Chapter 722: Three Sages

A large ship?

Rain fell onto his shoulders, soaking through to create small grey spots. A sense of damp, stifling heat surged into his lungs. Liang Qu's heart stirred slightly, and he took two steps forward.

The flying eaves sliced through the daylight. Beneath the lead-grey clouds, masts wrapped in mooring ropes stood like a dense forest of utility poles in a field, accompanied by the submerged river, stirring up a thin mist.

Golden-feathered hawks circled in the rain, and water birds tumbled into the water, fleeing in panic.

Liang Qu felt a sense of wonder.

He had never seen such thick, towering masts. By his estimation alone, there were no fewer than a thousand of them, with countless smaller poles remaining. Beneath these masts, what kind of massive ocean-going fleet must it be?

"Brother Shui! Big news!"

A blue-maned horse tore through the rain curtain. The reins were pulled taut, and the horse's hooves scraped white marks as it slid against the flagstones, struggling to stop.

Liang Qu reached out to steady the horse's chest, applying a little force to suppress its momentum.

"Speak slowly, what is it?"

Li Li Libo was soaked to the bone. He took two gasping breaths, unable to care about calming the horse, and flipped off its back.

"By order of Commandant Xu, Prince Su and Prince Prince Bohai have arrived. All officials of Pingyang Prefecture, go and welcome them immediately! Brother Shui, change into your official robes and hurry!"

……

Water birds in the rain tucked in their wings, hiding on the roof beams to shake off their feathers.

In the various government offices of Pingyang Prefecture, all officials were arranged neatly according to their rank and grade, whispering with heads bowed.

Liang Qu looked up.

The lead treasure ship was hundreds of meters long and incomparably wide.

As it docked before them, it looked like the grey-white, wrinkled lower jaw of a giant whale. A single large ship filled his entire field of vision. With the eyesight of an ordinary person, standing at the bow, one could not even tell if the people at the stern were men or women.

Over a hundred treasure ships were arrayed, adding several miles of waterfront to Pingyang Prefecture out of thin air.

How many people could live inside those ships?

Tens of thousands?

Hundreds of thousands?

It was clearly a capital city on the water!

Their daily consumption might be enough to clog a small river...

"Why has a fleet from the Great Ocean come to our Pingyang Prefecture?"

"Could it be they've come to the Huai River for supplies?"

"That shouldn't be right. The fleet always heads to the Imperial Capital when returning from the sea. If they need supplies, they should go to Jinmen. Besides, with so many people on board, without prior preparation, could we even supply them?"

"Magistrate Liang, you are from the River-Dredging Office, do you know?"

"Me? I don't know!" Liang Qu shook his head, denying it flatly. "Returning from the Imperial Capital to Pingyang, I was injured too severely and have been on sick leave. I only recovered two days ago; I don't know of any major events."

The official who asked looked suspicious.

It was true that Liang Qu didn't like to show up for work, but was he really severely injured?

Not to mention the rowing race two days ago, even in the fifth month, he had seen Liang Qu taking a beauty to climb mountains and enjoy the spring. He clearly had plenty of energy.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The great drums on the deck were beaten.

Transparent ripples pierced the sky from the tops of the masts, and the clouds across the sky surged outward like waves. The dark clouds were like cold ice cracking on the river in spring, turning from whole to fragmented, from large to small. Daylight pierced through the gaps, and clear sunbeams spilled over the river surface.

The officials' whispers ceased, and their breathing lightened.

The rain had stopped.

……

Huai River Great Marsh.

Long Gong.

Brilliant molten-gold pupils opened.

The entire Long Gong was permeated with infinite pressure. All the large snakes swimming about curled up their bodies, kowtowing without moving.

Amidst the tension and oppression, a mass of water rushed toward the side hall.

"Cang Lin, go find the Northern Fish King!"

Northern water territory.

The Sea Monk stopped, witnessing the dark green snake winding through the sky above its head.

Intuition told it that something bad was about to happen in the Huai River.

"Sigh, a terrible year, business is hard to do."

The Sea Monk supported its head, its tentacles stirring the treasure fish in the box.

It watched the snake's shadow disappear without a trace.

The stalled merchant fleet continued to move south.

……

Stairs were erected.

Su Guishan, Xu Xu Wenzhu, and Yang Yang Dongxiong boarded the deck.

They waited for a while.

The high officials of Pingyang Prefecture were granted permission to enter. They lifted their hems and boarded the giant warship. Liang Qu was fortunate enough to be among them.

Deck connected to deck, undulating like land, with ship flags fluttering in the wind.

On the treasure ship, the officials crossed the long deck and entered the hall, where a door several zhang wide suddenly swung open.

Light and shadow extended.

The room was extremely deep, dozens of meters from front to back. Every ten steps there was a flight of stairs, rising upward. Nine-branched beast lamps were lined up on the left and right of the path, their candle flames bright and golden. The waxed wooden floor shimmered with light, a vermilion carpet spread out, and a golden dragon wound its way into the air.

Liang Qu raised his eyes slightly and was surprised to find the Prince of Xu Yue, who should have been in Ningjiang Prefecture, also located in the upper right seat, and beside him were two other great figures he did not recognize.

Among them, one had an extraordinary status, sitting in the center seat.

At first glance, he was an old man with grey hair and beard, but his face showed no signs of decay, his brows were straight, and an air of solemn majesty rushed toward them.

No need to guess.

Prince Su!

Prince Su and Prince Prince Bohai, the commander and deputy commander of the Great Ocean fleet.

Among them, Prince Su had the strongest strength. According to Xu Xu Wenzhu, he was a Peak Wu Sheng!

A true direct descendant of the Southern Zhili.

He had fought in the Liujin Sea Battle and killed a Wu Sheng of the previous dynasty. It was said that according to the genealogy, the blood of the Great Shun royal family flowed in his veins. Although several famous battles were not one-on-one, he did indeed have the life of a Wu Sheng on his hands, and his merit and virtue were highly respected.

Compared to him, Prince Prince Bohai was fair and clean, with a handsome face, looking even younger than the Prince of Xu Yue.

It was just that once one reached the Jiang Zongshi level, appearance often did not reflect one's true age, representing only personal habits.

Inside the great hall, apart from the three Martial Saints seated in a "pin" formation at the highest level.

The seats on the second and third levels added up to more than a dozen people, each with an extraordinary bearing.

Were they all Grandmasters?

Liang Qu saw his master, Su Guishan, and Xu Xu Wenzhu, all three sitting on the third level.

The imperial court really valued the overseas barbarian countries.

With this entire team pulled out, an ordinary small country's ruler would probably be scared to the point of wetting himself just hearing about it, let alone seeing them.

Separated by three levels.

The officials were located on the fourth level, bowing and saluting the three Sages more than ten meters away.

"Wei Lin, come forward." A Jiang Zongshi on the second level beckoned.

Wei Lin took two steps and stood behind him.

"Xu Yue Long."

"Liang Qu."

Xu Xu Wenzhu and Yang Yang Dongxiong called out respectively.

Liang Qu had never eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run. Seeing this, he immediately followed Xu Xu Yuelong and stood behind Yang Yang Dongxiong, acting as a background board.

The officials were all envious.

Having a good background really could save ten years of detours.

"Are they here to see me?"

Liang Qu guessed.

It wasn't narcissism; many gazes were cast over, especially from behind, and even if there were Grandmasters he knew, this action still seemed inexplicable. Were Wei Lin and Xu Xu Yuelong just decoys?

After the salutations.

Prince Su spoke, not mentioning a word about the Flood Dragon, saying only that they had come for maritime trade.

Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi "suddenly realized," took the ship warehouse key handed over by Prince Su, and bowed, indicating that he would handle everything well.

The remaining officials all expressed their stance.

After a few words, the three Sages and the Grandmasters left one after another, leaving only a few great Martial Artists responsible for coordinating and leading the way, with a sense of swift and decisive action.

The tallest tree catches the wind.

Prince Su didn't say, so there must be a reason. Since it involved a Wu Sheng, Liang Qu was determined not to be the first bird to stick its head out. He pretended to know nothing, quietly blended into the crowd, and went to work.

Busy until noon for lunch.

Liang Qu was finally summoned by the Prince of Xu Yue. He boarded the outer treasure ship and, upon raising his hand, received a piece of precious jade.

Soft light flowed, the white jade was flawless.

Heh.

A jade token!

"Many thanks, Teacher!"

He had written a letter two months ago, and Liang Qu had thought the Prince of Xu Yue wouldn't give it to him.

"Do not rely on it too much," the Prince of Xu Yue said. "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. A Jiang Zongshi's reaction is more than several times faster than yours. This time, consider yourself lucky. If you encounter the same method next time, perhaps you will have lost your head before you can even use it."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 723 =====