After breakfast, Lu Shaolin strapped a long dao at his waist, carried a long spear in hand, and headed straight for the docks.
When he arrived at the docks, Ma San and Li Si were waiting for him at the entrance.
"Boss!" Seeing Lu Shaolin, the two clasped their fists and called out.
"Morning!" Lu Shaolin nodded in greeting.
The two then followed behind Lu Shaolin.
Laborers and merchants along the way all moved aside for them, while some looked at the three with ingratiating smiles.
"How do these traveling merchants know we're from the Blackwater Gang?" Lu Shaolin turned and asked.
It was normal for locals to recognize them, but how could outsiders tell?
"Boss, there are markings on our collars!" Li Si stepped forward and replied.
"Hm?" Lu Shaolin lowered his head to look. Sure enough, there was an emblem of three ripples, though it was not very conspicuous and would go unnoticed without a careful look.
"Where are we going now?" Lu Shaolin continued. It was his first day on rotation, so naturally he did not know what he was supposed to do.
"In the morning, Boss, you patrol. In the afternoon, Boss She patrols. You can just take a casual look around. If we get tired, we can find somewhere to rest, or even rest on a pleasure boat," Li Si replied.
"Then let's just wander around!" Lu Shaolin nodded.
The three began strolling around the docks.
"Right, where are those twenty brothers stationed here long-term?" Lu Shaolin asked as they walked.
"In that wooden house over there!" Li Si pointed toward a wooden house near the woods by the docks.
Lu Shaolin followed the direction of his finger and saw a two-story wooden building standing at the forest's edge.
"Mm." Lu Shaolin nodded and continued wandering.
After making a round of the docks, the three arrived at a tea stall.
The old man running the tea stall clearly remembered Lu Shaolin. He also recognized the marking on Lu Shaolin's Warrior Uniform and cautiously greeted them, "Please have a seat, honored sirs. This old man will bring you tea at once!"
"No need to be so reserved, sir. Have you forgotten me already?" Lu Shaolin asked with a smile.
"Of course I haven't forgotten you, young sir. I simply never expected you to join the gang so quickly." Seeing that Lu Shaolin was not putting on airs, the old man relaxed and smiled.
"Old Man Zhang, our boss didn't just join the gang—he became a leader right away!" Li Si said loudly.
"The moment I saw you, young sir, I knew you were a capable man, a dragon and phoenix among men!" Old Man Zhang hurriedly flattered him.
"All right, sir. Bring us a pot of tea first, then go about your business." Lu Shaolin waved with a smile. He did not really like such scenes; they felt somewhat false.
"Fine! Fine!" Old Man Zhang nodded repeatedly, turned around, went to the counter, and brought over a pot of tea.
Li Si took the teapot and first poured Lu Shaolin a cup, then poured cups for himself and Ma San.
Lu Shaolin picked up his teacup, sipping as he looked toward the docks.
As he watched, a woman caught his eye.
She appeared to be around twenty years old, with wheat-colored skin, an oval face, and gray coarse-cloth clothes and trousers.
She was tall and slender at the waist, with curves in all the right places.
Her glossy black hair was tied into a ponytail that hung down her back.
Of course, that was not the main reason she had drawn his attention. It was because she too was working as a laborer, hauling cargo. Though she struggled, she gritted her teeth and persevered.
An eight-year-old Lolita was beside her, occasionally using a handkerchief to wipe away her sweat.
"Li Si, do women work as laborers at the docks too?" Lu Shaolin asked Li Si.
He had noticed that Ma San did not like talking. He was a stuffy gourd, his long face always cold.
Li Si, on the other hand, was more worldly and talkative.
"A woman? Let me see!" Li Si turned to look.
Ma San looked over as well.
"She really is a woman, though there's hardly any flesh on her!" Li Si clicked his tongue.
"Too skinny!" Ma San said coldly.
Lu Shaolin shook his head with a smile. He truly did not understand the aesthetic tastes of people in this world.
In his eyes, that girl was absolutely a beauty, both in looks and figure!
"Old Man Zhang, what's the story with that woman?" Li Si called out to Old Man Zhang.
Old Man Zhang hurried over, craned his neck to look, and said, "You mean the Dong Family girl?"
"She's the only woman at the whole dock right now. Hurry up and tell us!" Li Si urged.
"Sigh, her father was a rotten gambler. He used to work at the docks too. Two days ago, he went gambling and not only lost their house, but also ended up owing a mountain of debt. In utter despair, he jumped into the river and killed himself."
"He left behind two daughters. I heard their house was seized yesterday, so the elder daughter brought her little sister to the docks to work as laborers. Labor is paid daily, after all, and some of the uncles here know her and have been taking rather good care of her!" Old Man Zhang sighed.
"So that's how it is. This girl is quite strong-willed!" Lu Shaolin nodded.
"This Miss Dong is very sensible. Since coming out here, she hasn't allowed her little sister to suffer. She shoulders everything herself!"
Old Man Zhang continued.
"She's just too skinny. Otherwise, finding a husband's family would mean she wouldn't have to work so hard." Li Si shook his head somewhat regretfully.
Drawing back his gaze, Lu Shaolin quietly asked Li Si and Ma San, "Do you know where there are demons or strange evils?"
Hearing Lu Shaolin's question, the two were clearly taken aback.
Li Si lowered his voice. "Boss, why are you asking about that?"
"Just curious!" Lu Shaolin laughed it off.
"Our Internal Affairs Hall rarely deals with such things. The External Affairs Hall is the one specifically responsible for handling them." Li Si looked around before speaking quietly.
"Hm? The External Affairs Hall specifically handles such matters?" Lu Shaolin asked doubtfully.
"Yes. The reason our gang can survive is because the authorities need us to deal with these matters. Our Blackwater Gang's External Affairs Hall is responsible for the Blackwater River and the fishing villages along its banks."
"The Little Knife Society is responsible for the surrounding villages. If we run into something we can't handle, we report it to the authorities, and they send the lords of the Demon Suppression Bureau to deal with it!" Li Si explained.
After hearing Li Si's explanation, Lu Shaolin recalled some memories. After the previous owner of this body had escaped from the mountains, several men in gray clothes had indeed come to his home to ask about what had happened.
They must have been men from the Little Knife Society.
"So what kinds of demons and strange evils do we usually encounter?" Lu Shaolin continued asking.
"They are divided into Yellow Calamities and Black Calamities. Yellow Calamities are generally river demons and spirits, while Black Calamities are things like Zombies and Vengeful Souls."
"It's manageable when the brothers from the External Affairs Hall encounter Yellow Calamities, but Black Calamities are troublesome. There will certainly be casualties!" Li Si continued.
"Does that happen often?" Lu Shaolin frowned.
"Not often, but it does happen from time to time. River demons especially—there are usually several incidents every month." Li Si shook his head.
They talked for a full hour, and Lu Shaolin came to understand quite a few inside details.
For example, Black Calamity Zombies were divided into walking corpses, Zombies, Copperclad Corpses, Ironclad Corpses, Silverclad Corpses, and Goldclad Corpses. He had heard there was even a Corpse King beyond those.
Vengeful Souls, meanwhile, were divided into White Rank, Black Rank, Red Rank, Nether Rank, Vicious Rank, and Baleful Rank.
Moreover, Black Calamity evils were generally far more formidable than martial artists of the same rank!
Anyone in the Organ-Tempering Realm who encountered a Copperclad Corpse would undoubtedly die. Only with special weapons and multiple people joining forces would there be any hope of victory!
Compared to them, things like river demons were truly nothing much!
Before you continue