Leaping Two Ranks

The next morning.

The enormous snake body, tens of meters long, lay across the wharf, its severed ends revealing bright red flesh. Despite the river wind blowing all night, it hadn't dimmed; one could even faintly see it pulsating.

The vitality of this Great Monster Spirit is evident.

The fishermen, who were supposed to be out on their boats, gathered around the giant snake, marveling at it, completely forgetting what they had planned to do that morning.

"Snake meat is very nutritious."

"Is it the one we talked about yesterday?"

"I think so. It's dark green, a color that's rare. It must be a snake, no doubt about it."

Standing next to the giant snake, Li LiBo laughed and said, "That depends on what A Liang's father says, and whether the person has arrived."

"I don't know, but the young man is fast; he should be arriving soon."

Amid the questioning and answering, a commotion arose on the long street.

"They're here! They're here!"

"A Liang's father is here! Quick, come and see if it's him over there!"

With a wooden board strapped to his arm, A Liang's father walked down the Azure Stone Street with A Liang's help. Upon seeing the Great Monster Spirit, he excitedly spat out a lot of saliva.

"It's it, it's it, it's the one."

The scene in Shang Rao Wharf was in an uproar.

There were only two people who witnessed the water monster: A A Liang and A Liang's father. Both of them said it was definitely the monster.

Last night, that dark-faced man tilted his head back and patted his chest.

"See? What did I tell you last night? If Master Liang takes action, then there's definitely something! What's a big snake? Even if Flood Dragon is causing trouble in our Yi Xing Town, Master Liang will have to chop it up!"

"Good!"

"Master Liang is mighty!"

Everyone cheered.

"Our Yi Xing Town is so peaceful thanks to Master Liang! In the past, there would be two or three misfortunes every month, and one or two people would die every now and then. Now, even an injury can cause such a big commotion!"

Someone shouted something that resonated with others.

That makes sense!

"That's right."

In the past, no one dared to go into Deep Water Area. At most, they would wander around within ten miles, carefully keeping their distance to avoid going too deep and getting killed by Spirit Monster. Nowadays, there is no need to be careful about the water, and the catch is much better.

The waterway stretches for dozens of miles; if you row freely, you could row for a whole day and still not reach the end!

Ordinary people don't have that kind of strength! In the past few months since the beginning of spring this year, only A Liang's father has been injured. To be honest, it was his own fault. He would have been fine if he hadn't slipped.

And so, the story of Liang Qu's kindness and righteousness was sung again in Yi Xing Town that day.

By evening, even three-year-old children knew of his heroic feat of slaying the snake; it was known to everyone, adding another layer of mystery and powerful brilliance to Liang Qu.

Even Liang Qu, who was staying at home, heard about it from Aunt Zhang.

Whether I say it or not, it felt really good.

He was an ordinary person with an ordinary personality; he didn't excessively pursue justice, but he did have a certain sense of morality.

Hearing others praise him makes him feel good.

Some are happy, some are sad.

Deep Water Area.

A massive, dark green snake, hundreds of feet long, was resting in the longhouse when it suddenly opened its eyes, its pupils filled with confusion.

"What happened?"

Suddenly, in its sleep, it felt a jolt in its heart, as if it had lost something.

As a Demon Beast, it doesn't act on a whim without a reason.

Is a demon trying to kill it? No, that's not right.

It has not made enemies with any other Demon Beast recently.

After much deliberation, the serpent could only think of the two offspring it had sent to the Shallow Water Area a few days earlier.

Could something have happened?! The giant snake was greatly alarmed and slithered anxiously through the longhouse.

Having reached the level of Demon Beast, it is extremely difficult for it to reproduce; it only has three children in total.

A few days ago, the Flood Dragon King suddenly flew into a rage for some unknown reason and ordered a mission to explore the south. As the Flood Dragon King's direct subordinate, I naturally couldn't remain indifferent. He dispatched his own men and offspring, and now...

No, I have to go check it out.

etc.

If Demon Beast pass through, will human Martial Master see it as a provocation...?

The giant snake was caught in a dilemma.

After a while.

Let's wait a while.

Demon Beast possess intelligence, and their unusual Shang An is too likely to attract the attention of human experts.

The eldest son's family returned to peace.

Time flies.

Not long after the snake was slain, the magnificent sight of Three Suns in the Sky soaring into the sky faded, and all things, wilted from the heat, began to revive once more.

Two days later, the curfew ended.

The nights in Ping Yang County have returned to their former bustling and prosperous state.

Chen Qingjiang is all smiles every day.

Fish are more active at night, resulting in a larger catch. Fishing all day long is really tedious.

However, the Fat Catfish resumed their nocturnal fishing routine, and everything seemed to have returned to normal.

Mid-August.

Liang Qu miners were eating peanuts at home when Li LiBo rushed over, announcing that an important figure was coming to the River Conservancy Office and all officials were required to go and greet him.

Important person?

Liang Qu was overjoyed. Calculating the time, it was clearly the reward for the last time they wiped out the Ghost Mother Sect.

He hurriedly returned to his bedroom to change into his official robes and rushed to the River Conservancy Office, only to find out upon arrival that...

It's still a long way off.

We'll have to wait at least three more hours, almost half a day! Not all officials live as close to Liang Qu as they do, and not all of them happen to be home. The messenger who arrived early deliberately left a three-hour gap so as not to make the River Conservancy Office lose face.

Liang Qu sat in Ran Zhongshi's study, blowing on the Ice Platform and Iced Milk Drink, passing the time.

"You put too much sugar in this; it's cloyingly sweet. You should add more milk."

Ran Zhongshi, who was writing the document, rolled his eyes. "It's good enough that we can have something to drink."

Xiang Fangsu was also waiting, said casually.

"This time, it should be people from Southern Zhili. A Shui's job will come down easily, but ours will take a little longer. There will be a second wave."

Ran Zhongshi was not surprised.

"We'll have to wait for news from the Imperial Capital. Anyway, the reward isn't urgent, so a few days' delay won't matter."

The territory of the Da Shun Dynasty was too vast, so for ease of administration, the dynasty had two core central hubs.

One is the undisputed Imperial Capital, the seat of the emperor, who rules the world.

The other was in Southern Zhili, whose jurisdiction covered the entire lower reaches of the Huai River.

Its power is neither too great nor too small. It cannot formulate major policies, but it is responsible for implementing the orders issued by the Imperial Capital in the south, making it a very useful "secondary heart".

Huaiyin Prefecture was also under the jurisdiction of Southern Zhili. It is said that a group of powerful and influential people were stationed there. There were often Great Martial Master, and those who were considered to be of high status all had Grandmaster in their families.

It has two Martial Saint who are stationed there on the surface, making it the place with the highest administrative level and the strongest overall strength in the entire Da Shun, except for the capital.

Within the jurisdiction of Southern Zhili, officials below the seventh rank could be directly appointed and dismissed through the Ministry of Ministry of Personnel, which is why Xiang Fangsu said that Liang Qu's news would be faster than theirs.

As for their promotions, Southern Zhili cannot make the decision; they must first report to the Imperial Capital and obtain approval.

Afternoon, around 3 Shen Time.

Wei Lin and Xu Yuelong stood at the very front.

Everyone followed the two men and stood in neat rows at the entrance of the River Conservancy Office, without any discussion, conversation, or coughing.

Amidst the solemnity, there was a palpable sense of joy.

Who doesn't like to take credit? Before long, a group of people came running from the end of the road, raising a light cloud of dust in the distance.

Liang Qu had experienced a similar scene before, and he was more composed than the Martial Master officials around him.

They arrived in a flash, several miles away.

Leading the group was a middle-aged man riding a strong black horse, exuding an imposing aura. He dismounted and immediately pulled out a book without hesitation.

"His Majesty is divinely gifted and exceptionally brave. With the borders still unsettled and the enemy gathering in seclusion, he has just begun to exert his benevolence and power..."

"Today, we compile a record of our past and present achievements to encourage future performance among our officers and soldiers, and to demonstrate the utmost impartiality in rewards and punishments!"

After reading the outline, the middle-aged man began to explain the time and place, the actions of the River Conservancy Office Demon Subduing Division in suppressing the Ghost Mother Sect branch, and their corresponding achievements.

After a round of praise, the discussion of merits and rewards began. However, when it came to some people, only their contributions were recorded, and their corresponding rewards were not read out.

Just as Xiang Fangsu said, the head lesions occur later.

Many Martial Master who were unaware of the situation were panicked.

It wasn't until officials of the sixth rank and above finished reading out the details and the specific rewards were announced that they finally understood.

It turns out they are different from those above.

Liang Qu listened intently, and after the middle-aged man read out the names of two or three people, he heard his own name.

"Liang Qu, a native of Pingyang Ping Yang County, Huaiyin Prefecture, has been promoted to the position of Seventh- Dushui Official, awarded one Grade Four Pill Dragon Blood Horse Pill, and recorded two Great Merit and one hundred and three Minor Merit!"

They've been promoted!

He skipped two levels.

A seventh-rank Dushui Official!