A Pillar of the State

"A twist of fate!"

Su Guishan laughed heartily.

Knowing that the Martial Saint was coming, the Ghost Mother Sect must have calculated the distance he would travel to give themselves ample time to launch an attack.

Who would have thought that Liang Qu tricked the snake, causing the Martial Saint to encounter a group of Snake Demon, who then captured him and used him as cattle and horses.

The already incredibly fast Flowing Light Boat was given wings.

That saves a bit of effort.

"You shameless old bastard! You held it in for ages before finally coming out. I bet you're plotting to steal my Weng Family's fortune!"

Weng Lijun clung to the driftwood, and even though the Martial Saint was about to arrive, he still had to utter a few curses.

"Look, you're in such a hurry again!" Su Guishan said calmly. "Alright, alright, stop being so dramatic. I'll ask you for a bottle of Earthly Auspice Elixir another day. For the next six months, the expenses for medicinal herbs and pills at the River Conservancy Office will be increased by half a percent from your Weng Family!"

"One year!"

"Five months, take it or leave it."

"Okay, okay, six months, six months."

On the shore, a light rain fell, and willows swayed gently.

A scene of Rain Water.

Xu Yuelong stood upright, watching the Snake Demon who had confronted him in the Shallow Water Area a few days ago, wearing Bone Piercing Lock like dogs and dragging the large ship, his heart filled with turmoil.

The might of the Martial Saint is unfathomable.

The four Snake Demon, who were helpless, were captured without a second thought!

How are they any different from pigs and dogs? He turned to look at Liang Qu again and glared at him fiercely.

That kid.

They're getting bolder and bolder! In that day, the red-stamped letter only mentioned the plan to lure the Ghost Mother Cult Master, and also briefly mentioned asking Liang Qu for leave to deal with the snake demon's mess.

There was absolutely no mention of handling it this way! It turns out the person cleaning up this mess is Martial Saint! Liang Qu quickly lowered his head and hid in the queue.

Xu Yuelong sighed, told the people behind him to straighten their clothes, and stood aside with Wei Lin.

The hundred-foot- Snake Demon dragged the hundred-foot-long ship with immense power. Before reaching the shore, it moved a distance away and stopped on the river surface.

The pontoon bridge was launched and connected to the shore.

"Walk!"

Su Guishan waved and walked ahead with Old Master Weng.

Prefect Jian Zhongyi was next, followed by Wei Lin, and then Xu Yuelong.

The pontoon bridge had limited load-bearing capacity, so the crowd moved slowly, terrified as they faced the four hundred-foot-long Snake Demon at the bow of the boat.

Many people had seen this group of Snake Demon a few days ago, confronting the two commanders on the river.

How did I end up here? Did I just run into bad luck?

Ran Zhongshi and the others made no attempt to conceal their gazes, which darted back and forth between the Snake Demon and Liang Qu.

Judging from the previous conversation, the capture of the Snake Demon was clearly Liang Qu's doing.

Despite the many eyes on Liang Qu, he kept his merits and fame hidden and boldly walked onto the pontoon bridge to observe.

The bluish-gray chains imprisoned the Snake Demon, gleaming with a cold, silvery light in the rain.

There are three ships: the middle one is towed by two boats, and the other two are each towed by one boat.

One end of the iron chain is fixed to the Dragon Bone, and the other end is shaped like a spring, with nine loops, piercing into the flesh, and encircling the three-zhang spine below the snake's head, completely constricting the snake's head and preventing it from turning.

The Snake Demon needed to exert force from its spine downwards to turn, which would obviously be much more strenuous.

In addition, each of the large snakes has a silver marking on its head, which causes a slight stinging sensation in the eyes when looking at it.

Liang Qu clearly remembered that before he transformed into White Ape and lured the Snake Demon into the waterway, the Snake Demon didn't have this thing on its head.

Was it done by the Martial Saint?

In any case, the issue of reconciliation has been resolved.

Since neither party knew the other's information, a certain coincidence was required for the reconciliation of the accounts.

There's no way these four Snake Demon could go back to see the Flood Dragon.

Double insurance.

How wonderful! We've eaten our fill and are raking in the profits! Lightning flashes in the clouds.

On the deck, which was almost wide enough for a horse to run on, maids lined up, holding huge umbrellas to shelter everyone from the rain.

The drizzling Rain Water gathered into a beaded curtain, rolling down the deck into the Great Marsh.

The Grandmaster and the Martial Saint were talking.

Whether it's a prefect or a commander, they should keep their eyes focused on their nose, their nose on their heart, and stand straight and still.

Silent and still.

The King of Yue was surrounded by his ministers. He looked like a middle-aged man, tall and wearing a black robe with gold patterns. He was much younger than he had imagined. He had two hands, two legs, two eyes and one nose.

There's no difference.

Liang Qu thought to himself.

Rain Water seeped over the soles of the shoes, spreading slowly along the capillaries and soaking the shoes and socks.

Not long after Su Guishan and Weng Lijun fought, the King of Yue a few pleasantries and then had his maids lead him to change clothes and rest.

This gave many leaders and commanders a chance to shine.

"Your humble servant Wei Lin..."

"Young Wei Family? Not bad, how many days have you cultivated the Soaring Sun Heavenly Dipper Art?"

"The third day."

"Good, at this age, you're better than your father!"

"Your humble servant Xu Yuelong..."

"You are... Xu Family?"

"My father Count Guanying."

"Wen Zhu, no wonder." The King of Yue showed a hint of reminiscence. "You don't look much like your father, but you are about 70% similar to Xu Gong when he was young."

"I only wish I had seventy percent of my grandfather's power."

"Haha, the wild geese cry out as the sun rises; we should aspire to even greater heights!"

"Who are you..."

"My father..."

Liang Qu was just a background element; it was boring to listen to.

Starting with the introductions, it was like a family reunion, with everyone trying to build ties.

That's true.

King of Yue did not suddenly become Martial Saint; he was already Marquis Weining before, so it is strange that he does not recognize other nobles and their sons.

The bow of the ship.

The four Snake Demon looked as if they had lost their parents.

Even the usually irritable Azure Viper lost its temper. Normally, in order to relieve the soreness and itching from training, it would desperately ram into rocks and the ground to alleviate the pain.

Now it's all right.

Once the Bone Piercing Lock, one feels excruciating pain in the spine at all times, completely losing the sensation of body-strengthening soreness and itchiness.

They were also branded, so without anyone else lifting a finger, the Martial Saint could blow their brains apart with a single thought.

They even removed her gallbladder.

If I had known this would happen, I would have just gritted my teeth and gone back. At worst, I would have been skinned alive, which would have been better than being treated like a dog.

Yellow Scale and Orange Scale glanced sideways at Scarlet Scale, their eyes signaling whether the other had any ideas.

Scarlet Scale remained silent, letting the Rain Water wash over him, the blood from his wounds flowing into the Great Marsh.

"This is what a man should do..."

On the deck, Xiang Fangsu gazed at the departing figure of the King of Yue and uttered a sigh.

Four Snake Demon, who said they would become dogs, did so without hesitation.

None of the fifth or sixth-rank military officers had the right to speak to him.

Imposing and awe-inspiring!

Such splendor diminished Xiang Fangsu's interest in investigating how Liang Qu had deceived the Snake Demon.

Knowing more is not as good as reaching a higher level in martial arts.

"Don't stand there!"

Xu Yuelong offered a reminder.

Behind the King of Yue were a group of veteran ministers.

According to rank, it was finally Liang Qu and the others' turn to speak.

Everyone looked serious, lined up, and stepped forward one by one to greet the others.

The senior officials came from all over the country, yet there was no communication barrier, and their accents were barely noticeable.

The Da Shun originated in Southern Zhili, so their official language was naturally Jianghuai dialect.

In this respect, Liang Qu had an advantage, as his hometown was in the Jianghuai, unlike people from the Central Plains, Northwest, and Southern Border, who needed to learn a language when traveling far to communicate with others.

Meanwhile, the civil officials who could rise through the Imperial Examination found learning a language to be a piece of cake.

"Liang Qu... you created the Pinyin Method?"

Liang Qu replied respectfully, "It is indeed I, your humble servant. What instructions do you have for me, sir?"

An old minister stroked his beard and laughed, "It's not a matter of instruction, but the Sixth Prince borrowed your method and within half a year, he could read and write without any difficulty. Now, after more than a year, he is no different from a student who has attended an academy for three to five years. What a wonderful method!"

The Sixth Prince? Liang Qu raised an eyebrow.

Is the Sixth Prince still in his early education? "Build bridges and canals, Liang Water Envoy a pillar of the state in the future."

Another senior official spoke up.

"It is truly my good fortune, but the success of the Pinyin Method is inseparable from the help and correction of the teachers at the academy."

The senior officials nodded and said no more.

The port in front of the River Conservancy Office Government Office.

Three Flowing Light Boat were moored.

The soldier lowered the command flag, cautiously circled the giant snake, and looked back into the distance, only to find that there were no boats left, which puzzled him.

Two boats went out in the morning?

Why haven't they come back? (At the yamen.)

Many lower-ranking officials stood respectfully waiting for the many adults to disembark.

Li Shoufu was also among them. He glanced up slightly and suddenly froze.

Among the first few people to disembark from the Flowing Light Boat, there was one who looked very familiar to him.

That's not...

Is he Liang Qu's maternal uncle?