Chapter 336: The Withered Tree Meets the Breath of Spring

"Hah! Just a joke! Brother Zhang, don't take it to heart—next time I'm back in Pingyang County, I'll treat you to wine at Langyun Tower."

Liang Qu patted Zhang Zhang Zhiyun on the shoulder.

At first you didn't figure it out, but you shouldn't keep missing it forever.

Once a nobody, now towering above you—anyone would feel something at that.

No one is born a sage; knowing shame is what breeds courage afterward.

Liang Qu had no connections in the Three Judicial Offices; it was rare to have even one acquaintance who could fetch news.

Zhang Zhang Zhiyun gave a wry smile: "Brother Liang's achievements today prove my judgment back then was right."

"So you're agreeing to the wine?"

Zhang Zhang Zhiyun bowed: "How could I refuse?"

The two chatted awhile, set a date for the feast, and Liang Qu watched Zhang Zhang Zhiyun depart.

The Qiu Gong Dam had breached; robbery, murder, and rape cases had become common in Huazhu County and two neighboring counties; the Three Judicial Offices were swamped, no lighter than the River Office.

I hope the dam breach case is resolved soon, and doesn't become just another unresolved backlog case in the Three Judicial Offices.

Night fell.

Patients continued to arrive at the free clinic in dribs and drabs.

The clinic's assistant brought out stools and hung two lanterns from the rafters so people wouldn't trip on the steps in the dark.

"Hey! Someone threw up! Luanzi, bring some charcoal ash to clean it up!"

The clinic's physician shouted.

"Coming!"

Luanzi finished hanging the lanterns and ran off to the kitchen for ash.

"The weather's too damp—scrape up plenty of ash, sprinkle it everywhere, dry out the dampness, and if it clears up tomorrow, take the herbs outside to dry again."

"Got it, right away."

"After today, don't bathe, don't loosen the splints, don't strain yourself—change the medicine every three days. You've got plenty of time before harvest and planting, no need to miss work."

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"

"Go on."

Liang Qu gave a few more instructions, saw off a patient with a broken bone, saw the sky was dark, and prepared to return to his tent to sleep.

Luanzi, who had been cleaning up vomit, hurried over: "Lord Liang, someone's here to see you."

Liang Qu waved: "Let Doctor Zhang and Doctor Li handle the patients—call it a day."

"Not a patient—two elderly men, one with a white beard, say they know you from before and came to thank you for saving their lives."

"White beard? Saving their lives?" Liang Qu thought a moment. "Show them to the back courtyard."

"Yes!"

The attending physician, seeing Luanzi run off, dared not complain, and sent someone else to sprinkle ash in the corners.

The clinic's back courtyard.

Fu Hu Yan Shijing and Master Lian Master Lian Jingye stood respectfully waiting.

Liang Qu stepped over them and sat in the high-backed chair, sipped some chrysanthemum tea, and chuckled: "I wondered who it was—you two, abandoning your fine positions as Great Chief and Second Chief of the Shahe Gang, what are you doing here?"

Fu Hu Yan Shijing's old face wrinkled.

"My lord jokes—without your intervention, the humble Shahe Gang would've been wiped out long ago; how could there be any Great Chief or Second Chief?"

We're merely two specks of dust on your boots.

When you walk, we ride with you; when you stop, we sink into the mud."

The old man was a master at flattery, utterly unashamed.

Liang Qu laughed and shook his head: "No one saved you—you saved yourselves. Now tell me, what do you really want? Don't push your luck after being spared."

Master Lian Master Lian Jingye bowed: "My lord, rest assured—we ask for nothing else. We came today only to thank you for saving our lives."

Saying this, Master Lian Master Lian Jingye pulled out two silver notes from his robe and placed them respectfully on the table.

Liang Qu glanced—each was a thousand taels, issued by Tongbao Bank, valid throughout Huaiyin Prefecture.

"The matter settled?"

Master Lian Master Lian Jingye nodded: "Settled. Thanks to you, the Three Judicial Offices sent men a few times—some goods were taken, but nothing else."

Xu Xu Yue's word carried weight.

Liang Qu kept his promise; the Shahe Gang couldn't remain unmoved.

They hadn't lost their lives; rebuilding wouldn't be hard.

After discussion with their top men, Master Lian Master Lian Jingye and Fu Hu Yan Shijing gritted their teeth, tightened their belts, and scraped together two thousand taels to express their gratitude.

Master Lian Master Lian Jingye continued: "Besides the silver notes, if my lord doesn't reject us, the entire Shahe Gang vows to give you ten percent of all profits going forward!"

Master Lian Master Lian Jingye felt uneasy.

Fu Hu Yan Shijing stole a glance at Liang Qu's reaction.

A long silence.

"Fine, I'll take the money."

Liang Qu didn't refuse.

He had already given away nearly three thousand taels in red dragon fish, plus three hundred taels in donations and purchases of the common people's precious fish and plants—his purse was far from full.

"Forget the profit-sharing."

Master Lian Master Lian Jingye was stunned.

"I hope you truly reform yourselves—don't let another old chief or third chief rise again."

Master Lian Master Lian Jingye flushed awkwardly, silently accepting it—when suddenly Fu Hu Yan Shijing dropped to one knee with a thud.

"Thank you, my lord, for your warning—we'll remember it always! But though you give grace without expecting return, the Shahe Gang cannot forget its debt. From now on, should you ever call upon us, we'll give our lives without hesitation!"

As he spoke, Fu Hu Yan Shijing unfastened a fish-shaped yellow jade from his waist and offered it respectfully: "All members of the Shahe Gang will obey this token without question. I humbly beg my lord to accept it!"

Master Lian Master Lian Jingye stared at the jade, his mind blank.

When had the Shahe Gang ever had such a token?

But he thought again—it didn't matter; whether it was real or not was up to them. They could carve a new one later and make the gang remember.

What quick thinking!

Liang Qu pondered briefly, then accepted the jade in Master Lian Master Lian Jingye's hopeful gaze.

"Don't worry—if I ever truly need it, I won't avoid it."

Whether the fishing docks or the Shahe Gang—these businesses aren't purely black, but certainly not white.

Xu Xu Yue was doing fine, when suddenly Cheng Chong appeared and dumped a false blame on him.

Liang Qu didn't want to end up like Xu Xu Yue, accidentally entangled in some karmic debt and wasting energy—but neither would he flee like from a venomous snake or scorpion.

The Shahe Gang leaned on the entire Heishuihe, upon which countless people depended; it held rich resources and immense power, with its own unique value.

Seeing Liang Qu accept the token, Fu Hu Yan Shijing and Master Lian Master Lian Jingye beamed, bowing deeply again.

They chatted a few more words, saw Liang Qu's spirits were low, took their leave politely, and slipped away quietly through the back gate.

On the night road, Fu Hu Yan Shijing sighed deeply.

It was rare to meet an honest official with such promise—truly precious. The Shahe Gang truly wanted to tie themselves to Liang Qu.

Too bad he didn't care.

Master Lian Master Lian Jingye comforted him: "Thank goodness for the assistant's quick wit—at least Lord Liang took the jade. There'll be other chances."

"That's all we can hope for."

Fu Hu Yan Shijing recalled how Liang Qu had understood the gang's secret phrases when he climbed the mountain.

The Shahe Gang ruled Huazhu County; even the county magistrate treated them with courtesy, so the gang's members had grown arrogant.

Who knew two beatings from the River Office had crushed their bones and flesh into mush.

What arrogance? Just ignorance—building a high wall among themselves, playing at being gods.

"Youth is truly wonderful…"

October 1st.

A month had passed; Huazhu County had finally begun to recover.

Many places, taking advantage of the mild weather, hurried to rebuild homes; faces weren't beaming, but at least no longer lifeless.

Liang Qu passed through several free clinic sites; seeing the revival after the disaster, he felt a deep sense of accomplishment, then rode his Chishan horse around the hills.

"Hong Mei, go water the plants again—the soil's too dry."

"Do it yourself."

"Still mad, huh…"

A peddler pushing a cart passed down the narrow path, selling blue bricks door to door.

Liang Qu noticed white ash still clinging to the bricks—likely salvaged from collapsed walls.

Under the locust tree at the village's edge, several children sat in a row, listening to an old man tell a story.

"This flood receded thanks entirely to the River God! The Heishuihe God wasn't…"

The children listened intently; one chubby boy interrupted: "So should we thank the River God?"

The old man didn't hesitate: "Of course we should! The village elders said—after the flood, we'll hold another sacrifice to honor the River Gods of Huai and Jiang!"

Sacrifice?

Liang Qu perked up his ears.

At that very moment, Inside Ze Ding changed.

Liang Qu's awareness sank, and he was astonished to discover that a wisp of ethereal long qi had regenerated within the Inside Ze Ding, intertwining with the red qi.

The long qi's hue shifted unpredictably, fading from gray to blue, then back from blue to gray, alternating endlessly, appearing even more mysterious than the red qi.

A faint light scattered.

【Ping Shui Drives Illness: Gained one wisp of the Qi of Withered Trees Reviving. If fused with ten thousand essence of water marshes, a spiritual fish is born, its effects wondrously strange.】

【Qi of Withered Trees Reviving: Withered trees bloom anew, faded flowers reopen, extends life by sixty years, revives the dead, and may also be used for Ascension of Purity!】!!!

Liang Qu studied it repeatedly, confirming he had not misread, and his heart was swept by a tidal wave.

Extends life by sixty years, revives the dead!?