Chapter 315: Perfected to the Ultimate Degree

Borrow a knife to kill a man?

Liang Qu roughly guessed Yu Yu Dayi's intentions, but…

Standing on the deck and gazing afar, the disaster victims gradually approached the fleet in fishing boats—some carrying children, others supporting the elderly, all weeping bitterly…

Rather than borrow boats, better to increase capacity.

Fine, borrow them then!

Today's Huazhu County is no longer the powerful county it was a year ago, brimming with strong cultivators!

As the barge drew alongside, Liang Qu leapt down.

Yu Yu Dayi stood at the bow, watching Liang Qu vanish into the darkness.

Once the boat disappeared from sight, a deep weariness surged through every limb and bone.

The servant waiting outside moved swiftly forward, supporting Yu Yu Dayi, exclaiming, "Careful!"

Yu Yu Dayi gripped the ship's rail, his peripheral vision catching Ling Cao Shixiong and the others below; he forced a smile, descended to the small boat, and personally directed the fleet in relocating the victims.

Ling Cao Shixiong sighed and crawled into the cabin: "Eat! Eat! Full bellies and satisfied thirst—that's all life needs!"

…

The floodwaters churned black and turbulent.

The fat catfish quietly poked out a pair of large eyes, its long tail swaying as it moved.

The water here was shallow, barely over a meter deep; ahead, it was no longer sufficient to support the fat catfish's continued swimming.

Liang Qu received a message from A Fei, unfolded the map, sensed its location, and sketched a region with charcoal.

He compared this region to the map given by Chai Shiqiao and found a significant discrepancy.

The map provided by Chai Shiqiao covered only one-fifth of Jiangling County's total land area.

Yet the fat catfish's current location, if roughly outlined, already reached nearly one-third of Jiangling County.

In just one day, the Heishui River had expanded considerably.

"Yiling Town and Shuitong Township are fully submerged; Huangshi Township has been affected."

Between the two maps, Liang Qu circled several towns and townships.

Not long after the fat catfish reported, the Fists could no longer move; messages arrived in succession.

They advanced steadily along the direction Liang Qu gave, reaching the flood's boundary as well.

Liang Qu marked two black dots, noting water depth, then ordered the beasts to continue patrolling along the shore.

Surveying the disaster zone was an extremely vital task.

If done well enough, knowing which areas suffered severely and which lightly, resources could be allocated rationally, boosting rescue efficiency by several times over—achieving strategic victory!

Anyone else would find it excruciatingly difficult; a county is vast, and travel between locations would be extremely time-consuming.

But Liang Qu benefited from spiritual linkage—he needed no back-and-forth from the water beasts; their locations appeared directly in his mind!

No one could match its immediacy and accuracy!

As charcoal strokes traced lines, a more precise and detailed disaster map gradually emerged.

…

Dozens of tall horses, cloaked in night, burst from the forest, scattering fallen leaves.

The flood surged continuously, its roar like an unending thunderclap.

The horses panted heavily, chests heaving; the sound made them restless.

Wei Shao sat astride his horse, scanning the breached Qiu Gong Di Dam, and likewise noticed the vanished water-level marker.

A subordinate rode up beside Wei Shao: "Sir, the water-level marker is gone!"

"All of you, into the river! Find it!"

"Yes! 6"

Six men behind Wei Shao responded in unison.

All present were mounted martial masters; even with the torrential flow at the breach, they showed no fear, stripped off their clothes, and dove into the river, spreading out to search for the water-level marker.

Long moments passed.

One man surfaced.

"Sir, found it! It must be the right water-level marker!"

A second man surfaced.

"We found it here too!"

Wei Shao tied his reins, stepped forward, and plunged into the water; his Tiger Step glided effortlessly, flashing to his men's side in an instant.

The six divers were startled—they had not expected Wei Shao to move so swiftly underwater.

This was no tranquil lake or marsh; moving against the current so fast—had he broken through again?

Unbeknownst to them, after the auction, Wei Shao had lost a swimming contest to Liang Qu and was severely punished by Wei Lin, forced to swim back and forth between Pingyang and Shangrao in the Great Marsh a full thousand times! He was not allowed ashore until completion, spending half a month eating, drinking, and excreting entirely in the marsh!

His once-flawless Tiger Step in Water had, through half a month of bitter effort, finally broken through—now perfected!

Wei Shao groped about but found nothing discernible.

Underwater was dark, the night deep, and silt-filled—impossible to clearly see the water-level marker's condition.

"Bring it up!"

The men lifted the heavy water-level marker; two tied ropes around it, while the others dragged it ashore.

The weight of the marker crushed thick shrubbery; the bank's mud gave way under pressure, sliding into the water; several horses nervously pawed the ground.

While Wei Shao and his men hauled the water-level marker, Yan Yan Qingshan and others were also on their way.

Two horses per man, traveling day and night without rest.

Farther away, in Pingyang County, the fleet organizing supplies and personnel had just set out.

Signal flags waved up and down; the tower ship slid from its dock, churning up a wave.

Crowds kept arriving.

…

The fat catfish swam with a flick of its tail, drowsy.

Suddenly, a scream erupted from a nearby grove, making its skin shudder; it panicked, scanning around.

"What are you screaming for? I'll throw you into the water to feed the fish if you keep it up!"

"Don't say that—it's more fun when you scream! But even if you scream yourself hoarse, no one will come!"

Among the swaying tree shadows, a red-lacquered wooden barrel was wedged between two large trees.

A small skiff blocked the barrel's front, where two men dragged a woman struggling desperately inside.

As they pulled and undressed her, one suddenly stopped.

The skiff rocked and bumped against the barrel.

The man pulling the woman lost his grip; she slipped back inside, and he cried out in panic: "Help me! I can't hold her alone! You want to go first? Fine, take her!"

"Fish… fish monster!"

His companion's voice trembled with terror; the man looked up and saw his friend frozen in place, finger trembling as he pointed behind him.

The man swallowed hard and turned slowly.

Beneath the night, a monstrous fish creature, three zhang long, surfaced.

Rain streamed down its broad back into the water; its huge eyes glowed faintly blue, silently fixing on the two men.

The man's legs buckled; he collapsed to his knees.

BOOM!

A black tail lashed out.

The small grove fell instantly silent.

Long moments passed; the woman trembling inside the barrel cautiously peeked out.

The skiff drifted aimlessly, untouched and unnoticed.

Northward.

The Fist's eye-stalks wobbled, half its body protruding from the water, exhaling bubbles.

Three young men in straw capes stood on a boat, shouting to a woman in the water clinging to a door panel, struggling to survive.

"Auntie, let us have some fun—just a little fun, then we'll pull you aboard! How about it?"

"Spit! You three little beasts! Do you even have shame? You ate so much at my house!"

"Auntie, why speak so harshly? We ate your food precisely because we want to repay you—by pulling you aboard!"

The middle youth crouched, grabbed the edge of the boat, and gently flipped it; the woman immediately lost her grip and plunged underwater.

The other two youths burst into laughter.

After several rounds, the woman choked on filthy water, her hair disheveled, her strength gone; she could only beg.

"Stop! Stop it! Have your fun! Do what you want!"

The three youths burned with excitement, ready to haul her aboard—when two giant claws slammed down from above.

CRASH!

CRASH!

Two round heads exploded like watermelons, red and white splattering everywhere.

The youth crouching to flip the boat was drenched in hot fluid; he looked up dazedly—his two companions had already lost their heads.

The headless corpses swayed, then toppled into the water, revealing the monstrous crab creature behind them.

Before the youth could scream in terror, another claw came crashing down.

Thud!

The young man's half body collapsed inward, half dangling over the boat's edge.