Heading to Tang Reservoir

Just as he finished, Uncle Zheng said, "Chief Escort Zhou has been taking people out early every day for the past few days. He said he's scouting suitable shops and courtyards in the city to use as the future headquarters of the escort agency."

Feng Xiu understood. Over these past few days, Zhou Gang had only guided him a handful of times.

Since he was cooperating with the Feng family, it was only natural that he couldn't stay living in the mansion forever.

"Very well." Feng Xiu was about to say they could discuss it another day, but Uncle Zheng pulled a letter sealed with wax from his bosom.

"Elder Young Master, a letter has also arrived from Master Black."

Feng Xiu took it, tore open the seal, and read.

The letter's contents were brief. Master Black had someone else write it for him, stating that he had already arrived at Yellow Flower Temple in Yulin Prefecture and met the temple's master, Daoist Yellow Dragon.

It also mentioned that Yellow Flower Temple was dilapidated and its incense offerings had declined.

Daoist Yellow Dragon was also raising a young granddaughter, and their livelihood was quite difficult.

Overall, the gist was that he hoped Feng Xiu would send some money to repair the temple, using this act of merit to persuade Daoist Yellow Dragon to make the trip.

"This Master Black truly understands the ways of the world." Feng Xiu folded the letter.

Compared to a simple monetary hire, donating incense and oil funds was indeed harder to refuse.

"Uncle Zheng, go to the accounting office and withdraw two hundred taels in silver notes. Send them to Master Black immediately, and instruct him to treat Daoist Yellow Dragon with utmost respect and bring him here as soon as possible." Feng Xiu ordered.

"Also, ask Master Black if he knows of anyone in the city named Su Wantang."

For now, Feng Xiu still intended to maintain his speculation that Feng Shouzhuo had been set up.

He might add in the possibility of a clouded mind, hypnosis, or being cursed along the way.

Since the other party dared to provoke a clan, they must have some kind of trump card.

Master Black could get along with anyone in his little corner of Green Rock City and had wide connections. If Su Wantang was part of a gang operation, with Master Black's capabilities, he should be able to sniff out some irregularities.

"Uncle Zheng, now that the reservoir isn't open and the drought is severe, what do you think about us just using the hidden channels to irrigate the farmlands?"

At this moment, a thought flashed through Feng Xiu's mind, and he asked.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Uncle Zheng's expression changed, and he quickly dissuaded him, "Elder Young Master, absolutely not."

"As for the matter of the reservoir's hidden channels, you may not know this, but the Jade Belt Reservoir connects dozens of large and small branch channels. When they were built back then, some of the remote branch channels with small flow were never registered in the River Law Register."

"In all of Green Rock City, only our Feng family owns three such hidden channels. Every year after the autumn harvest, they're used for winter irrigation, barely moistening a hundred or so mu of land. But now they've long fallen into disrepair and are completely unusable."

Feng Xiu frowned slightly. He knew about this too, but he just couldn't let it go.

Uncle Zheng sighed, "Elder Young Master, the water volume in these hidden channels is extremely small. Our Feng family pays the River Law Permit fees on time every year precisely for the right to draw water from the main channel."

"If we open the hidden channels without authorization now, and the River Law Bureau catches us, we won't even be able to use the main channel's water in the future."

"I understand. Pray for rain, pray for rain. I just hope Master Black can bring me some good news." Feng Xiu let out another soft sigh.

An old Daoist whose temple was so dilapidated it had no incense—how much real skill could he have?

Rather than counting on that, he might as well think about how to get the reservoir's water flowing.

Half an hour later.

The Feng family's carriage moved slowly along the thoroughfare.

The Jade Belt Reservoir was not a natural lake. A century ago, the imperial court conscripted laborers to build a massive water-retaining dam in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, connecting to the Jade Belt Mountains.

The dam was built from blue stone, with a wide roadway atop it for carts and horses.

It was like a waterborne city wall, locking the vast blue waves securely within the valley.

The River Law Permit was a crucial token symbolizing water rights and entry into the Jade Belt Reservoir. As the heir of the Feng family, Feng Xiu carried it with him.

Holding the River Law Permit, they passed through without any hindrance.

Uncle Zheng drove the carriage. Feng Xiu calmed his mind, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked down.

What met his eyes was a vast, endless expanse of deep water, green as jade, shimmering with rippling light under the scorching sun.

At the very center of the lake stood a colossal stone ruler that seemed to connect heaven and earth, marked with water level lines.

On the right side of the reservoir was a huge water collection tank shaped like a Bagua diagram.

He stepped down from the carriage.

The hot wind, thick with moisture, rushed toward him. A middle-aged man with a fair complexion, dressed in a blue official's robe, had already been waiting for some time.

"Your subordinate, Wang Yong, Reservoir Supervisor, pays respects to Young Master Feng. May I ask if you have any important business today?"

Wang Yong wore a standard respectful smile on his face, his gaze sweeping over the two of them.

"Supervisor Wang, no need for formalities. The weather has been dry this year, and the tenant farmers are anxious. Since my Feng family holds the River Law Permit, it is only natural that we concern ourselves with the water source."

"I wonder, regarding this year's schedule for opening the reservoir and releasing water, what stage have the River Law Bureau and the various families reached in their discussions?"

Feng Xiu clasped his hands behind his back, looking down at the vast water surface below, his tone casual.

Wang Yong's smile did not waver. He bowed slightly. "In reply to Young Master Feng, opening the reservoir and releasing water is a matter of public welfare. Everything must be deliberated upon by Lord Qin, who will set a unified schedule."

"This humble official holds a lowly post and truly dares not presume to discuss the arrangements of my superiors."

Feng Xiu's gaze shifted slightly, then he asked casually, "Oh? And what about the other families—the Lin Family, the Fan Family—have they come to inspect the Tang Reservoir recently? With this drought, I imagine they can't sit still either, can they?"

"Well..." Wang Yong hesitated at this. "How would this humble official dare to pry into the affairs of the various masters? But in recent days, the Tang Reservoir has been quiet. Aside from you, young master, perhaps the other masters are busy with rent exemptions."

Rent exemptions—was that a jab at me?

Wang Yong's reply was watertight, and between the lines, he even subtly jabbed back at Feng Xiu.

Then, Feng Xiu's heart sank slightly, and he shifted his angle.

"Have you heard anything unusual lately? Just now, on the carriage, I seemed to overhear some villagers muttering that they'd heard strange noises from the direction of the reservoir at night?"

Feng Xiu pointed at the thick brick wall beneath his feet and the towering, massive sluice gate in the distance.

A lie, pure bluff to shake him.

"Absolutely not. The Tang Reservoir is a vital site; every rustle of wind or grass is watched. It concerns the city's lifeline. Perhaps it was the mountain wind howling, and the villagers misheard."

Wang Yong's face shifted slightly, but he answered with absolute finality.

Seeing both of his probes easily deflected, the atmosphere grew somewhat tense.

At that moment, Uncle Zheng, who had been standing silently half a step behind Feng Xiu, cupped his hands with a roguish smile and said, "Supervisor Wang, please don't take offense. My young master is just worried about the farming—spring planting can't be delayed, so he can't help asking in detail. I hope you'll forgive him."

Wang Yong quickly returned the gesture. "Uncle Zheng, you're too kind. This is my duty; I wouldn't dare call it hardship."

Then, Uncle Zheng slid a bulging embroidered pouch from his sleeve and handed it over discreetly. "A small token, for you and the brothers to buy some cold tea to beat the heat."

Wang Yong's expression stiffened. His fingers touched the pouch, and he quickly scanned his surroundings before tucking it into his sleeve.

Yet, even with Uncle Zheng stepping in personally, Wang Yong remained as slippery as oil, answering with half-hearted chatter.

Feng Xiu looked helpless, unable to get a word in, but out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward Wang Yong's side and rear.

Near the shadow at the base of the wall, a small patch of blue bricks looked as if it had been recently soaked by water, contrasting with the dry surface around it.

And at the edge of that damp mark lay a single object, quietly.

The object wasn't conspicuous. Thanks to his martial arts training sharpening his eyesight, he might not have spotted it if he hadn't looked closely.

Feng Xiu's brow twitched. Watching the two still chatting, he brushed his hand over the rough wall plaster, deliberately fixing his gaze on the shimmering water surface.

While the other two were still talking, he took two steps, bent down, and picked the thing up.

The moment it touched his hand, a bone-piercing chill struck him, nearly making him lose his grip.

"Well then, I've troubled you today, Supervisor Wang." On the other side, Uncle Zheng cupped his hands to Wang Yong with a smile.

"Go slowly, Uncle Zheng."

Wang Yong replied politely.

Having gained little intelligence from Wang Yong, Uncle Zheng didn't linger. He drove the carriage away along the embankment path.

"Return to the manor."

Wang Yong bowed from outside the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Feng Xiu leaned back on the cushion, studying the item in his hand. It was about the size of an adult's palm, perfectly fan-shaped, and covered in a bluish hue.

The thing was freezing cold to the touch. Even after being baked under the scorching sun for so long, that piercing chill still shot up from his fingertips into his arm, raising the hairs on his forearm.

"Strange." Feng Xiu frowned.

The fan-shaped scale had no hair on it, yet it felt incredibly soft and smooth, with a faint, fine burr-like texture.

His mind conjured up a tiger. A tiger's tongue looked smooth but hid rows of barbs.

The comparison wasn't quite right, but it was close.

Then, Feng Xiu placed the scale in his palm and stroked it in one direction. The smooth, burred sensation came again.

His expression grew contemplative. Judging by this single piece, how large would a creature with scales this big be?

Probably as tall as two men?

And it would swim extremely fast underwater, with likely high leaping ability to clear the dam.

Following that line of thought, it seemed... it also had a special ability to move on land, having recently come out of the water to act.

Feng Xiu's heart suddenly jolted. He tried to suppress the thought, but it took root and refused to be uprooted.

"A water monster!?"

The idea didn't match reality, but it fit the current logic.

"Is this the real reason the River Law Bureau won't open the Tang Reservoir—because there's a monster like this in the water?"

"That's not right either!"

Feng Xiu shook his head in an instant.

The Tang Reservoir involved Green Rock City and countless downstream villages and farms, generating interests worth millions.

If it blocked the path to profit, even if there were a water ghost in the lake, they'd fish out the Dragon King of the East Sea himself.

But the problem now was that none of the major city interests had moved at all.

Feng Xiu's face was expressionless. Suppressing the chill in his heart, he rubbed the scale over and over until his fingertips went numb from the cold, then tossed it out of the carriage.