Fame Spreads Far and Wide

The sky was high and the clouds were light. Hundreds of banners almost covered the entire sky, casting dark shadows that surged like the tide.

The Zhang Clan's Blood Tiger Flag and the Li Family's Wave Pattern Flag were intertwined in the wind, rustling loudly.

The shouts of the crowd grew more and more intense, and the sharp, piercing clash of weapons Martial Arts Field.

This should have been a normal martial arts competition, but there was one thing that was different: instead of bricks and stones, the boundary of the Martial Arts Field was formed by two shriveled, bloody snake corpses connected end to end.

The snake carcass was dried out and dehydrated by the sun, its skin half-shedded and half-rotten, resembling a mature, scaly pine cone, covered with countless narrow wounds.

Zhang Wenhu, the head of the Zhang Clan family, stepped forward and stood on the high platform next to the Martial Arts Field, looking down at the Li Family's Wolf Smoke Expert. Their eyes met briefly across the crowd, and they nodded to each other.

"What's the outcome?"

Zhang Wenhu's second younger brother Zhang Wenbao, handed over the roster, each marked with a circle.

"Two wins and one loss is not bad, better than yesterday. If we win another game, the fishermen's subsidy today will be paid by the Li Family."

Zhang Wenhu pointed to two young men lying in the corner, covered in blood and receiving bandages. "What happened to those two over there?"

"Young man, you really got into a fight. We stopped you in time, so the minor injuries are nothing to worry about. Everyone is angry about the Snake Demon's trouble."

Zhang Wenhu nodded.

moment.

The outcome is now clear.

The two fighters bowed to each other and made peace. They drew their blades, each slashed at the snake corpse, and then returned to their group.

There wasn't a drop of Blood Water in the snake carcass's newly opened wounds.

It has been three months since the sun blazed in the dead of winter; even dragon's blood would have to be dried in the sun.

Zhang Wenhu's gaze passed over the low wall, across the Great Marsh, and fixed on the birds flying in the sky, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"It is my dereliction of duty to allow a crawling beast to force my Zhang Clan to suffer in silence."

The Snake Demon destroyed eighteen large ships, thirty-six medium-sized ships, and capsized hundreds of small ships. It also occupied the Great Marsh, causing the Zhang Clan's trade routes to be cut off and their income to plummet.

However, the expenses are still considerable.

The younger generation needs to be nurtured, the elders need to be supported, and thousands of mouths need to be fed. In addition, subsidies are needed for fishermen and repairs are required, making expenses higher than usual.

Every day, huge sums of money are being spent, but no returns are being received...

"Brother, you flatter us! No one can tolerate being ridden on by a beast! Killing the snake was a decision we all made together."

Zhang Wenbao's expression was solemn. "The clan is facing some difficulties now, but we haven't lost face. As long as we haven't lost face, the people's hearts won't be scattered!"

Now that things have come to this, County Magistrate Liu Shiqin has requested assistance from the River Conservancy Office. The imperial court will not stand idly by; the matter will be resolved sooner or later.

On the contrary, if we had actually chosen to hand it over to ensure safety, it would have needlessly demoralized the people, and if the subordinates didn't submit to the head of the family, that would have been a real problem!

"It's not that I really have any thoughts, it's just a momentary feeling."

The ships and property losses were indeed significant, but the younger generation is still alive, Wolf Smoke Expert are still here.

If the old and the new are properly connected, then the root cause will not be damaged.

"My elder brother has always been reasonable..."

As the two brothers were talking, a servant in gray hurried over from the end of the corridor.

Zhang Wenbao took a half step back and remained silent.

Zhang Wenhu demanded, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

"Your Excellency, a young man named Liang Qu has arrived outside. He is wearing the official robes of the River Conservancy Office and says he wishes to see you."

"The River Conservancy Office?" Zhang Wenhu raised an eyebrow, but after taking only half a step, he realized something was wrong. "Is he alone? How old is he?"

"There was one person, oh, and he was leading a large chestnut horse with long scales. As for his age... he looked to be around twenty, very young, but tall, handsome, and very dashing. The doorman, Mr. Zhang, said he couldn't tell how strong the other party was."

Are you sure his name is Liang Qu?

Zhang Wenbao chimed in from the side.

The servant nodded vigorously. "There's no mistake. I saw the other party's Waist Token, and it's definitely the character 'Liang'."

"Second brother, have you heard of this person?"

"I have a vague impression of him, but I don't know if it's the same person. I learned about it when I visited a friend during the first month of the lunar year."

Last autumn, the Lord Qiu's Dyke in Hua Zhu County collapsed, causing a major flood. A man named Liang Qu from the River Conservancy Office managed to organize the Water Calamity- stricken Hua Zhu County in just one day, dividing the disaster area, capturing the culprit, and rescuing the people.

So much so that the common people called him Little Lord Chi, and afterwards, the Sacred Emperor's Edict saying that he had built bridges and canals, which is why I have a deep impression of his name."

"It's common to see people with the same name, but it's rare to see them in the same local government office." Hearing that the other person had a significant background, Zhang Wenhu's hope was rekindled. "How capable is this person?"

"Um, last year he was Galloping Horse Martial Master, probably in the upper or upper realm? Because the culprit behind the dam breach was a Wolf Smoke Martial Master, who was captured by Liang Qu and the other Galloping Horse Martial Master, and was quite famous."

"Galloping Horse Martial Master? What use is that? Can he solve the urgent crisis facing the Zhang and Li families?"

Zhang Wenhu frowned deeply.

Last year's Galloping Horse Martial Master are now at best entering the Wolf Smoke, and most likely, the human bridge hasn't even been built yet.

That Snake Demon was exceptionally powerful, at least at the mid-level of the Hunting Tiger Realm, more than a whole realm below it...

"In any case, we can't neglect them. Maybe they're just fast travelers and got there first, so we can prepare to welcome the Great Martial Master from the River Conservancy Office?"

"That makes sense, Wenbao, go and prepare a banquet!"

Zhang Wenhu made a quick decision: he first sent his second brother to set up a banquet, then sent a servant to lead the guests in. He took a shortcut and arrived at the hall ahead of them to wait.

The main gate.

Liang Qu and Red Mountain parted ways.

Red Mountain shook his head, broke free of the reins from the servant's hand, and strode forward with his head held high and chest out.

The horse handler turned around in shock.

Liang Qu laughed and said, "My horse is a bit arrogant. You just lead the way, and it will follow."

The groom, shocked, quickly stepped forward to lead the way, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the red horse indeed following.

Upon arriving at the stables, Red Mountain looked around and found a clean spot. He first scared away the stallion inside, drove it out, then kicked the feeding bowl and spat on the ground, his meaning all too clear.

The surrounding grooms were dumbfounded.

They had never seen such a magnificent and spirited horse. When the servant explained that it was a distinguished guest's steed, they quickly took out the finest medicinal herbs, chopped them into three pieces, and fed them to Red Mountain.

Inside the hall, Liang Qu, introduced by a servant, walked through the covered corridor and finally met the head of the Zhang Clan family.

The two sized each other up.

Liang Qu thought Zhang Wenhu was unremarkable.

He was of average build but not very good-looking, with a long scar on his cheek. Judging by his Ear Consciousness Method, his strength was inferior to his third senior brother, probably somewhere between the Human Realm and the Earth Realm.

On the other hand, Zhang Wenhu looked at Liang Qu with great admiration.

He was tall and handsome, but most importantly, his strength was unfathomable!

If you can't discern someone's cultivation level, it mostly means that the other person is at the same or even higher level than you!

Based on Wen Bao's statement, the young man in front of them had clearly already joined the Wolf Smoke.

At such a young age, he entered Wolf Smoke Realm, leaving his juniors in the clan far behind.

The younger generation truly surpasses the older generation, which is truly enviable.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wenhu stood up to greet him, "Water Official Liang has come from afar, I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. I have already arranged a banquet, why don't you and I eat and chat?"

Liang Qu was pressed for time and had a heavy workload, so he returned the greeting with a bow and got straight to the point.

"Thank you for your kindness, Family Head Zhang, but I always speak my mind. I have a way to stop that Snake Demon from causing trouble, but I'm missing a few key items. It all depends on whether the Zhang Clan is willing to part with them!"