Wang Shouzhe immediately picked up his strong bow and sword, and rushed out swiftly. He arrived on the deck. Wang Dinghai held a fishing and hunting short spear with barbs and ropes, directing the crew to quickly beat the water surface with long bamboo poles. Household Generals Wang Zhong and Wang Yong also drew their strong bows, ready to shoot at any time. "Shouzhe, you came just in time." Wang Dinghai’s expression was grave, but he couldn’t hide his joy, "It’s a lone East Sea Arrow Banner, probably washed into the freshwater by the tide, not too hard to deal with. Aim for its vital spots when it surfaces." Overall, the difficulty of dealing with aquatic ferocious beasts is no less than that of terrestrial ones. They are often powerful and fierce underwater, frequently ramming and shattering boats. With more than a decade of experience as an "old fisherman," Wang Dinghai naturally had his own set of techniques for dealing with aquatic ferocious beasts. The sound of bamboo poles hitting the water can disturb the beast’s judgment, making it hesitant to attack the boat, while also provoking its anger. Except for a few species, most fish, even the ferocious ones, generally have lower intelligence compared to terrestrial ferocious beasts. Just as Wang Dinghai finished speaking, a large splash suddenly erupted four or five zhang away from the left side of the ship. A nearly two-zhang long aquatic monster leaped out of the water, charging fiercely toward the ship. With Wang Shouzhe’s dynamic vision, he could only make out the long sword-like front spikes of the aquatic ferocious beast and its dorsal fin resembling a triangular flag, somewhat reminiscent of a sailfish from Earth. But in terms of both size and ferocity, it far surpassed a sailfish. "Zheng! Zheng! Zheng!" The sound of three bowstrings echoed almost simultaneously as sharp arrows struck the beast in succession. The difference was that Wang Zhong’s and Wang Yong’s arrows penetrated three or four inches into its body, while Wang Shouzhe’s arrow embedded over a foot deep. The difference didn’t stem from the bows and arrows but from the higher-quality profound qi Wang Shouzhe infused onto his arrow. As the fiercest among the old fishermen, Wang Dinghai’s entire body swelled, his profound qi bursting to its utmost. His fishing and hunting short spear, specialized for slaying large fish, was launched with a fierce throw, "Puff," piercing over two feet into the beast’s side abdomen. At this point, the beast’s front spike struck a crew member, sending him falling into the water, its tail sweeping another two crew members down as well. Amid the loud splash, the beast with the crew member plummeted into the water. However, it carried Wang Dinghai’s fishing and hunting short spear with a special thick rope tied to its tail end. Before it swam ten zhang away, the rope tightened with a sudden "creak" sound. This medium-sized merchant ship was pulled to one side, the bow swung by the immense drag. This was the human technique for dealing with large aquatic ferocious beasts aboard ships. Clearly, the East Sea Arrow Banner had made a fatal mistake. This error would naturally lead to its demise. The tugging of the fishing short spear and barbs caused it to thrash in pain, desperately trying to break free but unable to do so. The more it struggled, the worse its injuries became, and the special rope wound tighter around it. To add to its doom was the long-range assault from Wang Shouzhe and others with their strong bows. Nevertheless, Wang Shouzhe and the others spent an entire quiver of arrows before the East Sea Arrow Banner gradually ceased struggling, turning belly up. The crew worked together to slowly drag it back. By this time, the crew member pinned to death by its front spike had long been cast off, swept away by the tide, and his whereabouts unknown. Of the crew members who fell into the water, only one was rescued, while another was likely swept away by an underwater current, irretrievable. Although they had killed a Tier Two aquatic ferocious beast, losing two human lives cast a shadow over Wang Shouzhe’s face. The crew’s morale was low as well, given that the dead were companions they lived with day and night. "Shouzhe, the battle with a Tier Two aquatic ferocious beast today was already quite favorable; it was a great victory." Wang Dinghai came over to pat Wang Shouzhe’s shoulder, offering words of comfort, "Even among blood relations and household generals, death in battle isn’t impossible." Wang Shouzhe understood that although Tier Two ferocious beasts and the High Tier of the Qi Refining Realm were both Level 1, ferocious beasts were generally stronger than beings of the same realm. Moreover, this world ultimately differed from Earth; humanity had always been contending with ferocious beasts for survival territory. Since humans survived on land, terrestrial ferocious beasts in human habitats had long been eradicated, making it relatively safer. However, one could never estimate how many people would die during such eradications and pioneering. Yet the situation in water was different. Humans do not live underwater. Like Anjiang’s great river, it has a wilderness source and numerous tributaries, some of which lead to undeveloped dangerous water marshes, where aquatic ferocious beasts thrive. It is due to these extensive water networks that aquatic ferocious beasts continue to appear within the bounds of human settlements. Otherwise, humans would have long eradicated the aquatic ferocious beasts within their territory by persistent hunting. This East Sea Arrow Banner is clearly a sea-dwelling fierce beast, unlucky enough to be swept into the freshwater river by the tides. Moreover, it lacks experience in dealing with humans. The vast ocean contains countless terrifying and fierce species that humans have yet to fully comprehend. Therefore, merchant ships typically need to be large and extremely sturdy, and equipped with siege equipment and other weapons. The walls on Golden Sand Island are not merely decorative to prevent humans from wandering in... Sea-dwelling beasts, likewise, cannot be underestimated. Briefly gaining composure, Wang Shouzhe said, "Uncle, provide the necessary compensations and rewards." "Naturally, we’ll follow traditional high standards. Each deceased crew member will receive 30 Qian Gold, totaling 60 Qian Gold. I’ll handle these personally." Wang Dinghai, accustomed to such events, showed little emotion. "An additional hush fee and reward of 2 Qian Gold for each of the other twenty crew members, totaling 40 Qian Gold, bringing our expenses to 100 Qian Gold." Qian Gold as an expenditure is substantial, and crew compensations are typically high. Wang Shouzhe paid out the 100 Qian Gold without hesitation, directly giving Wang Dinghai the amount for him to manage. The surviving crew members, upon hearing they’d receive 2 Qian Gold each, immediately felt encouraged, greatly boosting morale. Despite the risks of their work, crew earnings were decent, but the pure gain of 2 Qian Gold was considered a windfall. Joyfully, they aided Wang Zhong and Wang Yong in gradually dragging the fierce beast’s corpse onto the deck. "We must set sail quickly. Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, drag the prey into the cabin and expedite clearing the deck; it’s unwise to linger here." Wang Dinghai immediately issued another order and explained to Wang Shouzhe, "This region is not our hunting ground but belongs to East Port’s Zuo Family. It’s best to leave shortly to avoid complications." Unquestionably, Wang Dinghai, accustomed to living on water, made a wise decision. More than a minute after setting sail, they encountered the Zuo Family’s fishing fleet at a distance. As the tides rose, it was the ideal time for fishing in these waters. They saw a passing medium-sized merchant ship and were busy seizing the golden time for fishing, showing no intention of inquiry. In Anjiang, merchant ships and passenger boats frequently come and go. Then, they smoothly passed the Zuo Family’s territorial waters without incident. "Congratulations, Patriarch." Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, temporarily processing the East Sea Arrow Banner, joyously reported, "This Arrow Banner weighs over a thousand pounds, and after removing inedible parts, it still has over seven hundred pounds, quite profitable." Tier Two fierce beast meat is several times more expensive than Tier One and offers better benefits for replenishing vitality and blood. These pure meat portions alone are worth hundreds of Qian Gold. The skin of the Arrow Banner is also very useful; specially tanned, it can create some high-end water armor, enhancing a Black Tortoise Practitioner’s Water Escape Technique and defense. All edible parts, even fish guts and liver, will be consumed. Unedible bones and spines, on the other hand, can be dried and ground into Spirit Fish Bone Powder for spirit field fertilization. In short, not a single part of such a valuable and rare spirit fish will be wasted. Furthermore, the fish maw of the spirit fish is exceedingly costly. Specially processed and sun-dried, it becomes the renowned Spirit Fish Jelly. This is the most precious part of the spirit fish, known for preventing postpartum hemorrhage and providing warm support to replenish blood and energy after childbirth. Of course, only female members of the Black Tortoise Clan consume such precious items postpartum; ordinary families’ women are not privileged. "Remember to note in the ledger when the fish jelly is placed in the clan treasury; when my sister gets married, it will be part of her dowry." Wang Shouzhe thoughtfully instructed. "Naturally," Wang Zhong agreed with a smile, "The Spirit Fish Jelly from the Red-tailed Spirit Eel hunted by the Patriarch earlier is also kept, assuredly to be part of Miss Luoyi’s dowry." Wang Luoyi, being the legitimate daughter of the Wang Family, will naturally have the finest Spirit Fish Jelly in her dowry upon marriage. In addition, Wang Shouzhe need not worry about providing this for Miss Liua. For when Miss Liua, the legitimate daughter, marries Wang Shouzhe, she similarly will not lack high-quality Spirit Fish Jelly in her dowry as part of the family’s heartfelt wish for the daughter to recover well postpartum. The customs and traditions of the Black Tortoise Clan permeate every aspect of life.