Chapter 403

Luo Gongqiao and Shen Chen had their own understanding; after waiting an extra day, they departed Wushan from different directions.

Luo Gongqiao returned to Zhancheng Wharf, battered and alone.

By this point, information from all sides had converged.

The Zhu Zhanlei squad, acting as bait, escaped Wushan yesterday and took refuge at Qihé Terrace Town.

Gao Wanli, a member of the squad, became separated during the retreat and has not returned since.

In addition, the squad’s “Heminglu” was damaged.

In the Fu family’s group, Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou remain missing.

Three younger members of the Fu family have escaped Wushan and are now holed up in the Chicken Crowing Village outside the mountains.

Finally, the Miao Yu squad withdrew from Wushan half a day late, met up with Zhu Zhanlei’s group at Qihé Terrace Town, and now await their superior’s next orders.

Luo Gongqiao then ordered Miao Yu: hold position at Qihé Terrace Town, ready to support any Fourth-Flowers emerging from the mountains.

Three more days passed, and all four Fourth-Flowers returned.

The two from the Fu family appeared severely wounded.

Even Shen Chen looked pale, clutching his chest and occasionally coughing up blood.

Clearly, everyone had done their utmost within Wushan.

The evil forces were too powerful! We fought valiantly but were overwhelmed and forced into retreat.

Shen Chen immediately saw through it: the two Fu men looked battered on the surface, but their bones and sinews were untouched.

Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou could see just as clearly that Shen Chen was faking it too.

As soon as the powerful evil appeared, Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou fled without hesitation.

That thing was beyond the capability of any Fourth-Flower.

No matter how many Fourth-Flowers faced it, the outcome would be the same.

The return of the Fourth-Flowers did not surprise Xu Yuan.

This battlefield was not at Tongguan Cliff.

Moreover, the Ancient Corpse Empress had grown suspicious of him; she would not expend further effort killing more Fourth-Flowers.

Yet Xu Yuan still waited to watch the show.

Four Fourth-Flowers stormed Wushan—and fled back in disgrace?

That couldn’t stand. There had to be an explanation.

But consider this: why, upon exiting the mountains, did Luo Gongqiao return straight to Zhancheng Wharf, covered in wounds?

And why, when the three Fourth-Flowers had all gathered at Qihé Terrace Town, did Luo Gongqiao issue a single order for them to return immediately—and did they obey without question, pressuring Zhu Zhanlei and Miao Yu to depart at once?

Once back at Zhancheng Wharf’s River Administration Office, the group compiled their reports.

Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou erupted in fury: “This defeat is not our fault! The great evil within the mountains, Ruan Tianye, interfered! We fought in the open while He lurked in the shadows—how could we possibly prevail?”

The Fourth-Flowers all needed a face-saving “excuse.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Gongqiao glared: “Ruan Tianye? Do you have proof?”

“Of course! When we chased that villain, just as he was about to be caught, he pulled out a Ruan Tianye permit and summoned nearby evils to aid him!” Fu Songyu said, producing a shattered permit.

“Thanks to those evils’ intervention, he escaped again—and eventually received backup from the great evil!”

Xu Yuan’s original plan had been for Tian Jing to use the permit, witnessed by Zhu Zhanlei and others.

But Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou arrived too quickly—the witnesses became them instead.

The testimony of two Fourth-Flowers carried far more weight.

“So that’s it!” Shen Chen sighed to the heavens: “No wonder since entering Wushan, I’ve felt as if heaven and earth had turned against me—it was Ruan Tianye’s doing! Everything in the mountains despises us!”

Xu Yuan praised silently: look at these Fourth-Flowers—how convincingly they spun lies.

One could immediately sense the gulf between their level and ours!

Thus, the cause of this defeat was swiftly settled: Ruan Tianye.

Yet in the previous case—the Princess Consort’s murder—Ruan Tianye had never appeared; even the Princess Consort had held a Ruan Tianye permit and intended to question whether he was shielding the rogue who practiced the Dragon Transformation Art.

Now, Ruan Tianye had become the mastermind behind everything.

Whether the logic held up didn’t matter—the four Fourth-Flowers all wanted this outcome.

You say the killer was the evil at Tongguan Cliff—who in the court even knows where Tongguan Cliff is?

But Ruan Tianye? Everyone knows his name.

Moreover, the Fourth-Flowers all knew: if the mastermind was labeled “Ruan Tianye,” the matter had nothing to do with them.

Otherwise, what if the court or the Xiang Prince’s mansion demanded they continue investigating the Princess Consort’s murder?

But if it was Ruan Tianye, first, the court might not dare launch a campaign; second, even if they did, it would be a matter for the Upper Three-Flowers—they would not be the main force.

So the outcome was even smoother than Xu Yuan had expected!

Luo Gongqiao drafted the official report; Shen Chen, Fu Songyu, and Fu Baizhou signed it together, sealing the half-permit as evidence and sending it to the court.

After reviewing this grand operation, they discovered only Gao Wanli had died.

Not a single Captain from the Shanhe Bureau had been lost.

Gao Wanli, a mere nobody, meant nothing to the Fourth-Flowers.

Xu Yuan submitted a report to the Southern Office: “Gao Wanli temporarily missing in Wushan.”

Ma Tianshou saw the report and understood at once.

Missing—not confirmed dead.

Then they’d have to search for her first. Though anyone missing for days in Wushan was essentially dead.

Since they had to search first, the deputy position of Zhancheng’s River Administration couldn’t be filled hastily.

Xu Yuan was tired of having a deputy who could obstruct him.

Ma Tianshou naturally obliged his trusted subordinate.

…

Several days later, Bai Lao personally delivered something to River Works Alley.

Mao Sishu had made the trip himself, bringing it to Zhancheng.

Xu Yuan opened it and confirmed: it was the “Dragon Sickness.”

He couldn’t help but smile.

Without delay, he fed it directly to Pi Long.

After swallowing the Dragon Sickness, Pi Long discovered an unexpected bonus: a Dragon Soul was inside.

Fu Hongyu never imagined that after escaping from the puppet dragon, he would end up voluntarily feeding himself.

When alive, Fu Hongyu had cultivated the Dragon Transformation Art to the Fifth Flow.

All the Dragon Souls in the Fu family were the result of their own cultivation mishaps—not killed by outsiders.

Who else would dare kill a Fu? Only Xu Yuan could be counted.

Fu Hongyu’s Dragon Soul was a great boon to Pi Long, carrying vast experience in cultivating the Dragon Transformation Art.

And some of the Fu family’s secrets.

In value, this single Dragon Soul matched the Dragon Sickness itself.

One scheme, double gains.

The Dragon Transformation Fu family: famed for their hospitality—eating you and taking your things!

Fu Hongyu’s level was Fifth Flow. For a normal cultivator of the Dragon Transformation Art, consuming his Dragon Soul would require extreme caution against corruption.

The greatest danger in every advancement is one’s own corruption.

Daoist methods explain this corruption in terms everyone understands: inner demons arise.

Whether from the Seven Great Sects or countless fringe paths, advancement always means upgrading and transforming one’s life form.

The moment of advancement is the instant this transformation reaches a new state.

In a world teeming with anomalies, this carries immense risk of corruption.

And the higher the level, the greater the risk of corruption during advancement.

It’s said that only one or two in ten Fourth-Flowers succeed in ascending to Third Flow!

Most Fourth-Flowers lack confidence, so they dare not advance. Being a Fourth-Flower is already above others—why risk it?

Specifically for the Dragon Transformation Art, corruption risks stem from two sources.

First: consuming high-level nourishment overwhelms one’s strength and understanding.

High-level nourishment contains immense power; if it’s a Dragon Soul, it carries countless thoughts.

After ingestion and refinement, if either body or soul cannot contain it, one immediately corrupts into an anomaly.

Thus, cultivating the Dragon Transformation Art is perilous at every step.

Refuse high-level nourishment, and progress slows to a crawl—eventually becoming the nourishment of younger generations.

Consume it, fail to contain it, and you become an anomaly.

After being captured, Fu Hongyu did not surrender.

When Pi Long consumed him, he sensed the creature was only Sixth Flow.

So he began to stir up trouble.

I’m certainly doomed—but neither will you escape unscathed!

Even in death, I, Fu Hongyu, will drag you into corruption!

His Dragon Soul exploded, countless thoughts spreading outward.

You, a mere Sixth Flow, dare consume this prince!

His soul must have undergone a strange transformation, then infected his body.

Yet unexpectedly, these countless thoughts were soon suppressed.

The opponent appeared utterly at ease!

Fu Hongyu still retained a sliver of will, staring in utter bewilderment as all his unleashed thoughts were slowly absorbed under the opponent’s control: This shouldn’t be…

Then, even that final sliver of will was dissolved and absorbed as pure soul energy.

From then on, Fu Hongyu left not a single trace behind in this world.

Pi Long was merely sixth-rank in the Dragon Transformation Art.

But Xu Yuan himself was genuinely fifth-rank.

Suppressing a fifth-rank dragon soul was effortless.

Not to mention his innate Destiny of “Nothing Is Forbidden,” which naturally suppressed strange transformations.

After refining this dragon soul, Xu Yuan silently sensed: “Just a little more—Dragon Transformation Art can ascend to fifth-rank.”

So Xu Yuan shifted his intent, and Pi Long proceeded to refine the “Dragon Sickness.”

Dragonfire rose within Pi Long’s belly.

First, this artifact had to be burned down.

Yet unexpectedly, though this artifact was sixth-rank, its craftsmanship was exceptionally high.

Sixth-rank dragonfire burned for a long while, yet the artifact showed no sign of melting.

Xu Yuan switched to his own internal fire.

Fifth-rank internal fire surged forth, and the artifact could no longer hold out.

Soon, it was burned to ash, separating out its various component materials, finally yielding a mass of flesh from some evil dragon.

Xu Yuan now understood: the artisan who forged the “Dragon Sickness” was highly skilled.

He was capable of crafting a fifth-rank artifact.

But fifth-rank artifacts were too heavy—if the user’s level was insufficient, they couldn’t control them.

So he deliberately used a clever structure to forge it as sixth-rank, greatly reducing its weight without diminishing its power too much.

“This is clearly an elder’s favoritism toward his descendants, deliberately lowering the artifact’s rank.”

Then, his internal fire continued burning, refining and absorbing the evil dragon’s flesh.

Within the flesh were wrapped several shattered scales, bones, and horns.

As the refining and absorption progressed, Pi Long’s body, buried deep beneath the river’s silt, began extensive growth.

Blood blisters sprouted across every scale.

Like a long string of eerie blood grapes!

And each blister grew rapidly.

Then all the blisters burst at once, giving birth to hearts, kidneys, livers, and other organs.

Each organ’s surface bristled with tentacles and fangs!

Each organ pulsed with vibrant life!

Bringing even more growth…

After refining only three-tenths of the evil dragon’s flesh, Xu Yuan felt Pi Long was about to ascend to fifth-rank.

This ascent involved the second aspect of the Dragon Transformation Art’s transformation risk:

Cognitive Barrier.

To become a dragon, one must, at the deepest level of the mind, truly believe oneself to be a “dragon,” not a human.

It sounds hardly difficult.

After all, you’re practicing the Dragon Transformation Art—you clearly want to become a dragon.

But the deepest layers of one’s subconscious cognition cannot be overturned merely by will.

The instinctive self-perception of being human is innate.

It often surfaces unconsciously.

For instance, during the ascent to fifth-rank, part of the body transforms into dragon form.

Either the eyes become strange vertical pupils, or the hands turn into dragon claws, or the legs fuse into a dragon tail, or the entire body is covered in dragon scales.

If a dragon tail forms, every movement—walking, sitting, lying down—must be guided by dragon consciousness.

For example, when walking, your first instinct must be: move the tail, glide like a dragon.

But if your first instinct is: step forward with your legs.

That is a cognitive conflict.

And it could trigger a transformation directly.

Every practitioner of the Dragon Transformation Art finds crossing this “Cognitive Barrier” immensely difficult.

If one were of the Fu family, they had generations of accumulated experience:

Upon ascending to fifth-rank, one would immediately enter seclusion at home.

The entire body would be bound to a specially crafted bed.

Nothing needed to be done.

Food and drink were fed by others.

Over months, even years, the practitioner would slowly adapt to handling all matters with a “dragon’s” mindset.

But Xu Yuan discovered that Pi Long ascended to fifth-rank without any obstacle, and would never suffer a “Cognitive Barrier.”

Because Pi Long was already in dragon form!

The real difficulty now was that, during the ingestion of the evil dragon’s flesh, his body had already undergone a degree of transformation.

Xu Yuan halted his internal fire, ceasing the refinement of the remaining evil dragon flesh.

He would refine the rest only after Pi Long suppressed its own transformation—and even then, the remainder could be refined in several stages.

Xu Yuan exhaled a long sigh of relief: once Dragon Transformation Art reached fifth-rank, he could return home to help by the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“Estimating roughly, refining all the remaining evil dragon flesh won’t be enough to push Dragon Transformation Art to fourth-rank.”

“With only half a year left—can Dragon Transformation Art advance further?”

A bold ambition stirred in Xu Yuan’s heart.

Fourth-rank would undoubtedly grant far greater control.

…

In the River Office, these days were quiet.

After the four fourth-rank officers had gathered in force to assault Ghost Witch Mountain and returned in defeat, everyone fell silent.

Even An Chengyuan, who secretly rejoiced, dared not utter a single mocking word in any setting.

The greatest loss was Xu Miao’s.

She had lost the precious artifact “Dragon Sickness.”

Xu Miao mentioned it pitifully on several occasions.

Of course, she was feigning sorrow, hoping the court would compensate her.

But Luo Gongqiao gave no response.

After all, they had failed—the court’s stance remained unclear.

Luo Gongqiao dared not make any promises to Xu Miao.

Zhu Zhanlei was delighted these days: “You bitch, you tricked me!”

“Now look—tried to steal a chicken and lost your rice, hehehe!”

“Xu Ge, come on, tonight’s at Bai Yue Pavilion—I’m treating.”

But Xu Yuan dared not go; Zhu Zhanmei was still in Zhaicheng, and Xu Yuan felt certain that if he set foot in Bai Yue Pavilion, she’d catch him.

She was practically a supernatural force.

Moreover, Zhu Zhanlei had been sneaking around the Purification Office these days, so Xu Yuan kept a tight watch on Da Fu.

Absolutely no letting it go out with Zhu Zhanlei.

Without realizing it, three more days had passed, and Xu Yuan had secretly consumed all of the evil dragon's flesh and blood.

Pi Long’s Dragon Transformation Art stabilized at fifth-rank.

But it still fell far short of Xu Yuan’s ambition for fourth-rank.

Xu Yuan calculated in his mind: “The ordinary dragon-afflicted evils in the river—no matter how much I feed them, they won’t improve further.”

“If I continue feeding fifth-rank material like the evil dragon’s flesh, I’d need at least eight more pieces.”

“If it were fourth-rank… maybe just one piece would suffice!”

But where could he find a fourth-rank? Even if he found one, a dragon-afflicted fourth-rank evil would be stronger than ordinary fourth-rank—he couldn’t defeat it.

Xu Yuan couldn’t think of any good solution for now.

However, after Pi Long consumed Fu Hongyu’s dragon soul, it had developed a new strange art:

Sheng Shi.

Derived from Nian Sheng.

At the fifth-rank, he could now condense three Sheng Shi, each capable of turning any being of sixth-rank or lower into his "dragon offspring."

This strange art offered little combat enhancement, but its utility was immense.

So for these past few days, Xu Yuan had been watching the River Office, searching for someone suitable to turn into his dragon offspring.

In the River Office, there was now a true mole.

But all four fourth-rank officials were still present; Xu Yuan dared not act rashly—what if he was discovered… the consequences would be unimaginable.

Yet Xu Yuan had already identified one candidate.

The “Water Horse Deputy” of the Zhan City Canal Office.

He was a ninth-rank official; if all officials of the Zhan City Canal Office were ranked, this minor clerk would place seventh or eighth.

But it was an extremely lucrative post.

He was responsible for maintaining order along the entire canal dock street.

In short, this Water Horse Deputy, Zhang Tong, could find a way to shut down any shop he disliked.

Xu Yuan had never heard of him before, but recently, Yuan Sheng Hao had been constantly harassed by Zhang Tong.

Zhang Tong commanded a unit of fifty “Water Horse Servants,” all personally recruited by him, not officially part of the Canal Office’s roster.

Several of them came daily to Yuan Sheng Hao to extort money.

Yang Shu had tried various methods, but none worked, so he secretly reported it to the Proprietor.

“Their appetite keeps growing. A few days ago, five hundred cash would suffice; now they demand two taels of silver.”

Yang Shu reported cautiously.

Unable to resolve such a “minor annoyance,” he felt ashamed to report it to the Proprietor, believing it reflected his own incompetence.

“You need not concern yourself with this. Give them whatever they ask for these next few days.”

Yang Shu bowed and replied: “Yes.”

As Yang Shu returned to the shop, he hadn’t reached the door when he heard a loud, arrogant voice berating his clerks: “This front is so messy, so dirty—how is Yuan Sheng Hao managing this?”

“No opening today! Clean the front area!”

“We’ll inspect again tomorrow!”

“Seal the door shut…”

Several clerks hurried to block them with their bodies: “Your Excellencies, the front is quite clean—no trash at all…”

One of them, a fat Water Horse Servant with a full beard, sneered and tossed a handful of peanut shells onto the ground: “Who said there’s no trash?”

“You—” the clerks were furious, some on the verge of losing control.

Yang Shu rushed forward and waved his hand at the clerks: “Go back inside.”

“Master!”

“Go back!”

The clerks retreated; Yang Shu smiled broadly: “Your Excellencies, please come in for tea.”

The Water Horse Servants entered.

After some negotiation, Yang Shu handed over five taels of silver.

They took the money and said: “Today, you cannot open. I’ve already announced it on the street—I must save face.”

“Of course, we’ll do exactly as Your Excellencies say.”

After seeing off these pests, the clerks boarded up the doors, muttering angrily: “Master, our Proprietor is the Canal Office’s Chief Magistrate—how can we let them bully us like this?”

Yang Shu smiled mysteriously.

…

The Water Horse Servants returned to the Canal Office and handed all the silver they collected that day to Zhang Tong in a side courtyard.

Zhang Tong glanced at it and said: “Each of you take fifty cash.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency!” They took the money with grinning faces.

The rest belonged to Zhang Tong.

“How much did Yuan Sheng Hao pay today?”

“A full five taels, hehe.” The fat, bearded Water Horse Servant beamed with self-congratulatory flattery.

Zhang Tong was surprised: “You just asked and they gave it?”

“They gave it—didn’t dare make a sound. Your Excellency, I think Xu Yuan understands the situation—he knows that on our turf, even a tiger must lie down, even a dragon must coil.”

Zhang Tong nodded: “Alright, go now.”

After dismissing his men, Zhang Tong locked all the silver on the table into a cabinet, then rose to visit the Hejian.

The Hejian had been released alongside Gao Wanli.

“Your Excellency, Yuan Sheng Hao is still enduring it.”

“Still enduring it? Hmph!” The Hejian sneered. “Demand twenty taels tomorrow! How much can that shop earn in a day? If they endure again, demand a hundred taels the day after!”

“Yes, I will see this matter through.”

Although the Hejian had been released, his official cap was likely in jeopardy.

A few days ago, he had cultivated ties with An Chengyuan.

He noticed that Master An held strong dislike for Xu Yuan.

He intended to seize Xu Yuan’s shop and hand it over to Master An first.

In exchange for Master An’s protection, to preserve his own position.

An Chengyuan disliked Xu Yuan and never believed Xu Yuan posed any threat to him.

His rank was roughly equal to Ma Tianshou’s; naturally, he paid no heed to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan waited another day—finally, the imperial decree arrived.

It reprimanded Luo Gongqiao and others, and imposed a three-month salary deduction.

After all, they had lost the battle, but no substantive demotion or punishment was issued.

Then they were all recalled.

Zhu Zhanlei, Xu Miao, and the River Camp naturally withdrew as well.

As for the case of Ruan Tianye secretly sheltering criminals and assassinating the Crown Princess, the imperial edict made no mention of it.

Evidently, opinions in the court were divided, and further debate would be needed.

The Hejian personally saw off An Chengyuan.

The imperial edict made no mention of the Hejian.

Clearly, Master An had exerted influence behind the scenes.

At their farewell, the Hejian quietly presented a generous gift and subtly promised that Xu Yuan’s shop would be transferred to Master An’s steward’s name within no more than a month.

The Water Horse Servants extorted another twenty taels from Yuan Sheng Hao.

Yuan Sheng Hao remained closed that day.

Nearby neighbors shook their heads silently: “This shop will change hands.”

In the mid-afternoon, when the office was idle, Zhang Tong left early, boarded a boat, and crossed the river into Zhan City.

He then headed straight to Xieliu Alley’s “Jade Pavilion.”

The pavilion’s “Leng Fei” entertained him with wine and merriment.

But at midnight, Zhang Tong suddenly rose from bed, ignoring all pleas, insisting on returning home.

He owned a house in the city, where his wife and children lived.

Yet the next morning, Zhang Tong was found dead beside a well two streets away.

(End of Chapter)