Chapter 152

Early morning, the Jianghuai Great Marsh was shrouded in a thin mist.

More than a dozen small boats were connected in a crooked zigzag line.

There had been a heavy rain last night, and the river wind was extremely strong; everyone was listless, and the boat line looked quite messy.

"Make way, everyone make way!"

Someone wearing a bamboo hat was rowing a small boat and shouting all the way, letting the few small boats in the middle move to both sides to clear the river channel.

Several strong men were dozing off, but upon hearing this, they perked up and grabbed the gang members rowing the boats to ask questions.

"Is it the River Patrol Office's river official?"

"What? Have they already come?"

One person lifted his straw raincoat and sat up from the boat.

The boatman shook his head: "They haven't come; it's some mackerel fish that need to pass."

"Ah?"

The straw raincoat was covered again, and they continued to sleep.

The others were dispirited.

"Rest, it's a merchant ship; brothers, you were happy too early."

"Sigh, everyone disperse, it's boring."

"Liu San, you go row, clear the river channel."

The few small boats in the middle moved toward both sides, clearing a wide river channel.

Three flat, large ships sailed out from the thin mist; after the heavy rain, smoke rose from the ships, and rainwater flowed from the ship's sides along the drainage ditches into the Great Marsh, with thin mist clinging to the ships and condensing into dew.

Typical merchant ships, with huge bows standing high, the ship's sides curving upward along the hull, the ships being over ten zhang long and about six zhang wide; just one ship could carry more than two thousand shi of grain.

Fishermen called these ships mackerel fish, just because they looked as thick and flat as mackerel fish and swam fast.

"Trouble you, brother, tell me what big event happened, such a big formation?"

Half a body poked out from the ship's side; it was a steward with a beard.

"Don't ask about what you shouldn't!"

After being snapped at, the steward didn't show much anger and cupped his hands: "Brother, don't blame me, I was just curious."

"Sorry, steward, my subordinates are all reckless, and their speech was a bit blunt; I hope you don't mind. This bit of money is for you brothers to drink."

A loud voice came from far to near, and a money bag turned into a stream of light, drawing a curve in the thin mist and hitting the steward's palm squarely.

In a few leaps, a figure arrived at the small boat.

"Leader!"

The man who had just spoken stood up with a thud, and the whole small boat shook.

The other men also stood up one after another.

The steward on the ship took the money bag and weighed it in his hand—eleven taels and two mace—cupped his hands, and disappeared from the ship's side.

"Leader, did I say the wrong thing?" the man who stood up first asked hurriedly.

Liu Jie pointed to the flag on the distant merchant ship: "Did you see that flag? What characters are those?"

The man scratched his forehead and shook his head.

"I know you are illiterate, so I didn't blame you." Liu Jie laughed and shook his head, "That means Kangji, Tongji, and Huiji; being able to carry the character 'Ji' means they are ships of the Hengren Merchant Fleet. The Hengren Merchant Fleet is more powerful than us, much more powerful, understand?"

The man nodded repeatedly.

"Alright, I know you are all working hard; let the brothers come back and change shifts." Liu Jie patted the man's shoulder and took out a second money bag from his bosom, "Take the brothers to eat something good and have a few drinks."

Everyone was overjoyed.

"Many thanks, Leader!"

As the gang members on the small boats quickly passed the news, cheers came from the Jianghuai River.

More than a dozen small boats moved one after another, heading toward the shore.

Some got off the boats, some got on, changing shifts with the brothers on the shore, and greeted the other two leaders one after another.

"Second Leader, Third Leader!"

Liu Yi and Zheng Tianfu nodded.

After the crowd on the shore dispersed, Liu Yi stepped forward: "Big Brother, has there been any progress on the official position?"

Liu Jie shook his head: "Fatty Du didn't agree; he only loosened his mouth, saying he would recommend Wenyang; whether it can be done is still unknown."

"Damn it!" Zheng Tianfu was so angry that he punched a tree trunk, and the willow wood as thick as a leg exploded into wood fragments, piercing into the soil, "Half of the silver every year has to be fed to them, and yet it's so difficult to get a Ninth Rank official position! I really want to roast the fat off that fatty with fire!"

"Killing an official and killing a commoner are two different things." Second Leader Liu Yi sneered, "He relies on the fact that we don't have official status to manipulate us like this; he is afraid of us, afraid of our people, and our ability."

"At least there is some hope; Fatty Du will stay here for at most two more years. When I put in some effort next year, it will be almost done. He will take the benefits and go to another place to take office, leaving us to deal with the next county magistrate."

"I originally thought that earning so much money every year meant we had made it, but I didn't expect..." Zheng Tianfu was physically and mentally exhausted, "Those official family disciples start at the Eighth or Seventh Rank, and for us to want a tiny police inspector position, it's like we have to dig out our hearts, livers, and lungs."

"Let's not talk about this; haven't the people from the River Patrol Office arrived yet?"

Zheng Tianfu shook his head: "It's been seven or eight days, haven't run into them."

"Going back and forth, they should have arrived..."

"Not arriving is a good thing." Liu Yi laughed, "It shows that the official from the River Patrol Office is the same as Fatty Du, who knows where he's drinking; if he were really meticulous, it would be hard to talk."

Having seen Fatty Du's behavior, Liu Jie nodded thoughtfully.

Everything must be discussed first, until both sides are satisfied.

If it really can't be discussed...

Then we can only find someone else to talk to.

The water rippled.

The midday sun penetrated the water layer, refracting into swaying arcs in the flowing ripples.

Liang Qu sat cross-legged on a giant rock, his black hair tied up and fluttering with the waves, his entire body's aura restrained, almost merging with the giant rock; as his blood and qi circulated, wisps merged into his marrow.

Several small fish swam by, eating the water algae growing under the giant rock.

A shadow silently covered the top of the fish school; the Fat Catfish opened its mouth, extended its tentacles, and took advantage of the small fish's lack of reaction to roll them up and throw them out of the water.

Liang Qu opened his eyes.

The Fat Catfish turned its eyeballs and spat out a treasure fish that was pure white all over with blue patterns on its sides.

Regaining its freedom, the treasure fish showed an extremely fast escape speed, but unfortunately, it didn't dash out a meter before being imprisoned in place by the water flow.

The water rippled, pushing the treasure fish to Liang Qu's hand.

"Blue-patterned fish; the types of treasure fish around Fengbu County are quite different from those in Pingyang County."

Liang Qu reached out and pinched the blue-patterned fish, returned to the boat, gutted it, and distributed it to the beasts.

【Water Essence +6】

The whole blue-patterned fish wasn't very big, only a little over two jin; after removing the bones and internal organs, only seven or eight liang of good meat remained.

Liang Qu finished eating the blue-patterned fish and then popped two cockscomb fruits.

Eating three cockscomb fruits a day has the best effect, and this fruit has excellent preservation effects, even in midsummer it can be stored for more than ten days.

Liang Qu had exchanged for fifteen before coming out, enough for five days, and now he was almost finished eating them.

He added all twenty-five points of Water Essence to the fusion degree; the treasure medicine itself began to take effect, his internal blood and qi were full again, and he performed two more blood refinements.

A slight feeling of strangeness was produced in his marrow, full to the point of overflowing.

Liang Qu's heart was moved.

A martial artist's intuition told him that he only needed two or three more blood refinements, and the Blood Pass could be broken!

Not only that.

Liang Qu communicated with the Ze Ding, the evolution conditions for the four beasts.

【Can consume 1.2 points of Water Essence to evolve the Horned Wood Crocodile into a Horned Wood Azure Crocodile】

【Can consume 2.6 points of Water Essence to evolve the Tiger-Headed Catfish into a Dread Tiger Catfish】

【Can consume 3.6 points of Water Essence to evolve the Rock Crab into a Rock Crab King】

【Can consume 4.7 points of Water Essence to evolve the Heavenly Water Centipede into a Double-Winged Heavenly Water Centipede】

Liang Qu took out the two remaining cockscomb fruits and divided them into four portions.

Even if Liu Jie has a hundred tricks, he must drown in this Jianghuai water marsh!