Grandmaster Remains

Sky light was dim, and the river surface surged with rolling waves.

Several hundred small boats braved the cold wind, scattered across the river surface.

Skilled swimmers rose from the water to catch their breath, their faces purple-red from holding it in, before plunging down again in a fierce dive, leaving only bubbles drifting and spinning behind.

Every one of these experts possessed the strength of a Galloping Horse. Placed in any large or small gang or Martial Arts School in Cang Prefecture, with proper management, they would count as minor leaders. Yet now, under orders from their family heads and chiefs, they had all set aside their work and come to the Canal in the bitter cold to salvage the wrecked ship's belongings.

Early April was much warmer than the depths of winter in January and February, but the water could still chill a person until they shivered uncontrollably.

"Hey, when the big shots stamp a foot or wave a hand, little people like us suffer right along with them, drifting like dust a hundred miles away."

"He became the greatest under heaven at eighteen. At eighteen, you were still running errands for others like a miserable wretch. What can you do?"

"Shh, you two, say less and work more." The boat boss added firewood to the brazier. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we rest. The weather has warmed up slowly enough this year."

"A great river flows south. If we couldn't find them the first two days, there's even less chance now."

"Only two chests were hauled up today..."

"If we still can't find them, they'll be hard to recover. They were probably all swept downstream, or picked up by villagers elsewhere."

Not only the Water Workers, but officials of every rank in Cang Prefecture stood on