Harvest

Golden Sand Valley's reconstruction proceeded in an orderly fashion, and the scars left behind by Bloodfire Night were steadily being erased.

"It really is different."

Standing on high ground, Skinny Monkey watched Wang Yuan approach from afar, a whip in hand, and something stirred in his eyes.

For some reason, he felt that Wang Yuan had changed after walking out of the dungeon. It was not an outward change, but a change in his very core, as if he had become another person.

In Skinny Monkey's eyes, the former Wang Yuan had been a respectable man, always carrying a faint smile when dealing with others, making people feel as though bathed in spring breezes. But now Wang Yuan had changed, becoming a thoroughgoing cruel official.

When the Quicksand Bandits had attacked, they had been prepared, but the impact had still been considerable. Then Qian Wen's entire faction had been thoroughly purged, and people's hearts had naturally grown unsettled. In the midst of it all, some people began entertaining thoughts they should not have had.

To maintain stability, as the new masters of order in Golden Sand Valley, they naturally had to suppress such people. It was then that Wang Yuan revealed his cold-blooded side.

"Did someone smuggle out golden sand again?"

His gaze falling on the bloodstained whip in Wang Yuan's hand, Skinny Monkey asked a question.

As a bandit, he considered himself fairly ruthless, but compared with the current Wang Yuan, he still fell far short.

A riot had previously been brewing in the mines. Several mine bosses had spotted an opportunity amid the chaos and wanted to seize greater profits for themselves, even turning over a new leaf and becoming their own masters. Wang Yuan had merely discovered the signs in advance.

Not only had he subjected those mine bosses to the harshest punishments, he had also swept up everyone connected to them. Some were demoted to the lowest class of slaves, forced to trade flesh and blood for golden sand; others were simply beaten to death, all to cow the hearts of the people.

At first, Skinny Monkey had disagreed with this approach. Too many people were implicated, and some of them surely had not participated in the plot. Yet Wang Yuan had ultimately convinced him, saying that the chief had already gone to Wooden Fish Island. At such a time, Golden Sand Valley absolutely could not fall into disorder, or it might affect the chief.

Moreover, if they did not clean things up in one sweep and only dealt with a few leaders, they would be burying hidden dangers. After all, human relationships formed a complicated web.

Subsequent events proved that Wang Yuan's methods had been highly effective. Under his deterrence, the situation in Golden Sand Valley had completely stabilized. Though a few minor disturbances remained, they were nothing worth worrying about.

It was from then on that Skinny Monkey clearly realized that compared to Wang Yuan, he was not ruthless enough. If it had been up to him, he truly could not have acted as Wang Yuan had. He would most likely have only executed the chief culprits.

Upon hearing Skinny Monkey's words, Wang Yuan's expression did not change. He merely nodded.

Looking at Wang Yuan like this, Skinny Monkey instinctively felt somewhat uneasy. Wang Yuan now seemed to have become a cold-blooded creature; few things could stir any change in his emotions. He was like an icy venomous snake.

What exactly did Qian Wen say to cause such a change in Wang Yuan?

Skinny Monkey was somewhat curious about Wang Yuan's transformation, but he had no intention of asking. According to reports from his subordinates, by the time Wang Yuan walked out of the dungeon, Qian Wen had already been tortured beyond human shape.

Since Skinny Monkey said nothing more, Wang Yuan naturally did not speak either. In an instant, both fell silent, with only the breeze quietly blowing. Fortunately, a commotion came from the harbor at that moment, breaking the awkwardness between them.

"Has the chief returned?"

Guessing at a possibility, joy immediately appeared on Skinny Monkey's face. These past days, Jiang Chen's safety had been what worried him most.

When he heard the horn from the harbor and realized that Jiang Chen had truly returned, even Wang Yuan's face, like an iceberg, finally showed a slight change.

At the same time, in Mouse Garden, Rat Prodigy—who had been swaying his head as though a wealthy landowner inspecting his own estate—twitched his ears. He immediately stopped and turned his gaze toward the harbor.

Seeing this, the servant following behind him, responsible for feeding the rats, hurriedly stopped as well.

"Rat Lord, is something wrong?"

His voice was neither too high nor too low, and his face was full of respect. It was not an act, but completely sincere.

The longer he spent around Rat Prodigy, the more he sensed how extraordinary he was. Moreover, Mouse Garden was no peaceful nest. Previously, a servant feeding the rats had been careless and was bitten to death by them.

Of course, working as a menial in Mouse Garden was not without benefits. The most important was that one could learn martial arts. For ordinary people, this was a ladder to rise through life. That was the fundamental reason so many laborers flocked to Mouse Garden despite knowing its dangers.

Hearing the servant's words, Rat Prodigy flicked his tail, lashing it against the ground with a crack like a whip and making all the rats fall silent.

After doing all this, he glanced at the servant, squeaked once, then darted out of Mouse Garden in a flash.

The servant did not dare delay. Seizing the chance while the rats were cowed, he hurriedly distributed the remaining food, then left Mouse Garden as quickly as possible. At that moment, his heart was full of relief that his usual flattery had not gone to waste. As for what Rat Prodigy had gone to do, that was not something he should be curious about.

As news spread that Jiang Chen had returned safely and had officially become the third leader of the River-Sweeping Bandits, the dark cloud hanging over everyone in Golden Sand Valley finally dispersed completely.

That evening, a grand banquet was held in Golden Sand Valley. There was more wine and meat than anyone could eat, lanterns and colored decorations filled every corner, and even the miners and laborers ate until their bellies were round. Smiles appeared on everyone's faces. Yet Jiang Chen, the true guest of honor, did not attend the banquet.

At that moment, he was in his own courtyard, taking stock of his gains.

"Third Leader, this is all the golden sand we found. There are three hundred and sixty-five taels in total."

Turning his gaze toward Jiang Chen, Stone handed over an account book.

This golden sand came from two main sources. One was the golden sand Golden Sand Valley had openly possessed before. After the night of the Quicksand Bandits' attack, it had been settled into the accounts and became Jiang Chen's private property. The other portion had been embezzled by Zhao Meng.

Zhao Meng had hidden it on an uninhabited island. On their return journey, Jiang Chen had retrieved it along the way. Though Zhao Meng had concealed it carefully, under Jiang Chen's Soul Illumination, he had been unable to keep any secrets.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen picked up the account book and casually flipped through it before waving his hand.

Seeing this, Stone hurriedly withdrew.

After Stone left, Jiang Chen slowly opened a small chest. This chest differed from the others. The other chests contained gold and silver, antiques, and paintings and calligraphy, while this one held all kinds of books and a small pouch.