The Soft Persimmon Came Knocking

On the Great Marsh, four Broad-bellied Ark, with extremely deep drafts, drifted and swayed as they headed towards the valley.

Liang Qu and Ran Zhongshi entered the center of the cabin through the staircases on both sides, passed through a narrow corridor, and were greeted by a cold, white mist that seemed to sink into the air.

"Phew, it's much more comfortable inside than outside."

Liang Qu exhaled a breath of hot air, stepped into the Ice Storage Room with flowing white mist, stretched his shoulders, and felt refreshed all over.

In late May, the sun outside was scorching, and the heat was astonishing. Even the slightest movement would cause one to break out in a sweat.

The cabin, however, was like a cold storage room.

Stepping inside, the misty air dispels the sweltering heat, bringing immense comfort.

People walk past the side of the dark blue ice block, and cold air flows along the folds of their clothes.

The entire cabin was lined with a layer of insulating cotton material, and the floor was covered with saltpeter powder to ensure that the Old Ice melted as little as possible. There were also several machines whirring and emitting cold air.

The principle seems similar to that of Ice Platform; when you reach out, the temperature blown out is even lower.

Most of the ice blocks have a surface that combines with water vapor to grow white frost. You have to scrape off a thick layer to see the dark blue Old Ice inside.

Liang Qu used Azure Wolf to dig out Fist- sized piece, placed it at the intersection of sunlight and shadow to observe it, and the pale blue light cast down, making it pure and flawless.

Bai Yinbin is right.

This batch of ice is very pure.

The Steward accompanied them, saying, "When it was mined, it weighed nearly 1.25 million catties. Even though we rushed it, we still lost tens of thousands of catties."

"The loss rate is quite low." Ran Zhongshi brushed away the frost with his fingertips. "The Steward knows why we're here, right?"

"Understood, understood, Lord Lu. Lord Ren said that you gentlemen can rest assured that our Celestial Ship Merchant Guild has an excellent reputation."

No one brought today will enter the area within twenty miles of the strange phenomenon; they will leave immediately after being delivered.

If anyone violates the rules, once discovered, there's no need for us to intervene; the adults can handle it as they see fit.

"There's no need to be so serious. How many people are on your four cargo ships... Did you get any backup?"

"We didn't go with them!" the Steward said firmly. "We collected ice and traveled downstream along the Black Water River without ever resupplying along the way."

Nobody knew where we were going, what cargo we were carrying, or why we were passing by. So many merchant ships passed over the Great Marsh every day; practically no one noticed us.

"Not entirely," Liang Qu suddenly interjected. "I think quite a few rats have gotten on board."

Ran Zhongshi and the others glanced at him sideways.

The Steward seemed slightly puzzled. "Sir, you might as well explain it more clearly."

Ran Zhongshi stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Have you found anything?"

Liang Qu tucked the Azure Wolf back into his waistband and took out a Profound Water Arrow.

"When I boarded the ship, there were several eyes that were full of malice towards me, or more precisely, towards 'us'."

Lu Kaiyun, Ren Yipeng, Bai Yinbin: "?"

They've been on the boat for almost half a day, so why didn't they feel anything?

Ran Zhongshi carefully chose his words: "His eyes... were full of malice? You're not kidding?"

Martial Artist can indeed inflict killing intent and malice through their gaze, but they must do so intentionally.

If the other party sneaked in, how could they be so open and aboveboard?

Are they afraid the enemy won't know?

"I practice a special Dharma Gate."

Ran Zhongshi raised an eyebrow. "Is that approved?"

"Never made a mistake."

Ran Zhongshi's gaze fell on the Steward, and his hand reached down slightly.

Liang Qu grabbed Ran Zhongshi's wrist. "The Steward is fine, otherwise I wouldn't have come in to say that the few outside are only about as strong as galloping Galloping Horse, no strongmen, they should be spies."

Bai Yinbin's eyes darted around. "The Ghost Mother Sect?"

After listening for a few minutes, the Steward gradually understood the situation. Although he was glad that he had distanced himself from the matter, as a member of the Chamber of Commerce, he could not be blamed for this incident.

"That shouldn't be the case, sirs. Our ships and men have been collecting ice without stopping along the way. We've even had to send people to row for half a day every day. There haven't been any personnel changes. We've been rushing as fast as we can..."

Liang Qu interrupted, "It might be during transport, otherwise it wouldn't be so easy!"

Bai Yinbin said, "Is it like substituting a plum for a peach, or replacing a sheep with an ox?"

Liang Qu looked up and stared at the Steward: "Under normal water transport, the fleet wouldn't cross the center of the Great Marsh, would it?"

The Steward bowed and said, "What you say is true, sir. The Jiang Huai Great Marsh is a vast and deep marshland, teeming with Water Beast. Ordinary water transport caravans usually take the long way around by traveling through Shallow Water Area."

It's far, but it's safe. It crosses the same route as us, although the route is several times shorter, but it costs more money to buy the Demon Repellent Balm.

Even so, there was still a risk of being attacked by Water Demon, and we had to hoist the flag of the River Conservancy Office halfway through our journey.

If they can't control the imperial court, can't they control the merchant caravans?

Caravans without any backing or connections, and with bad luck, were essentially gold and silver cans sailing on water.

Open one and make a fortune.

Lu Kaiyun asked, "How is it now?"

Liang Qu looked toward Ran Zhongshi.

"A Shui, can you recognize all of them?"

"As long as they look at me, I can!"

Ran Zhongshi didn't hesitate much. "Try to capture them alive and see if we can get any clues out of them. Manager, you Steward that we're about to arrive at our destination and need to move the ice to gather everyone on the deck!"

"Yes!"

The Steward left in a hurry.

"What an unexpected bonus!"

Bai Yinbin sighed with emotion.

Big Brother Xu isn't good at fishing, but he's quite accurate at catching other things.

Sending Liang Qu and Ran Zhongshi was a completely impromptu decision; unexpectedly, they actually managed to uncover something dirty.

"Rumors suggest that the Eastern Snake, Northern Fish, and Ghost Mother Sect have a secret connection, which may not be entirely unfounded. Even if they are truly innocent, the Frog Clan and Iron Head Fish have been locked in a standoff for so many days; they wouldn't be idle once they heard the news. It's just unclear which faction the newcomers belong to."

"Hey, no matter which lineage, it's difficult to touch Martial Saint for one reason, and it's also difficult to send Grandmaster to continue mingling in the Great Marsh for the other reason."

That's all for these two points. Anything more, no matter how many come, will be considered military merit! A Shui isn't here today; he could have caused some trouble by hiding and acting suspiciously, but now he can't even cause any trouble."

Liang Qu thought for a moment.

"That makes sense. The Ghost Mother Sect is confined to the Great Marsh, and dares not completely antagonize the Southern Frog, thus shrinking its own territory, while it is itself facing a talent shortage..."

Ordinary spiritual practice follows a pyramid structure, with fewer people at the top, much like a food chain.

The situation is different for the Lone Ghost Mother Sect due to historical issues.

The previous Huang Surname Branch had two Great Grandmaster as its leaders, but only two Great Martial Master below them!

Great Grandmaster have long lifespans, and their lineage can be passed down for ten generations; even after the father passes away, the grandfather remains.

Even without taking life-extending treasures, Great Martial Master would at most live to be 130 or 140 years old, while the remnants who fled to the Great Marsh would have died long ago.

However, the new generation has a small population base and limited resources, making it difficult to cultivate. Becoming Great Martial Master is already extremely difficult, with most falling into the lower or middle realms...

If they actually send someone over, their skill level will be around this level.

"The easy target has been delivered right to our door!"

The group quickly gathered their thoughts, their spirits lifted, and they set out in succession, focusing on Liang Qu and clearing out the large rats hiding in the darkness, boat by boat.

The ice deliverymen were busy, and the ice collectors were just as busy.

Long Binglin, Long E Ying, and Long Yanrui prepared for a decisive battle to drive the Iron Head Fish out of the valley.

Dulong Long Zongyin brought his own people to receive the goods.

"Is it yes or no..."

Long Zongyin twirled the pearl bracelet on his wrist, lost in thought.

Two or three days was enough time for Long Zongyin to find Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe. Then, he would ride the White Sturgeon and discuss with the First Elder and Second Elder for a whole day to come up with a preliminary plan.

"You two, such a big thing, and you didn't even tell the clan about it."

After Long Zongyin, Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe looked ashamed.

At first, the two of them, through a combination of guesswork and speculation, believed that Liang Qu was the Dragon Lord.

The Dragon Lord's will is naturally superior to that of the Dragonfolk.

After dealing with the Snake Demon, the two realized that they might have been wrong, but they were too embarrassed to reveal Liang Qu's affair.

Liang Qu treated them well.

He did not deliberately exploit the two people because of their similarities, and he always verbally denied that he was the Dragon Lord Dragon Lord.

It's just wishful thinking on their part.

Therefore, due to the dilemma, it was put on hold.

Unexpectedly, just a few days after they returned, the Elder called them out by name and gave them a big fuss.

It couldn't be hidden.

A lot of things came out.

The two brothers didn't mention the White Ape, but insisted that the true manifestation of the Dragon Lord was completely different.

Long Zongyin didn't press him for details; he didn't need to know the specific outcome.

The truth is irrelevant; the key is that "he is not Dragon Aspect." Coupled with the attitudes of Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe, it is already doubtful whether the other party is the Dragon Lord. Time and evidence are needed to slowly verify this.

As for the current relationship with the other party...

After discussing it with the other two Elder, all three agreed that the matter was not difficult to handle, and could even be described as simple.

The Dragon Man Tribe only has one path to take, going back and forth.

Making friends with them is always the right thing to do.

Both horizontal and vertical lines are correct.