The End

An hour later, Feng Xiu returned to Feng Mansion, soaked from head to toe.

In the main hall, Feng Ao and Uncle Zheng were discussing something. When they saw him carrying something, they both stood up.

"Eldest Young Master, how did it go?" Uncle Zheng hurried over.

Feng Xiu said nothing. He simply dropped the monster fish's corpse onto the floor.

The bundle fell open, and Uncle Zheng's pupils instantly contracted.

Feng Ao's expression turned solemn.

"This is..." Uncle Zheng drew in a sharp breath, his voice hoarse.

Feng Xiu then recounted everything that had happened in the dense forest, including the scale.

When he finished, the hall fell deathly silent.

It was a long while before Uncle Zheng spoke. His face had gone pale. "Can such a thing really exist in this world?"

Feng Xiu shook his head. "Whether such things exist isn't important. What matters is that I killed it."

This had been his first battle since beginning martial arts cultivation. Though he'd taken a few knocks along the way, the outcome was good.

Blood Qi Martial Arts could deal with creatures like this!

Feng Ao was also somewhat shocked, but more than anything, he was watching Feng Xiu. A complicated yet gratified look flashed through his eyes.

"Father, you've never seen anything like this either?" Feng Xiu asked.

Feng Ao shook his head. "Those of us who practice martial arts have vigorous blood and abundant yang energy. I've heard of wandering ghosts and evil spirits, and I've killed quite a few."

"But this thing is a first for me, too."

Feng Xiu fell silent.

Then Feng Ao slowly said, "Still, since it can be killed, there's no need to fear it."

"Since it came looking for Shou Zhuo, some things don't add up," Uncle Zheng said, his brow furrowing in puzzlement.

Feng Ao agreed. Now that Feng Xiu had confirmed the existence of a chain of evidence, the matter was more or less settled.

To some extent, the case was already closed.

Su Wantang had only killed Liu Wenjun, the one who knew the truth. As for the other members of the Feng Clan, she'd merely taught them a small lesson.

She'd spared Shou Zhuo and even helped him recover his body.

"If she wanted him dead, she could've killed him long ago. What was the point of all this?" Feng Ao's tiger-like eyes swept over Feng Xiu.

Neither of them had witnessed the fight firsthand. The account Feng Xiu gave them couldn't compare with seeing it for themselves.

Uncle Zheng was the same. He, too, looked at Feng Xiu. In this whole affair, Feng Xiu had already proven himself capable of serving as the family's eldest legitimate son.

In terms of intelligence, he was in no way inferior to Feng Ao.

Feng Xiu said nothing. He thought it over for a long while before speaking, as if to point out the obvious:

"The matter with Su Wantang is already over. The one targeting the Feng Clan now isn't her, but the owner of that monster-fish man from Tang Reservoir."

"It sees Su Wantang as a possession."

The owner. Someone had touched what belonged to the owner. So whose possession had Shou Zhuo touched?

For a woman, it went without saying what was most precious.

As soon as he said this, the two men understood. Uncle Zheng's expression turned startled.

Feng Ao was so furious that his temples throbbed!

"Brat!" Feng Ao snapped.

"Well..." Uncle Zheng didn't know what to say. He sighed softly, the wrinkles on his face deepening.

Just as Feng Xiu had said, the matter with Su Wantang was over. The best solution was not to provoke her and not to investigate her.

After all, she had indeed shown them goodwill.

But...

At the private appreciation gathering at Fragrant Flower House, Shou Zhuo had indeed violated Su Wantang's chastity.

After all those twists and turns, everything had returned to the beginning. This whole mess had stemmed from the amorous debts Shou Zhuo had run up with the lower half of his body.

Su Wantang wasn't pursuing the matter, but someone else wanted him dead!

Feng Xiu couldn't even describe how he felt right now. He was utterly speechless—and so angry that he could only laugh.

"So what do we do now?"

At this point, he'd done everything he could. Feng Xiu was out of ideas.

Hearing this, Feng Ao's eyes flickered. He immediately issued his orders. "Uncle Zheng, replace all the servants and guards, except for the estate accountants and stewards."

"Starting today, double the number of patrols in the mansion. Keep an eye on Shou Zhuo and don't let him wander off. Assign people to watch all the Dark Canals as well."

"Third, I'll handle the grain merchants' alliance and keep pressuring the River Law Bureau to state its position. Look into Su Wantang's affairs discreetly, but don't alert anyone."

Feng Ao spoke gravely. Clear out the spies, test the River Law Bureau's response, and protect Shou Zhuo.

His instructions came one after another, each clearly laid out. Uncle Zheng nodded solemnly.

Feng Xiu had just finished listening when he belatedly realized Feng Ao hadn't mentioned him at all. He asked, "What about me?"

"You? Wen Zheng, you just focus on training and keep playing the great benefactor."

"All right."

Feng Xiu didn't argue. These things were Feng Ao's responsibility in the first place; he'd simply been piling the burden onto his son.

Now that Feng Ao had said so, Feng Xiu did feel a weight lift off his shoulders.

"Also, Uncle Zheng, go to the secret chamber and fetch a box of Blood Returning Pills."

At first, Feng Ao had only wanted his son to train his muscles and build up his health. But since he was set on pursuing this path, Feng Ao couldn't afford to hold anything back.

When he'd seen the monster fish's corpse, Feng Ao had also broken out in a cold sweat.

"You must break through Body Refining within three months!" he said in a low voice, looking at Uncle Zheng.

The latter's face showed his shock, but he quickly nodded in agreement.

"Blood Returning Pills?" Feng Xiu asked, stunned.

"Eldest Young Master, these Blood Returning Pills are worth a fortune. Back then, the family head relied on them to gather force and condense qi, breaking through to the Divine Steel Realm."

Seeing that Feng Xiu didn't understand, Uncle Zheng explained.

Hearing this, Feng Xiu couldn't help feeling excited. Anything Feng Ao kept in his private collection had to be extraordinary.

Then he steadied himself and brought the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Father, in your view, does the River Law Bureau know about this or not?"

Feng Ao fell silent for a long while.

"I'm not sure. But it'd be best if they don't. My Feng Clan holds the River Law Seal. Sigh..."

He trailed off, letting out a rare sigh. Uncle Zheng appropriately brought up something from the past.

"Eldest Young Master may not know this, but the family head spent years laying the groundwork and drawing in countless connections before securing the River Law Seal. If even the family head doesn't know..."

He didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.

Either the River Law Bureau had hidden it very well, or they really didn't know.

"Whatever the case, we'll still need the Tang Reservoir's sluice gates opened for the follow-up irrigation. We'll see what happens then." Feng Ao let out a long breath and couldn't help rubbing his temples.

The complete success of the Sweet Dew Grand Festival put an end to the blazing hot weather, and the people cheered with delight.

Every household praised Young Master Feng for his benevolence and Daoist Yellow Dragon for his profound mastery of the Dao. The excitement showed no sign of fading.

Even grain prices, which had been climbing, fell back down. After the Sweet Dew Grand Festival ended, spring planting began seamlessly. The people had hope again, and peace returned to every household.

Behind the scenes, however, the grain-merchant families led by the Feng Clan had no intention of letting the River Law Bureau off the hook.

Four days later.

Feng Ao joined forces with Lin, Zhou, Zhao, Wang, and other families, large and small, to put pressure on the River Law Bureau. Their reason was simple.

If the Sweet Dew Grand Festival had failed to bring rain, the people's fury at the time would have been enough to ignite a full-blown uprising.

The families' demands were simple as well: the River Law Bureau had to explain why it had refused to open Tang Reservoir, and lay out clear procedures for the future.

The River Law Seal was the authorization to release water. Every year, the families paid their dues, and now the River Law Bureau's actions had all but turned it into a useless piece of paper.

Faced with the heads of these powerful families, the River Law Bureau responded in a rather awkward fashion.

Feng Ao had gauged the situation just right. He didn't push too hard, and after taking a firm stance, he gradually eased his tone.

He said that the farms and their affairs would take priority, and that he wouldn't be getting further involved after this.

He then arranged for the Feng Clan's guards and the elite members of the Zhou Family Escort Team to patrol the Dark Canals running through the three major estates around the clock, in case more of those monster-fish creatures appeared.

Meanwhile.

After Zhou Gang woke up, Feng Xiu told him what had happened over the past few days and shared his suspicions. Zhou Gang remained silent for a long time.

He then volunteered to join Feng Ao's efforts, sending people from the martial world to quietly investigate Su Wantang and the North Ridge Sect.

Once Feng Ao took over the family's affairs, Feng Xiu had noticeably more time to train.

At this stage, both Feng Ao and Zhou Gang wanted Feng Xiu to improve his strength as much as possible.

As a result, Feng Xiu received Zhou Gang's guidance in every aspect, along with the immense benefits of having the family's resources directed toward him to the greatest possible extent.

He trained harder and harder.