A Family Letter Worth Ten Thousand Gold, Water Beast Takes Office! (4k)

Flowing Gold Sea.

Heyuan Prefecture.

As the largest border city in the entire Northwest, a transportation hub, with towering buildings and lush flowers, it is unparalleled.

This city used to be a vast grassland and desert.

Businesses traveling north and south invariably stop here for supplies. As soon as the weather warms up, the bells of the caravans can ring from dawn till midnight.

However, these days, the guards on the city wall who are responsible for inspecting and releasing people wander around twice, give a cursory glance, and then return to the fortress to warm themselves by the fire and dispel the bone-chilling cold.

Winter has arrived, and the snow outside the city has been piled up to the chests of horses for days.

The sky was a hazy gray, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The environment was so harsh that no merchants were traveling.

Thick ice had formed on both the Yu Bei River and the Luo River. Standing on the gate tower, one could only see the fearless herdsmen following the fishermen, turning into black dots as they slowly moved across the vast white ground, breaking the ice to catch fish. When the ice was so frozen solid, they would dig out the fish along with the ice.

The guards often saw Big Fish, three or four feet long and weighing dozens of kilograms, frozen to death in the ice, which the fishermen carried into the city little by little through the small gate.

Although the Big Fish had been dead for who knows how long, its gills, exposed by its arched body, were a bright red, like blood.

The guard tucked his sword behind his back, sat cross-legged, reached into the orange light with both hands, moved his stiff fingers, and complained about the bad weather.

"The snow is really thick this year; it can bury most of your feet when you step in it! The parapets on the upper floors are several feet high, and you have to sweep them clean to see what's underneath."

These words resonated with the surrounding soldiers.

"That's right. Since autumn, the White-Hair Wind have never stopped. Lang Grass in the northern grasslands have fallen, and we haven't even had time to harvest the winter grass. Every day when I wake up and open the door, the first thing I have to do is shovel the snow in front of the door."

"Damn it, we've been open for ages and haven't seen a single bird, and we haven't even collected a penny in tolls!"

"There was nothing we could do. A caravan of horses came yesterday, but they lost all their goods in the desert. They only managed to find their way back with the help of an old horse. Out of more than sixty people, only thirty-two came back. Less than half of them survived."

"In such cold weather, even ordinary Martial Master can't withstand it, let alone ordinary people."

"In my opinion, the Martial Master should be on duty. Why are we, a few people from the second or third level, being made to freeze when the people who can withstand the cold are not here and are cuddling soft, wet, hot women in their quilts?"

"Stop complaining. If you're so capable, you could be a centurion. Right now, you're just snuggling in bed with women for warmth."

Water was boiling in the iron pot over the campfire. A large hand reached through the gaps between the soldiers, picked up the iron pot, filled his own water bottle, screwed on the lid, and casually stuffed it into his clothes to warm himself.

"Boss, that's because we're incompetent that we're complaining."

The soldier, unaware of his anger, chuckled and took the iron pot to pour water for everyone.

Someone egged him on. "It's getting cold, when are you going to take us out to hug some women to warm up? It's been too long since we've seen any, our big dicks are getting bedsores!"

"Get lost." The captain kicked the jeering man to the ground. "I don't have that kind of spare money. If you want to keep warm, go find a prostitute in the alley."

"The water's gone!" the last soldier shouted, emptying the iron pot.

The captain scanned the room, then fixed his gaze on the one who had started the commotion. "You! Go get some ice to boil water, and bring a bundle of firewood. Don't try to fool us with snow; it's full of ash! It tastes rusty!"

"Alright! I'll bring you a piece of Old Ice, cold and glistening with moisture, for the captain!"

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the guards brought out an iron pot and a chisel, descended along the passageway of the city tower, and crawled out of the small gate. Not far away, they caught a glimpse of a dark figure in the wind and snow, with the faint sound of bells carried on the wind.

The guard's face tightened, and he shouted, "Who goes there?"

"Deliver the message!"

The voice pierced through the haze, vast and powerful, and the wind and snow stopped.

Deliver a letter?

Send a message!

The guard, forgetting all about breaking the ice, rushed back shouting, "The messenger is here! The messenger is here!"

"Don't shout, I can hear you from upstairs."

The sergeant emerged from the small door, followed by the entire guard, who eagerly awaited his arrival.

The wind and snow were heavy, and the carriage seemed far away but was actually close.

The messenger, draped in thick cotton, had a ruddy complexion, and his attendants behind him exuded an imposing aura; they were all highly skilled Martial Master.

"Lord Chang!"

The captain stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said hello.

As a military stronghold, even the messengers were not ordinary people, and the personnel were rarely changed. Every guard at the gate knew them.

The messenger nodded slightly and waved his hand, and someone behind him handed him Official Credentials talisman.

Once confirmed, the letter, carried in three carriages, passed in front of the guards.

The guards swallowed hard.

Prostitutes are easy to find, but family letters are rare.

The news of the arrival of the post station messenger spread like wildfire throughout the entire North Gate tower, and then outwards, even faster than the messenger's carriage.

When the carriage arrived at the post station, the entrance was already crowded with noisy soldiers.

One after another, scholars braved the bitter cold to bring their desks, their hands red from the cold as they held pens and wrote letters in the chilly wind, earning a meager living through hard work.

In winter, the post station will reduce the number of transport trips.

The soldiers could only send their letters out together by packing them up when the messenger arrived, once they had accumulated enough.

In the depths of winter, as the year draws to a close.

Who knows when the messenger will arrive again if we miss this opportunity?

Those who travel far should not take advantage of the messenger's arrival to send their messages in advance, or they will miss their deadline.

"Make way, make way, don't block the doorway!"

"Go write your letter somewhere else, don't block the door!"

"Come back after the mail is sorted out. The messenger needs two days to resupply, so there's no rush. Everyone, take your time writing!"

The officials at the post station maintained order and finally cleared a path for the carriage to enter.

The letters on the first two carts were packed in burlap sacks, the brown cloth covered with snow. When they arrived at the post station, the officials stepped forward to carry them out, pinching the two corners of the sacks and dumping out the letters and dried snow all at once, so that the runners could sort and distribute them.

Until the third cart, the constables clearly treated them differently. They emptied out most of the carts that were originally packed in sacks, as always, while packing the rest into wooden boxes.

Upon opening it, stacks of letters were neatly piled up.

The letter paper inside was noticeably better than others; it was whiter, finer, and some covers even had gold foil patterns and were sealed with wax.

Just as the clerks were processing the letters, they heard voices coming from the front hall.

"Why did Commander Yang come in person to collect the letter today? Couldn't he have just sent someone to run the errand?"

A strong male voice rang out.

"I've been on duty at the North Gate these past few days. I was on my way to the city tower when I saw you coming, so I asked if you had any letters for me."

"Lord Yang, your timing is perfect. If I remember correctly, there is indeed a letter from you. It came from Huaiyin Prefecture and must have been sent by a relative of Lord Yang."

"Oh? I just received one a month ago, and you have another one today?"

"Then I would not know."

In the backyard.

Upon hearing the sound, the clerk in charge of distributing the letters jumped up and waved his hand, urging everyone. "Quick, quick, flip through them! Look for Lord Yang Xu Lord Yang's letter! Yang Xu Lord Yang's letter!"

"Find it quickly! Find it quickly!"

Upon receiving the order, the others immediately put down their work and ran to look at the names on the wooden boxes on the third carriage. They searched through them one by one, and soon someone found a wooden box with Yang Xu's name written on it at the bottom of the carriage.

"Found it! Here it is!"

"Give it to me! Give it to me!"

Just then, a tall, muscular man in a black robe with sashes crossed the threshold and entered the backyard while chatting with the messenger.

Does it really snow very rarely in the South?

"It's rare for Huaiyin Prefecture to have three or four light snowfalls a year. A heavy snowfall might only occur once every five or six years, but it's still far inferior to the Flowing Gold Sea."

The days when the entire Jiang Huai Great Marsh were frozen were few and far between. In all my years, I've only heard of two such instances from local county records, and even then, the affected area wasn't very large.

"Lord Yang, your letter."

The clerk who received the letter stepped forward quickly, held it with both hands, and respectfully presented it.

"Hard!"

As Yang Xu spoke, he exhaled a burst of hot air. He took out a few taels of silver from his pocket, gave them to the clerk, and took the wooden box, which contained only a letter.

The messenger who had followed them stepped back a few paces to make room.

Yang Xu was quite surprised to receive the letter, as he had just received one a month ago.

Letters between Huaiyin Prefecture and Heyuan Prefecture would take at least two months to travel, and possibly as long as three months if the weather was bad.

Now, less than a month has passed since the last letter, I'm afraid something has happened at home, hence the frequent correspondence.

Therefore, without much hesitation, Yang Xu immediately opened and read it carefully.

After a while.

"The Flowing Gold Sea, Three Li East of Bitterwood Cliff? Half a secret manual?"

Yang Xu read it carefully and felt relieved after confirming that it was not a sudden change.

It turned out that the junior brother had something to ask of him.

Yang Xu had not returned home for five years, and he had not seen any of the three disciples his father had taken in during those five years.

However, with constant letters coming in from home, they were generally aware of the situation.

In particular, in the three letters this year, my Ninth Junior Brother, whom I have never met, was featured prominently.

The first letter recounts the father's joy at gaining a disciple who is of pure character and outstanding in ability.

One letter says that the Ninth Junior Brother Innate Martial Bone, and after joining the River Conservancy Office, he became Galloping Horse.

The next letter stated that he had made meritorious contributions to flood control and received Sacred Emperor's Edict, which was accompanied by three Dharma Gate.

The discrepancy in content was so great that, if the handwriting hadn't been genuine, Yang Xu would have wanted to send a reply full of questions.

An extraordinary genius.

Yang Xu himself was far from reaching this level, especially considering the three Dharma Gate his Ninth Junior Brother had recently given him. These techniques were extremely useful, all for survival and discerning the evil in people's hearts. The only drawback was that they were difficult to practice! Although it was just a thin booklet, it seemed to be more difficult to practice than those superior martial arts! For the past month, there had been few important matters or battles, and Yang Xu had almost put aside everything else. He had also used a lot of incense and precious materials to enhance his understanding, focusing on practicing the Dharma Gate in the booklet. He had barely grasped a few of the tricks of the "Eye Consciousness Method," not even reaching the level of an entry-level practitioner.

Even so, the benefits are already evident.

On the day he mastered the technique, Yang Xu stood atop the city wall and, using his half-baked "Eye Consciousness Method," managed to identify eight spies and one traitor.

Subsequent investigations revealed that, apart from the two spies being a misunderstanding, everything was correct.

The traitor, in particular, was even more despicable than a spy, earning Yang Xu a considerable credit.

This incident caused a great stir throughout the North District, and many people gave Yang Xu the nickname "Eagle Eye".

This incident led the Heavenly Grandmaster, who was guarding the North Gate, to believe that Yang Xu was a promising talent for catching spies. He was supposed to be off duty yesterday, but he had to extend his shift by half a month and change his rest days to continue catching spies and traitors.

Thinking of this, Yang Xu turned to the messenger and asked, "Brother Chang, when do you plan to set off?"

"The weather is bitterly cold and the roads are blocked by heavy snow. I am not afraid, but it is difficult to travel by carriage and horse. It took a lot of effort. I plan to rest in the city for two days before continuing."

"In that case, Brother Chang, why don't you stay a couple more days? The meteorologist in the city has calculated that the heavy snow will stop in four days, and the roads will be easier to travel then."

Yang Xu knew where Bitter Wood Cliff was located; it wasn't too far from Heyuan Prefecture, and half a day would be enough.

Unfortunately, the heavy snow over the past few days has flooded the roads, and the location is unknown, requiring an additional one to two days, in addition to the search...

Let the messenger stay for two more days; perhaps he will be able to deliver the message just in time.

Ninth Junior Brother is about to condense his true energy and has given away the precious Three Consciousness Method. Since he has made a rare request, as the eldest senior brother, I naturally cannot just fill in the blanks. It would be better to arrive five or six days earlier.

Having guessed Yang Xu's intentions, the messenger pondered for a moment and agreed, "Of course it's possible."

With the speed of the Martial Master and the black iron horse, the snow accumulation is a minor problem.

The key is that the heavy snow obscures the sky, making it difficult to discern directions and causing delays.

Staying a couple more days until the snow stops will definitely make the journey easier.

Thank you!

"You're too kind, Lord Yang."

Having received the promise, Yang Xu rushed to the Prefectural Office to ask for leave, then went to the camp to gather his men.

Fourteen minutes later.

The city gates opened wide, and the thirty-six riders transformed into a long gust of wind, stepping out of the city gates and disappearing into the swirling snow.

Huaiyin Prefecture.

Yi Xing Town, Shang Rao Wharf, Ping Yang County.

The night sky is dotted with stars.

The large boat beside the boardwalk bobbed up and down with the current, remaining motionless.

Among them was a Fujian-style ship that, under the cover of night, raised its sails, took advantage of the night wind, and swayed as it sailed out of the harbor.

The Ta Ta Kai the roof on all fours, chattering loudly.

Liang Qu couldn't understand, but the River Otter on the deck did. It immediately ran to the mast, untied the ropes, pulled the two long ropes, and adjusted the direction of the sails.

After more than a month of training, under the patient guidance of the Old Giant Clam, Ta Ta Kai believes he has mastered superb boat-driving skills and has finally taken a solid step today to practice!

All six River Otter worked together, initially in a flurry of activity, but through a series of adjustments and maneuvers, the Fujian-style boat gradually went from being a headless fly, drifting in place, to moving steadily forward.

The beaver family stood on the deck, dumbfounded, each exposed front tooth revealing their shock at the change in their brother.

On the river.

Long Pinghe and Long Pingjiang poked their heads out, marveling at the River Otter on the Fujian boat.

"As expected of the Dragon Lord, even the River Otter enlightened is so intelligent, and can even sail a boat!"

"Absolutely, absolutely." Long Pinghe nodded. "The River Otter I know only know how to fight."

The fact that the River Otter, who had always only known how to fight, could obediently steer the boat was truly beyond the comprehension of the two Dragonfolk.

Half an hour later.

Nothing unexpected happened.

The entire Fujian-style ship, with its sails billowing, moved slowly and steadily across the water.

Liang Qu stood on the deck, feeling relaxed.

Whether it would work out to have River Otter serve as crew members, Liang Qu himself didn't know.

Now it seems that, after being enlightened by Ze Cauldron, Ta Ta Kai's strength has not changed much, but his intelligence has improved significantly, and he has truly mastered the skills of piloting a boat.

The River Otter leaped and bounded about, excitedly maneuvering their own sails and spinning discs to make such a huge creature move.

The Ta Ta Kai upright at the bow of the boat, its fur flying everywhere, seemingly oblivious to the cold.

So what if Scarface can fight? Can he even sail a boat?

Seeing the Fujian ship moving far from the dock, Liang Qu had a sudden thought and, following his body's sensations, used the ability to Summoning Wind and Rain.

In an instant, the clear night sky turned black.

Dark clouds appeared out of nowhere, covering the entire night sky.

The Dragonfolk in the river was taken aback.