Wu Land's Snake God

Night was as black as ink, and the mist over the canal carried the chill of autumn.

Inside the Lin Family treasure boat, the lamps shone brightly.

After seeing off the last group of commoners seeking treatment, no one showed the slightest fatigue or hurried to rest. Instead, they busied themselves with their own tasks and waited at ease.

Just when they thought nothing would happen that night, a turn of events suddenly appeared.

"They're here!"

Li Yan twitched his nose, his gaze piercing through the porthole.

On the dock, a swaying mass of lantern light appeared in the distance.

Then noisy footsteps and murmured voices drew nearer from afar before stopping at the end of the trestle bridge.

But the people who had come were somewhat unexpected.

One of them wore the armor of the Commandery Commandant Office. He had a leopard's head and ringed eyes, with a burly, rough-hewn build. Li Yan had seen him among the imperial envoy's entourage that day. He was none other than the newly appointed chiliarch holding real authority in the Yangzhou Commandery Commandant Office.

The other made Li Yan's eyes narrow slightly.

He was about fifty, with a sturdy, powerful build. Standing there, he resembled an iron-forged stake, utterly motionless.

The muscles beneath his dark brocade robe bulged like coiled ropes.

He had a square face and tightly furrowed thick brows. Reluctance filled the space between his brows, yet his bearing was extraordinary.

Sha LiFei hurriedly whispered, "The Zhang Family of Yangzhou—Zhang Tiankui!"

Li Yan frowned the moment he heard that.

Earlier, when he had asked about the prominent figures in Yangzhou, he had learned that the local martial family was renowned for the Zhang Family Martial Graduate Fist and the unrivaled Seven Star Step. They had produced martial champions for several