Half a month after the Red Fish Gang was wiped out, Nujiang County had changed beyond recognition.
The struggle between two powers had come to an end, and the Black Water Gang's banners now flew over every dock along the Angry River.
Fishing boats, cargo ships, and passing merchants alike had to defer to the Black Water Gang if they wanted to make a living on the river.
The Main Hall's entrance was bustling with visitors every day, as merchants lined up to offer gifts and curry favor.
Chen Wanli, the gang leader, was in high spirits. After swallowing up the Red Fish Gang's territory and businesses, he had also brought the county's entire underworld under his thumb. He was now the undisputed "earthly emperor" of Nujiang County.
As the chief contributor to the victory, Lu Chen's name had resounded throughout Nujiang County.
Deputy Hall Master of the War Hall.
Chen Wanli had personally appointed him.
In the Black Water Gang, this was a position second only to the gang leader and the several Hall Masters—a place just below one and above thousands.
His old little courtyard no longer suited his status, so the gang had specially granted him a large three-courtyard mansion in the heart of the Main Hall compound, along with more than a dozen maids and servants.
But to everyone's surprise, the newly appointed Deputy Hall Master hadn't become arrogant and domineering, nor had he indulged in wine and women as people expected.
Instead, he kept such a low profile that it was almost frightening.
Apart from essential meetings, he hardly ever showed his face.
The wealthy merchants who wanted to invite him to banquets and the gentry who hoped to offer their daughters as concubines were all turned away at the door.
Even the Junior Leaders in the gang who wanted to pledge themselves to him were refused an audience.
Deep inside Lu Chen's mansion, in a chamber converted into a training room.
The smell of medicine was so strong it stung the nose.
Bare-chested, Lu Chen sat cross-legged in a huge wooden tub.
Black medicinal liquid bubbled and steamed inside it.
This was an enhanced medicinal bath he had ordered from Huichun Hall, the largest apothecary in the county.
A single tub of the stuff cost fifty taels of silver.
In the past, that would have fed his whole family for ten years.
Now, it was merely one of his daily cultivation expenses.
"Phew..."
Lu Chen exhaled a breath of stale air. It shot out like an arrow and lingered in the air for a long time.
He opened his eyes and looked into the void.
[Name: Lu Chen] [Realm: Body Tempering Realm (peak of the Flesh Refining Stage)] [Martial Arts: Stone Crushing Palm (3rd Realm, mastery 45%), Mountain Splitting Saber Technique (2nd Realm, proficient 80%), Iron Cloth Shirt (2nd Realm, proficient 90%)] [Traits: Bronze Skin (Intermediate), Iron Hand (Intermediate), Vibrating Force (Intermediate), Thick Skin (Advanced)]
Over the past half month, he had practically gone without sleep as he ground out proficiency.
With the silver he had seized and the rewards from the gang, he had piled up resources to the limit.
His Iron Cloth Shirt had advanced by leaps and bounds. He was only one step away from reaching the Third Realm, "mastery."
But he wasn't satisfied.
Lu Chen climbed out of the tub, grabbed a towel to dry himself, and put on a loose training robe.
He walked to the desk and took out the piece of Black Beast Hide he had taken from Li Qingyi.
A fragment of the Profound Nether Hand.
That was what concerned him most now.
Spirit Tier techniques were the key to reaching higher realms and the foundation for surviving in a world gone mad.
But no matter how he had studied it over the past half month, he couldn't get anywhere with the technique.
The panel's prompt was clear: [Without the key catalyst "Netherworld Stone," you cannot sense Profound Nether Cold Qi.]
"Netherworld Stone..."
Lu Chen furrowed his brows and tapped his fingers against the desk.
He had never even heard of the thing.
He had secretly sent Wang Xiaoliu to ask around at the major apothecaries and antique shops, and even posted a bounty on the black market.
But he had come up empty-handed.
The old shopkeepers had looked just as baffled when they heard the name.
"Am I really going to sit on a mountain of gold and beg for food?"
Lu Chen was frustrated.
Having an unrivaled cultivation manual in hand but being unable to practice it for lack of a material was more painful than being killed.
"If it's not on the market, then I'll find it at the source."
Lu Chen stared at the cryptic map on the Beast Hide.
It was a map of the Angry River's underwater terrain.
Since the technique was connected to the Angry River, he might find clues about the Netherworld Stone in records about the river.
With that, Lu Chen made up his mind.
He put away the Beast Hide and pushed open the door.
"Someone!"
Wang Xiaoliu, who had been waiting outside, hurried over with an ingratiating smile. "Hall Master, what can I do for you?"
Wang Xiaoliu had risen along with Lu Chen.
As Lu Chen's trusted aide, his standing in the gang had soared. Wherever he went, people called him "Brother Six."
"Get the carriage ready. We're going to the County Yamen."
Lu Chen spoke coolly.
"The County Yamen?" Wang Xiaoliu blinked. "Hall Master, what are we going there for? Are those constables causing trouble again? Should I bring some men..."
"No need."
Lu Chen waved him off. "We're going to the archives. I want to look up some records."
The archives were where the County Yamen stored old county gazetteers and documents.
Ordinary citizens weren't allowed in.
But Lu Chen was now the Black Water Gang's Deputy Hall Master and a powerful figure in Nujiang County.
Even the County Magistrate had to show him some respect.
Half an hour later.
In the archives behind the County Yamen.
The records were guarded by a clerk in his sixties, a Mr. Sun.
When he saw Lu Chen arrive in person, Old Mr. Sun nearly dropped his teapot. He bowed and scraped as he ushered Lu Chen inside.
"Hall Master Lu, what an honor to have you here. Forgive this old man for not greeting you sooner!"
"May I ask what you're looking for? The records here are as vast as the ocean. I know my way around, so I can help you find them."
Lu Chen skipped the pleasantries and tossed him a silver ingot.
"I want every record concerning the Angry River."
"Official histories, unofficial accounts, folk legends, local gazetteers—anything connected to the Angry River. Find it all."
Old Mr. Sun caught the ingot, his eyes widening.
It was a full ten taels, worth a year of his salary.
"Of course! Please take a seat, Hall Master Lu. I'll bring everything right over!"
Money could make the devil turn a millstone.
Before long, the desk in front of Lu Chen was piled high with yellowed thread-bound books and bamboo slips.
Records included the Gazetteer of Nujiang County, Canglan Prefecture Waterworks, Strange Tales of the Angry River, and Customs and Scenery of the Southern Frontier...
Lu Chen sent Old Mr. Sun away and sat alone at the desk to read.
He read at a startling speed.
With the panel's help, his memory and reading speed far surpassed those of ordinary people.
He flipped through the books one by one, tossing each aside when he was done.
Most were filled with dry data about waterworks, shipping, and fishing.
Others were poems by literary men and poets groaning over the river for no reason.
The sun set, and the light began to fade.
Lu Chen rubbed his aching temples and picked up the last tattered booklet.
It had no cover. The paper was so brittle it threatened to crumble at a touch, and it was covered in dust and mildew stains.
From its contents, it seemed to be a notebook left behind by an itinerant Daoist several hundred years ago.
Lu Chen patiently turned a few pages.
Suddenly, his gaze stopped.
In the latter half of the notebook, there was a description of mineral deposits on the bed of the Angry River:
"...The waters of the Angry River are extremely Yin and cold, flowing from the depths of a vast marsh. In the depths of the river's heart, undercurrents and whirlpools often rage, and neither man nor beast can approach. I once used this water to refine pills and discovered that it contained a faint trace of Yin Fiend Qi..."
"...According to local fishermen, strange stones lie deep on the riverbed. They are the color of black jade and so cold to the touch that they pierce the bone. In the dark, they give off a dim glow. They are called 'Netherworld Stones.' These stones grow in places of extreme Yin, where Water Ghosts and other monsters often guard them..."
Netherworld!
Lu Chen's eyelids twitched.
He had found it!
So the Netherworld Stone was a product of the Angry River's depths!
And it grew in places of extreme Yin, guarded by Water Ghosts.
No wonder it wasn't for sale.
Who would go digging for stones in a riverbed crawling with Water Ghosts?
Even a capable expert might not think such a material worth the trouble.
Only a force like the Red Fish Gang, which had made its living underwater for years, might have come across it.
"So the Beast Hide Map I took from Li Qingyi marks not only the inheritance of the technique, but also the source of the Netherworld Stone."
Lu Chen closed the notebook, his mind at ease.
Now that he knew where it came from, things would be easier.
Still, retrieving the stone underwater wouldn't be easy.
The Angry River was deep and fast, with treacherous currents and vicious Water Ghosts.
On land, he could go wherever he pleased. In the water, his skills would be worth at least half as much.
"I'll have to make every preparation."
Lu Chen stood and tucked the notebook into his robe.
By the time he left the archives, night had fully fallen.
Wang Xiaoliu was waiting beside the carriage, stamping his feet against the cold.
When he saw Lu Chen, he hurried over.
"Hall Master, did you find anything?"
Lu Chen nodded and climbed into the carriage.
"Back to the gang."
"Also, first thing tomorrow morning, find me a few old fishermen."
"I want men who've spent their whole lives making a living on the Angry River and know its depths better than anyone."
"Whatever it costs, bring them to me."
Wang Xiaoliu didn't know what Lu Chen was planning, but he immediately replied, "Yes, Hall Master! Leave it to me!"
The carriage rattled into the night.
Inside, Lu Chen ran his fingers over the notebook tucked against his chest.
What exactly was hidden beneath the Angry River?
Before you continue