to create variety in the kitchen.
Moreover, among all types of fish, some could be sold for tens to hundreds of thousands.
Wouldn't a fish monster naturally be more precious than those premium fish, then?
The more Li Jing thought about it, the sadder he felt.
Forcing a laugh, that looked worse than crying, Li Jing said,
"Considering your small business, Boss, I can't ask you for too much money. As for the life-saving favour, let's not put a value on it. Here's what we'll do: you give me two hundred thousand and a few kilos of fish meat, and this fish monster is yours."
"Huh?"
Yu Hai was taken aback.
As a fish seller, he often encountered haggling.
But it was his first time witnessing this reverse haggling.
He estimated the fish monster could be sold for around two hundred and fifty thousand.
Li Jing had just cut the price by fifty thousand; in doing so, wasn't he inadvertently helping Yu Hai make a profit?
For Yu Hai, fifty thousand was no small sum.
After all, he was just a regular freshwater fish salesman. Even selling for a whole month might not net him fifty thousand.
But Li Jing didn't care about any of that, and quickly gave his bank account details.
A loss of two million eight hundred thousand made him yearn for a chance to turn back time.
On recalling that he only had to step out to buy some vegetables to level up and still managing to net two hundred thousand, however, his heart eased a little.
Perhaps at two hundred thousand, he may suffer a small loss.
But if he were to handle it himself, he didn't have the right connections to do so.
...