The Winds of Change

Wei Lin's eyes flashed with sharp sparks, and wherever they swept across, everyone involuntarily lowered their heads.

A deathly silence.

The rivalry between the captain and the deputy captain has a long history, dating back to their ancestors, and mutual animosity is the norm.

Everyone knows it.

The Duke of Liang is sharp-tongued, arrogant, and remarkably similar to Wei Lin. The two sides are always at odds, and as his subordinate, I should have gotten used to it by now.

A thunderous roar swept across the sky, lightning flashed, silver light shone densely, and heavy rain fell from the dark clouds.

The third floor of the Demon Subduing Division.

The raindrops broke into countless white dots.

Xu Yuelong closed the window, blocking out the splashing water and noise from the windowsill. He returned to his seat, warmly put his arm around Sui Hongyan, the deputy commander of the Demon Subduing Division, and boasted that the celestial phenomenon was rare, cleansing the true qi, invigorating the mind, and had many benefits.

Thirty thousand taels of gold—it's a bargain! Money can be earned back, but a rare phenomenon won't come again! "If I can seize this opportunity to generate a spiritual manifestation, it's truly worth thirty thousand taels of gold!"

Sui Hongyan raised an eyebrow, not giving a direct answer, but instead swirling the tea with interest.

"I heard that you quoted Wei Lin 50,000 taels of silver?"

Xu Yuelong admitted, "That's right! You all know about my little affair with him."

Commander Zuo Heng crossed his arms and placed them on the table, leaning forward as he asked with a smile, "In the River Conservancy Office, you're the deputy. Aren't you afraid Wei Lin will use his position as the commander to manipulate you?"

"So you came to find me, didn't you?" Xu Yuelong spread his arms, a smile spreading across his face. "If you're on my side, come aboard and show your support. The other Great Martial Master will pay 30,000, but I'll give you a discount: 28,000! How about it?"

Zuo Heng sneered.

"Two thousand taels to speak up for you? Are you trying to send a beggar away? You, Xu Yuelong, have a long-standing feud with Wei Lin, but I don't. On the contrary, I quite admire him. He may have a bad temper and a wicked personality, but he's strong enough. Among our generation, he's at least five, if not three."

Xu Yuelong grinned.

"Twenty thousand!" Sui Hongyan put down her teacup. "I'll buy you a boat ticket, and use the other ten thousand to help you with this favor."

"Twenty-five thousand! No lower!" Xu Yuelong also crossed his arms and leaned forward. "The Three Laws Department have already agreed. If you don't come, it will be a problem for me, but a few Great Martial Master together will be enough!"

Sui Hongyan lowered her head in thought and met Zuo Heng's gaze.

a long time.

"Twenty-three thousand!"

Xu Yuelong slammed his fist on the table. "Deal!"

Sui Hongyan pushed herself up.

"I'll go get the money!"

The Three Laws Department.

Xu Yuelong took a sip of strong tea and began to speak eloquently.

"Twenty-five thousand! That's the lowest we can go! Sui Hongyan and Zuo Heng from the Demon Subduing Division have already agreed. If you don't come, it'll be a problem for me, but it's not like I can't do anything about it! Bringing you along is to bolster our strength!"

"Twenty-five thousand..."

The top two Three Laws Department exchanged glances, weighing their options in their minds.

"Twenty-four thousand!"

"Make a deal!"

Qingjiang Shipyard.

Rain Water dripped down the brown branches folded from the straw hat, the Liang Qu crossed the water pit, and I looked up into the distance.

My gaze shifted to the distance, and the world was shrouded in a gray haze.

Everywhere, boatmen carried out tarpaulins, braving the rain to open the four corners and cover the cut planks and timber from above.

The Steward brushed past several boatmen, took the lead, and introduced the boats one by one, from wide-bellied boats to multi-story ships, with a full range of features.

Liang Qu were both dissatisfied.

"Is there a fast one? Size doesn't matter."

After thinking for a moment, Liang Qu added, "No need to go too fast, traveling a thousand miles a day is enough."

This time, the number of people entering the marshland won't be too large, at Die One or so. A few more ships can accommodate them. He wants the king of cost-effectiveness.

He and Xu Yuelong were making a profit by selling boat tickets, which was a bit of a side job and they might not be reimbursed.

After Steward thought, the steward led Liang Qu to another dock, where the ships all gleamed with a faint bluish light.

"Azure Cloud Wind Skiff! The entire Dragon Bone is constructed of Azure Water Wood, and the ribs are mainly made of Purple Spirit Bamboo. It is light, agile, and extremely fast."

A typical two-masted sailing ship, if sailing with a favorable wind, can travel about seventy li per watch. The Qingyun Ferry can increase that by more than double. Even against the wind and current, it can travel more than a thousand li a day, unlike ordinary ships which can only travel half that distance against the wind!

Liang Qu nodded slightly.

Ships sail not by speed, but by number of watches.

A day and night consists of about ten watches, and each watch is about two and a half hours long.

When the wind is favorable, one can travel seventy li in one watch, with a speed of thirty li per hour, which means one can travel seven hundred li per day.

The number of Azure Cloud Wind Skiff increased by more than two times, covering approximately 1,700 li in a single day.

Observing the openings on both sides and the ropes on the boat, it can be anticipated that with the support of human and animal power, the boat will be faster.

Based on the distance between Pingyang Prefecture and Awei, if the wind and current are favorable, it will take less than three days to arrive, leaving plenty of free time.

Excellent performance!

"That's it!"

"Lord Liang is still the Dushui Official; he needs to allocate the resources for the ships. The total amount he can send at once..."

Liang Qu reached out and took off the waist Waist Token from his waist, then tossed it to the Steward.

The Steward reached out and took the card, wiping away the water stains on the surface. The bright Xu character shone with a clear light. Startled, he quickly handed it back.

Liang Qu: "I am here on Xu Tiling to use the boat."

"Since it is Lord Xu's request, Lord Liang has the authority to dispatch all ships currently completed at the shipyard and still in port."

Liang Qu roughly surveyed the number of ships in the dock.

"Ten Qingyun boats, each equipped with ten small shuttles, loaded with ten days' worth of supplies, are to be moored at the entrance of the River Conservancy Office at 7:45 AM tomorrow. Can you do that?"

"Ten Qingyun boats, each with ten small shuttles, totaling one hundred shuttles, will be used to carry ten days' worth of supplies. They will definitely be delivered by Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow!"

"Good!"

the next day.

The sky and earth were overcast, and the rows of blue-cloud boats were neatly moored in front of the River Conservancy Office Government Office, drifting with the current.

The Record Keeper dispatched soldiers and officials from the Han River region to conduct thorough inspections and fill any gaps in their records.

A chaotic scene unfolded in Ran Zhongshi's study on the second floor of the Prefectural Office across the street.

Everyone gathered around and offered their congratulations.

Ran Zhongshi has emerged from the pass!

Great Martial Master!

After processing all the events of the past two days, Ran Zhongshi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luckily we left a day early; otherwise, we would have missed the extraordinary phenomenon and suffered a huge loss."

Ke Wenbin counted on his fingers. "Including Master A Shui, we have three Great Martial Master on our side! Invincible!"

"Excellent! Our River Conservancy Office is thriving!"

"Great Martial Master Ran! Grandmaster is just around the corner, Martial Saint is in sight!"

Bai Yinbin teased, "You encountered an unusual phenomenon as soon as you came out of the pass. How come all the good things happen to you? It's only natural that you'd treat everyone to a meal."

Ran Zhongshi waved his hand and said, "Please! Tell me what you'd like to eat now! I'll have someone prepare it right away! We'll open for business as soon as we get back!"

"A three-thousand-year-old vermilion fruit with a faint taste!"

"Give me two peaches that will grant you twenty years of life!"

"Two more tubs of Heavenly Immortal Spring water to rinse your mouth! Don't dilute it with water! Make it thick!"

Ran Zhongshi rolled up his sleeves. "You're too kind, everyone. If you want to eat these, you don't need to wait to come back. I'll knock you all out right now, and you can eat them in your dreams!"

"Tch, stingy."

"I Great Martial Master, not a Martial Saint!"

Bai Yinbin stretched his long neck. "So stingy, you don't even have the spirit of Martial Saint. How will you become Martial Saint in the future?"

Ran Zhongshi was furious.

"Today, I possess divine power and have no desire to shed blood, yet you insist on testing its edge!"

"Brother Yue Long, save me!"

"Alright!"

The crowd continued their excited chatter until Xu Yuelong stepped in to stop them.

"Since Zhong Shi has left the pass ahead of schedule, we should go as early as possible. The original plan was for tomorrow afternoon, but we will move it to this afternoon."

No one can say for sure when the Long Qi will appear; to avoid any deviation, it would be best if it arrived two days earlier.

The extraordinary phenomenon was of great importance, and the crowd, unable to offer their congratulations, dispersed one after another.

Once the study was empty, Xu Yuelong pulled out a thick stack of Silver Note from his sleeve and slapped them into Liang Qu's hand.

This stack of Silver Note is completely different from ordinary Silver Note with denominations of one thousand or one hundred taels.

It felt unusually thick, much like animal hide, and was covered with stamps and various shades of blue patterns, making it visually extraordinary.

"Not counting your Master brothers, Zhong Shi and the others, there are a total of nine Hunting Tiger, sixty-eight Wolf Smoke, and twenty-seven Galloping Horse."

I gave some people a discount during the process, charging you 30%, which totals 189,900 taels. I'll round it up for you, making it 190,000 taels!

Liang Qu: "!!!"

How many?

Nineteen thousand taels?! Good heavens!

Upon hearing this exaggerated number, Liang Qu's heart began to pump faster, his blood rushed to his head, and he felt dizzy.

Liang Qu Fragrant Township County, after struggling for half a month, only earned 70,000 taels of silver. Xu Yuelong, with a single transaction, made 190,000 taels? Is money really that easy to earn? "Commander Wei paid it?"

Xu Yuelong nodded, then shook his head.

"Consider it paid."

What does "calculation" mean?

Seeing that Xu Yuelong did not explain his desire.

Liang Qu didn't want to pry too deeply, so he carefully kept the Silver Note.

Although it was only nineteen pieces of parchment, it felt surprisingly heavy in his pocket.

Look around.

"Can I go back first?"

Xu Yuelong raised an eyebrow. "Zhong Shi left the pass ahead of schedule and will depart this afternoon. You've already prepared your things, so why would you go back?"

"It's the first time I've carried so much money; I'm worried about taking it out with me."

Liang Qu was really afraid that he would accidentally give away Gold Coin to someone else. Even if someone stole one or he lost one, he would still be heartbroken.

This is an enormous fortune I've never seen before in my life! "If you leave it at home, you'll just..." Xu Yuelong thought for a moment, then changed the subject, "Look at you, acting like you've never seen money before. Go and come back quickly."

Liang Qu hurriedly called Red Mountain back to the residence, carefully put more than ten Silver Note into a hidden box in the wooden box in the Quiet Room, and examined them repeatedly.

Fantastic!!! There were also dozens of Silver Note of different denominations in the hidden box, totaling 70,000 taels! After adding it all up, the total wealth exceeded 260,000 taels!

Rich!

Unprecedented wealth! This money is used to buy Treasure Plant, at least worth over 100,000 units of Marsh Essence! Twenty-odd Galloping Horse are worthless, but those dozens of Wolf Smoke and nine Hunting Tiger are truly rolling in money.

Liang Qu had always dreamed that if everyone gave him a little money, he could become a tycoon.

Relying on Xu Yuelong right now can be seen as a way of realizing their dreams.

"Phew~"

Take a deep breath.

After calming himself down, Liang Qu did not immediately return to the riverbank. He packed his things, asked the master for two more small tokens, bid farewell to everyone at home, and then ran to his residence to call his fellow disciples and Master.

Upon hearing that they were setting off a day early, the two senior students from the Martial Arts School didn't hesitate and headed towards the fleet with their packs on their backs.

Without entering the Wolf Smoke, one cannot become a true warrior.

Galloping Horse past may not bring much actual benefit, but it's always good to broaden one's horizons.

One's perspective determines one's level of judgment and indirectly influences one's life choices.

It's good to have more open space, since it's free for our own people anyway.

"Li Bo, Jie Chang, this trip will take at least seven days and at most ten days. The Martial Arts School is counting on you two! Don't let them cause any trouble."

Especially in the Second Hospital, there are a few boys who seem to be having an affair, like they're going to fight over Tian Jinyuan. You guys keep a close eye on them!

Before leaving, Hu Qi repeatedly gave instructions.

Chen Jiechang nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, Senior Brother Hu, we will keep a close eye on it."

Liang Qu casually handed over two bottles of Snake Bone Pill, one for each person; he had more than a dozen of these pills.

The two were flattered. "Water Bro, this..."

"If my fellow villagers don't help, who will? I will work hard to cultivate myself and strive to Break Three Barriers as soon as possible so that I can become a river chief. If I encounter a problem that I can't solve, I will go and Cha Qing if they will help me."

Hu Qi agreed, "Yes, go ask your colleagues at the River Conservancy Office for help."

After the Martial Arts School expanded, it not only accepted novice apprentices, but also those who had passed the first and Second Barrier, and taught them some basic martial arts techniques.

If Chen Jiechang and Li LiBo were to cause a major incident on their own, they might not be able to control the situation, but with the help of their colleagues from Galloping Horse, there wouldn't be any problem.

After handling several matters, the group headed towards the River Conservancy Office.

A light drizzle was falling from the sky.

The Painted Boat in Great Marsh Mouth are moored on the shore, while only a few fishing boats set out.

In mid-May, temperatures fluctuated dramatically and continued to rise, accompanied by frequent rainfall.

In about a month, the Plum Rain Season will begin...

Standing at the bow of the boat, Liang Qu could see people running out from all directions through the streets and alleys, braving the drizzle to converge on the shore.

The main force of the Galloping Horse was a large Wolf Smoke of people from the three major government offices, with a smaller number from the prefectural city, such as Jian Zhongyi, the former magistrate of Ping Yang County and now the prefect of Pingyang Prefecture. There was also a small group of people they didn't recognize.

Liang Qu also met Sui Hongyan, the deputy commander of the Demon Subduing Division, who had previously joined him in the siege of the Ghost Mother Sect, and congratulated Ran Zhongshi on becoming Great Martial Master before boarding the ship.

Rivers flow into the sea silently.

Ten large ships, each with boatmen and soldiers, still had more than enough space to accommodate over a hundred extra people.

When the riverbank was almost deserted, Liang Qu saw Wei Lin emerge from the Prefectural Office and his men board the boat, his expression unreadable.

How exactly was it paid?

Xu Yuelong's seemingly happy yet not entirely happy demeanor aroused considerable curiosity.

Unfortunately, there was no time to leave Liang Qu to investigate further.

The soldiers stepped forward to report that everyone had arrived, and he turned and ran to direct the direction of the ships.

Set off!

With the anchor pulled up, the ten Azure Boat gradually slid into the deep water, oars extending from both sides as they sped away.

More than two hundred finless River Dolphin, each led by its own leader, followed the boat, cutting through the waves.

As the river wind picked up, the large ship unfurled its sails and headed towards the depths of the Great Marsh.

Half an hour later.

Liang Qu caused the boat to change direction.

The soldier was slightly surprised, but he didn't ask any questions. He pushed the lever and faithfully carried out the order.

Xiang ChangSong was on deck, noticed something was wrong and ran into the cabin to ask, "Why did you change direction?"

There are no obstacles on the Great Marsh. Once you know the location, just go straight there, right?

Liang Qu remained calm. "If we don't change direction, what if someone takes advantage of being close to the shore to send a message back and try to avoid buying a ticket? If we're too far away, we won't be able to see the boat, and they won't be able to follow us. Even if they do receive the message, it will be from the wrong location."

The phenomena of heaven and earth are vast, and if someone sneaks around, you might not even notice, but that could be someone stealing money from your pocket!

Hiss! "Is this the right direction?"

"No, we need to revise it again later."

The soldiers were completely convinced.

Another hour has passed.

The soldiers carried out wooden buckets and applied Demon Repellent Balm to both sides of the boat.

The ship changed course again.

After two changes of course, once to the left and once to the right, we are now finally on the actual shipping lane! It's past midnight.

The soldiers lit incense at the bow of the ship.

Balm and fragrance, working together.

Apart from the River Dolphin having undergone special drug resistance training and showing no adverse reactions, the fleet encountered almost no aquatic Spirit Monster.

The same waterway.

Several large snakes of different colors saw the fleet passing by in the distance and noticed the pungent smell lingering in the air, so they turned around and avoided it.

Demon Repellent Balm and incense are generally disliked by ordinary Spirit Monster, but they are much less effective against demons.

Those who speak have their own judgment.

But the scent was merely a symbol, signifying that the fleet was under the protection of the Da Shun.

"Let's go, we'll be in Pingyang Prefecture soon."

The Red-Scaled Great Snake glanced at the distance and then lowered its head to advance.