Chapter 335: Bringing This Chapter to a Close

"The Red Dragon Fish? I've heard of it—I'm told it was caught by a young hero."

"Mr. Xu, why not point him out so we may properly meet him?"

Several officials chimed in one after another, and the conversation naturally turned to Liang Qu.

Liang Qu looked up, gazing at Ran Ran Zhongxi in the front row.

Ran Ran Zhongxi gave a slight nod, signaling Liang Qu to rise.

Old men are shrewd—these officials knew of the Red Dragon Fish; how could they not know who caught it?

If the information were wrong, how embarrassing would that be?

Raising the topic at the banquet was merely an excuse to formally introduce him; otherwise, they wouldn't have singled out "Mr. Xu."

Liang Qu, receiving the hint, set down his chopsticks, stood, and bowed respectfully toward the central table.

"Mr. Huang, you flatter me too much—I dare not accept the title of hero. My gain comes from the grace of heaven and earth, and the toil of the people. Having obtained the Red Dragon Fish, I shall redouble my efforts to repay heaven and earth's kindness and not betray the people's high hopes."

Xiang Fang Su turned back in surprise.

This boy's flowery speeches are getting smoother by the day.

How many books on flattery has he read?

Xu Xu Yuelong laughed heartily: "As you all see, Liang Qu is from Pingyang County, Huaiyin. He is eighteen, a junior Water Official. According to him, his name means 'building bridges' and 'accumulating water channels'—born with the destiny of a great water lord."

"The Red Dragon Fish Mr. Huang mentioned earlier was caught by this boy while he was ordering villagers to drain fields and rescue seedlings. At the time, I was deeply envious."

An elderly man with a long beard pondered briefly and said: "Mr. Xu, I recall the several sand tables in the camp were made by a Liang official..."

Xu Xu Yuelong nodded: "You're right, Mr. Liu. The sand tables and four-color flags seen in the camp were all crafted by Liang Qu! Not a single error has been found to date!"

Liu Xun nodded: "Without those sand tables to mark the terrain, Huazhu County's disaster relief would not have gone so smoothly. His contribution is indispensable."

"Building bridges, accumulating water channels—he truly is a water official by birth."

"Mr. Liu called him a young hero—he was not wrong!"

"Qiu Qiu Xianzhi built a dike and found a treasure fish; Liang's boy saved the disaster and found another treasure fish. The folk tales aren't entirely baseless."

Officials praised him enthusiastically; aside from Wei Lin's faction, who were slightly disgruntled, the entire tent buzzed with harmony.

Liang Qu is so young and still lowly, but any clear-eyed observer can see his future is boundless.

A few words of encouragement now are enough to forge a bond.

Should Liang Qu ever need to travel to Southern Zhili for official business, he can use this as an excuse to send a formal visit note to any of these officials' households.

With repeated visits, the relationship will naturally form.

As for the Red Dragon Fish being eaten—it's merely a rare treasure fish; even Lord Qiu Qiu Xianzhi ate one.

The folk tales born of these two coincidences are ignored by all.

The true omen is the lowering of the Heishui Riverbed.

Liang Qu carefully noted the names of the officials present, thanked each one in turn, and returned to his seat.

The matter of the Red Dragon Fish was closed.

Discussion returned to the Heishuihe itself.

Everyone began debating how to relocate the refugees and rebuild.

Proposals, objections, corrections, and additions followed one after another—several plans were formulated, ready for implementation tomorrow...

Late September.

After a full month, most of the floodwaters in Huazhu County had receded, leaving only residual pools in low-lying areas.

With supplies arriving from Huaiyin Prefecture and Southern Zhili, overall grain prices in Huazhu County stabilized at roughly fifteen wen per jin.

Many clinics reopened; Liang Qu occasionally patrolled the county, checking for corrupt clinics, and sometimes even acted as a physician, offering free consultations.

He had studied medicine for half a year—he couldn't treat internal ailments like colds or fevers, but he handled broken bones and external injuries without difficulty.

Coupled with his miraculous ability to dispel water sickness and his frequent advice like "maintain hygiene" and "drink more hot water," Liang Qu's medical practice proved highly effective; all patients claimed he worked miracles.

Seeing this, Xu Xu Yuelong handed over all county physicians to Liang Qu for coordination, establishing thirteen free clinics across the county. Many villagers came bearing precious plants and treasure fish to thank him.

The Heishuihe's breach didn't just wash out one Red Dragon Fish.

Treasure fish and plants, normally hard to find underwater, were all swept out by the flood—after the waters receded, they were either trapped under tiles or stuck in rice paddies, easy to catch.

Liang Qu accepted them all, buying them at fair prices, and daily served clear-broth treasure fish with a side of stir-fried treasure plants.

Little by little, the essence of water and marshes surged upward.

Not just Liang Qu—many martial artists who came to assist in the disaster relief also gained rewards.

Chen Chen Jiechang and Li Li Libo went to the fields daily to help villagers drain water and check for missed catches, and they'd already caught several large fish, their breakthrough to the Second Realm imminent.

Lu Lu Xinqing watched enviously, but his status prevented him from leaving; he spent every day running nonstop as a laborer, hauling stone to build Lord Qiu's dike.

Others got paid for their labor; he only got meals.

The strength martial artists could bring to production was immense—what would normally take ordinary men half a year to build was nearly completed in just one month with their help.

The only thing puzzling Liang Qu was that the Three Judicial Offices, after taking over the case, had remained completely silent—as if they tacitly accepted Cheng Chong as the culprit.

Liang Qu took time to visit the Three Judicial Offices' temporary base and asked his "old acquaintance" Zhang Zhang Zhiyun for details.

Seeing Liang Qu again, Zhang Zhang Zhiyun felt an inexplicable absurdity rise in his chest.

Their first meeting was in Pingyang Town, before it became Pingyang County—Zhang Zhang Zhiyun had come to inquire about the Ghost Mother Cult, saw Liang Qu's exceptional roots, and tried to recruit him into the Three Judicial Offices; he was refused.

Their second meeting was in Fengbu County—Liang Qu wiped out the Whale Gang, and Zhang Zhang Zhiyun came to clean up the aftermath and gather evidence.

The Whale Gang boss's son's revenge attempt counted as the third.

Now, this is the fourth.

Four meetings.

That nameless nobody from Yixing City has now become a prominent seventh-rank Junior Water Official.

Only a year has passed...

Zhang Zhang Zhiyun's gaze grew distant.

He was twenty-seven, a Bronze Badge Cloud Eagle Tiji, still unmarried.

With his prime years ahead and boundless prospects, why did he suddenly feel like an old man nearing his end?

Liang Qu, unnerved by the stare, quickly asked: "Brother Zhang, it's been over half a month since it's been in your hands—can't you find anything? Could it really be that Cheng Chong acted alone?"

Zhang Zhang Zhiyun sighed and shook his head: "No. Based on the testimonies of the Shahe Gang members and your own account, we also suspect foul play in the dike breach.

But we can't find it—we've tried every method, nothing works.

My superior suspects either Cheng Chong truly acted alone, or he was betrayed without knowing it—his son dead, he was manipulated without realizing it.

Similar cases have happened before; in the southern frontier, the Heaven Demon Art has similar effects—it stirs up greed and malice within a person.

If we truly can't uncover it, Southern Zhili will send a Purple Badge Tiji. If even the Purple Badge can't solve it, then we must settle on a verdict."

"Alright."

Liang Qu sighed.

The Three Judicial Offices have plenty of professionals—they say there are countless strange arts and martial techniques to force confessions. If they can't find anything, I certainly won't.

"Brother Zhang, keep up the good work!"

Zhang Zhang Zhiyun's face flushed.

He knew Liang Qu meant the investigation, but it still sounded strangely off to him.