Crisis

Cultivating good habits was very important.

Take getting up at night, for example. Xu Yang rarely did so, and even when he occasionally did, he would not rashly leave the cabin. He would usually open the cabin board and relieve himself there.

After all, Dongting Lake was vast and fraught with danger, especially at night. Who knew what accidents they might encounter? It was best not to leave the cabin whenever possible, even if one needed to relieve oneself.

It was not just him. Other veteran boatmen did the same. Those with the means kept a chamber pot, while those without made do with a cabin board. Only reckless young men who could not be bothered with such things would go outside the boat to piss.

Although Zhang Cheng was also an experienced boatman and understood the rules of life on the water, his two sons lacked such awareness.

So...

Xu Yang did not wait long before he saw someone emerge from the cabin and stagger half-asleep to the side of the boat to undo his belt.

It was Zhang Cheng's eldest son. Compared to Second Brother, who was supposed to see him off in death, he was smaller and thinner.

But Xu Yang was not picky. He gripped the pebble in hand, flexed his arm, and hurled it with all his strength.

Hidden weapon techniques mostly relied on wrist strength, but Xu Yang knew no such techniques. He could only follow his body's instincts and use his arm to throw the pebble.

This method involved large movements and countless openings. Forget a Martial Artist—even an ordinary person could easily dodge it.

But Zhang Family Eldest Son was getting up to relieve himself, still half-asleep. How could he possibly react in time to dodge?

"Splash!!!"

Amid the sound of water, there came a crisp, heavy impact. Zhang Family Eldest Son, standing at the bow, let out a muffled groan and toppled headfirst into the lake, sending up a ring of splashes.

"Eldest?"

Inside the cabin, Zhang Cheng, who had been sleeping lightly, was also awakened by the commotion. He hurried out to take a look.

Seeing no one at the bow, only ripples spreading across the water beside it, Zhang Cheng immediately panicked. "Not good! Second Brother, wake up! Your brother fell into the water. Hurry and save him!"

"What happened, Father?"

Hearing Zhang Cheng's frantic shouts, the broad, sturdy Zhang Family Second Son rubbed his eyes as he emerged from the cabin.

"Your brother fell in. Hurry, get in the water and pull him out."

"Okay!"

Zhang Family Second Son sensed nothing unusual and immediately leaped into the water, leaving Zhang Cheng standing nervously at the side of the boat with a lantern.

"That stupid brat! I told him the wind and waves were strong at night, told him not to leave the cabin, but he just wouldn't listen. Now look what happened..."

Holding the lantern, Zhang Cheng cursed angrily beside the boat, still sensing nothing wrong.

Until...

"Gulu Gulu!!!"

A burst of bubbling sounds came from beneath the water. Something seemed to be moving below. Zhang Cheng's pupils contracted as he raised the lantern to look, only to see huge amounts of bubbles and scarlet blood welling up from the dark, deep water.

"This..."

"Second Brother!!!"

Zhang Cheng finally realized something was wrong. With a scream, he grabbed an oar and stabbed it down into the water, but it touched nothing.

"Eldest! Second Brother!"

His face filled with terror, Zhang Cheng cried out helplessly.

At that moment, a sudden splash erupted behind him. Zhang Cheng's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly turned around.

Then...

"Thud!!!"

A flying stone tore through the air and smashed heavily into his face, bursting a spray of crimson blood.

Zhang Cheng only felt his vision go black as searing pain exploded through him. Then the world spun, and he involuntarily toppled onto the bow.

At the same time, a large hand gripped the side of the boat. Then someone flipped out of the water, knife in hand, and charged straight at Zhang Cheng.

"Pfft!!!"

With a muffled sound, the sharp blade pierced his body. Zhang Cheng's body jerked and stiffened, but soon went limp again, without another response.

"Pfft!"

Xu Yang pulled out the dagger. His expression did not change in the slightest as he drove it into the man's chest again.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Only after three strikes did Xu Yang stop. He turned and jumped into the water, hauled out the two corpses, and tossed them onto the deck.

They were the Zhang brothers.

Their bodies were covered in knife wounds. Both their throats had been slit, and their hearts pierced. They were dead beyond doubt.

The three corpses lay piled together in neat order.

Xu Yang then climbed aboard and entered the cabin to search through it.

A moment later, Xu Yang emerged from the cabin with a pouch tied around his waist. Ignoring the corpses of Zhang Cheng and the others, he skillfully poled the boat toward the deep-water region.

Boating (Speed, Waves, Composure)

As a fisherman—an old fisherman who had lived on the water for over forty years—Xu Yang's boating skills needed no explanation. He had long since developed them into a skill and formed a trait. Traveling on Water, he was both fast and steady.

In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, Xu Yang had brought the boat to deep water. He then returned to the cabin and bored holes through the bottom in several places.

"Gulu Gulu!"

"Gulu Gulu!"

With the hull punctured, lake water poured in. Xu Yang went to the bow and tied heavy weights to each of the three corpses, then bound them to the boat.

Only after finishing all this did Xu Yang jump into the water and swiftly swim away from the area.

In the vast Dongting Lake, destroying evidence was very simple. So long as a corpse was sunk, the fish, turtles, shrimp, and crabs in the lake would handle everything else, leaving behind only three sets of unidentifiable bones at the bottom.

As for any repercussions afterward, there was even less need to worry. Fishermen who made their living on the water lived precarious lives to begin with. Any sort of accident could happen: being caught in heavy waves, encountering a water monster, or suffering some other disaster that destroyed the boat and killed everyone aboard...

Such things happened from time to time and were nothing unusual.

Therefore, Xu Yang did not need to worry that the deaths and disappearances of Zhang Cheng and his sons would affect him. Even though they had met today, no one would believe that he, a frail old fisherman, could have killed all three members of the Zhang Family.

And if someone did entertain such wild thoughts and cast suspicion upon him, then evidence would not matter. So long as they had intent, so long as they harbored suspicions, they would inevitably make a move against him.

After all, he was merely a fisherman, an utterly lowly commoner. Whether they killed the wrong person or the right one, they would bear no consequences. Naturally, they could act without restraint; a mere suspicion was enough.

Xu Yang understood this, so he acted decisively and killed Zhang Cheng and his two sons that very night.

In the middle of the night, the Cormorant landed, standing at the bow.

Xu Yang also surfaced from the water, swiftly flipped onto the boat, and entered the Black Awning Cabin.

After entering the cabin, he removed the dagger, wiped away the bloody water and dampness, then stored it back in the hidden compartment beneath the cabin board. Only then did he sit down calmly, untie the small pouch, and count the spoils from tonight's operation.

As the saying went, murder and arson brought wealth. Provided one did not consider the risks, plundering others was the fastest way to strengthen oneself.

Although the people Xu Yang had robbed tonight were poor wretches not much stronger than himself, they still brought him a pleasant surprise.

Xu Yang poured out everything in the pouch. Several yellow and white objects were especially eye-catching. There were also quite a few copper coins and a jade pendant of lush emerald green.

The copper coins needed no explanation; they were the Zhang Family's savings. But those plump Silver Sycees, the glittering Gold Leaves, and that emerald-green Jade Pendant were clearly not wealth a fisherman's family could have amassed.

The several sycees were probably worth eighty to a hundred taels. Together with the Gold Leaves and Jade Pendant, this windfall was enough for Xu Yang to leave Dongting Lake, enter the city, buy a grand residence and beautiful maidservants, and enjoy a life of luxurious decadence.

Seeing this, Xu Yang understood why Zhang Cheng and his sons had come looking for him.

Exploiting the Deceased's Estate had merely been a cover. Their true purpose was to use this old man as a pretext, cashing out some of this gold and silver of unknown origin in the name of an "inheritance" to improve their lives.

Why not spend it directly? With such a large sum of gold and silver, if they dared to take it out, the Golden Carp Gang would dare to sink their corpses in the lake.

Without sufficient Strength, wealth and beauty would only invite disaster.

Thus, they did not dare to dispose of the gold and silver directly. They could only proceed slowly and find a way to convert it.

This old man Xu Yang's inheritance was one of the ways they had found to do so.

As for where the gold and silver had come from...

"Fished up from the bottom of the lake?"

"Dug up on an island?"

"Taken through murder and robbery?"

"Who cares!"

With no witnesses left alive, Xu Yang did not dwell on it. He simply put the items away and added them to his Family Fortune.

Though he had money now, there was not much difference between it being in his hands and in the hands of Zhang Cheng and his sons. He still could not use it.

Xu Yang knew himself well. Although he possessed many skills, few could be used in battle. He had no way to contend with a Martial Artist, much less a gang made up of numerous Martial Artists.

Therefore, he could not use this gold and silver for the time being.

Furthermore, Zhang Cheng and his sons' actions had revealed a problem.

He... was too old!

If he lived a few more years, never mind those bastards waiting to exploit his estate—even the Golden Carp Gang might notice him and grow suspicious.

The identity of "Old Xu Tou" could no longer be maintained for much longer. He would inevitably need a new identity to interact with others and purchase supplies.

But a stranger appearing out of nowhere would very likely draw attention and cause trouble.

The best way to deal with such trouble was to increase his Strength.

And currently, the only thing he could rely on was the Attribute Panel, this Golden Finger.

Xu Yang examined the various skills he currently possessed. Most were geared toward support. Only a few could improve his combat strength, but their effects were not obvious. Sharpening Knife, Flying Stone, and Hacking could only deal with ordinary people. Against Martial Artists who wielded extraordinary power, there was only one word for it—death!

Therefore, he had to develop new skills as quickly as possible, skills that could strengthen his fundamental combat power.