Chapter 392: One Fish, Two Ways!

Four days later.

"Boom!"

The water surface stretched wide; a white column over ten meters high erupted, spraying water into misty rain.

Damp river wind struck their faces; a thousand-jin fish surged from the water, its body pierced front to back by a bloody wound, staining a vast area red.

The fat catfish advanced and bit down on the tail, dragging it back for lunch.

Liang Qu lowered the Yuanmu Bow, exhaled the stale qi, and felt refreshed and invigorated.

He reached out again.

Within a few breaths, another spear emerged—entirely white with foam, as if water currents flowed within it.

【Water Spear】: conjured from thin air, a brilliant white spear of water, formidable in power and highly penetrating.

That previous shot could have pinned a galloping martial master dead!

Though described as conjured from nothing, its effectiveness still varied by environment.

In water, the conjuring had almost no delay—thought alone summoned it instantly.

In air, it required several breaths to draw in surrounding moisture.

The Jianghuai region had ample humidity; in a desert or the northwest, it might take much longer.

Fortunately, alternatives existed.

Liang Qu could directly conjure the spear using vortex water laced with Yellow Water Plague Poison—its penetration even stronger, its power exceeding ordinary Water Spears by several times!

The most potent configuration of 【Water Spear】 was to form its body from vortex water, combine it with a Yin Thunder Talisman to enhance its corrosive effect, compress the Yellow Water Plague Poison into the spearhead, and finally launch it using the Yuanmu Bow!

What would that scene look like?

He truly wished to test it soon.

"Otter First Mate! Where are we?"

Otter, perched atop the mast as lookout, bit down on the cowhide map, slid down the wooden pole, landed on deck, and sprinted to Liang Qu's side, unrolling the map and pointing with his paw at a specific location.

Liang Qu leaned down to examine it.

Lianshui County!

Their progress matched expectations closely.

North of Lianshui County lay Xiangyi County.

The Fuchuan had just crossed into Lianshui County's territory; less than a day's travel would bring them to the border between Lianshui and Xiangyi Counties.

At that point, they would need to dock and switch routes.

Within Xiangyi County, the snake demon, backed by the Zhang and Li families, had taken control of Maoming Port and Li Shunfeng Port, cutting off all waterborne trade and production.

Sailing openly through would inevitably invite risk.

A large ship was worth a fortune.

Liang Qu was not rich enough to squander gold like dirt.

To enter Xiangyi County safely, they must shift from water to land.

When that time came…

Liang Qu straightened his back, brimming with energy, smooth and effortless—no more the intermittent "leakage" he'd suffered right after his breakthrough.

After days of traveling together on the Long Ping River and Long Ping Creek, the two Dragonfolk had noticed Long Jun's breakthrough; their initial tension had eased slightly.

Could he truly stand a chance against it?

In truth, Liang Qu was even more confident than the two Dragonfolk imagined.

Within four days, the chaotic energy had fully stabilized; the two True Vortexes were vividly formed, completely assimilated, and his overall strength had multiplied tenfold compared to his Galloping Horse Realm days!

This was only on land; underwater, his advantage was even more extreme.

The Blessing and Water Speed were both levers anchored to his own cultivation base, scaling proportionally and multiplying each other!

Combined with the "Explosive Spear" from the toad, and the "Golden Body Minor Command" from the old monk.

One offensive, one defensive—even without transforming into Spirit Form, Liang Qu was confident he could trade blows with the snake demon!

Manifesting the Marsh Spirit was merely a backup.

Deep night.

The riverbank flickered in and out of sight; the water beasts scattered.

Using the map, Liang Qu located a major dock within Lianshui County, closest to Xiangyi County, and moored the Fuchuan.

The river otters lowered the sails, dropped the iron anchor, swept the deck, and donned black cloaks to carry luggage ashore.

Inside a small hut, the boat keeper, seeing an unfamiliar large vessel enter the harbor, grabbed a torch and approached, shouting at the swaying figures along the hull.

"One tael silver per day to moor, four taels for five days. Half a li east lies a marketplace, with Happy Grove—you can find food, lodging, or prostitutes there…"

As he shouted, a figure leapt from the ship into the orange glow.

The boat keeper's words stalled.

The man was clearly wearing official robes!

Realizing his mistake, he immediately slapped himself twice.

"My lord, moor wherever you please—I shouldn't have spoken. I'm leaving now."

"Hey, good man, don't go! I have questions for you."

Liang Qu called him back and tossed a few silver pieces.

The boat keeper instinctively caught them, felt their weight, glimpsed the glint, and rejoiced inwardly.

Liang Qu wore official robes—therefore, the Fuchuan was an official vessel.

Who would dare charge an official vessel?

Even the owner wouldn't blame him—in other words, the silver was all his!

With the silver in hand, the boat keeper's fear vanished: "My lord, ask anything—I'll answer fully!"

"Have you heard of the snake demon plaguing Xiangyi County?"

As Liang Qu spoke, a group of small figures in black cloaks passed behind him, steadily unloading cargo onto chestnut-colored horses.

The night watchman nodded repeatedly, unable to resist glancing at them.

"Heard of it? Of course! Just ten li east of here is Xiangyi territory—so close!

Two months ago, we learned the Zhang family had done something terrible, angered the River God, who sent a giant snake to block the entrance—sparking public outrage.

Not just Xiangyi people suffered—we Lianshui people did too! Ships heading south had to detour north, ships going north had to detour south—now they must take a huge detour.

One trip adds a day; five trips add five days. Five days' time could cover another round trip—how much income is lost? All white, white silver!"

"I heard the Zhang family offered compensation?"

"Compensation? Yes, they did. The snake kept smashing boats, so the Zhang and Li families dragged every boat ashore—ten copper coins per day per fishing boat. No delays at first; people even cheered!"

"At first?"

"Of course. Winter has little work—fishing one day nets barely ten or so copper coins. Better to lie at home collecting money.

But in mid-April, the lake swarmed with fish. Two days ago, it was so hot I stripped to my waist! Ten copper coins a day? Not enough—now everyone curses!"

Seeing Liang Qu's kind face—not like those fat-bellied, thin-bearded, perpetually scowling masters—the boat keeper gradually opened up, speaking of how the Zhang family once ruled with power, now how miserably they suffered.

"Have you seen the snake demon?"

The boat keeper shook his head: "I've never seen that thing. I only heard it's over a thousand zhang long, coiled higher than Lianshui County's Stone Mountain, and eats a hundred oxen in one meal!"

Liang Qu knew this was nonsense.

The snake demon might be longer than ordinary water beasts, but certainly not a thousand zhang—that would be over three thousand meters, stretching over six li.

Having learned the general situation, Liang Qu told the boat keeper to watch the ship well, mounted his horse, and vanished into the night.

The boat keeper turned back—only to find the group of black-cloaked figures had also disappeared.

"Strange."

Chishan galloped ashore like a stormwind.

After traveling a distance, the fully wrapped Dragonfolk leapt from the water, silently following on either side.

The fat catfish and other water beasts dispersed into the great marsh, breaking into small groups.

With spiritual links intact, they needn't fear getting lost.

Dawn broke faintly.

Liang Qu and his two companions passed through numerous towns and villages, arriving at a small forest beside the official road, searching for orientation.

Long Pingjiang pulled out the map, compared it with the surroundings, and pointed toward the low hill ahead.

"My lord, ahead lies Zhang Family Village!"

"Good! Let's go meet the Zhang Clan Chief!"

Dealing with the snake demon cannot mean claiming all the credit.

The Zhang and Li families benefit most from handling the demon—how can they reap all the rewards?

One fish, two ways—use everything to its fullest.

Liang Qu intended to use the Zhang family's hands to push "Can't Move" from its current state to Great Spirit!

"Can't Move's" 【Revival】 is the crucial key to defeating the snake demon!