Golden Toad

Qinghe County, the county yamen's rear residence.

Seated in the place of honor, thinking over everything that had happened recently, Liao Yonghuai, the current magistrate of Qinghe County, viciously swept his teacup to the floor. It shattered into pieces.

"What does that Ironman Tu think he's doing? He's intercepted and slaughtered merchant caravans one after another. Does he hold the law in his eyes at all?"

Beside himself with rage, the flesh on his cheeks quivered and flapped. Thinking of his own losses, Liao Yonghuai's heart ached until he could barely breathe. Those merchant caravans all carried his hidden shares, after all.

Seeing Liao Yonghuai so furious, the servants outside the room immediately fell silent as cicadas in winter. Just then, a gaunt middle-aged man with a goatee hurried in. He was Liao Yonghuai's adviser, Xu Wenmao.

"Wenmao, you came at just the right time. That Ironman Tu defies the law and wantonly intercepts and kills innocent merchants. I want to slaughter him. Do you have a way?"

His fat body occupied the entire chair like a ball. The instant Xu Wenmao entered, Liao Yonghuai fixed his gaze on him.

"My lord, please think thrice..."

Looking at Liao Yonghuai's grim expression, Xu Wenmao could not help groaning inwardly. He knew Liao Yonghuai was truly enraged this time. That was only natural. After all, Liao Yonghuai's love of money was famous. Every night, he had to sleep clutching silver. He had even specially commissioned a great beauty for himself, with silver for skin, golden threads for hair, and gemstones for eyes.

Yet upon hearing Xu Wenmao's words, Liao Yonghuai did not speak at once. His small eyes merely stared at him without blinking, seeming to gleam green.

Xu Wenmao's heart tightened at the sight, but he still had to stop Liao Yonghuai from moving against the River-Sweeping Bandits.

"My lord, the River-Sweeping Bandits occupy Soul Bewitchment Bend, where the terrain is steep and perilous. It will be no easy matter for you to wipe them out. Moreover, Ironman Tu is a genuine fiend. If you intend to strike at him, you must make every preparation and hit the mark with a single blow. Otherwise, you may very well suffer a backlash, and the losses will outweigh the gains. He is but a common bandit, while you bear the welfare of all the living people in an entire county upon your shoulders."

With painstaking sincerity, Xu Wenmao repeatedly tried to persuade Liao Yonghuai.

However Xu Wenmao counseled him, the killing intent in Liao Yonghuai's heart did not diminish in the slightest. In the past, the River-Sweeping Bandits had known their limits. They had not blocked his road to wealth, and they were indeed difficult to deal with, so he had turned a blind eye. But things were different now.

Xu Wenmao had spoken until his mouth was dry, yet Liao Yonghuai remained unmoved. He could not help sighing inwardly.

"My lord, if you are determined to deal with Ironman Tu, I will immediately gather men. But when beating a dog, one must still look to its master. The Gao Family's attitude must be considered. If they come to bear a grudge over this, there may be no trouble for the moment, but the future consequences will be endless."

Having no other choice, Xu Wenmao pointed out the most crucial issue.

At the words "Gao Family," Liao Yonghuai, whose heart had been consumed by fury, finally regained a measure of reason.

"The Gao Family..."

Murmuring softly, Liao Yonghuai frowned deeply and fell into hesitation.

The Nanjing Kingdom's royal clan and cultivation families jointly ruled the realm. Local officials, especially deputy officials, were basically all tied to local aristocratic families. Though the Gao Family was not the strongest immortal clan in Clear Source Commandery, its influence was far from small. Not only did its clan have more than one Qi Refinement cultivator holding the fort, it also had family members in high positions within the commandery administration.

Of course, it was not as though he particularly feared them. Ironman Tu, in the end, merely had some ties to the Gao Family. He might even be nothing more than a dog raised by them, not a direct descendant of the Gao Family. Even if he truly killed him, the Gao Family would not go to the ends of the earth with him.

"Ironman Tu has sealed off the waterway, and the people of Qinghe County are in an uproar. How do you think this matter should be handled?"

After calming the anger in his heart, Liao Yonghuai's tone softened considerably.

Hearing this, Xu Wenmao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Liao Yonghuai was about to change his mind.

"My lord can have the county soldiers make a move and sweep along the river once, putting on the appearance of suppressing bandits. First, this will give the county's elders and common folk an explanation. Second, it will warn the River-Sweeping Bandits and make them stop as soon as possible."

"Of course, mobilizing troops is no easy matter. The county soldiers will enter the river to suppress bandits, while you personally hold the fort and direct them. It will tax both your mind and strength. At such a critical time, Qinghe County should naturally unite from top to bottom. Every household should contribute money if they have money, and strength if they have strength."

"If, even at that point, the River-Sweeping Bandits still fail to recognize what is good for them, then you may request aid from the River Overseer's Office and wipe them out in one stroke. Presumably, by then, the Gao Family will have nothing to say."

With everything well planned, Xu Wenmao immediately offered his suggestion.

After hearing him out and pondering for a moment, Liao Yonghuai finally nodded. This approach would let Ironman Tu off, but it would also allow him to rake in a sum of money. By that calculation, not only could he recover his losses, he might even turn a profit. It was not bad at all.

"Do as you said."

With a wave of his hand, Liao Yonghuai ultimately abandoned the idea of directly moving against Ironman Tu.

Seeing this, Xu Wenmao immediately bowed and acknowledged the order.

"Ironman Tu, considering all the silver you usually send me, I've truly done my best this time. If you insist on continuing this madness, there's nothing I can do."

After leaving the county yamen and boarding his carriage, Xu Wenmao could not help sighing once more over his own lofty moral standards. Otherwise, he would not have wasted so much breath for nothing this time.

"Come to think of it, Flower-Filled Tower seems to have received a new girl this time. They say she came from the commandery city. I've exhausted myself today. It's time to go relieve my fatigue."

As soon as the thought arose, Xu Wenmao immediately had his coachman change course.

After Xu Wenmao left the county yamen, Magistrate Liao Yonghuai quietly entered a cellar. Gold and silver covered the ground here, while a golden toad was enshrined in the center.

"Ironman Tu's actions this time are somewhat unusual. There should be some hidden reason behind them. I can have someone keep an eye on it later. But no matter what, he should not have blocked my road to wealth. I hope he has the sense to stop this time. Otherwise, I can only slaughter him at the cost of offending the Gao Family."

His face dark as water, Liao Yonghuai came before the golden toad. After devoutly kowtowing in worship, he sat cross-legged and began cultivating. As time passed, a layer of gold gradually spread over his face. From afar, he looked as though he had been coated in gold dust.

No one knew that this man, fat as a ball and seemingly unable even to walk properly, was actually a cultivator. When he had said he wanted to slaughter Ironman Tu, it had not been empty talk. He had truly entertained that intention.

Just as Qinghe County was thrown into violent turmoil by the River-Sweeping Bandits' actions, Ironman Tu issued another order, telling them to further expand the scope of their search.

At first, he had been able to sit steady as a fisherman on his platform. But as time passed and they found nothing, he truly began to panic. If the Refining Heart Stone vanished without a trace, or fell into someone else's hands, his last hope would be gone. That was an outcome he could not accept.

Under such circumstances, the River-Sweeping Bandits grew ever more unscrupulous in their actions, throwing the entire Clear Source River into a foul, smoky mess.