Third Day

What's going on? What happened?

What happened? The bandits were completely bewildered, their minds blank.

Liang Qu had no habit of giving his opponents time to react. He reached out and nocked an arrow, the sound of it whistling through the air drowning out the heavy rain.

Thunder roared, and straight bolts of lightning remained in the air.

Lightning flashed into the long raft, the sheepskin exploded, and half of the entire raft flew into the air before crashing into the water.

"Help!"

"Honey! Help me!"

"Master, make your move quickly!"

Screams continued, and wooden oil-painted masks stained with blood floated on the water.

The Thunder Character Seal Technique, besides its offensive capabilities, can also gather thunder power to enhance martial arts and weapons!

Enhanced version of Falling Star Arrow!

Its destructive power is far superior!

Liang Qu didn't even need to aim at people specifically.

A group of martial artists, barely able to pass the first or second level of the challenge, had their bamboo raft broken and were unable to withstand the swift current. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the Blackwater River.

Only two people were skilled swimmers, but as soon as they surfaced, a piece of broken wood as thick as a bowl crashed down on them with tremendous force.

Two splashes of blood rose from the water and then disappeared.

In an instant, the Sheepskin Raft disappeared one after another. When Lu Xinqing came to his senses, four of the five Sheepskin Raft had been destroyed, leaving only the one beneath him.

The two bandits on the same Sheepskin Raft were terrified. Their legs went weak, and they fell backward, plunging into the Black Water River.

On the contrary, Lu Xinqing, as Four Gates Martial Master, had a solid foundation in Body Refining Cultivation Method and possessed considerable skill; he did not collapse to his knees with a thud.

From beginning to end, all his Tendon Skill were completely wasted.

Liang Qu used water flow to control the Sheepskin Raft, allowing the boat to approach the bay and come to the front of the Sheepskin Raft.

Awei flew out from the dense forest, folded his wings, and landed on the bow of the ship.

Liang Qu reached out and waved his hand in front of Lu Xinqing, who was standing there dumbfounded.

"Hey! Are you stupid?"

Lu Xinqing trembled violently, his eyes rolled under the mask, and his pupils shrank to the size of pinholes. Just as he was about to kneel down, Liang Qu grabbed him by the collar and pulled him onto the boat.

The River Dolphin accelerated by wagging its tail underwater and continued heading towards Hua Zhu County.

The out-of-control Sheepskin Raft fell behind, crashing into the rock walls one after another as it was swept away by the current. Before long, the ropes broke, the raft fell apart, and a dozen or so bulging sheepskins, like balloons, floated on the water, buoyant and not sinking.

Liang Qu threw Lu Xinqing down.

Lu Xinqing rolled twice, clutched his head, and curled up on the bow of the boat, trembling all over.

"My lord, please don't kill me! Please don't kill me! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. Please be magnanimous and spare my life! I will repay your kindness even if it means serving you like a slave!"

Rain Water, tears, and snot mingled together, all flowing inside the mask, but none of them came out of the two holes.

However, Lu Xinqing, who was terrified, was completely unaware of anything amiss.

Liang Qu was disgusted by the sight, so he drew an arrow, kicked Lu Xinqing on the shoulder, and knocked him over.

Tears and snot from inside the mask mingled with the Rain Water, covering Lu Xinqing's face and trickling down his temples into the Great Marsh.

Just as Lu Xinqing was about to continue begging for mercy, a sharp arrow pierced through his mask, sending out several splinters of wood.

The arrow pierced the wooden mask and slightly penetrated the cheek.

The pleas for mercy abruptly stopped.

Liang Qu gripped the arrow shaft, ripped off his mask, and threw it into the Black Water River.

A tiny red dot remained under Lu Xinqing's eye bag. As he twitched, the red dot slowly enlarged and became fuller, eventually dripping a bright red blood bead.

"You've got some nerve! Seeing the Dragon Blood Horse, a seventh-rank official from the River Conservancy Office dares to step forward!"

Dragon Blood Horse? Seventh Rank at the River Conservancy Office? Lu Xinqing's mind felt like it was about to explode. Although he hadn't heard much about Dragon Blood Horse and didn't have a deep impression of the River Conservancy Office, he heard the words "seventh rank" very clearly, and his body trembled like a leaf.

The County Magistrate of Hua Zhu County was only a seventh-rank official!

In other words, I've kidnapped the County Magistrate of Hua Zhu County! Good heavens!

Seeing Liang Qu's cold expression, Lu Xinqing forced a smile and gave a dry laugh.

"No wonder you are so wise and capable, sir. You are truly young and promising, young and promising, ah, ha, ha..."

Liang Qu did not engage in the matter of White Dragon in Fish Clothes -shaped robes; he was wearing the official robes of the Dushui Official before he arrived.

Completely different from the River Earl's attire, it changed from dark blue to indigo, with cloud patterns on both sides and a Brocade White Fish brocade on the chest! The Dragon Blood Horse and the seventh-rank robe were easily recognizable to anyone with a bit of insight and background.

Unfortunately, they encountered a group of ignorant bandits who were simply throwing themselves at a blind man.

Just then, Yan Qingshan and his men didn't arrive, so they captured a local bandit from the Black Water River to act as their guide.

Liang Qu brought over a stool and sat down in the middle with an imposing air. "A local from Hua Zhu County?"

Lu Xinqing kowtowed repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I am a native of Hua Zhu County and grew up in Hua Zhu County."

"Hua Zhu County is experiencing severe flooding. Do you know the exact time?"

Lu Xinqing was covered in sweat. "I, I dare not lie to you, but I spend most of my time on the shore as a river bandit. I rarely go to the villages and towns. I only know that there are floods, but I don't know exactly when they happened."

"Then let me ask you, when did the water level in the Black Water River begin to drop?"

"The water level dropped?" Lu Xinqing was taken aback, but immediately understood the Karma and effect. "I'm not very bright, I didn't think of it for a moment, but I know the water level dropped, it was around noon the day before yesterday!"

The dike breached at noon the day before yesterday, and Ping Yang County received the notification around noon the following morning. Today is the third day, and it's been a full two days and twenty-four hours...

After considering it in his mind, Liang Qu realized that it made sense.

"How long were you a river pirate?"

"Three, four, more than three years, almost four years..."

"More than three years? More than three years of such poor judgment?"

Lu Xinqing choked. "Sir, you don't know this, we are always careful and cautious in our actions. We never rob large ships, we only target small ones. Furthermore, we don't harm people, we only seek wealth!"

Liang Qu squinted, scanning up and down, his gaze seemingly carrying immense power, with some terrifying spiritual force surging deep within.

Lu Xinqing avoided eye contact.

Liang Qu sneered, "Robbing small boats is probably harmless for small amounts of money, but it's more likely to cause harm or even death for large sums of money, right? If you rob a few taels of silver, even if someone reports it to the authorities, the government will most likely just let it go."

But if you were robbing several hundred taels of silver, a huge sum, would you just let the victim go back? When you robbed me before, did you seem to be only after money?

With a sharp shout, the cold sweat that Lu Xinqing had been holding in was released instantly, as if a floodgate had been opened. He leaped up and plunged into the water with a splash.

His own underlings were at most Martial Artist of the first or second level, lacking strength and naturally afraid of the turbulent waters, but he wasn't! Born in a water town, as long as he found the right opportunity, even if his opponent was Galloping Horse Martial Master, Lu Xinqing was confident he could escape through these turbulent waters!

Liang Qu sat upright on the bench, motionless, gazing silently at the whirlpool created by Lu Xinqing falling into the water.

After a while.

With a flick of its tail, the Fat Catfish flung Lu Xinqing, whose clothes were torn, onto the bow of the boat, his body covered in bruises.

"A water monster! There's a water monster!"

Lu Xinqing hugged his knees, curled up, and dared not expose his limbs outside the boat, screaming in fear.

Liang Qu's expression was indifferent.

Lu Xinqing was quite embarrassed by the lack of response to his shouts, and finally realized what was going on.

"I... I just wanted to help you measure the depth of the Black Water River..."

Liang Qu flipped open the book and glanced at it indifferently. "I ask, you answer. If you dare to lie again, I'll throw you into the water to feed the Spirit Monster!"

Upon hearing this, the Fat Catfish by the boat pursed its lips, as if it had something dirty in its mouth.

Lu Xinqing had never seen it before, and was terrified, his skin crawling with goosebumps.

Murky waters and man-eating Spirit Monster are a nightmare for almost every person living in a water town.

"Name!"

"Lu Xinqing ..."