Chapter 162: Two Great Merits!

The room is filled with thick water vapor, and everywhere there is the smell of damp earth and oil.

Outside the headquarters, the common people who are not afraid of death to watch the excitement whisper to each other.

Du Wenzhang holds Liang Qu's hands tightly, his sobbing voice drowning out the sound of the rain outside, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

It is truly sad to hear and makes one shed tears to see.

Liang Qu feels uncomfortable all over, feeling the air is too humid and his clothes are sticking to his body. He grabs Du Wenzhang's wrist and squeezes hard, forcing Du Wenzhang to let go in pain.

Du Wenzhang has cultivation, but unfortunately, his level is not high. His pair of fleshy hands are almost crushed, swollen and purple.

Ten fingers are connected to the heart, and the pain is heart-wrenching. He endures it without crying out, his masseter muscles bulging high on both sides.

Liang Qu is expressionless.

He doesn't know what medicine Du Wenzhang is selling in his gourd, but it certainly won't be good medicine.

Although he didn't investigate how many officials and clerks colluded with the Whale Gang, the Whale Gang was able to develop to such a degree.

He can roughly guess what role the county magistrate before him played in it.

Great Shun combined all the harsh taxes into the Single Whip Law, so there is no need to worry about some lamp oil tax, cleaning tax, dung tax, or tea table tax suddenly popping up from above...

But this doesn't mean ordinary people can live a stable life.

Just like the Whale Gang, it parasitizes all the fishermen in Fengbu County like lice, sucking blood in large gulps, while also facing the risk of being slapped to death.

If you don't want to die, you have to obediently offer up a portion or even most of your fat to exchange for your own living space.

Sometimes lice are born from dirty places themselves.

Sometimes they are perhaps picked up from the ground by a large hand and placed there personally.

Compared to harsh taxes, with an extra layer of transfer in the middle, the situation ordinary people face might be even worse.

Liang Qu suddenly feels that the environment of Yixing City was really good.

It is only ten miles away from Pingyang Town and is radiated by Master Yang's divine power.

Secretly, there are hooligans, thugs, and small gangs, but on the surface, a behemoth like the Whale Gang would never be produced.

If he had woken up in Fengbu County, his final outcome would likely have been to confront the Whale Gang that covers the sky with one hand, finally killing a backbone member of the Whale Gang, being wanted by the county government for murder, and fleeing on the water.

Not knowing a single character, unable to understand cultivation techniques, having no weapons, and living on raw fish—how could he have the comfortable life he has now?

It is truly the times that make the hero, and he has benefited from the environment.

Liang Qu's thoughts are continuous, his gaze returns to Du Wenzhang, his expression indifferent.

"I speak directly and don't understand so many twists and turns. Lord Du doesn't need to act in front of me and waste each other's time.

To tell you the truth, I am just a small River Lord, apprenticed to Master Yang Dongxiong of Pingyang County, and recognize Commander Xu Yuelong of the River Patrol Office as my big brother.

The River Patrol Office patrols the Jianghuai Great Marsh; if there are water demons causing trouble, I kill water demons; if there are fish gangs causing disaster, I kill fish gangs.

I won't manage anything more; that is overstepping my authority and violating the law.

I am not a hero who saves the world, and I am not that generous. I can't do self-sacrifice, and my life is going well today; I don't want to find trouble and add blockage for myself."

Du Wenzhang's forehead is full of cold sweat, his heart filled with joy.

What he worried about most was that this kind of young hero would get hot-headed and really want to eradicate the "scourge" for the people.

"However..."

Liang Qu's gaze slants toward the account books piled up on the long table to the side.

"The River Patrol Office cannot manage a county magistrate like you, but I will have people organize all the accounts in the Whale Gang and report them truthfully to the Three Judicial Departments!

I hope Lord Du is truly clear of conscience, or pray for your own good!

You few, send the guest off!"

Liang Qu shouts loudly, and everyone in the headquarters trembles.

These people, one by one, wouldn't be wronged if killed. Liang Qu used them completely as slaves, and the psychological shadow left behind is quite significant.

A few gang members walk out and tremblingly invite Du Wenzhang out.

Du Wenzhang still wants to stay and talk, but Liang Qu picks up the long spear, and with a turn, the red tassel swirls and scatters.

Du Wenzhang falls silent immediately.

He knows that if he speaks again, he won't lose his life, but he's afraid he'll have a few more blood holes on his body.

His throat rolls, and Du Wenzhang is finally speechless, being led out of the headquarters.

The surrounding onlookers who were wearing straw raincoats to watch the excitement are also driven away.

Liang Qu looks around at the gang members who can still move in the headquarters.

"What are you looking at! Keep working. Have the account books, property, weapons, land deeds, and shops been moved out? If one thing is missing, you will leave one thing behind!"

The sound of moving miscellaneous items rings out again in the headquarters.

Liang Qu returns to the courtyard, picks up the profound iron bow, and suddenly feels like he has forgotten something.

He lowers his head and ponders for a while.

"Today is Friday!"

Liang Qu slaps his forehead.

He remembers that when he set off, it was Friday, and today is also Friday; it has been a full seven days.

No news has been sent back yet; he won't be declared missing, right?

It's just that the task changed too fast. He thought it was just a small spirit monster causing trouble and it should be solved in three or four days, but he didn't expect the plan couldn't keep up with the changes, and the opponent became the massive Whale Gang.

Spending a few more days in the middle to break through the blood barrier, a weekly cycle had long passed.

"Bring paper and brush!"

Liang Qu shouts, and someone immediately sends paper and brush.

He unfolds it quickly, preparing to write the matter into a brief report and send it back.

As an official, Liang Qu has the authority to use the post station, which can be delivered within two days with an express.

It has already been seven days; don't let it reach ten days and be declared dead, that would be a huge misunderstanding.

"You thought of writing a brief report at this time?"

A shadow falls. Liang Qu pulls his blade and turns around, the cold light of the Green Wolf flashing, only to be clamped by two fingers, not moving at all.

He raises his head in horror and is immediately stunned.

"Commander Xu!"

Xu Yuelong presses the Green Wolf with his fingers, his head tilting slightly backward.

"Good boy, fast reaction."

Liang Qu never imagined he would see his superior here!

He wouldn't have come specifically to find him because he hadn't returned for seven days, right?

"Are you wondering how I came here? That's right, I came to find you, you stinky brat!"

Xu Yuelong flicks his finger, and Liang Qu only feels an astonishing elastic force coming from the Green Wolf, throwing him so he can't control inserting the Green Wolf into the scabbard.

Powerful!

Liang Qu is slightly shocked in his heart, looking at Xu Yuelong again, who seems as usual.

"Then how come Big Brother Xu walks without a sound."

Xu Yuelong is clearly deliberately restraining his aura to scare him.

"I haven't asked you yet. No news for seven days in a row, I didn't dare to tell Uncle Yang first, so I ran over to see what was going on.

Not looking, I wouldn't know; you brat, you really made a big stir, killing a Galloping Horse expert with four barriers, capable enough, aren't you?"

Liang Qu is flattered.

He never expected Xu Yuelong to come personally, so he quickly takes out the booklet on his body and reports truthfully what he has seen and heard over the past seven days.

As for how Liang Qu killed the Galloping Horse expert, he didn't write it down.

The River Patrol Office doesn't care about this either.

There are many ways to win against the strong with the weak.

Sneak attacks, poisoning, or some other methods all belong to a person's trump cards.

If everyone had to report everything one by one, it would instead make people's hearts disunited and be unfavorable for handling affairs.

The River Patrol Office only wants the result.

Xu Yuelong takes the booklet and reads it carefully.

He hurried all the way, and the news he heard was not much, not as detailed as what was written in the booklet.

He didn't expect that the more he read, the more shocked he became.

The River Patrol Office manages rivers, naturally including fishermen.

Xu Yuelong never expected that right next to Pingyang County, almost under his nose, such a large fish gang could be entrenched!

What about other counties?

Are there any too?

A good opportunity.

Xu Yuelong rubs the booklet with his fingers.

The River Patrol Office is new here and has no elders to lead, so they don't understand many things.

Now the impact of the whole thing is not big; the entire River Patrol Office is equivalent to only him and Liang Qu knowing.

If other counties have the same situation, if he clears the surrounding area with thunderous momentum, wouldn't he monopolize the credit?

He had long been displeased with Wei Lin.

Usually, there was no opportunity, and he was too lazy to fight, but now the opportunity is delivered to his eyes.

"Commander Xu, look at this task, how much credit is it worth?"

Liang Qu has expectations for this.

Xu Yuelong closes the booklet.

"Investigating a major case and eradicating it—the two things are calculated separately; it should count as two great merits for you!" ===== CHAPTER 163 =====